This book follows the lives of three generations of women, Rose, Anne and Thea, and is told in alternating timelines. In the past, the reader follows Anne’s tumultuous relationship with Thea’s father and in the present we follow along as the women go on a bonding weekend only to encounter a madman. The novel starts with a good amount of tension and then slow burns toward the finale. While I enjoyed the story I’m not sure it was particularly memorable or unique. This would be a good read for a winter weekend, preferably in a cabin sitting by the fire.

In an attempt to bridge the looming gap between her daughter, twelve-year-old Thea, and herself, Anne rents a remote cabin for a girl’s weekend in the woods. She also brings along her own mother, Mimi. Can their combined Survival Instincts save them from this horror movie opening scene?

Thea’s goal is to watch Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time with her beloved grandmother. She absolutely will not obsess about how her mother ruined her life. She loved Ted. No matter what anyone else said.

Anne also has a secret. A dark secret. About Thea’s father.

Survival Instincts is three women’s tale of how one day they literally ran into a psychopath. The constant shifts in both voice and time are a bit disorientating. However, there is a good story within this book. If you like women-in-jeopardy stories, you will enjoy this character-based thriller. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars.

Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Before I get into my own thoughts about this one I want to address the problematic issues that I didn’t even realize were in the book until after I read my friend Toya’s review Be sure to check her post out, it was eye opening for me for sure. I also want to say that the team at Dutton and the author herself listened to Toya’s concerns and immediately began working on implementing changes. While it was too late to edit the hardcover book, the ebook and audio version will have edits and I have to applaud all parties involved in making said edits. You can also check out this post from the author as well.

I love an emotionally charged thriller and is there anything more fraught with emotion than a mother/daughter relationship? Throw in a scenario where a mom, daughter and grandma are fighting for their lives and you have one hell of a tense situation. This flips between multiple viewpoints and the one from the Man who kidnaps the family were chilling and super fascinating. He clearly had an agenda and a reason for taking them but I couldn’t figure out what that reason was before it was revealed, always a great sign in a thriller for me. This was a really solid read for me, if you like character driven thrillers check this one out!

Written with short chapters and frequent time jumps between what has happened in the past and what is just about to happen in each of the character’s very near future, at first it seems like the story of Anne, her 12-year-old daughter Thea, and Anne’s mother Rose is a quick, creepy, suspense-filled thriller. In truth, it is all of those things and a great summer beach, or poolside read, but it is also a lot more.

Exploring themes such as toxic relationships, familial bonds, abuse, mental health, victimhood, and protection, this is that rare book that you enjoy that chills and thrills while you are reading it, but after you are finished you will find it has tunnelled into your brain as well. As you unpack everything you have learned about this family (in a very short span of time), your brain starts to put the story back into chronological order. Then it is the little details that reappear, the abusive relationships, the missed red flags, and the secrets that everyone is keeping from each other.

The book opens with Anne, a therapist and single mother, concerned about her 12-year-old daughter, Thea. They have moved fairly recently and Anne is unsure about how her daughter is adjusting to the new town and the new school. She can’t quite decide if Thea is actually angry about something, or if she is just in a phase that is typical of a 12-year-old. Anne decides that a weekend getaway to a snowy cabin would be good for their relationship, and she invites her mother Rose (Thea’s grandmother) along as well.

We also get to experience the story through Thea’s eyes and Rose’s eyes as the chapters alternate through various perspectives. Thea is unexpectedly excited about the trip, and is happy about seeing her grandmother, as they previously had lived much nearer to her, and Rose and Thea have a very close relationship.

Unfortunately, there is someone else who knows about this planned trip to an isolated mountain cabin, and we see the story from his perspective as well. While he certainly provides dramatic tension and genuine fear into the story, it is the dynamic between Rose, Anne, and Thea that really drives the narrative forward. Who is keeping secrets, and what are they hiding?

Highly recommended for people who love a wintry, snow-bound thriller in the middle of a sweltering hot summer! Fans of No Exit from Taylor Adams may also love this spine-tingling tale with its snowy isolation. Whether you enjoy it for the story itself, or for the psychological study you can make of it afterwards, Jen Waite’s Survival Instincts is a fantastic summer thrill!

Anne is feeling disconnected from her daughter Thea. She decides on a girls' weekend retreat and also invites her mother Rose. She is hoping they will enjoy the time together and will leave refreshed and more in sync. However, the universe seems to have other plans as they are kidnapped by a man with a gun. Forget smores, selfies, and self-reflection, it will take all their combined strength just to survive.
Much of the story is spent revealing decisions, both good and bad that the women made in the past. How it all ties together to the current situation will eventually be revealed. The only thing that bothered me about so much of the story happening in the past was the fact that I never felt overly connected to what was happening now. I would have liked to feel a bit more on the edge of my seat wondering who would make it out of the cabin alive.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy getting to know these flawed but strong women. Perhaps it was just my foggy quarantine brain because the book description states Fourteen Years Before the Cabin, A Week Before the Cabin, and The Cabin. For whatever reason, my mind just latched onto the cabin! A fast-paced backyard read that will keep you guessing and wondering how many secrets can a woman fit in her closet?

*Many thanks to NetGalley, Dutton, and Jen Waite for an ARC of this book!*

Therapist Anne is struggling to connect with her preteen daughter Thea, and comes up with the idea to take her daughter and mother Rose to the snowy mountains for some hiking, relaxation, and bonding time. When an armed man rushes at them in the woods, however, things take a desperate turn, and all three generations end up trapped in.a cabin with no cell service, no means of escape, and no one to rely on but one another. Can they combat the elements AND their captor...and stay strong enough to survive?

I was very excited to be granted a wish by the publisher for this title and didn't have much knowledge of the plot going in, other than this was a thriller featuring a family trapped in a cabin. Surprisingly, however, most of this book focuses on the backstories of all of the characters rather than the kidnapping itself, jumping back and forth throughout the past during the entire novel. I had trouble feeling connected to or frightened for this family's current predicament because the narrative moved around so much, it was difficult to keep track of where we were in time. This novel had more of a domestic thriller feel than I was anticipating, but what was exciting and suspenseful in the beginning slowed down dramatically as the story went on. The ending ties all of the character's stories together, but I feel in some aspects it was a little overwrought and could have been simpler. My favorite character was Rose, and I honestly would have been fine hearing most of the story from her!

This book will certainly appeal to those who enjoy a good multi-generational domestic thriller with powerful women who won't be taken down! 3.5 stars

What was the point of this book? The title is Survival Instincts but that has little to do with the story. The Mom, Anne, doesn't display instincts or any good ideas. And the description of the book leads you to believe that this is a story about two women and a child being terrorized in a cabin. There is very little of that in the story and there is no action or thrills in what does take place. The rest, or most, of the story takes place in the past, going into great detail, and is all a set up for the final outcome of the novel. There was a lot of needless stuff thrown in. There really was no point to Thea having a medical condition. Also a character took an extreme action in the past that is not very realistic. And then the part with the teacher, well there was no reason for that either. It was seriously unrealistic and weird. It was a very convoluted story. It kept me reading for a while but I skimmed the last 30%.

Whoa! This was a perfect, unputdownable read. After seeing a post on Instagram that the publisher was granting all "wishes" for this book, I went in blind. I didn't know much beyond it being a suspense novel. That was a twisty, demented roller coaster of a ride that did not disappoint. Be prepared to stay up late because you will want to know what happens next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Later, she’d come to realize two truths from that incident: 1) she would do anything, anything for her daughter and 2) she could not count on others for help.”

If you need a page turner, check this out ASAP!

Survival Instincts follows Anne, her mother Rose, and daughter Thea (12) on a getaway weekend at a cabin. A mysterious man with a disturbing past literally runs into them on a walk and takes them captive. The three are trying to survive, but have no idea what their captor wants from them.

The story flashes back and forth from the cabin and about 14-10 years before the cabin. We meet young, impressionable Anne, who meets Ethan, the epitome of a perfect man. But we all know the saying, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is”

I loved the different points of view and different timelines. I kept making mental notes on anything before the cabin asking myself, “Does this detail matter? Why will it matter?” I was itching to see why certain phrases were written in the book.

Obviously, the women are going to try to escape. (I mean, what kind of book would it be if they didn’t?) So without giving spoilers, I’ll say I really enjoyed the ingenuity of their methods. Some things happened and I thought they were clever and laid out perfectly by the author. (Breadcrumbs, y’all.)

I did get confused at one point and thought one of the characters was dead, and had to go back a few chapters because she was talking in the cabin. 😂 That could be a user error, but whew I was confused for a hot minute. 😂

I enjoyed the grandmother/mother/daughter dynamic. It was well written and their relationship seemed genuine. A mother’s love knows no bounds, and I think if this was 3 friends instead of a family, I would not have enjoyed it as much.

For fans of Dirty John or Final Girls, this one is for you!

4.5 ⭐️! Thank you Dutton & NetGalley for the advanced copy. This one is out July 14th!

What a mother won't do for her daughter and the secrets they kept from each other are the initial impressions I got from this book.

Loved the multiple points of views and different points in time. The jumps in time helped explain how Anne (mostly) got to where she was. Though I did get frustrated with the many flashbacks because I felt it slowed down the novel a bit but it all ties together at the end.

I'm not a big fan of repeated "Before the Cabin" in the title of the chapters. It was too repetitive for me. I could have done without it.

Otherwise a good thriller.

I read a lot of thrillers. That is my favourite genre and although I do read other genres of books and enjoy them as well my go-to genre is Thrillers!
So when I read the blurb of this book I knew I had to read it and soon!
Thankfully I was sent a digital arc and I am so glad about it because this was a really good read!

This book is a roller coaster. The story is told in multiple time periods and by three generations of women who find themselves trapped with a man who wants to kill them. Now isn't that a whopper of a one-liner? Won't that draw anybody in?!
I started this book and I was completely hooked a few pages in. The pace was superb and the short chapters just had me turning them wanting to know how the play out would happen. The three women Anne, Rose and Thea
were strong and relatable and very interesting. I was completely invested in their stories.
Every time I thought I had the story figured I would be thrown off by an unexpected twist. I love it when that happens and it is rare because I read a lot of thrillers.

I would strongly recommend this action-packed book. Also, this is not strictly a thriller. It can also fall under women's fiction.
Nonetheless, read it! You won't be disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 20%.

This letter was sent to Dutton:

I recently received a NetGalley widget of Survival Instincts by Jen Waite, which I honestly couldn't wait to read based off of the synopsis. However, after making it 20% into this book, I am utterly disgusted by the amount of racist and stereotypical behavior that has made it through editing.

The first scene that I would like to point out occurs in chapter seven (Anne One Day Before the Cabin) when she is headed to the cabin with her daughter and mother. They are coming up on the town of Ammonoosuc. In this scene, they each make fun of the pronunciation of Ammonoosuc and challenge each other to say it ten times in a row. This is an actual name that comes from the Abnaki, which is an indigenous tribe that has literally been decimated by white people. And here we have white people making fun of that name? How tone deaf can you be?

Let's keep going.

Thea is in school. Her mother wants her to take French because it's the sophisticated language. Instead, she chooses Spanish. The Spanish teacher (Senora Pilas) is a squat, mean woman with a mole that makes Thea realize that her mother was right about taking French instead. Really? That is the stereotype we are going with?

But it gets better, Senora Pilas is then removed from her position and replaced by a white male: Mr. Redmond. The students literally say that "he doesn't look latino" to which he responds that he learned his Spanish from studying abroad for a year in Spain. So that makes him an expert on a culture that is NOT his own?

I am disappointed in Dutton for pushing a book like this through editing. Have you stopped to consider how Indigenous people would feel about this? What about the Latinx community?

I will not support this book and will use my voice to say so unless Dutton corrects these issues.

Three generations of women face off against a madman. Rose, Anne and Thea are all going on a weekend trip to a remote cabin when a man appears out of nowhere with a gun and a sinister plan. The three women are soon held captive and under his control - or are they? The story looks back at both Rose, Anne and Thea's lives, how they got where they are now and how they have dealt with violent men in the past. Rose the grandmother is my favorite character, for reasons that will be apparent once you read the book, and the whole thing is a dark treat that will resonate with many and is a page burner.

Three powerful women: a grandmother, a daughter, a teen granddaughter are all taken captive in a cabin in the wilderness in the dead of winter. In addition to the fear, they fight through injuries and bone-chilling cold to survive.

Without giving too much more away, this is the story of powerful women and sacrifice. It's the story of love.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The synopsis definitely intrigued me on this new release but I figured it would be another run of the mill thriller. Boy, was a pleasantly surprised. This story was so intricately done and grabbed me from the first chapter. I think this will particularly appeal to mothers. As a mother I connected with Rose and Anne and their desire to protect at all costs. Will definitely be recommending to my suspense reader friends that like a story with substance.

Three women, an older woman, her daughter and teen granddaughter, are taken captive by a stranger, tied up and held in a rough wilderness cabin in the winter. Fighting bone-freezing cold, injuries, and fear might have led them to give in to crying and hopelessness. But these women are fighters with strong survival instincts and each plans secretly to sacrifice herself to see the other two go free. The action never slows down and you never know what will happen next. This is a psychological thriller, an action thriller, and the story of a family of strong women.

I absolutely loved Jen Waite’s memoir A Beautiful, Terrible Thing, so I had a feeling this novel which deals with many of the same topics (psychopath boyfriend, abuse, infidelity) would be right up my alley. Survival Instincts delivered suspense, strong female characters, and a satisfyingly twisty ending in an interesting multiple POV way. It was a fun read, and I will read anything Jen Waite writes.

Survival Instincts is a story of three women fighting for their lives after being kidnapped and taken to a remote cabin. The women have no idea why they were chosen to be terrorized this way, but in the end answers are made clear. The three women each have their own personal struggles and different strategies for survival, but they have to work together to survive. The characters and storyline remind me of something I'd see on Lifetime, but it's an enjoyable read.

Survival Instincts by Jen Waite is a fast-paced thriller with a conclusion you won't believe.


When I started reading this book, I was immediately interested in what was about to happen. I've always been a fan of survival stories, and this one hit the mark. Although it isn't a 'lost in the woods' kind of tale, the survival it deals with is just as intense. It's a survival of man versus man, or in the case of the story, women versus men.

The story revolves around a young girl, her mother, and her grandmother. Each of them has a voice in the story and, at times, I did get confused between the mother, Anne, and the grandmother, Rose as their voices are very similar. Thea came across as a strong character, and I liked her a lot. I also liked how Anne's and Rose's plots developed.

The gunman's story fascinated me. While he wasn't exactly a sympathetic character, the author does a great job of peeking into his head to find out what makes him tick. This makes him three-dimensional, and lends more interest to the book.

The ending did come as a surprise, but it felt a little tacked on to me. I think the author was looking to tie up every loose end, and things became a bit too pat. However, it didn't detract from the novel overall.

This is a book I'd recommend adding to your summer read list.

Four out of five stars. Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy.

I don't know what I expected from this book, but wow! There were so many twists and turns to this story. I loved the alternating points of view with strong female characters. This book was full of mystery, drama, suspense, and a ton of action.

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a well-done suspense. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this early!