Engaging, but glaring misinformation

I didn't think I would like this book, figuring it would just be another YA love triangle plot that is incredibly over played. And the beginning was just that. I almost stopped listening, but the narrator was so good that I held on juuuust long enough to get to the engaging bits. I was empathetic towards the wayward heroine. I admired her tenacity. But there were some pretty big flaws that I just couldn't get past. For a girl that's supposed to be well versed in all things nature, she (and obviously, the author) knew very little about wildlife. I won't give any of the plot away, but on one occasion, she mentions a mother opossum with her babies hiding out in the nearby brush. Opossums are marsupials. This means the babies spend a good amount of time in mom's pouch, and when they're too big for the pouch but too small to go on there own, they cling to her back. At no point would they be hiding in wait for mom to see if it was safe. And while they WILL eat carrion, they're extremely opportunistic and will catch, kill and eat all manner of small animals - birds, frogs, snakes, etc. They also forage on fruits, veggies and bugs. They are an incredible animal, and I despise how poorly the writer cast them. They help battle the spread of Lyme's disease by consuming an estimated 5,000 ticks every season! They're also immune to most venomous snakes, which is handy because they love to chow down on copperheads and rattlesnakes (and any other snake they can catch and kill). They also keep vermin at a minimum by eating roaches, rats and mice. They are not at all vicious, and have two defense mechanisms - 1st is to play dead. This is an involuntary response caused by stress that will leave the possum in a comatose state for up to four hours. Think of a feinting goat for a similar fear response. 2nd, they will hiss and drool and try to look scary. They will not attack unprovoked. And they do not carry rabies. Their body temperature is too low for the virus to live within them long enough to make them sick.
The other glaring mistake the author penned was that raccoons out in daylight can only ever mean they are sick. Nope! Mother raccoons often forage for food at all times of the day and night in order to get enough nutrients to provide milk for their young.
I will say that even with these huge errors, the narrator had such a pleasant voice that I still managed to enjoy the story.

13 people found this helpful

INTO THE WILD goes YA Thriller

I’m going to be honest. I am OBSESSED with Into The Wild, the story of Chris McCandless, and survival stories in general — but that story centers around a boy who made a dumb choice and eventually killed himself to prove a point.

So imagine if you replaced him with a fictional character who knew a lot about survival, a lot about the forest, and ended up in peril after one not very bright idea. Ashley Hawkins is a badass girl dealt a bad hand in life, but she wants to live. She pushes through horrible experience after horrible experience, all to get back to a not-so-great life and with her one shot at a future totally ruined. BNFFM is intense, stressful, raw, and heartbreaking (as is to be expected from McGinnis) and some scenes should not be read/listened to while eating because oof even I got a little squeamish. She respects the woods and nature in the most honest way, all throughout her journey, and she deserves the nickname Asskicker Ashley.

5 people found this helpful

Shocking Tale Of Survival

I bought this book on a whim not really expecting to like it, but I was pleasantly surprised. I finished the whole thing in a day because I desperately needed to know what was going to happen next and if our main character would survive (or at the very least, catch a break). The writing will have you glued to the plot from the first chapter and unlike other survival stories this one seems more realistic and like it could honestly happen to anyone which adds to the suspense!

4 people found this helpful

Tedious

This book felt like it could have been a whole lot shorter. I ended up speeding it to 2.25 about halfway through part 2 bc I just wanted to get to the end.
I wouldn't recommend this book.

3 people found this helpful

great book

At the beginning of the book, there is a but of childish drama, but again, what do you expect when it is about high schoolers who go camping? But after a few chapters in, it really gets good. keeps you hooked, wanting to know what comes next. very worth the read. Will most definitely find myself listening again.

3 people found this helpful

Engaging survival story and more

Engaging survival story with a kick-ass protagonist. Definitely worth the read! You may also like A Madness So Discreet by the same author if you liked this, and Female of the Species.

2 people found this helpful

Fast-Paced Survival Story

I'm always a fan of a good survival story, and this was no exception. At just over 5 hours, this was a quick and easy read, action-packed at every turn. I finished it one evening, on the edge of my seat the whole time. If you're looking for a classic, lost-in-the-woods, survival story, this one definitely fits the bill. My only real complaint was that I didn't love the main character. She was a bit too "not like other girls" for my taste. The story moved quick enough that I didn't really care, though, and I do feel that she did some growing during her time in the woods.

Narration was solid, and I would recommend this for anyone looking for a survivalist, action-packed, YA novel.

1 person found this helpful

(Enter eye roll here)

I really wanted to like this book like so many others did but I couldn’t take it seriously at all. Maybe if this were a 30ish year old or older with years of wilderness / survival experience I may be able to accept most of the book but to be 17 with knowledge of what your Dad has taught you over the past few years.. not hardly. And that is just the start of it. There is so much of this book that is so ridiculously miraculous that it makes it just that.. ridiculous. I made it through the 5+ excruciating hours but that’s thanks to the wonderful talents of Brittany Pressley.

1 person found this helpful

I absolutely loved it

If you like the survival genre you will love this story with compelling story telling and a great narrator.

Doesn't spare any details

The Story gives a sense of foreboding that she won't make it out alive.