The Lost

by Natasha Preston, Katy Sobey (Narrator), Robert Madge (Narrator)

In the small town of Aurora, teens go missing all the time. But when one of Piper and Hazel's classmates disappears, they become determined to find out the truth of what happened to her. While investigating, they meet three handsome and rich grad students...who kidnap them. The girls are taken to a building in the middle of a privately-owned forest. The building isn't just designed to keep them locked away—every room is a test in survival. And Piper and Hazel won't give up without a fight.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Young Adult, Mystery Thriller, Horror, Fiction, Suspense

8 pages, Audiobook

First published March 26, 2019

About the author

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Cellar and The Cabin. Romance and YA Thriller writer, boy mum, Tom Hardy enthusiast. Always buried in a book and a glass of wine.

Amazon - https://goo.gl/VsxKPk
Facebook - https://goo.gl/vAAGsB
Twitter - https://goo.gl/JGrC4b
Instagram – https://goo.gl/kvk7DD

Reviews

[Cass ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

these books make me roll my eyes a lot but they are so addicting 😂

[Josu Diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

La reina Preston lo vuelve hacer... y mejor.

En La huida tenemos la historia más cruel, extrema y alejada de los thrillers de instituto a los que la autora nos tenía acostumbradxs. Para esta novela coge las líneas argumentales básicas de películas como Saw y hace su propia versión descafeinada, aunque eso no quita que tengamos torturas dignas de película.



Resulta que desde hace unos cuantos meses jóvenes desaparecen sin dejar rastro. La protagonista, Piper, está dispuesta a investigar qué está sucediendo realmente, ya que es una adicta a los documentales de psicópatas y misterios sin resolver. Sin embargo, su investigación se ve truncada cuando ella misma es arrastrada a un juego de torturas que ni en sus peores pesadillas se esperaría.

O sea, pelos como escarpias. Hay momentos en este libro que te dejarán pensando un rato en lo cruel que puede ser el ser humano para con el sufrimiento ajeno. Podremos conectar con la protagonista, pero no siempre, y eso es también interesante. No quiero revelar demasiado detalles de la trama, porque creo que es mejor descubrir de qué tratan los tormentos a los que se ven sometidos los personajes de la novela. Al igual que Piper y Hazel, iremos descubriendo qué está pasando realmente al mismo tiempo que ellas.

Aquí no hay asesinatos misteriosos y decenas de sospechosos, sino que desde el primer momento sabremos a quién(es) culpar. Y eso es lo que lo hace aún más escalofriante y temible. ¿Cómo escapar? ¿Cómo podremos salir con vida? Cada día que pasa es más terrible que el anterior, más bestia y peor para la estabilidad mental de los protagonistas. Además, si la cosa va de mal en peor... ¿Qué más se puede esperar? ¿Cuál es el siguiente paso? Pues prepárate para sufrir.



Este libro es asfixiante, tiene giros inesperados y te mantiene en vilo constantemente. Habrá alianzas, discusiones, violencia, torturas y una urgencia por sobrevivir que no dejará indiferente a nadie. La atmósfera está perfectamente creada y se juegan muy bien las cartas del espacio y tiempo en el que se desarrolla, con buen ritmo y momentos increíbles que recordarás mucho tiempo después de leerlo.

La huida promete en su sinopsis y cumple y supera esas expectativas. Sin duda una de mis favoritas de la autora. Ahora solo queda esperar los siguientes libros de Natasha Preston. ¿Con qué nos sorprenderá?

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’M MAD AT THE ENDING!!!

piper and theo deserved a happy ending together like being in love but NOPE

EVAN IS GRRRR I HAVE NO WORDS


this is wild that this review gets so many replies after 5 years😂 i should probably reread this book! much love to all of yall & the fact that there does need to be a sequel to this book!🩷

[Alana · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Life is a game; you just have to make sure you're in control."

Rating: 2/5 stars
tw: murder, violence, torture

You know when you watch a movie and it's just not good but for some reason you just can't look away? Well this is exactly that type of situation. I'm not going to sit here and lie  by saying this took me forever to get through...because it definitely did not. I literally flew through this and finished it in a day, however, just because it was an easy read doesn't mean it was the most enjoyable.

The premise of this sounded super interesting, think a tamer version of the Saw movies (only because we're not chopping off body parts), where teenagers are abducted and taken to what's presumed to be an abandoned building. Except the building has been remodeled to create six torture rooms that range from things like extreme light and temperature exposure, sound torture, sleep deprivation, water boarding, and then room zero which is essentially a fight to death type of room. The teens are called at random by the three college boys who are orchestrating all of this to endure each of the rooms before going back to their "common room" and waiting for the next name to be called. It could be minutes, hours, days, or weeks later until someone is called, leaving the abducted teens in a never- ending state of fear.

Here's where the story fell flat though, not one of the characters were likable or easy to connect with. The characters were so dumb that it hurt, like, actually hurt to read how naive they were. Piper, the main character, is obsessed with true crime and murderers, so you would think she would know better than to get in the car with complete strangers, right? WRONG. Not only that but it was impossible to connect with any of them. And to make matters worse Piper starts falling for the random dude who shows up weeks later claiming his been kept away in a separate room for the last six months? That's a recipe for disaster, my friends. The second this character was introduced to the story I knew exactly how this book was going to end.

Speaking of the ending, it was THE WORST. It was one of this throw the book across the room type of endings that make you wonder why you even invested your time in it. Other readers may have enjoyed it, but in my opinion it was rushed, sloppy, and unnecessary. If there isn't going to be another book just why bother going the route that it went? It was just so unsatisfying that it's borderline infuriating.

All in all, it's pretty clear that this book isn't for me. However, I can't take away from the fact that this was a quick read that will keep you on your toes just to see what happens next. But if you're looking for a book with a group of characters to love, this ain't it.

Blog | Twitter | Instagram

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

SO MANY INCONSISTENCIES.
Exhibit A: The protagonist does not know how old she is, and neither does the author.

Pg. 2:

"Lucie Bean, sixteen years old. Same age as us again."

Okay, so she's 16. Cool.

Pg. 10:

"I'm not quite eighteen yet."

And by not quite, I mean my eighteenth birthday is ten months away.

Chewing on his lip, he watches me for a second [...] "I'm twenty-one."

Four years isn't that much of an age gap. Okay, who am I kidding, and why am I even thinking about this?

Did this book just contradict itself in the first 10 pages by saying our protagonist is SIXTEEN, then SEVENTEEN? Why yes, it did. And it doesn't stop there.

Pg. 63

"How old are you, Theo?"

Sighing, he replies, "Seventeen. You?"

"Sixteen."

She's 16 again??

pg. 191

"Evan, how old are you?" I ask, glancing over my shoulder.

His arms are folded, and he's watching me like I'm some difficult math problem he can't figure out.

"I'm nineteen."

Okay, not too much older. Not that it matters.

I nod and go back to fixing some food.

"What about you?"

"Seventeen," I reply, popping four slices of bread in the toaster.

I'm literally pulling out my hair. She starts out as 16. She becomes 17, with her birthday TEN MONTHS AWAY. She goes back to being 16. Now she's 17 again, but we know it's not because she turned 17 during the short time she's been imprisoned since obviously, her birthday is TEN MONTHS AWAY and it's still August.


Exhibit B: Not remembering who was in there right before this group of teens, and what order they were brought in.

pg. 49

"We knew someone was coming."

"What?"

Kevin claps him on the shoulder. "Last week, Sophie... died. They always find a replacement."

Then:
pg. 135 (about Lucie, the new girl, kidnapped a little more than a week before this conversation, and arrived at most a few days after Sophie died)

"I can't lose either of them," Priya confesses. "Lucie was the first girl in here in a while. We bonded even though we're nothing alike."

Two big problems here: First, Lucie was absolutely NOT the first girl there "in a while," as they had Sophie until just last week. Second, Piper and Hazel were brought in, according to Kevin, as replacements for Sophie, who is the most recent person to have died. But Lucie Bean arrived two days before Piper and Hazel, as she was last seen two days before Piper and Hazel were kidnapped. Wouldn't Lucie, then, be considered Sophie's replacement? They make a big deal about only replacing one person with one person. Shouldn't they have considered Lucie's arrival the replacement, and been shocked to see Piper and Hazel?

And after a completely confusing ending, there are SO many unanswered questions. The most important being, of course, what's with Hazel??

(SOME SPOILERS BELOW)

- Hazel is the one who convinced Piper to trust the sociopaths and, as Piper says, would have been all for underage Piper dating an adult man.
- She is the most whiny, and is described as being annoying multiple times.
- She was never once tortured or called in, except for the first time, where Piper says "He told Hazel to go because he knew I would volunteer in her place."
- She survives everything, and faces no consequences (unlike Piper, who gets kidnapped again, and the others who were killed. Even Priya had to kill someone before surviving the whole ordeal.) Why does Hazel get this unfair treatment?
- She even has the audacity to complain about never getting tortured, saying, "Why haven't I been in any rooms? Everyone else has."

And then,

"See? We know there's something coming, and I'm being treated differently," Hazel says, shaking her head.

"You're not the only one getting different treatment. Theo and I have done a lot of rooms, and Evan and Kevin have been taken away, Kevin still is gone."

"Fine. I'm the only one treated in a different way: solo."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything, and we don't know something big is coming, we only assume it because of the changes in their behavior. But maybe this is part of their plan."

"Piper, we're in different positions here. Let's not try to pretend otherwise."

Why is she being so hostile? It's not as if any of us are in a good position, but it's not a contest over who has it worse.

I always think everything that's written in a book is very purposeful and intentional, as authors have to consciously pick every single word they write. But this book makes me think that I'm wrong, because was Hazel really just in the book to be annoying and to be lucky and treated the best for no reason?

And lastly, the love triangle.
Why was it even there? It seems like Theo and Piper have a thing going on (weird, but okay) but she pretty much instantly falls for Evan when he shows up. Theo is then seen holding Lucie. And then Theo shows signs of jealousy. Like what??

Overall Thoughts: Quick read, with decently-interesting plot. Ruined by bad editing, no continuity, annoying characters, and a confusingly abrupt ending. Reads like fanfiction where the author forgot everything that had said previously and just wings it until the end.

And one, last thing. I promise this is the last thing I'll complain about: The cover doesn't make sense, except symbolically, which is a pet peeve of mine. I think Piper is tied to a chair with rope once, but they're not kept in chairs and there are no chains or flowers.

[Nicole*bookaholic* · Rating 4 out of 5]

What kind of ending was that? Like seriously? Is there going to be another book? I would have gotten 5 stars but the ending is way to open.

[TheVeryBookish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, this was such a disappointing read.
I've read and own multiple books from this author so I went into this hoping to really enjoy it. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

I was surprised by how much I was put off while reading this book. The concept sounded really interesting and I was excited to read about the torture rooms and how they worked and how people experienced them. The pure intrigue of this aspect is what kept me reading and is the only reason why I finished this book at all. It's also pretty much the only thing that got the book to 2 stars.

While I was intrigued and kept reading to see what would happen, it seems like every single time it just fell short of what I wanted. The characters are SO dumb that it hurts. Who gets into a car with strangers they just met? Not only were they not very bright (and this goes for most of the characters, not just the main ones) but they are extremely irritating and childish. Getting jealous over making other friends and at one point the main character and her best friend are arguing and one of them says to the other that they aren't the same and they weren't friends. But then turns around in the next chapter and wants to say they are best friends again. *eye roll*

And that's not the only contradicting thing that happens, it's throughout the entire book. Like one specific scene that really had me annoyed was the main character deciding she isn't going to cry anymore and let the kidnappers think they are breaking her. And then just a few paragraphs later she is crying. Wow, seriously?

The characters aren't really likable in my opinion. There was no emotional connection to them at all and this may partly be the reason none of the torture rooms emotionally triggered me as I wanted. Because I just didn't care about the characters at all. The writing was juvenile as well. As I said, I've read other books by this author and they never bothered me the way this one did. It almost makes me feel like I'm too advanced for these kinds of YA books but that's not the case, it's just this writing that was awful.

There was a plot twist near the end that was pretty good. It was pretty predictable in hindsight but I didn't suspect it so I was pleasantly surprised by this part.

One of the things I liked the most about this book was the very end when we get two chapters in another perspective. We get to see into the mind of the bad guy. THIS was probably the single most enjoyable part of the book. Was definitely the most enjoyable part.

And the ending...sucked. I hated the way the book ended. Some people might love it but I didn't like it at all. I feel like it should have either continued to a certain point or cut off a little bit earlier than it did. So for me, it just stopped in a very bad spot.

I'm sad that I didn't like this as much as I wanted to. I liked the concept but not the way it was presented. I think if it was written better, in general, it would have been much better. And if it was written for more advanced readers it would have been creepy as hell and super fun.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

My head hurts from reading this. It's so bad you don't even want to use it as bonfire fuel because you might hurt the fire. I'm just saying...wow. I really did not like this at all and I don't know why anyone else did enjoy it. This is my honest review.

Somewhat of the plot might have been okay if the characters weren't complete idiots in everything they did and if there was an explanation for why those boys did what they did. I still have no idea why aside from maybe they were just bored and psychopaths? There were way too many holes in the bad guys' sides. Nothing made any sense. But like I said before, this story might have been pretty good! She just needed to spend more time on the why and definitely on character development. There are better ways to get two girls to this creepy house without them being so horribly naive and getting into a car with two "hot" guys (they weren't anything special at all) because they said hi to you.

That's literally the biggest issue with this entire book! Aside from the underdeveloped writing, the issue was the characters. Piper was the biggest idiot so unfortunately she was the main character.

Piper, Piper, Piper...

Basically, she's way naive. My little eight year old sister who's naive looks like a world famous rocket scientist genius next to Piper. Anyway, that aside.

When Piper has a conversation with one other friend alone, Hazel, this is how it goes (generally):

"Hi, Pipes," -Hazel
"Hi, Haze," -Piper
"Do you want to do something fun, Pipes?" -Hazel
"No, I want to stare at this cute guy instead, Haze," -Piper

But you get the idea, because constantly they're repeating their names when they're the only ones talking to each other. You don't need to and this sounds really obnoxious.

But back to the fact that Piper is SOOOOO dumb. The two guys walk into a bar and apparently look super cute even though I really doubt they are since there isn't even a personality attached to them yet. The girls don't know these guys from Adam.

Later, on their way to the lake, SURPRISE!! Aww, the cutie guys are there again! And since it's late, the guys offer the girls a ride home. Piper is so distracted (Woah, he's cute! I wish my friends could see me with him!) that she agrees (dumb) and climbs in with him and so does her friend Hazel. It didn't even take me more than a chapter or two to figure out the guys were the bad guys.

They're taken to an abandoned house and inside it's miraculously renovated and cool and it still takes Piper some time to realize she doesn't want to be here. Must have been born without all her brain cells. Anyway, once they're at the house, Piper does freak out but then she does this weird thing where she reminds herself that "she's strong" and that "she can get through this for Hazel" and it's so bad.

From there, they meet other teenagers and are randomly tortured! Yayy!! Um..what? I got NO explanation for this. Everyone just acts like a complete idiot the whole time and nothing pushes the plot forward. (Probably because the plot has disintegrated already) Out of them all, Theo was the best character but I'd only rate him like 2.5 stars out of 5 because he randomly got mad and had these weird tantrum things but maybe that makes sense versus Piper just AGAIN saying that she's okay and going to be fine and well she thinks she saved her life because she watched a lot of crime tv. But she didn't because she got herself into this place.

I think the way they escaped from the house should have been thought up on day 1 since they had a microwave and metal in the first place.

And last thing. I'm not a police officer, so if you are, correct me if I think this scene was inaccurate. Basically, the bad guys had their hands cuffed in front of them (the police found them with guns and dead bodies) and there wasn't a separation thing between them and the cops?? Like...um...what planet are you on? Police ain't idiots. Anyway, I am not an officer so maybe I'm wrong and that stuff is all totally right.

The ending was bad too because it was so rushed and weird and just kinda ended in a bunch of murder and then nothing got solved really.
If you want something creepy, don't read this because it's really not in the slightest bit scary. Except the naivety of the girls and the amateur writing. There's probably a lot of stuff I forgot to mention but save your time and skip this one.

Content:
Language: **mn, h*ll, b*tch, b**tard(s), taking God's name and Jesus' name in vain
Sexy Stuff/Romance: Again, we have crazy Piper falling for guys she doesn't know.
Violence: The torture in rooms 0-5, one character is beat up, people are randomly killed, one character is described as being stabbed multiple times in the chest because the author got bored with him?

[Jacqie Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW.
WOW.
WOW.

That's really all I need to say, but I'll tell you more because I WANT everyone to read this book.

I really don't understand why this book has so many bad ratings, because it was a fantastic book if you are a lover of psychotic, thriller books like myself.

This book is about a group of teens who have recently been missing for the last 18 months (not all at once) - They have been said to be runaways, which is why no one has really looked into the problem.
Two of the main characters have started hanging out with these older guys (around 19 years old), and got in their car to go hang out with them. These guys take them to a building that they have renovated into a nice game room, with a pool table, tv and a bar. They tell the girls to leave their cell phones on the table because its a social media free zone (you know teens are always on their phones now a days). They start giving them a tour of the building, and the girls find out their worst nightmares.

This book is all about a game being played and torture rooms. I LOVED EVERY SINGLE SECOND. I was filled with anxiety, because of the description of the torture, and it was so amazing! I haven't read a thriller book this thrilling in a good while, and I was extremely surprised there were so many dark details in this young adult book!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story filled with psychotic characters, torture procedures, mind games, and twists.

[Ojolisto Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mira de verdad, es que todavía estoy en shock. Pero no el buen sentido, precisamente 😳

El libro, todo en general, es surrealista. Desde la trama inicial, pasando por los personajes y acabando con ese final. Os juro que hacía tiempo que no leía algo que me dejase con la sensación de haber perdido mi tiempo y mi dinero ❌

Esta historia es un Saw versión adolescente. Un Saw bastante cutre y repetitivo, pero eso es lo que quiere transmitir. Las 3/4 partes de la trama son totalmente prescindibles y se pasan en una repetición constante de escenas que aportan entre el cero y la nada a la historia y hacen que quieras leer el libro en vertical.

Y llegamos al cuarto final. Ya te digo yo que si lees los primeros capítulos y los cuatro últimos, te enteras de todo y no te has perdido nada. Porque lo "interesante" ocurre en estos últimos capítulos. Todo ocurre a velocidad ultra rápida, ríete tú de la velocidad de la luz. Nos hemos tragado doscientas y pico páginas de cháchara insustancial para que todo se resuelva en veinte hojas 😫 Odio que se apelotone toda la información de golpe y aquí es exactamente lo que ocurre (aunque tampoco hay mucha info, la verdad).

Pero aquí VIENE LO MEJOR. Se supone que hay un tremendo plot twist que nos va a dejar moñacos. Bueno, a mi me ha dejado moñaca, pero por las razones equivocadas. Ya me olía a tres kilómetros vista que iba a pasar esto y recé con todas mis fuerzas para que no fuese ESE el plot. En fin, mis rezos se fueron por el desagüe porque señoras y señores, el plot era ESO 🤨

En cuanto a los protas. A ver, en los primeros capítulos debo reconocer que Piper me caía soberanamente bien. Una tía inteligente, con mucha retranca e ironía fina. Mi gozo en un pozo cuando a medida que pasaba la historia, esa chica se iba desdibujando y quedaba una caricatura de lo inicial. Yo solo digo que ¿sabéis el dicho ese de que el hombre es el único que tropieza dos veces con la misma piedra? Bueno chavales, pues Piper ha venido a destronar el refrán y demuestra que se puede ser tonto consecutivamente y pillarle cariño a la piedra indefinidamente.

Respecto a los secundarios. Pues mira, los hay porque tiene que haber de todo en la viña del señor. Pero ni fú ni fá. Ni chicha ni limoná. Sueltan sus frasecicas y ale, ya han cumplido con el día.

Respecto a los badass de la historia. Vamos a mantenerlos en el anonimato. No por nada, sino por vuestra salud mental, porque si os queréis aventurar en esta historia plagada de misterio y acción (JA, JA, NO) quiero que los descubráis por vosotros mismos (ánimo, valientes 🤣). Son cutres. Su maldad no tiene motivación alguna. Son así y ya. Que los psicópatas no necesitan motivos en la vida real, pero jolín, que es un thriller, mete algo de chicha para el lector. Aparecen y desaparecen en escena con sus correspondientes MUAJAJA de psicópata y hacen sus cosas de psicópata. Y poco más. Terrible.

Y el final. Madre del amor hermoso. Ahí todo mezclado en la olla para hacer un buen caldo 🤣🤣 Todo pasa en tres nanosegundos, se explican cero cosas y pasamos por cinco escenarios diferentes en un mismo capítulo. El final supongo que quería dejarnos con la boca abierta. A mi me la ha dejado pero porque tengo la mandíbula desencajada de tremenda decepción de libro.

En definitiva (siento alargarme tanto pero acabo de terminar esto y tenía que soltar mis frustraciones lectoras 🤣). No recomiendo su lectura, a menos que quieras comprobar en tus carnes tu capacidad de aguante 😜

PD: Le he dado un dos por las risas que te echas ante el cuadro surrealista que es.

[Amalia (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Torturas a críos adolescentes por adolescentes. Mucho relleno y poca acción. Además todo muy previsible. No creo que vuelva a leer a esta autora.
.
Torture of teenagers by teenagers. Lots of filler and little action. Also all very predictable. I don't think I will ever read this author again.

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read this along with my youngest who honestly is not a reader. But, they loved this and for that alone, I have to rate it well. This might not have been my favorite book or even one I loved but they did, so much so that they have already picked up a second book by this author and as a mom and lover of books, that is a pretty amazing thing to see from a child that we have always struggled with making, yes making, them read a book for school and they willing picked up a second book all on their own.

[Nikita Dolese · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could give zero stars.
Holy good goddamn this book is horrible. The writing is extremely amateur, and the story makes no sense. Please don’t ever read this book if you actually enjoy books.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book would have been a four star, if not five star read.
But the ending ruined it. The writing was good, the story line was interesting and well written, but when it came down to it, the ending of this book was so unsatisfying it hurt me.

The only other book I've read by Natasha Preston is You Will Be Mine, and from that books' ending, I knew I could count on this one being similar.

I still want to read her other books, although I'm pretty certain those endings will disappoint me as well.

[Suelen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bueno, ayer me cebé mal con este libro porque la verdad me dio mucha rabia, jajaja.
Primero, nunca pensé que Natasha Preston escribiera un libro tan malo. Por lo general, sus trabajos tienen algo que lo vuelve regular, ya sea el final o el desarrollo de personajes. Pero con “Huida”, derrapó mal.
Vamos por partes.
Con respecto a los personajes, debo decir que el desarrollo es nulo. La protagonista es la típica asocial que quiere resolver misterios y que tiene una mejor amiga que es como su sombra. Ahora bien, la forma que presentó a estas dos chicas fue HORRIPILANTE.
— Hola, Pip
— Hola, Kate (no recuerdo el nombre de la chica)
— Viste lo desapareció un chico más, ¿y si vamos a investigar?

ASÍ SE SINTIÓ EL PRIMER CAPÍTULO.

Los demás personajes eran todos iguales. Quizá unos eran mas fuertes que otros pero todos entraban en dos categorías: los pjs que se creían psicópatas pero hasta el psicólogo que compró el titulo te puede decir que no lo son, o los que se comportan como si estuvieran en Gran Hermano pero teniendo algunas consideraciones especiales.
Bueno, eso no es lo PEOR. Vamos con la trama. Según la sinopsis, se trata de un juego macabro que idean unos tipos universitarios porque están aburridos. Secuestran a jóvenes para obligarlos a pasar por diferentes torturas. Ok, suena interesante. El tema es cómo llevó a cabo la idea. MUY SIMPLONA. No hay tensión ni suspenso psicológico. Más bien es una descripción de cosas, sentimientos y pensamientos de la protagonista PORQUE SÍ utiliza a Pipper para contarte acerca de las torturas.
Había unas inconsistencias que ni un anime de doce capítulos tiene. Por ejemplo, a los adolescentes no los buscaban porque todos asumían que se habían escapado. DAAAAAAAALE. ¿NI LA FAMILIA VA A SOSPECHAR? QUE NO SON ADULTOS DE TREINTA AÑOS, SON CHIQUILLOS DE SECUNDARIA.
Y bueno, para terminar… EL FINAL. Sin palabras. Digno final de un libro sin corregir de cualquier plataforma virtual.

[Booktastically Amazing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those books that make me question the likelihood of me falling for a hot kidnapper who has a sweet side.

Because it's really UP THERE, BRO.
NO
FORBIDDEN
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN
NOH

[Kathleen Cain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh, this book was so much better than the other one that I read recently. It was such a classy and intriguing thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

This book reminded me a lot of Natasha Preston’s other book The Celler, since it followed a girl who was trapped by physco(s).

I kind of assumed the bad people from the beginning (probably because the summary of the book kind of spoils it). However, that didn’t make the book any less addicting.

The thing I didn’t like about the book were the few logical errors. For example, in one scene Theo is telling Piper about how he got into the torture place stating clearly that he had a brother. Later on in the book Piper acts surprised when Theo mentions his brother asking, “You have a sibling?” Like of course he does, you were literally discussing it 5 seconds ago. There were a few other problems like that, but other than that it was a really addictive ya thriller.

[Silvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5⭐️ Will I ever like a Natasha Preston ending?🥲

[emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪. pre-read ╮ ꒰🪻🪑꒱
starting this right after the island, which is a book also from this author. it was a bit slow but picked up around the last 100 pages, and has amazing plot twists, i hope this one is alike it! (except i hope it picks up in pace around the whole book)

~

── .✦ started 4/8/24 ୨୧
⤷ fin 7/8/24 .

:: omg? that’s the ending?? i was truly not expecting that

[Jenny Yergin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started this book I couldn't put it down! Once again this author does not disappoint. She really makes you wonder how you would respond to a situation and how much could you handle before giving up.

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

“Welcome to the game.”

In the past I’ve enjoyed Natasha Preston’s books for some easy, YA-thriller entertainment, and I needed this type of read during the beginning of Quarantine.
The Lost hit the mark in this sense. It was Saw-lite ridiculousness.

The Lost had good horror moments and the torture rooms were clever and sadistic, without gore. I could definitely see this as a popular teen horror film (PG-13).
But, as with some horror movies, the characters are secondary to the violence they endure. There's a slew of stereotypical side characters, admittedly all fulfilling their role, and very little character development...yet somehow there still manages to be instalove and a love triangle. Also the MC, Piper, is some sort of amazing superhero of a regular girl. I just didn’t buy it and it was all pretty eye-worthy.

The plot development was also lacking, and the story takes weird leaps forward. The book description says that Piper and Hazel “investigate” missing teens in their town, but I assure you very little investigation took place. Shit just happens.

So while I wouldn’t recommend this book to most readers, I would definitely watch the movie.

[Debra · Rating 1 out of 5]

"If there was a rating less than one, I would have given it. I picked this book up as it sounded interesting. A dark adventure. It was basically a book about kidnapping, torturing and killing teenagers, done by other teenagers. I found it to be, well, just sick. Who writes this stuff and passes it off as YA? Is the world not dark enough, sick enough, hopeless enough for young people that they need to be drawn into this kind of crap. If you are an adult looking for a book for a YA, pick something else. If you are a YA looking for a good read, pick something else. This is not it.

It is not entertaining in the least. I read through to the end because it was a short book .I am sorry I wasted my time. If this is what someone thinks YA need to immerse themselves in, they have a serious problem. Do yourself a favor, pick one of a gazillion other books out there that are really good. This one isn't. Ms. Preston might wish to seek some therapy and take her publishers with her.

[elin ୨୧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are not that great but they’re so incredibly addicting 😭😭 on my way to go read another one.

[Soleil · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Elastic Heart - Diplo, Sia, The Weeknd]
0:19 ─〇───── 5:08
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

» I've got thick skin and an elastic heart, but your blade it might be too sharp «

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This plot could have worked, but the characters were the downfall.

Piper boasts about her obsession with thriller, suspense, and mystery movies and TV shows. She wants to work in the criminal justice field after college. Her and her best friend Hazel decide to solve the mystery of the missing teens in their town with their zero sleuthing and common sense skills. In the process, Piper gains the attention of the hottest guy in town, Caleb, who is a college boy (or maybe graduate?) when he looks at her in a cafe. Later that evening he appears at the lake (where the high schoolers hang out), catching her off guard and flirting with her. From one ID addict to another, this would raise red flags. She's known this guy for years and he's never given her the time of day. Why all of a sudden is he interested in her now?

So Piper's crush and lack of brain cells allow Caleb and his friend Owen to give her and Hazel a ride home except they're actually the ones abducting teens and locking them in a renovated building in the middle of the woods. Upon meeting four other missing teens, they clarify that Piper and Hazel have been mislead. They're trapped in a fun house with Caleb and his friends randomly torturing their subjects with water, sound, light, temperature, sleep deprivation, and fighting to the death.

The conflicts and twists were predictable, but Piper's impetuous and idiotic decisions were frustrating. The martial artist and ID addict in me kept track of everything wrong they were doing when they had chances to escape (despite the original option of ignoring the random attention of an older guy) and the lack of them wanting to fight. Anything can be used as a weapon. Why didn't they refuse to exit the room whenever they were buzzed over the loudspeaker and then wait for someone to check on them and then throw the TV at them? Or the microwave? Or chairs?

The final pet peeve was the ending. What kind of ending was that? It's like the ARC was left unfinished or cut off in the middle of a scene. It would have been more powerful if Piper had been an unreliable narrator from the start and then ending as she grabbed Evan's hand and smirked, letting the audience know she was on the opposing side all along.

Thanks Edelweiss for the ARC.

[☠Kayla☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a strong love-hate relationship with this book. It had so many parts that just didn't seem real and logical, yet it had parts that really could happen and made sense. I truly thought I wasn't going to like this book, and for some of it, I really didn't, but honestly, I liked more of it than I hated. It's twisted but also not detailed enough to seem sickening which is a good balance if you want a "whoa what the fuck" and not a "I'm gonna be sick." I liked this book more then I thought I would so for that I give it 4 stars. I'm definitely going to pick up more of Natasha Preston's work.

[rose ❀ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was considering this to be 3 stars until that ending. What was that?

[Kaitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

you know how addicting bad scary movies are? this book is just like that.

[Paula Nácar · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
No ha estado mal.
Nunca había leído a Natasha Preston (bueno, de hecho, empecé a leer thriller el año pasado) y bueno, entretiene y te mantiene en vilo, pero no me ha parecido espectacular. Vamos por partes:
Se nos presenta un pueblo pequeño (que es donde siempre ocurren los casos más preocupantes) donde han empezado a desaparecer chicas y nuestra protagonista y la amiga de pegote (porque literalmente le aporta 0 a la trama) deciden investigar qué está pasando. Hasta ahí un comienzo bastante sólido que siempre funciona.
El caso es que, sin hacer demasiado spoiler de cómo, terminan encerradas en una habitación donde encuentran a todas las personas desaparecidas del pueblo. Y ahí es cuando empieza la chicha.
El punto fuerte de esta novela para mí es que te mete directamente en la acción, no te pasas 100 páginas esperando a que las metan en la habitación. No, en la página 20 ya están dentro y ahí es donde se desarrolla la historia y todo el juego psicológico.
El problema de este libro para mí es algo que me lleva pasando mucho últimamente y es que se apresura mucho al final, es como, ah pues ya está TERMINADO y no sé si soy yo y los libros siempre han tenido estos finales tan abruptos, pero empiezo a planteármelo seriamente.
En cuanto a los personajes, me ha pasado un poco lo mismo. O sea, Piper al principio decía, jolín ya ves que guay esta chica que les planta cara…y a partir de ahí cuesta abajo y sin frenos.
**CUIDADO QUE AQUÍ VIENEN LOS SPOILERS**
Mi gran problema con el libro ha venido de que la práctica totalidad de los personajes me parecía terribles. Quiero decir… Los malos son malos y punto, porque son psicópatas. ¿Pero buscarán algo no? Aunque sea tener el control. Piper que de repente tiene rollito con Theo (WTF!) pero aparece un tío DE LA NADA que les cuenta lo que tenía toda la pinta de ser una milonga TREMENDA y ahí que va ella a enamorarse de él y Hazel… O sea, terrible, egoísta a más no poder y encima se hacía la pobrecita.
**FIN DE LOS SPOILERS**
En fin, la verdad es que la historia se lee muy rápido y te mantiene bastante entretenida. Aunque tampoco esperéis el thriller de vuestra vida.

[Jano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natasha Preston me convenció con El Sótano pero, desde entonces, ninguna novela de la autora me había gustado tanto como La huida.

La huida es un thriller que inevitablemente recuerda a las películas de la saga Saw por el juego de tortura al que están sometidos los personajes. Esta trama me sorprendió mucho en una novela juvenil.

El nivel de suspense que se genera en el libro es muy atractivo. Al situarnos desde el punto de vista de los personajes, se genera una sensación de desconcierto absoluto y ganas de ir descubriendo todo lo que sucede.

A diferencia de la mayoría de thrillers, en este caso no se intenta conocer la identidad de un culpable, se sabe quién o quiénes son y el foco está puesto en las atrocidades a las que están sometidos los personajes y la lucha por seguir con vida.

En resumen: uno de los mejores libros de Natasha Preston. Juego de tortura al que los personajes están sometidos en una trama muy distinta al resto de novelas de la autora. Si vais a leer a Natasha Preston os recomendaría empezar por este libro o El sótano.