This was a great book. I really enjoyed the place and the storyline. I would love to get me a cabin one day and live in the woods. It is just something about being alone in the woods in the peace and quiet and around nature.

Patrick Hutchison’s dry humor shines as he jumps into the world of cabin restoration, and the antics of trying to renovate a crumbling shack in the Pacific Northwest are relatable (and downright funny). I mean, who doesn’t dream of abandoning their crummy job to restore a cabin with zero carpentry skills? 

I was totally on board as he described his crummy office job and his longing for life in a cabin. But after a while, the repetition kicked in. And trust me, he lets us know every other page how thrilled he is to leave his "soul-crushing" 9-to-5 behind. At first, it's funny and relatable, but then it starts to feel like, “Yes, we get it, Patrick! You wish you were at your cabin instead of your desk.”

But then the book settles into this repetitive groove. It’s like Hutchison has a playlist of “I wish I was at my cabin” tracks that he just keeps playing. We get it, buddy. Your office job sucks and your cabin is calling. Could we maybe get a little less lamenting about your job and a bit more cabin-building shenanigans? The minutiae of repairs felt endless—there’s only so much detail I can handle about caulking and plywood before my eyes start to glaze over.

I mean, a little nitty-gritty is great, but I was left wishing for some actual photos of the before and after. Like, can I see this tiny, run-down cabin transform into a cozy retreat, please? A visual representation would have taken it up a notch! If you're going to make me mentally catalog every nail, at least give me some visuals! And then, just when it feels like the place is coming together, the book speeds up and suddenly... done. I mean, years of work, and I get a fade-to-black ending?

I am very much the target audience for this book, and I absolutely loved it. It's a simple account of restoring a cabin that had seen better days, but the author's voice absolutely carries it, making it both laugh out loud funny and inspiring.

Hilarious and heartwarming, Cabin is the author's tribute to the improvement a run-down shack made to his life–and could make to yours. You know a book is going to be good when you first pick it up, page through, are somehow drawn to the Acknowledgements section and find yourself belly laughing and unable to put it down. Although it's not set in Minnesota, it could be. An aimless computer techie borrows $7500 from his mother to fund his whim to buy a remote patch of land with a crumbling structure. Not knowing the difference between a Phillips and a flathead screwdriver, say nothing of how to use a power tool, Patrick spends hours at the local hardware store; convinces a bunch of equally inept, adventure-seeking friends to help him; and invests many weekends in making the place semi-habitable. By the book's end, both he and the cabin have become more capable of fulfilling their purpose for being. Don't read this while lying next to your sleeping partner; your laughter and deep sighs of contentment will disturb them. Do read this if you want to be motivated to find a project to propel your own life forward, or just an enjoyable read.

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.