What do you think?
Rate this book
Stranded
In the tradition of 127 Hours and The Edge , a fascinating and suspenseful novel about a group of teens battling for their lives against the most violent villain in history—Mother Nature.
It’s human instinct to survive…but Mother Nature has other plans.
Plagued with guilt after surviving the car accident that took her sister’s life, Emma ventures into the rugged and mysterious wilderness of the Boundary Waters in search of some much needed peace. But when a freak windstorm kills her guide, Emma and a handful of other campers are forced to fend for themselves. Lost, hungry, and exhausted, the small group must rely on their survival instincts as they travel through the forest towards Lake Superior.
But the Boundary Waters is vast and unpredictable, and as the days drag on, it becomes clear that the group is no match for what Mother Nature has in store—and time is running out.
As they continue to battle the elements, Emma realizes that nature isn’t her only there’s one camper who will do whatever it takes to make it out of the Boundary Waters alive. Even if he’s the only one…
With ripped-from-the-headlines drama, this stirring story of heroism and survival will have you at the edge of your seat until the very last page.
It’s human instinct to survive…but Mother Nature has other plans.
Plagued with guilt after surviving the car accident that took her sister’s life, Emma ventures into the rugged and mysterious wilderness of the Boundary Waters in search of some much needed peace. But when a freak windstorm kills her guide, Emma and a handful of other campers are forced to fend for themselves. Lost, hungry, and exhausted, the small group must rely on their survival instincts as they travel through the forest towards Lake Superior.
But the Boundary Waters is vast and unpredictable, and as the days drag on, it becomes clear that the group is no match for what Mother Nature has in store—and time is running out.
As they continue to battle the elements, Emma realizes that nature isn’t her only there’s one camper who will do whatever it takes to make it out of the Boundary Waters alive. Even if he’s the only one…
With ripped-from-the-headlines drama, this stirring story of heroism and survival will have you at the edge of your seat until the very last page.
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2015
34 people are currently reading
635 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
February 27, 2021
I enjoyed this YA book. Classic what happens when you are lost in the woods scenario. Well, as you know anything can happen and pretty much does. Emma joins a group for a week in the woods a year after her sister has passed away. Symbolic? You bet! What happens is a freak storm and some of the other adventures (including the guide) die. There is only four left of the seven that have gone out into the wild. It takes all of their wits to stay alive until they can be rescued. While this is happening Emma is struggling with her past and what happened that faithful day her sister passed away. I enjoyed the mystery of Isaac and the budding romance between Emma and Oscar. All in all, this book held its own with character development and the storyline. This book had a good pace to it and didn't leave you wanting for more. I give it 4 stars.
did-not-finish
July 30, 2015Marked as DNF 7/30/15: Oops, that was a pretty quick decision. I stopped at about page 35 because I was not enjoying any part of it at all. In fact, I was actively disliking what was going on.
I picked up this book because my husband and I go camping all the time -- backwoods camping too so similar to this situation. No phones, no cabins, just camping and the wilderness. I thought I could easily get into this book because it was so many things that I loved and seeing as we weren't able to go camping yet this year, I wanted to live vicariously though it. But this book and I got off to a rough start and I didn't see it improving.
Right off the bat, the narration was awkward. Similes comparing a seat belt buckle sound like a gunshot underwater (have you heard things underwater? You do know it's muffled, right? Like a lot?) and lies flowing out of the MC's mouth: "Sliding out of my mouth like spit." Kind of gross and weird. The writing continued to be difficult for me to read with little character development throughout the first portion of the book which is early, I know, but each character was introduced and then the narration immediately moved onto the next thing. There wasn't much time spent with any character to appeal to the reader. The descriptions and development that there were seemed shallow. The only girl besides Emma is a very girly girl and seemed very stereotypical (Her: "Starting college in the fall. They say you should be single." Emma: "I heard that." -- thrilling conversation? And already pushing Emma to flirt with some of the guys) and the boys also seemed very "typical boy" (insert cannonball contest and dropping frogs on girls).
I didn't make it far into the plot so I can't say much about that overall but I was disappointed that the story seemed to just be "Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene." and didn't have any real flow. The characters barely had any conversation and what little they did say to each other was unimpressive. Some things I thought could be skipped or summarized in dialogue to spend more time with the characters and developing a setting.
I'm not exactly sure how much time the author has spent camping and in the wilderness or canoeing but I will say for ME, canoeing and paddling is not an easy thing. Emma and Chloe (wait, was that even her name?) paddle together like it was so natural and I don't know about anyone else, but paddling a canoe isn't the easiest thing if you don't know what you're doing (they didn't) and you're trying to work with someone new (I was canoeing with my husband and he was constantly trying to help me do it right haha). MAYBE they had a knack for it but the more realistic thing, I think, would have been to have these two girls struggling to keep a canoe straight. Just sayin'.
Normally if I'm not getting along with a book, I'll give it more time to allow the book to pick up or wait for the action to kick in but I just can't do it when the writing is difficult for me to read.
I picked up this book because my husband and I go camping all the time -- backwoods camping too so similar to this situation. No phones, no cabins, just camping and the wilderness. I thought I could easily get into this book because it was so many things that I loved and seeing as we weren't able to go camping yet this year, I wanted to live vicariously though it. But this book and I got off to a rough start and I didn't see it improving.
Right off the bat, the narration was awkward. Similes comparing a seat belt buckle sound like a gunshot underwater (have you heard things underwater? You do know it's muffled, right? Like a lot?) and lies flowing out of the MC's mouth: "Sliding out of my mouth like spit." Kind of gross and weird. The writing continued to be difficult for me to read with little character development throughout the first portion of the book which is early, I know, but each character was introduced and then the narration immediately moved onto the next thing. There wasn't much time spent with any character to appeal to the reader. The descriptions and development that there were seemed shallow. The only girl besides Emma is a very girly girl and seemed very stereotypical (Her: "Starting college in the fall. They say you should be single." Emma: "I heard that." -- thrilling conversation? And already pushing Emma to flirt with some of the guys) and the boys also seemed very "typical boy" (insert cannonball contest and dropping frogs on girls).
I didn't make it far into the plot so I can't say much about that overall but I was disappointed that the story seemed to just be "Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene." and didn't have any real flow. The characters barely had any conversation and what little they did say to each other was unimpressive. Some things I thought could be skipped or summarized in dialogue to spend more time with the characters and developing a setting.
I'm not exactly sure how much time the author has spent camping and in the wilderness or canoeing but I will say for ME, canoeing and paddling is not an easy thing. Emma and Chloe (wait, was that even her name?) paddle together like it was so natural and I don't know about anyone else, but paddling a canoe isn't the easiest thing if you don't know what you're doing (they didn't) and you're trying to work with someone new (I was canoeing with my husband and he was constantly trying to help me do it right haha). MAYBE they had a knack for it but the more realistic thing, I think, would have been to have these two girls struggling to keep a canoe straight. Just sayin'.
Normally if I'm not getting along with a book, I'll give it more time to allow the book to pick up or wait for the action to kick in but I just can't do it when the writing is difficult for me to read.
December 27, 2015
Stranded is another book about a group of teens being stranded in the wilderness, I like that sort of thing, but I've read a couple similar ones in the past year. I found the story to be more realistic than the others, but there were some details that had me scratching my head.
After being missing for several days, it was said that one of the teens had lost between 10 and 20 pounds. You can lose weight very quickly fasting, but because it's water weight it doesn't show like actual pounds from fat would. There is no way you would be able to tell that someone lost 20 pounds in four days, it's doubtful that anyone would lose that much so quickly. Of course you also had the scenes where everybody was all but dead from starvation after less than a week. As I always say, as long as you're drinking water, and they were, there is no way you'll die without food so soon. People go on 30 day fasts and don't die.
I couldn't figure out why the author seemed to be deliberately hiding the race of one of the characters, though she gave plenty hints. Emma was white, Oscar was white and Asian, and Isaac was white (Swedish), but Chloe's ancestry was not revealed until in the 130's. Earlier on, Chloe said she also had Swedish blood, and Isaac's eyes practically bulged out, then he made a comment of how he was surprised that someone with the last name Johnson was Swedish... Johnson is actually a Swedish last name, you would think Isaac would know that. I'm going to assume Melinda Braun must know the origins of Johnson, so I was confused why she would write that.
It was finally revealed that Chloe was black as well as Swedish, after Isaac went on a racially biased rant mimicking his idea of how black women speak and think. There was finger snapping, yes suh'ing, and something about a sista girl not taking anything off whitey.
I couldn't figure out how we were supposed to feel about Isaac, I know how I felt, but couldn't grasp what the author was aiming for. It was obvious that he was a borderline racist, and on top of that a borderline rapist. There were many indications that Isaac was abused by his dad and had a rough life, and I kind of got vibes that he was the character we were all supposed to be more understanding towards because he didn't have it easy. Emma was constantly targeted by Isaac, and though she hated him, she kept being sympathetic. I had no sympathy.
Overall, it's a good book. I would have made Isaac more tolerable, he didn't have to be nice, but he was too annoying and vile.
After being missing for several days, it was said that one of the teens had lost between 10 and 20 pounds. You can lose weight very quickly fasting, but because it's water weight it doesn't show like actual pounds from fat would. There is no way you would be able to tell that someone lost 20 pounds in four days, it's doubtful that anyone would lose that much so quickly. Of course you also had the scenes where everybody was all but dead from starvation after less than a week. As I always say, as long as you're drinking water, and they were, there is no way you'll die without food so soon. People go on 30 day fasts and don't die.
I couldn't figure out why the author seemed to be deliberately hiding the race of one of the characters, though she gave plenty hints. Emma was white, Oscar was white and Asian, and Isaac was white (Swedish), but Chloe's ancestry was not revealed until in the 130's. Earlier on, Chloe said she also had Swedish blood, and Isaac's eyes practically bulged out, then he made a comment of how he was surprised that someone with the last name Johnson was Swedish... Johnson is actually a Swedish last name, you would think Isaac would know that. I'm going to assume Melinda Braun must know the origins of Johnson, so I was confused why she would write that.
It was finally revealed that Chloe was black as well as Swedish, after Isaac went on a racially biased rant mimicking his idea of how black women speak and think. There was finger snapping, yes suh'ing, and something about a sista girl not taking anything off whitey.
I couldn't figure out how we were supposed to feel about Isaac, I know how I felt, but couldn't grasp what the author was aiming for. It was obvious that he was a borderline racist, and on top of that a borderline rapist. There were many indications that Isaac was abused by his dad and had a rough life, and I kind of got vibes that he was the character we were all supposed to be more understanding towards because he didn't have it easy. Emma was constantly targeted by Isaac, and though she hated him, she kept being sympathetic. I had no sympathy.
Overall, it's a good book. I would have made Isaac more tolerable, he didn't have to be nice, but he was too annoying and vile.
March 16, 2018
You would be wrong to mistaken this book for being your average survival story. If you normally don’t like survival or adventure stories, I would still recommend the book “Stranded”. The author Melinda Brain does an astonishing job introducing the plot and keeping the reader engaged throughout the story. She uses very descriptive figurative languages that help you picture the events in the book. This book would be most appealing to teens. The characters are teenagers and they are stranded with no map and cell phone. It’s easy to relate to the characters because the author gives a brief background on them and has dialogues that allow the reader to infer more about the characters. Overall the book “Stranded” is an amazing survival story and I would recommend it to any teenager.
October 15, 2018
Personal response:
This book wasn't my favorite book I read. The story got boring in the middle and kept repeating itself every day they were in the woods. I thought I would enjoy it more the farther I read, but I didn't. The author should have kept it more exciting by adding more ideas to the book.
Plot summary:
Emma had a car accident a year ago that killed her younger sister Lucy. She blamed herself for not being able to save her. A year later, she found a survival trip for teens that will take her mind off of the crash. When she got there, only a few teenagers are actually there. As the guide lead them into the woods, he warned them of a storm that could head there way. The next day, as everyone is sleeping, Emma woke up and took a walk down to the lake and as she walked down there, she heard something rumbling. She realized it's a tornado and got the other group members and also goes into the lake. After it passed, they saw that everything was gone including their group leader. They grouped up and took everything that was left. A forest fire started, and they had to run away from it. They ended up staying in the woods for a while. After being in the woods for a long time, they finally gave up and Emma went into the river and floated until she got somewhere. A guy found her and rescued her. She told him where the rest of them were and they all got saved in the end.
Characterization:
Emma was the main character who felt bad about losing her sister. She went on the survival trip to get her mind off her sister but ended up making it worse. Chloe was the only other girl with the group and was Emma's best friend. She sprained her ankle early in the story, but everything healed back to normal. Isaac was the cocky teen from the group that always had to have stuff going his way or else it wasn't happening. Oscar was the shy kid who was always on Emma's side, and always agreed with her.
Setting:
This book took place in a forest in Canada. At the end of the book, they ended up in the Duluth hospital to get treated and waited there until her parents came. Emma's family lived in Duluth and the crash happened there. The teens were a few miles deep into the woods when they were found. The time period was only a few years ago because they had technology that we have nowadays, like phones.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to freshman and above who liked adventure and survival books. Males and females would both enjoy this book because the main characters are both male and female. Some teens could relate to these characters.
This book wasn't my favorite book I read. The story got boring in the middle and kept repeating itself every day they were in the woods. I thought I would enjoy it more the farther I read, but I didn't. The author should have kept it more exciting by adding more ideas to the book.
Plot summary:
Emma had a car accident a year ago that killed her younger sister Lucy. She blamed herself for not being able to save her. A year later, she found a survival trip for teens that will take her mind off of the crash. When she got there, only a few teenagers are actually there. As the guide lead them into the woods, he warned them of a storm that could head there way. The next day, as everyone is sleeping, Emma woke up and took a walk down to the lake and as she walked down there, she heard something rumbling. She realized it's a tornado and got the other group members and also goes into the lake. After it passed, they saw that everything was gone including their group leader. They grouped up and took everything that was left. A forest fire started, and they had to run away from it. They ended up staying in the woods for a while. After being in the woods for a long time, they finally gave up and Emma went into the river and floated until she got somewhere. A guy found her and rescued her. She told him where the rest of them were and they all got saved in the end.
Characterization:
Emma was the main character who felt bad about losing her sister. She went on the survival trip to get her mind off her sister but ended up making it worse. Chloe was the only other girl with the group and was Emma's best friend. She sprained her ankle early in the story, but everything healed back to normal. Isaac was the cocky teen from the group that always had to have stuff going his way or else it wasn't happening. Oscar was the shy kid who was always on Emma's side, and always agreed with her.
Setting:
This book took place in a forest in Canada. At the end of the book, they ended up in the Duluth hospital to get treated and waited there until her parents came. Emma's family lived in Duluth and the crash happened there. The teens were a few miles deep into the woods when they were found. The time period was only a few years ago because they had technology that we have nowadays, like phones.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to freshman and above who liked adventure and survival books. Males and females would both enjoy this book because the main characters are both male and female. Some teens could relate to these characters.
December 22, 2022
This was a good read, the story kept me interested all throughout the book and the critical plot points were very well written.
The book has a nice 'action to filler ratio', there were only a few points in the story where I was taken out of the immersion due to the relatively slower pacing.
There are still some things that could've been improved. The one that stands out the most is Isaac's character development which was somewhat forced in my opinion, our understanding of him only grew in the later chapters of the book with it staying constant up until then, and even then it felt a bit 'rushed'.
In the end of the day, the book was very entertaining its flaws are not too major.
It's what I'd assume an average 4* book would be.
The book has a nice 'action to filler ratio', there were only a few points in the story where I was taken out of the immersion due to the relatively slower pacing.
There are still some things that could've been improved. The one that stands out the most is Isaac's character development which was somewhat forced in my opinion, our understanding of him only grew in the later chapters of the book with it staying constant up until then, and even then it felt a bit 'rushed'.
In the end of the day, the book was very entertaining its flaws are not too major.
It's what I'd assume an average 4* book would be.
April 14, 2017
Such supensivevevevevve.<-that's a period.EXCUSE MY BAD SPELLING.
September 9, 2022
It was halfway to okay. Trash mind and mouth banter, made this a book I wouldn't recommend to younger readers. Along with a certain character's predatory behaviors; which in the end, were excused because he was abused. This story didn't really pan out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
June 28, 2015I've been trying not to give a star rating to DNF-d books. The writing here isn't bad, but after the initial disaster, the plot gets extremely repetitive. I also had a hard time telling some of the characters apart just by name, and they seemed to fit neatly into stereotypes: the dangerous boy, the POC girl, the tragic girl, and the hot nerd.
My other quibble is probably silly, but the author, who was originally from Wisconsin (yeah!) and moved to the Twin Cities (why not?) didn't make me go, "OH YEAH! That's what it's like over here in the Great Lakes!" The trek leader offers to make hamburgers "Sconnie style" by adding cheese. Um. That would be ... a cheeseburger. I've never been somewhere where that's called "Sconnie style," but I can see it maybe being a thing in Madison.
See, here's the deal: there's Madison, and then there's Wisconsin. I'm from SE Wisconsin--practically in Chicago, so maybe that's why I had literally never even heard the word "Sconnie" until last year, when my friend from Madison said it. I thought it was a Wisconsin pronunciation of "scones" or something. I never say "Sconnie." I say "Cheesehead." And it's not like the idea of putting cheese on a burger comes from Wisconsin. I know I'm being super picky here, but it just was like a burr that got on my clothing and was rubbing me the wrong way.
The other odd scene was when everyone was saying where they were from, and one character was embarrassed that she came from Wisconsin when everyone else came from Minnesota. As a Wisconsinite, I feel pretty much nothing one way or the other about Minnesota. They make shoes and I dislike the Vikings, but definitely not as much as I dislike the Bears. The Vikings are wusses because they play indoors. Wusses. We don't want the cold, cold air to chap your delicate hands, now do we? But I didn't think there was *a thing* about being "better" if you come from Minnesota versus Wisconsin. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Finally, I thought that this was going to have a wickedly awesome sci-fi twist. During the first catastrophe our intrepid campers encounter, the sky is described as looking very strange and the fire as not being like anything they'd ever seen. I started bouncing up and down going "Aliens!" but no. It was just a fire. Whomp-whomp.
For die-hard fans of Hatchet; otherwise I'd skip it.
I received an ARC of this title from Edelweiss.
My other quibble is probably silly, but the author, who was originally from Wisconsin (yeah!) and moved to the Twin Cities (why not?) didn't make me go, "OH YEAH! That's what it's like over here in the Great Lakes!" The trek leader offers to make hamburgers "Sconnie style" by adding cheese. Um. That would be ... a cheeseburger. I've never been somewhere where that's called "Sconnie style," but I can see it maybe being a thing in Madison.
See, here's the deal: there's Madison, and then there's Wisconsin. I'm from SE Wisconsin--practically in Chicago, so maybe that's why I had literally never even heard the word "Sconnie" until last year, when my friend from Madison said it. I thought it was a Wisconsin pronunciation of "scones" or something. I never say "Sconnie." I say "Cheesehead." And it's not like the idea of putting cheese on a burger comes from Wisconsin. I know I'm being super picky here, but it just was like a burr that got on my clothing and was rubbing me the wrong way.
The other odd scene was when everyone was saying where they were from, and one character was embarrassed that she came from Wisconsin when everyone else came from Minnesota. As a Wisconsinite, I feel pretty much nothing one way or the other about Minnesota. They make shoes and I dislike the Vikings, but definitely not as much as I dislike the Bears. The Vikings are wusses because they play indoors. Wusses. We don't want the cold, cold air to chap your delicate hands, now do we? But I didn't think there was *a thing* about being "better" if you come from Minnesota versus Wisconsin. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Finally, I thought that this was going to have a wickedly awesome sci-fi twist. During the first catastrophe our intrepid campers encounter, the sky is described as looking very strange and the fire as not being like anything they'd ever seen. I started bouncing up and down going "Aliens!" but no. It was just a fire. Whomp-whomp.
For die-hard fans of Hatchet; otherwise I'd skip it.
I received an ARC of this title from Edelweiss.
October 27, 2015
The author was able to create and describe four very different people in such a way that you are able to picture them. Each character is different and come from different places and grew up in different environments. The events that take place are very creative and flow to each important event as it happens. The story is not rushed or packed with a lot of information. The topic of being stuck on an island or lost in the wilderness is common, but the author makes the story itself very original and it has its own story line and plot so it is an original. The events that take place are very creative and not a copy of events in other stories.
The actions of the characters in this book are consistent with their strengths and weaknesses and their speaking habits are believable. Emma, the main character, lost her younger sister a year ago and is trying to move on from it. She is not a social as she was before and has pushed away those who try and help her. No one expects her to go on the camping trip but when she does her actions show that she is timid and not very social. When she speaks she does not say a lot and does not try and put herself out there as much as the other kids in the beginning of the trip. Emma does change towards the end of the book and she becomes brave and very social with the people she is with. Her actions show throughout the book show that she went from shy and scared to brave and strong. Based on the characters in the book the ending flows naturally.
The actions of the characters in this book are consistent with their strengths and weaknesses and their speaking habits are believable. Emma, the main character, lost her younger sister a year ago and is trying to move on from it. She is not a social as she was before and has pushed away those who try and help her. No one expects her to go on the camping trip but when she does her actions show that she is timid and not very social. When she speaks she does not say a lot and does not try and put herself out there as much as the other kids in the beginning of the trip. Emma does change towards the end of the book and she becomes brave and very social with the people she is with. Her actions show throughout the book show that she went from shy and scared to brave and strong. Based on the characters in the book the ending flows naturally.
February 2, 2016
It has been a year since Emma's little sister Lucy died. Emma is now 17 and moving on with her life, by going on a camping trip. This camping trip is for a week, but it's not with family, it's with a bunch of teenagers her age. Not even half was through the trip and tragic storm occurred. Now it's up to Emma to save herself and the others. Will she make it? You'll have to find out. I recommend this book to people who like survival and realistic fiction. If you liked hatchet you will like this book to.
September 5, 2015
Okay, I just have to say that I absolutely loved this book. I have to admit, I was afraid that this was going to be too much like The Hunger Games when it came to surviving in the forest - but Stranded completely blew me away. It was real, raw, and an all-around page turner in the truest sense of the word. I needed to know what was going to happen next, I felt their hunger and their fear - it was brilliant.
Full Review:
http://reedsreadsreview.com/2015/09/0...
Full Review:
http://reedsreadsreview.com/2015/09/0...
December 9, 2016
Basically just your standard teens-get-lost-in-woods-and-must-survive novel. Not really my thing, hence the low rating, but overall, a little repetitive but not bad. Definitely a short and easy read.
June 5, 2017
Braun writes a very fast paced novel of young adults stranded in the wilderness fighting to save their own lives. Unfortunately, the story is larger than life in many areas and quite unbelievable for readers who have read very good, realistic "stranded" stories. Also, the character development was not strong enough to make this very memorable. So I'll walk through those points...
Pros - Very fast read with light-hearted characters.
Cons - (some spoilers here)
The character development left a lot to be desired. Although Emma had a backstory, no one else did and hers wasn't strong enough to carry the story. I suppose the author was trying to show through her dreams or premonitions that she was evolving in the wilderness but it came across as totally spaced out confusion. It only works if the character figures it out as well as the reader. We figured out what was happening but Emma seemed to still feel as though everything was her fault until the last pages and she still didn't fully identify with it. We had a little hint of Isaac's backstory but we had that overtaken by his sour, demeaning attitude so in the end, we just didn't care if he was hurt. Chloe and Oscar unfortunately were place holders for barriers and forced love. Chloe hurts herself early on which of course is the barrier for the group to do things they would naturally do and make it a harder, slower journey. Oscar is the love interest and that's where his backstory stops. Wish there was more on him so I could actually care about any love interests. The dialogue was not memorable nore did it open us up to any character backstories. All the characters ended the book knowing absolutely nothing about each other. What happened to the bonding through survival?
Now to the big whoppers...the weather changing so drastically (hard to believe), a winter storm coming but its warm days earlier (hard to believe), a moose being chased by wolves for days (hard to believe), falling down a ravine and holding a person with one hand for a very long time (hard to believe), Isaac's constant sexual actions and innuendos not being stood up to by anyone (uh...), Isaac being quickly forgiven and not even confronted entirely about abandoning a person in the woods and his racist comments (hard to believe), no one using the items in their bags appropriately (uhhh...). So there's lots of things as a reader where you'll stop and go "why don't they use the mirror? What happened to the flashlight? Why did someone use all lighter fluid and matches in one day and no one said anything?".
While the story was fast, it was hard to suspend my belief constantly.
Raging Book Reviews
Pros - Very fast read with light-hearted characters.
Cons - (some spoilers here)
The character development left a lot to be desired. Although Emma had a backstory, no one else did and hers wasn't strong enough to carry the story. I suppose the author was trying to show through her dreams or premonitions that she was evolving in the wilderness but it came across as totally spaced out confusion. It only works if the character figures it out as well as the reader. We figured out what was happening but Emma seemed to still feel as though everything was her fault until the last pages and she still didn't fully identify with it. We had a little hint of Isaac's backstory but we had that overtaken by his sour, demeaning attitude so in the end, we just didn't care if he was hurt. Chloe and Oscar unfortunately were place holders for barriers and forced love. Chloe hurts herself early on which of course is the barrier for the group to do things they would naturally do and make it a harder, slower journey. Oscar is the love interest and that's where his backstory stops. Wish there was more on him so I could actually care about any love interests. The dialogue was not memorable nore did it open us up to any character backstories. All the characters ended the book knowing absolutely nothing about each other. What happened to the bonding through survival?
Now to the big whoppers...the weather changing so drastically (hard to believe), a winter storm coming but its warm days earlier (hard to believe), a moose being chased by wolves for days (hard to believe), falling down a ravine and holding a person with one hand for a very long time (hard to believe), Isaac's constant sexual actions and innuendos not being stood up to by anyone (uh...), Isaac being quickly forgiven and not even confronted entirely about abandoning a person in the woods and his racist comments (hard to believe), no one using the items in their bags appropriately (uhhh...). So there's lots of things as a reader where you'll stop and go "why don't they use the mirror? What happened to the flashlight? Why did someone use all lighter fluid and matches in one day and no one said anything?".
While the story was fast, it was hard to suspend my belief constantly.
Raging Book Reviews
March 12, 2021
The Book that I read was Stranded By Melinda Braun. This novel has some action and adventure and is considered to be an Adventure Fiction. Stranded is about a group of Teenagers that have never met before. They all signed up for a week-long hiking trip in a forest near Lake Superior. Although they all have their problems with each other they have to come together to face the harsh situations that were to come, which caused the Duration of their one week trip to increase. They end up getting stranded in the woods with no experience whatsoever. They had to strive for food and shelter.
I do recommend this book. I recommend this book to people who like to read about survival and to people who don’t normally read about survival and adventure. The author always keeps the reader interested and engaged in the story. She also uses a figure of speech that allows the reader to imagine what is happening in the novel. There were also parts in the novel that had my heart pumping, which had me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I would recommend this book more to teens. This is because the characters are all teenagers so I feel that they would be more interested.
One reason why I would recommend this book is because it uses alot of figurative language that like I said before that allows the reader to imagine the events that are taking place. Example #1 The characters had to go into the lake to save themselves, the characters were saying that the water is really cold. From my perspective I could picture what was going on in that situation. Example #2 is “Snap. Crackle. Pop. Just like the cereal. Just like a fire. This is a fire. A campfire. A giant campfire that we’re inside of. We’re the meat, Ready to be cooked” (Braun 62). Just like before I could imagine what the characters were going through, but I could almost feel it too.
Another reason why I recommend this book is because it has action and adventure. For example the characters in this novel had to survive in woods on their own without a guide to help them. They had to survive based on what they knew or what the others knew to survive. Another example is the characters had build a shelter out of sticks to keep their supplies and themselves from getting wet, But instead that shelter saved them from an animal attack.
Although there is a lot of good background in this novel there are a few faults with this book. Here is one. This book in my opinion is hard to follow what is going on sometimes. There will be one thing happening in one I guess you could say chapters and in the next it completely changes to something else making it hard to follow.
I do recommend this book. I recommend this book to people who like to read about survival and to people who don’t normally read about survival and adventure. The author always keeps the reader interested and engaged in the story. She also uses a figure of speech that allows the reader to imagine what is happening in the novel. There were also parts in the novel that had my heart pumping, which had me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I would recommend this book more to teens. This is because the characters are all teenagers so I feel that they would be more interested.
One reason why I would recommend this book is because it uses alot of figurative language that like I said before that allows the reader to imagine the events that are taking place. Example #1 The characters had to go into the lake to save themselves, the characters were saying that the water is really cold. From my perspective I could picture what was going on in that situation. Example #2 is “Snap. Crackle. Pop. Just like the cereal. Just like a fire. This is a fire. A campfire. A giant campfire that we’re inside of. We’re the meat, Ready to be cooked” (Braun 62). Just like before I could imagine what the characters were going through, but I could almost feel it too.
Another reason why I recommend this book is because it has action and adventure. For example the characters in this novel had to survive in woods on their own without a guide to help them. They had to survive based on what they knew or what the others knew to survive. Another example is the characters had build a shelter out of sticks to keep their supplies and themselves from getting wet, But instead that shelter saved them from an animal attack.
Although there is a lot of good background in this novel there are a few faults with this book. Here is one. This book in my opinion is hard to follow what is going on sometimes. There will be one thing happening in one I guess you could say chapters and in the next it completely changes to something else making it hard to follow.
February 9, 2017
As someone who has been out backpacking in some seriously nasty “are we going to die now?” storms, I was really excited to pick this one up. It follows the story of Emma who decides to go on a week long backpacking retreat to help recover from a serious loss she suffered a year prior. The first couple days everything is grand, until the guide of the trip—along with two of the other campers—is killed in a freak wind storm. This leaves Emma alone with the three remaining campers; Isaac, Oscar, and Chloe, and very few remaining supplies. They have to struggle to survive even though none of them really know what they’re doing, and one of them seems determined to put themselves first at the expense of all else.
Braun does a great job of portraying the beauty of the wilderness meshed together with the sort of chaos only nature can bring. There’s some wonderfully atmospheric scenes scattered throughout the book that do a delightful job of setting the mood, and the characters all seemed to react exactly how you’d expect a bunch of teenager to act in a situation like this. Emma’s backstory about what she lost that brought her out to this trip is sprinkled in slowly enough to keep the reader interested, but not so slow as to be annoying. Really, the only thing that could have improved this book for me was a bit more meat to the ending. I prefer survival stories where you get a bit more of the “after they were rescued” story, but they seem weirdly hard to find. Often, like this book, the story cuts off right after the rescue. Aside from that though, this was a great book and I would highly recommend it.
Braun does a great job of portraying the beauty of the wilderness meshed together with the sort of chaos only nature can bring. There’s some wonderfully atmospheric scenes scattered throughout the book that do a delightful job of setting the mood, and the characters all seemed to react exactly how you’d expect a bunch of teenager to act in a situation like this. Emma’s backstory about what she lost that brought her out to this trip is sprinkled in slowly enough to keep the reader interested, but not so slow as to be annoying. Really, the only thing that could have improved this book for me was a bit more meat to the ending. I prefer survival stories where you get a bit more of the “after they were rescued” story, but they seem weirdly hard to find. Often, like this book, the story cuts off right after the rescue. Aside from that though, this was a great book and I would highly recommend it.
January 15, 2025
I enjoyed this. I'm a sucker for man vs nature and working-together-to-survive books.
I did find a lot of things hard to believe. [MINOR SPOILER ALERT] One of the major ones was the issue with directions. It's like day 8 or something. They're intelligent, with some outdoorsmanship between them, and they've had a lot of days with at least partial sun, and they're all like "I wish we had a compass to figure out which direction is which." And I'm thinking, um…look at the sun! No, it won't give you an exact direction, and a lot depends on the season, latitude, if the sun's too high in the sky, etc., but if all you want is—for example--to head southward to eventually run into a road or something, the sun will give you a pretty good clue. But none of them even think about that? And the solution they eventually come up isn't hugely more accurate, so why on Earth does one character keep asking the makeshift compass holder if they are still going east, when I got the distinct impression the compass holder is actually leading them south? Can't the others tell, more or less, if they're going in the generally right direction? This was a major plot point, so it really bothered me. [END SPOILERS]
A lot of other things stretched believability (the cliff thing, the wolves, etc), and the characterization could have been deeper, but it was a fun read, a good adventure, with the situation getting worse and worse. The writing was smooth.
[SEMI SPOILER ALERT] And I liked the way it didn't go all fantasy but stayed grounded. [END SPOILERS]
Recommended for people who don't mind a bit of unbelievability in their survival stories.
I did find a lot of things hard to believe. [MINOR SPOILER ALERT] One of the major ones was the issue with directions. It's like day 8 or something. They're intelligent, with some outdoorsmanship between them, and they've had a lot of days with at least partial sun, and they're all like "I wish we had a compass to figure out which direction is which." And I'm thinking, um…look at the sun! No, it won't give you an exact direction, and a lot depends on the season, latitude, if the sun's too high in the sky, etc., but if all you want is—for example--to head southward to eventually run into a road or something, the sun will give you a pretty good clue. But none of them even think about that? And the solution they eventually come up isn't hugely more accurate, so why on Earth does one character keep asking the makeshift compass holder if they are still going east, when I got the distinct impression the compass holder is actually leading them south? Can't the others tell, more or less, if they're going in the generally right direction? This was a major plot point, so it really bothered me. [END SPOILERS]
A lot of other things stretched believability (the cliff thing, the wolves, etc), and the characterization could have been deeper, but it was a fun read, a good adventure, with the situation getting worse and worse. The writing was smooth.
[SEMI SPOILER ALERT] And I liked the way it didn't go all fantasy but stayed grounded. [END SPOILERS]
Recommended for people who don't mind a bit of unbelievability in their survival stories.
May 7, 2024
My face is crying, Lucy.
It's okay, Emmy, the sun will come out soon.
+
This was just... Okay.
Here's the thing! It was an easy read. It was engaging enough that I got through it quickly. Still, it did not leave much of an impression at all.
Like with a small cast of four characters and a single setting, that leaves a lot of room to really explore what makes these characters tick as well as their relationships. Still, I could not tell you a single thing about Oscar or Chloe. Isaac, all I know is he's super creepy and his father is abusive. As for Emma, the loss of her sister should have been the driving force behind her character. Yet, I don't think it had much impact at all. Just nightmares.
Because of that, it doesn't seem to me that the characters underwent any growth. The entire book was more or less a day by day account of their survival.
What if the crash gave Emma a fear of water that she had to conquer at the end in order to capture the attention of the plane? Just spitballing here lol, but I just... despite twelve days going by not much happened. There was never even an explanation for the freak storm that took out their group members and leader.
Kudos for it being engaging enough for me to want to read it all, I suppose. The writing could have been better though. Like some of the similes didn't even make sense.
It's okay, Emmy, the sun will come out soon.
+
This was just... Okay.
Here's the thing! It was an easy read. It was engaging enough that I got through it quickly. Still, it did not leave much of an impression at all.
Like with a small cast of four characters and a single setting, that leaves a lot of room to really explore what makes these characters tick as well as their relationships. Still, I could not tell you a single thing about Oscar or Chloe. Isaac, all I know is he's super creepy and his father is abusive. As for Emma, the loss of her sister should have been the driving force behind her character. Yet, I don't think it had much impact at all. Just nightmares.
Because of that, it doesn't seem to me that the characters underwent any growth. The entire book was more or less a day by day account of their survival.
What if the crash gave Emma a fear of water that she had to conquer at the end in order to capture the attention of the plane? Just spitballing here lol, but I just... despite twelve days going by not much happened. There was never even an explanation for the freak storm that took out their group members and leader.
Kudos for it being engaging enough for me to want to read it all, I suppose. The writing could have been better though. Like some of the similes didn't even make sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2018
Stranded by Melinda Braun is a story about four teenagers. Specifically the characters are two girls named Emma and Chloe also two guys named Isaac and Oscar. They go on a camping trip but things go wrong and a big storm hit them and destroyed what they had now they have to keep learning ways to survive. This novel was entertaining because it had many scenes where action was taken place where there was suspense because it was suspenseful and entertaining it would catch my eye more and make me want to read more. They had to overcome many challenges from finding or making shelter to looking for food or clothes and not all the time they get a long but eventually they did. For example, in the beginning, the main character Emma believes that they her and her friends will be found by an airplane and that leads to the others not believing or sometimes believing. If you enjoy suspenseful stories, then you will love Stranded because there are multiple scenes where many obstacles were thrown at them.
January 10, 2025
A very good and short read!
Wish they would have gone through the backstory of the main girl more and why she has all her trauma. I like how the story is set up as days (morning, afternoon and evening) instead of chapters to indicate how long these kids were stranded.
I've always been a fan of watching shows about survivors going through traumatic events, so I knew this book was going to interest me. It moved pretty fast, but I wish there was some more character development and we learned more about some of them.
It's mentioned that one of the characters could have been abused at home, but it's never brought up again. He also tries to come on to the FMC multiple times, but then treats her badly the next second. I feel like there were a lot of unanswered questions especially when they're saved and how their relationships continue after being saved. The relationship between two characters kind of just stops.
Other than some of that, it was a great read and I would definitely recommend it.
Wish they would have gone through the backstory of the main girl more and why she has all her trauma. I like how the story is set up as days (morning, afternoon and evening) instead of chapters to indicate how long these kids were stranded.
I've always been a fan of watching shows about survivors going through traumatic events, so I knew this book was going to interest me. It moved pretty fast, but I wish there was some more character development and we learned more about some of them.
It's mentioned that one of the characters could have been abused at home, but it's never brought up again. He also tries to come on to the FMC multiple times, but then treats her badly the next second. I feel like there were a lot of unanswered questions especially when they're saved and how their relationships continue after being saved. The relationship between two characters kind of just stops.
Other than some of that, it was a great read and I would definitely recommend it.
Read
March 26, 2017I chose the book Stranded by Melinda Braun because, it looked like it would be interesting. It was about a group of kids that were stranded after a windstorm killed their guide and everyone else in their group. The protagonist of the story is Emma Johnson.
Emma’s conflict began when her younger sister and her were in a tragic car crash in which her sister died. A year later she decided to go on a week long hike with a group. Only to be faced with even more conflict when a windstorm kills her guide and only leaves three other kids alive and stranded with no map, no compass, and little supplies. Once they get themselves together they head to Lake Superior, where someone might be able to help them. The theme of this book is that, you should never give up because there is always hope.
I give this book a ⅘ stars because, at some points it would slow down and be a little boring, but overall it was a suspenseful good book and always had me guessing what will happen next.
Emma’s conflict began when her younger sister and her were in a tragic car crash in which her sister died. A year later she decided to go on a week long hike with a group. Only to be faced with even more conflict when a windstorm kills her guide and only leaves three other kids alive and stranded with no map, no compass, and little supplies. Once they get themselves together they head to Lake Superior, where someone might be able to help them. The theme of this book is that, you should never give up because there is always hope.
I give this book a ⅘ stars because, at some points it would slow down and be a little boring, but overall it was a suspenseful good book and always had me guessing what will happen next.
October 19, 2017
Emma has never been the same since she survived a car accident a year ago that killed her younger sister Lucy, blaming herself for being unable to save her. She has been struggling to find a way to move on but sees an advert for a week long survival trip for teenagers and decides to join up. In the beginning it is hard work and tiring, but one night it all changes when a freak storm kills their experienced guide and leaves the survivors stranded out in the wild. With fire threatening to destroy their camp, wolves in the woods and little idea of what to do next, they must work together to survive the ordeal which may be easier said than done.
Firstly I need to point out that the blurb is very misleading. It makes it sound as if one of the survivors is ready to kill everyone else to survive but that is not true. One of the group does value his neck more than being part of a group effort, and does a few things that show he cares little about the others but he never attempts to kill or maim anyone, so that is misleading to say the least.
For the most part I liked the story well enough. It covers the day to day challenges of what to do if your experienced guide is no longer there to tell you what to do. They lose much of their supplies in the storm and have to quickly salvage what they can before the fire destroys the camp. Now they face the choice of deciding which way to go to find a safer place with a water supply and hopefully food. How long should they wait there for rescue with a winter storm due to come in a week? Do they risk trying to save themselves by hiking out? How do they find regular food to sustain them? You can put yourself in their position and think about what you would have done in their situation. Do you stay by the lake where you have found decent food and water and where they are more likely to look for you, or try to hike out before the weather turns and supplies run out?
I did find the dilemmas interesting enough but I felt that the book lacked that something to make it really exciting and I think that it comes down to issues with the characters and the dialogue. Emma is the MC and reasonably likable but she wasn't the kind of MC that I would love and root for. She is emotionally damaged by her ordeal but I just don't get why she wants to deal with that by going on a survival hike with strangers in the middle of nowhere where she has to use canoes on the water. To me, she hasn't attempted to deal with her guilt and grief yet and should never have been allowed to do something like this. I don't think I ever really 'get' her which made it harder to connect with her. I found Chloe to be a much more interesting character overall.
Isaac and Oscar to me were let downs. Isaac being selfish and looking to abandon them at the first sign of trouble didn't actually bother me that much as some people would be like that in a similar situation. What bothered me about him was the fact that he first spied on Emma bathing in the water, stole her towel and made her walk naked to him to fetch it. Then he threatened Emma later by pinning her to a tree in a sexual manner, saying he liked screamers and made it look like he was going to strip her. When he drops her to the ground, Emma says 'thanks'????? and that is the end of it. The author seems to then want us to feel sorry for Isaac by telling us his father physically abuses him, but I was having none of that. What he did to Emma, I wasn't going to forgive. I hate this kind of writing where implied sexual violence against women is just brushed off like that.
As for Oscar, he was there as the love interest and his character was just boring. There is no reason at all why he and Emma would get together, no chemistry between them, nothing much in common. It is like he is hot guy and one of the two girls MUST like him. It all felt very forced and shoved in there to add some kind of romance element and to me it never worked. There was also the mood he goes into when he is told to give up his book so they can make a fire and he starts whining about it. Look, I love books but in the cold forest, they need a fire to keep away the animals, possibly signal their position to rescuers AND cook the fish that Isaac caught before it goes off. The fact that he was virtually bullied by the other three before sulkily handing over the book was really quite pathetic.
The dialogue between the characters was actually quite dull in places and I struggled to really understand them and their motivations. The conversations were awkward and stilted, and at times I really failed to see what they were talking about. It didn't feel realistic to me. I couldn't imagine talking like that to my friends so it made the development of these characters feel a bit off. I also felt the ending was a bit disappointing. I discuss this in the next paragraph if you want to avoid it.
***SPOILER ALERT*** Emma is about to be reunited with her parents who have been worried sick about her, and Oscar insists on being there to witness it and holds her hand as they come into the room. Seriously? Is he marking his territory, insisting on being there for a private family moment when he has known her five minutes??? I found that really annoying. Imagine her parents coming in, having thought she was dead, to be faced with a strange boy grinning and holding her hand??? ***SPOILER ENDS***
Look, it was a decent enough story especially aimed at a YA audience but I was expecting a bit more meat on the bones. They never felt like a real team until the final day of the drama when things go really bad. The conversations didn't really work. The characters didn't excite me. I feel it had a lot of promise and good ideas which for me were not fully delivered. I don't think I'll read her next survival book as I just don't feel her writing is really for me, though fans of YA might like it better.
2.5 stars.
Firstly I need to point out that the blurb is very misleading. It makes it sound as if one of the survivors is ready to kill everyone else to survive but that is not true. One of the group does value his neck more than being part of a group effort, and does a few things that show he cares little about the others but he never attempts to kill or maim anyone, so that is misleading to say the least.
For the most part I liked the story well enough. It covers the day to day challenges of what to do if your experienced guide is no longer there to tell you what to do. They lose much of their supplies in the storm and have to quickly salvage what they can before the fire destroys the camp. Now they face the choice of deciding which way to go to find a safer place with a water supply and hopefully food. How long should they wait there for rescue with a winter storm due to come in a week? Do they risk trying to save themselves by hiking out? How do they find regular food to sustain them? You can put yourself in their position and think about what you would have done in their situation. Do you stay by the lake where you have found decent food and water and where they are more likely to look for you, or try to hike out before the weather turns and supplies run out?
I did find the dilemmas interesting enough but I felt that the book lacked that something to make it really exciting and I think that it comes down to issues with the characters and the dialogue. Emma is the MC and reasonably likable but she wasn't the kind of MC that I would love and root for. She is emotionally damaged by her ordeal but I just don't get why she wants to deal with that by going on a survival hike with strangers in the middle of nowhere where she has to use canoes on the water. To me, she hasn't attempted to deal with her guilt and grief yet and should never have been allowed to do something like this. I don't think I ever really 'get' her which made it harder to connect with her. I found Chloe to be a much more interesting character overall.
Isaac and Oscar to me were let downs. Isaac being selfish and looking to abandon them at the first sign of trouble didn't actually bother me that much as some people would be like that in a similar situation. What bothered me about him was the fact that he first spied on Emma bathing in the water, stole her towel and made her walk naked to him to fetch it. Then he threatened Emma later by pinning her to a tree in a sexual manner, saying he liked screamers and made it look like he was going to strip her. When he drops her to the ground, Emma says 'thanks'????? and that is the end of it. The author seems to then want us to feel sorry for Isaac by telling us his father physically abuses him, but I was having none of that. What he did to Emma, I wasn't going to forgive. I hate this kind of writing where implied sexual violence against women is just brushed off like that.
As for Oscar, he was there as the love interest and his character was just boring. There is no reason at all why he and Emma would get together, no chemistry between them, nothing much in common. It is like he is hot guy and one of the two girls MUST like him. It all felt very forced and shoved in there to add some kind of romance element and to me it never worked. There was also the mood he goes into when he is told to give up his book so they can make a fire and he starts whining about it. Look, I love books but in the cold forest, they need a fire to keep away the animals, possibly signal their position to rescuers AND cook the fish that Isaac caught before it goes off. The fact that he was virtually bullied by the other three before sulkily handing over the book was really quite pathetic.
The dialogue between the characters was actually quite dull in places and I struggled to really understand them and their motivations. The conversations were awkward and stilted, and at times I really failed to see what they were talking about. It didn't feel realistic to me. I couldn't imagine talking like that to my friends so it made the development of these characters feel a bit off. I also felt the ending was a bit disappointing. I discuss this in the next paragraph if you want to avoid it.
***SPOILER ALERT*** Emma is about to be reunited with her parents who have been worried sick about her, and Oscar insists on being there to witness it and holds her hand as they come into the room. Seriously? Is he marking his territory, insisting on being there for a private family moment when he has known her five minutes??? I found that really annoying. Imagine her parents coming in, having thought she was dead, to be faced with a strange boy grinning and holding her hand??? ***SPOILER ENDS***
Look, it was a decent enough story especially aimed at a YA audience but I was expecting a bit more meat on the bones. They never felt like a real team until the final day of the drama when things go really bad. The conversations didn't really work. The characters didn't excite me. I feel it had a lot of promise and good ideas which for me were not fully delivered. I don't think I'll read her next survival book as I just don't feel her writing is really for me, though fans of YA might like it better.
2.5 stars.
December 17, 2018
This book has to be one of my most favorite because of the hard times and decisions the characters have to make in it. In the story, is very easy to understand and follow it well. I never wanted to put this book down. In this book, the main character named Emma had lost her sister in a car accident, but she finds an alternative to thinking about it. She finds a poster of a camp in the summer and signs up for it. When the camp comes around, she doesn't know what she is in for, and neither do the other campers. The suspense and mystery in this book lead me on, something new happening every chapter. This book was far from boring, which is what made me love it so much. I give this book 5 stars. Also, I recommend this book for anyone, but especially for people who love a good mystery.
October 30, 2020
Disclaimer: PTSD, animal cruelty, graphic scenes, slight nudity, sexual assault/harassment, child abuse, stereotypes and prejudice.
Emma Dodd became a strong survivor and quick thinker. Emma was able to deal with her grief towards someone she lost during this critical time for the four teens to survive. I liked how sweet Oscar O'Brien was towards Emma. Chloe Johnson was a underdog character. She felt useless when she was injured then she saved them a few times. Isaac Bergstrom was not a likeable character since the beginning and the middle. He has some serious issues to deal with but he was helpful at times.
Emma Dodd became a strong survivor and quick thinker. Emma was able to deal with her grief towards someone she lost during this critical time for the four teens to survive. I liked how sweet Oscar O'Brien was towards Emma. Chloe Johnson was a underdog character. She felt useless when she was injured then she saved them a few times. Isaac Bergstrom was not a likeable character since the beginning and the middle. He has some serious issues to deal with but he was helpful at times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2024
Stranded is an exciting survival story about teens who get lost in the wilderness during a hiking trip. They face bad weather, injuries, and danger while trying to survive. It’s all about teamwork, bravery, and not giving up. I recommend this book to middle and high schoolers who like action and survival stories like Hatchet. It’s fast-paced and easy to read, making it perfect for 7th graders. My favorite part was when they had to cross a freezing river, it was really intense. I recommend this type of book to people who like suspense and thrill.
June 24, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I received the book in my May book box from Books and Worms. It was a book that you couldn't put down because you wanted to see what was going to happen next. The characters all came together because each one had their own set of problems. During their camping trip a tragedy occurs and forces the characters to work together to get out of the woods. This book had me crying at the end. Happy tears. A Happy ending.
January 8, 2018
I thought this book was really good! I finished it in two days, as it was a very fast read. I was kind of annoyed with Issac's character, but I think that was the author's goal. I love books dealing with natural disasters or survival so I would definitely recommend this book. There's even a little bit of really adorable romance!!!
April 27, 2018
I enjoyed this book.
It was interesting and engaging
Especially seeing how Emma changes through
The story as if she learns to forgive herself
For her sisters death.
She appears to grow stronger going through
Being stranded dealing with herself and
With others.
Just a good story line in my opinion
and just that my opinion as we know opinions
Are not right or wrong just opinions.
It was interesting and engaging
Especially seeing how Emma changes through
The story as if she learns to forgive herself
For her sisters death.
She appears to grow stronger going through
Being stranded dealing with herself and
With others.
Just a good story line in my opinion
and just that my opinion as we know opinions
Are not right or wrong just opinions.
September 25, 2017
In my opinion this book was okay. It was very unrealistic because they have way to many bad things happen to them. It had a very good story line though and the characters are very well thought out and have different personalities. I do recommend for young teens who like a drama/ mystery.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2018
This book was amazing! Quite the page-turner I must say. I won't say to much as to avoid spoilers, but this book really does a great job of describing the human spirit and the fight and willingness we have in all of us to survive!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews