I can’t help but wonder if this author watched that Amazon Prime series called “The Wilds” and felt inspired to write this story of sisterhood bonding/survival. It’s just sooooooooooooo similar in terms of the whole “let’s throw a group of girls with traumas into the woods and force them to forge friendships while flighting to survive.”

If that’s your thing, go for it! Really, the suspense isn’t half bad, and the characters are okay for today’s YA standards. Y’all, I need to be honest with myself and come to terms with the fact that contemporary YA books just aren’t doing it for me anymore. The characters are getting more and more obnoxious. The storylines are contrived and derivative. The gimmicky plot devices are just plain lazy. I can go on and on.

Either way, if you’re still loving today’s YA thrillers–especially survival stories–maybe this book is for you. There’s a LOT of feminism/sisterhood bonding going on, which is great. And the author even throws in a paranormal element. I’m not really a fan of survival thrillers,, but the gorgeous cover called to me! I’m also a sucker for anything that has to do with a creepy summer camp. Sadly, early on, I realized I wouldn’t be getting my nostalgic summer camp vibes because the whole place burned down, and the girls were fresh off the boat on the remote island with nowhere to go. They didn’t even have marshmallows for campfire stories!

Seriously though…why would any parent send their kid to a summer camp from their youth without revisiting the place again to make sure it’s still on the up-and-up? I mean, lots of things could happen, right? Like for instance, the whole place going up in smoke with a killer on the loose. Just sayin. Also, how weird is it to ship your kids off on a boat to a summer camp located on a remote island, sight unseen? I don’t get it.

Overall, this isn’t a terrible story, but it requires a huge suspension of belief on multiple levels. Fans of “Lost” or “The Wilds” should maybe give it a whirl.