I tried to read this one a couple of times to see if maybe it was just my mood, but I just couldn't get in to this one unfortunately

*3.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

Don't Let In The Cold by Keely Parrack is at times a tense YA thriller about teens that should be nice and warm at home instead of running for their lives during a Tahoe wilderness blizzard.

I really appreciated narrator Penelope Rawlins bringing the chattering teeth and short breaths to the dialogue as recent step sisters are forced out of their home because of a fire during a blizzard while their parents are on a honeymoon.

Lottie and Jade's first mistake is believing teen Alex and his St. Bernard Otis got lost in the storm and letting him the house. Their second mistake was not worrying about the red pick up that keeps circling the house before the fire. There were a lot of sub plots and some implausible twists but I enjoyed the growing relationship between the step sisters and absolutely loved Otis the dog. Don't let in the cold or pass up this wintery thriller.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was a decent read and overall interesting. The narrator did a good job at adding a bit of personality to each character and spoke clearly. I liked the character's dynamics together but individually was not a fan of any of them. They were well developed but not very likeable at least for me personally. The setting and premise of the book was pretty different and entertaining. Although I do have a few questions yet, but I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a little mysterious. The descriptions were confusing at times like when talking about the dog, Otis. (I don't believe Saint Bernhards are black and white). It also seemed like there was a lot of redundancy. ("If I hadn't done A then B wouldn't have happened"). It got kind of annoying and made me like certain characters even less. Nothing in this story was predictable per se but nothing came as a shock either and the ending felt typical (not necassarily bad though). Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Two girls, newly found sisters, staying in a cabin waiting for their parents to arrive when a stranger arrives at the door begging to be let in. Never did they imagine what letting this individual in would lead to. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

So I was pretty sure they were ALL going do die a nasty, grisly death. Do they or don't they? You'll have to read to find out who makes it and who doesn't! This was a great trip with lots of twists and turns and never knowing who to trust, well done to the author! Going now to look for a back-log of Keely Parrack's books.

#DontLetintheCold
#NetGalley.

While the story had great promise, I felt as though it was repetitive and needed more background information in the beginning. The romance woven within was unnecessary and pulled from the terror of trying of survive. I had higher hopes for this book and while it wasn't a terrible read, it could have benefited from beta reading reviews. Less romance, more survival.

Don't Let in the Cold is a thriller/survival tale/romance that follows teen stepsisters as they try to survive an incredible amount of misfortune thrown at them during a blizzard.

I may purchase this in print, but not as an audiobook. It will be a good addition to the survival tale collection.

I loved this binge worthy YA mystery. Our young main character will be spending some quality time with her new step sister as her mother and stepfather head off for a short honeymoon. Both girls are independent and sure they are going to avoid each other for the short weekend. Unfortunately for them a terrible winter rolls in and the Tahoe cabin is no longer as cozy as it seems. As the girls run into one thing and then another they seem to find they may be sisters in the end, if they survive.

This is a wild near apocalyptic story but I enjoyed every minute of it. Suspend your reality and buckle up!

This one was fine. It wasn't the most interesting and I didn't really enjoy Lottie as a character. Thank you for the opportunity to listen and review.

Sadly this one wasn’t for me! I liked the idea of the snowed-in setting, but from the description, I thought the book would be a suspense story about them being stalked. This story was more a survival story with hints of suspense.

This is totally a me thing, but I also had trouble connecting with any of the characters—I was suspicious of a couple right off the bat, and wasn’t convinced when the MCs trusted them.

I think readers who enjoy younger YA/are getting into thrillers might enjoy this one!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio-arc!

-A

In this YA novel, during the first overnight together, newly stepsisters are left alone in a cabin while their parents celebrate their honeymoon. Events spiral out of control leaving the girls treading days in the cold, meeting a few people along the way that adds to the drama of the story.
I don't think this story will hold teen interest. It's too long and I lost interest over time. Nothing exciting really happens.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a quick, easy read but with a LOT going on. I felt like every two seconds something different jumps in the main character's path, which was a little off putting but not terribly so. Definitely fast paced. The narrator did a good job with this one.

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

This book had a lot of twists and a lot going on in the Lottie and Jade’s journey through the blizzard. At times it has hard to believe that more disastrous things could happen to these characters. They had everything thrown at them and that made this book gripping. It kept me on the edge of my seat.

This was better than I thought it would be but I probably wouldn't have finished it if not for it being an ARC. I thought the characters were believable and had good development. The plot was interesting and made me dread the fact that WINTER IS COMING (sorry couldn't help it)

"Lottie and her new stepsister are spending one night out at the cabin, trying to get along. Then a stranger shows up, forcing them to rely on each other to survive..."

This story is told through the voice of Lottie as she's meeting her her new step-sister, Jade, for the first time. Lottie and Jade are spending the night alone at the family cabin as their newly married parents go on a mini honeymoon. Things quickly escalate when a solar flare causes a huge black out in their area and a blizzard is rolling in. While the girls are trying to keep themselves calm a stranger, Alex, and his dog, Otis, appear at their door needing a place to wait out the storm. While initially distrustful of Alex, he and Otis find a way to schmooze their way inside. As the three teenagers keep the fire burning to stay warm, the fire grows out of control and the cabin burns down; leaving them outside with a rapidly approaching blizzard and no shelter.
This is a fun, quick read. It's very light on the thriller aspect and more a book about the development of the main character, Lottie. After Lottie's dad abandoned her when she was 8 years old, she spent her life moving around with her mom who always seemed to blame her own shortcomings on Lottie. As a result, Lottie began the story very distrustful and not willing to open herself up to happiness or a family. Through the story Lottie had to learn to lean on Jade and Alex in order to survive, and found the true meaning of love and family within the experience. There was also a mystery in this story about a telescope owned by Einstein, but I feel like the mystery/thriller aspect of this storyline got lost in the characters of the story. They were so well fleshed out that I cared more about what happened to them than anything that was happening with the telescope. The fact that the thriller junkie in me cared more about the characters then the mystery/thriller aspect of the story shows just how well they were written.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this Audiobook.

3/5

Thank you Dreamscape media for the advanced listening copy!

New stepsisters Lottie and Jade just need to get along for one night while their parents go on their honeymoon. Things are going decently until a solar flare causes the power to go out, bringing Alex and his dog, Otis, knocking on their door for shelter. Instantly suspicious. The group teams up despite Lottie's reservations about trusting Alex. Suddenly, a fire forces them from the cabin out into the storm, and the group is forced to reckon with a blizzard, plus whatever else might be lurking outside...

This one was just okay for me. The story was fast-paced and I wanted to know what happened next, but found I was often disappointed by what it was. I'm always frustrated by an everything-must-go-wrong story, and that is what this was. The characters couldn't catch a break, so much so that it became predictable. There were a few good twists that kept me guessing, but overall this one won't stick out in my mind.

Overall, Don't Let in the Cold was an enjoyable mystery, but it did suffer from repetitiveness, and the middle dragged.

Everything that could go wrong did in this book, and I could only suspend belief for so long. The character's hot and cold attitudes toward each were confusing and kind of annoying. It took far too long to figure out what was going on, and I still can't get over the fact that they let Alex in after he was so pushy.

The upside of this book was the narrator. She did a great job with each character and bringing Lottie to life. It was an easy listen.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me listen!

I'm not sure my eyes have adjusted from all the eye rolling I did while listening to the audiobook. Not a believable story AT ALL! I promised an honest review after receiving the book through Netgalley. It's a story that solidifies the phrase, "If it can go wrong, it will go wrong."

Wow this audiobook kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and the twists were crazy! Highly recommend!

All you have to do is use the word "isolation" to describe a thriller and I'm there in a heartbeat.

This was an entertaining and frostbitten YA thriller set in the Tahoe wilderness. Lottie and Jade are alone at the family cabin when a blizzard hits to knock out power and reception ... and the cabin burns down. It has a surprising amount of action for a book set in a snowstorm, plus an intriguing cast of characters, including a great sister dynamic. There is a very simple style of writing that makes this book incredibly accessible and easy to get lost in. The prose is not flowery, and the dialogue is very straightforward. Overall, I think I'm pretty confident in my rating of 3.5 stars.

The story is told from Lottie's POV. She is a British teen in the States and her mother has just married Jade's dad. The parents are leaving the kids together at the Tahoe cabin to get to know each other while they go off on a mini honeymoon. The girls aren't all too receptive to each other in the beginning, which is fair. I highly doubt either of them were thrilled with their parents marrying, and in such a whirlwind timeframe too. But I think my favourite part of the book was how the events of the fire, the introduction of Alex and Ottis, of trying to survive in the wilderness with whatever they can scrounge up--all of it brought the girls together and let them support each other. It's not exactly the ideal way for stepsisters to come to love each other, but I really enjoyed it.

I did start to lose interest towards the end, not going to lie. I got a little tired of the so-called villains because their motivations just didn't seem worth it. You're really going to drive all over this snowed in wasteland to hunt down a couple of kids with silly posturing, and for what? There was also a new character introduced in the last half that didn't feel used to their full potential. The truly unhinged element it could have given the tale would have been so so good to bring it home.

I've not had the best of luck with new releases from this publisher this year, so I'm relieved that this was a fun adventure that was easy to sink into for a few hours.