When a winter storm traps eight teens in a remote ski cabin, they find themselves stranded with a killer—who may be one of their own. From the acclaimed author of The Ivies and Pretty Dead Queens comes a YA thriller that will make your blood run cold.

The trip of a lifetime might be the death of them all.

The students of LA’s elite Warner Prep can’t wait for their Senior Excursion—five days of Instagrammable adventure in one of the world’s most exclusive locations. This is not your average field trip.

Which is why eight students can’t believe their bad luck when they end up on a digital detox in an isolated Colorado ski chalet. Their epic trip is panning out to be an epic bore . . . until their classmates start dropping in a series of disturbing deaths. The message is clear: this trip is no accident.

And when a blizzard strikes, secrets are revealed, betrayals are exposed, and survival is at stake in a race to the bitter end.

Praise for The Bitter End

“Eight prep-school students, an isolated winter hideaway and a serial killer — in Donne’s hands, you’ve got a recipe for a massive adrenaline rush.”

e lockhart

New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud

“A wild and twisted slasher that will have you gasping and guessing until the very last page.”

Jessica Goodman

New York Times bestselling author of The Counselors and The Legacies

“Many in the large cast of lightly developed characters are image focused, self-involved, and not particularly likable, and this element works in favor of this plot-driven thriller. Readers will be kept guessing until the end about which of the duplicitous, secretive people in question may be the murderer. A twisty whodunit filled with unreliable narrators.”

Kirkus Reviews

“Breakneck pacing, devious plotting, and the most deliciously twisted group of friends since Heathers combine to produce one of the most addictive books I’ve read all year. Readers will have as much luck putting down The Bitter End as the Warner Prep kids have of getting off their snowy mountain unscathed (read: absolutely none). Wicked, acid-tipped, unparalleled fun. Donne is an evil genius and I bow to her.”

Ashley Winstead

Author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour

“…Even the most avid mystery readers will be entertained by the exciting twists and well-hidden clues. This is a refreshing and compelling example of the classic closed-door mystery, with a large yet distinct cast of teens who share a deep and complex history. VERDICT A gripping, fantastically twisty mystery for fans of Karen M. McManus and Holly Jackson.”

School Library Journal

“The Bitter End is Alexa Donne’s best thriller yet! A chilling story betrayal and revenge set against the perilously high peaks of Colorado, at this elevation it won’t just be the expertly plotted twists and turns that leave you gasping for air. The perfect novel for anyone who loves a locked room thriller or a survivalist yarn, fans of Lucy Clark and Holly Jackson will devour this novel.”

Katy Hays

New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller of The Cloisters.

“Donne (Pretty Dead Queens) injects ample mystery into the narrative via the wealth of shifting perspectives and timelines, culminating in an intentionally disorienting whodunit. Readers will rejoice in feeling part of the characters’ investigative team in this entertaining thriller that ticks all the right boxes.”

Publisher's Weekly