Edge of the Woods

by A.J. Rivers

Lisanne is still grieving the loss of her best friend, Bethany, who walked away at camp on summer night and was never seen again.

A production company wants to make a movie about this disappearance and want Lisanne and several others who were at the camp at the time to portray characters in this movie. It's been 15 years and Lisanne still thinks about her friend every day. Maybe this is what she needs to find closure .. to find out what really happened.

She doesn't want to go .. but she feels she owes it to her friend.

But what she learns is nothing that she imagined it would be ...........

Genres: Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

ebook

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Eric Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reads like someone's first attempt at structuring a story. The language is beautiful, but the story itself doesn't make a lot of sense, and the twists are so embedded in the language itself, it's difficult to tell what's going on. Thankfully it is short, so it doesn't take long to get through, but I recommend sticking with the series of books by this author, not this one-off.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book as I read it but I didn't find it very clear and it left me feeling like I wasn't really sure what happened.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as some of her other books I have read but a good story nonetheless. Great for summer beach easy-reading.

[Corinna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of plot twists and some of the switches from past to present were so unclear it made it hard to follow how it fit into the plot. In the end those pieces mostly came together but I’m still not entirely sure I get the ending or I get it but not why it was just dropped and not investigated, how are there no more nightmares?

[Ashley Fraley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would love to see this story rewritten with better structure and more fleshed out. It’s a good story, just needs some work.

[Mrs. Jackal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edge of the Woods follows Lisanne Banes 15 years after the disaperance of her best friend during their last summer at Camp Pine Trails. Lisanne has never gotten over the loss of her friend and does not give interviews about anything pertaining to Bethany or that summer, but a movie is being made about the camp and that summer and the director wants as many of the original campers as supporting roles as possible to make it feel more real. Lisanne's friends and husband all think it would be a healing experience to go. So she does, and it doing so is forced to face all the things she's tried to bury for the last 15 years. 

This is a mystery/ thriller, heavy on the mystery. I was definitely along for the ride on this one. If we're being totally honest, I'm not completely sure I know exactly what happened, but the writing was pretty good and the mysteries we did solve were so twisty and good. This was such a quick read. Id read more from this author if it came across my desk.

[Libby Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes awesome. I never get five stars, but I couldn’t put this one down. Even when it was done, I wanted more. Enjoy.

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisanne is still grieving the loss of her best friend, Bethany, who walked away at camp on summer night and was never seen again.

A production company wants to make a movie about this disappearance and want Lisanne and several others who were at the camp at the time to portray characters in this movie. It's been 15 years and Lisanne still thinks about her friend every day. Maybe this is what she needs to find closure .. to find out what really happened.

She doesn't want to go .. but she feels she owes it to her friend.

But what she learns is nothing that she imagined it would be ...........

Suspenseful from the get-go, the intricate plot bounces back and forth from graduation to present day. She's being texted from someone ... maybe Bethany from the grave? Bethany was the envy of many girls her age, but somehow no one really knew her .. not even Lisanne.

Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this psychological suspense. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Ashley Hay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sleep away camp mystery that has become popular enough to be made into a film (in the book). While the participants of the camp are having to relive the experience of losing their friend, a production company is excited to start filming about it. What will be exposed for all to find out? The story is twisty and exciting. I’ve read several of A.J. Rivers book and they’re always a quick and exciting read.
Thank you to A.J. Rivers and Bookfunnel for the ARC copy to review!

[Joan W. Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different in some ways same in others. This book seemed to go one way but then it didn't. Thought you could figure it out but you don't til the end. Read.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where is she and who is to blame and why??? Lisanne knows more than she tells, doesn’t she??? How much does Brian know??? I enjoyed the story and recommend the book.

[Mandy See · Rating 3 out of 5]

I literally just finished this book, and I’m left staring at the wall wondering wtf did I just read?! Listen, the plot, storyline, theme, imagery are all on point. The thing is, the writing leaves a little to be desired. It seemed choppy, hard to follow.

This storyline is exceptional and this book could’ve been so damn good, like toe curling good. But it fell flat a little. There were parts of the book that I had to reread several times to understand what was happening, because it didn’t make sense. Or it would switch the storyline quick and you’re left with whiplash.

From the beginning, when Brian was first introduced, I had a sneaking suspicion this dude was sketch. I didn’t anticipate fully the ending, although looking back now it was glaringly obvious.

The thing is, this was a quick read and a pretty decent one at that. Just not as much spooky, spine tingling, thriller, “holy shit I didn’t see that coming” as I’d have liked to see.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It had an element that many people hate or find confusing. In this story, a group of girls is spending their last year at camp. They have just graduated from high school. After camp, they will be moving on with their lives. In the middle of their camping, Bethany walks out of their cabin and never returns. The story has flashbacks through text messages and memories.
Now move to the present time. Annie is awakened with another nightmare. Every June for fifteen the nightmares return. Annie finds it difficult to function. Then she and two other girls receive a call from someone who wants to make a movie about what happened at camp that summer. Annie finally agrees so that it is told from the right perspective. But what happens when things start happening at camp again. Will it destroy or help Annie?

There was everything to love about this book. The mystery, the characters, all of it. I definitely recommend it.

[Vanessa Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I feel that parts of it are choppy in the beginning and end I find the story interesting , I just wish parts didn’t feel rushed and had more depth to them. I will say that for a book that only took me about an hour to read it sucked me in quickly, wanting to know the whole and the why. I was easily able to picture the entire book in my head like a movie and was surprised with how quickly the book was over. This was the first book I have read by this author and will continue looking into her other books.

[Tina Lincoln · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happened to Bethany...
This tale reminds me of when a person remembers things of their childhood and coming of age. Things that happened, tales that were told, sometimes in several layers, to keep things private, untold, the real truth.
Sometimes things are meant to look perfect, even though beneath the layers, it is anything but perfect.
So, 15 years later, some things come out, despite those wishing to keep them hidden.
Thank you, A.J. Rivers, for a great story!
I received a complimentary copy of this story and this is my honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and the built-up characters. The last couple of chapters got me on my seat. I was trying to figure out who it chapters got the whole time just when I thought I was figuring out the story it took all these turns very good with emotional roller coaster kept you on your end of your seat and kept you reading. Also took this book very personal as this is a lot of things that go on when you lose somebody and how people are in some that just show up and are fake awful to having a long time childhood friend. I really enjoyed reading this book.

[Jen Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing with the suspense! I love how I was constantly trying to figure out what going on with the FMC. She seemed to have such a great life with a caring husband but something kept eating away at her. I was constantly back in forth in my head whether the sanity of the FMC would result due to this big secret she seemed to be carrying or the fact that she could not face realty. A.J. Rivers had me reeled into this book until the very end where I finally solved the book!

[Leta Hawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was okay. Parts of it were spooky and tense, and the ending wasn't easy to guess, but the writing style was at times confusing. Past and present kept intertwining, which was most likely meant to represent Lisanne's mental state, but it really wasn't done well. Also, the ending to me was a jumbled mess, and I'm not sure what exactly happened.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about two girls who grew up together. Best friends, like sisters. Then they go to summer camp like they have for years. Only one doesn't come home. The other one is plagued by her memory. Now a movie is being done about her missing friend. Will they be able to find out what happened or will it be a mystery forever. I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book.

[Lisa Knapp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well thank God this was short because I couldn’t have read more than I did. I have n0 clue what went on in this book. The whole plot was weak and I didn’t like any of the characters because they had no meat to them. Don’t waste your time with this ….maybe the authors other stories are better. I sure hope so!

[Jessica Bradford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edge of the Woods could have been a really great read, HOWEVER, there were parts throughout the book where the story just jumped from one place to the next. There were no real transitions from one scene to the next and I found myself looking back to make sure I didn’t miss something. The storyline itself was something right up my alley though. A girl goes missing while spending the summer at camp after graduating high school and her best friend is plagued by the disappearance since her body was never found and the never had any real answers. I for sure would have changed the ending though because i’m still a little confused about what happened to her.

[Ryna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In short, this was an interesting novella. It takes place over a weekend and most of it is the main character revisting the demons of her last summer at camp and losing her best friend. I love how Rivers weaves the truth through the standard story.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the creepy atmosphere for part of this, but it was very confusing when it was jumping back and forth. It was only a novella so it was quick read. I will probably check out some of this author's full-length books.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the base of the story was good but it was a little confusing and I'm not sure exactly what happened at the end of the story. I do believe the storyline was great and woukd have been amazing if it had been easier to read and not so confusing.

[Kassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had a lot of spooky factors and was very good for the twists and turns but missed thr mark on making sense. Who had what secrets with her? Who murdered her? How did she go undetected? So many questions.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story got interesting half way & a huge shocker of a twist. I have to admit I had my suspicions but had no idea it would turn out that way. I enjoyed reading the book & kind of wish it was longer.

[Mackenzie Beckmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not terrible. Had potential but was kind of all over the place in a way that certain encounters you weren’t sure which perspective you were looking at or which character was where. Could’ve been a good thriller / mystery but it felt rushed and not completely thought through.

[Fabby Lizama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! Definitely one for books (no pun intended) it just kept going and going getting better, I wasn't expecting the ending. It did end with a few questions but nothing biggy. Would recommend 100% if you like mystery 😉 it was giving pretty little liars

[Carol Nauss · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started out capturing my attention but the more I read, the more confused I became. The characters were flat and the plot difficult to follow and didn't really make sense. There is a lot of potential for a really good book, but it fell flat.

[Robin Kyek · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was a great storyline, I would be lying If I said I wasn't confused! The story drifts back and forth between past, present and it is difficult to distinguish between when each part takes place