I usually don't like writing crazy critical long reviews but this one has got me all fired up! I almost put this book down at least 3 times. I kept with it though in hopes that the characters would magically get some common sense, that the writing would get better or that maybe just maybe there would be a mind-blowing ending that would make up for all the stupidity. NOPE. I can understand some stupid decisions from teenagers. I love a good slasher film, stupid decisions and all. Out the door Sidney NOT up the stairs! But the stupid decisions these girls made were just inexcusable. SPOILERS AHEAD!!! Picture this you're in a house with your stepsister. You walk upstairs, after her repeatedly calling out for help for the last 5 minutes, to find the living room is completely on fire. You look over and see your sister safely outside on the back porch. So, what do you do? Yes, let's pull our asthmatic sister BACK IN TO THE HOUSE to walk her out the front door. Yes, that sounds like the right thing to do right??? I just can't with this. At first, I thought maybe there is no way to access the front yard from the back. NOPE again. 5 minutes later once they are out front, they walk back to the backyard. I went back 3 times to make sure I read that right but if I somehow misread, please, please someone explain it to me! Also, the sister kept saying come here please, I need help. Come here. Girl if the house is on fire, shout FIRE!! It does state later in the book that she supposedly did say fire but again went back and she didn't. Moving along the girls are with a complete stranger whom the older teenage KNOWS is up to some shady stuff with another pair of guys. They kidnap his dog in retribution for him not doing what he promised. It's a blizzard and they finally had found a safe warm place to wait out the storm but yes let's take off walking in the blizzard to save a stranger who wants to steal from us, even though we know they have gun, and we have no way to protect ourselves. Yep, totally great idea. This could have been a really great story. I feel like the premise was pretty original and definitely should have been a thrilling and suspenseful story. It was difficult to care about the characters though when they were just so dang stupid. It was hard to believe that so many crazy and horrible things would happen, but I guess when decisions like that are being made it's more possible? It certainly seemed like every living person left in the town was a horrible person. We also never get to find out what exactly happened to Mr. Soto. I could go on with so much more, but I think I've said enough. Just sadly wasn't a win for me.
I received an early copy of this book from Netgalley.

I thought this was an interesting read! I really like the setting; being stuck in a blizzard in the middle of nowhere was a sufficiently creepy and stressful setting for this story. I think that this is the type of book you shouldn't go into expecting to like the characters or agree with their decisions. Both of them make a lot of really dumb choices, but they're young and they're terrified so I get it. This is really a book you read for the plot and the snowing, isolated vibes. Which were both well written! It definitely wasn't a stand-out story, but it was still pretty entertaining.

Thrown together and expected to act accordingly as sisters Lottie and Jade are supposed to spend one night together in the cabin.  Their parents leave them to spend the night together while they go on their honeymoon. Then a solar flare causes a blackout and with that blackout, there is no power, no cell service, and of course no way to call no help on the way. So, with all this going on a guy named Alex shows up at the cabin seeking help. While at first, they think he is harmless and in the same situation they are in Lottie sees him speaking to two men in a truck at the end of the driveway. Then, a fire in the cabin has them on the outside fighting against the cold and whatever is in the dark! Now, this one is a slow burner type of thriller, and while I enjoyed all the twists and turns the author did go over the top with everything that could go wrong while staying in a remote cabin. I really enjoyed it though!  Thank you, Sourcebooks Fire, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this one! It was a treat!

Don't Let In The Cold was a great read. It was fast paced and gripping. It had enough twists and turns to keep me turning the pages and I was on the edge of my seat throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for my ARC.

I always enjoy a good survival story, and with a blizzard and massive blackout this one promised high stakes.

Lottie and Jade are on day one of being a blended family. When their parents (Lottie’s mother and Jade’s father) go on a brief, one night honeymoon, the girls are left alone at their Lake Tahoe cabin. Neither are thrilled to be there. Little do they know how much they’ll have to rely on each other over the next couple days. When Alex and his dog show up during the storm claiming to be lost, you just know it’s not a good idea to invite them in. But they do, of course, and that’s where most of the problems begin.

The setting is arguably the biggest character in the story. With a blizzard, blackout caused by a solar flare, below freezing temperatures, cabin fire, and wild animals, these teens had a lot thrown at them. And they encountered much more than that with one disastrous or dangerous situation after another. With so many problems, the storyline felt scattered to me. The stakes are already incredibly high, so I feel like focusing on just a few of the issues could have the same impact on their survival.

With a dangerous, wintry setting and plenty of life-threatening situations, this is a tense survival story that can be easily read in a couple of sittings.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Jade and Lottie are brand new stepsisters, left alone in an isolated cabin for the night while their parents celebrate their new marriage. A snowstorm hits, the power goes out, and a mysterious stranger and his dog show up on their doorstep. While the girls are wary and question this boys motives, they do allow him to stay the night. The next day a fire meant to keep them warm starts the cabin ablaze and the three kids are thrown out into the wilderness to seek shelter.

I liked the setting and the tense pacing. I also enjoyed getting to know the characters as they got to know each other. The author throws in plenty of obstacles to overcome and some decisions the kids make are cringeworthy which added a realistic vibe.. A good read.

Read this book if you ever want to know what NOT to do. Every single thing that happens is just ridiculous. Lottie was one of the most useless and condescending main characters I have read in a long time. You would have to be brain damaged to choose her as the one to lead this group through these circumstances. Or any circumstances.

On their first night home alone together, new step-sisters, Lottie and Jade run into a whole host of problems. The first being, they don't know each other at all, but are suddenly expected to act like sisters. Are they even going to be able to get along?

With their parents rushing off on a quick one night honeymoon, the girls are left to their own devices at Jade's Dad's Tahoe cabin. One would think that it couldn't be too bad. It's one night. Even if they lock themselves in separate bedrooms for the night, they should be okay, right?

But many, many, many, many things are not going to work in their favor that night. For example, there are strangers lurking about the remote cabin, including a young man named Alex and his adorable dog. Then there's the solar flares that cause a massive blackout, causing the cabin to lose power and all connection to the outside world.

It doesn't stop there though, ultimately the girls are forced out into the cold, bleak wilderness, in the midst of a horrendous blizzard as they struggle through every obstacle known to man to try to reach help.

Speaking of struggles, I had my own struggles trying to get through this one. I listened to the audiobook, thinking my annual road trip to Maine for Labor Day weekend would be the perfect time to listen to it. I am a huge fan of Survival Thrillers, or Horror novels, and this sounded like it would be right up my alley. Sadly, that didn't turn out to be the case.

I quickly found the whole thing ridiculous and not in a good way. Oftentimes ridiculous can be hella fun, but it has to be engaging. This felt monotonous to me and never-ending. The characters were bland and there was a completely unnecessary romance thrown in. With everything they were going through, was finding love truly needed?

Honestly, this felt like the author sat down and compiled a list of forty-five things that could go wrong if you were staying at a remote cabin in the mountains and then connected all of those things with lightly-entertaining filler content.

I know that's harsh, but clearly I'm burnt that this is what I spent almost my whole solo car trip listening to. I was relieved when it was over. Nevertheless, as we all know reading is highly subjective. Just because this one didn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you. Please don't take my word for it. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, give it a shot, you may end up loving it!

Thank you to the publisher, SOURCEBOOKS Fire and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I appreciate it very much. I am glad that I picked this one up. Even though it wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, I would have always wondered about it otherwise.

Truly haunting. I don't know what else to say. It was intense, action packed, and kept me up at night. This book is everything a murder fan would love.

Fantastic read! I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller. It had me on the edge of my seat throughout the book!

Alone in a remote cabin with your new, mean stepsister, an insane days-long blizzard, a solar flare induced massive blackout, a stranger... or strangers? Don't Let in the Cold has your pulse racing. This young adult contemporary mystery suspense thriller made me squee!

Thank you to NetGalley for an Arc of this title.

Some confessions: I love survival stories and I especially love ones set in a storm.

Having admitted that, I have to say that this particular one was a doozy! So much stuff happened. It was nearly to the point of being ridiculous, but I was okay with that. But I feel like I should let folks know that this one really really really forces one to suspend disbelief.

I will definitely recommend this title to my teen patrons--especially those who loved Hatchet, but want more evil doers in their books.

Bottomline: Bad guys and a bad storm and lots of unbelievable bad happenings, but I think it might work for some.

I haven’t read a novel where I really wanted to the slap the main character in years. But Don't Let In the Cold is that kind of book.

Lottie is a troubled seventeen-year-old who is tasked with watching her brand new fifteen-year-old stepsister Jade for one night in an isolated cabin in Lake Tahoe. Their parents leave for a brief honeymoon and Lottie then makes every bad decision imaginable.

Speaking as a Los Angeles native, absolutely no city girl would open a front door at night to strangers. No one. And that is just the start of Lottie’s mistakes. I got to the point of laughing when she and Jade ran out yet again into the blizzard (because, of course, there is a blizzard!) after finally finding a safe harbor.

The entire plot of Don't Let In the Cold was frustrating like that. Ugh! Hopefully, the teen to whom this is marketed doesn’t emulate Lottie’s stupidity. 2 stars.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Title: Don't Let In the Cold
Author: Keely Parrack
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Rating: 4.0

It was supposed to be just one night in the cabin: one night for Lottie and her brand new stepsister, Jade, to try to get along. When a solar flare causes a massive blackout―no power or cell signal―Lottie knows they've got a long night ahead of them.

Then, in the dark, someone else shows up at the cabin―a stranger named Alex, claiming to be lost and needing shelter from the coming snowstorm. But later that night, Lottie spies him in the driveway talking to two mysterious men in a pickup truck, and she's sure he's lying about why he's here.

Before Lottie can find out more, a fire forces her, Jade, and Alex out into the blizzard, where they must rely on one another to get to safety―wherever that is. In the remote, freezing Tahoe wilderness, they have to survive more than just the elements. Soon it becomes clear that Alex's accomplices are hunting for all three of them, in a scheme that's gone too far and taken a chilling, deadly turn.

This was a decent read—but only because I’m not reading it in the winter! To me, Alex was a red flag from the very beginning, but I liked him well enough, eventually. I liked how the story was so focused on these three characters and their world—all the drama was condensed into a small, concentrated package.

Keely Parrack lives in San Francisco. Don’t Let in the Cold is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.)

Don't Let in the Cold is a fun YA thriller. It had some unexpected twists, and was one of those books that you start and cannot put down until you find out what happens. Some of the plot points felt a little bit forced, but overall, it was a fun, light read- great for a trip (I'd say a good beach read, but maybe it's a better cabin read!).

I flew through this book! It is fast and entertaining and once you pick it up, you need to stick with it and find out what happens. It does read as young adult; t’s a little over the top and exaggerated at times but still a fun read. There’s also a great dog who is a huge part of the story.

“Mum was wrong. She always said my heart was stone-cold ice. But for the first time in a long while, I could feel the fire inside, which was ironic, considering I was about to freeze to death.”

Don’t Let in the Cold comes out 9/6

Jade's dad has just married Lottie's mom—which means that their parents are ready for their honeymoon. That leaves Jade and Lottie by themselves for the first time in Jade's family cabin to get to know one another. Thankfully, Jade seems content to use her phone and ignore Lottie, until a solar flare knocks out the power. They're in the middle of nowhere, it's freezing cold outside and there's a snowstorm coming.
They couldn't be more different: Jade is a book-smart genius and Lottie is a wary, prickly individual with a tough outer-shell.

I love the premise of meeting your new step-sibling and essentially being forced to spend the night with them—but a poweroutage is the least of their concerns. Strangers show up at the cabin looking for their friend, and then another one shows up wandering out in the snow. Wary, Lottie and Jade let Alex and his dog inside. Their adventure is about to spiral even further when the cabin catches fire and forces them out into the snow.

Don't Let the Cold in had me shivering while I lazed poolside this summer. A blizzard, a crazy pastor, bears, and murder chase Jade, Lottie, and Alex through the wilderness during one of the coldest blizzards on record. Just when they think they've made it somewhere safe enough to ride out the rest of the storm, they find themselves charging back into the snow for survival.

Each character struggles with their own character-flaws; not trusting others, holding on to the past, and being caught up in a crime-ring—but each character rises to their challenges. But the most difficult challenge: surviving the wilderness and the wild of humanity. Desperation is dangerous.

This was a fast-paced story, that I think could have slowed down a little bit. We barely catch our breath between catastrophe before we are flung inside another one. I also was curious about the temperature and the frostbite... the cold and time outside seemed extreme and I was surprised that Jade, Lottie and Alex (as well as the pup!) didn't at least lose a toe or two during their days of snowy travel.

Don't Let in the Cold by Keely Parrack is a young adult thriller that takes place in the snowy Tahoe wilderness. The majority of the story takes place over four days and A LOT is squeezed into that timeframe. After their cabin catches on fire, Lottie, Jade, Alex, and Otis the dog have to endure a blizzard while looking for shelter and trying to escape two men chasing after them.

This story was exasperating. Everything that could go wrong did. Our main characters would find shelter or somewhere they could potentially get help and then something would happen to prevent that. Not only are they trying to battle the elements, but they're also trying to stay ahead of the bad guys. Truthfully I'm not exactly sure how they survived in the middle of a blizzard without catching pneumonia, hypothermia, or getting frostbite, so you definitely need to suspend some belief there.

What I did like was the friendships that grew between the three MCs. Lottie and Jade were new stepsisters, who never really hung out together before their parents got married and Alex was someone who, suspiciously, stumbled onto their cabin. These three strangers quickly had to rely on each other to navigate and make it through all the obstacles that came their way. I also liked that they each had something to contribute: Lottie had some survival skills, Jade knew about nature and the Tahoe area, and Alex was a fierce protector along with Otis.

This is a fast paced book, that grabs you and doesn't let go. The twists kept me on the edge of my seat.

This is a Thriller and it did not disappoint. This is the Debut novel by Keely Parrack and it was amazing. Twist, turns, and a perfect ending. This book was magnificent and just what I love to read.