Danger in the woods abounds when a compulsory school camping trip goes murderously wrong.

One Was Lost is really my worst nightmare come true. First off, camping is so not me so that's part one of the horror. Second, being stuck in the middle of nowhere in inclement weather split off from your group. See? Nightmare! That's the mess that Sera and company find themselves in. They wake up the next morning after going through a night of torrential rain and lack of food to discover that their camp has been destroyed and their personal belongings are missing. With their group leader passed out and unresponsive, the four teens in this group have to fend for themselves and find a way back to civilization. They're barely just understanding that they're unwitting participants in some elaborate game that has dire consequences. And since they're in the middle of the woods cut off from the world, they have to depend on each other while at the same time watching their backs. No one is free of suspicion and who knows what else is in store for them.

The action takes place from the get go and there's no relenting. Richards sets up the pieces well revealing vital bits of information at the right time. I felt just as frantic and helpless as Sera and her friends until they started putting the puzzle together. The only drawback for me were certain scenes where I felt the tension building only to be stalled because of how Sera's reaction to those few moments were described. I simply felt the flow was interrupted, however, that didn't stop me from being caught up in the mystery as a whole. The most intriguing aspect of One Was Lost is how each one of the four characters starts to behave once they fall under closer scrutiny. Suspicion does ugly things to your head and everyone's response could be an important clue.

One Was Lost is a perfect choice if you're in the mood for an outdoor, at-the-mercy-of-the-elements-with-a-maniac-on-the-loose story!

Unfortunately, this was a DNF book for me. I may revisit this title at a later date to try once again, but in the meantime, i have chosen not to include coverage on the book on my blog.

I wasn't sure about this book at first and even though it did take me a long time to read I did enjoy it once I was able to read it. This is one I would definitely recommend.

Wow. Don't go hiking in the woods and mountains, people! Crazy things happen. This was a YA suspense and it delivered for sure. The teenage squabbles and romantic angst did annoy me at times but fit the novel. The twists and curves kept you guessing.

This was unlike most YAs I've read (and I've read a lot). I loved what a thriller this turned out to be. It kept me guessing and the relationship aspect was done very well. A good YA suspense!

This book was very much remeniscent of Agatha Christie's, And Then There Were None, which is a personal favorite of mine! A group of teen's go out camping in the woods, and one by one they start to disappear. Dwindling down at an alarming rate, there are few of them left to try to make it out of the woods and get help.

Whoever is doing this to them, leaves behind one word messages, such as Dangerous, Damaged, Deceptive, and so on. Leaving the teens to realize that whoever this is, obviously knows them, knows an awful lot about them. Could it in fact be one of them? Sound like And Then There Were None, yet?

The concept isn't original, but it was definitely suspenseful and page turning. Despite all of the secrets these teens clearly had, I wanted nothing more for them to make it out alive, and for the culprit to be caught!

Overall, I gave this one a 4 out of 5 stars!

The Synopsis of One Was Lost pulled me into reading this novel. I’m always up for a little mystery with a young adult book.

I liked the overall storyline in this novel. A group of teenager go on a camping trip and end up in a life threatening situation. There are twists that keep the story fresh. I wondered who the bad guy was throughout the novel which was great that it wasn’t predictable.

I did feel like sometimes the scenes didn’t flow. More like I was missing more of a description of the scene so it could relate to the next. Overall it was a good read. Definitely for those who like thriller mysteries.

My review:

First, thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5


I love this book! It's the closest thing to horror I've ever read. It was more mystery thriller but I could totally see this being a horror movie.

The main character is really well developed. Sera has a lot of struggles from her past that effect her throughout the book. She's scared of becoming like her mother.

Then there's Lucas. Everyone thinks he's dangerous because of an accident that happened before. And Sera is trying to stay away... pretty unsuccessfully.

Emily is an amazing character. She has emotional baggage as well and throughout the book we get to see her come out of her little shell.

Jude is a stuck up rich kid. He's private and... deceptive. But he also undergoes a change during the book that leaves him less of a jerk.


I love how this book has many underlying themes. It's not just about a creepy stalker. It's about finding yourself and about judging people based on appearances.


The book is written in First Present Tense it feels like you're there with Sera; experiencing everything with her. It was a brilliant choice for this type of book.


My favorite part has to be the romantic tension between Lucas and Sera. I wont give to much away but there's defiantly a past between the two. It makes for some pretty great encounters and for some much needed sass in the book. And knowing me I LOVE MY SASS! Percy Jackson, Leo Valdez, Daniel Wing... I live for sassy characters.


Overall I loved this book and will defiantly keep my eye out for this author in the future.

This book kept me guessing until the end. I loved all the twists and turns within the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good YA mystery!