I loved this book! I want to be friends with Cooper, Finch and Marie, to continue to share their story and see what becomes of them. The ending of this is brilliant! I’m glad it didn’t stop where it seemed it would. This is the kind of book that stays with you, that you re-read, that makes you laugh and cry. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for this arc of #thesesilentwoods to read and review.

Wow. For a shorter book, this one packed quite the punch. A punch right to the gut. I have not wept over a book in a long time...teared up, sure....but not completely wet face and stuffy nose cry. This book seems like a simple story but there's so much packed in about relationships, parenthood, sacrifice, PTSD, grief, unconditional love and grace. I think it's best to go in blind to this one just knowing that you'll want to abandon all responsibilities until you finish. Definitely takes a place in my top 5 favorites of the year.

The nitty-gritty: A surprisingly emotional story about family bonds and the lengths one father will go to protect his child.

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I expected These Silent Woods to be a thriller. I’ve seen lots of reviews from readers who were surprised that the story they expected wasn’t the story they got. And while there are some very suspenseful moments, the main focus is on the characters and their relationships with each other, and I ended up absolutely loving this book. This is a heartwarming and emotional story about the bond between a father and his daughter, the secrets the father is keeping, and how the world seems to be conspiring against them. 

Cooper and his eight-year-old daughter Finch live in a secluded cabin in the Northern Appalachian woods, completely off the grid. They hunt for food and dote on their four chickens, who supply them with eggs year round. Once a year on December 14th, Cooper’s old Army buddy Jake brings them supplies for the coming year. Jake is only one of two people who know where they live, since Cooper made the decision to leave his life behind and hide up in the mountains. In fact, the cabin they’re staying at is Jake’s, and he’s a loyal friend and keeps Cooper’s secrets to himself. The other person in their very tiny circle of acquaintances is a crotchety old man named Scotland, who lives nearby and occasionally shows up at the cabin uninvited. Cooper doesn’t like him much, but for some reason Scotland knows everything about Cooper’s past, so he treads carefully whenever he’s around. Finch, on the other hand, has grown to love Scotland, especially when he brings her little trinkets, like animal skulls he’s found while hunting. 

Their lives are near idyllic, but the older Finch gets, the more questions she asks. Cooper hasn’t told her the truth about what happened when she was a baby, and it’s getting harder and harder to placate her with the bland stories he’s offered up over the years. Finch is a curious girl who knows there’s more out there, but Cooper knows they can never let anyone find them.

And then one December 14th, Jake never arrives. Instead, his sister Marie shows up, setting off a chain of events that will threaten the peaceful, solitary life that Cooper has worked so hard to protect.

The author masterfully sets up an intriguing mystery—what did Cooper do?—and slowly reveals the details over the course of the story. Little by little the reader comes to understand why Cooper and Finch are squirreled away in a tiny cabin in the woods, and with each revelation, I felt more and more tender toward this rather complex character. Cooper also reveals some key events in his past, like his stint in the Army and the PTSD he still suffers because of those awful years. We get to know his wife Cindy and what happened to her, and he even delves into his own childhood and his relationship with his mother. It doesn’t take long to realize that Cooper is in a terrible situation. He wants to protect his daughter at all costs, but one wrong step and all the carefully placed pieces of his life will come tumbling down.

Another mystery is introduced later in the story—and I won’t spoil things by going into details—but while it’s more of the traditional “murder mystery” you might expect, it’s mostly a side plot that really only exists to force Cooper to make some hard decisions. And I was OK with that, because for me this story is all about the characters.

And let’s talk about Finch and Scotland. Finch is a delightfully precocious child, already well read due to the cabin’s library of old literature and poetry. Finch recites Walt Whitman poems to Cooper whenever she’s trying to make a point, which I loved. She’s never known any other life, so to her it’s perfectly normal to forage and hunt and chop firewood so they won’t freeze to death in the winter. There are so many tender moments between Finch and Cooper, and parents in particular will relate to Cooper’s desperate desire to protect her. 

Scotland, however, seems to be the main threat to the two in the beginning. The reader is immediately on alert whenever he appears. He spies on Cooper and Finch through the scope of his AK-47 and sees everything they do. He knows way more about Cooper’s secrets than he should, and I really didn’t like him at all (also the fact that he has an AK-47 is pretty alarming). But Scotland has some surprises in store, and I was blown away a couple of times during the story. Many of the emotional moments revolve around him, surprisingly, and I ended up changing my mind about him in the end.

The last quarter of the book really hit me hard emotionally. There are some heartbreaking moments, but also some joyful ones. I have to admit I was a wreck by the end of the story! Readers looking for a “thrill a minute” mystery/thriller might be disappointed, but those who appreciate an excellent, character-driven story with a little suspense thrown in will probably love this as much as I did.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Let me start by saying, this is not a THRILLER. Just like I said for What Comes After, just because there is a mystery and a hint of suspense doesn’t automatically make a story a thriller. This is a solid story with a bit of a mystery at it’s core but going in expecting to have a heart pounding thriller is just setting you up to not enjoy this story, which is a huge shame!

Cooper, and his daughter Finch have been living off the grid in the Appalachian mountains for the past 8 years. It’s the only home Finch has ever known. Now after years of being undisturbed, unexpected events will put their solitude to the test.

I feel that so many stories being releases lately, especially where a mystery is involved, are told in multiple perspectives. It’s was fairly refreshing to read this entire story through Cooper’s perspective. While we’re just getting his take on events, we’re not just getting the present events, we also get glimpses into Cooper’s past and ultimately what brought him and his daughter into the woods.

Advertisements

REPORT THIS AD

Without getting to much into answering who Cooper is and why they’re living off the land, he is a deep character. Struggling with PTSD, panic attacks, and coming to terms with some of the choices he’s made leave him a bit of an emotion mess. However, he has the best intentions and always does his best with Finch. I thought the way Grant depicted Cooper was phenomenal, especially by allowing him to be vulnerable and admit his loneliness. He is skeptical and has a high mistrust of others, while warranted also puts you on your guard as a reader. He’s ultimately a well written multiple dimension character.

Grant also gives us Finch, who is the light to Cooper’s darkness. She’s bright and inquisitive. While she shows some natural curiosity around boundaries, she doesn’t fall into the generic ‘rebel against parents’ trope. Instead, she cares for Cooper and for the land she’s living and learning from.

Realistically all the characters, even our side characters are extremely well written. I would essentially say, that this book is perfect for readers that crave deep characters and character driven stories. While there are a few events that are suspenseful, the main theme of this story is the lengths a father would go to protect his daughter. Normally, I’m more of a plot driven reader, but just like in What Comes After, there was enough ‘events’ to keep me entertained, but it was really the characters that kept me hooked.

I tethered on the edge of giving this book 4 vs 5 stars for about a week. Ultimately deciding on a 5 star rating, because I just couldn’t get over how beautifully written this story is. I’m not sure I’m sold on the ending, but I definitely didn’t see it coming.

These Silent Woods is out now. Huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a thriller, based upon what the cover looks like. I don't know if I've ever been so glad to be wrong! "These Silent Woods" by Kimi Cunningham Grant is an absolute beauty of a book. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down. This story of parental love and sacrifice is rich and complex, with vivid, well developed characters and lyrical prose. It brought me to tears on more than one occasion...and that ending! Wow! I was completely absorbed by Cooper's and Finch's stories. This is definitely one of the best books I've read this year! Five bright and glorious stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this phenomenal book in exchange for my honest review.

It truly has been awhile since a book made me cry. This is marked as a thriller or mystery but I didn't think of it as that. It wasn't really suspensful but it still kept it interesting. I wish we would have had more explanation in the ending and more of a history or interaction with Scotland. Good read and definately tugs on your heart strings. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's impossible to convey how atmospheric this novel is. These Silent Woods is a beautifully written and compelling book. The two main characters are Cooper and his 8 year-old daughter, Finch. For reasons that will be revealed eventually, Cooper took his infant daughter and went waaaay off the grid shortly after her birth.. They now live in the Appalachian Mountains in a cabin known only to Cooper's friend from his days in the military (Jake). Rustic doesn't begin to explain it -- they hunt for meat, raise chickens for eggs, grow their own vegetables when they can, and make do with wood-fire cooking and an outhouse. (Count me out!) But rustic as it may be, Cooper and Finch are incredibly close-knit and happy with their lives.

The meat of the novel comes as two strangers enter the picture and threaten Cooper's hard fought struggle for seclusion. The first is a fascinating character who calls himself Scotland. Scotland and Cooper first meet at dueling gunpoints when Scotland shows up out of nowhere. Scotland is an older gentleman, who also has chosen to live in isolation in the mountains. He too hunts for his food and has a hobby of taxonomy. He has a specific interest in animal skulls, which fascinates Finch. Cooper is wary of Scotland, but Finch loves him and makes fast friends with Scotland. The second stranger is a young woman, who Cooper and Finch see at a distance taking photographs. Cooper makes sure they are not spotted, but Finch is completely and totally captivated by this pretty young woman.

The drama escalates when Cooper's friend Jake fails to shop up for his annual visit when he brings supplies to Cooper. This leads to two developments. First, Cooper needs to make a risky trip into town to get the supplies that will get he and Finch through winter. And second, Jake's sister comes to the cabin, which she now owns, surprising both herself and Cooper. Things start to rapidly spiral out of control, threatening all that Cooper has worked for. It's tense and exciting and emotional and leads to a stellar ending.

I loved These Silent Woods and highly recommend it. The character development was superb. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm rounding up from 4 stars to 5 because of the ending.

This was a great book. It's about Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, who are isolated in a cabin with no one knowing where they are. Except Jake, the person who brings their food, stops showing up and a stranger wandered into the woods which gets Finch's attention so know Cooper must decide if they should keep hiding or if he should face his sins. I really enjoyed the author's writing style in this book which was remarkable. I was hooked right away in the beginning with the way the author got my attention. The story plotline was well structured but I have to say that towards the end, the pacing was slow. The setting was well done as it was kind of like a winter themed novel as it was in the woods. I loved all the conflicts that were thrown into the book that Cooper had to face. It was kind of a thrilling ride that you wouldn't expect.

This book is in Cooper's pov. I enjoyed his story as he was such a mysterious character with why he was living in the woods with a young girl. I enjoyed seeing his development even though the things he has done weren't good. The main side character in this book is Finch but there are some other minor side characters in the book. I enjoyed how the other minor side characters played in the book as they also helped bring the story alive. There was potential romance in this book but the theme is mostly the father-daughter relationship and survival.

The ending was okay and not what I was expecting. I enjoyed reading this book which was also a short read. I think it was less than 300 pages so I finished it quick. I had some minor problems like the pacing and ending but other then that, it was a great book. I totally recommend checking out this book as it's a great read which I hope Netflix picks up because it would be a great movie.

I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t help but admire the lengths Cooper took to keep him and his daughter together.

Being a single parent is not easy, but being a single parent on the run is even harder. When Cooper’s wife died, he was left to raise Finch on his own, but when his in-laws saw that he was struggling with fatherhood while coping with the loss of his wife, they threatened to take his daughter away.

Cooper’s plan didn’t quite turn out the way he’d wanted it to, but as long as he had Finch and they remained safe, that was all that mattered…even if that meant keeping her isolated in the woods. As Finch grew older, her curiosity of the outside world also grew, but one encounter with a stranger who wandered into their woods threatened to turn their lives upside down. Cooper is then faced with making a tough decision: continue hiding or face the past and give his daughter a chance at a better life…even if that meant he wasn’t a part of it.

Cooper and Finch were great characters, and I loved the bond they shared as father and daughter. I think Cooper did what any parent would do for their child, and that was to protect her. He might’ve gone about it in an unconventional manner and hurt others along the way, but his intentions were pure.

I absolutely loved how the story came full circle, it was such a perfect finish to a heartwarming, and at times heart-wrenching, tale. And though Cooper wasn’t always fond of his neighbor Scotland, the way the story ended might have been possible without him.

Highly recommend this book!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4291930132

Cooper and Finch are living in severe isolation in the Appalachian woods. Off the grid, off the track, off almost any public connection. But there are two: Jake (Cooper’s former army buddy and the owner of the cabin), and Scotland.

And then two events happen almost simultaneously that will have a strong, irreversible impact on their sheltered lives. First, the absence of Jake’s yearly visit, the first in eight years. And then the discovery of a beautiful young woman at the border of theirs and national forestry land.

Scotland has always been a problem. Popping up at odd times, a nuisance, a pseudo-neighbor who watches, sees, and knows all about Cooper and Finch. His secret, their history.

Now their sanctuary is careening to an exposé and soon decisions must be made. Cooper is torn. For eight years he has protected, nurtured, and cherished his daughter and this moral choice is tearing him apart. It’s a rather slow, suspenseful building of the conundrum. Raw, emotional, tension-filled, with no apparent solution.

The author is a master storyteller, weaving her well-developed characters through Cooper’s POV, the sacrifices he has made. He will NOT lose his daughter as well. Heartbreaking turmoil and beauty in the prose. The decision is made.

And then taken out of his hands.

The conclusion whips the mind around, at a loss to understand what just happened. I’m not totally understanding the why. My mind is still reeling. 4.5 stars

This was such a good book. Very tender and heartwarming. I did not think it was at all a thriller. A bit of a tense in some parts book but not a thriller. It has some mystery to it but I would not even call it a mystery. It was just a very good general fiction book about a father and daughter. One that may stick with you. Touch your heart. Make you weep a bit.

THE THING ABOUT GRACE IS THAT YOU DON'T DESERVE IT. YOU CAN'T EVEN EARN IT. YOU CAN ONLY ACCEPT IT. OR NOT.

What this man, Cooper does to keep his daughter with him is truly living off the land. He will do anything for her. After losing her mother, who he loved with all his heart, he could not let anyone take Finch. He could not lose her too. She's just a baby and his whole life. He's suffered enough. From serving in the military to losing the love of his life he's had enough loss. He will not sit by and watch as they take away his baby girl.

The cabin that Cooper and Finch live it belongs to his friend, Jake, who stops by once a year with supplies to last them through the winter. This is where Cooper moved to protect his daughter. To make sure she was taken care of and loved. Did he make a mistake? Should he have let them take her? Raise her? I don't think so at all. I think he was the best dad every. So does Finch.

There are several characters in this story, Cooper and Finch of course. Jake the neighbor Scotland and then Jake's sister, Marie. There is a tragedy that makes things difficult for Cooper to stay. There are circumstances that are out of his control. Things happen sometimes and it can turn your world upside down. Make things that were good not so good. Then you find out who your true friend is. This is where you will truly love Scotland. Also where you will cry the hardest. I didn't shed one tear reading this book until the last three chapters. Then I fell apart. My heart ached for Cooper and Finch. And Scotland.

This book has some beautiful scenery and is well written, though in parts I thought it may have been a bit to something. Not sure what the word is. The telling was a bit too detailed. Like describing each step from the car to the front porch. That lost this book one star from me. But it's still so good. So worth it. There are a few parts that will make you laugh and maybe even hold your breath. You will fall in love with Cooper and Finch. You will root for them to be together. You will hate the "Judges". I did anyway.

Great book. Great story. Great location. All around solid four star read for me.

Thank you #NetGalley, #KimiCunninghamGrant, #StMartin'sPressMinotaurbooks for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

4/5 stars and a very high recommendation. Just have a few tissues around close.

COULDN'T PUT THIS DOWN| ❄❄❄
This gave me the show Hanna vibes mixed with atmospheric eerie wintry themes. These Silent Woods takes place in the Appalachian mountains. Cooper and his daughter Finch live off the grid in a cabin with no electricity. The reason WHY Cooper has chosen this path becomes clear through the unfolding plot switching back and forth from past and present. When an annual visitor suddenly fails to show up with their annual supplies, Cooper has to figure out how they will survive. I was very invested in this story about the lengths a father would go to when faced with losing the person he values the most. These Silent Woods is a deep, emotional story that pulls at your heart. I recommended it to fans of mystery and suspense. This would also be good for anyone who enjoys an emotional story about the lengths a father will go to protect his child.

Thank @netgalley , Author Kimi Cunningham Grant, and @stmartinspress for the e-arc

4.5/5 stars

Cooper and his young daughter Finch, have lived out in the woods on their own cut off for the world for over 8 years. They are completely isolated in their little cabin and that’s exactly the way Cooper needs it to be in order to protect himself an Finch from the haunting decisions he made in the past. The only people who know about Cooper and Finch are their mysterious neighbor Scotland and Cooper’s friend Jake who owns the cabin and comes once a year to bring them supplies. Then one day Jake does not come and Cooper is faced with the reality of their situation. Little by little everything Cooper has come to built begins to slowly crumble and when a stranger enters their woods and disappears causing a whole investigation by the police as they enter deeper and deeper to the woods, Cooper must decide what he is willing to risk and sacrifice in order to do the right thing.

•

The writing and storytelling in this book was fantastic, I was hooked from the beginning to the end. The author does an amazing job showing the bond between father and daughter that pulls at your heartstrings. I loved Cooper and Finch and reading about their life in their little cabin in the woods. The characters in this book grab a hold of your heart and don’t let go even after the story is over. This was a unique story that read more as a mystery to me and I loved everything about it. Coopers secrets are teased throughout the story and you just want to keep going and going to find out just what they are and how they put them in their current position. Even though Cooper has made some questionable decisions, my heart ached for him and everything he had been through and how much he cares for Finch. This was one of my most anticipated releases for this year and it did not disappoint!

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This book was originally set to be released October 26th but is now pushed back to November 16th. 100% recommend getting your hands on this one once it is released!

heard good things so I continued to power through the slower beginning where things started to build up. I found myself wondering at all times what Coop did and why they were choosing to live in such a remote place. Over halfway through things start to pick up and I got very interested in what was going to happen next. I also LOVE a surprise ending. Overall, this book was a great read and I recommend it!⁠⠀

📚 Book Review 📚

These Silent Woods by Kimi is about Cooper and Finch, a father and daughter, living in the woods due to decisions Cooper made 8 years before. As the book goes on Finch starts to question the world outside of the mountains and Cooper is asked to come to terms with what got them there. The only people that knew they were out there were their neighbor, Scotland, and Cooper’s friend.

What I LOVED:
🪵This book is a slow building book that helps the reader really enjoy the relationship between all of the characters in them book.
🪵I loved Finch’s character! I loved her drive to be an individualist while trying to follow the rules of isolation her father had set for her.
🪵 I loved the way the book slowly informed the read what got Cooper and Finch to this house without feeling too choppy.

What I wish I knew going in -
🍂 This was more of a suspense filled book than a mystery or thriller.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Swipe for Goodreads Synopsis
Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for this early released copy in return for an honest review.

Release Date Nov. 16, 2021

These Silent Woods is a quiet, powerful story about the love between parent and child. The author paints a realistic portrayal of a quiet life in the woods, depending only on yourself for survival. She also gives a sympathetic depiction of a parent who is pushed to the edge of desperation and does the wrong(ish) things for the right reason. I read the story with a lot of dread, because I just knew where this story had to go. I very was pleasantly surprised by the ending.

These Silent Woods almost makes me want to pack my life up and leave it all behind for my own quiet life.

“This world, it’ll tear the guts right out of you. As you well know. But this isn’t all there is.”

THESE SILENT WOODS
Thank you, NetGalley, Kimi Cunningham Grant, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book. It releases on November 16th, 2021!

These Silent Hills by Kimi Cunningham Grant is not what I expected. Cooper and his daughter, Finch live off the grid in a cabin in the woods. The only person they consistently talk to is a hermit named Scotland. Then they have their yearly visits from Jake, who brings them supplies. Other than that, no one knows where they are. Finch is just a kid, but Cooper has raised her well and has taught her all about survival. But now she is getting older and starting to ask questions about the world outside the woods. When Jake doesn’t arrive on schedule one year, Cooper knows something has happened and that means it could be dangerous for them. But unexpectedly, Jake’s sister shows up to help Jake keep his word, but wasn’t expecting Cooper and Finch. She can see that Cooper is hiding a past to protect his daughter and when a local teen goes missing, the world starts closing in around them.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: PTSD, anxiety, murder, mental health

I didn’t just cry during this book. I ugly cried–so much so that the words blurred and I had to stop until I could actually read the words again. There was another book that I read a while back and it promised edge-of-the-world dangers, the unforgivable parts of nature, and survival. And while I liked that book…it was missing something. It didn’t quite reach through to me. But this book. THIS BOOK hit my soul. I can tell you, it is not one I will forget anytime soon. Cooper will go to the ends of the world for his daughter…literally. But he has a tortured past. After serving his country in Afghanistan, he didn’t fully leave everything behind. Like most soldiers, he brought home the horrors of his experiences with him. But when he found out the love of his life was pregnant—he couldn’t have been happier. But life doesn’t always go according to plan.

Possible Spoilers Ahead, I will try to be as vague as possible.

This book hit home on so many levels. The panic attacks, dealing with family who put their own wants above what is best for a family, and mostly… the love between a father and daughter. There is one scene when Finch realizes what her dad has planned and she may not see him again. Cooper says he watches her daughter not go down without a fight. She screams. She does everything she can to not be separated from him. I can’t even begin to tell you how this scene affected me.

Then there is Scotland. Dear Scotland. I loved him so. I know Cooper kept him at arm’s length because he could not afford to trust anyone, but Scotland always understood and was always there anyway. I am moving to the mountains and I really hope we have a neighbor like him.

This book may seem slow, but the survivalist nature of the book will keep you on the edge of your seat. Plus, there is a little murder mystery intertwined as well. Overall, one of my favorite books this month. 5 out of 5 stars.

This book broke my heart and then stitched it back up again and again. It was an easy read, and Cooper’s love for his daughter is so apparent and strong that no matter what choices he makes it’s hard to disagree with him. I cried. Several times.

Cooper and his eight year old daughter, Finch, live in solitude in a cabin deep in the Appalachian wilderness. This is all that Finch has ever known - her wild and free life with her father punctuated only with the occasional visit from their grouchy distant neighbor, and the annual supply-run brought to them by her father’s only remaining friend, Jake.

And for the the two of them, this has always been enough.

When the arrival of two unexpected new visitors - one from afar, one much closer - throws their secluded life into upheaval, Cooper must face the past that brought his entire world to this one small point.

Heart wrenching and entwined with both deeply sweet and chillingly brutal moments, These Silent Woods shows how far we will go to take care of the ones we love, and how often we may be surprised by those we choose to let in.

I started seeing 5-star reviews of this book and knew I had to pick it up immediately. Unfortunately, I can’t say this book was a 5-star read for me based on a few different things. The plot line did not feel completely original, and I felt like I had read this exact story a few times already. The second miss for me was the writing style. The author failed to engulf me in the story and keep me there. I would have liked to have seen this book add on a few chapters or pages to put some more depth to the story. I put this book down and picked it back up a few different times.

That being said, I found the relationships in this book absolutely beautiful. I also appreciated the depiction of how the father (usually we always see the mother) fought to have his daughter in his life. Their relationship was truly the sweetest.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an early copy!

This is not at all what I expected from a book labeled as a “thriller,” but I have to say that it won me over, completely.

This is the story of a father’s love and what he is willing to do for his little girl. It’s the story of friendship and support. It’s the story I desperately needed and didn’t even know it.

I love how the story begins with a Bird Box kind of feel and morphs into this beautiful tale of love, desperation, sadness, and hope.

The writing is beautiful and the imagery is incredible. The bird symbolism is fantastic and not overdone at all.

The dialogue flows easily and is so real. I learned to love the characters through their own words. I found myself rooting for them and fighting the tears near the end.

I loved everything about this book!!