The geography was constantly shifting out here. In the marshlands, water seeped onto the grassy edges of the road. After a storm, islands could have become peninsulas, or vice versa. And the dunes were always moving, growing—like everything in sight was waiting to be consumed. My room—the room I had stayed in since that very first year—was one of three on the second floor. The door was open at the end of the hall, welcoming me. Inside, there were two queen beds with matching aqua=colored comforters, dark wooden furniture, and an antique, out-of-place mirror. Amaya’s luggage was at the foot of the bed that had always been hers, nearer the entrance. Their annual meeting place, a house on the Outer Banks, has long been a refuge. By the tenth anniversary, Cassidy Bent has worked to distance herself from the tragedy, and from the other survivors. This year, she is determined to finally break ties once and for all. And—as they promised long ago—each survivor will do whatever he or she can do to save one another. Won’t they? a b "National Writers Series: Megan Miranda and Emily Henry". Interlochen Public Radio . Retrieved 2023-04-05.

Several of Miranda's adult novels, including All the Missing Girls and The Last House Guest, were published by Simon and Schuster. [9] Several of her young adult novels were published by Penguin Random House [10] and Bloomsbury Publishing. [11] Young adult [ edit ] Synopsis: A decade ago, two vans filled with high school seniors on a school service trip crashed into a Tennessee ravine—a tragedy that claimed the lives of multiple classmates and teachers. I have to say, for a group of adults, they sure think and behave like teenagers. Did their emotional development get stunted at the time of the tragedy? Perhaps.Yes, this group are clearly still feeling grief over the accident and the loss of their classmates. But they also seem to be suffering from guilt, and not just survivors’ guilt. What are they hiding about what happened ten years ago?

Are they being lured to the Outer Banks each year by someone who isn’t as forgiving as they pretend to be? Will all seven still be alive at the end of the SEVEN day retreat?This is story of nine survivors! They were innocent high school kids on the school trip, surviving from van accident, living with guilt, harboring secrets, celebrating their lives by meeting at the cabin called the Shallows: as the townies also call “ The Ghost House”. I definitely recommend The Only Survivors. I thought the past/present narrative structure was very effective. I loved the Outer Banks setting. And I found the book really enjoyable to read.

The group created an annual retreat to be together on the anniversary and hopefully stop their numbers from dwindling. This year Cassidy does not want to attend, and has worked hard to distance herself from the others. When she changes her plans last minute, she arrives to feel that something is off. Not only is a storm coming, but now one of the remaining seven is missing and they can’t help but wonder if there is something much darker at play. After that, the remaining nine crash survivors decided they would climb out of the river gorge because there was a bad storm and the water was rising. The school had a no cell phone policy so no one could call for help.So I feel I’ve been a bit harsh, and as I always want to find the positive, as I know *I* could never construct a fiction novel, I will say the author did a good job of describing the atmosphere and constructing a nice cast of characters. The characters in this story cope with the accident in different ways. What are some of the healthier ways? What personalized advice would you give the remaining survivors, knowing all that has happened in the past ten years? Some readers on my spoiler post (below) have found it slow, and I agree that it is NOT a fast-paced thriller, so keep that in mind! Here,” I said, like I was a student calling out her attendance, and he laughed. From his greeting, it sounded like they’d been waiting. Unlike Brody, I was more accustomed to being overlooked, so I had gotten into the habit of going out of my way to make my presence known. It had to be Amaya. She was the one who reached out with the details each year. She cared for us deeply, as a collective. She cared about everything deeply.

I pressed my fist to my teeth, let out one single gasp, hoped it was muffled under the sound of running water. When Cassidy arrives at the meeting house, the vibes are off, and a few feel like someone is watching them. You get tantalizing hints of what that secret might be, and all of the horrifying twists toward the end just keep you gasping.I really enjoyed Megan Miranda’s last two books, “The Last To Vanish” and “Such A Quiet Place”, but I seem to be an OUTLIER with this one. The nine students who managed to escape the river that night were irrevocably changed. A year later, after one of the survivors dies by suicide on the anniversary of the crash, the rest of them make a pact: to come together each year to commemorate that terrible night. The SEVEN who remain gather at the property, and the charade continues, with sand, swimming, and S’mores over a sizzling campfire until ANOTHER one from the group disappears. Can they really trust one another? Thoughts: This book was so much deeper than I thought it would be. It was sad to read about the tragedy and all of the complex emotions that went along with it. The book switched from present time at their yearly retreat and each individual perspective the night of the accident. It was gripping from the beginning and became more claustrophobic as the story went on. Each character was interesting and unique and fun to read about. Guilt pervades this story as various characters feel guilty for their role in the accident and the aftermath—Amaya feels guilty because the trip was her idea; Cassidy feels guilty because she inadvertently caused the accident. How can these characters overcome their guilt?