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Survival Instincts
By the bestselling author of A Beautiful, Terrible Thing, a haunting thriller about a mother and daughter who must draw strength from each other when they find themselves trapped in a cabin with a stranger who wants to either control them--or kill them.
FOURTEEN YEARS BEFORE THE CABIN: Twenty-something Anne meets the man of her dreams right out of college, but after they get married, Anne notices that her husband begins acting differently. Why is Ethan suddenly so moody? And will their marriage endure?
A WEEK BEFORE THE CABIN: Ten years later, Anne and her twelve-year-old daughter, Thea, are safely living in Vermont. Anne is a successful therapist, Thea has friends at her new school, and they receive an endless stream of love, support, and baked goods from Anne's sweet mom, Rose. When Thea takes to brooding and showing classic signs of teen angst, a trip for the three women to the White Mountains of New Hampshire seems like the perfect chance to bond.
THE CABIN: A man follows the three women on a hike at a nature reserve and drags them at gunpoint to an abandoned cabin in the woods. And just like that their peaceful weekend away turns into a fight for survival. It isn't clear what this man wants from these women or how he is connected to them if at all, but it is increasingly clear that they won't all get out of the cabin alive.
SURVIVAL INSTINCTS is a captivating and terrifying novel that brings to life one of the scariest truths of all--that people's inner monsters come in various forms, some more recognizable than others, and that we are all one random encounter away from tragedy.
FOURTEEN YEARS BEFORE THE CABIN: Twenty-something Anne meets the man of her dreams right out of college, but after they get married, Anne notices that her husband begins acting differently. Why is Ethan suddenly so moody? And will their marriage endure?
A WEEK BEFORE THE CABIN: Ten years later, Anne and her twelve-year-old daughter, Thea, are safely living in Vermont. Anne is a successful therapist, Thea has friends at her new school, and they receive an endless stream of love, support, and baked goods from Anne's sweet mom, Rose. When Thea takes to brooding and showing classic signs of teen angst, a trip for the three women to the White Mountains of New Hampshire seems like the perfect chance to bond.
THE CABIN: A man follows the three women on a hike at a nature reserve and drags them at gunpoint to an abandoned cabin in the woods. And just like that their peaceful weekend away turns into a fight for survival. It isn't clear what this man wants from these women or how he is connected to them if at all, but it is increasingly clear that they won't all get out of the cabin alive.
SURVIVAL INSTINCTS is a captivating and terrifying novel that brings to life one of the scariest truths of all--that people's inner monsters come in various forms, some more recognizable than others, and that we are all one random encounter away from tragedy.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2020
68 people are currently reading
1661 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
November 16, 2020
I'm so torn on the rating for this one, at times it felt like a solid four star read but towards the end it was just kind of 'okay' and that garner's a three-star rating, I'm calling it at 3.5 and rounding it up! So in this story we have a grandma, mom and teenage daughter who are all kidnapped and held hostage at remote cabin during (I think) a snow storm. Needless to say that synopsis had me excited like none other!! I was thinking of Ruth Ware's debut In a Dark Dark Wood! That being said, I thought this would be a 100% thrillfest from start to finish, but it kept jumping back and forth in time, which affected the pacing, or flow of the story for me, somehow. I know the alternating time periods added depth to the characters and storyline, but I just felt like it was a mismatch at times for the whole 'guy keeping three helpless women hostage at a creepy remote cabin with a deadly weapon,' premise, IDK it could just be me! I did enjoy the overall writing style quite a bit and definitely didn't feel like there were any dull moments necessarily, just a few pausing of the action parts, is how I will put it. I was entertained and intrigied enough to continue reading, as I wanted to find out the reasoning behind this madman's actions, motivations and who exactly he was, and I was fairly surprised by that reveal when it came. I don't know that I would put this on one of my favorites of 2020 list but it was solid nonetheless in a year full of great releases. I would definitely recommend this to those fond of the genre, and I will most definitely continue reading this author!
July 8, 2020
This letter was sent to Dutton:
I recently received a NetGalley widget of Survival Instincts by Jen Waite, which I honestly couldn't wait to read based off of the synopsis. However, after making it 20% into this book, I am utterly disgusted by the amount of racist and stereotypical behavior that has made it through editing.
The first scene that I would like to point out occurs in chapter seven (Anne One Day Before the Cabin) when she is headed to the cabin with her daughter and mother. They are coming up on the town of Ammonoosuc. In this scene, they each make fun of the pronunciation of Ammonoosuc and challenge each other to say it ten times in a row. This is an actual name that comes from the Abnaki, which is an indigenous tribe that has literally been decimated by white people. And here we have white people making fun of that name? How tone deaf can you be?
Let's keep going.
Thea is in school. Her mother wants her to take French because it's the sophisticated language. Instead, she chooses Spanish. The Spanish teacher (Senora Pilas) is a squat, mean woman with a mole that makes Thea realize that her mother was right about taking French instead. Really? That is the stereotype we are going with?
But it gets better, Senora Pilas is then removed from her position and replaced by a white male: Mr. Redmond. The students literally say that "he doesn't look latino" to which he responds that he learned his Spanish from studying abroad for a year in Spain. So that makes him an expert on a culture that is NOT his own?
I am disappointed in Dutton for pushing a book like this through editing. Have you stopped to consider how Indigenous people would feel about this? What about the Latinx community?
I will not support this book and will use my voice to say so unless Dutton corrects these issues.
I recently received a NetGalley widget of Survival Instincts by Jen Waite, which I honestly couldn't wait to read based off of the synopsis. However, after making it 20% into this book, I am utterly disgusted by the amount of racist and stereotypical behavior that has made it through editing.
The first scene that I would like to point out occurs in chapter seven (Anne One Day Before the Cabin) when she is headed to the cabin with her daughter and mother. They are coming up on the town of Ammonoosuc. In this scene, they each make fun of the pronunciation of Ammonoosuc and challenge each other to say it ten times in a row. This is an actual name that comes from the Abnaki, which is an indigenous tribe that has literally been decimated by white people. And here we have white people making fun of that name? How tone deaf can you be?
Let's keep going.
Thea is in school. Her mother wants her to take French because it's the sophisticated language. Instead, she chooses Spanish. The Spanish teacher (Senora Pilas) is a squat, mean woman with a mole that makes Thea realize that her mother was right about taking French instead. Really? That is the stereotype we are going with?
But it gets better, Senora Pilas is then removed from her position and replaced by a white male: Mr. Redmond. The students literally say that "he doesn't look latino" to which he responds that he learned his Spanish from studying abroad for a year in Spain. So that makes him an expert on a culture that is NOT his own?
I am disappointed in Dutton for pushing a book like this through editing. Have you stopped to consider how Indigenous people would feel about this? What about the Latinx community?
I will not support this book and will use my voice to say so unless Dutton corrects these issues.
July 14, 2020
*Many thanks to NetGalley, Dutton, and Jen Waite for an ARC of this book!* Now available as of 7.14!
Therapist Anne is struggling to connect with her preteen daughter Thea, and comes up with the idea to take her daughter and mother Rose to the snowy mountains for some hiking, relaxation, and bonding time. When an armed man rushes at them in the woods, however, things take a desperate turn, and all three generations end up trapped in a cabin with no cell service, no means of escape, and no one to rely on but one another. Can they combat the elements AND their captor...and stay strong enough to survive?
I was very excited to be granted a wish by the publisher for this title and didn't have much knowledge of the plot going in, other than this was a thriller featuring a family trapped in a cabin. Surprisingly, however, most of this book focuses on the backstories of all of the characters rather than the kidnapping itself, jumping back and forth throughout the past during the entire novel. I had trouble feeling connected to or frightened for this family's current predicament because the narrative moved around so much, it was difficult to keep track of where we were in time. This novel had more of a domestic thriller feel than I was anticipating, but what was exciting and suspenseful in the beginning slowed down dramatically as the story went on. The ending ties all of the character's stories together, but I feel in some aspects it was a little overwrought and could have been simpler. My favorite character was Rose, and I honestly would have been fine hearing most of the story from her!
This book will certainly appeal to those who enjoy a good multi-generational domestic thriller with powerful women who refuse to be taken down! 3.5 ⭐️
Therapist Anne is struggling to connect with her preteen daughter Thea, and comes up with the idea to take her daughter and mother Rose to the snowy mountains for some hiking, relaxation, and bonding time. When an armed man rushes at them in the woods, however, things take a desperate turn, and all three generations end up trapped in a cabin with no cell service, no means of escape, and no one to rely on but one another. Can they combat the elements AND their captor...and stay strong enough to survive?
I was very excited to be granted a wish by the publisher for this title and didn't have much knowledge of the plot going in, other than this was a thriller featuring a family trapped in a cabin. Surprisingly, however, most of this book focuses on the backstories of all of the characters rather than the kidnapping itself, jumping back and forth throughout the past during the entire novel. I had trouble feeling connected to or frightened for this family's current predicament because the narrative moved around so much, it was difficult to keep track of where we were in time. This novel had more of a domestic thriller feel than I was anticipating, but what was exciting and suspenseful in the beginning slowed down dramatically as the story went on. The ending ties all of the character's stories together, but I feel in some aspects it was a little overwrought and could have been simpler. My favorite character was Rose, and I honestly would have been fine hearing most of the story from her!
This book will certainly appeal to those who enjoy a good multi-generational domestic thriller with powerful women who refuse to be taken down! 3.5 ⭐️
July 16, 2020
Fight or Flight? What is your instinct when you’re fighting for your life?
“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path. – Agatha Christie.
I breezed through this highly engaging and enjoyable ride. The dual timelines and perspectives kept me on my toes and the short chapters sealed the deal. A very satisfying summer binge read for fans of Chevy Stevens and Mary Kubica.
**A few problematic scenes were found and brought to the attention of the author. The author and publisher are working to edit these out of the paperback and ecopies.**
“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path. – Agatha Christie.
I breezed through this highly engaging and enjoyable ride. The dual timelines and perspectives kept me on my toes and the short chapters sealed the deal. A very satisfying summer binge read for fans of Chevy Stevens and Mary Kubica.
**A few problematic scenes were found and brought to the attention of the author. The author and publisher are working to edit these out of the paperback and ecopies.**
July 31, 2020
Before I get into my own thoughts about this one I want to address the problematic issues that I didn’t even realize were in the book until after I read my friend Toya’s review @thereadingchemist be sure to check her post out, it was eye opening for me for sure. I also want to say that the team at Dutton and the author herself listened to Toya’s concerns and immediately began working on implementing changes. While it was too late to edit the hardcover book, the ebook and audio version will have edits and I have to applaud all parties involved in making said edits. You should also check out a post from the author as well @jen4444 I’ll also share them in my stories.
I love an emotionally charged thriller and is there anything more fraught with emotion than a mother/daughter relationship? Throw in a scenario where a mom, daughter and grandma are fighting for their lives and you have one hell of a tense situation. This flips between multiple viewpoints and the ones from the Man who kidnaps the family were chilling and super fascinating. He clearly had an agenda and a reason for taking them but I couldn’t figure out what that reason was before it was revealed, always a great sign in a thriller for me. This was a really solid read for me, if you like character driven thrillers check this one out!
I love an emotionally charged thriller and is there anything more fraught with emotion than a mother/daughter relationship? Throw in a scenario where a mom, daughter and grandma are fighting for their lives and you have one hell of a tense situation. This flips between multiple viewpoints and the ones from the Man who kidnaps the family were chilling and super fascinating. He clearly had an agenda and a reason for taking them but I couldn’t figure out what that reason was before it was revealed, always a great sign in a thriller for me. This was a really solid read for me, if you like character driven thrillers check this one out!
July 10, 2020
I was looking forward to reading Survival Instincts, but unfortunately, I ended up feeling disappointed. To me, the synopsis made it seem like this was going to be a suspenseful thriller (something like No Exit by Taylor Adams), but instead, this is more of a depressing family drama wrapped in a thriller shell.
This book had so many tangents and background stories that sometimes I forgot about the actual story happening in present day (which happened to be the one I was most interested in). It was slow-paced, and ended up feeling too long for me.
I wasn't wild about the writing - there were a couple tone-deaf parts, and things got a little confusing when timelines started mixing within the same chapter toward the end. It felt unnecessarily violent at times. The final reveals felt far-fetched, and I struggled with this one.
CW - domestic abuse, miscarriage, rape, child abuse, kidnapping, pedophilia
This book had so many tangents and background stories that sometimes I forgot about the actual story happening in present day (which happened to be the one I was most interested in). It was slow-paced, and ended up feeling too long for me.
I wasn't wild about the writing - there were a couple tone-deaf parts, and things got a little confusing when timelines started mixing within the same chapter toward the end. It felt unnecessarily violent at times. The final reveals felt far-fetched, and I struggled with this one.
CW - domestic abuse, miscarriage, rape, child abuse, kidnapping, pedophilia
July 14, 2020
What would you be willing to do to save the ones you love?
I appreciate stories with strong women in them and especially liked the character of Rose, the grandmother, in this book.
This is a psychological thriller told from different points-of-view. There is Anne, the mother and therapist. There is Thea, the 12 year-old daughter, who is going through a particularly bad time. And there is Rose, the grandmother who owns a bakery and is strong and resilient.
The three decide to head to a cabin in snowy New Hampshire, hoping to bring some closeness back into Anne and Thea's relationship.
There are many dark moments in this book including violence and domestic abuse so beware if you worry about triggers.
I enjoyed the storyline. I guess enjoy is the right word for this type of violent book. I especially liked the way some of the characters intertwined and how everything came together neatly in the end.
I highly recommend this book to those readers that "enjoy" psychological thrillers.
I received this book from Dutton Books through Edelweiss in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
I appreciate stories with strong women in them and especially liked the character of Rose, the grandmother, in this book.
This is a psychological thriller told from different points-of-view. There is Anne, the mother and therapist. There is Thea, the 12 year-old daughter, who is going through a particularly bad time. And there is Rose, the grandmother who owns a bakery and is strong and resilient.
The three decide to head to a cabin in snowy New Hampshire, hoping to bring some closeness back into Anne and Thea's relationship.
There are many dark moments in this book including violence and domestic abuse so beware if you worry about triggers.
I enjoyed the storyline. I guess enjoy is the right word for this type of violent book. I especially liked the way some of the characters intertwined and how everything came together neatly in the end.
I highly recommend this book to those readers that "enjoy" psychological thrillers.
I received this book from Dutton Books through Edelweiss in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
June 29, 2020
Three women, an older woman, her daughter and teen granddaughter, are taken captive by a stranger, tied up and held in a rough wilderness cabin in the winter. Fighting bone-freezing cold, injuries, and fear might have led them to give in to crying and hopelessness. But these women are fighters with strong survival instincts and each plans secretly to sacrifice herself to see the other two go free. The action never slows down and you never know what will happen next. This is a psychological thriller, an action thriller, and the story of a family of strong women.
Want to read
July 13, 2020Excited to have won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Review to come!
October 17, 2020
I’ve been trying to be very selective with these female thrillers that overpower the genre market and should have been more discriminate with this one, it checked enough boxes, but the appeal was entirely superficial. You think you’re getting this great survival story (and why wouldn’t you, it’s literary in the title), but instead it’s just another mommy thriller. This one actually features generations of mommies, a grandmother(R), her daughter (A) and her granddaughter (T). Input those into the formula and you get A’s terrible taste in men results in T, T’s age inappropriate taste in men results in shitty attitude and R’s good taste in men results in her knowing how to shoot a gun. So when a girls’ weekend away turns into a kidnapping and they are all abducted and stuck in a cabin with a madman of questionable motivations, girls gotta do for themselves. So yes, this is a thriller entirely driven by girl power, but instead of concentrating on the now, the survival, etc. it goes all over the place and time, in tangents, explaining how they got to now, which is almost entirely on A’s shoulders. The author shies away from any attempt at originality, instead comfortably recycling all the conventional genre cliches of both thriller and women’s fiction. The book is light on surprises, all of which with possible exception of the final prerequisite twist are completely predictable and heavy on Lifetime sort of delivery. Just say no to abuse, it’s never ok, etc. is the message here, delivered with all the subtlety of a freight train. The overall effect is thoroughly pedestrian. The book is perfectly readable, books like these typically are, but offers nothing new and whatever thrills it might have had in store are systematically watered down by flashbacks. Fair warning…This vehicle operates on mother’s milk. It slows it down. Bland unmemorable thriller. There are literary tons of more exciting ones out there.
August 30, 2020
Review to come shortly. Spoiler alert: I loved this book
June 3, 2020
Survival Instincts by Jen Waite is a fast-paced thriller with a conclusion you won't believe.
When I started reading this book, I was immediately interested in what was about to happen. I've always been a fan of survival stories, and this one hit the mark. Although it isn't a 'lost in the woods' kind of tale, the survival it deals with is just as intense. It's a survival of man versus man, or in the case of the story, women versus men.
The story revolves around a young girl, her mother, and her grandmother. Each of them has a voice in the story and, at times, I did get confused between the mother, Anne, and the grandmother, Rose as their voices are very similar. Thea came across as a strong character, and I liked her a lot. I also liked how Anne's and Rose's plots developed.
The gunman's story fascinated me. While he wasn't exactly a sympathetic character, the author does a great job of peeking into his head to find out what makes him tick. This makes him three-dimensional, and lends more interest to the book.
The ending did come as a surprise, but it felt a little tacked on to me. I think the author was looking to tie up every loose end, and things became a bit too pat. However, it didn't detract from the novel overall.
This is a book I'd recommend adding to your summer read list.
Four out of five stars. Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy.
When I started reading this book, I was immediately interested in what was about to happen. I've always been a fan of survival stories, and this one hit the mark. Although it isn't a 'lost in the woods' kind of tale, the survival it deals with is just as intense. It's a survival of man versus man, or in the case of the story, women versus men.
The story revolves around a young girl, her mother, and her grandmother. Each of them has a voice in the story and, at times, I did get confused between the mother, Anne, and the grandmother, Rose as their voices are very similar. Thea came across as a strong character, and I liked her a lot. I also liked how Anne's and Rose's plots developed.
The gunman's story fascinated me. While he wasn't exactly a sympathetic character, the author does a great job of peeking into his head to find out what makes him tick. This makes him three-dimensional, and lends more interest to the book.
The ending did come as a surprise, but it felt a little tacked on to me. I think the author was looking to tie up every loose end, and things became a bit too pat. However, it didn't detract from the novel overall.
This is a book I'd recommend adding to your summer read list.
Four out of five stars. Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy.
July 17, 2020
This was a strong emotional thriller about the lengths mothers go to in order to save their daughters. Most of the book focused on fleshing out two female characters - Anne and her mother Rose, and I loved learning about them and their struggles.
One thing that slightly bothered me was that a 12-year-old girl had a crush on a man in his 20s. Maybe I'm too old fashioned and kids nowadays grow up much faster but for me a preteen is still a child, and seeing that crush was strange for me. I'm glad that it actually turned out to be more than meets the eye.
I saw a couple of people note the problematic representation of Indigenous and Latinx culture in this book. The publisher said that there will be editorial changes to fix that which is great to hear!
Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for my digital review copy.
One thing that slightly bothered me was that a 12-year-old girl had a crush on a man in his 20s. Maybe I'm too old fashioned and kids nowadays grow up much faster but for me a preteen is still a child, and seeing that crush was strange for me. I'm glad that it actually turned out to be more than meets the eye.
I saw a couple of people note the problematic representation of Indigenous and Latinx culture in this book. The publisher said that there will be editorial changes to fix that which is great to hear!
Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for my digital review copy.
October 28, 2022
I really wasn't sure what this was about and tbh I bought this thinking it was another book BUT it was a solid friggen read. This is one of those stories that until you're in a certain situation, you can't say how you will react. I thought every character reacted perfectly to the scenarios that played out infront of them. Sorry, when I say every character I strictly mean the grandmother, the mother, and Thea. Every decision "The Man" made wanted me to go through the book and strangle him.
The writing style and the plot was incredibly good and I really enjoyed the characters. I loved the multiple timelines and POVs. We got to fully understand everything that the family was going through and the things that made them strong enough to survive The Man. Speaking of The Man, I had to keep reading to see exactly wtf he was up to AND to figure out the reasoning behind it all. He was definitely a total cringe-worthy of a character and I was shocked to discover who he truly was.
There are definitely some strong trigger warnings in this one so be sure to check them out before you read this.
The writing style and the plot was incredibly good and I really enjoyed the characters. I loved the multiple timelines and POVs. We got to fully understand everything that the family was going through and the things that made them strong enough to survive The Man. Speaking of The Man, I had to keep reading to see exactly wtf he was up to AND to figure out the reasoning behind it all. He was definitely a total cringe-worthy of a character and I was shocked to discover who he truly was.
There are definitely some strong trigger warnings in this one so be sure to check them out before you read this.
September 7, 2020
No. This was awful...worst mother I’ve seen in fiction in a while. (How many head injuries did her daughter get? I lost count.) And so wimpy!! Blech. Just an annoying book.
June 12, 2022
It took Sam sixteen coffees and a combined hour and a half worth of small talk to gather the courage to ask Rose out on a date. They took things slow. Rose liked slow; slow felt safe. She wasn't sure that this man would stand the test of time, but selfishly, Rose decided that Same was exactly what she needed after Peter. She didn't feel butterflies and her stomach didn't do loops when he reached for her hand during the movies, but she felt her insides relax when they were together, as if her body knew something her mind had yet to acknowledge. And then one night in bed, a year into their courtship, they cracked each other open. She told him about the baby she had lost and he told her about the friend he had lost, not even in a fight, but by stepping on a land mine, just a few feet from where Sam stood. Sam had only lost sight in one eye from flying debris; his friend had been cut in half. After that she stopped being afraid he would leave, like Peter did, because they had shown each other their hidden parts, and they had both decided there was more beauty in those parts than fear. She understood then that magic could come in many forms.
~~The above quote about Sam (Rose's husband, Anne's father, and Thea's grandfather)-- a quiet, kind, hardworking man is in stark contrast to the man who dominates Waite's story. This other man kidnaps the three females while they are walking in a nature preserve, and takes them to a small, unheated cabin in the woods. My apologies to whoever's listing this is on TripAdvisor, but it closely matches my mental image of the cabin in the woods where the three females fought for their lives.
First two sentences: You look at me and ask without speaking. Protect me, your eyes say.
My two cents: Waite has written a tense thriller that brings to life one of our worst nightmares as women--being abducted and held against our will. But the drama is magnified in this case because it's not just a lone woman--it's 3 generations. Grandmother, mother, and daughter. Each is fighting not only for her own life, but also for the lives of those she loves most. This could have been a fantastically good thriller. However, several aspects brought it down to average chick-lit territory. First, each chapter is headed "Three days before the cabin", "One day before the cabin", "10 years before the cabin". You get the idea. It's annoying, but also, the multiple leaps back years in time diminished the thrilling aspect of the novel greatly. The differing points of view didn't bother me as much. Waite managed to weave them into a cohesive narrative (not any easy task to do), and each view added an extra layer to the story arc.
My second gripe point has to do with the actual story, so I will talk in very general terms. Moral action in novels can be a sticky subject. Authors are under no obligation (in my opinion), to make all characters likable, relatable, or good. If they chose to make amoral characters, then we as readers have every right to point that out or critique it. But it's still their choice as authors to do so. With all that being said, there are very questionable choices which are made by Waite's female protagonists in the name of the greater good. "There are some choices that are just the least wrong ones." To quote Anne's father. Like in Flight Patterns, the choice made here is seemingly justified by the author, and the moral implications are swept under the rung. I'm not trivializing the quandary Anne was in 10 years before the cabin by any means. Our family courts are woefully understaffed, and children suffer as a consequence.
My final gripe is that the novel was easily in "good" territory up to page 332. Then the last 25 pages were a whirlwind of tying the story arc up into waaaayyyy too much of a neat package, that is borderline implausible. But if we learn anything as readers, it should be this. Social media can be read by *SO* many more people than we may think. Please be careful what you post. "Can't wait to go to a remote cabin" may seem innocent, but you never know who will see that and show up. Given 2.5 stars or a rating of "Above Average". Recommended as a library checkout if you like your thrillers mixed with family drama.
Other favorite quotes: "Don't second-guess what you're about to do. Unless you can live with the alternative."
~~She wanted to explain to her daughter that putting stock in the universe was all good and well, but when it really came down to life and death, getting what you want or wasting away, it was individual action that mattered.
~~The above quote about Sam (Rose's husband, Anne's father, and Thea's grandfather)-- a quiet, kind, hardworking man is in stark contrast to the man who dominates Waite's story. This other man kidnaps the three females while they are walking in a nature preserve, and takes them to a small, unheated cabin in the woods. My apologies to whoever's listing this is on TripAdvisor, but it closely matches my mental image of the cabin in the woods where the three females fought for their lives.
First two sentences: You look at me and ask without speaking. Protect me, your eyes say.
My two cents: Waite has written a tense thriller that brings to life one of our worst nightmares as women--being abducted and held against our will. But the drama is magnified in this case because it's not just a lone woman--it's 3 generations. Grandmother, mother, and daughter. Each is fighting not only for her own life, but also for the lives of those she loves most. This could have been a fantastically good thriller. However, several aspects brought it down to average chick-lit territory. First, each chapter is headed "Three days before the cabin", "One day before the cabin", "10 years before the cabin". You get the idea. It's annoying, but also, the multiple leaps back years in time diminished the thrilling aspect of the novel greatly. The differing points of view didn't bother me as much. Waite managed to weave them into a cohesive narrative (not any easy task to do), and each view added an extra layer to the story arc.
My second gripe point has to do with the actual story, so I will talk in very general terms. Moral action in novels can be a sticky subject. Authors are under no obligation (in my opinion), to make all characters likable, relatable, or good. If they chose to make amoral characters, then we as readers have every right to point that out or critique it. But it's still their choice as authors to do so. With all that being said, there are very questionable choices which are made by Waite's female protagonists in the name of the greater good. "There are some choices that are just the least wrong ones." To quote Anne's father. Like in Flight Patterns, the choice made here is seemingly justified by the author, and the moral implications are swept under the rung. I'm not trivializing the quandary Anne was in 10 years before the cabin by any means. Our family courts are woefully understaffed, and children suffer as a consequence.
My final gripe is that the novel was easily in "good" territory up to page 332. Then the last 25 pages were a whirlwind of tying the story arc up into waaaayyyy too much of a neat package, that is borderline implausible. But if we learn anything as readers, it should be this. Social media can be read by *SO* many more people than we may think. Please be careful what you post. "Can't wait to go to a remote cabin" may seem innocent, but you never know who will see that and show up. Given 2.5 stars or a rating of "Above Average". Recommended as a library checkout if you like your thrillers mixed with family drama.
Other favorite quotes: "Don't second-guess what you're about to do. Unless you can live with the alternative."
~~She wanted to explain to her daughter that putting stock in the universe was all good and well, but when it really came down to life and death, getting what you want or wasting away, it was individual action that mattered.
January 20, 2024
amen for moms and grandmas, am i right?
July 12, 2020
What was the point of this book? The title is Survival Instincts but that has little to do with the story. The Mom, Anne, doesn't display instincts or any good ideas. And the description of the book leads you to believe that this is a story about two women and a child being terrorized in a cabin. There is very little of that in the story and there is no action or thrills in what does take place. The rest, or most, of the story takes place in the past, going into great detail, and is all a set up for the final outcome of the novel. There was a lot of needless stuff thrown in. There really was no point to Thea having a medical condition. Also a character took an extreme action in the past that is not very realistic. And then the part with the teacher, well there was no reason for that either. It was seriously unrealistic and weird. It was a very convoluted story. It kept me reading for a while but I skimmed the last 30%. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read.
April 24, 2020
A very good book told from three alternating viewpoints of a mother, grandmother and twelve year old daughter. All three are headstrong and fiercely devoted to each other, but they've all suffered terribly and they've each got different strengths and personalities. When the three go on a holiday weekend together, the daughter is abducted off a hiking trail and taken to a remote cabin. The mother and grandmother are taken at gunpoint, and between the three of them, they have to figure a way out. Interspersed with the tense current situation, we find the backstories of each of the three women, and this builds the suspense and leads to the culmination. There were a few parts of the story line with the grandmother that seemed a bit of a stretch but that didn't stop me from feverishly reading in all my spare moments. A good thriller with a satisfying and unexpected ending.
September 1, 2020
I loved this book, I could feel the tension and the emotions building as the story took off. Did I finish this book in a day? Yes, yes I did! Anne a therapist is struggling to talk with her preteen daughter Thea, they use to be close and she feels like their drifting apart. Hoping to get close again she decides a mini trip to a gorgeous cabin in the snowy mountain will be a perfect getaway, she invites her mother Rose along and make it a girls weekend. While hiking an armed man attacks them in the woods. They are dragged to an abandoned cabin. Soon they find themselves in a desperate situation, trapped in a cabin, no cell service and their only way out is relying on each other and fighting for their lives. They are not sure what the mans motive is or what he wants from the woman. The book takes place in two separate times, in the cabin and before the cabin. Before the cabin we get Anne’s backstory. Anne meets the man of her dreams right out of college, as soon as they get married Anne begins to notice a shift in her husbands behavior he’s angry and moody and she soon finds herself living in fear. In the Cabin we get the woman fighting for their lives. We also gets bits and pieces of the gun-mans story and a peek into his head. With the book jumping back and forth we soon realize that Anne, Thea and Rose are each hiding secrets and soon they will be revealed! My jaw hit the floor. This book was an emotional rollercoaster and shows you the lengths a mother will go to protect her child. I’m giving this book five stars!
November 13, 2020
This was a great, fast paced thriller and I truly enjoyed it! I flew through it, actually. Such good writing and the characters are well developed and strong. Three generations of women, all in a struggle to survive, all trying to protect each other from a man bent on destruction. The storyline goes back and forth between characters and timelines, but you never feel lost and it's interesting to read about the same time of place, but get different perspectives from each character. Some tough stuff is in here, but it's really a great book. My favorite character was Rose. After you read it, you'll know why.
July 25, 2024
Nice tempo thriller, loved the 3 women characters. Past and current time stories really relevant and well put together.
September 12, 2024
Twist was lame.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2022
Wow this book was amazing. It kept me guessing the entire time. I liked how it bounced between three characters, as well as from past to present. It really kept the suspense up. The author’s note says she’s working on a third book, and I can’t wait to read that one!
August 20, 2022
Very good - keeps your interest. It’s like a big knotted up ball of yarn that finally gets untangled at the end in the most satisfying way. And just when I thought I knew where it was going it would twist again. Very enjoyable read.
July 10, 2020
“Later, she’d come to realize two truths from that incident: 1) she would do anything, anything for her daughter and 2) she could not count on others for help.”
If you need a page turner or need something to get you out of your reading slump, check this out ASAP!
Survival Instincts follows Anne, her mother Rose, and daughter Thea (12) on a getaway weekend at a cabin. A mysterious man with a disturbing past literally runs into them on a walk and takes them captive. The three are trying to survive, but have no idea what their captor wants from them.
The story flashes back and forth from the cabin and about 14-10 years before the cabin. We meet young, impressionable Anne, who meets Ethan, the epitome of a perfect man. But we all know the saying, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is”
I loved the different points of view and different timelines. I kept making mental notes on anything before the cabin asking myself, “Does this detail matter? Why will it matter?” I was itching to see why certain phrases were written in the book.
Obviously, the women are going to try to escape. (I mean, what kind of book would it be if they didn’t?) So without giving spoilers, I’ll say I really enjoyed the ingenuity of their methods. Some things happened and I thought they were clever and laid out perfectly by the author. (Breadcrumbs, y’all.)
I did get confused at one point and thought one of the characters was dead, and had to go back a few chapters because she was talking in the cabin. 😂 That could be a user error, but whew I was confused for a hot minute. 😂
I enjoyed the grandmother/mother/daughter dynamic. It was well written and their relationship seemed genuine. A mother’s love knows no bounds, and I think if this was 3 friends instead of a family, I would not have enjoyed it as much.
For fans of Dirty John or Final Girls, this one is for you!
4.5 ⭐️! Thank you Dutton & NetGalley for the advanced copy. This one is out July 14th!
If you need a page turner or need something to get you out of your reading slump, check this out ASAP!
Survival Instincts follows Anne, her mother Rose, and daughter Thea (12) on a getaway weekend at a cabin. A mysterious man with a disturbing past literally runs into them on a walk and takes them captive. The three are trying to survive, but have no idea what their captor wants from them.
The story flashes back and forth from the cabin and about 14-10 years before the cabin. We meet young, impressionable Anne, who meets Ethan, the epitome of a perfect man. But we all know the saying, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is”
I loved the different points of view and different timelines. I kept making mental notes on anything before the cabin asking myself, “Does this detail matter? Why will it matter?” I was itching to see why certain phrases were written in the book.
Obviously, the women are going to try to escape. (I mean, what kind of book would it be if they didn’t?) So without giving spoilers, I’ll say I really enjoyed the ingenuity of their methods. Some things happened and I thought they were clever and laid out perfectly by the author. (Breadcrumbs, y’all.)
I did get confused at one point and thought one of the characters was dead, and had to go back a few chapters because she was talking in the cabin. 😂 That could be a user error, but whew I was confused for a hot minute. 😂
I enjoyed the grandmother/mother/daughter dynamic. It was well written and their relationship seemed genuine. A mother’s love knows no bounds, and I think if this was 3 friends instead of a family, I would not have enjoyed it as much.
For fans of Dirty John or Final Girls, this one is for you!
4.5 ⭐️! Thank you Dutton & NetGalley for the advanced copy. This one is out July 14th!
February 2, 2020
My appreciation goes out to Dutton and Netgalley for approving me to read an early copy of this title.
Anne works as a therapist, but feels she’s growing apart from her preteen daughter. So, she rents a cabin in the mountains and invites her own mother, Rose, along. That way all three generations can enjoy a weekend getaway while resting, relaxing and bonding.
After lunch, the first day of their time away, they set out on a hike. During that excursion, a man runs into the preteen, Thea, knocking her out. Seems it was on purpose and he kidnaps the three of them and leads them to a warming cabin in the woods.
Told from three perspectives and in various time periods including “ten years before the cabin,” some chapters relate the back story needed for this plot to make sense.
Both Rose and Anne try to plan escapes because they fear Thea will be raped and murdered by the man.
I saw deeply into the women’s terror and felt the stinging cold of the mountains and an unheated cabin. Waite did a good job of describing the place and the characters.
I loved this book. It didn’t stall at all and you never knew what would happen next. I would definitely read more of Waite’s writing.
Anne works as a therapist, but feels she’s growing apart from her preteen daughter. So, she rents a cabin in the mountains and invites her own mother, Rose, along. That way all three generations can enjoy a weekend getaway while resting, relaxing and bonding.
After lunch, the first day of their time away, they set out on a hike. During that excursion, a man runs into the preteen, Thea, knocking her out. Seems it was on purpose and he kidnaps the three of them and leads them to a warming cabin in the woods.
Told from three perspectives and in various time periods including “ten years before the cabin,” some chapters relate the back story needed for this plot to make sense.
Both Rose and Anne try to plan escapes because they fear Thea will be raped and murdered by the man.
I saw deeply into the women’s terror and felt the stinging cold of the mountains and an unheated cabin. Waite did a good job of describing the place and the characters.
I loved this book. It didn’t stall at all and you never knew what would happen next. I would definitely read more of Waite’s writing.
May 24, 2020
This was a great novel written by Jen Waite. I was so excited to be approved on NetGalley and started the book immediately. I was not disappointed. Told from alternating points of view between a grandmother, mother, and 12 year old daughter you really get to know and understand the motives behind each character. When tension between the mother and daughter are high, the 3 females decide a family getaway is just what is needed. What they didn't expect was to be taken by gunpoint to a remote cabin in the middle of winter. The three women must fight for their life against their kidnapper and their own demons to survive.
The alterntlating points of view, stories told within the story and the build up from past occurrences and current danger add to the drama in this novel.
Waite really offers up a story that has you wondering "what would I do?" In the situations posed in the story. This was a great read with a ending that I didn't expect.
The alterntlating points of view, stories told within the story and the build up from past occurrences and current danger add to the drama in this novel.
Waite really offers up a story that has you wondering "what would I do?" In the situations posed in the story. This was a great read with a ending that I didn't expect.
July 18, 2020
In an attempt to bridge the looming gap between her daughter, twelve-year-old Thea, and herself, Anne rents a remote cabin for a girl’s weekend in the woods. She also brings along her own mother, Mimi. Can their combined Survival Instincts save them from this horror movie opening scene?
Thea’s goal is to watch Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time with her beloved grandmother. She absolutely will not obsess about how her mother ruined her life. She loved Ted. No matter what anyone else said.
Anne also has a secret. A dark secret. About Thea’s father.
Survival Instincts is three women’s tale of how one day they literally ran into a psychopath. The constant shifts in both voice and time are a bit disorientating. However, there is a good story within this book. If you like women-in-jeopardy stories, you will enjoy this character-based thriller. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars.
Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thea’s goal is to watch Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time with her beloved grandmother. She absolutely will not obsess about how her mother ruined her life. She loved Ted. No matter what anyone else said.
Anne also has a secret. A dark secret. About Thea’s father.
Survival Instincts is three women’s tale of how one day they literally ran into a psychopath. The constant shifts in both voice and time are a bit disorientating. However, there is a good story within this book. If you like women-in-jeopardy stories, you will enjoy this character-based thriller. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars.
Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
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