Book review - Alone in the Woods

Title: Alone in the Woods

Author: Rebecca Behrens

Genre: realistic fiction

Similar books: Red Fox Road by Frances Greenslade

                     The Bigfoot Files by Lindsay Eager

Rating:

 

mostly what you'd expect

Summary (provided by publisher): Jocelyn and Alex have always been best friends...until they aren't. Jocelyn's not sure what happened, but she hopes the annual joint-family vacation in the isolated north woods will be the perfect spot to rekindle their friendship.
But Alex still isn't herself when they get to the cabin. And Jocelyn reaches a breaking point during a rafting trip that goes horribly wrong. When the girls' tube tears it leaves them stranded and alone. And before they know it, the two are hopelessly lost.
Wearing swimsuits and water shoes and with only the contents of their wet backpack, the girls face threats from the elements. And as they spend days and nights lost in the wilderness, they'll have to overcome their fractured friendship to make it out of the woods alive.

My opinion: There's a subset of authors that love survival scenarios as a catalyst for addressing emotional or interpersonal issues. It becomes apparent pretty early on that's where this book is headed. We have livelong friends in their middle school years finding that their paths are diverging in a big way. Their interests have become vastly different and the things that they once shared are no longer enough. Small hurts are quickly blown out of proportion. One has become interested in fashion and popularity, the other in ecology. The portrayal of their flaws is unbalanced, Jocelyn getting significantly more positive traits than Alex. We do see a fair amount of guilt on both sides and ways they both can make more of an effort. A decent read with enough action to keep the reader engaged.

More Information: Alone in the Woods releases October 1. 

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGslley