We Won't All Survive

by Kate Alice Marshall

Overview

From the bestselling author of I Am Still Alive comes a new nail-biter that's part survival story, part murder mystery, and all thriller—perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson!

Two years ago, Mercy Gray was hailed as a hero for saving lives during a mall shooting. She still carries souvenirs from that day: 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.

So 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. And then one of them turns up dead. What appeared at first to be a tragic accident quickly transforms as more contestants start dropping like flies. With time and resources running low, surviving this show takes on a whole new meaning. Mercy must figure out who to trust. Before she’s next.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593691830
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/29/2025
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kate Alice Marshall started writing before she could hold a pen properly, and never stopped. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with a chaotic menagerie of pets and family members, and ventures out in the summer to kayak and camp along Puget Sound. She is the author of the young adult novels I Am Still Alive, Rules for Vanishing, Our Last Echoes, These Fleeting Shadows, and The Narrow, as well as the middle grade novels Thirteens, Brackenbeast, Glassheart, and Extra Normal. Visit her online at KateMarshallBooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for We Won't All Survive

“The Hunger Games meets One of Us is Lying in this twisty thriller. If you like books with a dwindling band of survivors, you’ll love We Won’t All Survive. I stayed up way too late so I could read it in a single day. No one is quite who they seem to be—not even the main character."—April Henry, author of Two Truths and a Lie and When We Go Missing

“A complex look at trauma, survival, and the bonds that form under pressure, with the flair of twists you won't see coming.”—Mindy McGinnis, award-winning author of Heroine

“Marshall delivers an intense, pulse-pounding thriller that tactfully explores themes like trauma and toxic masculinity while never letting go of the throttle. Full of twists, turns, and catharsis.”—Booklist

“A fast-paced YA thriller… The tension steadily builds throughout with a surprising final twist that will shock readers. Fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus will love this.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2025-04-19
A reality show turns deadly as young people scramble to escape a nightmare town.

Having survived a mass shooting one year ago, Mercy Gray is tougher than the bullet fragment that’s still lodged in her back. She plans to use that grit to win one of the $100,000 prizes offered by eccentric tech billionaire Damien Dare, who’s determined to test his theories about what makes someone a survivor. Mercy and seven other contestants, all between 18 and 20, arrive in Landry’s Gap, a deserted wilderness town Dare bought specifically for the TV show,Who Survives. Each bears scars from a trauma that still haunts them. The rules are simple—complete a series of challenges; everyone who makes it to the end wins the cash. But when the first contestant turns up dead, the remaining players—the only people in the town—are left wondering who can be trusted. Marshall’s fans will appreciate that in Mercy she serves up another one of her signature stoic, slightly awkward girl protagonists who manage to be both resilient and fragile. The narrative tackles misogyny with mixed success; one character’s backstory feels realistically insightful, while another plotline comes across as forced. Mercy’s inner voice, as she wrestles with self-doubt, feels inconsistent. Disappointingly, the major plot twist is so obvious that even readers with little experience of the genre may anticipate the ending. Mercy is white, and there’s diversity in race and gender identity in the supporting cast.

A promising premise marred by heavy-handed execution.(Thriller. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews