K this sucked. Let me count the ways.

The characters? Annoying, and probably the absolute dumbest that I've encountered in print (well, on audio...). Their decisions made zero sense, and it's really hard to imagine real-life adults making any of them when faced with the same situation(s).

The plot? Solid in theory, but ridiculous once you see it as a result of all the terrible decision-making going on. This story was so unrealistic because, as I said, no actual adult in this situation would make such idiotic decisions. Like, if you're lost in the woods for more than a few hours you'd eventually just head back the way you came. How you could go more than those few hours without realizing something was amiss with your directional equipment is beyond me. And don't get me started on the unexplained plot holes—

how in the world did Claire's car break down, and why could no one figure it out? How could no one tell that Lindsay wasn't actually dead?

The writing? Just... boring? Any repeated descriptions were basically repeated verbatim, and it got so tedious. How many times do I need to hear that Claire misses her kids?

The "anonymous" chapters? Badly written, and so predictable.

The resolution? Totally absurd, rushed, and disappointing. The reveal of "anonymous" may have surprised me because I'm trash at guessing, but the surprise was also accompanied by a major eye-roll. And the way in which

the villains were taken down in the end was almost painfully easy. You expect us to believe that they hatched this elaborate plan just to flounder at the buzzer, when they had the "heroes" basically dead to rights? Come on.

And the obligatory post-conclusion question mark on the ending? Lame as hell.

All-in-all, a terrible take on a genre staple. Do not waste your time.