Title: What We Did To Survive
Author: Megan Lally
Publication: March 31, 2026
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Thrillers, Suspense, Teens, YA Fiction
Pages: 288

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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)

Hannah is having an incredible spring break. A week at a resort in Mexico with her best friend Emmy and her family is perfect for de-stressing from senior year, even if it’s awkward being around Emmy’s older brother, Jackson, who she’s had a crush on for as long as she can remember.

Still, the beach is gorgeous. So is the guy they meet in the surf. Except Hannah is now the third wheel in Emmy’s vacation romance.

Eager to impress Emmy, her wealthy new boyfriend charters a private sailboat to make the most of their last day in paradise, and Hannah and Jackson are invited along. As the clouds roll in and the skies darken, their boat is the only one leaving the marina. And the further they get into open water, the more unsettled Hannah becomes. A storm is brewing onboard that’s as deadly as the one racing toward them. Forget surviving graduation. Who will make it back to land alive?

REVIEW:

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I have read Megan Lally’s previous books, That’s Not My Name and No Place Left to Hide, and I have become a huge fan of her writing. She has this incredible ability to pull you into a story and keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I knew I had to pick this one up, and I was definitely not disappointed!

The suspense and tension in this book were fantastic. There were so many twists and turns that I was constantly trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Lally does such a great job of building the tension and making you feel like something terrible could happen at any moment. I was completely hooked and couldn’t wait to see how everything played out.

Now, can we talk about some of the decisions these girls made? LOL. There were definitely moments when I wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into them. The things silly, lovesick girls will do! I found myself questioning their choices more than once, but honestly, that just added to the chaos and intensity of the story. Even when I was frustrated with the characters, I was completely invested in what happened to them.

And THAT ENDING! I was absolutely SHOOK. Just when I thought I had things figured out, Lally reminded me why I love her books so much. I also really appreciated the one-year-later addition. I love when an author gives us a glimpse of what happens after all the craziness, and I thought it was a great way to finish the story.

Megan Lally has officially become one of those authors whose books I will pick up without hesitation. She knows how to write a suspenseful, twisty thriller that keeps me guessing until the very end. If you love books filled with tension, unexpected twists, and characters who sometimes make you want to scream at them, this one is absolutely worth picking up. Five stars from me!