pub date 5/25/19
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

When Lily's teaching position abroad falls through, she realizes that hustling to scrape together money and hostel living isn't what she had dreamed of when she fled the foster care and group home system of the United States. Enter Omar, a handsome local who is trying out city living after leaving his small jungle home in remote Ayachero with whom she falls quickly and madly in love. When he decides to return to assist in hunting the jaguar that killed his nephew, Lily decides to embark on a journey to the desolate Bolivian jungle to be with him.

The terrors and trials of jungle-living are a new challenge for Lily, and as readers we join her for her time in Ayachero. She learns how to survive the oppressive and unrelenting nature that surrounds her, facing deadly predators, massive insects, vengeful shamans, and poachers.

Thoughts:
I enjoyed Ferencik's novel, The River at Night, but was COMPLETELY engrossed by Into the Jungle. In some ways, it was reminiscent (for me) of The Poisonwood Bible, one of my all-time favorite reads because it spurred the same fascination of how people adapt to such a foreign environment and the challenges that meet them there, which is something I loved about TPB. The foreshadowing really propels you forward as you get glimpses into Lily's future and wonder how she will arrive to that moment, and with each scenario faced, it was easy to wonder I would fare in her shoes. (Not well.) I was surprised when I finished to see that this is marketed as a thriller, because I found it to read like literary fiction with elements of suspense - it did not feel like traditional thrillers I have read, so keep that in mind when picking this one up.

This was a five-star read for me, and I feel confident that it will be on my top ten list of the year.

This one wasn't for me. Too many "yeah right!" moments. Some parts where not bad, but it felt a bit over the top and just too much, I do appreciate the opportunity to review this arc and thank the publisher and netgalley.

I completely fell into the world of Into The Jungle. Based on the blurb, I was expecting more of a thriller or horror novel. This novel was more of an adventure story and I enjoyed it. I think I would have liked it even more had I not had the pre-existing notion of genre.

Jaguars! Snakes! Tarantulas!

INTO THE JUNGLE follows a resilient 19 year old Lily Bushwold from foster home to job opportunity in Cochabamba, Bolivia. There she meets up with a kind, gentle man who turns out to be a badass native Amazonian who leads her....and her heart on a dangerous journey to his homeland in the unforgiving Bolivian jungle.

The four hour flight over on a bush plane is a roller coaster of a nightmare in itself, but nothing compared to what lurks in the jungle by night....and day.

INTO THE JUNGLE has evil and deadly creatures, both animal and human, as well as infectious diseases and horrendous weather....with quite a variety of cool and unusual characters.

While not all situations seem plausible in the storyline, this very entertaining novel is eerily descriptive of jungle life, and a journey well worth taking for this reader as it develops into a terrifying fight for survival.

(E.F.'s story inspired by a friend's actual trip to a remote river village in the Bolivian amazon....yikes!)

***Arc provided by Gallery, Pocket Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

This book is partly adventure story, partly thriller. The first half leans more to the former, and as the pace picks up, the final pages put it clearly in the realm of the latter. Lily is still a teenager, but she's been on her own for some time when she meets Omar in a South American bar. They quickly fall in love, so when Omar is called to return to his remote village in the Amazon, Lily goes along as his wife. Ferencik writes evocatively of both squalid city life and the hard life cut out of the rainforest. These early pages read almost like a memoir of an American adjusting to the challenges of an isolated jungle existence. Because of the beauty of Ferencik's writing, the reader feels, hears, sees and even tastes Lily's new reality, keeping the book from being derivative.

After depositing her in the midst of his extended family, Omar must go on weeks-long hunts with the able-bodied men to provide for the villagers. Lily is allowed to join in on one of the hunts, a trip which provides additional scope for the atmosphere of the rainforest to be developed. Much happens while he is gone near the end of Lily's pregnancy, and the pace of the book jumps into overdrive as the plot moves from travelogue to survival thriller.

There are both caricatures and characters in the book. Communal villagers, native tribesmen, white hunters, missionaries, and even a witch doctor populate its pages with color and authenticity. The jungle itself is almost a character, as the reader can hear its sounds, feel its dense air, and smell its unique inhabitants. Ferencik's language introduces the jungle to us: "…trees tangled riotously, inhaling and exhaling through giant leafy lungs." The events in this book could have taken place nowhere else but in the Amazon. They would require a good dose of suspension of disbelief in any other setting, but given the nature of the jungle that Ferencik makes so clear, they seem entirely plausible.

INTO THE JUNGLE is a book for readers who like to be transported to alien settings, but perhaps not for those who want every page to sizzle with excitement. The book is a slow burn as we come to know Lily and experience her new surroundings with her. There is plenty of action as the menaces, both human and animal, take shape, but this action is immersed within a well-created setting and intensifies as the book draws to a close. This is Ferencik's second thriller, after 2017's THE RIVER AT NIGHT, and she has proven herself as a world-builder once again. I can't wait to see where she takes us in her third novel.

Lily Bushwold is an orphan and her short life in Massachusetts has been spent going from one foster family to another. We meet her when she decides to take things into her own hands by taking a teaching job in Cochabamba. Bolivia. She gets together enough money to travel there and upon arrival finds that the job has fallen through. She is stuck in a foreign country with no money to return to the United States. Taking a cleaning job at a hotel with two other girls she lives from hand to mouth until she meets Omar, a young man with roots in the Bolivian jungle. The pair fall in love and are happy until Omar gets the horrible news that a Jaguar has killed his nephew and he has to return home to his town of Ayachero to help kill the beast. He than gives Lily the choice of staying in Cochabamba or traveling to his town with him as his wife.
Lily goes with him and the reader is transported to a village in the jungle that is a place firmly set in the Stone Age. The people live as Hunter, Gatherers living on what they get from the jungle around them. Ms Ferencik eloquently describes life surrounded by elements that are looking at people as prey to feed on. There are huge snakes, Caimans, Mosquitoes as large as birds, Jaguars, and an enemy tribe that is looking to do away with Omar's people. If the author was never physically in the region she describes she has certainly done a magnificent research job to set up the scene. Lily's life with Omar and his people makes for a book different than any other that I have read with the daily battle to simply survive paramount in the novel.
This is the first novel written by Ms Ferencik that I have had the pleasure of reading, and it certainly will not be the last. A fascinating journey into another world makes for a mesmerizing story ending with the desire for more works from the author. Very well done.

Erica Ferencik brings the Bolivian jungle and its tenants to full life in her new quick-paced novel. The traditions of the tribes, the food, heat, odors, and screeching of animals all seem real as we follow Lily Bushwold on a daring trip with her new lover as he returns to his home deep along tributaries of the Amazon River. Omar must return to help hunt a jaguar that has killed his nephew. Leaving Lily alone as he departs with his hunting trip, she must quickly learn to sink or swim in the harsh and unwelcoming environment.
The description of the living conditions, habits, and beliefs of the tribes is in depth and very captivating. Lily has a bit too many adventures in her short time in the jungle, but other than this, the entire story and the picture it paints is a beautiful one.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks so much to Gallery / Scott Press and NetGalley for making it available.)

What an exciting ride through the Amazon! I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and I found myself captivated and unable to put it down. Young love pulls Lily away from Bolivia into the Amazon jungle and she experiences life like she never dreamed. From his being away to hunt, to struggling for acceptance in this tribal way of life, to giving birth in the jungle and fighting poachers this book had it all. I loved learning about the ways of life and survival, and the local shaman was one of my favorite characters. Such a great book! Thank you NetGalley for ARC.

Lily has escaped her life as a foster child by moving to Bolivia, the homeland of her favorite foster mother. Lily doesn’t really have a job, but her willingness to work hard cleaning a hostel, her frugality, and her Spanish skills help her scrape along. In Into the Jungle, by Erica Ferencik, Lily falls in love and follows her lover even further away from “civilization.” This novel unfolds over the course of a year as Lily tries to survive in a village in the Bolivian Amazon forest. This year is the hardest one in Lily’s far-from-easy life so far.

Everyone tells Lily that it’s a bad idea to follow Omar into the Amazon. Even Omar tells her this. And they are definitely not wrong. When a tarantula falls into her breakfast on her first morning in Ayachero, Lily is ready to bolt. Only her profound stubbornness and her love for Omar—he is her home, she tells people more than once—keeps her in place. There is heat, humidity, hordes of insects, resentful family members, poachers, unfriendly indigenous tribes, hunger, disease, and more trying to drive Lily out of the Amazon.

Ayachero is almost a textbook example of the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. The villagers are struggling to keep themselves fed because game has gotten scarce. (Lily attempts to be a vegetarian in the rainforest but ends up having to eat meat to keep from becoming completely malnourished.) The indigenous people, the Tatinga, have had to completely change their ways because they have lost so much territory. Poachers, miners, and others, have almost completely destroyed the ecosystem. The only way to have a steady life seems to be to leave the jungle entirely. Omar and, to a lesser extent, Lily, love the natural world (even if it is very uncomfortable and difficult). They might have been able to make a life, however hard, in Ayachero, if it weren’t for a very determined batch of mahogany hunters and a terrible case of leishmaniasis. The two threats lead to a pretty exciting climax.

Into the Jungle takes some time to establish itself. I found Lily a difficult character to understand because we are told more about her than we can learn from observation. She’s alternately very tough when she faces emotional battery from her lover’s family and very whiny when it comes to physical hardship. There were some times when she breaks down that I wanted to pointedly remind her that she chose to go to Ayachero and refused multiple offers of an out. Once she gets the hang of how hard life in the village is and the plot starts to ramp up, I was glad I hung around through the initial chapters. This turned out to be an interesting book in an interesting place.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Into the Jungle! It was is a wonderful, beautifully told love story. I loved reading about the jungle and the natives, made me want to grab my passport and fly to Bolivia! This is a five star book all the way! This is the second book I have read by Erica Ferencik and loved! She has a true fan!
Thank you for the opportunity to read for a fair review!

So, this is not the typical thriller you're used to where there's a killer on the rampage, or a person missing, etc. This one is the journey of Lily... who has no family and is just traveling along, doing enough to get by but (almost) perfectly content with it... as she's known nothing different. Then she meets Omar and in a very short time, he becomes her family so when he has to go to the Jungle to help his people, she gladly goes along. She just didn't know what she was getting into. But her life with the Ayachero and Omar brings more to her than she would have ever imagined... once she can get past the giant spiders, scorpions, eels, snakes, mosquitoes, howler monkeys and more!

You guys... when I was young I used to flip through my uncle's National Geographic magazines and would make up stories by the pictures and weirdly this book felt like these imaginations came to life (ish)... BUT BETTER! The lush descriptions really made me feel like I was in the jungle.... which may be a nice place to visit but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't survive there.

I laughed, I cried... oh lord, Erica - what did you DO TO ME?! One scene in particular just pierced my heart and I'm still recovering from it. Maybe it's because I don't run across this type of book very often but it just really hit home for me and I highly suggest you all pick this one up. Add it to your TBR. Pre-order it. I wish I could say one character was my favorite but several, even secondary and tertiary characters, were absolutely delightful in their own ways.

Looks like I'm going to have to take The River at Night off my shelf to read sooner rather than later because I've heard it's just as good, if not better.

Please read this. For God's Sake. Over.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

"Hold on to your little flame of self, because the world wants to blow it out, my beloved son."

This is one of those books that feels difficult to review, because it's heavy on plot progression and action, and those are all the things that I do not want to spoil for you. As in her previous book, Erica Ferencik has brought forth a suspenseful endeavor into nature, one I would never want to take myself, but I feel brave enough to tackle vicariously through the characters in her story. :) The strongest aspect of her two novels to date, in my humble opinion, is how nature is a prominent character throughout the story; she is unyielding and indiscriminating when it comes to who and what she decides to obliterate, which adds an extra level of tension throughout the read.

While this isn't a realistic story by any means, if you can put aside your need for something founded in the natural, I think you'll enjoy the ride that Into the Jungle has to offer. There is a backstory featuring a woman who grew up in the foster care system, followed by an adventure through the Amazon rainforest including, but not limited to, dangerous over-sized wildlife, poachers, missionaries, shamans, etc. Oh, and did I mention one of the most suspenseful birth sequences I've read to date? Wowzers. If you're looking for a fast-paced, exotic adventure from the safety of your home, this is a great book to take your chances on. If you're new to the author, may I also recommend checking out Ferencik's debut novel, The River at Night as well?

A unique tale where the chills are provided by the dangerous South American rainforest, the jungle where lives can easily be lost to nature.

Growing up in South America, we would often spend holidays or vacations on the cold and beautiful Andes mountains or the pristine beaches of the Caribbean, a few driving hours would get you out of the city and into these marvelous places. However, the jungle was never an option, it was out of the question, forbidden. To this day, I have never visited it or gone nearby, its reputation would prevent us from going.

That is why when I learned about this book, I was eager to read it. It is the fictional story of a young, American woman living in the Bolivian jungle. Its dangers, the people, the mysticism around it. It is what I expected and more.

Overall, I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Received ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

Into the Jungle came out of nowhere. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this story gripped me from the beginning and didn't let go throughout.
Lily is a young woman of 19 years old that has just been freed from a life that she never wanted to be in. She was a part of the "system" and as soon as she was able to after aging out, she got out of the life that was holding her back. But she didn't have much. Not even enough to go to college. SO, what can you do if not go to college? You travel.
Lily ends up in Bolivia. Not everyone's first choice of travel destinations, but it is there that she meets other young women that work a hostel and teach English and are enjoying their freedom. This part was a little slow, but where we got to know who Lily is as a person. She has no attachments, but she needs money and to make money to survive. And she will do anything to get it. Including steal.
She soon meets Omar who wants to learn English. Their relationship progresses and soon her friends that she has made become a second thought. And when Omar has to return to the jungle to hunt a jaguar that kills his nephew, she goes with him.
From then on we learn of a different life than she is used to. She may come from humble beginnings, but Omar and his life in the middle of nowhere is completely different. From their beliefs, to what they eat, to family and their community, the jungle is a whole other world and I couldn't get enough of it.

"How is it possible for a place to both heaven and hell?"

That is exactly what I thought of the jungle. It was beautiful. The people and community were there for one another, but it took from one another too. How could it be two things at once?
Heart pounding and thrilling to say the least, this book kept my rapt attention especially through the jungle. The characters and their lives and the way they lived seemed very true and honest to what I would expect. Their acceptance of Lily wasn't fully developed until it had to be. Until she proved herself. She was a fighter and she adapted to her situation. She tried with all her might. But would her love and her will to survive be enough?
If you're looking for an adventure out of your norm, this is the book for you. I wouldn't consider it 100% thriller, but it is full of life that is different from what one might be used to and it is wonderfully written. The characters are engaging and I loved the connection Lily had to a few of them. Perhaps even being an American, she had a soul meant for the jungle and for Omar. A connection that would forever keep her there. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and your heart pounding throughout. 4 ++ star

In a word: Yikes.

Trigger warning: Animal cruelty, Pet murder, and...bad writing.

I liked Ferencik's first book well enough, despite the pathetic, obnoxious narrator and the hokum plot. I ended up reading The River at Night as campy (which I don't think it was intended to be, but it worked for me).

This book, unfortunately, has all of the same problems plus a few dozen more, and can't be read as campy fun no matter how hard you try.

Ferencik is clearly intending to demonstrate the harshness of living in the jungle, but the narrative mostly comes off as grotesque and off-puttingly gratuitous. I'm not a fan of nastiness for nastiness' sake, and unfortunately Ferencik seemed to delight in it here. I could have done without the creepy fixation on genitalia as well.

I probably could have (grudgingly) accepted all of the above if this had been a better story, but the plot misses at almost every turn, going from slow to obnoxious to improbable. In all, good concept, bad book.

A stunningly good book. Beautifully written, exciting, moving. A love story and a feminist bad ass hero. The characters are tightly drawn and so real. I grieved and cried and laughed and my heart pounded. A beautiful book in every way.

After reading the fantastic The River at Night,. I could not wait to read Erica Ferencik's latest Into the Jungle. The book was so well written and full of such detail. Not only did it entertain me, I learned more than I ever knew about the Amazon jungle. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

I don't rate very many fiction books with five stars, because most of the time I can't see any reason to do so by the end of the book. In this case, I didn't feel that way at all. After I was done reading this I was hoping someone would hand me some jungle leaves to hide my face in after I had finished the ugly-cry.

This is a beautiful book, intensely researched and full of imagery so amazing that as a reader, I felt like I had been swallowed by the jungle along with the main character. At no point during reading this, did I ever have the desire to lift a finger to do anything other than turn the next page. The descriptions alone make this book worth reading, but there is so much more to the story than that.

The sense that the author understands the communities she writes about, that she knows what it feels like to be frightened, to love, to lose those we love and to take a huge step into something unknown radiate through this story. So either's she's been through some stuff--or she is just that great of an author and can fool us all into believeing she did. Either way, this is one you don't want to miss.

If I were planning a retirement in the wilds of South America, the terantulas in this book cured me of the idea.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I didn't LOVE this book. Her previous novel was amazing and I was obsessed. In this one, I had to force myself to finish it. I loved the descriptions of the jungle, and the life of the tribes people, but Lily the main character was annoying and her "husband" Omar was equally obnoxious. I just didn't care about what happened to them. I was more interested in the peripheral characters that she describes in the jungle. I need more of their stories.

Into The Jungle is a story of Lily, a nineteen-year-old girl that has lived her life in foster care and longs to be loved and accepted. She travels to South America and although she is struggling there, she meets Omar and falls in love with him. When he is called back to his village in the jungle, she decides to follow him. Lily believes her life on the streets of Boston had prepared her for a life in the jungle. Instead she learns what it is like to really have to survive.

A well-researched and developed story that I found engrossing. I’m not sure what I expected but this is a story of survival and love and so much more.