Cover Image: Wicked River

Wicked River

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Member Reviews

After reading this book I definitely won’t be planning any camping trips in the woods!
Natalie and Doug are looking forward to spending their honeymoon in the woods, to be at one with nature and be totally alone.
The trip starts off well but things soon start to go wrong.
Alongside this story is that of Kurt who has made his home in the woods but his survival is often at the cost of a passing hiker. He is a very strange man and when he spots Natalie and Doug in his area, he plans to persuade them to stay with him.
This is a gripping read and there’s a real race against time at the end.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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Wow, wow, wow!!! You can bet your bippy that I will not be going camping, canoeing or hiking anywhere in the near future or let's just emphatically say NEVER!

Thirty minutes after finishing this book, my heart was still racing, as it had been for about the last one and half hours of the book.

I have been a fan of Jenny Milchman ever since I met her on her first cross country tour with her first book and her whole family at my local independent, MBTB here in Houston. I was mesmerized by her stamina and gumption to undertake this journey. And, of course, I loved her first book "Cover of Snow".

This book also did not disappoint. I was enthralled at the very beginning and sped right through. A couple spending their honeymoon canoeing and camping in the Adirondacks? Seriously? What's wrong with a beach? My utter distaste for Doug, the groom, and Natalie's husband began very early and held fast throughout much of the book. Especially when his true colors and agenda came to light.

Their journey was doomed from the beginning. Natalie being an amateur and Doug, not that much better, took on these thousands of acres as if there were little or no huge dangers at all in those mountains. Silly people and Doug was a dumba$$ for even setting it up. However, the real reason why he did so is brought about early in the book which only added to my dislike of this man.

The perils they faced were horrendous and if it wasn't for bad luck, this couple would have none, none at all.

However, at the end, Doug was proven to be only human with an self established ego that was quickly rendered not true and he realized it.

An excellent read that I sped through, enjoyed and one that my heart was glad that it was over. The double duty that it was handling and with my age, could have been disastrous. Ha!!

Definitely one to not be missed if you love action, adventure and constant suspense set in the wilderness of the Adirondacks where anything can happen.

Kudos to the author, Jenny Milchman, and thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

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Fast entertaining read about a young couple who unwisely take their honeymoon on a paddling trip in the Adirondacks. Natalie and Doug seem very different but Doug has more secrets. A lot of secrets. It's his idea to do the canoe trip and he's the one who is really equipped to do it. Unfortunately, there's a very real human danger in the form of Kurt waiting for them in the woods. Natalie felt more real than Doug and her niece Mia is a treat. I liked the details of the trip (although, btw, thimble berries do not grow in the Adirondacks). A little back story would have been nice but I can't really complain because I read straight through on this. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is for Milchman fans (I'm one) and for those who like camping-trip-gone-wrong stories (trust me on this one!).

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Wicked River crosses genre's. It's a bit horror, a ranger/police procedural, a little psychological, a sort of romance, and a coming of age novel (both Mia and Doug) - so scary you want to put it aside but know you won't sleep anyway so you might as well read on. I very much enjoyed it, and the look into the mountain wilderness of New York State. It is a novel I am happy to recommend to readers of all these genres. You will not be disappointed.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Jenny Milchman, and Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

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Someone is watching you! Can you sense them there just behind you? Can you feel the chill run up your spine?

For newlyweds, Natalie and Doug Larson, a honeymoon in the Adirondack forest seems an ideal way to start their lives together. As they struggle with the worst the wilderness offers, a man watches them. He wants something from them more terrifying than death. Once they are near his domain, he will do everything in his power to make sure they never walk out again.

Wicked River begins and ends with intensity. While the pace does slow through the middle, there is still this underlying creepiness and suspense throughout that made me want to turn the pages to see how the story would end. Milchman has a way with characters, they are so well written. She’s great with intrigue, so that you’re always questioning what’s really happening. Are the good guys good? Will the day be saved? I can’t answer those questions for you or I would be spoiling the story. I encourage you to get this book and read it for yourself to find out. I assure you that all your questions are answered and book comes to a satisfying conclusion.

If you’re looking for the next mystery to create a stir in your gut, grab a copy of Wicked River. But watch your step! You never know what’s waiting out there in the forest for you!

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I enjoyed this story, but felt that it was over the top at times. The story dragged in places and the character of Mia detracted from the main plot. The character of Kurt was well written and helped add some suspense, but not enough to overcome the rest of the story, which was somewhat implausible.

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Fast paced drama both tense and, yes, scary. Natalie and Doug get married and, for their honeymoon, they go canoeing/hiking in a secluded section of the Adirondacks. Needless to say things started happening. This honeymoon was not what either of them expected. Something is happening in these woods. With some scary twists to the story this book kept my attention throughout. The prologue grabbed me quickly, but it was quite awhile before I you find out what happened to this lady hiking by herself. It initially sets the tone for the rest of the book.

A good thriller. I really liked the character, Mia, who is Natalie's niece. She seems a really precocious child and is very observant and curious. I would probably give the book a 3.5, but it is definitely more than a 3 star book so I am rounding up to 4 stars.

Thanks to Jenny Milchman and Sourcebooks Landmark through Netgalley for an advance copy.
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The first chapter was so captivating, that I was invested in the story right away and stayed engaged throughout the book.

Briefly summarizing the story, a couple of newlyweds decide to spend their honeymoon camping and hiking through the Adirondacks for a week. The problem is there was an incident right before the wedding that keeps getting glossed over and it was a pretty big detail in regards to the newly married couple. As they venture further into the wild, the romance of the honeymoon soon turns into a nightmare involving betrayal, murder and the fight to survive. Newlyweds Natalie and Doug end up on a horrifying adventure just to stay alive and despite their problems, they have to stick together in order to do so.

Natalie is the only one with any family involved in her life and her 13 year old niece, Mia, is anxiously awaiting Natalie’s return from her honeymoon. Unfortunately, she is the first to figure out something is wrong. Honestly, I felt the story could have been told just as well without Mia. Her storyline seemed to take a bit away from the ending.

Though the subject matter is grim, this is a fairly clean book as far as violence and sexual content. I enjoyed this nature thriller and recommend to others who like thrillers and the outdoors--just don’t read this right before a camping/hiking trip.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me an advance copy to read and offer an honest review.

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Great Thriller!!! Grabs you and doesn't let go. Natalie and Doug are enjoying their honeymoon, it is romantic and they are completely alone. It seemed like a perfect getaway but it seems they are not completely alone in the woods. This is a wicked good read!

*A copy of this book was provided to me by the author with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.

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This is psychological suspense of the first order. The tension starts in the first pages and never lets up. Initially everyone and every action are suspicious. Who is that? What are they doing? Why are they doing it? These questions are filtered into the story of a couple finally marrying and then heading off by canoe into one of the more desolate regions of the Adirondack wilderness for their honeymoon. As expected, all does not go as planned. Stirred into the story are drug runners, a deranged hermit, dead bodies and betrayal. The complex psychology of all involved is really what makes this story work, adding depth to the action, and investing the reader so much more into the characters. How the couple react to events and how their relationship evolves is what makes the final denouement most satisfying. Highly recommended.

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Wow, this novel was truly as exciting as a white water river ride! At times reflective, at times so scary I had to momentarily close the book, this thriller did not disappoint. Natalie and her husband Doug embark on an extreme camping trip for their honeymoon, and proceed to get caught up in events way beyond any campground mishap. A fantastic thrill-ride. .

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Very intense. This book kept me guessing the entire time, although I’m not sure I liked the ending.

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This was very intriguing thriller! I wanted to love it, and get creepily excited about it. But it was just ok.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

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This book is set up with all the elements that would ensure my enjoyment: thriller/suspense book set in the outdoors with an element of survival. Both nature and human threats. The book’s premise was right up my alley, and the writing was good, however there was some quality missing—I enjoyed it but didn’t love it as anticipated.
The secondary story of Mia, the niece didn’t push the story along—it didn’t add anything and irrturupted the flow.
Wicked River—an excellent title, but didn’t really pair with the actual story line. The plot was slow and very little happens in the first half of the book.
I would read the author again, as all the elements were there—just crafting the story in to something faster paced, or more suspenseful needs work.

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This book was creepy good, if you know what I mean. It was interesting to watch roles reverse as the going got tough. I enjoyed the tension of an unreliable relationship that the reader could feel almost from the very beginning. It made me wonder where the whole situation was going to go off the rails because we most certainly knew it would.

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**I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Wow, this was one wicked ride. I really liked Natalie and her niece, Mia. I wasn’t crazy about Doug at first but by the end, he grew on me. I sort of felt sorry for him by the end. It’s so hard to talk about the book without giving away spoilers. It’s creepy how they were being watched while going in the forest. Now I’m afraid to go in the woods alone lol. There were so many twists and turns that I never saw coming. This author is brilliant. Mia was such a brave young lady! I loved her. One thing is for certain, if Doug and Natalie both survive the trip, they will never forget the honeymoon. I loved the cover and I think I’ll buy a paperback copy for my friend.

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Jennifer Milchman has written a thriller of a nightmare for any outdoors person.
The novel takes place in a remote section of the Adirondacks as two campers set off on their honeymoon communing with nature. Unfortunately, they run into someone who has other plans for them. Recommended and perfect for the start of the summer camping season.

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Fun and interesting. A real page turner. An author I always read as soon as I can get my hands on her books!

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I was excited to have the opportunity to obtain an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley.

WICKED RIVER is the story of newlyweds Natalie and Doug, who embark on a canoeing trip in the Adirondack forest for their honeymoon. The happy couple discover they don’t know each other as well as they thought. The kind of secrets between them have the power to lead to divorce. In addition to the hazards the wilderness provides, their trip puts them in the path of a madman.

Milchman uses three primary points of view: Natalie, Natalie’s teenaged niece Mia, and Kurt, the villain. The author’s use of short chapters and alternating points of view set a brisk pace. Mia provides a unique perspective. She gets involved by probing into her new uncle’s past and in sounding the alarm when her aunt and uncle fail to return to civilization. Kurt’s backstory is doled out nicely to show his evolution into a killer and the threat he poses to Natalie and Doug's survival.

Milchman naturally lets the tension between the couple rise to a boil before they encounter Kurt. The plot provides as many twists and turns as the river in the story.

WICKED RIVER is an engaging, fast–paced read that is sure to get the pulses of thriller lovers pounding.

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Nothing exciting here, I began reading it and easily got sidetracked by other reads and tasks around the house.

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