A YA survival thriller that’ll have you biting your nails. When a snowstorm traps Lottie and her stepsister in a remote cabin, it quickly turns into a fight for survival with strangers lurking outside. The pacing is tight, and the tension keeps building. Perfect for fans of chilling, wintry thrillers.

There is so much going on here. It started out promising but ended up being a big ol' DNF about 60% of the way in. There are so many scenes that can be cut out. I think that if this goes through a developmental edit with a proficient editor, then a bit of line and copy edits - this could be a great read. The bones are there, the fluffing needs to be less fluffed.

DON'T LET IN THE COLD is a fast-moving thriller about Lottie, a British teenager thrown together with her new teenage step-sister, Jade, in a Tahoe cabin while their parents are off honeymooning. Disaster quickly strikes in the form of a solar flare that knocks out all the electricity. A strange boy named Alex comes knocking, asking for shelter--but Lottie suspects Alex was squatting in their cabin before they arrived. Is he a victim of fate or a criminal? When Lottie overhears him speaking to two young men who pull into the driveway in the middle of the night, she realizes Alex is a liar and part of a ring of thieves. But despite Lottie's misgivings, the three teens must cooperate to survive when a fire forces them into the wilderness just as a blizzard hits. It doesn't help that Jade, Alex, and Alex's dog Otis hit it off immediately while Lottie struggles to connect. The trio (quartet, counting the dog) must not only deal with a snowstorm but must also flee from Alex's gun-toting former gang. The lovely heart of this a novel is the contrast between the increasingly horrific weather and the gradual thawing of the relationship between Lottie and Jade, and the warmth of genuine love that develops between Lottie and Alex. A wild, satisfying ride of a novel.

This book was a miss for me and I almost DNF it. I struggled to get through it because the plot seemed very forced and I wasn’t really fond of the characters. It felt like all the bad things that happened in this book were the doings of their own decisions and ignorance. It just really wasn’t for me.

Yes, it's YA, but I don't see that as a reason this one has to be so predictable and repetitive. I also don't think that it paints teens in a realistic or flattering light. There is some decent tension and the situation is fraught with danger and issues to overcome. And, some of the things the teens do when faced with adversity do seem realistic, but the lack of emotions during their reactions just seemed too convenient. Also, there is just so much repetition of the problem and the things they encounter, it's as if they think the reader needs to be hit over the head with the conflicts.

The narrator was decent, but there were times when I felt the petulance was too much, even for teens.

Being snowed in at a luxury cabin on Lake Tahoe with no parents for one night doesn't sound too bad. In fact, it could very well be a teen's dream come true! But such is not the case for Lottie, who will be spending this night with her new stepsister Jade. The girls don't exactly get along, and now they have to make nice while a snowstorm moves in around them. Where are their parents, you ask? They've taken off for their honeymoon, leaving the girls on their own for the night. Despite the weather and the fact that they barely know each other, Lottie and Jade can manage own their own for one night, right?

All seems to be going swimmingly back at the cabin - the girls are exploring the home and are bonding, albeit rather slowly, over their new snowed in experience and sisterhood together - but then catastrophe strikes. The Northern Lights can be seen in the sky, causing a massive blackout. The girls are now home alone with no power. To make matters worse, Lottie has just heard that a blizzard is headed their way, turning their snowy evening into something much worse. When Lottie and Jade open their door to a stranger seeking refuge - a teenage guy named Alex with his dog Otis - things start to get creepy. But the day's events turn downright disastrous when the cabin catches fire and the trio is forced out into the snow. Can they survive the coming blizzard with no shelter from the storm?

Keely Parrack's YA debut, Don't Let in the Cold, is nothing short of dramatic as three teens battle the elements to survive the snowstorm of a lifetime! This action-packed wintry novel is perfect for its targeted age group - teens - and will keep them flipping the pages long into the cold, dark night.

While there is no shortage of climactic events in this punchy novel, Parrack's teens react like most young adults would ... making hare-brained decisions to their own detriment. These are not teens who have it all figured out. Instead they make one bad decisions after another, putting them in a never-ending spiral of predicaments until this book's harrowing end. But it is not all bad. Lottie, Jade, and Alex make some illogical choices, but they are spot-on with others, keeping readers on their toes, never knowing what to expect.

Packed with ominous threats and banter-filled dialogue, Don't Let in the Cold is the best of both worlds, showcasing the perils of staying alive when exposed to the elements, while also highlighting the relationships among a group of people thrown into a terrifying survival situation together.

The audiobook of this novel is fantastic, with narrator Penelope Rawlins not only pulling off the voices of teens, but also demonstrating her range by narrating in both British and English accents, and performing both female and male voices.

This book would be great for fans of Karen McManus. It was a well written thriller perfect for the YA audience, and it was enjoyable but a bit predictable at times.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Avery average and fairly entertaining survival story. The narration was good and the characters where interesting enough but the plot was a bit of a mess. Everything but the kitchen sink worth or problems were thrown at the characters and it all just was a bit too much to be believable. .

This thriller/survival novel was one of my first YA thrillers. As an avid thriller reader, I love a good twist and suspense. Unfortunately, this was not it for me. The plot felt very cluttered: there was too much going on and too many crazy plot additions and sudden resolutions and it didn’t feel realistic (as much as a thriller can be). I didn’t really care for any of the characters (other than the dog). Unfortunately I wouldn’t recommend this book.

4 stars. This one was really good. The beginning made me feel uncomfortable, which is hard to do. The overall progress of the story was paced very well. I could almost feel the cold coming off the pages. With a tense plot, crazy weather, and the personal struggles each character was dealing with this book had everything set up for a great story and it succeeded.

The narrator did a wonderful job with the book, as well.

As I suspected, this book is action focused. There is a constant threat of danger from some menacing strangers compounded by the perils of nature and extreme weather. At every turn the characters make a bad decision, ignore warning signs, and are subject to just plain bad luck. Towards the end the string of bad luck takes some increasingly hard to believe turns but the pacing is tight enough and the tension constant so we are compelled to see it through. There is an underlying emotional arc that pays off in a satisfying way but doesn't convey true depth. It's entertaining but not something you're going to be reflecting on later.

Don't Let in the Cold by Keely Parrack was a great thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Don’t Let in the Cold is a story of panic, survival and perseverance. Lottie, Jade and Alex are put to the ultimate test of trust, determination and faith as they struggle to survive. A massive blackout combined with a snowstorm while being hunted proves to be life threatening and extremely dangerous as they navigate the Tahoe wilderness. Will they all be able to make it out alive, or will some fall victim of the treacherous terrain fraught with merciless killers? This YA atmospheric thriller was slow to start, but definitely had me on the edge of my seat as it raced to the exciting and satisfying conclusion. Penelope Rawlins does an excellent job bringing the characters to life while adding a layer of suspense. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my audiobook.

I definitely didn’t know what to expect going into this book and was surprised with the route it took. This was a definitely atmospheric read and I felt like I was there in the snowstorm fighting for my life. I enjoyed the bond that Lottie, Jade, and Alex created throughout the story and the ending was so heartwarming. I wish it went a different way though and was more of a locked room situation instead. Overall, it was still a good listen during the winter season!

defiantly was not a favorite. it was super slow and I lost interest several times. I did finish it in hopes it got better but sadly for me it did not.

Don't Let in the Cold by Keely Parrack is an absolutely captivating thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat! The suspense builds as the story progresses and each twist and turn is more unexpected than the last.

This one was a DNF for me. I will not be posting a review of it but thank you for sending I think people would like this one it just wasn't for me. Thank you again for the copy.

This just reinforces the fact that teenagers are idiotic enough to get themselves into awful situations and still think about the hotty that showed up along with it. Not for me, unfortunately.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Keely Parrack for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the plot and storyline of this novel. The idea/concept of teenagers stranded in a cabin and then outside during a blizzard facing obstacle after terrifying obstacle is great. There were a few times while listening to the book that my heart started beating faster in anticipation of what was coming next! And I enjoyed that! I would rate this a solid 3.5 stars. The only reason for not rating it a 4 or higher is because of some more unrealistic encounters or scenarios that they were faced with that just really could have been left out. Overall, I felt this was a great thriller and would recommend!

I enjoyed this YA thriller. It’s about two teenagers that have just become step-sisters and they are left alone in a cabin while their parents go out of town to celebrate. A storm knocks out the power. Then a mysterious stranger shows up. Should they trust him?