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How to Survive in the Woods: A Novel
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Expected 10 Mar 26Wild meets The Wife Between Us in this page-turning thriller, set in Maine's Hundred Mile Wilderness—the treacherous final stretch of the storied Appalachian Trail—an addictive tale of passion, betrayal, control, and what it means to survive.
Raised by a doomsday prepper and hardened by the startup world, Emma Sharp has learned how to endure—especially in her marriage to Logan Grant, a charismatic tyrant who keeps her under tight control. To Emma, her marriage is a it keeps you in, but it also keeps you safe. Until it doesn't.
When Emma forms an unexpected bond with Logan’s former girlfriend, the two women form a plan to help Emma take her life back. the punishing final stretch of the Appalachian Trail known as the Hundred Mile Wilderness.
After all, bad things happen in the woods all the time.
As the three venture deeper into Maine’s backcountry, desire and dread curdle into something unpredictable, dark, and deadly. Someone is lying. Someone is watching. And in the remote heart of the forest, someone is about to be lost . . . or found.
How to Survive in the Woods is a heart-stopping knockout of a novel, by turns smart, psychologically rich, and deliciously dark. In her masterful hands, Kat Rosenfield asks us to consider what it means to be a survivor—and what, or who, you would sacrifice to stay alive.
Raised by a doomsday prepper and hardened by the startup world, Emma Sharp has learned how to endure—especially in her marriage to Logan Grant, a charismatic tyrant who keeps her under tight control. To Emma, her marriage is a it keeps you in, but it also keeps you safe. Until it doesn't.
When Emma forms an unexpected bond with Logan’s former girlfriend, the two women form a plan to help Emma take her life back. the punishing final stretch of the Appalachian Trail known as the Hundred Mile Wilderness.
After all, bad things happen in the woods all the time.
As the three venture deeper into Maine’s backcountry, desire and dread curdle into something unpredictable, dark, and deadly. Someone is lying. Someone is watching. And in the remote heart of the forest, someone is about to be lost . . . or found.
How to Survive in the Woods is a heart-stopping knockout of a novel, by turns smart, psychologically rich, and deliciously dark. In her masterful hands, Kat Rosenfield asks us to consider what it means to be a survivor—and what, or who, you would sacrifice to stay alive.
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Expected publication March 10, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 7, 2025
Check out my full thoughts on this book and more here: booktube reviews :)
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review: Ugh, this book was not for me. There are aspects of it I would typically enjoy, but the way things are handled and written in this story just really rubbed me the wrong way. I've read other early reviews of people who really enjoyed it, so maybe take what I say with a grain of salt. But I just really struggled with the way sensitive topics were handled and that's not normally a soap box I get on. At first, I kinda liked how brash it was and just honest and to the point but over time that wore me down and just didn't work anymore. I'm sure there will be people who love this so before you pick it up, or not, maybe read other's reviews as well. If you typically have similar complaints as me, you will likely not enjoy this.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review: Ugh, this book was not for me. There are aspects of it I would typically enjoy, but the way things are handled and written in this story just really rubbed me the wrong way. I've read other early reviews of people who really enjoyed it, so maybe take what I say with a grain of salt. But I just really struggled with the way sensitive topics were handled and that's not normally a soap box I get on. At first, I kinda liked how brash it was and just honest and to the point but over time that wore me down and just didn't work anymore. I'm sure there will be people who love this so before you pick it up, or not, maybe read other's reviews as well. If you typically have similar complaints as me, you will likely not enjoy this.
Want to read
July 21, 2025ooooooooooooh I've read a few from this author and really enjoyed the writing. I'm excited for this one!
November 5, 2025
This book was so thrilling with so many twists and a fast paced plot. Emma is a unique character and the writer did an amazing job of putting the reader right inside her brain. The setting was haunting out in the wilderness, so much so that I felt like I was right there. I gasped many times as the plot unfolded and loved the theme of freedom and control throughout the book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 27, 2025
I love a thriller set in the wilderness, when the characters are trying to survive not just the situation but nature as well. This one hit all the suspenseful sweet spots in my brain. This book recalls the old adage that if you see a bear in the woods, you don’t need to be faster than the bear, just faster than your companion.
Emma was raised to be a survivor by her doomsday prepper father. We know that she has been through some stuff that caused a breakdown, and now she lets her abusive husband make all the decisions. When she bonds with his ex, the two of them decide to take him out into the wilderness and free themselves of him once and for all. Only, the lies and secrets being harbored by each of them makes us wonder: who if any of them will make it out alive?
I devoured this book! The pacing was perfect, and the unreliable narrator basically applied to every character in the story; nobody could be trusted. The main character Emma is so flawed and damaged, but I was rooting for her at every turn, even as her darkest secrets came out. The twists in this were fantastic, some predictable but others completely out of left field. If you want to be utterly entertained and on the edge of your seat, this is your book, plus it inspired me to assess all my emergency supplies, ha!
Emma was raised to be a survivor by her doomsday prepper father. We know that she has been through some stuff that caused a breakdown, and now she lets her abusive husband make all the decisions. When she bonds with his ex, the two of them decide to take him out into the wilderness and free themselves of him once and for all. Only, the lies and secrets being harbored by each of them makes us wonder: who if any of them will make it out alive?
I devoured this book! The pacing was perfect, and the unreliable narrator basically applied to every character in the story; nobody could be trusted. The main character Emma is so flawed and damaged, but I was rooting for her at every turn, even as her darkest secrets came out. The twists in this were fantastic, some predictable but others completely out of left field. If you want to be utterly entertained and on the edge of your seat, this is your book, plus it inspired me to assess all my emergency supplies, ha!
November 9, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me the ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Trigger warnings: Toxic Relationship/Friendship, Suicide Attempt(s)
Will Emma and Taylor be able to end the torment of Emma’s controlling husband? Or will he continue to control both of them at times without them even knowing? “How to Survive in the Woods” is a psychological thriller that creates suspense from each twist and turn, both literally and figuratively, as the trio sets forth along the Hundred Mile Wilderness, where nature is indifferent to whether you live or die.
Emma remains an unreliable narrator from beginning to end, not allowing us the reader or anyone around her to truly trust her. The dual third person/second person narration leaves an eerie feeling woven into every page, just like the setting of the Appalachian Trail.
I don’t want to give too much information away, as the direction of the plot line took an early twist. But I will say to 1) remember to be aware of what surrounds you 2) adapt to your environment for it will not adapt to you, and most importantly, 3) to leave no trace.
Lastly, I don’t tend to read the acknowledgments, but the last two paragraphs where we learn of the inspiration of the setting of the book was remarkable.
Trigger warnings: Toxic Relationship/Friendship, Suicide Attempt(s)
Will Emma and Taylor be able to end the torment of Emma’s controlling husband? Or will he continue to control both of them at times without them even knowing? “How to Survive in the Woods” is a psychological thriller that creates suspense from each twist and turn, both literally and figuratively, as the trio sets forth along the Hundred Mile Wilderness, where nature is indifferent to whether you live or die.
Emma remains an unreliable narrator from beginning to end, not allowing us the reader or anyone around her to truly trust her. The dual third person/second person narration leaves an eerie feeling woven into every page, just like the setting of the Appalachian Trail.
I don’t want to give too much information away, as the direction of the plot line took an early twist. But I will say to 1) remember to be aware of what surrounds you 2) adapt to your environment for it will not adapt to you, and most importantly, 3) to leave no trace.
Lastly, I don’t tend to read the acknowledgments, but the last two paragraphs where we learn of the inspiration of the setting of the book was remarkable.
December 19, 2025
How to Survive in the Woods is the first book I’ve read by Kat Rosenfield but it won’t be the last. This is a dark and twisted thriller set on the last 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. The setting is as much a character in this book as the humans. Atmospheric, with an almost claustrophobic feeling of dread, this thriller kept me completely in its spell throughout the book.
Emma, the unreliable narrator, is married to a complete jerk, Logan. Logan’s ex girlfriend and business partner, Taylor has a relationship with Emma as well. Are any of these people who they claim to be? I don’t want to give anything away. I went into this book without knowing anything about it and it is definitely the way to go. So many twists and turns!
The narration by Sophie Amoss is outstanding and her work enhances the storyline. I will be looking for more books performed by her.
Highly recommend for fans of dark, twisty thrillers set in the wilderness. I was captivated throughout the production.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio Adult for the ALC in exchange for my honest feedback.
Emma, the unreliable narrator, is married to a complete jerk, Logan. Logan’s ex girlfriend and business partner, Taylor has a relationship with Emma as well. Are any of these people who they claim to be? I don’t want to give anything away. I went into this book without knowing anything about it and it is definitely the way to go. So many twists and turns!
The narration by Sophie Amoss is outstanding and her work enhances the storyline. I will be looking for more books performed by her.
Highly recommend for fans of dark, twisty thrillers set in the wilderness. I was captivated throughout the production.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio Adult for the ALC in exchange for my honest feedback.
November 14, 2025
A promising story about two women who decide to lure their abusive ex-boyfriend/husband into the woods to kill him and then things quickly go sideways, but not in the way you think. To be honest this book was a let down for me. While I sympathized with the main characters Emma, I didn’t really like her. Her friend/lover Taylor wasn’t my favorite person either, and of course the terrible ex, Logan was just atrocious. I feel like this book set up a promising story but then the shocking betrayal just…didn’t hit the way it was supposed to. It’s the type of book that’s marketed as a “feminist thriller,” but the two women just hate and deceive each other. While there is the fun element of survival in the wilderness, it is overshadowed by somewhat confusing flashbacks and emotional interpersonal drama. Plus Emma has guilt ridden paralysis/inner monologuing so often that the story struggles to ever move forward. It wasn’t scary or tense or fun in any of the ways I wanted it to be.
July 28, 2025
Wow! This was such a good story! It's both a taut, propulsive adventure story and a deep character driven exploration of humanity. It begins with Emma Sharp waking up in the hospital, angry to hear her heart thumping, to know she's still alive. She wanted to kill herself and is ashamed that she didn't get it right.
The story moves quickly after that as we learn more about Emma and the unusual life she has led. The heart of the novel begins when Emma and two other people step into the Maine woods to hike the last hundred miles of the Appalachian Trail. It's September, late in the season to begin a hike that far north and the group is warned to be careful. But no one could have anticipated the shocks and twists Emma and her companions encounter on their hike.
Twists! I loved that I was surprised at every turn. Highly recommended!
September 20, 2025
I was intrigued by the story of hunter turned prey turned hunter again in this novel set in the Maine wilderness of the Appalachian Trail. Emma and her friend Taylor gang up on Emma's tyrannical and abusive husband Logan and plan to get their revenge on this trip. The story of the three, the women against the lone man, has a lot of twists and turns that make it interesting. Getting lost, trying to survive each other and the harsh wilderness, makes for suspenseful reading.
Even though the ordeal in the woods seems similar to other wilderness mysteries, there is still good storytelling that will keep the reader interested in the outcome. I liked that the trail itself turned out to be an important part in the mystery . The last leg of the trail, the Hundred Mile Wilderness, plays a key role in their survival or death.
Even though the ordeal in the woods seems similar to other wilderness mysteries, there is still good storytelling that will keep the reader interested in the outcome. I liked that the trail itself turned out to be an important part in the mystery . The last leg of the trail, the Hundred Mile Wilderness, plays a key role in their survival or death.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Raised by a father who was a survivalist millionaire, Emma Sharp has learned the hard way how to look after herself - beginning with the time Gregory Sharp left his injured teenage daughter to find her own way out of the woods.
Despite her self sufficient beginnings, Emma has made some missteps that led her to allow a charismatic and controlling man, Logan, to take control of her life and her wealth.
Until, that is, Logan's ex-girlfriend Taylor offers Emma a chance of escape - an offer she cannot refuse, even if it means once again taking a trip into the dark heart of the woods....
Gripping and atmospheric, this is a story that excavates deep into the darker sides of human nature, keeping the reader on the edge of her seat. Definitely worth checking out for thriller lovers!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Despite her self sufficient beginnings, Emma has made some missteps that led her to allow a charismatic and controlling man, Logan, to take control of her life and her wealth.
Until, that is, Logan's ex-girlfriend Taylor offers Emma a chance of escape - an offer she cannot refuse, even if it means once again taking a trip into the dark heart of the woods....
Gripping and atmospheric, this is a story that excavates deep into the darker sides of human nature, keeping the reader on the edge of her seat. Definitely worth checking out for thriller lovers!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars
A gripping cat-and-mouse in the wilderness, which might be a deer-and-wolf now that I think about nomenclature. Emma became a wolf as a child in the hands of her father and then suppressed that wolf to become the deer. However, when you have tremendous survival training, and you are plunged into a survival situation, you can stay a deer or return to the wolf.
Some of this was predictable, and the author presented Logan as one of the most unlikable characters I have read in a while, so not just do we want him to fail, we want Emma to kill him. Fun moral challenge. However, there was a lot (a LOT) of emotional abuse and manipulation to get there, and gaslighting in huge doses. It's upsetting to read what Emma withstands but that's what drove her eventually.
Good pace, tension, satisfying, and even if you see all the many twists and betrayals, it's still a decent ride.
A gripping cat-and-mouse in the wilderness, which might be a deer-and-wolf now that I think about nomenclature. Emma became a wolf as a child in the hands of her father and then suppressed that wolf to become the deer. However, when you have tremendous survival training, and you are plunged into a survival situation, you can stay a deer or return to the wolf.
Some of this was predictable, and the author presented Logan as one of the most unlikable characters I have read in a while, so not just do we want him to fail, we want Emma to kill him. Fun moral challenge. However, there was a lot (a LOT) of emotional abuse and manipulation to get there, and gaslighting in huge doses. It's upsetting to read what Emma withstands but that's what drove her eventually.
Good pace, tension, satisfying, and even if you see all the many twists and betrayals, it's still a decent ride.
November 5, 2025
If you're looking for a tale of distrust and survival in the woods that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then this is the one. Kat introduces us to Emma, a survivalist by nature, who is trapped by her husband, Logan in a controlling relationship. She teams up with Logan's ex, Taylor to hike the last part of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. The twists and turns heat up from there. All the characters are unreliable and there is no one you can trust. The setting in the woods plays a character in itself and lends even more suspense to the story. It's a heart pounding race to the finish. Can't wait to see what else she has in store for us in the future.
August 17, 2025
This book was a real wild ride. I don't want to spill too much about it in order to protect what makes it so intense. So I'll just say that I read a lot of thrillers & this one was really got me. Big thumbs up.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A well-written thriller with deeply unlikeable characters and a satisfying ending. Makes me want (and deeply not want) to go into the woods and get lost a bit. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC!
July 26, 2025
I couldn't put this one down--well-written, unpredictable, full of twists and turns and complicated characters. One of the better books I've read this year.
December 1, 2025
intense book with some absolutely thrilling plotting and incredible writing throughout. the twists are impeccable and the main character is interesting to read. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
December 20, 2025
Every time I thought I knew how this was going to end, there was a new twist. Excellent writing and storytelling. What a great thriller to end the year!
December 22, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
Emma, Taylor, and Logan go into the woods for a hike, and one of them may not make it out alive.
Emma married Logan directly after a traumatic event, and soon she realizes her mistake. Logan is abusive, and even his ex-girlfriend Taylor agrees. Emma develops an unlikely friendship with Taylor, and the women plan the hiking trip.
Having survived being left alone in the woods before, Emma isn't worried about the trip, but soon, her confidence is shattered.
This novel is full of twists and turns, and the final betrayal surprised me. I found Emma's backstory particularly interesting and heartbreaking.
Emma, Taylor, and Logan go into the woods for a hike, and one of them may not make it out alive.
Emma married Logan directly after a traumatic event, and soon she realizes her mistake. Logan is abusive, and even his ex-girlfriend Taylor agrees. Emma develops an unlikely friendship with Taylor, and the women plan the hiking trip.
Having survived being left alone in the woods before, Emma isn't worried about the trip, but soon, her confidence is shattered.
This novel is full of twists and turns, and the final betrayal surprised me. I found Emma's backstory particularly interesting and heartbreaking.
November 16, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars
Emma Sharp is a shell of her former self. Raised by a doomsday prepper and used to the intense world of start ups, she meets her husband at a low point. He is very controlling and she and a friend hatch a plan to set her free. Lots of twists and turns.
Plenty of trigger warnings for self harm, suicide and spousal abuse.
4 stars
Emma Sharp is a shell of her former self. Raised by a doomsday prepper and used to the intense world of start ups, she meets her husband at a low point. He is very controlling and she and a friend hatch a plan to set her free. Lots of twists and turns.
Plenty of trigger warnings for self harm, suicide and spousal abuse.
December 8, 2025
The Appalachian Trail is a big, beautiful, magnificent place to explore, but it's also very easy to get lost if you take one wrong turn or misstep. I found the MC Emma much like the Appalachian Trail. She's very fascinating but also complicated. There's more to her than meets the eye, and you have no idea because she's so good at keeping parts of herself hidden. This book is so intense! It's a character driven thriller, and I devoured it. Emma, her controlling husband, and friend all go hiking on the AppalachianTrail. Two of them are planning to get revenge, but not everything goes as planned. I don't want to give too much away and spoil the book because it's full of so many incredible twists. Let's just say Emma is one of the most fascinating FMC I've read this year. I really loved her character arc and seeing her growth during this. If you love thrillers and complex FMC, then I highly suggest adding this to your tbr.
Thank you Harper Books for my complimentary copy. All thoughts are my own.
Thank you Harper Books for my complimentary copy. All thoughts are my own.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews