Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

25 years ago the Seng family decides to take one last trip in hopes to save their family. What they weren’t expecting was their plans to crash and to try and survive the wilderness until someone rescues them. Twelve weeks later, the only two to survive are 13 year old Fiona and 7 year old Violet.

Back to present time, 25 years after the crash, Henry’s mistress decides to speak out about some hidden truths from the accident. Fiona and Violet have already told their story several times but this woman’s testimony questions everything they said.

With the multiple POVs and dual timelines, this book will keep you reading to find out what happens next! The Seng family was more troubled than the public eye remembers. The world remembers their parents dying on impact from the plane crash, but what actually happens?

While I did enjoy the storyline of this book, some things just had me questioning the whole time. Like 25 years later, someone finally speaks out about differing facts of the crash? Also how do they expect a 13 and 7 year old to remember these kind of things when they are stranded for 12 weeks? Also how do these children survive 12 weeks in the wilderness ALONE. 😂

Pub date: May 1st, 2024

I was intrigued by the first half of The Alone Time, despite how unrealistic much of the story felt. It was an interesting premise. However, the plot continued to become more and more implausible, to the point that it made it hard to enjoy the story. I also felt that it was difficult to differentiate between the different POVs. I still think this could be a fantastic story with a bit more editing!

Fiona and Violet are interesting character studies of coping with trauma suffered at a young age but the rest of this just doesn't work. The timeline doesn't work, the idea that these two would be recognizable as adults doesn't work, and so on, Perhaps if the crash had happened 5 years earlier vice 25 this would have made sense. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A pass from me.

Two sisters who survived twelve harrowing weeks in wilderness, are thrown back into the spotlight 25 years later when new information about their family comes forward.

Told from alternating perspectives and timelines, from current day to when they were in the woods, I was pulled into the story and wanted to know what happened during that time that they were desperate to keep secret.

And man, was it ever a secret.

For plot turns and entertainment, this one hits the mark and has potential to give the shock factor that many readers are looking for.

I found myself far more interested in the chapters that flashed back to the woods than the present day story line. And then once the last quarter of the book came it was too far of a stretch and some of the plot twists reveals became too unbelievable for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an opportunity to review this book.

I wanted to like this so much more than I did, but I just couldn't connect with it -- gaping plot holes and characters I couldn't connect with. I hope it finds its audience but I won't be recommending it to others.

I thought this was a great concept, but the author didn't deliver how I'd hoped. The central question--how do two young girls survive for weeks alone in the rugged wilderness--is avoided completely. The final reveal just seemed silly to me.

3.5 rounded up to 4. The premise of this book was very interesting and it started off strong, I feel it wasn't exactly what I was hoping from what I read from the synopsis, however, it was overall enjoyable and I liked the feeling of not knowing who to trust while reading. There were several slow parts which I feel is what brought down my rating. I understand all books can't be fast pace go-go-go, but when I feel myself wanting to skip to the end, I feel that the book has definitely went a little too slow. Still overall a great thriller, even with the "twist" .

Planw crash survial books are always on my radar and The Alone Time did not disappoint. I was quickly pulled into the story and could not put it down. I enjoyed the different point of views the story offered between Fiona, Violet and their parents. The book goes back in time when the crash happened and to the current time. The Alone time was thrilling and fantastically written. I thought I knew what happened but the end made my jaw drop. The author dd such a good job of making it seem like one thing was going and then it completely shocks you. This book is going to stay will be for a long time! This will be the book of 2024. Highly recommend!

Very interesting concept. Hard to know who to trust between all the players. At times, the details were hard to follow, and they tended not to lead anywhere significant. A lot of open ended plot lines.

This book was a thrill of a ride! I loved the chapters while the family was stranded in the woods. It kept me guessing who to trust and what the truth was. The plot was fast and had me hooked the entire time.

It's been twenty-five years since twelve-year-old Fiona and seven-year-old Violet spent twelves weeks alone in the wilderness of Washington State. The sisters somehow survived the small plane crash that killed their parents and then lived alone for months alone one the mountainside. As adults, they're estranged from one another, until a woman claiming to be their father's mistress starts making the rounds on social media, claiming that she knows details about the plane crash. A documentary film crew has appproached them both, wanting to tell their side of the story. I really didn't care for this one. The book keeps hinting that something awful happened there on the mountainside, something that Fiona and Violet don't want made public, but the flashback scenes are frustratingly vague except for hinting at the one awful thing that obviously must have happened. When the real twists are revealed, they're...unexpected, to say the least.

In The Alone Time by Elle Marr, readers are taken on a gripping journey into the lives of Fiona and Violet Seng, two sisters haunted by a traumatic event from their past. The story begins with a harrowing plane crash that claims the lives of their parents, leaving the young girls to fend for themselves in the wilderness for twelve agonizing weeks before being rescued.

Twenty-five years later, Fiona and Violet are still grappling with the aftermath of their ordeal. Fiona channels her trauma into controversial artwork, while Violet struggles with addiction and failed relationships as she attempts to lead a normal life as a writer. The sisters have never spoken about their time in the wilderness, until they find themselves the subjects of a documentary that reignites public interest in their story and raises questions about what really happened during their Alone Time.

As disturbing details about the Seng family emerge, a mysterious woman claims to have knowledge that the crash was no accident. Forced to confront the truth about their past and the secrets that have been buried for years, Fiona and Violet must come together to unravel the sinister mystery before it's too late.

The Alone Time is a pulse-pounding thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from the start. The fast-paced narrative alternates between past and present timelines, adding depth and intrigue to the story. While both timelines are compelling, however, I found myself particularly drawn to the past storyline, which was filled with suspense and unexpected twists.

Overall, The Alone Time is a tense and suspenseful thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Fans of psychological suspense will find much to enjoy in this gripping tale of trauma, secrets, and the enduring bond between sisters.

Thank you NetGalley and Elle Marr for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After having read and loved a previous book by this author, I was really excited for this book. Unfortunately, this was a huge miss for me. I did enjoy the concept of the story, and the characters, but this book contained so many weird elements that just did not work together. The plot was really convoluted and far fetched, and so many odd elements were added in that this book just became really weird, and not in a good way. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Alone Time is Elle Marr’s latest psychological thriller and it’s a good one! Ms. Marr is a master at story telling and she does not disappoint with this one. It is told in dual timelines with well developed characters. This is a phenomenal story of two sisters harrowing ordeal that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Just when you think you have it figured out, Ms. Marr will toss another twist in there that will pull the rug right out from under you. It is filled with family drama, deep dark secrets and tragedy. The suspense and tension will starts in the beginning and does not give up until that final shocking ending….it will knock you rightoff your seat. I love this authors thrillers and always look forward to the next one.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer and Elle Marr for this thrilling book to read and review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
#netgalley #thomasandmercer. #ellemarr
#thealonetime. #psychologicalthriller

An intense, fantastic, twisty psychological thrillers. The plot was gripping, and the characters were well etched out, and the story was built as the story slowly unraveled to a sensational ending that I was completely surprised

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be unhinged. And I don't mean that in a good way. "The Alone Time" tells the story of Fiona and Violet, who survived a plane crash in the mountains when they were just young girls. Their parents die in the accident, leaving them alone in the wilderness for 12 weeks until their miraculous rescue. The timeline bounces between the time of the crash and 25 years after the crash, as the women face their past as new details come forward.

The first 80% or so of the book was going pretty well, holding a steady three star rating at the time. Pretty quick from the jump we get a little reveal in the past that made me excited about what was to come. It continued on as a slow burn, but kept me very curious about what happened the the girls during their alone time. Once I got to the last 20% of the book my rating fell drastically down to one star. The reveal of what actually happened was outrageous. My jaw actually dropped in how ridiculous (and harmful) the truth was. As everything is resolving, Violet comes to retroactively realize why a certain interaction between her and her present day love interest was "weird." I actually laughed out loud at this reveal and how insane it was (IYKYK). This book was absolutely nuts, a poor portrayal of mental health, and not one I would ever recommend.

I should’ve DNF’ed this one at 45% like I had intended to, but I wanted to know the big twist since it took me an entire week to read. The twist was odd, the events leading up to the ending were far fetched, and the dumpster fire of an ending left me confused.

I had a hard time getting into the story to begin with because the characters were so unlikable and I felt like the characters swapped identities more than once so I had a hard time differentiating who was who. The story itself was unique and could’ve been great, but the plot had gaping holes and the writing was all over the place. Now that I’ve finished the book, I feel like this was a rough copy and not the finished book.

The Alone Time by Elle Marr is full of the kind of suspense that kept me hooked throughout the pages of the book.

From mannerisms to the way they talk, both the main characters, Fiona and Violet, are so skillfully brought to life I could clearly visualize them.

Moreover, the plot kept me guessing. Small hints were tossed out now and then--enough to keep me yearning for answers, but until the great reveal at the end, I could not truly piece together what truly happened in the past.

Love Elle Marr’s books! This one was full of suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing! Thanks NetGalley for getting me read The Alone Time before its May release!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Alone Time releases May 1, 2024

25 years ago, on the brink of divorce and with a newly acquired pilots license, Henry and Janet decide to take a trip with their two girls, Fiona and Violet, to Calgary.

Through multiple pov’s and dual timelines, the reader experiences the Seng family plane crash, as well as the harrowing 12 week survival story where they lived in the cold forest until they were found by a hiker.
In the present day, Fiona is working through her residual childhood trauma of being stranded in the wilderness by putting her experience into art. Her sister, Violet, is a 32 year old college student and recovering addict. Both of them live a rather reclusive and solitary life.

When their father’s mistress comes out with new information, the sisters finally decide to give their first exclusive interviews to a documentary team in the hopes that they can keep control of the narrative in the public eye.

The world believes that their parents died on impact, but that’s not quite the whole truth…

<b>*spoilers below*</b>

To be honest, I’m pretty disappointed with the trajectory of this environmental thriller. My rating was steady at around 4 stars and I was enjoying being able to partially view this as literary fiction with the scope of Asian familial dynamics and dealing with the aftermath/lasting effects of trauma and grief in a coming-of-age period. However, making dissociative identity disorder the big plot twist is gross and harmful.
Also a content warning for cannibalism!

Some things within the story I still don’t really understand the logistics of… like, how exactly did Wes know that Violet was a cannibal?
And why did Violet have such atrocious spelling as a 7 year old?
Would the state really leave their plane to rot where it crashed for 25 years when it was within a singular days hike to a populated park and the case was never officially closed?