I found this "haunting and intimate" true crime story difficult to read. Author Gregg Olsen does a good job in telling the story in Out of the Woods, but as I read I kept wondering why I wanted to know these details. Ultimately I realized that it was best left to others.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Out of the Woods is not a book that you'll read non stop, it's just not possible. It made me think again how human beings can be so cruel to each other and how sometimes those who are supposed to help victims overcoming their problems will only make them worse. I can only say that I pray for Shasta and I hope she is now able to live in peace with her memories and that her children and herself are away from harm. May her resilience and will to live have helped her to find her path in life.
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I received a complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
This book is listed in the fiction section but really reads as a true crime thriller, that seems to be taken from a detailed police report. Really triggering and disturbing story, not for the faint of heart.

Out of the Woods tells the heartbreaking true story of the 1989 murder of Shasta Groene’s family. Only her and her brother Dylan survived the initial murder. However, the killer kidnaps Shasta and Dylan and takes them to the wilderness in Oregon where he tortures and abuses them. Gregg Olsen reconstructs the crime, the investigation, and the lasting trauma with a focus on those whose lives were forever changed.

This was an incredibly difficult book to read. The story itself is absolutely gut-wrenching. One of the most devastating cases I’ve ever come across. Because it’s true, it hits even harder, and at times I found it tough to get through due to the subject matter.

While I didn’t love Olsen’s writing style, I do commend him for taking on the challenge of telling this story. It’s not an easy one to recount, but it’s important that these voices and experiences are shared. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to write.

Overall, this wasn’t an easy read, but it’s a powerful and necessary one for anyone interested in true crime that focuses on the real human cost behind the headlines.

I usually love Gregg Olsen's books and how he brings very traumatic stories to life in an empathetic way--but this one didn't quite land for me. To start, I think there should have been some clear trigger warnings going into this one. I also wonder if the structure and timelines threw me off a little as I couldn't quite get into the story like I have in his past novels.

Gregg Olsen is an incredible storyteller who doesn't shy away from the gritty details of the crimes. While this is a horrific and graphic story that may not be suitable for a lot of people, it's stories like these that will make you think twice about a lot of things.

I'm not going to lie—Out of the Woods was incredibly difficult to read. Gregg Olsen doesn’t shy away from the horrific details of the crime, and the emotional weight of the story is intensified by its proximity to home: the events took place just 20 minutes from where I live.

Shasta Groene’s strength and will to survive are nothing short of remarkable. Her story is one of unimaginable trauma and resilience, and I deeply appreciate Olsen’s effort to honor that. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if the narrative might have been more impactful told in a different style—perhaps something more introspective and emotionally nuanced, like Noelle Ihli’s Gray After Dark. Ihli’s approach to storytelling brings a haunting beauty to tragedy, and I found myself wishing for that kind of lens here.

Ultimately, Out of the Woods is a harrowing read that sheds light on a devastating crime and the courage of a survivor. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s a story that deserves to be told.

I loved to seeing outpouring of community support for Shasta at the book signing in Coeur d' Alene. I do not think I've ever driven past Wolf Lodge without thinking of the Groene family. Forever in our hearts.

Out of the Woods is not just a recounting of horror—it is a testament to resilience, clarity, and the search for healing amid enduring damage. Gregg Olsen offers a narrative that refuses easy consolation and instead honors survival as a continuous, evolving struggle. It’s a powerful, necessary read for anyone seeking deeper understanding of what it means to survive trauma over a lifetime.

Nothing will ever be as good as If you tell it just isn't possible. Gregg Olsen's Out of the Woods shatters every comfortable assumption about trauma recovery with the devastating honesty of a survivor's journey that refuses to conform to redemptive narratives. Be aware that once you start this book you will not be able to put it down and have a box of tissues at your side because you will need them. The author does such a wonderful job, balancing telling the story to get the facts out, but also giving us a deeper look into the minds of victims after their ordeal is over. And as we see their ordeal is never over.

As a true crime lover and a Gregg Olsen fan I was stoked to receive this ARC. My heart breaks for what Shasta went through. This book was almost too much for me though. Very graphic.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book. This book was very intense and because of that it was hard to read. This is a true story and I found it hard to stomach all that Shasta endured. I was unable to finish the book. My heart goes out to Shasta and how she was unable to find the support she truly needed after enduring such horrific events.

Out of the Woods
by Gregg Olsen
Pub Date: August 1, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
From a girl’s abduction by a serial killer to the harrowing aftermath—a gripping and heart-wrenching true-crime story by Gregg Olsen, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of If You Tell.

In May 2005, authorities discovered the Groene family murdered in their Idaho home. The family’s youngest members—eight-year-old Shasta and her brother, nine-year-old Dylan—were nowhere to be found.

As a community prayed for their return, Shasta and Dylan were already miles away in the woods of Montana at the hands of serial killer Joseph Edward Duncan. After a harrowing forty-eight day ordeal, Shasta was rescued. In many ways, her survival story was only beginning.
This book was too graphic and haunting for me!

I usually enjoy Gregg Olsen’s books, but this one was too disturbing for me. The details were so graphic, they actually made me nauseated.

The horrific details of what Shasta and the whole Groene family had to endure are on full display throughout this book. Reading about the unimaginable pain and torture is most likely too much for some people. There should be a very prominent trigger warning at the beginning. It is written well like the author's other works are. The big issue is the unreliable timeline. Every event gets mentioned on numerous occasions and it is all strewn about rather haphazardly. I feel it would have been better told through one clear timeline.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gregg Olsen, and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of Out of the Woods in the return of an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

first, there should have been more of a warning i feel like for the audience about sexual assault etc cause this is definitely a brutal read.

Greg definitely wrote a lot about the horrors of Shasta's life and what she went through and how it's a lifelong battle for her, versus trying to piece together some kind of happy ending.

This book was very difficult to read - not only due to the topic but also because it felt sensationalized. I don’t question the accuracy of the book, however I was uncomfortable. This is a real life horror! Gregg Olsen does a great job researching the subject. I hope Shasta benefits from her story being told. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC.

Gregg Olsen is such a fantastic writer, and this book does not disappoint. In Out of the Woods, we read about the murders and abductions of the members of the Groene family. We also learn about Shasta, who survived, and how this traumatic event affected the rest of her life. I learned so much about this true crime event. Gregg Olsen's writing is incredible, and I loved learning more about Shasta.

This is my first book by Gregg Olsen. It was very dark and twisted. Shasta and her brother Dylan get kidnapped by a man called Jet. He does terrible things to both kids.

Gregg Olsen does it again folks! A creative genius in his story telling, he did not disappoint. This book definitely makes you feel the power and the emotions of the Goene Families story, so if you are not in to those type of books, this read may not be for you. With that said, if you enjoy these type of books, then hold on tight. Your about to be on an emotional rollercoaster.

Trigger warning: Child SA, trauma, kidnapping

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc.

𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Trigger warnings
🚨 assault
🚨 child abuse
🚨 murder

This book was almost impossible to stomach. It is a raw, unflinching account of survival, trauma, and the extraordinary resilience of Shasta Groene. This isn’t fiction. This isn’t entertainment in the way some people seem to treat it. This is a true account of what a real person endured, and every page carries the weight of that reality.

Olsen handles the subject matter with a sensitivity and care that many true crime authors fail to achieve. He doesn’t sensationalize the tragedy, nor does he lose sight of the humanity of the victims. You can feel the empathy in his writing, and it’s clear he spent the time to honor Shasta’s voice and her truth.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the arc.

#bookstagram #bookrecommendations #truecrime #newreleases