Outside

Four Friends, a deadly snowstorm, and an abandoned hunting lodge set the stage in Outside. The four friends hope to have an enjoyable weekend in the Icelandic highlands, what they get is a nightmare!

The snow is falling, it’s bitter cold and four friends seek shelter in an abandoned building. They are trapped in a harsh unforgiving environment. They have no way to call for help, they are miles from civilization and once in the lodge, find that they are not alone. Creepy.

They synopsis drew me in. I love books set in extreme cold for some reason. I, myself, hate being cold and perhaps that is why I am drawn to them. Who knows? But this is not a simple book about survival. It is about the ties that bind, about secrets, about conscience, about memories, about the past and about the here and now.

I found this book to have creepy elements, but it was also about dark memories, consequences, and secrets. Readers also get the POV of each of the friends. We learn more about them and their thoughts on the others. This was a nice touch, and I thought the narrators did a great job with their parts.

I had both the kindle and audiobook version. I enjoyed going back and forth between the two but found myself listening to the audiobook more out of convivence more than anything else. I felt that this book moved at a nice pace and the sense of tension flowed throughout the book. As other reviews this book does end abruptly. It was as if the author thought “that’s it. I’m done.”

Although I enjoyed this book, it was missing that little bit of something that would have garnered a higher rating. None of the characters pulled at my heartstrings. I didn’t really feel a connection with them to care for their plight.

#Outside #NetGalley

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.