Lottie and her brand new stepsister, Jade, have to stay alone in a cabin for one night. A solar flare causes a massive blackout, no power or cell signal. In the dark, a stranger named Alex, claiming to be lost and needing shelter from the coming snowstorm knocks. Later that night, Lottie spies him in the driveway talking to two mysterious men in a pickup truck, and she's sure he's lying about why he's here.

Before Lottie can find out more, a fire forces her, Jade, and Alex out into the blizzard, where they must rely on one another to get to safety. In the remote, freezing Tahoe wilderness, they have to survive more than just the elements. Soon it becomes clear that Alex's accomplices are hunting for all three of them, in a scheme that's gone too far.

This one was a tough one for me. The premise seemed like it would be great. I love a good survival book. I think that it's cool that they were trapped outside for days. It just didn't live up to what I thought it would be. The main character Lottie was incredibly annoying. She made terrible decisions. Really they all did. This is YA thriller. I think that it was more so for 12 year olds than young adults. I do believe that age would find it to be very eventful. It was incredibly unbelievable. I do recommend this as more of a middle grade book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Sourcebooks for the gifted ebook! ❤️

A pretty good story about survival, but I felt a lot of the writing could have used improvement. I felt the constant mentioning of Lotties dad was a bit overkill. And the constant yo-yo emotions between Jade and Lottie was a bit much. I get they were learning to like each other, but it felt like their feelings changed every second.

Lottie was abandoned by her father. She has moved many times with her mom, and no her mom is getting married. Lottie will have to stay in the cabin with her new step sister Jade while her mom's on her honeymoon.
What could go wrong? The girls are awkward with each other. A stranger has broken in. More strangers pretending to be lost….A solar flare and major power outage makes A cabin fire and lost in a blizzard are only a few of the risks at stake for survival. I could actually feel the panic and cold as I read.

Why are reviews for mediocre books so difficult to write? DON’T LET IN THE COLD is a survival thriller following two teenage girls, set in the middle of a terrible snow storm. ❄️

Anything that could happen in a survival thriller happened. Lost power. Someone’s kidnapped. Someone’s dead. House burnt down. Murderous men are tracking them. Frostbite. Near freezing to death. A dog.

I think this book could have used some serious editing and streamlining. Instead of a fast paced thriller, it just read like a jumbled mess.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC!

Lottie and her new step-sister Jade are thrown together in the family cabin while their parents take a quick one-night honeymoon. Nothing can go wrong, it's just one night, right? Wrong...

After several unlikely, unlucky events, Lottie and Jade are forced to attempt to survive in the wilderness with a stranger named Alex. In the middle of a blizzard.

To fully enjoy the story, this YA thriller requires the reader to suspend reality a bit and accept everything that happens to the teens--one bad thing after another, and another and another. If you can't, this book may not be for you. I enjoyed the adventure Lottie, Jade, and Alex found themselves thrust into, and the friendships built along the way (though I could have done without the seemingly last-minute romance).

Although set in a late October snowstorm, this YA thriller definitely feels like it is meant to be read on a dark and snowy night. Lottie and her mother have had something of a chaotic life since her father disappeared when she was only eight years old. As her mother remarries, Lottie is thrust together with her new stepsister, Jade, at their cabin on Lake Tahoe. While Lottie dreads the forced bonding time, the weather spirals against them to make this a true survival story.

When a solar flare induces a power outage - and a strange teen and his dog show up, Lottie and Jade end up facing environmental and all too human threats. This is a fast-paced and exciting adventure. The plot certainly takes some thrilling turns and while things continue to go from bad to even worse, it really makes this quite the page turner! The relationships between the teens grow and I ended up enjoying this even more than I expected to! I like man versus nature stories overall, and this makes for a nice addition to the sub-genre. It's a solid debut novel and I am looking forward to seeing what Parrack will write next!

When I saw this snowy thriller on Netgalley, I was immediately like sign me upppppp. The cover gave me “No Exit” vibes and I was so pumped to read it but unfortunately it was just okay in my opinion.

After their newlywed parents head off on their honeymoon, new step sisters Lottie and Jade are meant to spend the night in a Lake Tahoe cabin together until their parents return. A winter storm throws everything off track and a stranger appears at their door seeking shelter. The book then follows the girls as they deal with the storm and potential danger.

I really liked the premise of this one but I had a hard time relating to any of the characters and actually didn’t care if anything happened to them 🥴
It also was just a bit too repetitive for me and felt like a good chunk of the book was just the same chapters reworded.

Alas, this is just my opinion and you could really love this book! If you like secluded winter thrillers, this one may just be for you!

Thanks to @netgalley for the e-arc, this one comes out on Tuesday! 9/6

Spooky and enticing. The setting and atmosphere were top-notch. The perfect quick, scary read! The descriptions were especially interesting, particularly of the scenery when the lights go out. It really sets the rest of the story up well.

Great mystery and loved the locations. This book had me on my toes trying to solve the mystery and who really was the bad guy. Really enjoyed the sisters and figuring out their relationships.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Don't Let in the Cold by Keely Parrack.

Lottie is not thrilled to be spending the night in a remote cabin with her new step father and step sister. But her mother assures her that her and her new husband will be back before she knows it. Just stay inside and avoid the cold.

But the cold weather soon turns into a full blown storm, power outage and all. And if enduring that with a new step sister wasn't unpleasant enough, now there is a young man on their door desperately in need of shelter. But who is this guy, and is he really as helpless as he claims he is?

This story had great potential and a strong start, but quickly landed flat. I just never really bought into the new family, the storm, most of the plot. It just felt mealy in the mouth, like, whatever, fine, I'll eat it. That's about all I got.

I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved the concept of this book. Two step sisters thrown together after their parents get married. Not really knowing each other, they have to spend the night together while their parents go on a day trip honeymoon. A blizzard comes and that's when all the trouble begins. I hated how the characters had no common sense. Opening doors and letting strangers in, not knowing how to control a fire, walking in the blizzard for hours and days on end.

Overall, an interesting read that I feel could have been improved upon.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF the book, but I think it's just because I'm specific about what I like about thriller novels. The book is definitely geared toward young adults. Though it was not my personal favorite, I would still recommend it to students.

I read this ARC via Netgalley Shelf.

Lottie isn't thrilled about having to spend the night in a remote cabin with her new stepsister Jade while her parents go on a honeymoon. And she's even less thrilled when two men in a pickup truck appear as if they want to rob the place, and after a snowstorm hits, another guy, Alex, appears at the back door with his dog wanting a place to shelter out the storm. When Lottie gets wind that Alex knows the guys in the truck, she's ready for survival - but is she ready for fire, bears, a lunatic, and the biggest storm Tahoe has seen in years?

This book was a thrill ride from start to finish. Lottie and Jade don't always make what I'd consider the best decisions, but without parents around and the storm knocking out the power and electricity, they don't have a lot of options. I wanted slightly more closure around some of the other deaths that occurred during their escape, and I also wondered if it was even possible for them to survive so long out in the snow. I was expecting more of being trapped in the house than out in the storm. But there were plenty of other threats to contend with, and I enjoyed how the stepsisters learned to trust each other and Alex's character arc. A gripping read, even if it did push the boundaries of believability.

Also, my first thought when they mentioned Truckee was Truckee Lake which became Donner Lake - there was mention of the Donner Party but I don't know if that fact was ever fully connected in the story. That's just me and my recent Donner Party obsession.

This book was interesting and very well-written. I would likely want to read more from this author and will recommend this to friends.

This was so stressful and so good. I really enjoyed this and am glad of how that ended up. There was so much going on with so many twists and reveals but it was done really well.

I usually don't like writing crazy critical long reviews but this one has got me all fired up! I almost put this book down at least 3 times. I kept with it though in hopes that the characters would magically get some common sense, that the writing would get better or that maybe just maybe there would be a mind-blowing ending that would make up for all the stupidity. NOPE. I can understand some stupid decisions from teenagers. I love a good slasher film, stupid decisions and all. Out the door Sidney NOT up the stairs! But the stupid decisions these girls made were just inexcusable. SPOILERS AHEAD!!! Picture this you're in a house with your stepsister. You walk upstairs, after her repeatedly calling out for help for the last 5 minutes, to find the living room is completely on fire. You look over and see your sister safely outside on the back porch. So, what do you do? Yes, let's pull our asthmatic sister BACK IN TO THE HOUSE to walk her out the front door. Yes, that sounds like the right thing to do right??? I just can't with this. At first, I thought maybe there is no way to access the front yard from the back. NOPE again. 5 minutes later once they are out front, they walk back to the backyard. I went back 3 times to make sure I read that right but if I somehow misread, please, please someone explain it to me! Also, the sister kept saying come here please, I need help. Come here. Girl if the house is on fire, shout FIRE!! It does state later in the book that she supposedly did say fire but again went back and she didn't. Moving along the girls are with a complete stranger whom the older teenage KNOWS is up to some shady stuff with another pair of guys. They kidnap his dog in retribution for him not doing what he promised. It's a blizzard and they finally had found a safe warm place to wait out the storm but yes let's take off walking in the blizzard to save a stranger who wants to steal from us, even though we know they have gun, and we have no way to protect ourselves. Yep, totally great idea. This could have been a really great story. I feel like the premise was pretty original and definitely should have been a thrilling and suspenseful story. It was difficult to care about the characters though when they were just so dang stupid. It was hard to believe that so many crazy and horrible things would happen, but I guess when decisions like that are being made it's more possible? It certainly seemed like every living person left in the town was a horrible person. We also never get to find out what exactly happened to Mr. Soto. I could go on with so much more, but I think I've said enough. Just sadly wasn't a win for me.
I received an early copy of this book from Netgalley.

I thought this was an interesting read! I really like the setting; being stuck in a blizzard in the middle of nowhere was a sufficiently creepy and stressful setting for this story. I think that this is the type of book you shouldn't go into expecting to like the characters or agree with their decisions. Both of them make a lot of really dumb choices, but they're young and they're terrified so I get it. This is really a book you read for the plot and the snowing, isolated vibes. Which were both well written! It definitely wasn't a stand-out story, but it was still pretty entertaining.

Thrown together and expected to act accordingly as sisters Lottie and Jade are supposed to spend one night together in the cabin.  Their parents leave them to spend the night together while they go on their honeymoon. Then a solar flare causes a blackout and with that blackout, there is no power, no cell service, and of course no way to call no help on the way. So, with all this going on a guy named Alex shows up at the cabin seeking help. While at first, they think he is harmless and in the same situation they are in Lottie sees him speaking to two men in a truck at the end of the driveway. Then, a fire in the cabin has them on the outside fighting against the cold and whatever is in the dark! Now, this one is a slow burner type of thriller, and while I enjoyed all the twists and turns the author did go over the top with everything that could go wrong while staying in a remote cabin. I really enjoyed it though!  Thank you, Sourcebooks Fire, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this one! It was a treat!

Don't Let In The Cold was a great read. It was fast paced and gripping. It had enough twists and turns to keep me turning the pages and I was on the edge of my seat throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for my ARC.

I always enjoy a good survival story, and with a blizzard and massive blackout this one promised high stakes.

Lottie and Jade are on day one of being a blended family. When their parents (Lottie’s mother and Jade’s father) go on a brief, one night honeymoon, the girls are left alone at their Lake Tahoe cabin. Neither are thrilled to be there. Little do they know how much they’ll have to rely on each other over the next couple days. When Alex and his dog show up during the storm claiming to be lost, you just know it’s not a good idea to invite them in. But they do, of course, and that’s where most of the problems begin.

The setting is arguably the biggest character in the story. With a blizzard, blackout caused by a solar flare, below freezing temperatures, cabin fire, and wild animals, these teens had a lot thrown at them. And they encountered much more than that with one disastrous or dangerous situation after another. With so many problems, the storyline felt scattered to me. The stakes are already incredibly high, so I feel like focusing on just a few of the issues could have the same impact on their survival.

With a dangerous, wintry setting and plenty of life-threatening situations, this is a tense survival story that can be easily read in a couple of sittings.

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