There were some controversial opinions on this book, but I truly enjoyed it. I know Waite is revising to remove the parts that upset some, which I find respectable and I will definitely read more from her in the future.

This is the second book by Jen Waite that I have read and I really enjoyed them both! This one in particular kept me intrigued and guessing the whole time. The plot twists were not expected and I didn't want to put this book down!

I was in desperate want of a good thriller and Survival Instincts met my mighty need! Plot twists and shocking events. A must read! Will purchase for the library's collection.

Survival Instincts by Jen Waite was the first suspense novel I’ve read in quite some time. It focuses on a three generation style kidnapping, that merges the stories of daughter, mother, and grandmother in unexpected ways. I largely enjoyed it, but it took me awhile to sink into the story and I wasn’t really engaged until a third of the way through the book. The rest of the book was a fast-paced ride. Overall a solid novel.

Thank you to @netgalley and @duttonbooks for the galley!

This is the story of three generations of strong women who have to make decisions, hard decisions in their lives. What would a mother do for her daughter? To protect her future? Travel through this story with issues of domestic violence, medical issues, and kidnapping, family dysfunction and so many other issues. I would recommend this. Chapters are written in a brief way traversing the stories of the three main characters. Pacing was outstanding and it was an intriguing quick read. Would highly recommend.

I love a good thriller, but ultimately most of the ones I read see to fall flat. This was a perfect mix of engaging, exhilarating, and terrifying.

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy! I decided to not keep reading this one, it was not for me. Thanks!

I was excited to read this story of survival, when a daughter, mother and grandmother are taken prisoner and held in a remote cabin. I had difficulty getting into the story however. I found the writing stilted and the characters unconvincing. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

This novel was quite a page turner! The novel is fast paced with good character development. Plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. As a clinical psychologist, I can say there are a few implausible moments in the novel related to condition of psychopathy, but hey it's fiction! Some graphic violence and sexual content so beware if these are triggers for you. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Survival Instincts by Jen Waite. I’m not usually much of a thriller reader because I find myself frustrated by figuring out the plot twist in advance and being subsequently disappointed rather than thrilled (all those years of watching Law & Order can sometimes be a downfall), but this story was interesting and kept me guessing the whole time!!

As a mom of a NICU baby who spent 10.5 weeks there, I was a bit frustrated by the missed details of NICU life. The author acknowledges her lack of experience, which I appreciate.

As a trauma therapist I could relate to Anne, though there were pieces that fell flat. I had hoped the author was a psychotherapist, herself, but it does not appear she has that background.

Despite all this, Survival Instincts kept me up late, rushing to get to the end. I enjoyed this read.

Neuropsychology and neurosurgery made an appearance too. The science nerd in me really appreciated that!

The intergenerational trauma theme was equally appreciated and I felt it leant itself nicely to the powerful survival instincts that fueled the ending. I won't spoil it for you with details, but if you enjoy psych thrillers with a good twist, this book is for you.

Survival instincts is a solid character-driven thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seats. The story follows Anne who plans a girls trip to New Hampshire with her twelve year old daughter and mother. While out hiking on their trip, a man drags them at gunpoint to a remote cabin in the woods where they must fight together if they want to survive. The plot concept just gives me goosebumps! The story has a nice amount of twists, although the main focus is the characters and their relationships. There is a good amount of backstory blended throughout. If you enjoy character-driven thrillers, this is a great one to check out. Highly recommended!

I loved this book, I could feel the tension and the emotions building as the story took off. Did I finish this book in a day? Yes, yes I did! Anne a therapist is struggling to talk with her preteen daughter Thea, they use to be close and she feels like their drifting apart. Hoping to get close again she decides a mini trip to a gorgeous cabin in the snowy mountain will be a perfect getaway, she invites her mother Rose along and make it a girls weekend. While hiking an armed man attacks them in the woods. They are dragged to an abandoned cabin. Soon they find themselves in a desperate situation, trapped in a cabin, no cell service and their only way out is relying on each other and fighting for their lives. They are not sure what the mans motive is or what he wants from the woman. The book takes place in two separate times, in the cabin and before the cabin. Before the cabin we get Anne’s backstory. Anne meets the man of her dreams right out of college, as soon as they get married Anne begins to notice a shift in her husbands behavior he’s angry and moody and she soon finds herself living in fear. In the Cabin we get the woman fighting for their lives. We also gets bits and pieces of the gun-mans story and a peek into his head. With the book jumping back and forth we soon realize that Anne, Thea and Rose are each hiding secrets and soon they will be revealed! My jaw hit the floor. This book was an emotional rollercoaster and shows you the lengths a mother will go to protect her child. I’m giving this book five stars!

Trapped in a Cabin by a Psychopath

Anne is a therapist. Fourteen years ago she married a man who turned out to be abusive. Anne is now living with her teenage daughter, Thea, who is going through a difficult time. In order to try to become closer, Anne decides to take Thea and her mother, Rose, to the White Mountains in New Hampshire to relax.

While they’re hiking, Thea is grabbed by a man with a gun. He forces the three women into a remote cabin with no heat and no cell service. If they’re going to escape alive they have to rely on each other and their survival skills.

The story is largely told through backstory. All three women have made good and bad decisions in the past which have led to their present difficulty. These stories of the past tie together to reveal what led to the current situation.

This is a character based thriller. While there is action the emphasis is on the women. I liked all three, but Rose was my favorite. She is resilient and although she has secrets, she seems best able to cope with them. The author also gives us a view into the man’s head without telling us what he wants. I thought this added an extra dimension to the story.

If you enjoy character based thrillers, this is a good one.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

A thrilling read that exceeded any expectations I had based on the description alone. I plan on picking up this book again, that's how good it was.

Survival Instincts is Jen’s fiction debut, after her bestselling memoir, A Beautiful, Terrible Thing, which is also a must read. Jen is an incredibly talented writer, an amazing human, and a fellow Mainer, which I love. Maine is filled with talented writers, and Jen earns her spot as one of my favs with Survival Instincts. It’s an edge-of-your-seat thriller combined with the story of mothers and daughters and the lengths they will go to protect them and keep them safe. I absolutely loved it, and could not put it down until I knew that Rose, Thea, and Anne were safe. Survival Instincts is available now and so be sure to pick up a copy, cancel any other plans, and prepare to be wowed.

There are possibilities in this story about a single mother and her 12-year-old daughter. In what is to be a bonding time between mom, daughter and grandmother, they are taken hostage by a stranger and taken to a remote cabin. The story is told in chapters moving between the three females and the unnamed kidnapper. Unfortunately, the pacing seems jerky and some of the events don’t seem that probable.

A version of this review previously appeared in Shelf Awareness and is republished here with permission.

"There are some stories that don't need to be told." Anne keeps secret the story of her daughter's father in order to protect Thea. But Thea is now 12 and the Internet is a powerful tool. For reasons unknown to Anne, Thea has recently changed into a volatile preteen, her relationship with Anne strained by deceit. Since Thea is tight with Anne's mother, Rose, Anne schedules a girls' getaway to a remote cabin, hoping to reconnect. There, the past fractures the present, threatening the lives of all three women.

Jen Waite is infinitely qualified to write about psychopaths, having shared the story of her former marriage in a courageous memoir, A Beautiful, Terrible Thing. Waite now folds her experience into a novel, Survival Instincts, focusing on the lengths to which mothers will go to protect their children. Starting "Four Days Before the Cabin," Waite alternates timelines and points of view as Anne, Rose and Thea head to the cabin. Meanwhile, an unidentified man spins a tale of violence as he goes on the hunt.

Waite deftly dips into the past to fill out the framework of her characters and ultimately connect the women to "The Man." Satisfying turns and surprises highlight the narrative, which, despite some extraneous exposition, remains tense and quickly paced. Waite keeps readers invested in each woman, despite their human faults and wrong turns, and everyone will wish they had a grandmother like Rose. Waite's fiction debut is an intense story of women doing what it takes to survive.

STREET SENSE: If you don't remember how much I loved Jen's memoir, check out my prior review and the Maximum Shelf issue we got to run about it, including an interview with Jen. She has become one of my favorite people and I was psyched to see she was making the leap from non-fiction to fiction. It was a great leap. Jen weaves knowledge she has from her own life into a tense story with characters you come to care about. And, seriously, Rose kicks ASS. It's what I would call a "page-turner" if I didn't hate the term "page-turner." Give it a look-see, it pubbed on 7/14.

COVER NERD SAYS: This is one of those times I knew I wanted to read the book before I had even seen the cover, so I was predisposed. That being said, I am fairly certain this would have caught my eye if it had been written by Jane Doe. Love the whiteout and the font that doesn't overpower it. I'm generally tired of covers with people or half-people walking or running, but this one is different and works really well. There's an air of menace about it that I really dig. This is a really good-looking cover.

Survival Instincts seems to have a difficult time determining if this is a Thriller or family drama. Both are worthy subjects but there is difficulty blending the two within the pages. The thriller aspect revolves around a random (?) kidnapping of Mother, daughter, grandmother while they are out for a hike in inclement winter weather.
The family drama arc involves giving dates of how long prior to finding themselves in the Cabin with the kidnapper with both Anne, the adult daughter and Rose, the grandmother giving their version of events that lead up to the current situation. Thea, the child is unaware of the turbulence but is at the center of both dramas occurring.
Both story lines are interesting and compelling. But in this case, I wish the author had settled on a singular direction.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.