I’d fallen out of love with psychological thrillers. I nearly passed on this one but then it was getting rave reviews everywhere. We all know that theres those books where everyone else says “you must read it” then you pick it up and go “eh? Whats all the fuss about?” This isn’t one of those books.
A couple if times this year I’ve read a book in a day. I read this book in a sitting. When my reading buddy sees when I posted my review shes going to be so unimpressed. I promised her I’d stop reading at chapter 30. Then I swore I was putting it down at chapter 38. I didn’t. I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what happened.
Told in alternating timelines; the now being told by Rose, hiding out in a secluded cabin in the dead of winter. The past timeline running from Rose’s early childhood, to meeting her husband, to the sinister events which led to now.
I loved every page of this book.

Oh my gosh....this is a new definition of unputdownable thriller story. Literally it is gripping and compelling one...
From the book title, you may already feel the creepiness, the loneliest and heavy air atmosphere.

Rose (aka Emma) has a horrible childhood with her younger sister Daisy and their drug-addicted parents. Under this living condition, Rose has the responsibility to protect Daisy and to tell her some good lies from time to time.

Decades later, Rose works as the waitress and she always worries about money, until she met Ryan. Coming from one of the richest families in the city, Ryan can do whatever he wants, even acting like a monster behind the public.

Rose reveals what he has done was not only in the past, even the present. She is in danger, she needs to escape, she needs someone to believe her…

Now she’s hiding in the cabin…will she be safe here?

The story has 54 chapters with intervening past and present, at Rose POV. The plot is extremely gripping. The author disclosed bit by bit, which connected from Rose’s past to current situation. Everything makes sense.

I have to say one of my favourite character here is Gwen - the owner of the store near to the cabin. What a trustworthy person…(can’t spoil much here…)🔥

I highly recommend this book to all my bookwormer friends. For all non-native English speakers, Sarah Alderson did not play with lots of difficult words, instead she used some daily words which we will find it useful to build our vocabulary pool.

Sarah has done it again, had me hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down, read in a day!!
We meet Rose hiding out in a cabin in the woods. We know she's jumpy, injured and frightened, but we don't know why or who the cabin belongs to. Told from Roses point of view in both past and present, we learn about her troubled upbringing with her sister Daisy. Daisy turns to alcohol and drugs to forget her past and Rose finds herself working as a waitress where she meets Ryan an extremely rich and well connected man and her life changes completely. Rose no longer knows who she is and all decisions are made for her she also has no friends - seems Ryan has put a stop to all this. When Sienna is born poor Rose goes into a deep depression and ends up going to rehab- at Ryan's insistance, she's diagnosed with postpartum psychosis! But just who is Ryan and what is he hiding?? Why does he seem to want Rose out of the way? She come out of rehab a changed woman and looks at Sienna in a new way with the unconditional love of a mother, which she knows was there but she just couldn't feel it!! Gloria, Ryan's mother doesn't like Rose and tries to get her away from.Ryan, but how far will she go? And what does she know if Ryan's secrets?! You can't help but feel sorry for Rose and wonder how she gets herself in these situations.
This would be fantastic adapted for screen, just like 'the weekend away' Loved it and highly recommend. Can't wait for Sarah's next novel and will be looking out for it! One of my go to authors!!!

Oh my goodness this book grabbed me straight away and didn’t let up at all. I could barely put it down it was so good. Very twisty and the whole time you were wondering whether she was going to discover what was going on or not. This would make a great film especially the snowy cabin scenes very creepy. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This book had its moments where it was interesting (mainly the flashbacks we got a Rose starting from her childhood and moving up through her marriage and into all the ways things went wrong), but for the most part, I found it boring and far-fetched. There was very little feeling of danger even when Rose hears/sees people around her cabin, and no real sense of urgency when there were moments that should have felt that way. I really wish I could go into heavier detail around the plot, but it will give everything away, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone who may be interested in reading it for themselves.

With few exceptions, I didn't find the characters to be very likable either. Rose spends the "present" day part of the book stumbling around fighting an infection and showing her face around town knowing what she had done (and then acting surprised when she's finally found out), while Ryan is a right bastard with too much money and no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

There are times when you do begin to feel sorry for Rose, given the predicament she has found herself in (especially when you consider the horrific way she lost her young daughter), and times when you begin to feel angry towards Ryan not only for what he's done, but also for the fact he's gotten away with it for so long just for being a man in a powerful position. Without giving away spoilers, I will say that I enjoyed the ending and seeing Rose finally able to stand up for herself.

However, I will admit to being in the minority on this one, so if the blurb sounds like something you would enjoy, by all means, feel free to give it a chance!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

4.5 stars

The Cabin in the Woods, by Sarah Alderson, is a strong, dark, psychological thriller that had me in its grasp from page one!
Told in first person POV of Rose, it careens from the cabin to scenes at psych institution from which she has escaped, to her impoverished childhood in a trailer park with addict parents, to her recent past as a rags to riches socialite Rose Reid, married to a wealthy real estate magnate.
The action and revelations about how and why Rose is in the cabin are nonstop, fast-paced and loaded with twists and tense moments. Rose’s story is compelling and speaks volumes about women whose lives are complicated and full of secrets, whether they are wealthy or down on their luck. Abuse, domestic or stranger violence, psychological or physical, is a propulsive element in this story.
I highly recommend this novel to readers who seek out well-written suspense with strong, resourceful women and gritty realism.

Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my unbiased review.

You can tell that Sarah Anderson is a screenwriter as well as a novelist, because I could see this book being made into a film. The strong imagery/descriptions made the forest setting easy to picture and the pace zipped along at a great rate.

Rose was a brilliant central character, and it was easy to understand how she fell into the dream life - little knowing it would become a nightmare (no spoilers here so I won’t say any more). She is both vulnerable and strong, reticent but feisty. Sarah’s writing seems effortless, and therefore makes it hard to put the book down.

The past and present chapters worked really well together until merging to present day, and the end was perfection.

A taut, tense thriller that takes you along for the ride.

With thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

The Cabin in the Woods is a solid mystery, but at times a bit on the unbelievable side.

Rose is hiding out in the cabin. We don't know why, or whose cabin it is, or what has happened to make Rose so jumpy. We know she is injured, frightened, and on edge. The story weaves the present with her past memories - both from her childhood and the more recent past - to slowly reveal the bigger picture.

I like how the descriptions of this book reveal nothing. I won't either. Rose is one of those characters that seems unbelievably clueless about many different things, but you also feel for her due to her traumatic past. She's easy to root for, even if you also want to shake some sense into her at times.

It was fun, with a good pace, and kept my interest. Not particularly memorable, but enjoyable to read at the time.
One note for the editor...the book is set in America with American characters. The author is British and at times used turns of phrase that are distinctly British and not American.

This will be a hit this fall. It's a perfect spooky Halloween story! Highly recommend a buddy read with a friend! 4 stars.

I was both excited and hesitant to read this book having absolutely loved the last one I read by the author, and although I didn't enjoy it quite as much I still really enjoyed it.

I was a bit confused for a wee bit in the beginning where I was getting Rose and Daisy mixed up but once I had sorted that out it was fine. I really liked most of the characters, apart from the obvious ones but that was a given. I would have actually liked to have heard more about Daisy after her childhood and before she reappeared.

I wanted this book to be a bit more creepy than it was, the last book I read by the author actually scared me and this one missed the mark a wee bit.

I'm glad at how everything turned out, well except from somebody not getting their comeuppance, and I was pleased that all the loose ends were tied up nicely. There were a couple of twists towards the end but none were as shocking as I would have liked them to be.

All in all I really enjoyed it and can't wait to see what the author comes out with next.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Sarah Alderson for the copy of this book. All views are my own.*

Thank you for this ARC that was generously provided by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a really hard time getting into this one. I received it through netgalley and was excited to get started on it as the blurb sounded very enticing. A woman on the run with a past of domestic abuse, and in the midst of escaping another that at first presented himself as the ultimate dream man.

At first I was hooked, but then as I started getting more towards the middle, I kept finding myself putting it down and being drawn to other books. My lack of interest was quickly becoming evident. It wasn’t a bad book, per say. If you are looking for something more to do with drama and domestic disputes and not quite the thriller aspect, this book could definitely be for you. But it was, quite honestly, just boring for me. I waited and waited for some unexpected twist, and was left with nothing. I felt like it had a lot of potential, but lacked the ability to keep my interest, probably because I was expecting more due to the genre. There was nothing chilling or suspenseful about it, which is what you anticipate when starting a thriller.

I did find the author’s writing style was very clear and clean and enjoyable to read, I just felt the story was lacking for the genre it was placed in, and I wouldn’t have read if it I would have known that. For that I give it three stars because although it wasn’t for me, I do recommend giving it a read if this is the type of book you are typically into!

It took me a few chapters to get into this book but once I did, I settled in for the duration.
This was a suspenseful thriller that kept me guessing and I genuinely felt for Rose and what she had ultimately been through.
The cabin setting was both depressing and freeing which coincidentally matched Roses life.
The characters were well written and the feeling of entrapment never let up, culminating in a satisfying ending.
Well worth a read!

I enjoyed my first read from Alderson, although, to be honest, I wasn’t that blown away by the Netflix adaptation. This book, however, was on another level and I was thrilled from start to finish. I could not get enough of Rose’s story and was intrigued by both the past and present narratives.

A spine-tingling book, I was absorbed and obsessed with Rose’s story of rags to riches and then, apparently, back to rags again. The present narrative is set in the cabin, establishing Rose’s intense need to remain hidden and unidentified. Alderson peppers clues throughout this developing narrative which eventually link back to the past timeline. This details Rose’s childhood and how she came to be married to Ryan, an incredibly wealthy young man who has significant social connections.

As the story progressed, I was full of unanswered questions, impatient for Alderson’s narrative to answer them for me. I think this explains why I just could not put the book down because I was so keen to understand Rose’s story. However, the writer is not to be rushed with their revelations and I loved how this kept the plot so compelling and exciting to read.

Over time, I grew as paranoid as Rose for her safety, especially as I learnt more about why she is living in a dilapidated cabin in the woods. Trusting no one, I felt that Rose would remain isolated for a very long time. Indeed, even when she makes some useful contacts, I still worried that Alderson would throw a curve ball and an unexpected development for such characters – particularly as this happens so often with the plot itself.

It has been refreshing to read such a thrilling book and I think it is one that I won’t forget in a hurry. I enjoyed it so much that it is definitely one of my top reads this year. Alderson has created a fantastic balance between ambiguity and suspense and I loved seeing Rose’s story unfold. If Netflix have yet to consider this for a film adaptation, then they really shout not miss out – this is a brilliant read.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book! The setup with the cabin in the woods is definitely what drew me in, and then finding out what she does to reclaim her life and come out on top was incredibly satisfying. Fantastic writing and story, Sarah!

In the end, I really liked this one, but for the first half of the book I was confused by the discrepancy between the description of the book and the actual plot. The description has a poem, "In a cabin in a wood,
A woman by the window stood. Glancing out, she thought she heard Footsteps, whistling, something stirred. Hiding here, she fears the night, For what’s done in the dark will come to light. She must run fast to escape her life. Or she’ll be the next to die…".... so given that, and the vibe of the author's last book, I thought that this was going to be about a woman being stalked or something creepy, maybe super natural. I expected something linear and suspenseful set in this cabin. In no way did I expect a multiple time line domestic thriller that was in no way creepy or suspenseful.

When considered for what it is, which is a basically a domestic thriller with a brief bit at a cabin, I really enjoyed it. Well written, good characters, good twists.....I just really struggled with getting into it because the description was so wonky.

I could not put this book down! If you want a quick thriller that gets straight to the thrill, this is the book for you. Right from the beginning, I could empathize with our protagonist. The story is told from Rose's perspective, a woman with a hard childhood married into a life of comfort, both in the present and in the past. The story is told at the perfect pace to keep it suspenseful but not drawn out. I absolutely recommend this book.
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Thank you to the author, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. #TheCabinInTheWoods #NetGalley

In a cabin in a wood,
A woman by the window stood.

Glancing out she thought she heard
Footsteps whispering something stirred.

Hiding here, she fears the night,
For what's done in the dark will come to light.

She must run fast to escape her lie.
Or she'll be the next to die.

Rose is a believable character, and this was a twisty secretive ride! Multiple timelines and POV were portrayed in such I was I found myself consuming the pages asap just to find out what would happen next!

Great summer beach read!

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. Purely out of boredom if I'm completely honest. It starts out strong. A poor girl from drug addicted parents meets a very wealthy man who whisks her off her feet. They get married and everything is hunky dory until she hears some extremely unsavoury stories about him. Tragedy strikes. Now him being so wealthy, he is able to shut down these stories before they get out and make out it is the wife.

Told in a now and then fashion, it started off really good but by 70% I was really struggling to pick it up and also struggling to stay interested. It's dragged out and the pace just doesn't hold up. I stopped reading when I asked myself did I want to know what happened...the answer was not really.

What a great psychological thriller, I am new to this author so wasn’t sure what to expect but I was gripped. For me it was a bit of a slow start but once I was a few chapters in the storyline really started to develop and I just wanted to read on,
Rose is a great character; the plot is split between past and present but never confusingly so and the chapters are short. This helps develop her character through her back story and has you really routing for her towards the end.
I am not going to say much about the plot as I think this is one of those books where the less you know in advance the better. Definitely give this one a try, highly recommended for a twisty, page turning thriller that is full of surprises throughout

A spellbinding tale, The Cabin in the Woods was difficult to leave alone once started. Murder, abuse, fear, trust or mistrust, marriage, breakups, family and friendship; these themes and others all feature throughout this novel. Sarah Alderson's characterisation is great; her characters are so realistic and raw. I believe this heart-racing story will appeal to many.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Avon Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.