One of my favorite reads of 2021! Once I started, I could not put this book down! Both heartbreaking and triumphant, this is a story that will stick with me for awhile. Beautifully written with well developed characters, this one creeps under your skin and won't let go until you've finished the epilogue (which I greatly appreciated!), then you'll want to start all over and read it again. Cooper and his 8-year-old daughter, Finch, have been surviving in an isolated cabin deep in the Appalachian woods since Finch was an infant. They've been in hiding from something in Cooper's past and as the story progresses, you slowly put together the pieces of why they've been living this way and why a series of events may bring all the secrets out into the open and jeopardize their quiet, off-grid life. There are no big twists, and the story slowly grows towards an ending I wasn't expecting. Highly recommend putting this on your end-of-year reading list!!
TW: animal death, post-war PTSD,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Cooper and Finch are hiding out in the Appalachian mountains, and what follows is a gut wrenching story at times. This book touches on so many different emotions, as we travel along and find out why they are living in this isolation. It certainly wouldn't be easy to live under the radar, and keep yourself hidden but Cooper has done a pretty good job of this for years. I certainly had no ideal what to expect when I began reading this book, but I fell in love with it. I certainly would recommend it to others.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and Minotaur Books, I am under no obligation to leave a positive review all opinions expressed here are my own.

Cooper is a veteran who has served in Afghanistan and due to events that took place finds that he is dealing with Panic attacks and he also suffers from a personal loss. These events cause lead to Cooper living in the woods of South Carolina with his young daughter. They have lived at an in a remote cabin that is so isolated they do not have in door plumbing and heat and cook with wood. In 8 years they rarely see another soul only a nosy neighbor who always appears out of the blue and Coopers war time buddy who brings him supplies so they do not have to leave the woods. As much as they try to stay isolated there are events that start to expose them to being found and that will not be good. You will find the ultimate sacrifices in this book even though some might be considered a bit far fetched and the love that a father has for his daughter that has no end. This is a quick read and overall a good book. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

Wow. This is one of my favorite books of 2021 and it totally snuck up on me. It's beautiful and quiet and so powerful.

At the start of the book, we meet Cooper and his daughter Finch who are living off the grid in a remote cabin. Once a year on December 14th, their friend Jake comes and brings them the supplies they need for the coming year. December 14th is quickly approaching. Will things continue as usual? Why are they there and living this way?

I don't want to say anything more about the plot - it's best to just dive in and let the story pull you along. The word grace has been finding me a lot lately and there are some amazing quotes in this story about grace - tempted to quote them but I want to let them find you the same way they found me. Hold this book close, my friends.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

This was a story about Kenny, a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan during the war, who returns home to the girl of his dreams. Her parents seem disapproving of them as a couple and then when they are expecting a baby, things become even more disruptive. Once the baby is born, they are happy and all is well until the family is involved in a tragic car wreck. With the death of his fiancée and mother of his child, Kenny sinks to a new low. Then her parents remove the infant from his house, leaving him unsure as to what to do. He ultimately ends up on the run and flees to his fellow veteran’s house in the woods. They change their names and live happily but completely off the grid. Every action they take, whether to roam the property or try to go shopping, raises the question of the possibility that someone recognize the pair and return the child to her grandparents. Cooper (Dad) and Finch (daughter) are interesting characters, as is the nearby neighbor, Scotland, who is very unreliable throughout the story.
I enjoyed the twists and slow reveal of the backstory. I also enjoyed the ending and felt like it was a satisfying ending.
Definitely recommend!
#TheseSilentWoods #NetGalley #StMartinsPressMinotaur

These Silent Woods is a book of mystery, father/daughter relationship, intrigue, but most of all grace. I was hooked from the beginning!

The love Cooper has for his daughter, Finch is evident from page one. And I just wanted to hug Finch so many times throughout the book.

Kimi Cunningham Grant is a new author to me, but now I want to read her backlist!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I've had a very recent obsession with books set in snowy forests, and These Silent Woods reinforces why I enjoy them so much! Extremely atmospheric and very engaging, I absolutely loved the dilemmas faced by the characters and the emotional punch at the end. A good book to pick up during the winter season that's for sure.

I want to join in with all the high praise, but this book was just okay for me.

Loved the claustrophobic atmosphere and the sense of isolation. The writing is engaging, bringing me right into the characters’ world.

Pacing, though, is slow, but not in a gradual unfolding. It’s more of a stalled-in-place feel throughout the middle of the book.

I also felt the premise pushed plausibility a little far. This man has been in hiding with his daughter for eight years. That’s a long time as far as people’s memory and interest is concerned. For men, it’s pretty easy to change or disguise appearance. Grow a beard, shave your head or grow your hair long, wear a hat and sunglasses. After eight years, people don’t even look twice. Unless you’re an infamous mass murderer, no one cares who you are. I just didn’t believe the sense of urgency needed here to make that leap into believing he couldn’t walk out in public, anywhere.

I enjoyed the bond between father and daughter, though, and I appreciated where the story took me.

This book initially attracted me, because of the concept of living alone, virtually off the land. Having limited contact with other people and trying to stay away from anyone. Sometimes, that concept is attractive to an introvert, like me. These Silent Woods tells the story of Cooper and his daughter, Finch, living an isolated and solitary existence in the woods. We know they are hiding from something in Cooper's past, but we only really find out as the story unfolds. Then, the duo happen upon someone in the woods, and their whole lifestyle, and really their survival, ends up in jeopardy.

This story, first off, was an incredibly creative and unique story. The initial attraction was the isolationist story, but this was so much more than just that. I loved the characters of Cooper and Finch. Cooper was flawed, and knew it. However, he still did everything out of love for his daughter. The love he felt was visceral, and so obvious to the reader. Any parent would be able to relate to the sacrifices that Cooper made for eight year old Finch… his were just more in the extreme than most of us are faced with. And Finch… such a bright and happy girl, so worldly in some ways, and sheltered/isolated in others. She had never been outside the woods after moving there, except for one trip to Wal-Mart (where she had to stay hidden in the car!) Although she had no concept of how huge the world was, she was happy, healthy, and had a drive to learn that most kids her age do not possess.

This story was beautiful, and had an ending that surprised me, and made me shed a few tears. Although this is not really the thriller/mystery that I initially thought it was, this was SO much better. It was a story, of a close circle of people, fighting for their way of life and their lives, at times. It was such a surprising read, and I would highly recommend it to really anyone!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I gave this book five of five stars, and it hits store shelves on 11/16/2021.

St. Martin Press|Minotaur Books,
Thank You for this eARC!

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

Kimi Cunningham Grant has written another beautiful, character driven, stunning book!
The way this Author can write.... Is ravishing!
It felt like I was in these woods with Cooper and Finch.
And to me that is brilliant and creative writing.
Our characters are true, real, and Cooper will do anything absolutely anything to protect his daughter!
Finch she is just so pure and incredibly beautiful and so curious about the world.
I loved these characters, cared for them and I cried reading Cooper's story!
The tension building up was real and you have this feeling inside of you while reading that is really undescribable....
This was an emotional, crazy roller coaster ride that reader's won't want to get off of!
I sure didn't.... And to me that itself is very deserving of all the star ratings one can give!
A spellbinding story of forgiveness, love survival and sacrifice, about just how far a father is willing to go for his child when he's about to lose the only thing in his life that matters!

A powerful, beautiful story about Cooper and Finch living in a cabin in the wild.
And when secrets have the ability to tear everything apart!. Coop will do anything to protect that!

I devoured this beautiful book in a day. I wouldn't have changed a thing other than I wished it was longer!
Thanks NetGalley Publisher and Author for this advanced copy!

I’m not sure if this is a direct result of COVID-19 or just one of those happy coincidences, but there seems to be a run in the publishing world on books featuring father and daughter duos in survivalist mode. First off, there was Andrew Krivak’s The Bear, published just a month before the pandemic reached North American shores. The story was about the last remaining humans, a father and a daughter, living in the woods. Then there was this summer’s Billy Summers by Stephen King, which featured a hitman and a young woman who was a stand-in for a daughter figure, both of whom were forced into hiding in rural settings as they were on the run from the bad guys. The third book in this trifecta is Kimi Cunningham Grant’s latest novel, These Silent Woods, which features a man on the lam living in a remote cabin with his eight-year-old daughter. Is this a trend or have these types of stories always been popular? Hard to tell. However, with COVID, there’s something timely in all these tales that make them relevant for those of us who had to endure lockdown after lockdown. A cabin in the woods would sound appealing right about now, no?

The story of These Silent Woods is that of Cooper, a former Afghanistan war soldier, who kidnapped his daughter Finch (both not their real names) as an infant after his wife-to-be, Cindy, died in a car accident. After the accident, Finch had been taken away from Cooper and given to Cindy's parents, both of whom do not like Cooper. So Cooper took his child back illegally and went on the run. About eight years later, Cooper and Finch are now living in a cabin in the Appalachian mountains that belongs to his war buddy, Jake. Jake shows up once a year to replenish the food and clothing supplies for Cooper and Finch. However, in the unnamed year that the novel is set, Jake doesn’t show up. That means Cooper must risk going into town to get those needed supplies and being spotted by the locals. Compounding matters, a couple of women, strangers, have shown up, either at the cabin or in the surrounding land. Compounding matters further is that Cooper’s neighbour, a Vietnam war vet known as Scotland, knows of Cooper’s crime and may or may not be able to be trusted. With all these events converging, life for Cooper and Finch is about to get more complicated, and they may be pushed out of hiding.

Though the novel is billed as a thriller, These Silent Woods is about the small moments and the bond between father and child. The garden is to be planted, the chickens must be fed, deer must be hunted, and small talk only exists at the breakfast table. The title of the novel gets it right: this is a quiet book. It’s the sort of cozy read that you can devour wrapped up in the blankets of your bed on a cold winter’s night. Alas, it is perhaps a touch too quiet. This is a book ostensibly about character development, and the only characters who feel real are the women strangers and Finch. Cunningham Grant has difficulty writing convincing male leads, as they seem aloof and unsure of themselves somehow — almost to the point of being a touch feminine. This makes the story seem, at times, rather unbelievable. That is, it’s hard to believe that Cooper was a killer in his role during the War on Terror. After all, he puts up with Scotland, even though this neighbour is sly, stealth-like and carries a weapon, and doesn’t seem to be the person with whom you’d invest a great deal of trust in.

That’s not the worst problem of the book, though. The main issues that prevent These Silent Woods from being a top-drawer novel are that it has an incredulous climax and final twist, and the fact that the book is peppered with plot holes. On this latter front, it’s hard to swallow that Cooper has enough money in reserve as a former fighter in a war and as someone who has only had a history of odd jobs working in places such as a sawmill to bankroll a massive expedition to Walmart to stock up for a year’s worth of goods. Finch, too, also seems to be very intelligent for a young girl, even though she has received nothing in the way of a formal education. Scotland, as well, is shifty. We know that Cooper doesn’t like him much, and the feeling seems to be mutual, but then Scotland goes against his character and does something towards the end of the novel that can be construed as a massive act of kindness towards Cooper.

All in all, These Silent Woods is a disappointment. I suppose the writing is somewhat lyrical and it does give off a certain wintery vibe (it’s set around Christmastime), but too much of it seems implausible. After all, and here’s another plot hole for you, since Cooper has committed a crime, don’t you think the authorities would twig into the fact that they might want to interrogate some of his friends and check out some of their properties, especially remote ones that are seemingly good places to hide? From the get-go, then, These Silent Woods comes across as being completely farfetched. This is heartbreaking because it’s in those quiet moments where the novel seems to work best. The conversations between father and child are telling, and this is a book about big family love. If as much detail went into closing some of those plot holes and the “holy moly, where did that come from?” conclusion as it did the overall atmosphere and thematic concerns, this would be a much stronger novel. I guess it just goes to show you that publishers will publish anything that features a father and daughter on the fringes of society. Unfortunately, and not to sound churlish, but that seems to be the only reason that a novel such as this one is allowed to exist. We need better escapism about survivalists in a world where people are dying from a deadly virus. Try the other books listed in the first paragraph, instead.

This beautiful, quieter, and more intimate of mysteries/thrillers really worked for me. Do not go in expecting a page turner, but rather, an in depth look at a relationship and characters you are going to feel deeply for. Highly recommend!

The atmospheric descriptions of life in the remote Appalachianountains is a beautiful piece of prose. A taut and terrific spellbinding novel of hermits living in the woods and what happens when their supply chain is disrupted. A must read.

This story had me from start to finish. The end was a huge surprise and the whole story was intriguing. This is the first time I have read this author and I will be looking for more stories by her. If you enjoy mystery and adventures, then you need to read this book!

Cooper has spent years running from his past, all the way into the Appalachian woods with his daughter, Finch. They "live off the land" in a cabin owned by Cooper's friend, Jake, who visits them yearly to replenish their supplies. One year, Jake doesn't arrive... and their "neighbor," Scotland, keeps checking in on Cooper and Finch and reminding them that he knows exactly who they are... and why they've run. Cooper's world, already tiny, suddenly feels like it's closing in on him. And then the mysterious young stranger appears in the woods...

I absolutely adored this book so, so much. I read it over two days and could barely put it down to eat, sleep, and go to work, because I had to know what Cooper was hiding, and how the past was going to collide with the present. The end of this book made me shed a few tears in a way that books don't usually get to me... but this one did. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.

Good read, this interesting book not quite what I expected.. This was a well written very descriptive book that I found really enjoyable.

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant will be in my top 10 books of 2021. It is simply outstanding.

Given the moody cover and somber title, I expected this to be a suspense or thriller, but it is SO much better. I was so pleasantly surprised by this reading experience, I don't want to ruin the journey for others. Go into this knowing very little.

This novel is perfect for readers who appreciate

- believable plot
- complex characters doing the wrong thing for the right reason
- growing sense of dread
- deeply satisfying ending

The premise: Cooper and his 8-year-old daughter Finch live in a remote cabin in the Appalachian woods. Shelves of books. Deep connections to nature. No electricity. No outside contact except occasional appearances by Scotland, a reclusive neighbor, and an annual visit from Jake, the only other person who knows where they're living.

All is well ... until Jake, with their year of supplies, doesn't come and a stranger wanders onto their property, setting off a chain of events that threatens to destroy their lives as they know it.

I could not put this novel down, and when I had to, I worried about the characters until I could read more of their well-written story. I’m deeply grateful to Kimi Cunningham Grant for this brilliant novel. I'm definitely adding your first two novels to my TBR list.

Originally slated to release October 26, this is now scheduled to publish November 16. Dear readers: preorder now, put it on your library hold list, schedule it into your TBR. Then tell me your thoughts.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

What an engrossing book! Loved everything about this father/daughter relationship. This is my first book by this author and certainly not the last!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this story. What I did end up getting was a terrific, riveting page-turner I could not put down. If you ever considered living off the grid, read this first! I enjoyed every minute of it

These Silent Woods drew me in and it was an emotional slow burn suspense. It was a little more character driven then I prefer especially for a suspense/thriller but still an enjoyable book!