Welcome to Litsy!

This book was way darker than I was expecting so enjoy the lovely Italian pastries above instead. 😅

I def recommend this one - gritty & unflinching for YA but definitely not for the faint at heart. If you‘re at all squeamish with body horror, animal attacks, or language, this isn‘t for you. Despite minor grievances, I‘d rank this a solid Pick.

This was better than I was expecting. I loved how fast paced this was. At first I wasn‘t sure how I felt about Ashley but she grew on me and by the end I loved her. There were definitely some unrealistic bits that kept it from being a 5 but over all this was enjoyable.

I thought I'd read a bunch of festive reads this month but just haven't been in the mood for them. One is a pandemic story from the viewpoint of teenagers left behind. Next is a wilderness survival story. Then the last follows a lady who becomes an advice columnist during World War 2.

1. At The End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp
2. Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis
3. Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce

It's a pretty good survival book. There were a few things I thought could have done better. Also reads VERY YA. 4/5

Reading in my hammock about a girl lost in the woods

This was supposed to be one of my camping reads but sickness cancelled that plan. Ashley was very well versed in survival to last two weeks lost and injured in the Great Smoky Mountains but I can't wrap my head around her lack of fire as a means to be found. If "the whole country" truly was searching for her, she'd have heard more airplanes and be able to signal to them with a fire, right? ?

A gritty YA survival story. Drags a bit in the middle, but I definitely was invested in whether Ashley survived as well as her personal growth.

I finished this about 2 hrs ago but I had to gather my thoughts before reviewing.
Well f*ck (btw this book has the most F-bombs I‘ve seen in a YA thus far)
Books like these are the reason why I love reading. Like I told other fellow Littens earlier, this thin monster had me cringing, wincing, and even crying in the corner of my bedroom. When a book makes you feel this way when it‘s technically words on a page, you know it‘s good. Loved everything+

HAPPY VALENTINE‘S DAY!! The perfect day to stay at home and read non stop! Am I right??
🦗🦗🦗🦗
No? Just me? Okay.
The holiday also calls for reading an intense survival thriller!! 😁
🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗
But— ugh okay I‘ll see myself out— 🚪🚶‍♂️
(PS @BookDragonNotWorm you were right… I‘m only on page 13 and it‘s already blowing Not a Drop to Drink out the water 😭 I already love Ashley as a narrator)

Starting this one today!

Survival story and coming to terms with ones own self this was a great YA novel. After a fight with her boyfriend Ashley storms off from her camp in a drunken rage only to wake up the next morning realizing she has no idea where she is and what she thought was a minor wound is anything but, it‘s now a race against time. Ashley has no idea where she is and is going to have to use all her outdoor survival skills to make it out of this alive.

I really like Mindy McGinnis' books - they're dark and gritty and pull no punches. Her characters are not always the most likeable, but I think thats kind of the point. There were some rather gruesome scenes in this one that were difficult for me to read, but it was a well-written survival story of a teenage girl lost in the woods while badly injured. It wasn't my favorite of her books, but I did like it.

First book of July is in the books. This was a super quick listen and a great way to start the month out. Not as "WTF did I just read" as most of McGinnis' books are but a hard push into solitary survival and how far your limits really can reach.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

I have to pry this hook out of my own hands in order to be at work in time. Guess that means it‘s time to see if the audio is available on Libby! Curse you employment!

eBook deal! This is a fast-paced, YA survival book that I highly recommend.

I sat down to set some goals for the #OutstandingOctober #readathon and start reading, but was immediately mobbed by tiny humans... story of my life! I don't really have any concrete goals, just to carve out some time to read each day. Finishing 3 or 4 books would be a bonus. @Andrew65

I absolutely love Mindy McGinnis for her dark, gritty YA... her newest starts off with some gut punching imagery, so I can only imagine where it's going to take me!

Ashley ends up lost in the woods but has hiking experience and survival training. This novel follows her harrowing quest to survive, including some relatively graphic injuries. It‘s a bit too YA for me at times, but overall is a good book about resilience, mental strength, and self-reliance.

Well, I grabbed this #advancedlistenercopy because McGinnis‘s earlier book was a fantastic, dark read, and yet somehow I was Not Prepared for how gritty this is?! This book goes hard into what it takes to survive, and the plot sets out serious, severe obstacles along the way for a competent, tough protagonist.

I loved it.

All the warnings for animal harm, and some for gore.

Intense survival story that packs a big punch in a relatively small number of pages. McGinnis is a recent discovery of mine - excited to keep checking out her stuff!

Every book McGinnis writes I find is a little hard to read, raw, real, and worth it. This is no different with Ashley's survival story full of gore, and intense struggle.

This was an intense, difficult read, but I‘m giving it a pick because I couldn‘t put it down! Read it in one sitting! Do not read if you are squeamish and there is some animal death. That said, it was completely riveting!

Be Not Far From Me is about Ashley who goes on a camping trip with some friends. Ashley finds out something that sends her running into the woods where eventually she gets lost and fighting for her life. This is typical Mindy McGinnis where there are some weird unexpected parts but overall enjoyed this story of survival.

In traditional Mindy McGinnis style, this book fucked with me and gave me an empty feeling at the end. As someone also not good with blood and anything medical and bodily... *shivers*

Happy Spring! What are you guys looking forward to reading? My most anticipated release is The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben.

https://readinginthewildwood.com/2020/03/19/spring-2020-anticipated-releases/

Managed to squeeze in two short books yesterday

Wow! I raced through this book the past two days! It is a YA survival story about a teenager in the Great Smokey Mountains, out for a night of camping and drinking with her friends. When she catches her boyfriend with his ex, she runs off from camp, falls over a ridge, and breaks her foot. She wakes up on her own and must find her way out when she can‘t find the trail and has multiple injuries. The narration by Brittany Pressley was captivating.

I can‘t say enough good things about this book! I couldn‘t put it down! Well crafted and suspenseful, it grabbed me from the start and wouldn‘t let me go until I reached the last page. I feel like I‘m still catching my breath. Highly recommended!

BOOK TAGS⇣
⤏ A CHEATING BOYFRIEND...A DRUNKEN FALL DOWN A RAVINE ⤏ LOST & HUNGOVER WITH A VERY BROKEN FOOT ⤏ GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF SURVIVAL ⤏ LIFE REFLECTIONS
My review in one sentence⤏ A gruesome tale of survival, filled with misadventure and ruminations about life.
See my full review here⤏ https://leahsbookishobsession2.blogspot.com/2020/03/review-be-not-far-from-me.ht...

Epic Reads Meetup in Ann Arbor with Evelyn Skye, Mindy McGinnis, and Elana K. Arnold!

I love this authors writing so when I saw she had a new book and it was described as Hatchet meets Wild, both books I love, I knew wanted it ASAP.

This story DID NOT disappoint! I was riveted from page one and could not put the book down. I finished it in one sitting! I passed up sunshine after a break in rain in the PNW because of this book!

Already thinking of when I can reread it 😝.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book doesn‘t release until March 3rd and I already preorder my copy but when I saw this at Powell‘s I couldn‘t pass it up. 😱

Started it this morning and I can‘t put it down.

#currentlyreading