Emma Sharp knows the rules of survival. From being raised by a doomsday-fearing father and hardened by the startup world, she has learned how to endure - especially in her marriage to Logan Grant, a charismatic tyrant who keeps her under tight control. To Emma, her marriage is a cage: it keeps you in, but it also keeps you safe. Until it doesn't.
When Emma forms an unexpected bond with Logan's former girlfriend, the two women form a plan to help Emma reclaim her life. Destination: the punishing final stretch of the Appalachian Trail.
After all, bad things happen in the woods all the time.
As the three venture deeper into Maine's backcountry, desire and dread curdle into something unpredictable, dark and deadly. Someone is lying. Someone is watching. And in the remote heart of the forest, someone is about to be lost . . . or found.
How To Survive in the Woods by Kat Rosenfield was published in paperback on 25 June 2026 by Zaffre. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour
How To Survive in the Woods is set in the woods in Maine and it is a novel where psychological suspense blends with a survival story.
Emma is a fascinating central character. Brought up by her survivalist father, she has spent her life coping with difficult situations. She is trapped in a controlling marriage to Logan, and has convinced herself that staying is her safest option. Unexpectedly, she makes friends with Logan's ex, Taylor and she then sees a possible escape. This takes them onto the remote Appalachian Trail, but once they venture into the wilderness, it quickly becomes clear that everyone is hiding something and trusting the wrong person could prove fatal.
The setting is definitely one of the book's greatest strengths for me. The isolation of the forest creates an eerie backdrop, and the author captures both the beauty and the menace brilliantly.
Emma's past is revealed through flashbacks, this gradually builds up a picture of the experiences that have shaped her character. Whilst these chapters do add important layers to her story, I occasionally found the move between the past and present were a bit clunky.
The characters themselves are complicated rather than particularly likeable. Their tangled relationships, different motivations and hidden agendas create tension throughout, and the uncertainty over who can be trusted keeps the suspense brewing. There are plenty of twists along the way, and although some required a little suspension of disbelief, the story never stood still.
This is a dark, unsettling thriller with moments that are surprisingly graphic. I found parts of the storytelling a little confusing but the fabulous setting and increasing tension kept me reading to the end. An entertaining wilderness thriller with plenty of secrets hidden among the trees.
Trick of Light, and also wrote two acclaimed YA titles– the Edgar-Nominated AMELIA ANNE IS DEAD AND GONE and INLAND.
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