Reviews

Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis

melg14's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5-5 stars

Listened on Scribd

Mindy seems to be a hit or miss for everyone and that’s because she writes the most raw and complex stories with major dark twists or reality checks. This is my third book by her and the second I loved. Everything about this book was so realistic, from Ashley’s rough and tough personality to the emotions and pain she went through to surviving to the very end.
The narration by Brittany Pressley was really good too!

kaitlynmcn04's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

romantasylife's review against another edition

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5.0

TW: gore, animal harm, death

I read this book in one sitting. Granted, it is a very short book. I had to pause it a couple of times because I was so grossed out. Being grossed out did not make me lower my rating for this book. If anything, it made me want to make my rating as high as I could. If a book can make me feel like this, it deserves five stars.

This book is not for everyone. Please know that going into it. This book gets really gory. If you can’t handle a lot of gore, please don’t pick this book up. If you can’t handle harm coming to animals, please do not pick this book up!

Be Not Far From me follows Ashley who prides herself in being the queen of the outdoors. Ashley and a few friends go out to the woods to drink and have fun. Unfortunately, Ashley catches her boyfriend cheating on her. Drunk and not completely in her mind, she gets lost and hurt badly. When she awakes, she realizes that she went to far and her friends have already left.

With an infection growing in her foot, she tries to find her way home.

I freaking love this book. Mindy McGinnis does serious topics so good. This book was kind of hard to get through at times. I just really love a book that can make me feel all the emotions.

5/5 stars

blogginboutbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

I've read most of McGinnis' books and I'd describe them all as unflinching. BE NOT FAR FROM ME is no exception. In fact, it may be the rawest and most brutal McGinnis novel to date. Not surprisingly, then, it's a tough story to read. Although it's graphic in just about every way possible, it's also an engrossing (wo)man vs. nature survival story that is both fascinating and thought-provoking. I could not put it down.

lexiereadss's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was pretty good, if you’re squeamish or can’t take descriptions of broken bones and stuff you probably shouldn’t pick this up. This was a quick audiobook a situation happens and the girl gets lost in the forest for days. If you like survivalist type stuff you’d like this.

z_brarian's review against another edition

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5.0

Grit and determination and the will to survive. One of the strongest female protagonists I’ve read in a while. She was running, both literally and figuratively, for pleasure, for a better life, from hurt and pain, in the end for herself.

rvjn's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mmardybum's review against another edition

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now, this was better than the previous one, but still not a fave.

rorry_borealis's review against another edition

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3.0

I’m having some trouble rating this one. I enjoyed the survival aspect and I liked the writing style a lot. Having just hiked a small portion of the AT a few days ago I can tell you that the description of the wilderness/trail is pretty accurate. I also enjoyed that the author let the MCs accent/dialect shine through in many of the spots. BUT, I absolutely could not stand the MCs “I’m not like other girls” complex. It was frustrating and makes her incredibly dislikable. The character development at the end seemed to solve some of those issues though.

emilyjoy828's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars. It was ok. Held my interest for the most part, but the character development felt a little lacking and much of it was pretty unrealistic (especially the scene where she almost freezes to death when she brings the trash out in a polar vortex. We get polar vortex in MN, and you wouldn’t freeze to death that quickly.)