Six people crammed into a tiny RV. Five come back alive. This is what drew me to the book, Five Survive by the amazing author Holly Jackson, the author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Red, the main character is a young girl going through the trauma of losing her mom. Although it may sound cliche at first, Jackson uses this short detail to move the story along and adds the biggest plot twist at the end.

Red, her best friend Maddy, Maddy’s older brother Oliver his girlfriend Reyna, and two friends Arthur and Simon on journeying on a long trip at the start spring break. They’re all looking forward to warm sandy beaches and wild parties. But that fun would never come. They wouldn’t make it to the beach. They wouldn’t even be close. One wrong turn leads them down a rabbit hole of secrets and someone won’t be getting out alive.

Red: She doesn’t have the best childhood. Her mom, one of her best friends and someone she looks up to died a few years before this trip. It has really taken a lot out of her self esteem and her family fell apart at the seams. Her dad turned into an alcoholic and spent all their money on drinks. Red had to be the parent and take care of her dad even with such a heavy emotional baggage. She carries around the thought that she was the one who had killed her mother. This leads her down a path of depression and obsessiveness over the reason her mother died which still remains a mystery to this day.

Maddy: This is Red’s best friend since childhood. Their moms were the best of best friends and Maddy’s mom cared for Red like a second mother. Sleepovers and hangouts were constant, there was no reason to suspect anything bad. Until this roadtrip exposed some dark secrets that led Maddy to discover family secrets that have never been spoken aloud.

Oliver: He is your typical arrogant smart guy who thinks that he knows it all. His snotty and blaming attitude immediately gets him off to a bad start. Siimon is also Maddy’s older brother which is surprising due to their conflicting personalities that clash. Some wrong turns were taken and soon enough wrong doings are made.

Reyna: Reyna is smart and shy but she doesn’t lay down in a fight. She is the girlfriend of Oliver’s and her dark past will be revealed in a startling game of sharing secrets. She is an aspiring nurse in a prestigious program, ready to start her life. Will this trip end it?

Simon: He is your typical happy and very drunk guy. He always lifts up the mood especially when he gets his hands on a bit of alcohol. When the signal goes out and the darkness sets in, even Simon won’t be able to lift the depressing mood.

Arthur: Arthur. There’s not much known about him or his past. He just appeared in their lives and joined the group.

Read Five Survive to find out what will happen to the seemly unbreakable bond between 6 friends looking forward to a relaxing vacation on the beach that will never come.

Five Survive by Holly Jackson is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.