How to survive in the woods is one of those thrillers that quietly gets under your skin and then refuses to let go. From the very first page, Emma Sharp's life feels like a pressure cooker - raised by a survivalist father, trapped in a suffocating marriage, and constantly calculating what it takes just to get through the day. She's tough, but you can feel the exhaustion in her bones.

The setup is fantastic: Emma teams up with her husband's ex (already deliciously messy) and heads into the Hundred Mile Wilderness, a stretch of the Appalachia Trail that's unforgiving even on a good day. The tension builds beautifully as the trio heads deeper into the woods, and Rosenfield does a great job balancing psychological unease with the raw, physical danger of the setting.

What I loved most is how the book plays with the idea of survival - not just in the literal sense, but emotionally, socially and morally. The shifting dynamics between the characters keep you guessing, and the creeping sense that someone isn't telling the truth adds a steady thrum of dread. The atmosphere is spot-on: claustrophobic, eerie and full of that "somethings watching" energy.

It's dark, smart and surprisingly intimate with a final act that really pays off. If you enjoy thrillers that blend wilderness survival with psychological tension and complicated female relationships this one is absolutely worth the hike.

with thanks to Kat Rosenfield, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

Raised by a father who was a survivalist millionaire, Emma Sharp has learned the hard way how to look after herself - beginning with the time Gregory Sharp left his injured teenage daughter to find her own way out of the woods.

Despite her self sufficient beginnings, Emma has made some missteps that led her to allow a charismatic and controlling man, Logan, to take control of her life and her wealth.

Until, that is, Logan's ex-girlfriend Taylor offers Emma a chance of escape - an offer she cannot refuse, even if it means once again taking a trip into the dark heart of the woods....

Gripping and atmospheric, this is a story that excavates deep into the darker sides of human nature, keeping the reader on the edge of her seat. Definitely worth checking out for thriller lovers!