Jade and Lottie are brand new stepsisters, left alone in an isolated cabin for the night while their parents celebrate their new marriage. A snowstorm hits, the power goes out, and a mysterious stranger and his dog show up on their doorstep. While the girls are wary and question this boys motives, they do allow him to stay the night. The next day a fire meant to keep them warm starts the cabin ablaze and the three kids are thrown out into the wilderness to seek shelter.

I liked the setting and the tense pacing. I also enjoyed getting to know the characters as they got to know each other. The author throws in plenty of obstacles to overcome and some decisions the kids make are cringeworthy which added a realistic vibe.. A good read.

Read this book if you ever want to know what NOT to do. Every single thing that happens is just ridiculous. Lottie was one of the most useless and condescending main characters I have read in a long time. You would have to be brain damaged to choose her as the one to lead this group through these circumstances. Or any circumstances.

On their first night home alone together, new step-sisters, Lottie and Jade run into a whole host of problems. The first being, they don't know each other at all, but are suddenly expected to act like sisters. Are they even going to be able to get along?

With their parents rushing off on a quick one night honeymoon, the girls are left to their own devices at Jade's Dad's Tahoe cabin. One would think that it couldn't be too bad. It's one night. Even if they lock themselves in separate bedrooms for the night, they should be okay, right?

But many, many, many, many things are not going to work in their favor that night. For example, there are strangers lurking about the remote cabin, including a young man named Alex and his adorable dog. Then there's the solar flares that cause a massive blackout, causing the cabin to lose power and all connection to the outside world.

It doesn't stop there though, ultimately the girls are forced out into the cold, bleak wilderness, in the midst of a horrendous blizzard as they struggle through every obstacle known to man to try to reach help.

Speaking of struggles, I had my own struggles trying to get through this one. I listened to the audiobook, thinking my annual road trip to Maine for Labor Day weekend would be the perfect time to listen to it. I am a huge fan of Survival Thrillers, or Horror novels, and this sounded like it would be right up my alley. Sadly, that didn't turn out to be the case.

I quickly found the whole thing ridiculous and not in a good way. Oftentimes ridiculous can be hella fun, but it has to be engaging. This felt monotonous to me and never-ending. The characters were bland and there was a completely unnecessary romance thrown in. With everything they were going through, was finding love truly needed?

Honestly, this felt like the author sat down and compiled a list of forty-five things that could go wrong if you were staying at a remote cabin in the mountains and then connected all of those things with lightly-entertaining filler content.

I know that's harsh, but clearly I'm burnt that this is what I spent almost my whole solo car trip listening to. I was relieved when it was over. Nevertheless, as we all know reading is highly subjective. Just because this one didn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you. Please don't take my word for it. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, give it a shot, you may end up loving it!

Thank you to the publisher, SOURCEBOOKS Fire and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I appreciate it very much. I am glad that I picked this one up. Even though it wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, I would have always wondered about it otherwise.

Truly haunting. I don't know what else to say. It was intense, action packed, and kept me up at night. This book is everything a murder fan would love.

Fantastic read! I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller. It had me on the edge of my seat throughout the book!

Alone in a remote cabin with your new, mean stepsister, an insane days-long blizzard, a solar flare induced massive blackout, a stranger... or strangers? Don't Let in the Cold has your pulse racing. This young adult contemporary mystery suspense thriller made me squee!

Thank you to NetGalley for an Arc of this title.

Some confessions: I love survival stories and I especially love ones set in a storm.

Having admitted that, I have to say that this particular one was a doozy! So much stuff happened. It was nearly to the point of being ridiculous, but I was okay with that. But I feel like I should let folks know that this one really really really forces one to suspend disbelief.

I will definitely recommend this title to my teen patrons--especially those who loved Hatchet, but want more evil doers in their books.

Bottomline: Bad guys and a bad storm and lots of unbelievable bad happenings, but I think it might work for some.

I haven’t read a novel where I really wanted to the slap the main character in years. But Don't Let In the Cold is that kind of book.

Lottie is a troubled seventeen-year-old who is tasked with watching her brand new fifteen-year-old stepsister Jade for one night in an isolated cabin in Lake Tahoe. Their parents leave for a brief honeymoon and Lottie then makes every bad decision imaginable.

Speaking as a Los Angeles native, absolutely no city girl would open a front door at night to strangers. No one. And that is just the start of Lottie’s mistakes. I got to the point of laughing when she and Jade ran out yet again into the blizzard (because, of course, there is a blizzard!) after finally finding a safe harbor.

The entire plot of Don't Let In the Cold was frustrating like that. Ugh! Hopefully, the teen to whom this is marketed doesn’t emulate Lottie’s stupidity. 2 stars.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Title: Don't Let In the Cold
Author: Keely Parrack
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Rating: 4.0

It was supposed to be just one night in the cabin: one night for Lottie and her brand new stepsister, Jade, to try to get along. When a solar flare causes a massive blackout―no power or cell signal―Lottie knows they've got a long night ahead of them.

Then, in the dark, someone else shows up at the cabin―a stranger named Alex, claiming to be lost and needing shelter from the coming snowstorm. But 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―wherever that is. 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 and taken a chilling, deadly turn.

This was a decent read—but only because I’m not reading it in the winter! To me, Alex was a red flag from the very beginning, but I liked him well enough, eventually. I liked how the story was so focused on these three characters and their world—all the drama was condensed into a small, concentrated package.

Keely Parrack lives in San Francisco. Don’t Let in the Cold is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

Don't Let in the Cold is a fun YA thriller. It had some unexpected twists, and was one of those books that you start and cannot put down until you find out what happens. Some of the plot points felt a little bit forced, but overall, it was a fun, light read- great for a trip (I'd say a good beach read, but maybe it's a better cabin read!).

I flew through this book! It is fast and entertaining and once you pick it up, you need to stick with it and find out what happens. It does read as young adult; t’s a little over the top and exaggerated at times but still a fun read. There’s also a great dog who is a huge part of the story.

“Mum was wrong. She always said my heart was stone-cold ice. But for the first time in a long while, I could feel the fire inside, which was ironic, considering I was about to freeze to death.”

Don’t Let in the Cold comes out 9/6

Jade's dad has just married Lottie's mom—which means that their parents are ready for their honeymoon. That leaves Jade and Lottie by themselves for the first time in Jade's family cabin to get to know one another. Thankfully, Jade seems content to use her phone and ignore Lottie, until a solar flare knocks out the power. They're in the middle of nowhere, it's freezing cold outside and there's a snowstorm coming.
They couldn't be more different: Jade is a book-smart genius and Lottie is a wary, prickly individual with a tough outer-shell.

I love the premise of meeting your new step-sibling and essentially being forced to spend the night with them—but a poweroutage is the least of their concerns. Strangers show up at the cabin looking for their friend, and then another one shows up wandering out in the snow. Wary, Lottie and Jade let Alex and his dog inside. Their adventure is about to spiral even further when the cabin catches fire and forces them out into the snow.

Don't Let the Cold in had me shivering while I lazed poolside this summer. A blizzard, a crazy pastor, bears, and murder chase Jade, Lottie, and Alex through the wilderness during one of the coldest blizzards on record. Just when they think they've made it somewhere safe enough to ride out the rest of the storm, they find themselves charging back into the snow for survival.

Each character struggles with their own character-flaws; not trusting others, holding on to the past, and being caught up in a crime-ring—but each character rises to their challenges. But the most difficult challenge: surviving the wilderness and the wild of humanity. Desperation is dangerous.

This was a fast-paced story, that I think could have slowed down a little bit. We barely catch our breath between catastrophe before we are flung inside another one. I also was curious about the temperature and the frostbite... the cold and time outside seemed extreme and I was surprised that Jade, Lottie and Alex (as well as the pup!) didn't at least lose a toe or two during their days of snowy travel.

Don't Let in the Cold by Keely Parrack is a young adult thriller that takes place in the snowy Tahoe wilderness. The majority of the story takes place over four days and A LOT is squeezed into that timeframe. After their cabin catches on fire, Lottie, Jade, Alex, and Otis the dog have to endure a blizzard while looking for shelter and trying to escape two men chasing after them.

This story was exasperating. Everything that could go wrong did. Our main characters would find shelter or somewhere they could potentially get help and then something would happen to prevent that. Not only are they trying to battle the elements, but they're also trying to stay ahead of the bad guys. Truthfully I'm not exactly sure how they survived in the middle of a blizzard without catching pneumonia, hypothermia, or getting frostbite, so you definitely need to suspend some belief there.

What I did like was the friendships that grew between the three MCs. Lottie and Jade were new stepsisters, who never really hung out together before their parents got married and Alex was someone who, suspiciously, stumbled onto their cabin. These three strangers quickly had to rely on each other to navigate and make it through all the obstacles that came their way. I also liked that they each had something to contribute: Lottie had some survival skills, Jade knew about nature and the Tahoe area, and Alex was a fierce protector along with Otis.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

I wanted to love it, but I don’t. I don’t hate it. I like it. That’s about it. Unfortunately, it was just an OK read for me.

What worked for me: some of the plot twists were unexpected. I’m glad the stepsisters grew to like each other. I thought the imagery was powerful; I was sitting inside of my apartment and it was 90 degrees outside, but while reading I was totally immersed in a snowy world. I could FEEL the cold penetrate my soul.

What didn’t work for me: the relationship. Not every YA needs to have a romantic twist. I thought this one felt kind of forced and awkward. I also thought some of the events that took place were a bit of a stretch. Obviously, it’s fiction so you can stretch it however you want. I just felt like there was too much going on all at once.

Overall, it’s not terrible. It’s not exactly a thriller (even though the cover totally looks like one). I think that it will do well with the target audience (teens).

Thank you sourcebooks fire for an eARC!

This is a fast paced book, that grabs you and doesn't let go. The twists kept me on the edge of my seat.

This is a Thriller and it did not disappoint. This is the Debut novel by Keely Parrack and it was amazing. Twist, turns, and a perfect ending. This book was magnificent and just what I love to read.

Don't Let in the Cold by Keely Parrack is a thriller that all students will certainly enjoy. Lottie is forced to spend the night at her new step-father's ski cabin. She's not thrilled that she has to also be with her new step sister whom she barely knows. When a blizzard moves in and a stranger knocks on the door, Lottie and her step sister Jade have no idea that their night is going to get a whole lot worse. When the snow starts mounting and the power goes out, and the confusion of where this mysterious stranger came from, just how are they going to get through this night? Or will they?

I really enjoyed this book. The sheer determination of Lottie and Jade will impress even the bravest of readers, but will it be enough?

They were only supposed to be on their own for one night. 
When her mother remarries after an all too short courtship, Lottie and her new stepsister must house sit for a night while their parents honeymoon in Reno. Lottie feels out of place at her new stepdad's fancy ski cabin in Tahoe, especially since her lone companion is her new smart and sullen stepsister, Jade, who she's only met briefly once before. And when a solar flare causes a massive blackout no cell signal or power Lottie knows they've got a long night ahead of them.
Then, in the dark, someone else shows up at the cabin a cute, fast talking stranger named Alex with his dog, claiming to be lost and needing shelter from the developing snowstorm. Lottie's suspicions about him grow throughout the night, but when a fireplace malfunction causes a fire, the three of them are forced out into the blizzard and must rely on one another to find shelter and safety..
In the remote, freezing woods with no way to call for help, the wary trio encounters the perils of the wilderness as well as two mysterious young men who seem to know Alex. Now Lottie must decide who she should trust in order to survive.
Totally recommend I couldn’t put it down really enjoyed
Thank You NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire
I just reviewed Don't Let In the Cold by Keely Parrack. #NetGalley

Just one night, that is all Lottie has to watch her new stepsister Jade for. Her mom had just married Jade’s dad and while they went on their honeymoon Lottie would stay at their family cabin in Tahoe while they were gone. Unfortunately for them a visitor comes knocking that takes them into the cold frozen winter where they fight for their lives to survive.

This book was definitely a whirlwind of events. What could go wrong went wrong for these characters as they try to survive the cold. This was fun to read in the summer and cool off some! It definitely kept me on my toes as I never knew what to expect or what would happen next. A great YA survival book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was interested in this book for the survival horror element. I haven’t really read a book before about people fighting the elements so it looked really cool.

The story centers on teenager Lottie who’s Mother has just remarried and is forcing her to stay with her new stepsister in a cabin in the middle of the woods while they go on their honeymoon. The story is told in a 4 day period while Jade and Lottie try to survive together along with two unlikely tag-alongs.

I thought the motives of the bad guys in this story was a little silly. They seemed to be going through a lot of effort for something that seemed kind of minor. I also thought it seemed kind of silly how much trust they put into Alex who was a virtual stranger. The end seemed too happy and sweet for a story like this to me. I had a few questions about some things that happened in between as well. The romance felt kind rushed and forced even though I’m sure people form bonds after extreme trauma like they did. Also Otis was the smartest dog in the world where do I get one of those dogs. He could have probably led them all to safety.

There was a lot of good suspense however and I I like the two sister characters. At times Jade seemed kinda dumb in her trust but she was useful when they faced the elements. I appreciated the very subtle LGBTQ mention as well. Also the characters being POCs was refreshing too. This was a good survivalist book and I definitely recommend!