Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. What a thrill ride! Cousins Katie and Aster were once close. Then something horrible happened and now they are trying to repair their relationship by hiking in the backcountry of Utah. The trip doesn’t go easy for them and they may have found help in a young couple. While Riley is likeable they can’t say the same about Finn. That night the couple argue and in the morning the cousins can’t find them. Fearing that Riley may be in trouble they set out to find them. But can they do it before it’s too late? And can they mend their relationship? Natalie Richard’s sets up a beautiful depiction of the Utah desert, my home state! The book is adventurous and full of danger and will keep you hooked! Along with Katie and Aster’s pov you have a third pov from an unidentified woman and figure out who she is and what happened will have you consuming the book!

Review: Oh my gosh! What a ride this book was! I have loved every one of Richards’s books and this one was no exception. It had me squirming at certain parts. And I really felt for Aster. She just couldn’t catch a break! The ending was a shocker to me and that is the sign of a great thriller in my book! I can’t wait to read more of her books! This one comes out July 2nd! Make sure you preorder your copy today! I know I will because I need a physical copy of this book for sure! Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for my advanced copy!

I have read almost all of the books by Natalie D. Richards and this one did not disappoint. This is a top favorite book so far this year. I love her characters. The story of this one is unique and I loved it so much

I love a "lost in the wilderness" type book, and this one about two cousins doing a short-ish through hike that goes very wrong was absolutely perfect for this genre. The twists were creepy enough to get me thinking and wondering, but not too scary for me to sleep at night, and I was turning pages so quickly to find out what happened!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of 49 Miles Alone. This story of survival and finding your way back to a relationship that you love but that has changed is beautifully woven and fast paced. These girls, who have clear history with each other, have endured a fundamental shift in their relationship, and they're both hoping to gain something on what might be their last hike for a while. From sickness to injury to creepers on the trail, the pair faces it all as they work through their personal issues and issues with each other. Add to that a mystery that feels ripped from the headlines -- an unhappy couple at first appears to vanish yet later seems to be circling them on the trail -- and you have the recipe for a thrilling ride. A must-purchase for the high school set.

Firstly I love this author. Her books are easy creepy reads I think anyone can manage.
I also love adventure thrillers, especially when they take place in places I have been. These young girls are relatable and they are just trying to reconnect with each other one last time before college and life comes between them.
I love that there is not a scenario where they would be safer as big mem or adults. All of the danger is danger than can happen to any hiker, we just have the added element of Katie's trauma.
The ending actually made me cry!

First of all, as someone who's not an avid outdoorsperson, I really appreciated the detail in navigating a long stretch of hiking-preparation needs, signposts to watch for, explanations for decision making. It really added credibility to the story and was done in an engaging way.

The dual POV for main characters (and cousins) Aster and Katie gives a good boost to the story. It's nice to see where their communication disconnects lie and how the two are struggling to navigate their relationship. Each POV also gives good insight into the other character, which provides a better understanding of the bond they used to share and why they're struggling so much now.

The plot itself was pretty interesting. Some moments seemed better paced than others, but it was the quick wrap-up at the end of the book that just left me a bit too unsatisfied.

Overall: 3.5 stars (I liked it)

I'll tell my students about: rape, trauma, graphic injuries/violence, murder, language

**Thank you to NetGalley & SOURCEBOOKS Fire | Sourcebooks Fire for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

This book was great! It was suspenseful, it was emotional, it was lovely. I loved seeing how the two main characters were able to grow back together, and work together to figure everything out. I love the plot twist towards the end, it was so unexpected!

3.5 stars

Here is my confession, again…

I love a good survival trope. The whole, lost in the wilds, miles from anywhere, limited supplies, and oh, there might be a killer amongst us, is exciting. Hence, my delight in being selected to review “49 Miles Alone.”

Our story centers around two young women, Kate, and Aster, who forged much of their relationship while backpacking and hiking in Utah. The two cousins, became very close after losing a parent. Their relationship became fractured, after a college party, where Katie was raped and Aster wasn’t there to protect her.

Drowning in guilt, Aster puts together a hiking trip for the two of them to hopefully repair and restore their relationship. Of course, it won’t be that easy, as nothing is going to go as planned for this trip…

Richards, creates a well researched, fully immersive backpacking adventure. Her attention to detail and description lends an authenticity to the whole story, and if you are a backpacker you will be impressed, and if you aren’t, you may want to try it after this!

Moab, is a stark and beautiful place. It was a fitting location for this story. For me, this was not only a ‘thriller,’ it was a story about trauma and perception.

Richards, introduces multiple characters, and each could be the ‘villain’. Each chapter is told from the POV of Aster, and Katie, with sprinkles of a mysterious woman thrown in for good measure.

This is a quick, adrenaline fueled trope. The ending wrapped up a little quickly and prettily for me. However, it was a fun and easy read. A really good YA book.

Thank you NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this one and learned so much about the setting and culture of the area . It was a page turner of the highest order .
Thanks for review copy to Netgalley and the publisher

thank you to NetGalley, and SOURCEBOOKS fire for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

this was quite the page turner! I was super invested in this story and wondered every chapter what the heck was going on!! I was still a little confused at times while reading but it was still pretty good!!

A fast-paced, tense thriller featuring two girls alone in the Moab desert…except they’re not alone.

Four Miles Alone follows two cousins, Katie and Aster a year after Katie survives a devasting, awful night that lingers in her to this day. She’s desperate to heal from the trauma and the cousins decide to tackle four days of hiking in the Utah backcountry. It’s a desert they’ve hiked in for years except this time, danger lurks more prominently. With an unplanned injury, illness, and freak, flooding storm leave them off-kilter and plan, they’re relieved to find a young couple on the trail. Except, Katie doesn’t trust the boyfriend and the two girls have to fight to survive against the elements and people with secrets and danger.

This is such a fun thriller. I love books set in the wild like this, where survival is really dependent on the setting and the character’s knowledge. Survival stories are something I thoroughly enjoy, mostly because you could never catch me in these situations and I love to live vicariously through the characters. I loved the setting here, set in the Utah desert. It was so interesting and descriptive—I could picture the landscape so easily even though I’ve never been there. It made for such an immersive, tense read as the plot really takes a lot of turns.

Katie and Aster were good main characters. It’s a dual POV so we get to see from both of them and a third, mysterious POV. Aster is so good at survival! She’s so smart and knowledgeable as her dad has taught her a lot. But so is Katie which I found really refreshing. They’re both very capable and make good choices for the most part, and the ones I didn’t agree with, made sense for what they’ve portrayed. I feel so bad for Katie but she overcame so much throughout the novel. So did Aster as there was some lingering guilt for the events from the previous year, but it didn’t derail their relationship. I really enjoyed reading about them and their friendship as cousins. They have a very strong bond that I appreciated.

The plot is really great and is so easy to read. It’s incredibly fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ending was a good twist that I didn’t entirely see coming so that was fun to read about. The author does a really great job of keeping you guessing until the final reveal.

Definitely would recommend if you like YA survival thrillers!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

* Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

"We save ourselves."

I have read most of the mystery thrillers Natalie D Richards has written, and I've enjoyed almost all of them. 49 Miles Alone is one I did like - it isn't anything extremely new, but it delivered exactly what I wanted out of a thriller: it kept me guessing at every turn and flipping the pages to see what happens next. I did sort've guess the bad guy, but I enjoyed seeing how that played out, anyway.

I was interested in the unique aspect of the Utah canyon hike - I've never experienced anything like that, and I've never read a book about it, but I have heard the horror stories from search and rescue teams and seen the documentaries. Hiking long distances alone, with zero service, has always terrified me... and admittedly, that really added to the stress of this book. Everything that could go wrong goes wrong for Aster and Katie, and it was a wild read from beginning to end.

I definitely recommend this book to any fans of easy, YA thrillers.

49 Miles Alone
—Natalie D. Richards

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One year ago, Katie and her cousin, Aster survived a tragedy, but it ultimately harmed their friendship. Now, a year later, they’re determined to hike 49 miles together in the backcountry of Utah. Neither knows how to make things feel normal on their trek, but both girls need this time to try.

When everything that can go wrong does, Aster and Katie are forced to work together to make it through the desert together, to survive… but an unexpected couple they meet on their trip makes it difficult.

In this emotional young adult thriller, Natalie D. Richards has readers on the edge of their seat, craving to know what happens.

This book starts out with an emotional scene, one that a lot of readers will easily relate to, to understand with compassion and empathy. I know I did. I bonded with these characters on different levels as the story began, finding myself captivated by the strength that these girls endure at a young age.

Natalie D. Richards is, as so many of you know, my favorite thriller author of all time, but this book is slightly different from anything I’ve read from her before. This book is a story of survival in more ways than one. Richards elegantly depicts brokenness and loneliness as strength, and I truthfully believe this book is one that could help others find their strength just in reading it.

I stayed up all night reading, and there was never a dull moment. Richards excels in detail, in captivating plots that have you second guessing your fifth guesses. Strong with an innate capability to make readers feel like they are right there with the characters, Richards doesn’t just write stories. She writes an experience, and this one is one you do NOT want to miss. Truly.

With dual POV, this story is packed to the brim with action, excitement and emotion that absolutely will have readers recommending this book to each and every person they meet. I can’t wait to share my love for this twisty thriller with every reader I know.

Thanks to @netgalley, @sourcebooksfire, and @natdrichards for this ARC. 49 Miles Alone releases July 2, 2024.

This experience is not one to miss.

I always enjoy Natalie D. Richards books and this one was no exception.
Cousins Katie and Aster set out on a 49 mile hike in Utah well prepared until everything on the trip begins going wrong. Another thread deals with Katie's attack at a party and Aster's guilt for not being there to protect her. This is definitely a survival of the fittest type situation. Will Aster and Katie make it back to their meeting point safely and will Katie forgive Aster for not being there when she needed her?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this digital ARC.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Let me start by saying that I love Ms. Richards's books, though I do find many of them a little bit predictable, but they're still a fun & engaging thriller that I often tear through with such speed because I always want to know what happens next. I liked the use of an unknown POV, which added an extra level of mystery to the story, and I appreciated that addition. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Trigger warning for discussion of SA in this book and review.

I have enjoyed Natalie Richard's previous titles, so I'm sad this one didn't work for me.

From the beginning, 49 Miles Alone had a very different atmosphere than Richard's previous works. Cousins Katie and Aster hope to fix their broken relationship over a four-day hike. (You'd become a sworn enemy if you tried that with me.) Katie was r*ped at a party that she and her cousin went to a year ago. The novel's focus is on Katie's trauma and figuring out who she is afterwards.

Marketing is the biggest issue here. Advertising this as a mystery is far-fetched, especially for those who have enjoyed Richard's previous books. The "mystery" aspect isn't prevalent til halfway through, and even then, it's unoriginal and easy to figure out. There was no big "aha" moment or plot twist I didn't see coming.

As for the discussion around Katie's SA, it's nuanced and not brushed over. Many things one wouldn't give are triggering for Katie (sounds of zippers, random men, etc.) Aster has guilt over what happened to Katie and blames herself for not preventing it. Katie's and Aster's emotions and feelings are all over the place, except for their love. Even with the devastation of Katie's assault and the cracks caused in their relationship, their care and protectiveness for each other are still strong.

TW: Please be aware that SA and the trauma it brings are the main focal points of the book. There are flashbacks to the night of the SA and the emotional, physical, and mental trauma it brings.

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire, for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

*The review will be posted and shared to Goodreads, Storygraph, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon on publication date July 2, 2024. Links to all these platforms are available on my profile page. I will share direct links upon uploading my reviews to the previously mentioned platforms.*

Katie and Aster are cousins who take hiking trips each year. They are experienced, so they decide to hike 49 miles of the Moab desert in Utah. Something happens on the hike, as they meet several people along the way and not all of them are good people. Natalie Richards writes a fantastic YA novel - one that adults can enjoy.

An intense read involving two cousins that have always been very close. Until a traumatic event that while it doesn’t completely tear them apart it does cause friction between them. They plan a hike in the backcountry of Utah in order to heal their damaged relationship. It starts off fine but a couple incidents derail their journey. A chance meeting with a couple of strangers throws them in for a wild ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for allowing me to read an e-arc copy of the book! All opinions stated are my own.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this one, but unfortunately it just fell really flat for me and was highly predictable. The setting also disappointed me it could've been truly amazing, but it lacked.