How would I described this book? Weird? Creepy? One of the most bizarre books I've had the chance to read this year. Is this bad? Not totally. This is one of those books that digs under your skin, begs for you to continue when you get to the end of the chapter, because the strange goings on just beg for you to find out what's behind them.

Usually I start with what  I did like the book and then move onto what I didn't. But this time I'm switching that. There are a lot of really out there unsavory moments that just made me cringe when I read this book. They made me want to put it down, to not finish. I really didn't like Michelle that much even though I feel like the point of it was to feel badly for her. In a lot of ways she just drove me ever so slightly crazy and I didn't care enough about her to want to continue.

Oddly, the savoir or this book, for me, was Pink Souder. If you read this book you'll see why this is a weird choice for me. But by the end I actually felt incredibly sad for him, wanted more for him. He story is what really pulled me into, kept me going. I think a lot of this book is spent with women trying to control Pink and Pink trying to make his way through however he knew how. He is far from a perfect character but towards the end I just wanted something different for him.

I'm not sure what to say about this book I wasn't even sure how to rate it. I guess if you're up for something strange, check it out. But be prepared: it's not what you think.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book screamed “The Shack” from me. I think there was so much potential but the book did not deliver. I never felt connected to the characters because there was no substance to their backstories. This book could have had a really in-depth conversation about loss, acceptance, and forgiveness but everything was just swept under the rug.

Overall I felt the book was okay. I would probably pass on recommending it to friends.

Very interesting start and the isolated cabin in the woods setting is always my jam. Despite being quickly pulled in by the mystery, I was here and there confused as the story went on and lost interest. I DNFed it for about a month but decided to finish; the ending didn't wow.

Thank You NetGalley, Publisher & Author for this gifted e-book.

Summary
Michelle and Cliff Stage bought their isolated vacation cabin in the mountains of North Carolina with hopes of repairing their eighteen-year marriage. But when Cliff disappears one night searching for the source of a mysterious light in the woods, Michelle's life will change in unimaginable ways. After the sheriff's department fails to find him, Michelle scrambles down the same dark mountainside alone, the strange, beckoning light her only guide.

Review
This was a good read for a night.
I didn't really enjoy it, it was just weird to say the least.
This book to me was more of a supernatural read.
Which isn't my thing. Maybe if your into that type genre you will enjoy it a lot better.

Rating--- 3/5

I am new to author Lonnie Busch. That said, I am unsure if incredibly nuanced characters with multiple threads and wiccan influence are his norm, I am very perplexed by this book.

The charterers are interesting, but also scary, not in the typical psychological thriller way. The plot has a lot of twists, turns and shifting realities. I am a fast reader and I found myself having to take my time and even rereading bits before feeling like I could move on.

Good, solid book. Easy to follow. Would recommend to anyone who likes a thriller or mystery book. Liked the characters and it was difficult to put down!

The Cabin on Souden Hill by Lonnie Busch Reviewed on June 30, 2020
The reviews I read ahead of time were not great. Story is describes as centering on a dark creepy cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. Since I am fine with dark, creepy & weird, I thought this just might work for me!
Unfortunately his didn’t work for me; needs to find the right reader!

Additionally, I always enjoyed the Author’s Note or Acknowledgements to the end of the novel. To me, it is truly the “inside scoop” as to what the author was thinking in writing a novel. Also like to know about his research. Hmm perhaps since this was an “uncorrected proof” the Acknowledgements did not give me any info about Mr. Busch. Hopefully he will considering adding.

I do want to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 29, 2020

Can we always believe what our eyes see? You would hope so, but this story proves otherwise. There's a long past that needs to be uncovered on the hill and for some reason, it's Michelle who's been called to complete this mission. Except nothing is as it seems and she's fighting to figure it all out.
What really happened to Michelle and Cliff?
I loved the mystery here, steeped deep in ceremony and ritual all for good cause, or what they thought was the good cause at the time.
I can't wait to read more by Lonnie!

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<p>I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I will keep this review short as the book is not due to release for several months and after release I will post a more detailed spoiler review. </p>
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<p>This book was...difficult. Not because it was bad, it was far from that but because it was complicated. There was a lot going on, the characters, the plot, the mystery, the resolution, the end. It had a lot of threads going in many different directions and I enjoyed the ride in trying to figure it all out. </p>
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<p>The main character was someone that I connected with, I wanted to see her through her journey. I wanted her to find happiness and to figure everything out. One character that stood out for me though was Pink. He comes off as a creep but he's got a lot of layers and by the end I found myself rooting for him to find happiness too because damn it, he needed it. </p>
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<p>The pacing worked well, things didn't get boring or go by too fast. I liked the elements that caused everything that happened to happen, I can't get into them here but it seemed like the author did his research and I can appreciate that. It's difficult with this kind of book to have it all make sense in the end using the mechanism that he did and I think he did a pretty good job. </p>
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<p>I wasn't particularly happy with the ending though. I did like that it ended in a way that made me wonder what was going to happen next, but it felt like the ending rushed to fit all the explanations in and then it was over. I wouldn't say that that means that the book is bad, not at all. In fact I think that while I didn't like the ending that was more because I wanted things to be explained in more detail. I wanted more. I didn't want it to end and I wanted it to be...messier. </p>
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I think I read this in three days. I was absolutely captivated by it. The main character wasn't terrible or the type who is so awful she just ruins the book by her presence, and it was fun to see this little "alternate" world and finding out how it gets opened, basically, through a loophole was fun. So it wasn't the usual buffoonery of human error. And the main character actually has a good heart - so it does make some of her decisions, especially in the latter quarter, a little questionable.

Overall, though, I think these are probably small (and personal) issues/dislikes, though maybe there's some stuff the main character does in the second half that may not sit well with other readers too, considering how forgiving she is of one person and not another. I don't think it's truly enough to knock my rating down a whole star,so this one is a 4.5/5 for me

I really enjoyed this title from new-to-me author Lonnie Busch. Pink's sayings and his character overall were a favorite element in this thriller. I live in a region where people like Pink exist (though less funny or good-natured). The plot took me on a wild ride: Michelle's quest for the truth kept me turning pages, while reality's shimmering relativity was thought-provoking on a deeper level.

The end, the "falling action," spooled on a little too long for me; it could have been wrapped up more concisely with greater effect. And I'm still not sure what to think about Cliff.

All in all, this thriller is an entertaining read with its Wiccan influence, nuanced characters, snowed-in landscape and shifting realities.

So I loved the first half of this book but I stRted to lose interest and did not finish. Very sorry. Just got a little unbelievable

This book was the most surprising book I've read in a while. It was full of witchcraft, odd relationships, and the creep-factor was full force and very descriptive! I enjoyed the book for what it was--a fun, thrilling, and spectacularly sadistic story. I don't like the fact that the word "queer" is used so many times to describe something. Overall, I would definitely recommend it to others.

This book started off atmospheric and creepy and then just got straight up weird and annoying. I got up to 70% before deciding to set this aside.

It's not a thriller or a horror, but more of a suspense/drama with some light supernatural cliché elements. As a former Wiccan the witch and Wiccan parts were super frustrating to read. I know this is fiction, but geeeez way to completely not research anything and stick to misconceptions.

There's a heavy dose of fat phobia throughout the whole book around one character that wasn't necessary and was just gross. This dude also goes on for pages about women's nipples and it added nothing to the story.🙄

TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR: incest, suicide, misandry and fat phobia.

WOW! This was a unique read, and one I wasn't expecting. I don't know why I went into this one thinking it was a scary, haunted house novel because it clearly isn't! This is a book about other dimensions and the thought of what it would be like living in a different time/space. I found it to be really interesting despite my misgiving for the genre.

DEPRESSING WITH AN EXTRA SIDE OF WEIRD

This review has been difficult for me to start writing. My thoughts are jumbled just like the book. So bear with me and I apologize if the review is not very concise.

I'll just start with the basic premise:
Husband & wife are at a cabin for weekend trying to repair marriage. Husband sees light in woods, goes down the hill to inspect, doesn't return. Wife then follows after in search of him. She is certain she went downhill but somehow ends up back at her cabin. Where she finds her husband inside, claiming she is the one who has been missing. She realizes that all is not right. While everything appears to be the same, and the man looks like her husband, nothing and no one is as she remembers them. Not all her memories exist anymore. The big change being, that this husband is telling her that her daughter died a year ago, where as just before she climbed down that hill she was on the phone talking to her daughter. This at face value, is a story of multi-dimensions and what it takes for the woman to find her way back to her daughter, if that world still exists.

This is not a suspense thriller novel, nor is it a horror novel. It's a literary atmospheric drama. The book is meant to be thought provoking. With the existence of multiple dimensions, and the rippling effects one bad decision can have on that person and everyone else near them. Also, it dives into questioning whether you can truly escape bad decisions and start over in another "place" or "dimension".

Unfortunately, I felt zero provoked or thoughtful to any of those ideas while reading. The plot simply wasn't good enough, nor the writing to capture these thoughtful elements. I felt mostly depressed, that no matter how you looked at the situations, there was always someone going to get hurt or their life ruined. There was no happy ending to be had, which made it hard to want to keep reading. There were also sub-plots that were presented but then they fell by the wayside, such as the couples marriage. No real resolutions of any kind. I think another reason this was doomed from the start is because the original "bad decision" is so awful that no one would ever think you could ever make that right as it involves incest (not a spoiler). Incest kind of shuts down my thought provoking brain cells. I already know that's going to ruin everyone's lives no matter what dimension you're living in.

Overall, it feels like everyone is doomed from the beginning and I felt sad and depressed reading this. There were a few lighter moments, in particular, one character that really grew on you, but then the author squashed that light as well. Unfortunately, I believe the author was not successful at creating a cohesive story line nor producing a deep thought provoking read. Therefore I would not recommend this book.

*Thank you to Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley for access to the digital review copy

I wish to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the early opportunity to read The Cabin on Souder Hill in return for an honest review. I regret to say that I struggled with the book. I believe that many readers may enjoy it and should not be deterred by my misgivings.

At first, I believed I was reading your typical psychological/domestic mystery which centred on the troubled marriage of Michelle and Cliff. Was Michelle undergoing a psychotic episode or neurological damage from a forgotten injury? Could she be the victim of a conspiracy to make her doubt past memories and present reality? Was she an unreliable narrator? Then came suggestions and hints of the supernatural, witchcraft, time travel and alternate realities. Next Pink and his unsavoury family are introduced with Pink’s very different reputation past and future. He seems to be the key to solve the mystery.

I felt the book went off in so many directions with themes I enjoy separately. I was feeling bewilderment rather than suspense. It was a book I can't easily fit into any category.
That being said, it is just my personal opinion. I feel that others may be enthralled by this puzzling tale.

Sorry I wasn't able to go on and finish this book.
I'll try again next time and leave a feedback.
Thank you for the accept

I am a huge horror/thriller fan and I really was excited to pick this book up based on the premise. I did enjoy this book, and found the atmosphere to be super creepy and I was on edge a lot during this book. I liked the twist and I thought the main character was well written, there were just a few pace issues but all in all great read!

Cliff and Michelle go to their cabin deep in the woods to try and work on their marriage. Cliff goes to investigate a strange light late at night and doesn't return. When local police enforcement come up empty, Michelle decides to try and follow his path. She comes across a cabin just like theirs and Cliff is inside, but that is where any similarity to her former life ends. Michelle seeks help from someone that has supposedly disappeared in her other existence. Can she make anyone believe her, and will she ever get back to her real life?

I liked the pace and plot of this story for the first two thirds of the book. I found the idea of different universes or realities interesting. However, the book's original description made it sound more suspenseful or scary than it really was. I was originally intrigued with the references to Wicca but, for me, it got to be too much. I also felt Michelle's character changed near the end of the story: after having so much difficulty getting people to believe her, she doesn't extend the same courtesy to others when they really need it, and she also goes back on an important promise. This was a hard book for me to rate; while there was a lot of things I liked about it, the things that bothered me took it from a great read to an average read. #NetGalley #TheCabinOnSouderHill