Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book.I enjoyed this book. I love the setting and the suspense of the plot. I think any lovers of psychological suspense will enjoy this book. I am going to be giving this book strong recommendations.

The River at Night is an intriguing adventure about four 40-year-old women school friends who attempt a harrowing white water rafting excursion in Maine. What a terrifying experience it becomes when they crash and try to survive in a cabin in the Woods with a woman and her feral son. I could not even imagine their horror and suspense as the novel progressed..I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

The River at Night was very different from my typical reads and I think that led me to really enjoy the story. I've seen movies with similar survival setups, but never one with girls who are put to the test again and again on the river. The beginning focuses on characterizations, which was great, because it makes each of their action's when something terrifying happens make sense. The girls didn't always make the smartest decisions, but I think their flaws make them relatable and no one truly knows how they'd react when disaster strikes. There is a lot of tension and disturbing parts, so expect to be biting your nails to the very last page.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I was looking through my Kindle a few weeks ago, trying to decide what to read. Ever since I started sheltering at home- I’ve been trying something new with my reading- read a book months away from being published, read one that is recently published and read one that published a year or so ago. Trying to get my Netgalley stats in order 🙂

I remember being interested in this book when a NG widget was sent to me, but for whatever reason, I did not read it.

And you know? I kinda wish I hadn’t read it now.

Ok first- I have never watched Deliverance. I mean I got the main points of the movie- so when the ladies are going upstate- I’m kinda wondering if this isn’t a female version of Deliverance. Which makes me feel like ugh.

Then, these friends. Well, listen- I know friends from college and stuff are supposed to be like the tightest of bonds- but I still could never really figure out why these people were friends.

Also: Just a note- There is NOTHING wrong with going to a beach, sitting in a relaxing chair and drinking all the umbrella drinks you can handle. You don’t have to have every vacation be some kind of Iron Woman challenge. Also: If any of my friends ever asked me to go on a white water rafting trip- The River at Night would be example 1 why it’s not a good idea. Deliverance would be example 2.

What I liked:

The cover.



Bottom line: For me, this book just never got to where it was going in a good way. I mean, yes, there were a couple gaspy scenes- but it just didn’t save it for me. 2 stars on Goodreads. Hard pass.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

The River at Night took me on a wild ride of survival with turns and twists that I didn't see coming and couldn't anticipate. I loved the portrayal of four women who felt real and relatable, my only complaint is that i would have loved the characters to be more fully fleshed out. But this was an all together enjoyable page turner.

The River at Night is a story about three friends who decide to go on a guided camping/rafting trip.
Things don't go as planned and they are put to the test to survive.

I enjoyed this story however, I felt it was a bit over the top. I will definitely read more by this author but this book was not one that I enjoyed as much as other books I have read.

The River at Night is a highly suspenseful novel that will have you reading late into the night. Set in the Maine wilderness, it is the story of how what was supposed to be a fun friend's trip turns potentially deadly wrong. This novel left me breathless and wanting to know what was going to happen next from the beginning.

This story was a solid four star for me. The beginning felt a little meh, because instead of character development, it was a lot of sentences that just stated everything about a character (X is this person, with this job, in a relationship with this person). That being said, once the trip begins, the action picks up and I really enjoyed it! Fast read, page turner. This is like a settle down with a hot cup of tea and read straight through type of book!

When the first Blair Witch film came out, I wondered why the filmmakers had bothered with a witch. Losing the map in the middle of the woods was scary enough. Click on the link below to read the rest of my review.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review The River at Night.

Four childhood friends, now well into their adult years decide it's time for a reunion. But rather than cocktails on the beach, they're going to adventure. Rafting a rarely ventured river with an expert guide. Despite hesitations from some of the women, they buy all of their expensive gear and go! From the minute they load up in the car, they end up getting way more than they bargained for.

This book had such a strong start, and I had a lot of high hopes, but did not come through. I felt like the author opened doors that were way too big for the story. She would start heading down one really compelling story line, and then boom, abandoned for another. Big issues about the characters were never really explored. And overall the whole thing felt really boxy and hard to believe.

It occurs to me that I have never read a book about surviving in the wilderness, and because that was what I was expecting this book to be about, I now want to. But, The River at Night was not the book I expected it to be.

A group of four friends in their late thirties go to Maine to conquer a tough whitewater rapids along with a young guide. Though the friends have all been through their own struggles, both separately and among themselves, only the bravest of them, Pia, is even close to being physically and psychologically ready for this adventure. Through a series of freak accidents and bad decisions, the women become trapped in the forest with a raging river and a very unexpected threat chasing them as they attempt to make it home alive.

The story is told through the point of view of one of the women, Wini, who is stuck in a job which will soon be obsolete and is on her own after a failed marriage. The rest of the group consists of Pia, the thrill seeking leader who pushes her more introverted friends to take these dangerous vacations; Rachel, an RN and recovering alcoholic who balances her blunt manner with a deep love for her friends; and Sandra, a mother who is recovering from cancer and getting ready to leave her marriage.

The women were not feeling great about going on the trip in the first place, and some sketchy things happen before they even get started that would have made some people run. The friends, though, all have some desire to impress and follow Pia, so they do. This is one of the main things I couldn't understand about the dynamic between the characters. I am not that far behind these women in age and I feel like if you have been friends with someone for fifteen years, as they all claim to have been, this feeling of needing to prove yourself to your friend should be long past. Especially if you have been at each other's sides through tough situations.

I also thought that the plot pacing was off. It took half the book until the group really got into the river and started their journey, and then while there were some heart racing and action packed scenes in between, the end seemed to come very fast after the women came across their threat. I also didn't feel like there was enough follow up to the end, and I just wanted more of a sense of how all the women were affected after the events.

All in all this was not a bad book, but as I said, just not what I expected. It's sort of a nature/suspense novel with the bonds of friendship tying it all together. It makes a sort of sense in its' way, and others might like it better than I did.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book. I am just not interested in this book anymore. Sorry for the inconvenience.

A decent mystery but the hints of Deliverace knocked it down a star for my taste.

This is a fast paced, quick read about survival, friendships, river rafting and wilderness. This is a great example of an action packed quick and easy read! Four friends who all live very different lives get together every year for a vacation and this year Pia decides she wants to go white water rafting, what could possibly go wrong?! It's not one of those books that sucked me in and I just couldn't put down or made me really think, but I was entertained throughout the whole book. That is a good book in my opinion. If you are looking for a quick and entertaining read, then I definitely recommend this one! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Gallery books for the review copy!

This author has a knack for making extreme situations seen real. This book kept me on the edge of my seat I didn't want to stop reading it. But then when it was over I wished it wasn't the end.

Solidly decent book, a great adventure about a group of four women closing in on middle age who go on a white water rafting trip in the wilderness of Maine and things go horribly wrong. I didn't love the ending, it was a bit rushed and didn't offer a really good closure or any type of a twist. But for an adventure book this is a good one.

Publication: January 10, 2017
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Source: Publisher
Blog: The Life & Times of a Book Addict

REVIEW:

Winifred (Wini), Sandra, Pia, and Rachel have been friends for eons. Their lives being so hectic, Pia plans a white water rafting trip for the four of them. Wini is hesitant to go, but she fears being left behind by her friends and ultimately decides to go. After all this could be the trip of a lifetime.

It was hard for me to connect or even care for these characters because I knew so little of them. I wished that there was more backstory for them. The story is told through Wini’s POV, so I got to know her a little bit more which was nice. It was kind of strange that one of the characters ended up sleeping with their young tour guide almost immediately and then seemed to fall for him just as fast. It was kind of weird and to me it didn’t add anything of great interest to the story. That action seems to set off a chain of cattiness and tenseness between these friends.

Whatever their differences, they learn fairly quickly that they need to work together in order to navigate the river successfully. The author does a nice job of painting a picture for the reader in regards to the atmosphere in the woods and dangers of river rafting. Especially when things take a turn for the worse and their fun girls trip turns out to be a nightmare and they have to fight for their own survival.

The River at Night was an interesting read, but not exactly what I had hoped it would be. It almost felt like I was watching a made for tv Lifetime movie instead of reading an edge of your seat adventure / thriller book. Would I call this a suspenseful thriller? Hmmm no. All in all this story was an entertaining adventure read if not a little bit predictable at times. I love suspenseful and adventure stories, but I think this book fell a little short for me.


RATING: 3 out of 5

I think you will need to be a thriller fan to enjoy this book. If you are easily upset, I suggest you do not read it. I enjoyed it so much I could not put it down, had to keep reading, there was one thrill after another. It is the story of four ordinary middle aged women who get together for a white water rafting trip. The characters are so well drawn, I felt I actually knew them. Things start going wrong after a freak accident kills their guide. After that one thing seems to go wrong after another. I kept thinking, these are city girls, how did they get into such a mess. Sometimes a book lags after a while, but not this one.

I loved this book. It showed how resilient the human spirit is and how we should never give up. It was exciting and I couldn't stop reading.

You know that feeling you get when you can’t wait to get back to reading a book? That was me with THE RIVER AT NIGHT. I have been in a bit of a rut with reading lately. This book got me excited about reading again. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next!

Wini needs a vacation. She recently lost her brother and her husband left her. She is hating her job and lonely in her single life. Once a year her three best friends from college take a break from their busy lives and reconnect on a vacation. This year they have planned an adventurous getaway in the Allagash wilderness in Maine hiking and water rafting. It is not Wini’s style but she resolves to go. When a freak accident leaves the four ladies stranded, they find themselves battling more than just the elements.

I was so excited whilst reading this story. I related to Wini and her friends on many levels. These women are middle aged and all living separate lives. This story only gives Wini’s POV, but we get to know all the girls really well. I loved their friendship, and Wini’s insecurity with them was so on point. Their fears, strengths, and motivations are all laid out in this fight for survival.

I have to talk about how well this was written. Not only is the story really fun to read, a real adventure, but the author is able to place the reader right there. I felt the fear from Wini at the prospect of being the weakest link. My muscles ached reading about the hikes, I could clearly fell the chill of the cold water, and I was awed by the beautiful scenery. This is just so well described. Once the three are confronted by others in the woods, I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. I had no idea where the author would take this story, and I was completely hooked and helpless to defend myself from the elements.

This book was everything I want in a thriller. With truly relateable characters, I could easily picture myself in such a predicament. There was real danger in the woods and the river itself was their worst fear and their only salvation. I highly recommend this to thriller fans looking for a truly unique adventure.