This story shows you that all trauma and healing are not equal. That rescue doesn't mean the end of the line or that everything is okay now. The way the author jumps around through the timeline of Shasta's story can be confusing and takes away some of the impact he is trying to convey.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Out of the woods by Gregg Olsen published August 1,2025 by Thomas and Mercer
Another good one by Gregg Olsen and while the subject matter was not at all easy to read by any means, the way it was written was done very well. The story of a young girl and her brother taken from her home and brutally abused over and over in. Manner that is unconscionable! It will have your shaking your head and barely able to believe that this could even happen but most people know there are monsters in this world we live and there definitely was a monster in Joseph E Duncan lll because what he did to this family was awful, disgusting and downright cruel! It’s a wonder that poor Shasta survived but this girl, this woman is a warrior and she fought the good fight. Thank you for telling your story and thank you Gregg for being able to tell it for her in a way it could be read and I sure hope she getts all the royalties because she deserves it all!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a digital copy for my honest review.

I'm not normally one who is sensitive to trigger warnings, but this book took me several days to read based on this story. This is a true story of a family that was murdered, the two youngest children were kidnapped and held captive/ abused over a 7-week period of time.
This is a story of a young, eight year old girl, doing what she has to do to survive the ordeal. All of my words here just can't emphasize how horrible this story is, yet Mr. Olsen does a great job of putting it into words in a matter-of-fact way that is readable. The weight of this story, knowing it's true, is just so heavy. Multiple trigger warnings.

That all being said, it was well written, and I enjoyed that.

I was reading about this case on Wikipedia when I saw this book on NetGalley and I just had to request it, I generally really like listening to true crime podcasts and haven't read many true crime books, but the way Gregg Olsen wrote the story with so much empathy and respect was mind blowing. Such compassion and such a good way of getting the story known and changing the stigma and negative thoughts that some people had about poor Shasta.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC of Out of the Woods in exchange for an honest review.

For me, the book was too much. It pushed the boundaries of my comfortability and made me physically ill reading it. I frequently had to put it down telling myself to not finish it. The scenes depicted were so grotesque and explicit that had I have known that going in, I would not have selected this book. As a mother of 3, what happened to these children is abhorrent on so many levels. Just reading about it felt wrong. I caution any reader who selects this book to know exactly what they are entering into before they open it. I will not go into detail here, but I will simply say this was not a good read for me and I will be doing my very best to redact my brain as to what I have read here.

This was a difficult read. All trauma and some of the worst crimes I've ever read. Every person in this story has suffered unimaginable horrors. Did not enjoy reading this, I did not find value in its darkness just pain.

This book kept me on my toes and I loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Wow! It is such an emotional story full of tragedy and trauma. I honestly never heard of Shasta until this book. The timeline jumps around throughout the story, reflecting on different events. It's very graphic at times, so you have been warned.

When I picked up this ARC, I have to admit I had no idea what I was getting myself into… I had previously read “If You Tell” by Gregg Olsen and knew I enjoyed his writing style when retelling a horrific story that would otherwise be too much to stomach.
I pride myself in not having any triggers and I have yet to come across a book- fictional or otherwise to make me take pause. “Out of the Woods” came extremely close to being that book for me.
As a mother to a 5 year old little girl and an 8 year old boy, I was devastated to read about the traumatic events and horrific abuse that plagued Shasta Groene and her family. To say that, her captor and abuser (who shall not be named because he doesn’t deserve the recognition) was a true psychopath and mentally ill, poor excuse of a man is an understatement.
Shasta and her older brother, Dylan were taken in the early hours of the morning after witnessing their parents and older sibling be brutally murdered. The children who were already surrounded by turmoil and chaos in their home were then thrown into a much more sinister and disturbing reality with their kidnapper. At only 8 years old, Shasta couldn’t fathom the torture and trauma that lie ahead for her and Dylan at the hands of their abductor. What unfolded was both gruesome and detestable and it should only exist in fictional horror movies.
As a spectator, reading about some of the abuse that took place during their 47 days in captivity was pretty hard to swallow. The bravery and courage that is needed to survive such a life altering experience is one that I can’t even begin to imagine as an adult, let alone an 8 and 9 year old child.
Gregg Olsen set out to tell Shasta’s story in the events that took place while being held captive as well as in the aftermath of surviving the entire ordeal. Olsen narrated the story in a way that successfully depicted the complexities of healing from trauma caused by abuse (physical, mental and psychological) and elicited so many emotions from me all at once: sympathy, deep sadness, anger, guilt and a fierce need to protect my own children from that kind of depravity. The continuous failings from the justice system was also a big point of contention and ultimately played a big role in the trajectory of Shasta’s life in the years following her rescue.
Unfortunately, as many real life stories go this story does not have the typical happy ending that is so deserved. It is a daily battle that is continued to be fought to this day because of the havoc it left on Shasta’s life. It is a powerful story of heartbreak and the tragic real life account of another human beings suffering but it is also about survival, bravery and resilience at its peak. It is one that will stay with me forever.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Out of the Woods is a book about a girl who went through more trauma than anybody could ever imagine. This book is not for everybody. It is very heart wrenching and emotional. There is a lot of triggering content so please be advised of this before you read it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer publishing for this ARC.

LOVED this book. This author is now on my auto buy list. I cannot wait to see what comes next. Stayed up all night to finish this pager turner of a novel!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC! Reading Out of the Woods left me emotionally spent yet deeply moved. Olsen doesn’t just recount Shasta Groene’s horrific kidnapping and captivity; he commits to telling the arduous, decades-long story that followed, when survival itself became a burden. Through interviews, police documents, and Shasta’s own voice, the book takes the reader into the messy, unromantic aftermath of trauma, and I couldn’t put it down, even as it broke my heart. This is not a tidy redemption arc; it’s an unflinching, necessary reminder that recovery isn’t a destination, but a lifelong, courageous struggle. True-crime aficionados, please be warned: this one digs into the grim and stays there, but it also honors the power of being heard and seen.

Last year I tried to read a book by this author for the first time. It didn't work for me. But because I'm usually prone to giving authors a second chance, I picked this book up. Unfortunately, it didn't work either. Olsen's writing style doesn't clique with me, somehow. I like the settings he comes up with. I like how dark, intense and realistic his plots and characters are, but the execution doesn't appeal to me. It's a matter of very personal taste.
Whoever read and enjoyed one of his books before might as well try this new one.

Intense, chilling, and impossible to put down. Gregg Olsen has a way of pulling you right into the darkness of the story while still keeping it sharp and fast-paced. Out of the Woods is full of suspense, well-drawn characters, and enough twists to keep you hooked until the very end. A gripping read that lingers long after you finish.

I saw an article with an interview with Shasta Groene which then led me to pick up this book when I saw it on Netgalley. It has taken me a few days to write this review as I have been processing what I read and now am finding it hard to get Shasta’s story out of my head. My heart broke for this young woman, and I feel that any reading her story will feel the same. To say this is a deeply disturbing, difficult and brutal read is putting it mildly so please be prepared if you decide to take this on. I am not even sure how I feel about the author telling Shasta’s story and whether this should have been brought to the public’s attention.

Shasta Groene’s family were horrifically murdered and the perpetrator Joseph Edward Duncan or Jett as he was known, kidnapped Shasta and her younger brother Duncan from their home. I am not going to go into detail of what these young children suffered, the truly terrifying trauma from this very disturbed individual who sickly told Shasta ‘That she taught him how to love’, we will leave it at that, what more can be said.

Since the time she was rescued, Shasta has suffered severe psychological trauma that will probably never be resolved. She has encountered many struggles including addiction and has also faced the attention of many, with her story now being told to the world this will no doubt only increase her profile, but I do wonder if this will in any way be a positive experience for her. Now a mother of five herself, I can only wish her all the best and hope that life moving forward is a much happier time for her.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

A very heart-breaking true crime story, with some graphic details, so be cautious. I do believe it should come with some trigger warning, as not everyone is comfortable reading that kind of content. I had to take some breaks whilst reading as some of the descriptions of rape and torture got too overwhelming.
It is well written and brings Shasta's story out into the open to a broader audience. I had no idea about her or her story until I read this book. It encouraged me to use Google to find pictures of Shasta, her family and the horrible Joseph Edward Duncan III. I wish Shasta all the very best for the future and hope she finds joy and happiness.

The gut-wrenching true story of Shasta Groene who is a survivor of a trauma-ridden past. Shasta was abducted from her home at the age of 8 and held captive for 7 weeks along with her 9 year old brother, Dylan. This book tells Shasta's story in great detail so highly suggest reading with caution if you have triggers - particularly SA, child abuse, and abduction.

Olsen presented the story in a way that was easy to follow and understand. The layout was well done. I felt like he approached the story with compassion and respect for Shasta and all that she has overcome. It's easy to think that the "trauma" of Shasta's life was her abduction. But a deeper dive into her life revealed she was living in trauma long before she was ever abducted. As a mom of a 7 year old I was astounded to read the things an 8 year had to do and say just to survive. It was both heartbreaking and amazing to see the bravery and strength Shasta displayed throughout all of it.

It read like the narration of a documentary - past-tense and 3rd person. I went in blind so was expecting it to be a "retelling" in real time. I knew it was a true story but thought it was written as a thriller/story rather than a non-fiction style biography of sorts. Many moments were repetitive which had me questioning if I had accidentally skipped back and was re-reading chapters.

Would recommend for fans of true crime, documentaries, and survival stories.

Thanks to Netgalley, Gregg Olsen, and the publisher for the ARC and chance to give my honest opinion!

I've read a lot of true crime books, and this one just lacked a lot of empathy as well as grace in the way the stories of the victims were told. The way the story was told didn't flow and made it feel slow in a chilling story that could have been told in a way that made us feel something for the victims. This didn't do that and I ended up reading shorter news articles on the actual story that were written with a better tone and didn't feel like the person was just trying to capitalize on their trauma. I wouldn't recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a different true-crime story from a victims perspective because it doesn't end with a hope and "they lived happily ever after".

This is a story about a monster and his prey, about true horror and true strenght, about love and loss, and trying... so much trying to get better but having not enough strenght to do it on her own.

Shasta's life and experience is something unimaginable and i hope that she will find the help and support she has been robbed of for 20 years.