A really exciting and greatly paced book. I couldn’t put it down and when I had to I could only think of picking it up again. Some great twists and turns and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Read the first 15% but I think it's safe to say this isn't for me. I can see why others will like it, but not for me sadly.

A fast paced mysterious and murderous thriller that is complete edge of your seat reading. A true gem of a read.

I always love good YA mystery book. This was a super easy read.

Quite a lot of characters in this book but it wasn’t too confusing.

This book completely had me fooled, I had no idea who the killer was and I was throughly surprised.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC.

This has such Hunger Games vibes! It instantly attracted me. The dystopian future is where humans are in distinct classes and living in space.

Ten contestants are chosen to compete in the annual reality show, but this year is different. There can only be 1 survivor.
Told in 3 POV
Bex, Zane, and Raya, they couldn't be any more different.
Contestants start dying from the get-go, and no one is claiming responsibility...
This was not short of conflict or drama, with the odd twist thrown in.
The cliffhanger ending has me eager for the sequel, which just has to happen!

I’m not quite sure how to rate this as sadly this is a DNF for me and I can’t see myself retuning to it. I’ve been attempting to read this for months, pieces at a time, and while I was initially immediately drawn in and intrigued my attention quickly waned. An intriguing premise, but the writing wasn’t doing it for me. Would still recommend other readers (particularly those this book is aimed towards: young adults) to give it a go as it may appeal to them where it didn’t to me.

This is a multi-narrator story which took some following at times. None of the characters were very likeable. It became clear early on that they all had dark secrets to hide which, when revealed, did not change my opinions of them all, to be honest.

However, the premise of the novel was interesting and fast paced: set in some sort of dsytopian future where humans live on planets, a group of flawed (selfish) teenagers are drawn together on an island under the premise of a popular game show with a big cash prize on offer to the 'last man' standing. This becomes literal very quickly as characters are killed off right left and centre!

It feels like a mix of Hunger Games and virtual reality shows like Bake-off or similar - but instead of being evicted, you are killed!

When the survivors escape the island the story takes a very odd turn. This book dishes out a weird sort of justice which felt forced by the end. I do think the YA market will love it and respond well and I can imagine it would work well as a movie or TV series. I would have liked more character development and cared about them in the end, but I just didn't feel it this time.

Three teenagers are thrilled to receive an invitation to compete in 'The Pinnacle', a reality TV contest set on a remote planet where ten teenagers compete to win a cash prize. Bex wants the money to start a new life away from her overbearing father, Raya wants to win to travel further than the Moons where she has grown up poor & mostly alone except for Zircon the dog, whilst Zane also wants to win to give his mother a better life. The ten contestants meet on a deserted island but it's not long before they realise that they have been brought here under false pretences & that this is no ordinary contest, but a competition to survive & there can only be one winner.

The 'locked room' or 'isolated setting' genre is one of my favourites so one that was set in space was even better.
Unfortunately the contest side of things was quickly jettisoned & it was your usual murder thriller where the group are isolated from everyone else & they start being killed off one by one. Judging by the title, this is perhaps an updated YA version of Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None'. The reader has three points of view for the narrative but they were not really distinct enough & I had to look back at the chapter headings several times to see which one I was currently reading about. Overall, I felt that the concept wasn't really developed enough & the ending is rather abrupt, although it left me hoping that there is a sequel as I really need to know that someone goes & looks after Zircon the dog as Raya had to leave him behind for the contest. 3.5 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Penguin Random House UK Childrens', for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This book has me confused about how I feel about it. I was on the edge of my seat most of the way through with some good twists but by the end I just felt it became very sped up and rushed and the ending just didn't work for me and left me feeling like I hadn't finished the story which is something I really don't like in a book. Overall, this was a fun YA dystopian thriller, and I had a good time reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House, and Wendy Cross for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

An intriguing and gripping story, I loved the characters and can't wait to read more by this author.

This book didn't reach the top for me. I was really looking forward to the competition, The Pinnacle. But I was left disappointed. The synopsis was intriguing, I feel like the book could have been better developed?

I started to dislike the writing entering the second quarter of the book. There were a lot of over explanations and tell not show going on. The book was fast moving though, so it wasn’t hard to ignore it.

I found it difficult to like any of the characters. Raya was annoying. I get why she would dislike the rich. It’s the way the writer tried to make her badass grumpy, yet she ends up being unlikable for me. Bex and Zane were…meh. They were the good rich kids who only wants real friends and help others. Meh…Raya and Evie beef was tedious to read! I feel like the characters were a bit basic for me to connect with.

It was an OK read. I liked the plot, it was interesting. Heads up, it had a cliffhanger ending!

One contest, Ten contestants.... cash prize and a scholarship to be won... The Pinnicle is a reality show in which random entrants are selected to take part to win big

However, thing year things don't seem quite right and the game quickly turns deadly. Who are the people chosen to take part, and more importantly, why were they chosen?

With everyone having their own reasons for being there, who is picking them off and why...

Fun wee read, definitely kept the pages turning. Thanks to NetGalley and Pemguin Random House for the review copy... this was out 01 February so available now

THEN THERE WAS ONE is a sci-fi thriller about ten teens on a game show competing for money, but all have killed someone and now they themselves are dying off.

The game show is set on a deserted island, which is a thriller trope I love. There is no way off, so the killer is among them, meaning you have the suspects in front of you (I loved the way it ended up playing out, a slight twist on the trope!) And then the deaths start in an array of grisly events that has you suspecting everyone (but particularly Evie as she's awful!)

I was a little surprised at the sci-fi element but I loved it. This is set in space with humans spread across planets, and it's lead to an even larger gulf between the rich and poor. Also there are things like space shuttles and space suits to add more ways for things to go wrong.

Most of the characters are rich, thrown into stark contrast by Raya who is not. It helps you sympathise with the leads by contrasting them to the really spoilt characters who simply value less the lives of those without money (i.e. Evie.)

The book ramps up the tension from slow deaths happening when no one watches to all out survival race in the action packed finale. It's a fun ride from start to finish.

2.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

While i did like the concept, i believe the execution was a bit lacking. What i inicially thought i was contemporary thriller, was then changed to a sci fi thriller, where the world was not very well presented or explained.

The characters were very similar, which made it hard to distinguished or even care about certain characters.

It started very well but it all went downhill from there.

Everything in the final part was straight out of left field and not in a good way.

The writing style just wasn't for me, so I didn't finish this book. I have to review every book or my ratio won't hit 100%, sorry!

Such a great read! Not too long or complicated, I really enjoyed the multiple POV and THAT CLIFFHANGER!! This has so much potential, and leaving it there shows me their story isn't finished yet. I'm so ready for another series like The Hunger Games and this has all the potential to be just as amazing!

Two of my teenagers have read this book over the last few weeks and it's one of few books I have ever heard them speak about to each other!

A resounding five stars from both of them.

They both loved the setting, the characters, the twists and turns and the world building and were thrilled that it concluded perfectly set up for a sequel!

I suspect this book is going to be huge based on the enthusiasm for it in this house. My son has said he would to see it on the big screen.

Huge hit here. Five star.

The Hunger Games meets And There Were None! This was a great YA sci fi thriller - not my usual style but the world-building made sense, the pacing was perfect and there were just enough questions left unanswered to keep me intrigued.

Then There Was One was an unputdownable YA murder mystery mixed with a touch of dystopian and social commentary.

This was like a dystopian sci-fi murder mystery that was such an exhilarating read. It reminded me of aspects of The Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies. Cross kept me hooked with twist after twist, as well as pacing that was spot on. The stakes always felt like they were escalating and it was interesting to see each character’s secret revealed. It had that classic Christie feel for me (very much the style of And Then There Were None) but with a distinctly dystopian twist. From the reality television set up, I was hooked. Recently I seem to have been devouring reality TV goes wrong esque books and Then There Was One, as well as the return of The Traitors, kicked it off for me so well. It adds an edge of paranoia to proceedings, as the awareness of surveillance is heightened further once bodies start to pile up.

The concept at the core of the book is also deeply fascinating for me. There’s explorations of retribution, vengeance, justice and the punishment fitting the crime - but also contrasting an examination of the lengths to which people are pushed in order to survive. They crack the surface of humanity to reveal the dark and ugly truths hidden within. Each character is placed under immense pressure and it is no surprise when infighting starts to get out of hand. Of course, there are some exquisite twists in store. Cross has pulled off a brilliant stunt that is cleverly foreshadowed but really shocked me. It builds and builds relentlessly and I really enjoyed the ending. It was just enough to feel satisfied but also have a hook to potentially return to in the future.

Then There Was One joins a growing subgenre of reality TV mixed with murder that I am thoroughly enjoying losing myself in. It was pacy, twisty and dark - all of which I adore in a YA murder mystery.

Then There Was One focuses on what we’re told is a well-known reality TV show, a competition called The Pinnacle. Contestants are in it to win a life-changing amount of money, and each of this year’s contestants has their own reasons for wanting to win.
From the outset we can see things are not what they seem. The body count is high, and a mysterious robotic voice suggesting that the prospective candidates all need to be punished for something they have done indicates that there’s more to this than meets the eye.
Indeed there is, but it is linked to the game. The way this is actually brought about doesn’t make a lot of sense, and I’m struggling to see how it could have transpired.
While the group are in the game and we’re seeing contestants get killed off our focus is on who might be behind it. As the game continues, those remaining work out some aspects and at this point we’re told a little more of what is actually happening. Unfortunately, for me it didn’t gel. Nice idea, and some interesting scenes, but it all seemed to rush out of nowhere and the explanation, when it came, simply muddied the waters.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this before publication.