This book is so depressing. It was very hard to follow as everything bounced all over the place.
Not the book for me

This is a dark read and not an easy read. In the end you do feel a lot of empathy but it is difficult to get there. However I am glad that I read it.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The organisation of chapters in this book make it hard to keep track of what's happening at what time, especially as it gets towards the end and the timeliness are getting closer together. The story is mainly quite depressing about how three little boys we're ignored and neglected by their parents. For most of the story I found the whole thing odd and a bit pointless. I couldn't see why the story was there as nothing significant had seemed to happen.

However the twist at the end was the best part of the book, that caught my attention tion and the letter at the end was not nice to read. I felt that this book was too negative and depressing to enjoy. I think the only thing that makes it stronger is that it is a short read, I managed to read it in one day.

I initially struggled with The Survivors - I started it before it came out over a year ago and then put it down at around 10%. I picked it back up trying to clear my TBR on a long-haul flight with little other distractions and that’s the only way I think I could have finished it.

The book focuses on three brothers – Benjamin, Pierre and Nils and their childhood with their abusive parents - particularly on a summer holiday to an island cottage. Although it’s a very small cast of characters, only the mother felt distinctly drawn – the brothers all seemed too similar, with no real personalities jumping out to give them life from the page.

Although the book is only 250 pages, it felt like it dragged a lot in places. There is a lot of description and focus on one of the characters peeing themselves which just felt gross, as well as descriptions of the brother's privates, neither of which was at all relevant to the story. The prose jumps timelines from past flashbacks to present day which made it confusing in places. There’s not much of a plot, just descriptions of experiences and a bit of a build-up to a specific event which is revealed at the end. I thought the twist was well-done, but it wasn’t worth the slog of getting through the rest of the book to get to it.

Overall, The Survivors is a short and bleak read, I’ve given it 2 stars because of its twist but it isn’t really worth reading just for that! Thank you to NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group UK – Fleet for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for a (very) honest review.

I found this a very hard book to get into. There was to much bouncing back and forth for my liking. It had a great description but sadly didn’t live up to my expectations

I think I expected something different from this, it was quite slow paced and emotional and I found myself struggling to get through it in some places

The Survivors is a slow paced novel about a dysfunctional family of five including three brothers (Nills, Benjamin and Pierre) and their experiences growing up. They spend summers at a house on a lake and while their parents enjoy day drinking and afternoon naps, the boys explore their surroundings and try to understand why their family is different from others.
The storyline moves around through time which can be quite confusing, and it is overall a heartbreaking tale.

The estranged brothers reunite after the death of their mother to carry out their wishes. However they all carry drama from their childhood.

I struggle with this book, I felt the timeline was confusing with so much back and forward, plus I felt it was very slow.

This wasn't the type of mystery I thought. Definitely not my usual type.
While I did enjoy this enough. I also felt it was missing something to fully grip me.
This was a heartbreaking read. Reading about the abuse and neglect the brothers faced growing up and seeing how that still affects them as adults. Especially Benjamin.
The twist towards the end changed the whole story. It made the stories we get told feel a little bit more unbelievable. While I didnt see it coming I was still left feeling underwhelmed as a whole with the book.

DNF - for me the story just didn’t live up to the plot. I got halfway and just couldn’t finish it,

This is a sad novel about the childhood of 3 boys - it's a very jumpy novel...it flicks back and forward through time and it can be very hard to follow what time period you're reading about.

Topics of alcoholism, mental illness and child neglect are covered and I don't feel that the blurb truly reflects the story within.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for my complimentary copy of The Survivors by Alex Schulman.

The story is told from Benjamin's perspective and alternates between the current time and a moment in his and his family's past where a tragedy occurred. As the story unfolds we delve into the dysfunction of the family and the emotionally uninvolved parents who seem to be physically present for their children but don't really provide emotional support.

This was an interesting read for me, I can't say if I enjoy it or if I don't, but it is definitely worth reading.

This is a good read, sad at times and can also be a little depressing at times too. It's a tale of what if and why didn't I?! I should have said, I should have shown, why didn't I. I enjoyed it though despite the sadness and tragedy involved. While the father had a lot to answer for the sons' estrangement they didn't help their own situations either. It's a good read though, one that will stay with me.

I'm afraid this just wasn't for me. Dour, depressing, slow and annoyingly repetitive in parts. A drawn out story of a messed up family, further broken after a tragic accident. At least it was fairly short! 😊

I really enjoyed this tale of three brothers who reunite at their family’s lakeside cottage following the death of their mother and who revisit the events of one momentous summer when they were children when something happened that had a far-reaching effect on all their lives. It’s a slow burn of a novel, with a gradual expertly handled reveal of what occurred, and the pacing is spot-on. It’s a suspenseful, tense, bleak and disturbing read but an utterly compelling one.

Not for the faint hearted, this novel had me on edge from page one. The writer has skillfully written a mysterious account of the brother's summer. Every detail makes you more unsure of what will happen next.

I can't find one single redeeming quality in this depressing tale about three brothers travelling back to their depressing childhood home to carry out the wishes of a loved one.

We go back and forth in time in this long, drawn-out misery fest to discover what "THE EVENT" that shattered their lives was. They've all been living with it for years, but Benjamin has borne the brunt of it. But what was it, Benjamin?! What happened?!

THE EVENT made me roar at my Kindle, and only for Santa had just brought me a new Paperwhite for Christmas, I would have flung it at something. I just felt like the whole story was so emotionally manipulative, from a cruel scene involving a live fish and a frying pan to the constant reminder that the children's parents were really neglectful and just not bothered about their kids whatsoever.

Hated this with every fibre of my being, but sure isn't that the beauty of review sites? Other people loved it, and I loved reading their reviews to see if I had missed anything (I hadn't).

Sincere apologies to the publisher but thanks regardless for approving me for the ARC. This one just wasn't for me.

Thoughtful and beautiful writing .. an authenticity about sibling relations too that is very persuasive and gripping (maybe it is a bit subdued and slow in the unwinding) but thoroughly well done .....

The Survivors is for me, one of my best reads so far this year. It is an intimate portrayal of a family, narrated by middle child Benjamin. Benjamin was the observer, the anxious child, wanting to fix everything and make his family happy.

We move from present day backwards to pivotal moments in his life, which took place at a remote cottage surrounded by a lake and forest. Along with his brothers Pierre and Nils, we observe their childhood which was complex and damaging to each of the boys in different ways.

Returning now to scatter their Mom's ashes, the brothers are forced to confront their childhood, and in particular an event that has shaped all of their lives.

There is a devastating twist at the end of this book that I don't want to give away, but it's certainly one I didn't see coming, and it makes sense of so much of the story.

Compelling, intricate and beautifully written, this is for me, a stunningly tragic read that I adored.