I wish this book were being released now so that I could immediately recommend it to everyone. The story of Sal and her younger sister Peppa has all the feels. There is so much love, tenacity, grit, danger, trust, fear, hate and forgiveness wrapped up in a book-sized package. The characters are incredibly well-developed and the story itself is cleverly plotted. Highly recommend.

It's taken me a while to write this review as I wanted to do the book justice. I absolutely adored Sal, and I've already called it as my book of the year. Sal and Peppa's vivacity and ferocious will to survive scream off the page, and the humour and compassion in the book will leave many readers breathless I'm sure. I cannot recommend this book enough, I'm sure I will be re-reading it soon.

Sal is the story of two sisters who run away from a painful and abusive home. The older sister Sal has meticulously prepared for the adventure by learning about survival off the internet and in books. This is where the text really takes off. The character of Sal is a well-written and believable portrait of a young person on the spectrum.
The sisters escape to the Scottish wilderness to let the news of their running away blow over; they want to eventually go back to help their mother. In the meantime, they work together to find food, build shelter, and protect each other from the painful memories they share.
This is a quick read, but the topics and characters stay with you. I would recommend this to young adults and readers who are looking for a narrator who teaches you new ways of looking at the world.

Thank you to Canongate Books, NetGalley, and the author for the advanced copy to review.

The story of Sal's escape from an abusive home life into the wilds of Scotland is vividly told in this beautiful and touching novel.

This book grew on me. Two girls live in an abusive household, one sister plans their escape and the two of them run to the Scottish forests to hide. I found the first third hard going; the prose reflects the thought process of a 13 year old girl so I was bombarded with lists, information about survival and animals.

Once there was a bit more action story wise the writing style settled down and it was a more enjoyable read.

In true survivor fiction fashion, this book takes the cake for good descriptive language and wonderfully thought out plot lines. We follow the story of Sal, a young woman who takes the initiative to get herself and her younger sister out of an unsavory situation at their home. She learns to survive and create a shelter for herself and peppa, her sister. The characters are well thought out and the storyline very well put together. If you enjoyed Hatchet as a child, this book will put you in the same frame of mind.

This had a good premise. I got a little bogged down with the detailed history and survival lectures, but overall, an ok story.