First of all, this book gave me serious deja vu and if someone can help me figure out why, I’d really appreciate it.⁣
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Next, this book is really easy to binge. The premise is pretty spooky and it’s hard to know who to trust.⁣
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I switched between ebook and audiobook and recommend either one equally! Narration is great and storyline moves quickly. It switches between present day when Emlyn’s trying to find a close friend who presumably is missing, and she is trying to do so with her ex, which makes things complicated. We also get glimpses of the past, though, too, which helps to see how the relationships came to be and how they’ve burned out over the years.⁣
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Solid mystery/thriller!

This book had so many beautiful moments. While it did start to feel a little too long, I did really enjoy it.
You'll enjoy the main character quite a bit, and the resolution of the story was satisfying.
Overall I'd rate the book a 3.5, but will round up to a 4.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

I really loved Grant’s last book, These Silent Woods, but I feel less enthusiastic about this new one. I still read it very quickly but it comes in second to These Silent Woods.

This is the second book this year that felt like a vague retelling of the Gabby Petito story so that also dampened my enjoyment a tad. The chapters alternate between Emlyn and her ex-boyfriend searching for a mutual friend believed to be missing and past chapters showing us what happened relationally between the three of them. There’s also some background chapters about Emlyn interacting with two other characters who contribute to her healing from hurt but I didn’t feel like this aspect was fully fleshed out enough to have an impact. The setting was really well done, detailed and atmospheric.

If you are a fan of sort-of-survival mystery/thrillers (?), you may enjoy this! I’ll still definitely pick up more from this author. I discovered in her earlier family memoir that we went to the same small Christian college so that’s a fun connection!

This was another book that caught me by the cover. It's beautiful, isn't it? Picking this one up is definitely worth it. 

I have a thing for wilderness books and television shows. I find wild nature very alluring but equally scary. I find that people who can go into the wilderness and explore, camp, live, etc are cut from a very special cloth. They are brave, intriguing and I look up to them. It's odd because I don't have any desire to explore the wilderness in this way or live in it, but it captures my attention pretty easily. 

The gist of this book is that a girl who has had trauma in her life finds a new life that suits her and makes her feel safe. Then suddenly, one day, an old friend goes missing and she finds her ex back in her life asking for help to find this old friend. The two set out together on a quest to find out what happened and they're met with wild animals, dangerous situations and unexplained happenings. Some things in this book really gave me the creeps and would have me turning around to go back the way I came. There were lots of twists and turns and I really loved how atmospheric the setting was and how the characters were worked into it.

A beautiful story about wilderness, love, friendship, addiction, and betrayal. My heart was invested in Emlyn and her life experiences.

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my ARC!

This was a good one. Wasn't sure where it was going for a while, thought maybe just a missing person, rescue type of book and then it totally ended up being more. Well worth the read.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and to Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

This one hit very close to home for me and I was certainly not expecting that. Grant captured Emlyn and her relationship with an addict so well, it took me back to when I was there in it, to the ‘oh I’ll just brb’ and hours later they aren’t back, and you know the worst is true. Listening via audio made this even more real, and although I had some anxiety while reading this one, it was so incredibly well done. This moves from current day to the past, where we learn a little more about what happened back then and how it connects to present day. The suspense slowly builds until the end and then I could not listen fast enough to get to the ending. I definitely recommend this one, just keep in mind the addiction trigger warnings mentioned above.

Really good suspensful novel set in Idaho. A young woman is convinced by her ex-boyfriend to search for her missing college friend. All is not what it seems and she must decide who to trust.

When her friend Janessa goes missing, wilderness expert Emlyn will have to partner with the ex-boyfriend who left her stranded on a hike years ago, in order to find her. As the two work to track Janessa, old sparks reunite even as new secrets threaten to come to the surface.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, sets an atmosphere like Kimi Cunningham Grant. Whether deep in the mountains of Appalachia or the wilderness of Idaho, nature and the wild itself are always a featured character, and one that adds a dark and moody vibe.

One thing that caught my attention was the use of elements of the Gabby Petito case. From the idea of a van life social media account to the disappearance of a young woman traveling with her boyfriend, I enjoyed the true crime element woven into a story that ultimately ends up going down a completely different path.

While this one wasn’t quite what I was expecting following her knockout with These Silent Woods, I still enjoyed reading it, especially via audio narrated by Emily Pike Stewart. I would suggest that format over the physical book for the audiobook fans out there.

Read if you like:
• domestic suspense
• atmospheric reads
• friendship drama
• wilderness setting
• romantic suspense
• true crime elements

Thank you Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies.

Emlyn likes nature and being alone. When she finds out her friend Janessa is missing, she joins up with Tyler who she has a bad past with. Slow going at first, I kept with and am glad I did. I did not see the twist coming. I thought this was a beautiful book of found family and a good mystery.

I found this book to be very interesting. While it was a slow burn I really like how the story played out. It was thought-provoking and overall I enjoyed!

I absolutely loved These Silent Woods so I knew I had to read her newest! So I ended up liking this one. Emlyn has not had the easiest life after basically starting her life over at age 28. When her ex-boyfriend, Tyler comes asking her to help find "off the grid" friend Janessa Emlyn can't refuse. This story is told in present day with flashbacks to Emlyn relationships with Tyler and Janessa.. I thought the beginning of the book was a slow start but once I got halfway thru I could not stop, I had to find out if Emlyn could find her friend, if she reconnects with her old friends, and if she can ever forgive herself and live her life happy.

Kimi Grant is the queen of blending the vivid wilderness with mystery and intrigue.

Told in dual timelines, this story follows Emlyn as she confronts her difficult past when her former boyfriend asks her to help in the search for Janessa, her once closest friend.

While Grant’s previous novel, These Silent Woods (a fave), focused on the themes of family, here we had more of a coming of age story. This was like a character study of Emlyn and how her past relationships/friendships shaped her life into adulthood. I was engrossed in the mystery of Janessa’s disappearance, but I found myself lacking a connection with the main characters and their outcomes.

The highlight for me here was the atmospheric feel of the woods and Grant’s beautiful prose. The audio was also well done. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

⭐️ 4/5

I read Kimi Cunningham Grant's previous book, These Silent Woods, a few months ago and loved it. So I was excited to read this, her next book, and I loved it almost as much. Some of the elements of "Woods" are still there - lots of time spent away from "civilization", out in the woods. And there's a backstory that's told in multiple flashbacks. It's a different type of survival story, though, and it's a good one. We learn over the course of the story why Emlyn, who's always been a bit of a loner at heart, has chosen to live a solitary life as a wilderness guide. I enjoyed the unfolding of her story, seeing friends & relationships come into her life and then fall apart, then come back into her life for purposes she doesn't entirely trust. And I loved the descriptions of the natural settings where so much of the story took place. I'm not sure I'd call this one a thriller - but mystery/suspense, absolutely. Just don't expect a thriller from start to finish, this is more of a slow burn.
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing copies for an unbiased review.

This is very atmospheric and suspenseful and I highly enjoyed it! There were a few twists I did not see coming!

I've read several books from Kimi Cunningham Grant and she continues to be an author who is an instant "must read" for me! While some might consider this a "slow burn," I enjoy a story that isn't rushed and takes time to fully develop the characters, sharing their thoughts and feelings, while consistently moving the plot along. This was a four star read for me and I highly recommend it for those who like the author and for those who enjoy thrillers.

Emlyn and Janessa meet in college and become friends. Janessa is outgoing and bossy, while Emlyn is quieter. Emlyn starts dating Tyler, Janessa's best friend from childhood, but Janessa tries to warn her from dating him. Despite the warning, Emlyn dates Tyler. A few months after dating however, Tyler does something unforgiveable to Emlyn. With time, Emlyn heals and moves on, but Tyler comes back into her life, asking her to help find Janessa, who has disappeared during a social media vlogging trip. Emlyn starts to realize that things aren’t quite what they seem with both Tyler and Janessa.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kimi Cunningham Grant, and the publishers for the opportunity to read/listen this in exchange for a review.

I love this author’s writing and her other book, but this one just wasn’t as exciting for me. That’s probably more to do with me because I think the instagram/influencer stuff is overdone right now.

If you like the show Tracker, try this one! Emlyn, a hutning and fishing guide, doesn't let herself think about the past... until her best friend goes missing in wild country.

Atmospheric, slow burn, thriller. If you liked These Silent Woods you will enjoy this books as well. Set in the wilderness of Idaho, Emlyn is hiding from his ex-boyfriend after a traumatic parting. She is finding her way as a wilderness guide until her ex shows up in a panic. Their best friend is off the grid and nobody has heard from her in a few days. Switching between flashbacks and the current search for Emlyn's best friend, this book builds a beautiful world that you won't want to leave. Good character development and build up to an exciting ending.

This was not my favorite book by the author.
It's a bit of a mystery and romance story in one plus realizing who you can really trust and who is really "your family."