📖My Thoughts📖

This was a very fast paced gripping psychological thriller. I burned through this one in one day. I’m pretty partial to thrillers that take place in the woods. I don’t know why, it just seems like the perfect creepy setting for a thriller. This was written in multiple points of view and I feel like it added to the suspense. I was a little taken aback by the whole Dutch tradition of “dropping” where children get blindfolded and basically dropped into the woods with no electronics and forced to find their way to camp. I’m not entirely sure I would feel comfortable with something like that, especially these days. While it was a pretty intriguing story, I’m not entirely sure how the title relates to the story, but maybe I’m thinking too much into it. This one did a pretty good job at keeping me on the edge of my seat.
Thank you Netgalley, Nina Siegel and Mulholland Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc.

I’ll start off that I like the cover and the overall premise of the book, however it fell a little short for me. I feel this book would be better geared to middle grade or YA possibly. Again interesting premise, book just wasn’t for me.

For whatever reason, this novel did not grab my attention. I have found that reading during the pandemic has been hit or miss, with focus a continual challenge, so that fault my lie with that and not the novel itself. I may try to re-read this at a later time to see if it was simply my mood at the time.

I loved the premise of this book--dropping the kids off in the forest and having them find their way home sounds so wild to me--but the book didn't keep my interest. It really read like a children's book, maybe middle grade? I feel like I would have loved in the sixth grade but as an adult it didn't hold my interest. I also don't think it needed to have two different narrators. I get that this the trend but it didn't add anything and even detracted from the book.

This sounded like it was going to be really interesting because it was about the Dutch tradition of dropping your preteen or teen kid in the woods and they have to make their way back to camp on their own, but it feel a bit flat.

Grace is an American who is married to a Dutchman and she is not real sure about letting her kid get dropped off in the middle of the woods. Karin's real dad has past away maybe a year ago or so and she is trying to settle in with the new stepdad but she hears things, and how they don't seem to get on. She wants to do the dropping so she convinces her mom to let her do it. 

Karin asked to be dropped in a specific park because it was one that her and her dad use to go to fairly often and she thinks it will be good for her and make her feel close to her dad. She is dropped off with three other kids and once they are sent off on their own with no adults that is where things start to go downhill. First, off the one older boy and girl seem to like each other and don't want the twelve year old's with them so they soon split. Karin is then left with one other girl but it didn't take long before she was gone too and Karin has no idea what happened to her but now she is all alone. 

There is also the POV of the mother and that is when it gets real confusing because I had no clue what any of what she was discovering had to do with dropping her kid off in the woods. I mean I had my suspicions but still it was rather confusing. It seems that Karin and her husband have been having some good fights and he has a place where she is not allowed so she goes snooping and finds pictures of her and her first husband that this guy shouldn't have and it just gets stranger from there and she gets worried about what it is her husband is into and the fact that Karin is off in the woods.

Karin was a pretty resourceful character for a twelve year old. Her father taught her very good at about how to be out in the woods and she could remember markers and things that kind of helped her along the way since they had used that park before. Even when things got scary she kept a level head and used her brain which not all kids her age would do.

Lets just say that it isn't as big of a pulse-pounding thriller as the blurb wants you to think and even if I didn't realize what was going on with the husband at first it was pretty easy to guess what was going to happen in the woods. I think this had a good premise but was just not executed very good. Parts of it was interesting while other parts were kind of boring and confusing.

I think the Dutch tradition is pretty crazy but I guess it's a good learning experience so that was kind of interesting to learn about. The adults are never very far away but even then it goes to show you that things can still go wrong.  I wouldn't say don't read it but I can't recommend but I do know we all have different taste, so you might like it.

QUICK TAKE: is YOU'LL THANK ME a perfect book...no. But it is a solid, fast-paced thriller about a girl on an overnight camping trip who gets lost in the woods and must survive all sorts of dark and scary things (wolves, government conspiracies, meth heads, 7th grade a-holes). I liked the alternating POV between the girl's story as she tries to escape the woods, and the story of her mother as she slowly pieces together a bigger mystery while trying to track down her missing kid. Ultimately, I thought the book was missing some of the emotion (and let's be real, who is just dropping their 12-year-olds off blindfolded in what is for sure the SCARIEST f*cking woods of all time)?? Solid thriller if you're looking to burn through something on your #tbr quickly.

This book scared me to death! Karin is 12 years old and she is blindfolded and dropped into the forest with other children. The children need to work together to get out of the forest and get back to their waiting families. Of course the children do not get along and things start going wrong from the start. I don't want to ruin anything so read this book for yourself! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own!

You'll Thank Me for This, by Nina Siegal, has an intriguing premise: along with some other children, 12-year-old Karin is blindfolded and dropped into a national forest in the Netherlands. They are supposed to find their way out as a kind of rite of passage for Dutch youth. Reviews of this novel have called it suspenseful and a can't-put-it-down thrill ride.

The story didn't hit those notes with me. At first, I thought it was going to echo some plot points from The Hunger Games or even Lord of the Flies, but then, in chapters that alternate between Karin and her mother, it turns into a mystery with Karin as the quarry of a dangerous predator.

There's a scene with a wolf pack that is too easily resolved. Also, something happens in the forest that is unbelievable--it's such an incredible coincidence that it took me out of the story.

I'm not sure if this is marketed as an adult book or YA, but it certainly seems like a coming-of-age story, which may limit its appeal to some readers. The "Aftermath" chapter reminded me of those detective stories where the person who solves the mystery just stands up and explains the whole thing at the end. It was too much of a summary, with everything wrapped up too easily and quickly.

First, I must say, I do not understand how the title relates to the story. Is it that the kids will be thankful that they are dropped off in the middle of a forest and need to use orienteering skills to find their way to camp? I honestly don't think so. But, despite my confusion at the title, I thoroughly enjoyed the story! I am also glad that my own son is no longer a Scout because having read this, I would start to worry every time he went out and did the same thing. But, little 12 year old Karin is prepared and when things go wrong, she is able to take care of herself. I liked her portion of the story much more than Grace, her mom, uncovering questionable things back home and realizing her daughter might be in danger. If I were her merit badge counsellor, Karin would definitely have earned her Orienteering Badge!

There is a Dutch scouting tradition known as a “dropping”, in which groups of children, generally pre-teenagers, are deposited in a forest and expected to find their way back to base. It is meant to be challenging, and they often stagger in at 2 or 3 in the morning.

In some variations of the challenge, loosely based on military exercises, adults trail the teams of children, but refuse to guide them, although they may leave cryptic notes as clues. To make it more difficult, adult organizers may even blindfold the children on their way to the dropping, or drive in loop-de-loops to scramble their sense of direction.

This is the story of 12-year-old Karin, blindfolded and dropped into a national forest with three other children. With nothing but a few basic supplies and emergency food, the children are tasked with working together to navigate one of the Netherlands' most beautiful and wild locations and return to where their families are anxiously waiting.

This is the story of what can go horribly wrong during one of these excursions.

The story is well written with outstanding characters. Twist and turns abound in the swirling mist of mystery involving deadly secrets, lies, cover-ups. Riveting from start to finish with an unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Mulholland Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Such an intense mystery. It starts following Karin a 12yo girl attending a dropping (a Dutch tradition of scouts being blindfolded and dropped into a forest and having to find their way to a campsite) and everything that can go wrong, does. Karin used to visit the forest that she’s dropped at with her father before he passed away so she at least is somewhat familiar. Throughout the book it goes between Karin (the 12yo) and Grace (her mom) and what is happening to them over this night. It’s a wild ride I couldn’t wait to figure out what was going to happen. This is a well written intense mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Karin and a group of fellow pre-teens are dropped in the woods to find their way out, based on a Dutch tradition called “dropping”. After tension with the other kids, Karin finds herself alone. Meanwhile, her mother Grace finds suspicious information from her past.

I loved the parts where Karin was in the woods. It was very exciting but I did wish there was more time with the other kids. It had the opportunity for some Lord of the Flies action. Then again, one of the children was so annoying, I was thankful he was out of the picture. While Karin’s parts were exciting, I wasn’t as interested in the story of her mom Grace and the family backstory. It did help to build anticipation for the excitement in the forest, but I just didn’t find it as exciting. I love this “dropping” idea for a book and apparently it’s a real Dutch tradition!

“The Americans talked a lot about self-reliance, but the Dutch put it into practice at an early age, by basically leaving their children alone and letting them figure things out.”

You’ll Thank Me For This comes out 3/23.

honestly, I really liked what it was trying to do with bring in the Dutch traditions, since that is something that is obviously pretty big. and that i liked that this book was sounding it and how it kind of fictionalized that element of the book. but, what i didn't like was the writing. i honestly felt like it was overly descriptive in parts that it shouldn't be that descriptive of. like, there was paragraphs and paragraphs about how his knee felt and what she did with so and so. and also how the eye mask felt on her face, and how she could see these little white dots. like, i feel like the important things were like brushed past, but the stupid little things were talked about so much. thank you so much for an arc!

The premise of this book was SUPER intriguing and I can't believe that this is a real thing kids do. I found myself skimming a lot through this book and knowing what was going to happen. The story fell a little flat to me but I loved the fierce 12-year-old.

The premise of this book is based on the real-life tradition of "dropping" where the Dutch apparently abandon teens in the woods and leave them to find their own way to a campsite.
That sounded interesting, so I requested it.

However, this book was not 'pulse pounding' and just felt unrealistic to me. (Aka a twelve year old scaring off a pack of wolves) the dropping part felt realistic, but everything else left me rolling my eyes. If I was a younger reader (like preteen to teen) i would probably be impressed and have enjoyed this story, but it's marketed to adults and reads more like juvenile/YA.

The political twist was confusing as well, didn't feel necessary or fully fleshed and plotted out.🤷🏻‍♀️

2.5 stars

When I first started this I didn't realize this was based on true event! The Dutch really do this! I immediately became fascinated and enthralled! It left me in awe, shock and on the edge of my seat! I've already mentioned it several times in my fb group and many are anxiously awaiting the release date lol. My only question is assuming they still do this, will they take a "slightly older child" of 23?? LOL

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had never heard of the Dutch tradition of “dropping” - taking teens into unfamiliar woods to find their own way back. It seems like a lot could go wrong...as it of course does in this thrilling suspense novel. It was a solid read that I would recommend to any mystery lover. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Interesting topic to read. I was hoping the story would revolve around the survival skills of the youngsters who were dropped in the middle of the woods. Instead, it combined two stories which took me out of the story. It was enjoyable, but It wasn't what I was expecting. Characters were intriguing, but not very memorable.

Thank you Netgalley and Mullholland Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Sadly, this book wasn't for me. The Dutch tradition of dropping kids in a forest and having them find their way back sounds SO interesting and I wish this was executed in a way I liked!

The book is marketed as general fiction for adults, but the writing style is pretty juvenile and this book feels more geared toward 11-13 year olds. Personally, I don't think anyone older than that would enjoy this.

I don't think it worked well for this book to be written in the POV of a 12-year-old. It could've been about a group of 15 or 16 year olds and been much more interesting!

Mulholland is one of my favorite publishers, and when I read the blurb for You'll Thank Me for This, I knew I had to request. Forest/survival stories give me nightmares, so I was thrilled to be approved and quickly dove in.

Twelve year old Karin is set to embark on her dropping, a Dutch Scout tradition where children are blindfolded and left in the woods to find their way back to base camp. But when things start to go wrong, Karin finds herself separated from her group--but definitely not alone. At the same time, her mother, Grace, discovers her second husband might be keeping something from her--a secret that could put Karin in the line of danger.

I enjoyed this book.

First, the premise is incredibly unnerving and the epitome of tension. Unattended minors lost in the woods equates to endless possibilities for danger. The cultural aspect of the tradition is also interesting, as rarely will you find something like this happen in the US. I loved the exploration of Veluwe and could've read an entire book where the focus was on Karin's survival in the dense, dark woods.

Karin's character reminded me a lot of Hannah, the fictional girl raised in the woods by her father after he goes rogue from a dangerous corporation. Her mannerisms felt age-appropriate, and I think readers will relate to her predicament.

There were a few things that kept me from loving this book. The story was structured well but I had a pretty good handle on where it was going early on. In terms of readability, the prose felt a little stiff at times. Dialogue didn't seem to come naturally and had a layer of formality that didn't match the flow of every day conversation. I understand this could be a translational thing, as some of the Norwegian and Swedish thrillers I read have that same lilt, but in this case, I found the cadence to be distracting and thought the conversations could've been a little more relaxed. I'm also not sure I loved Karin's voice. At times, the diction (excessive likes or creepys or ums) read as an adult trying to write a child rather than an actual twelve year old, but since her maturity rang true, I don't think this will be a major issue for most readers.

Overall, You'll Thank Me for This is a taut, balanced suspense with an interesting twist to the lost-in-the-woods story line. I'd recommend for fans of international suspense, anyone interested in family dramas, or layered survival stories.

Big thanks to Mulholland and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.