We Won't All Survive

Written by Kate Alice Marshall

Narrated by Jess Nahikian

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 29, 2025
• ISBN: 9798217074273

Kate Alice Marshall

Kate Alice Marshall is the USA Today bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods, No One Can Know, A Killing Cold, and multiple novels for younger readers. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.

Reviews for We Won't All Survive

[riley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kate Alice Marshall has never written a bad book. Period

[jwitt33 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

We Won't All Survive tells us a story about a reality survival show for teenagers who have been through and survived horrific traumatic experiences, with most bearing physical scars, and all bearing emotional scars. The prize is $100,000, and our MC, Mercy Gray, really needs that money to pay for her little sister's college education since her college fund was used to pay for all of Mercy's medical bills following a shooting at a mall that she and her sister, Jamie, survived. She is actually still dealing with the guilt she carries around at not being able to save everybody that day, but this amount of money is too good to pass up, so she makes the decision to go even though she has her reservations. Unfortunately, when Mercy and the other contestants arrive at the shoot location, nobody is there to ,meet them, which feels weird, but then when one of them dies, and still nobody comes to help them, they are on their own with a murderer on the loose. They're going to have to work together to try to survive and find a way out of the camp in which they are trapped.

This is the first book I've read by Kate Alice Marshall so I didn't have anything to compare her writing to, which made it easier for me to enjoy and get into. I loved the premise, and I think it was executed very well. The characters were all unique, with great backstories, and the pacing was spot on for the most part. I did guess who the murderer was before the end, but it was still suspenseful letting the story play out.

All in all, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading more of Kate Alice Marshall's work.

4.5/5 stars

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Kate Alice Marshall for the opportunity to read and review We Won't All Survive.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Several young adults believe they are playing a survivor game for the chance to win money. But, when some of the group die during the game, the team realize that the game is more deadly than they thought.
This is a YA novel with some creepy vibes. A look at who you can trust, and what you will do for those you love. Several tense moments helped with the suspense of the novel. The creepy tunnels and bad vibes of some of the characters contributed to the creepiness of the novel.