thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! all thoughts and opinions are my own.

first of all, the cover is absolutely gorgeous, i love it. so many people compared this book to the selection, so i was super excited heading into it. the premise was exciting, and i definitely wasn't disappointed!

it starts off with the main character, arden, being raped and abused by a boy named cj who thought she'd never be able to escape. when she suddenly gets chosen by mistake, she's eager to leave and face anything just to escape his abuse.

arden hasn't been trained for what she's been chosen for, so she goes in naively. what she believes is an institute for learning is actually something much darker, with politics and secrets that the public never sees. the girls all compete for the attention of the prince, trying to win his heart. she doesn't have any interest in that, as she wants to survive and never go to back home to cj.

the competition is hard, and arden immediately fails the first test about basic knowledge of nordania. she slowly settles into life uneasily, working hard to not fall back. the prince, declan, takes an interest in her but his mother doesn't approve of the two of them. declan was a good person, but slightly bland as a character. a love triangle with beck, a pirate, is introduced, and i really liked him and how he made arden feel protected, especially when he taught her how to fight.

i really like the ending, especially when she got the tattoo to cover up her scar that she's so ashamed of. i loved seeing arden grow throughout the book, and coming to terms with her abuse. she's strong, determined, and will persevere no matter what.

i will definitely be looking forward to reading the sequel, and i really recommend this book!!

I love the way the writer does dialogue in this book, it makes it feel more fun. I felt like the author was trying to display their full vocabulary in this book, like they needed to upstage somebody. I did love their use of description for inanimate objects though, it felt like I could be placed in the story for the amount of description they put in. I didn't like that the map was placed at the end of the book, I find it easier if the map is at the beginning so it's easier to reference.

4 stars - a dark but gripping tale of resilience

This is the (hopefully) first part of Arden's story - a girl who is born poor but given by her parents to a "benefactor": a rich man who takes in girls to sponsor and send them as candidates to the so-called "National Women’s Institute" every year. There they are to perfect their education and then to move into prestigious positions where they use their skill and knowledge to represent their country. At least this is the official story. When Arden hears she is one of the few chosen for the school she finally sees a way out of the grip of her benefactor's son CJ who is abusing his power over her in the worst way possible.
But in this school it seems that it is all about catching the prince. Or if not that, then at least another husband in a position of influence. Arden, who is not well prepared to be a candidate is very much an underdog- but anything would be better than to return to her old home, back to her abuser. All she wants is to be free to make her own decisions ...

Now, this was an absolutely gripping story I could barely put down, but it was darker than my usual fare. There is plenty of mention of abuse of different kinds, mostly rape, which is not easy to stomach. The descriptions were not graphic though, we are rather confronted with the aftermath of the emotional and physical scars abuse leaves and that still, it is possible to refuse to be the victim, to fight back - if one gets the means to do so.

Arden is a great heroine in that regard. Despite all that has happened to her she may be damaged but not broken. She does not put up with being treated poorly, she keeps fighting for what feels like it should not even be a privilge - the simple right to free decisions, particularly when it comes to your own body.

The book is at its strongest when it comes to analysing how power and privilege play out. How helpless those without power are to be moved around like pawns in a game of chess and how easy it is to use them for those who wield that power. It is also great in highlighting how blind privilege can make us to understanding the struggles of those who don't have it. The prince, Conrad, represents that perfectly - he is well meaning but in many ways a pampered boy and rather clueless. And in one case one of the girls in the school has to pay for his well-meaning cluelessness. He of course, doesn't.

Speaking of the prince: of course the story has to have some romance. And there's not only the fair prince, there is also his antithesis, a dark, handsome captain of a boat, no a SHIP, who comes from less privilege and who understands much more.
To be honest, I could really have done without the love triangle and the parts where Arden cannot seem to be able to decide who she actually likes. I felt that her behaviour in some of those scenes did not quite mesh with what we know about her, it seemed to just serve the trope. But maybe I'm just biased because I really didn't care for the fair prince whatsoever ...
Actually, I feel like the story would have been stronger without the romance altogether, if it had focussed more on Arden.

But really, that's my only gripe. At least I like one of the guys so I have someone to root for! In any case, I very much hope that the story will continue, it's one worth following.

I loved this book! I know that reviews don't normally start like this but let me tell you....I LOVEd THIS BOOK!

The story follows Arden who is an orphaned girl in a very male dominated society. You either belong to a rich and successful family or are married to a noble. The only other option remain safe is to be helped by a benefactor who takes you in and cares for you. This means that they take responsibility for you to get you ready for a lottery that will get you into the "Institute". If you are accepted, you will be taught proper etiquette in order to make you presentable for marriage.

Arden is accepted into the Institute and the story follows her journey through the 12 week program. There is intrigue, jealousy and romance. I loved Arden. She is a very tough girl who has been through enormous challenges along her very short life. She is tough but also very vulnerable which make you want her to succeed.

The romance in this book takes place at the school/institute between Beck who is a pirate, and declan who is the schools owner's son. It is not the main focus but I did enjoy it. This book does end with questions but it is not a major cliffhanger.

There are some trigger warnings for this book. If you are sensitive to rape or abuse, you might want to skip this one.

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
This was pretty good. It was very intense. Escaping from her abuser, Arden gets sent to an odd version of a finishing school but that would just end up with her in another form of a cage. The love triangle between Arden, Beck, and Declan was delicious and the subjects broached in the book were very intense and serious. I enjoyed the book very much overall.

Is this book a bit referential? Yes, but that is just fine. I loved the Selection series, so a new series with a similar theme is fine by me. I really enjoyed this story and had a hard time putting it down.

I found the characters to be interesting and I am curious where the author will take them in the next book. The book does deal with a serious topic--sexual assault. I could see where this book might be incredibly difficult to read for someone who experienced sexual assault. I thought that the author addressed the topic tastefully and gave an enlightening window into the victim's perspective.

I thought that the final 15% or so of the book got a bit long, but that was fine.

Thanks NetGalley and publishers for the free e-ARC. I look forward to seeing where this story goes.

But for the mountains was really powerful and thought provoking. At times it made me tear up and others it had me giggle. You could actually taste the sarcasm in the words at points.

I think that the main character has such a compelling story that you want her to break through and honestly I was glad when she had that moment.

This book reminded me of The Selection, but much darker. The opening was jarring and wish I had been more prepared for it. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would be interested in reading more in this series.

(B-) 83% : The Selection but darker.
ARC provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. this Do NOT affects my rating.

Trigger Warning: Rape, Sexual Abuse, and Physical Abuse

Non-spoiler Section 📕
This book is almost identical to the selection. I liked the selection so I can't say that's it's bad, but I genuinely don't know how they didn't get copyrighted for this book.

This book we follow Arden, who is one of the lucky girls "Selected" (See what I did there) to be apart of the National Women's Institute. Just like the selection they are competing for the Prince. Of Course just like America, Arden, start out by saying she doesn't want him. From there the girls compete in little tasks and test to prove their rank and find who it worthy to marry the prince. All the while this is going on, there is a subplot about Arden's past and some other people that are trying to harm her. Which let me just say, if I changed the name of the main character is basically the plot of the selection.


Me explaining why these two books are the same

However with that all out of the way let me just say, I did enjoy this book. To go more in depth, I basically binge read this book in one day. I love the selection, so finding a new book that was very similar, but also NEW, was obviously something I wanted to read. I do wish that the book strayed more from the Selection. I don't know if that was the authors goal, but it was just so similar I was just kept drawing parallels.

Now let me talk about the thing that I loved most about this book and why I like it better than the first Selection book. I rated the first Selection book a 3.5 Star rating. Know you might be wondering why I gave this one more. That was the way the author handled trauma in this book, it was beautiful and really shined a light on a lot of things that happen in today's society. The way she talked about it was lyrical. The writing style was, in my opinion, lyrically beautiful. She gave the female characters depth and showed that women are more than objects. That we want things and we can be ambitious, but also be pretty. I loved seeing the main character deal with her trauma. I thought that this book gave me insight on to how I can help others as well. That is why I liked to more than the first Selection book. It was more mature and dealt with topic in a sensitive and brilliant way.


Now let's move on to the spoiler section of this review. If you plan on reading this book I wouldn't read any further, unless you are like me and like to have things spoiled.
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Spoiler Section 📖
Now let me draw some real parallels between this book and the Selection

Arden = America
Maxon = Declan
Beck = Aspen
Zerah = Marlee
Meredith = Lucy

If you have read or are going to read this book, isn't it soooo similar?? Like I mean the characters are copied and pasted into this book, but with more trauma. Moving on from that I did really like the characters.

Arden, was probably my favorite character. I loved seeing her work through her rape and sexual abuse. She learned that while it was apart of her it didn't have to define her if she didn't want it to. I thought the way the author wrote her character was brilliant in this aspect. Seeing it from her POV we could see how deep the trauma was because of her inner monologue which added a nice depth into some of her actions. I'm glad that she didn't really end up with anyone at the end of the book because she realized the only person she needs is herself, but I feel like too much of this book was based off a love triangle that will never pay-off. The only thing I didn't like about her character was the fact that she is a pick me character.



I just feel like as women and as a feminist the next step we need to take is to stop putting down other women because they aren't "quirky" like you. Just because someone is like other women, they like makeup or they want to be a housewife doesn't make them less of a woman. Everyone has their own choice to do what they want. Cool, you don't want to be housewife and you want to be a politician, that's great, just don't put down other women because they want too. That's their choice too.



Declan, is kind of a confusing character. I hate to say this but I feel like his character to me just came off kind of flat. If he was bread he would be white bread, and for that I am sorry. However, I feel like he had no character motivations. Some of the things he would do just weren't explained or just wren't explained in a way that made sense. For instance, the way that he was kissing other girls. In the Selection (I can't stop comparing) When America found out Maxon was kissing other girls he said that he had never had relationship before and he just wanted to have options because the one person he wanted, America, wouldn't have him. When Arden found out Declan was kissing other girls there was no explanation. There was a fight and then they kissed and never talked about it again. He goes on for the rest of the story that he always knew Arden was the one and he could never ever want anyone else. Then why kiss other people????? Like Maxon had to, you just did? Idk, some of his character choices didn't really make sense and I feel like they were just added for drama.

Quotes I liked
"The point is, don't give up because your mountains block the sky."

(hide spoiler)]
besides that this book was a really fun read. I wouldn't say it's my favorite book, but I also wouldn't say it's the worst. I did really enjoy reading this book as a guilty pleasure and I recommend that you read it too.

This was a great read. I've actually read it away from NG but felt I needed to review here as well.
I think the subject matter was handled well but a little heavy-handed in places. The nuances and character motivations were good and the PTSD displayed believable.
The world was beautiful and crafted nicely, the prose rich and smooth.

I've recently read a new NG release called 'ANNA by Sammy H.K Smith' which deals with sexual violence and abuse and felt that both these books are great examples of literature that show how victims truly behave when raped.

Great stuff

I have some complicated feelings about this book. Starting with the good stuff first, the cover is beautiful and the synopsis did its work drawing me in. The book itself is well written and the main character is complex and layered. Arden is a girl with not much to look forward to. When the story begins, she's fairly hopeless, stuck working in the home of a benefactor that regularly assaults her. With that said, throughout the book she rises above her adversity and strives for more. The issues I have may honestly just stem from he fact that I'm not a huge fan of books that use sexual violence and misogyny as plot devices. The entire system that Arden is trapped in is built to keep women like her down and for some reason the way to beat the system is male attention. Although it's great to see main characters move past their traumas, I'm not sure how much I like the message this type of trope sends to young readers.

Issues aside, this book was interesting and engaging. I sympathized with Arden and rooted for her until the end, which is why this book earns a 3.5 from me.

Sadly this one just didnt mesh with me at all. The book starts out with a character being raped and it just didn't get better after that at all. This book was full of clueless people that just didn't want to know what was happening. And although that does feel like real life. I just couldn't get into it. Which was sad since this was sold to me from a friend saying its a dark Selection story. Which I would have totally loved.

Words can’t describe how much I enjoyed BUT FOR THE MOUNTAINS by Erin Riha but I’ll give it a shot! I rated this a 4.5/5!

After growing up in a benefactor’s house with a negligent man and his abusive son, Arden is surprisingly accepted as one of 18 candidates to the National Women’s Institute. The premise reminded me of THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass, but there was a depth to Arden’s character that made the story much more compelling to me. At the Institute, Arden confronts her past and tries to develop a life for herself in a world of arranged marriages while surviving threats from all sides.

I thought the depiction of trauma was really well done and accurate in a way that many young adult books are not. Arden exhibits symptoms of prolonged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, and her internal journey is placed in higher importance that the romance storyline. I didn't especially like the love triangle aspect, but it drove the story forward. I also would have liked to see a conversation between Siobhan and Arden to add another perspective on arranged/political marriages. The ending was hopeful, and I would love to see a sequel.