We Won’t All Survive – Kate Alice Marshall

Only a couple more reviews to go before the monthly wrap up!

Thanks to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy

WE WON’T ALL SURVIVE – Kate Alice Marshall (Released July 29th, 2025)

Book Description:

Two years ago Mercy Gray was hailed as a hero for saving lives during a mall shooting. She still carries souvenirs from that incident: the fragment of a bullet lodged in her back, a mountain of medical debt, and guilt for ignoring her sister’s warnings that the sweet boy next door was anything but.

When billionaire-turned-TV-host Damien Dare recruits Mercy to compete on his new survivalist reality show, she can’t turn down a chance at the whopping cash prize that could send her sister to college—but when she and the other contestants arrive at the off-grid location, something isn’t right. The set is empty. The gates close without warning, trapping them inside. Then one of them turns up dead. What appeared at first to be a tragic accident quickly transforms as more contestants start dying. With time and resources running low, surviving this show takes on a new meaning.

My Thoughts: 4/5 stars

You know what, I had a great time with this one. A fun YA thriller/locked room mystery that takes place on a reality survival show – a show that turns into an actual fight for survival. 

Mercy has had one hell of a time. She is a survivor of a mall shooting and saved the lives of others. What does she have to show for it? Tons of medical debt and a permanent reminder in the form of a bullet fragment in her back. She’s recruited for a spot on this new reality show, and the only reason she agrees is because the prize money would help solve all of her problems. Things seem off from the beginning. The set seems abandoned, no one knows what to do, and then someone turns up dead. Is it an accident? Is it part of the show? Is there something more sinister going on? 

Kate Alice Marshall knows how to tell a story, ramp up the tension, and toss in some great red herrings. This is YA, so it isn’t as intense or gory as you might expect with adult fiction. This is a quick read and exactly what I needed!