This is a story of Jess who must go to live with her Dad after her Mom dies in an accident which leaves Jess herself severely injured. She thinks she's going to a small town in Alaska. However, when her Dad's friend, Griff, picks her up she ends up in remote Canada where her Dad is living off the grid far away from anyone else. She has only seen her dad a couple times in her 16 years of life. How is she supposed to live like this? No electricity, no grocery store or phones. She's even shocked to see that he uses an outhouse as well. Her dad starts teaching her how to survive and cryptically reminds her that if she sees any planes other than Griff's she must come get him and then hide herself. Then her dad dies and their cabin burns. Griff is not expected back until the next spring. Now she and her Dad's dog, Bo, must survive somehow. Winter is coming and she's still hurt and not strong. So while saying her dad's mantra "Smart, not strong" over and over again the struggle to survive begins.

This book is a great one that shows how trauma and necessity can change a person. Sometimes giving people strength to persevere while often still leaving mental ghosts behind as well.

And it is freeing, knowing that the forest does not care, does not judge. My failure will go unmarked—no mourning, no mockery.

I bought this book at my library's yearly sale on a whim because I thought the premise sounded interesting! I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Once I got halfway through, I couldn't put it down. I thought Jess was a very solidly, well thought out character with a great motive.

This one reminds me of the books with the survivalist aspect that I loved in elementary school. Highly recommend curling up with this one as the weather is getting colder!

I thought that this book was really interesting. I like the way that it was written, in the before and after chapters. I think it's a really good example of female empowerment, and surviving when you've got no other choice.

I would recommend this book to anyone ages 12-18, because it provides a character that anyone in that age range can relate to.

Warnings:
Drugs: no
Sex: no
R&R: wilderness survival
Violence: some
Language: no

Very good. I read it in one day. Makes me think I couldn’t survive by myself in the wilderness. A badass chick who over comes a lot. No romance, dogs, guns, fishing, hunting. The character development is good.

I held off writing a review of this book for a while. I like reading a survival story every once and a while, but the emotional depths of them really hit hard, and this was not an exception. The mix of reflection, struggle, and action I remember being a good one. The book did leave me in tears. Trigger warning spoiler ahead.

Spoiler

Dog lovers beware.

Great book! Assigned to one of my kids who is a high school student. Read it along with her. I would read it again in a heartbeat!

A great story of survival and resourcefulness. Definitely cried a lot, though.

Engrossing YA story of strength and survival that doesn’t shy away from the costs of our actions.