Sounds like a fun time. I want a cabin now too. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Bill Bryson for millennials and I loved every second of it.

Okay, I could’ve actually done without the weird mushroom chapter and the ode to BB guns 🥴 - but beyond that, I absolutely inhaled this memoir about the author’s rebuilding of a humble little cabin in the mountains of WA - as a not-handy-person, it got me as close as I think I’ll ever get to wanting to abandon my job and go take up the mantle of cabin refurbishment in the middle of nowhere. The author’s narrative voice is so strong that I found myself unable to stop turning the pages! A great, calming read about the benefits of being fully present, connecting in nature, and doing something with your hands. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for chance to read an early copy.

I loved this story! I like reading nonfiction books like this one about an average person and one of their life experiences! Especially in the Pacific North West, the PNW is beautiful and just a different experience than mine in Ohio. We were in Seattle earlier this year so I had out a Map looking for the exact location of this Cabin in the book. The author does a great job explaining how and why he bought this cabin and of course a DIY project turned out to be much more than expected, (which is why my husband and I avoid them). But I loved reading this story! Add this to your TBR for Nonfiction November, its a perfect Fall/Winter read!

Although I did not have a chance to finish this book, I did enjoy what I read. The author is a very good storyteller and pulling the reader into his experience as he goes through a near mid-life crisis but finds solace in the purchase of a run-down shack and his adventures... misadventures? repairing it and making it his personal oasis. But it's also about who he meets along the way, and the renewal of friendships that may have almost been lost along the way in adulthood.

This book wasn't what I expected, but I'm glad I requested it. It was charming with a bit of introspection as a reader.

My full review on my blog: Krys Reads will not be available until closer to the publication date

4.5 stars. The text describes such mundane things as building a woodstove chimney or finding a leak in a roof or replacing a rotten joist--but these simple things combine (with a healthy dose of beer and whiskey) to create escape from the day to day, gatherings of friends, and satisfaction of using hands and learning to meaningful tasks. On a whim, the author purchases a dilapidated mountain cabin off Craigslist, and with a legion of friends and hardware store trips and online videos turns it into his retreat from an unfulfilling job. With self-deprecating humor and a straightforward honesty, Hutchison's well-written account has both touching and laugh-out-loud funny moments (usually with himself as the butt of the joke). His passion for his retreat comes through clearly, as well as gratitude for the contributions of his friends and the cabin's impact on his life.

"Cabin" is a story of place and home and meaning, told with humor, sensitivity, and awareness.

Thanks to the author, St. Martins Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Patrick Hutchison was young, and life wasn't what he thought it would be. On a whim, he decided to buy a fixer-upper cabin, he felt he had a connection with. He knew nothing about carpentry, or fixing things, but he just felt this was what he had to do.
His watched videos, he went to the home improvement stores and talked to them, and he learned a lot about power tools and fixing many things. Some of his friends came up to the cabin on the weekends to help him. Along the way, he learned many things about fixing up the cabin, but also learned about himself. It wasn't perfect, but he accomplished a lot of fixing the cabin up. It was enjoyable reading about this part of his journey. Some things are just meant to be because from the first time he saw that cabin, he felt the connection to it. If he stayed away too long, the cabin always pulled him back. As time went on, and he continued to work on the cabin, he had a feeling he was meant to have a different career. Life somehow manages to put people where they are meant to be, that seems to be what is happening here. But life also has a way of teaching, finding ways to make you laugh, encourages, and then watches what happens. That is what we have in this story.
I received an ARC from St Martin's Press through NetGalley.

It was a good book. I thought the idea and the premise was good. But it felt very bro-like and got repetitive especially in the last 100 pages.

I hope it does well and think a lot of people will be inspired to live a bit more simply from having read this book.

Patrick Hutchinson’s Cabin is a gripping and atmospheric read, blending suspense with emotional depth in a way that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The vivid setting and richly developed characters make the story both immersive and unforgettable. It's a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers with a heart.

I love a good memoir. Especially one that Thad loud out loud moments and ones that are seriously relatable. This was the kind of read that draws you and makes you want to see how the cabin progresses and defiantly sit down and drink a beer with the guy

The book starts off strong - with a feeling similar to an adult version of My side of the Mountain. It was interesting listening to the author figure out to handle different and varied problems and build the cabin into something that was a cozy home. After the first half of the book however, it got increasingly repetitive. I enjoyed most of the characters who entered and exited in the journey and I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been 40% shorter.

This had me daydreaming for cabin of my own! Fun and entertaining story of Patrick and friends' restoration of a cabin in the Washington woods.

CABIN made me laugh out loud. The author is a wry, relatable millennial who probably (definitely) got in over his head when he purchased a ramshackle cabin off Craigslist. But the heart with which he and his friends proceeded to fix it up made me feel all warm and fuzzy, like I was there with them drinking beers as I nailed down a new roof and rolling on the plywood floor, high on mushrooms, in front of the crackling woodstove. If a book can be “cozy,” and make you wish it was winter and that you, too, had a cabin in the Washington state woods, it’s this one. I loved every moment and would read anything Patrick Hutchison wrote.

I LOVED IT. i need a paper copy. now i want to quit everything and live in the woods, who wants to join?

I LOVED this book! This memoir tells the story of the author as he buys a cabin in the woods and learns to make improvements to the cabin and to disconnect from the hustle and reconnect with good friends and nature. This is so readable and so heartwarming and so wholesome. This Kindles a yearning for the forest and for creating things by hand and for a simple life.

This is totally personal to my taste but I was turned off by this book right away because of how specific it felt to the writers situation. The detail off the top of the cabin costing $7,500.00. I know from the description of the book that this is a story where the author is teaching you how to overcome barriers to homeownership but in the area I live there's no property or buildings even close to that accessible anywhere near my area so it didn't seem like something applicable to someone where I live. For someone else it might be quite useful!

An unexpected ride into self discovery. Wasn't sure what to expect at the beginning but enjoyed this book immensely! The author was very down to earth sharing his soul sucking writing job woes and how they lead to his amazing cabin at the end of the woods journey. His friend crew and their unbelievable home improvement endeavors were inspiring. Readers are in for a treat learning about this small community and the characters that could charm anyone into thinking living off the grid might be a dream come true.

What a love of a book. Truly enjoyed every single minute of reading this whale of a story, was even inspired to googlemap the cabin and was very gratified to find that the author had left a picture of the cabin on Wits End Pl. So much life and celebration and living packed into such a tiny place. I feel very lucky to have happened upon this story, and look forward to sharing it with several friends and family members who will appreciate its riches.
Will return with a proper review once the dust settles. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

*I received an ARC - advanced reader's copy - of this book in digital form from NetGalley*. The book will be published in December.

This was a fun read. I read the Outside Magazine piece, and I thought this book would flesh it out more, but it's really a prequel of sorts - how Patrick turned a general dissatisfaction with his life and desk job into owning and repairing a cabin. It's only at the end that you learn he's going into cabin building with his friend (and that's really where the Outside piece takes off).

I read this on my kindle, and I have to say there was a point when he was describing building a kitchen that I just wanted to see pictures - picture of what the ramshackle original cabin looked like, in progress, the kitchen, the waterfall, the mudslide - all of it. I find it kind of interesting that publishers treat virtual books exactly as if they were physical books - but there's such an opportunity to expand and add additional media. I searched instagram and google and found some of the new cabin they built, but nothing of the original. I hope for publication the publisher makes some level of basic website. On the other hand, there might not be pictures, which is a real shame.

This book really solidified that I just strongly prefer a book in my hand. Although there's the little percent finished line on the bottom, I just can't judge how quickly it's going or how much story is really left. I like flipping pages and looking ahead, too. I'm never at a loss for books, so this is probably the one and only NetGalley ARC for me.

Overall a good story - his growing obsession with the cabin and how to make improvements piecemeal, starting from a baseline of practically zero was compelling. The pull he felt toward physical creation (over a desk job) and the peace and calm he found in an isolated cabin felt very real. On the other hand, an entire chapter on his mushroom trip just didn't work - hallucinogenic trips simply are not that interesting to other people. A lot of the book felt very bro-y, and there's nothing wrong with that - cooking steaks and drinking beers and shooting bb guns. It all started to get a little repetitive and it would have been nice to have a little bit more of his life or more personal stories tied to the cabin, or just something else. But all in all good stuff. Hope it does well.

I loved this book. For anyone that loves HGTV and all the rehab shows, this book resonates. Going through all the trials, fails and rewards is just like a rehab show, but your reading instead of watching. The author is a good writer and tells his story well. Would recommend.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader's copy. This was a fascinating book about having a place of one's own, away from it all. Sort of like Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond, except Patrick's haven was run-down cabin in the Cascade Mountains. Same theory, though. A place to get away from the doldrums of work and be alone with nature. I loved camping as a child with my family and there was no Wi-Fi and no television, and this brought back those memories of just sitting around the fire at night and making smores and telling stories.