Really a wonder how he got away with this, not that he was wrong but the whole time I thought the neighbor would turn him in somehow. Suspense kept me reading way into the night. I disagree with no school or friends for her to remember playing with in her later years. Most of us have good memories from our childhood. But still a good read. It also didn’t feel like a true description of the mountains and woods of northern Appalachian country. But I highly recommend this possibility true story, who knows?

These Silent Woods is a beautiful love story between a young girl and her father. I loved the writing and the wonderful way the story weaves the past and present. Finch and her father Cooper live in the woods because of a past he is running from. We learn that Cooper is a vet suffering from PTSD, that his wife has does suddenly and he is hiding in the woods with his precocious daughter. Through flashbacks we learn the truth of what Cooper has done, while growing close to the father and daughter duo. I loved their relationship and the characters the author built. This is a gem.

I thank NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for providing me with eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I am assuming most of the people reading this review have read the synopsis, so I will not summarize it here.
When I read the synopsis of this novel, I initially thought that this is a thriller book that I usually read but it wasn't so. I can categorize it under mystery or suspense but it has more than that. This is a story of survival and the extent a human can go to keep someone if he/she love's them and has some elements of mystery to it that I feel the author creates with her writing style. I usually prefer a good writing style, this book wasn't up to that mark for me, that is the reason I deduct one point for it. Rest is all for the wonderful story the author has brought in front. The start felt a bit slow for me, since I was looking for some fast paced thrill, but by the end of the book, I realized that this was it should have always been. When a person having some dark past, has to do anything to save his daughter from being taken away from him, we don't know how far he could go. And Cooper, with help from his friend Jake, manages to keep his daughter out of danger, away from civilization, yet, well educated, secure, well fed and aware of the human civilization. This book has beautifully tells about survival and love with elements of suspense. People have their own reasons and ways of protecting their loved ones, and Cooper chose the way he felt was right at the moment, not thinking if it is the correct way or not. It is shown that he was smart enough to keep a back up plan if things didn't turn out the way they were going.

I would recommend everyone to pick this up. Let me know what you feel about this book. This was a very different book that I read in a while that will make an impression on me.


I have also posted a review on this in my booksta and goodreads and links are below:

goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4159371840?type=review#rating_401829084

instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSX3WhIFgFA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

4.5 Stars

’I am larger, better than I thought, I did not know I held so much goodness.’
-- Walt Whitman

Set in the remote regions of the Appalachian mountains, Cooper and his daughter, Finch, have lived in these woods for eight years as this story begins. Cooper, a war veteran with a history of PTSD, has a secret about his past that he is hiding from Finch, who was just an infant when her mother died shortly after Finch was born, a car accident that took her life.

There is an older neighbor nearby, who goes by Scotland, one who Cooper doesn’t trust - and who would, the way he arrives without a sound warning them that an intruder is on the property. Property that doesn’t technically belong to them, but to the family of a friend of Cooper’s from the war, Jake, who tells him he is welcome to stay there as long as he needs. It is a simple life, devoid of things we take for granted, family and friends, although they do not yearn for more than they have. They have enough to eat, chickens to raise, books for Finch to read, and woods to protect them from the world. For Cooper, to hide from the past. Until one year, after losing two of their chickens, Jake doesn’t arrive, as he has every year before, to deliver their annual food and supplies.

He is forced to go to a Walmart far enough away and early enough in the day not to be crowded, not to be noticed. But Finch is now old enough to question why her father won’t take her into stores, leaving her hiding under covers in the back seat while he shops.

Out in the woods, hunting, they hear a noise, and then a voice. The voice of a girl, not a child but not quite a woman yet, taking photographs in the woods nearby.

Finch becomes obsessed with her, creating her own fairy tale for this elusive young woman. To Finch, she is a princess trying to escape the confines of her life, to know what lies beyond the gates of her kingdom. Soon, she begins to wander through the woods despite her father’s warnings, putting their fragile life into danger.

Soon, Finch isn’t the only one obsessed with this young woman. Her family has been searching for her, and the search for her begins in the woods that surround the home where Cooper thought they were safe from those who could take it all away. He must make a decision, to continue to hide from his past, or to finally expose his past to Finch and the world, and face the consequences.

While there is an atmosphere of tension and suspense as this story, especially as this story draws to a close, I wouldn’t classify this as a thriller. It is, however, a heartfelt story of sacrifice, a father whose love for his daughter is strong enough to forsake his own happiness to ensure hers.


Pub Date: 26 Oct 2021

Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books

This is a beautiful book a story of a father's love for his daughter, of honor, and grace and redemption, of the power of friendship, borne of hardships of war and survival and the gifts we give each other to give meaning to our lives.

5 stars. Wow, that’s all I can say.. I just finished the book, and I’m in awe of what I read. These Silent Woods will cause you reflect on what you’d do if the person you loved and vowed to protect was going to be taken away and the steps you’d be willing to take to protect them. The story of Finch and Cooper is heartbreaking and uplifting all at once. The unexpected backstory of Scotland was like an unexpected punch to the gut. A great read that will evoke emotion. A must read.

This book examines the lengths we will go to keep our loved ones safe. I fell in love with Cooper and his precocious daughter, Finch, and found myself envying their simple life in the woods, though not the circumstances that led them there. I enjoyed this book very much, especially its look into how we don’t truly know the people closest to us, so we should not judge them. Recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well-written and suspenseful! I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery that resulted in Cooper and Finch's new life in isolation. I appreciated the back and forth between Cooper's past and their present reality as well as the tension between Cooper and his "nosy" neighbor, and the plot snowballs along quickly. I kept thinking about the book well after I finished reading - definitely a sign of a great novel.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was definitely not the book I was expecting. At first, I didn't really get it. I wasn't sure that I liked it because I didn't know whether to be scared or not, I felt a lot is suspense that I'm still not sure was supposed to be there. Besides that, the writing was amazing! It was so believable, such beautiful writing that I felt was easy to read. It was a slow burn, but the characters were so beautifully portrayed by the authors words. Everything about the scenery was omniscient and mysterious and just... really good! I gave this a 3.5 but rounded to a 4 just for the writing alone. ⁣
⁣
Thanks @netgalley and St Martins Press for sharing a digital copy with me 🤍

One word describes this book perfectly and that word is WOW. Perfectly written, in a tense, atmospheric, and even beautiful way! Chalked full of questions, which keep that brilliant and fun twisty turn, chilling, thrilling, and shocking theme going strong! Absolutely fast paced, unputdownable, and likely to cause one heck of a hangover! Cannot recommend enough!

Will make sure ti buzz around platforms and use top Amazon reviewer number on release!

I read this book in one sitting, which I never do! It is a wonderfully atmospheric novel about an isolated family loving deep in the woods on the edge of a National Forest. Although I wouldn’t classify this as a thriller, it is filled with tension that builds to a taut breaking point at the end of the novel. I was happy to see that things came to a complex, yet deeply satisfying, conclusion. A five star read I’ll be recommending.

Awww It won’t take long for you to fall in love with both Cooper and his 8 year old daughter Finch.

They have been living in an isolated cabin in the Appalachians since Finch was a baby.
Finch was just a baby when her mother Cindy died in a car accident in which Cooper was driving.
Cooper suffers from PTSD so after this accident CPS wanted to take the baby from him and give custody to the grandparents. The fact that Cooper and Cindy were not married added a layer of complication.
Cooper loves his daughter with all his heart and wasn’t going to let anyone take his daughter from him. Changing their names from Kenny Morrison to Cooper and Grace Elizabeth to Finch; they set off to hide in these silent woods!
The only connection Cooper and Finch have with the outside world are Jake ~ an Army Ranger buddy who also served and was injured in Afghanistan who comes one a year with supplies and the other is Scotland the neighbor.
We don't know all the details as to why Cooper is hiding; we know he is protecting his daughter ~ but sure there is something more.

This novel is a beautiful story of love.
These characters will stay with me for a long time.
Thank you Kimi Cunningham Grant.. I am looking forward to your next story!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for my honest professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 26, 2021

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed the author's book Fallen Mountains so much, that I knew I'd love this one. I liked it even more. A great tale.

This has a lot of rave reviews so I was excited to have received an arc. I kind of have mixed feelings. I loved the writing style and the forest setting. The descriptions were poetic and I felt like I was in the woods surrounded by the trees and birds. The author conveyed the tension of the plot very well with the back and forth time frame and it kept me wanting to read more. I did feel like there wasn’t much going on in the plot at times, particularly with all the descriptions of nature but I understand that these were intentional. I also didn’t care for the religious spin to the ending with the Bible verses and talk of grace, etc. It made me feel like the whole thing was a sermon and that I was being preached at, which I did not at all care for. With that said, this was definitely an interesting, worthwhile read.

Slow burning story of a man who takes his infant daughter to a cabin in the woods and raises her in isolation for eight years. It soon becomes clear that this is not a thriller where danger is imminent, but rather a nuanced portrait of a father desperate to retain custody of his child faced with an impossible choice. The question of whether Cooper is acting in Finch's best interests is given thoughtful consideration.

The cabin in the snowy woods is an almost idyllic setting, and Finch is attuned with nature. But when an emergency forces Cooper to take her on a supply run, her world begins to open up. Outsiders soon encroach, and an intervention comes from an unexpected source. While I had questions about the future ramifications of this sacrificial gesture, it was a powerful and redemptive moment.

Wowwwww! Thriller of the year! Might be! I love the settings, it felt alive, like I was actually there and the story, the plot, the ending, the characters, everything is absolutely great. Impressive! Read it!

Everything about this book was perfect for me. The writing style flowed, the characters are real, the plot is believable, and the setting is beautiful but savage at times.
Cooper and his daughter Finch (not their real names) have hidden in the Appalachian mountains since she was a small baby. We aren’t told the full reason behind this until further in the book, which makes it a juicy read. For many chapters you wonder who did he kill, where’s her mother, why’s he so paranoid? He’s a deeply flawed human, but as his story slowly unfolds you feel deep compassion for him. And what’s more beautiful than a father’s undying love for his child?
Finch is an entire enigma on her own. Extremely intelligent, rampant imagination, love for animals and nature, and lonely for human interaction, she will wrap her strong little fingers around your heart and squeeze. It’s amazing she’s survived the elements, and she’s a tough little person because of it.
The setting is beautiful; the mountains, streams, wild animals, pet chickens, and the quiet coexistence of these two humans are so beautifully described you’ll feel and see it as you read.
And the plot is gorgeous: believable, heart-wrenching, and simply stated.
Please, do your heart and soul a favor and relish this book. I’m so thankful I did. I’ll be reading more of Ms. Cunningham Grant's work after this.
Sincere thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is October 26, 2021.

Cooper and his daughter, Finch, are living off-grid in the Appalachian woods. They never go outside and live in a heightened state of awareness. Once a year, they get a delivery of supplies for the coming year from Cooper’s friend, Jake, a military buddy who also owns the place where they live. However, Jake did not show up this year.

Cooper is a veteran with PTSD and has difficulties at times with flashbacks to his war experiences. Finch understands and knows what to do if her father has one of these episodes. They have a great system worked out for surviving in their remote cabin. Cooper loves his daughter and would do anything to keep her safe. She is part of the reason they are hiding out in the woods. Their neighbor, Scotland, sometimes drops by unannounced, much to Cooper’s dismay. Scotland also says he keeps an eye on the father and daughter with his spotting scope. At first, this seemed creepy, but in the end, it makes sense.

Finch is at home in the woods and knows them better than anyone. She writes in her journal about things she discovers out there. But keeping the gate always locked does not stop some trespassers and this leads to a cascade of events beyond their control. One day, Finch sees a strange girl in the woods. She doesn’t tell Cooper about this at first. The girl in the woods brings great changes ahead for all their lives.

This story is suspenseful and taut. The tension is palpable. The author does an excellent job recreating the experience of living alone in the woods. The hyperawareness, the attention to every detail, the need to keep safe from outside visitors. The atmosphere was so detailed, I felt like the author had lived it. I have lived alone in the woods and the details are spot-on.

Some chapters give glimpses into Cooper’s background, his military experience, his life with Finch’s mother, her parents’ efforts to take his child from him, and more. Gradually, the reader begins to understand what Cooper is so afraid of and why he is hiding in the woods with his child.

Overall, this was a story of grace, honor, sacrifice, and redemption, of learning to face consequences of past actions and being willing to live life to its fullest. The ending is one I did not see coming. It is a surprise but it does make sense. The real hero is not revealed until the end. It is a beautiful story with rich, full characters. This one will stick with you long after you close the last page.

I would love to see this one made into a film. It’s the best novel I have read this year.

I am definitely in the minority in my opinion about this novel. I really liked it at first, it was engaging and had some great plot elements, but then it didn't. Once the "secret" was out there just wasn't much to hold my attention. The end seems rushed and just not very realistic.

I loved this book! When I read the summary, I hoped the father/daughter duo of Cooper/Finch wouldn’t be a typical lone-in-the-woods novel. It wasn’t.

The writing was phenomenal. Background information about Cooper’s life was expertly woven into the story. Cooper headed off to the woods because of crimes he committed. The problems that arose during their isolation were so believable.

The additional characters – Scotland, the neighbor, Jake, the friend, and Marie, Jake’s sister – added bonus flavor.

I couldn’t imagine how the author was going to pull this together at the end. She did; it ended superbly.

My sincere thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review These Silent Woods. It was my pleasure. I highly recommend this one.