This book took me back to the movie, The Day After Tomorrow. Young adults on their own in the harshness of a permanent winter, they forge their own path, and face numerous perils to find a new normal for them. My only complaint is that I need a book two!


The main character, Wylodine, is unbelievably strong and mature for her age. Her drug addicted mother and her mother’s abusive boyfriend set off to warmer weather in California, leaving Wylodine alone in the cold that has now taken over Ohio, to find a better place to grow their illegal marijuana. As desperation and panic ensues in her small town, she and two young men set off aiming toward California but meet many unfortunate circumstances and people along the way, including a young girl, Jamey, and her daughter Starla. The ending leaves it open for continuing the story, which I’m really hoping the author writes. The road is rough, but Wylodine perseveres. The young woman clearly has experience fending for herself, and makes it known she’s more of a mother than her mother was, doing whatever it takes to help the people she’s picked up on her route west. There’s so much I want to say about the grit Wylodine has, but I don’t know that I could properly explain the awe I felt reading how much she faced and worked through on her own. At first, she comes off as a loaner, selling marijuana in a dead end town, but I quickly found out there’s more to Wylodine than meets the eye. It’s been quite some time since I’ve felt so strongly about a character and I’m almost desperate to know what happens next!


This book was a fast read for me because I simply couldn’t put it down. It’s categorized as SCI-FI/Fantasy, but honestly it isn’t what I expected from that category, and is pretty believable as a storyline. Out of the over 200 books I’ve read this year (please don’t judge me), this is easily in the top five of my favorite reads this year. If you’re looking for a great read with a strong female lead, this book is definitely for you!

Special thanks to Harper Collins and Alison Stine for providing an advance review copy of Road Out of Winter to TehBen.com. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Wil has been on her own for over a year now, ever since her mom and Lobo, her mom's boyfriend, left for California. And they left Wil in charge of the farm and the marijuana crop they've always been known for. But this is the second year that spring hasn't returned. The crop is all gone and their tiny town is going to crap. Wil isn't sure what to do until she gets a postcard from her mom, prompting her to head their way.

But Wil isn't going alone. And she isn't going unprepared. With stragglers alongside her and a pack of seeds held close, she knows the road is going to be rough. And when her group upsets a violent cult leader, it only gets worse.

Holy hell! Alison Stine is a powerhouse of a writer!

Set in the near now (I won't even say near future because there is no date) in a perpetual winter, Stine's debut explores the fall of society as we know it as almost everything we've come to rely on—technology, industry, and even mother nature herself—fails. This is the kind of book that sucks me in so completely, by the time I came up for breath at the midway point I was actually somewhat surprised (and possibly unsettled) to find that it was still mid 90s outside and the sun was shining.

That said, this is a bleak book with glimmers of hope (those seeds and Wil herself) that is a bit hard to swallow right now. In fact, it's a story that seems all too possible as we're in the midst of a pandemic and two storms are barreling down on my hometown.

I loved Wil from the start. She's smart and resourceful. Her mother has been dating a man who runs the illegal marijuana trade in their part of Appalachian Ohio. And because of that, Wil's surprisingly in a bit of a better place to handle the issues that are coming.

Wil has a knack for growing things. And she works hard. Which is why, even though she'd been distanced a bit from the business growing up (schooled on how to avoid spilling the beans, but also living away from the actual operation), she's four years out of high school and trustworthy enough to be in charge of their little operation when Lobo and her mom decide to hit the road.

But Wil also has heart. Which is how she ends up traveling with companions rather than alone.

I thought that given everything this book would be a big downer to read. And it certainly had it's moments. And yet, Stine's writing is so utterly wonderful that I found myself reading further in spite of the niggling unease that the story is a bit too real for true comfort.

And it's easy to see why. Though this is her debut, Stine has written extensively on poverty and Appalachia, actively covering Covid related stories of late that are thoughtful, thought provoking, and eye opening to anyone who doesn't live in that region and has never experienced the kind of life she writes about.

Stine is a truly admirable talent and this book is one that I think really does deserve a wide readership. I think there's a lot to grapple with in the reading, but I'm positive that for most readers even the daunting prospect of reading something that feels like it could be 2020's own next bombshell will fall by the wayside as soon as you meet Wil!

Wil's been by herself in rural Ohio for a year- her mother left along with her partner, leaving Wil to harvest and see their marijuana crop. She was always an outcast, having but one friend but now, now things are bad. There was no spring, no summer. It's snowing all the time, and that's killed her outside crop but worse, it's created a nightmare in town, where there's no fuel, no water, no pharmceuticals, no food- which Wil doesn't realize until she rescues Grayson, who has broken his ankle gathering wood on her property. The two of them decide to head for California, trailering Wil's little house, when they find Dance, who has been injured as well. These three are managing until the are stopped on the highway and find themselves at Skate Park, a nightmare community run by Jake. They rescue Jamey and her daughter Starla, who become key for everyone. Yes this is dystopian- there's endless winter, society has broken down, and so on- but it also has a beating heart and there's hope (albeit slim). I found myself really rooting for these characters, all teens (except Starla), and turning pages fearing what was coming next. Stine's a great storyteller- I finished this before bed and woke up thinking about it in the morning, always a mark of a good one. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's a great read.

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with an ARC of <i>Road Out of Winter</i> in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist

Truth be told, I’m struggling to write this review, and not only because since the weekend, I have found myself dealing with writer’s block. But also, because I want to give this book the review it deserves.

I’m afraid anything I’ll mention here would give away some detail of the story that is so profound in its overall message.

So, as my husband suggested I’m going to try and stick to gushing about it for the rest of this review.

The Details

I adored Wil. She is a fighter, a survivor and feels like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. She feels responsible for the people close to her.

Wil is selfless and a hard worker. Nobody gives her much respect. And in a world where women are seen as objects that need to be categorized into respective boxes of usefulness, Stine expertly describes the hypocrisy that is these social ideals.

Her struggle and her past trauma made her who she is, and she is trying to make the best out of what she has been given. I can identify with her and I can sympathize with her emotional state.

<i>Road Out of Winter</i> is not an easy book to read, yet I have to give it credit for maintaining a consistent level of melancholy without getting boring or overwhelming.

The setting of <i>Road Out of Winter</i> was perfect. Dystopian elements coupled with the possibility of a world that may never be the same due to a never-ending winter really grabbed my attention.

The bleak landscape, shortage of resources, and changing social structures come a little closer to home these days while the world is still fighting this global pandemic.

It should have turned me off of this story, but strangely enough, it gave me a sense of comfort.

When I wasn’t reading <i>Road Out of Winter</i>, I was thinking about it. And when I was reading it, I kept wondering what was in store for Wil around the next corner.

As most of you probably know by now, I’m not a huge fan of summer. Five heat waves in less than three months and continuous migraines caused by the heat have left me sometimes a little on the miserable end.

Reading a book about winter, even though this story’s winter is no laughing matter, became a mental respite for me. Also, reading about a young woman trying her best gave me some encouragement. Encouragement to keep trying my best as well, difficult as it might be sometimes.

Stine’s writing style fit the genre of the story perfectly. Her ability to give insight into Wil’s thoughts and emotional state made her feel real. She was able to create a complex character I’m still thinking about. Even days after I finished the book, wondering how she is doing.

The Verdict

Overall, I had no idea what to make of <i>Road Out of Winter</i> when I started reading it. It surprised me. Pleasantly surprised me. It became a good contender to make my list of the top books of 2020.

I highly recommend it.

"Trust me. Seeds will be more valuable than gold, and the one who can grow them? She'll be a queen."

Spring isn't coming...again. After months of tending to her mother's and step-father's abandoned illegal marijuana crops, Wylodine decides to leave her Appalachian Ohio home after her best friend sets off on a mass exodus with The Church. With nothing left to keep her on the farm and with extreme winter weather closing in, Wil leaves the farm behind, determined to find her mother in California. Equipped with a truck, tiny house, grow lights, seeds, and plenty of cash, Wil and a few fellow exiles head out on the icy roads, encountering more problems than the weather. Pirates, cults, killers, and utopian communities have cropped up in the hills and what they want most of all is Wil's talent for growing plants.

This book was a blend of The Road and The Book of the Unnamed Midwife with a touch of Mad Max: Fury Road. I was on the edge of my seat and rooting for Will and her rag-tag crew. My favorite jaw-drop moment was the final line of chapter 11! (No spoilers but send me a DM on Twitter or IG if/when you read that part to tell me what you thought.) I am very impressed that this is a debut and I think the ending was perfectly ambiguous--delivering satisfactory closure but also leaving the possibility of a sequel/series.

Book rating 2.5 stars, rounded up for the strong beginning and atmosphere.

I had some problems with the book, the writing. The beginning of the book seemed solid enough. But as the story progressed it weakened for me.

There’s a lot of potential here that didn’t quite work out well for me. The story wasn’t linear, it would look back to people in her life and how things used to be. Some of that expanded as we moved through the story but then other situations started to appear that felt like they were convenient for this novel, yet not true to what the character development. I don’t want to give spoilers, but it didn’t ring fully true for me. It got to the point where I wanted the book just to end and stopped caring what happened to our main characters.

One the bright side, if you read this during the heat it may help you feel cooler as this world is frozen over.

I enjoyed this apocalyptic novel. Road Out of Winter is a story that could too likely be true while at the same time, different from most of the apocalyptic books I've rad
Wylodine's mother and stepfather have left her behind, heading for California. They leave behind a controversial legacy for Wil: they are weed farmers and sellers. Wil struggles to make it on her own as Winter becomes longer and longer. While she knows how to grow, in basements with grow lights, she prefers to take care of the farm and let the weed go. But Winter is taking over; the Appalachia area hasn't seen Spring in tow years. When Wil heads into town, a new life begins for her as she learns that the world is falling apart. The book follows Wil's journey to California experiences death, cults, and family as everyone tries to hold to life when there is nothing but snow.
This story pulls you in leaving you wondering: what would you do? Would you be like those killing for no ration? Would you help others, a stranger you don't know. Or would you get in your truck and drive ignoring everyone. Road out of Winter encompasses all those ideas looking at the variety of responses the human psyche would act out at the end of the world. The novel doesn't go too deep into these ideas, giving the characters opinions but truly letting you make the decisions on what is moral and acceptable at the end of the world.
I enjoyed the characters. As someone coming from the South who has spent a lot of ti,e in the Appalachia Region, I enjoyed seeing the realness of the area. Alison Stine captures her home beautifully, reminding readers what poverty looks like in rural areas. This is the world I am used to and I loved seeing it come live in the book even in such a depressing way.

The ending is not what I expected and, while not these are not my favorite type of ending, I was OK with it the what-if of it. The whole book is a tribute to uncertainty a little of that in the ending is fitting.

I give this book 4.5 stars and there I just one issue3 that drags this book down. Stine doesn't have flow for the flashbacks and Wil's look back into the world before she left is jarring taking you out of the moment and trying to understand what this flashback had to do with the subject at hand. While a few work well, the majority of them, leave you confused as to what's going on until you realize Wil is reminiscing.

Overall, Road Out of Winter is am engaging novel that keeps you on your toes.

It’s been a while since I enjoyed a dystopian novel that I really liked. Sometimes they come off as too YA and the writing doesn’t keep my attention. I can say that this particular novel very much hooked me! A slow and intense burn this one. The protagonist, Wil, has an important skill - ability to make things grow from seed. As a gardener, I know this isn’t something to be underestimated. Will’s mom leaves her as winter finds her. Winter comes and won’t leave because of serious climate change. With winter lasting for so long, Wil’s skills are in demand. She goes on a journey to try and get to California. During this journey through a frigid and hostile landscape, Will finds other lost people and befriends them. The ending was a surprise only that an ending is still needed. Waiting for book 2. Thanks for the ARC!

Road Out of Winter felt almost like something pulled from the depths of my dreams. From that moment at the end of a season when you think, what if it just doesn't stop? Or is that just me? A season that starts and never stops, holding us tightly in its clutches reminding us our world is built on change. Because too much of anything can have disastrous consequences.

What I loved about Road Out of Winter not only was that the MC is bisexual, but also that Stine seems to ask the readers, through the book, what we think we would owe to each other at the end of the world. Would we be able to band together? Find solace and strength? Or would we resort to a society of everyone for themselves? And what Stine seems to offer is a middle ground that never feels compromised.

Imagine a winter than never ends. You run out of basic supplies such as food and gas. This is the heart of this story. Wly was left by her mother and her mothers boyfriend before the winter started. Now she is on a journey to find them.

This is an end of the world type book. How do you survive when basic supplies are short and everyone wants them. I liked the plot bit was disappointed in the ending. I felt this book could have gone on as it really didn’t wrap up.

This was a bleak and disturbing book. It was descriptive, you could feel the cold, the desperation of the characters, the hopelessness of others.
It was a different story than what I normally read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

If you're a fan of dystopian novels you'll love Road Out of Winter. This was one of those books that had me hooked from the beginning and has left me wanting more. I instantly fell for Wylodine and the other characters. Now that Winter seems to be never ending and the world is falling apart around her, Wylodine must find a way to get to California from Ohio to be with her family. She collects various strays along the way and they form a new family. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. I couldn't believe that's how it ended. I'm still sitting here wondering what happens to Wylodine, Jamey, and Starla, and wondering if it ever gets warmer. Overall this is an amazing story and I definitely need more.

Obviously, this is an unusual book description - which is one of the reasons I requested it.  The other is that I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains and was curious to see how a story like this would play out in that area.

Wylodine is a wonderful protagonist - strong, determined, scarred, and soft-hearted.  If you find yourself in an apocalyptic-type of event, you could do worse than hooking your wagon to hers.  Mostly shunned by the community because of her family business, then being practically abandoned by her mother, with the exception of one good friend, she's alone when everything starts to go off the rails in her town.  In order to survive, going it alone isn't the best option right now, and she soon comes across people she learns to trust and depend on.  Finding your people is a strong theme in this story - like-minded folks who do what they can to form a community and care for each other.  Tragedy can bring out the best in people, but it also draws power-hungry individuals on the wrong side of the morals scale, and Wil and friends run across some of the worst mankind has to offer. 

The abrupt ending took me by surprise - I even wondered if pages were missing - so a sequel may be a possibility.       

To say I enjoyed such a dark, heart-breaking, grim story sounds odd, but Road Out of Winter is also well-written, compelling, and hopeful - it would be an excellent book club selection.  

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Road Out of Winter is a story based in a dystopian world where uncontrolled human impact on the planet resulted in a never-ending winter. Without the seasons, the earth becomes a cold desolate place where it seems like nothing can survive.

What I Liked

Two main themes thread their way through the story. One is the importance of family and connections with other people that makes surviving a group effort rather than an individual challenge. The other is the preciousness of life, particularly plants, and how the whole eco-system fails if plants cannot be grown. These are essential lessons that many people forget about because no one forces us to think about them. We take them for granted just the same as we do French Fries and Taco Bell, but, unlike junk food, we cannot survive without them.

I loved the main character, Wil. Quietly determined, deeply scarred, and inherently heroic, she leads a small group of people on a journey to find warmer weather. What they found was much more profound, as some chose to walk away while others stay together. Through it all, Wil remains true and focused, refusing to leave anyone behind even if it put her own life in peril.

Given the pandemic we currently find ourselves in, a story about a world-wide weather catastrophe is profoundly and darkly impactful. We now realize what such an event will bring out in people and that, even though there are some light spots, there is a lot of darkness in people that turns into something dangerous in intense situations. When we need to band together, it is not unusual for people to become selfish and opportunistic - a very troubling thought and possible reality.

To Read or Not to Read

If you love stories with impactful messages, this is a story you will not want to miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

Well written and interesting book about a topic I don’t know much about. The landscape was appropriately bleak and set the tone for the story.

There is something about dystopians that draw me in. Maybe it's the way humans react to hard times. How they become animalistic. All I know is that because of the plot, this book was hard to put down!

Wylodine has been on her own for awhile so when the world starts taking a turn she is basically in her element. It's easy for her to think rationally, which is very important when its dooms day everywhere you go.

She was an easy character to feel sorry for when it came to her circumstances. The book covers the present but there is also flashbacks to better times with her friend Lisbeth and what it was like growing up with her mom and Lobo. The flashbacks did help to bridge gaps, especially when it came to her relationships with people.

There are other characters I did like reading about like Grayson and Jamey. None of the characters in the book have had an easy time since the start of the long winter. It can get very dark real quick. One scene I was not ready for!

Although I liked the characters, the book leans towards plot driven which was fine. The character development isn't much.

When it comes to the plot, it's better to be surprised! I didn't know where it would lead but it's easy to get hooked.

I only had one issue and that was the ending. This is probably just a personal opinion but I am one that wants more closure. I want to know that everything works out and everyone is fine. This book has an open ending, which I know some enjoy, but they aren't for me.

Overall, this is a tense book filled with the realities of human actions when it comes to survival. It's a good book and if you enjoy dystopians I'd recommend you check this one out.

**Review will be posted to my blog on blog tour date: 9/7/20**

**3.5 STARS**

Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Let’s break it down:

My Attention: intrigued but kind of waned in the middle

World Building: fascinating – Appalachia Ohio enduring a very long winter, resources are low and people are in survival mode

Writing Style: slow, tense

Bringing the Heat: more like cold, VERY cold

Crazy in Love: no time for love in this story

Creativity: weed, an endless winter, and trying to survive makes for a very interesting story!

Mood: mixed feelings

Triggers: drug use, violence, mention of rape

My Takeaway: The currency of the future in a climate crisis will be seeds and someone who knows how to grow them.

Likes:
*I don’t read many eco-thrillers but this caught my eye because Wil is a weed grower and it’s a skill that will help her survive this endless winter. Wil comes from a place of poverty and heavy drug use, she’s been around all kinds of drug users since she was a child, and that helps her navigate her way out in this new cold world.

*I like how the author describes what’s happening in the towns as winter doesn’t let up. We see resources grow scarce, people panicking and leaving for someplace else. There is no internet, no way to really communicate, no news…it’s a dire situation and it’s something that could happen in reality. That’s the thrilling and scary part of the story.

*Wil is on a mission to get to her mom, so she needs to leave her town but she meets people along the way, and the further they get from home – they get into harrowing situations and meet other people on the road. They encounter different groups of people out there which made me wonder if Wil would get to her destination at all or intact?

Random Notes:
*Who knew being a weed grower would be a skill to come in handy? There isn’t much weed growing happening in this story but I understand that once she settles down somewhere it will be the knowledge that will help her grow food to survive.

*I didn’t connect much to any character. But I think the story gets much more interesting when Jamey and Starla enters the picture.

*The beginning for me was a slow build but the later half is definitely when things pick up. There is more action as Wil and her friends try to get out of certain situations.

*The ending felt rushed, but will there be a sequel? I felt like more of the story could be told.

Final Thoughts:
I think this was a solid eco-thriller. It made me feel this story could become reality in the future especially with how our planet is undergoing climate change. Wil is an interesting character who has survival skills because she grew up around drug users and she herself is a weed grower. Wil’s journey to her destination is filled with challenges and terror. If you like eco-thrillers, I think you will really enjoy this one.

The world is at the brink of dying as winter stretches longer and longer. Wil's parents have left her alone on their marijuana farm, and all around her people are abandoning the Ohio small town for warmer cities. Wil decides to leave as well, with a small ragtag group of other young adults living on the edge of society. She wants to go to California, to be with her mother, but the chances of making it there seem slim.

Like all good dystopian fiction, there are cults and violent enclaves everywhere, and Wil and her friends escape one only to land in another. The landscape of frozen Appalachia was both chilling and realistic, and I respected Wil's unsentimental, anti-maudlin character. I also loved that there was zero romance here, besides fleeting memories of an old friend, and even that was in no way rose-colored.

I know that in the midst of a pandemic, it's sometimes hard to reach for a dystopian novel, especially when everything in real life seems pretty darn dystopian. Is Road Out of Winter worth reading? I really do think it is. While grim, this book shows us the strengths and weaknesses that exist in all of us. Wil's ability to grow plants, and nurture them through even the rockiest of beginnings, was a spark of hope running through the novel.

Book: Road Out of Winter
Author: Alison Stine
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Mira Books, for sending me an ARC.

Wow! Why aren’t there more people talking about this book. I really enjoyed this and I couldn’t put it down. I love books like this. This is one of those books that very well could become true and you hope it doesn’t. This is a science fiction book that asks the question: what would happen if we were stuck in winter forever? When the weather breaks, we see a complete breakdown of life as we knew it.

Let’s go from there. So, in this book, the climate has gotten a lot colder. The first thing is that the springs are getting shorter and shorter while winter gets longer. Eventually, winter wins and the characters find themselves stuck in an enteral winter. Just stop and think about that. There weather is going to get warmer, only colder. Nothing can grow and the world is dark. There is nothing but snow and ice. Then, the technology goes. Now people are cut off completely and panicking. There are riots and people fleeing all over the place. Think: 2020 in the form of a book.

The way Alison presents all of this is just scary. Everything feels real and you find yourself thinking that this could happen and it very well could happen. It felt even more real for me because the characters are from my back door-literally. The terror of being cut off from the world and stuck on the backroads are real. The way the characters travel and the way Alison writes it made me feel like I was driving down my own road in the dead of winter. Of course, there’s no one chasing me, but still. The unknown and not knowing if you are going to make it to your destination is done so well.

Then, on top of that, Alison explores the breakdown of the supply chains, which again felt so real. it is 2020 and we are seeing shortages on certain items. So, seeing this breakdown and what could happen just made me stop and think. We see people rioting and dying. People are trying to be good, but just that panic alone and not knowing what is going to happen is enough to make anyone nervous. That, in general, is what this book does so well. The author really focuses in on that unknown and uses that as a driving force for the story. It’s done in a way that is just so good.

I also liked how she handled the characters. These characters are not developed much. There is so much about them that we just don’t know. Normally, this would bother me, but the way it is done here just works. We do slowly get to know them, but there is still so much about them that we just don’t know. I mean, these characters probably would not had worked together had it not been for what they were handed. These people are not close friends; they are people who met and are working together for the sake of staying alive. They didn’t know each other at all or all that well before the weather broke. Of course, they aren’t going to spill their life stories and be open-especially since most of them come from kind of shady backgrounds. This unknown, like with the plot, just adds to the story. It just works and makes sense to have the characters presented this way. Again, it is the unknown that really drives this book. It just works, guys, it just works.

Anyway, I had a great time reading this. This is an adult novel, even though some of the characters are on the younger side.

This book comes out on September 1, 2020.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/lHPz9Yt7xpA

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book so I went into it a bit skeptical but I honestly enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the main character, Wil, as well as her companions, though I think they could have been a bit better fleshed out. The story itself was compelling and I could not put the book down for the second half. I really hope the author writes a sequel.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.