A small group of friends with complicated relationships go off into the Icelandic wilderness to hunt. The weather is not the only bitter wind they’re up against in this unusual thriller.

Though I do like a good, moody mystery, I was not super interested in this story. None of the characters were very likable, which I know is not a requirement for a book to be good. (Claire Messud would probably love this!) Having at least 1 likable person is, however, a requirement for me to find a book *enjoyable*. The end felt a bit rushed, as well.

3 stars because I did not immediately see the twist coming.

Thank you for NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ARC..

It was a fun listen. I enjoy the idea of friends trapped together and solving a mystery, especially when they don’t really get along!

I was listening to this book on a cross country trip and I found it a little slow going at times. It took me a long time to get into the book and I found myself going back to relisten to chapters that had lost my attention. I love the author and I will read other books. This one just lagged in spots for me.

I love this author and i will read all of his books but this one... i was soooo bored. I saw everything coming. Super predictable. No tension, nothing scary or make me hold on the the edge of my seat. Could not wait for it to be over to be honest.

Sorry

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC

This book threw me. It took a very long time to get into it, but even then, it felt like a strange storyline. As if I had missed an important piece of information and wasn’t grasping the bigger picture, but it really was as simple as it seemed. It felt like it could have used more depth and more interesting of a storyline- outside of the final chapter.

Outside was my first novel from Ragnar Jonasson and only my second foray in the Nordic noir genre, which is quickly becoming a favorite for their chilling atmospheres.

The premise starts out strong; four friends going into the Icelandic highlands for some recreation and reconnection but soon storms, mysterious strangers and bad decisions spin their outing out of control. Who will make it back to civilization alive?

I was gifted an Advanced Reader Copy of the audiobook by NetGalley and enjoyed the multiple narrators that brought their characters to life. I do believe this helped me to keep Daniel, Gunnlauger, Armann and Helena straight as sometimes with novels it can be difficult to remember which character is which.

However, the ending left much to be desired. I can't go into much detail without going into spoilers but let's just say that's where it lost major points.

Overall, it drew me in enough to give another one of Jonasson's novels a try.

Thank you to NetGalley for this complimentary audio copy of Outside.

“Outside” by Ragnar Jonasson had me on the edge of my seat! Four friends go on a hunting trip in Iceland. They get stuck in a small shack during a blizzard. They have to fight to survive. Each chapter was told from a different character’s point of view. I listened to the audio version and a different person voiced each character. I loved all of the narrators!
The mystery kept me engaged but the characters weren’t really likeable. But sometimes it’s fun to read about characters that are nothing like you. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author. I want to thank the author, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

hree outta five stormy snow clouds, Iceman.

Yep Iceman cuz they're in Iceland.
Get it?

Okay, so maybe I did too much yard work this morning and I'm a little sun -silly.

Anywho, the review.
Swipe for full description & unaltered cover. 😝

This book. Where do I even begin? It's told from the perspective of 4 friends. They meet up for a hunting trip and everything goes wrong, leading them to seek shelter in an emergency hut out in the icelandic wilderness. From there the book becomes a locked room kinda mystery/thriller.

Great idea.
Bad execution.

Seriously, by the end of the book the only character I thought had any likable qualities was the drug dealer. 🙄 Everyone was just plain awful!

Slight spoiler:
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you're hunting and have guns. Why the hell you gonna freak out when you see a guy with a gun?

Dude. No.

Once the book ended, which actually was relatively quickly, I had more questions than answers and hated everyone.

Triggers: references to rape, abandonment & drug use. No detail.

Recommended for : people who like locked room mysteries with no likable characters or resolution. This was not my jam. 😐

Four friends head up into the desolate mountains of Iceland, but end up having to seek refuge in a small hunting cabin. Forcing open the door, the friends head down a path that leads to the death of one.

Written in four perspectives, Outside was manipulated and orchestrated by the author in a way that did not seem genuine. The story was very transparent and the constant shift of perspective just make the book appear off-balance. Right off the bat, I found it hard to believe that the group was so ill prepared for the weather. They all had backpacks, yet scarcely had enough stuff between them for survival. The side plots and the background stories of the characters overwhelmed the main story and diluted the impact that the book might have had. Overall, I was not taken by the story as a whole. The only reason why I kept listening was because of the strength of the narrators. They did a good job of bringing their respective characters to life. For the reasons listed above, I would be hestitant to recommend Outside to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Audio Copy of Outside by NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio. The decision to review this novel was entirely my own.

In the book Outside, author Ragnar Jonasson writes about four friends that go on a hike when a snowstorms hit. But are they alone? And are they really friends? And what secrets do the friends have from each other.
The story was very confusing at times and I did not like the back and forth of the persons point of view. The audio-book narration was very well done. Not a fan of this book. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the book’s description I had high hopes for this one, which why it pains me to say I had to force myself to finish this one. I was a expecting an intense thriller, but I found little about the story intense or thrilling. I don’t think it’s the story per se, as the idea behind it is fairly good, though I didn’t connect nor particularly like any of the characters. It’s was the execution. Jonasson’s writing style just didn’t grab me and while I normally like short chapters in thrillers, I found the abrupt chapter lengths and all too frequent POV changes annoying. Those POV changes were even more noticeable because the book features 4 narrators, one for each of the main characters, and the vast majority of chapters are very very short, with the majority of them being only a minute and half to 3 minutes! I actually thought the narrators themselves were fairly good, especially as I enjoyed their native accents, but I found the jumping from narrator to narrator off putting and think the recording would have been served by a single narrator voicing all the parts. Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me a chance to listen to and review an audio ARC of Outside.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R32NSQTV2L8Q8D/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I enjoyed this book up until the very, very end. I was all into the group of friends trying to survive the harsh wintery storm of Iceland. The circumstances of why they decided to go on a shooting trip at that time felt sketchy but not really out of the ordinary, so I wasn't suspicious of the motive behind it. Once it all came together it made sense. The ending felt lack-luster and sort of a let down but didn't deter me from rating the book any lower than a 4 star.

I had a hard time getting into this book and felt like it was all over the place. It starts out as four friends on a trip in Iceland and when a big storm hits things begin to go wrong. The details of the setting where very detailed and I felt the cold but the story line could have been better and I could not connect with any of the characters. And then it ends abruptly. Not my favorite 2.5 stars

Thank you so much Net Galley and Ragnar Jonasson for allowing me to listen to this ARC in review for my honest opinion. Note that this was an uncorrected proof and the actual release may be slightly different.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was twisted and kept me guessing throughout. All of the characters had no redeeming qualities which made it more interesting as any of them could have been the mastermind behind everything. This was an intense and enjoyable reading experience.

I absolutely love this book !
This book is full of exciting and tense moments when I kept wondering what was going on, I had to keep reading this book kept my on the edge of my seat and very curious. I love the suspense moments of character change which made it more exciting. I love how to author kept me thinking with the little hints that were pieced together to give this book the perfect ending for such a curiosity sparking story.

This book is just….not good. It’s boring, it’s problematic (TW warning for rape) and I could not be less enthralled in the plot, I had to keep stopping so I could do something that would wake me up. For the majority of this book…nothing happens.

The audio narrators were okay, not my favorite but no major issues with them.

1 star.
⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and MacMillan audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story wasn’t my cup of tea , I had high hopes but the story just didn’t catch my attention as well as I would have liked

This book had great atmosphere and the writing was involving. The man in the corner was fear inducing as was the cabin closeness however seemed to be a bit of a quick, tie-it-up ending.

2.5 ⭐️‘s
When four friends head up into the mountains in Iceland, they aren’t prepared for the bad weather that ensued. Coming across a hut, they quickly seek refuge to wait out the storm, but they are not alone in the mountains. Filled with secrets and ulterior motives, there’s a good possibility they won’t all make it out alive. It’s always a nice tough when audio books are voiced by different narrators making it easy to differentiate between characters, but in this case it didn’t save the mediocre story.