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Woo 😮💨 One heck of a read. This was the kind of novel I needed to kick my ass back into reading mode. I thoroughly enjoyed the character development and the way the relationships unfolded, smoothly and in proper timing. There are some truly horrific things that the Fred and Hamish put Rayna and Miley through during their time held captive.
This story definitely didn’t help me already present fear of exploring nature alone. It also doesn’t help that this story is based around a true story 🥴 Good read though.
This story definitely didn’t help me already present fear of exploring nature alone. It also doesn’t help that this story is based around a true story 🥴 Good read though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Somoene said this book is a lierary piece on debate of why women would choose a bear or a man. And not gonna lie, I'm incline to agree! This is EXACTLY what this is!
I don't even know how to review this book. Was not expecting the ride I went through this book.
Okay to start off, I've been in a slump in terms that alot of the books, especially thrillers, I've been reading have been mediocre. Just average. And it's KILLING me! I'm really hoping to get out of that so I figured I'd branch out wth some authors and try new stuff. I'm not gonna lie, I confused this book with "Ask For Andrea", but it had great reviews so I figured I'd give it a shot!
I'd say for the first 70-75%, was pretty dull for me, especially the first quarter, it was just alot of set up and backstory that when reading at the time I didn't see the relevance to any thing that was said.We get a good chunk of info about her being an expert sharpshooter while also in skis (which is an INSANE sport; props to her); good enough that she got to the Olympics. I'm not gonna lie, it took me a while to imagine what she was talking about because I had never heard of a biathlon before (again, CRAZY, why isn't this talked about more?!).
We also learn she's working at this infamous lodge with tons of woods covers arounds because trianing for her sport starts in the winter so she needs money. She's also trying to work off a five year shoulder injury. In addition to those tid bits we also learn about her somewhat contentious yet angsty and potentially romantic relationship with her teammate, Brent.I feel like the reason she was pushing him away was still kinda unfounded. Like in the beginning they made it seem like she didn't really feel much for that. And he was just her buggy teammate that wouldn't take a hint, but as the story progress especially in the last quarter we're clearly shown that that's not the case. So, I don't know. On top of that, she's also continuously greives about her mother. Again, a decent amount of info, which I felt was is irrelevant considering what trasnpires. Now after reading this book, I can see why it's there, but apart of me still feel like if you took a lot of the info we learned out, it wouldn't have made much difference to the story.
Now, although the abduction happens probably a quarter of the way through, the reason I say the story was dull to me for the first 75% was because the events that transpired prior to that wasn't anything I haven't seen before. There was nothing really keeping my attention because I was already familiar with the format of stories like this.Nonethless, that still didn't stop me from getting mad that Mary/Rayna sold her out! Also, bruh, I'm so slow, I should've figured Mary was Rayna right away, not while she was figuring it out. Silly me!
Now after the 70-75%, was just AXNIETY CENTRAL! Now, I'm not gonna lie and say I wasn't intrguied by the outcome because if I hated this book I would've just dnf'd, however, at that time I was jsut continuing because the book was short. It was just gonna be another 3-star. But OH MY GOSH! THE EMOTIONS and THE ANXIETY this book pulled out of me was so uncalled for. Bro, I was crying! I was anxious, so invested in what was going to happen. This book had me ON EDGE! I know I'm being dramatic, but I'm really not like I had to paused SEVERAL times to gain my barirngs; I didnd;t think I was gonna be able to finish this book. That's how anxious it was making me feel. The tears in my eyes! Oh my gosh!Justice for my man Wes. I was waiting throughout the story, thinking that he might be in on it too, because why would he go out of his way to help Brent find Miley. He barely knew her (only for a week). But nope! He was just a great guy through and through. That's crazy! I feel like his character arc went unresolved. Justice for my boy, Wes. We need more people like him in the world and less people like Fred and Hamish! Also, as a romance girly, I have to shoutout Brent cuz what he did so SWOONWORTHY! Get you someone that loves you THIS MUCH!I think I cried (or at least teared up) when he found the hair! I have a love-hate relationship with Mary!Again, she made me MAD! But I understood why she kept selling out Miley, but my gosh it still didn't stop me from getting mad. Also, I feel like her arc wasn't satisfying. We still never found out why she wasn't able to have children and how she was able to later (13 miscarriages, my gosh!).
Shout out to the MVPs of this book: Wes & Annabelle (if you know, you know)
So, all throughout this book, I was banking on a 3-star max, but the last quarter caught me in the heart. Made me raise it a whole 0.5 star. The likelihood of me reading again from this auhtour was slim, but that last 25% was very persuasive and I read some comments saying that "Ask For Andrea" really is her best so I think I'm gonna have to try that!
Note: If you want something similar to this, one that I actually enjoyed more, try "Still Missing" by Chevy Stevens.
I don't even know how to review this book. Was not expecting the ride I went through this book.
Okay to start off, I've been in a slump in terms that alot of the books, especially thrillers, I've been reading have been mediocre. Just average. And it's KILLING me! I'm really hoping to get out of that so I figured I'd branch out wth some authors and try new stuff. I'm not gonna lie, I confused this book with "Ask For Andrea", but it had great reviews so I figured I'd give it a shot!
I'd say for the first 70-75%, was pretty dull for me, especially the first quarter, it was just alot of set up and backstory that when reading at the time I didn't see the relevance to any thing that was said.We get a good chunk of info about her being an expert sharpshooter while also in skis (which is an INSANE sport; props to her); good enough that she got to the Olympics. I'm not gonna lie, it took me a while to imagine what she was talking about because I had never heard of a biathlon before (again, CRAZY, why isn't this talked about more?!).
We also learn she's working at this infamous lodge with tons of woods covers arounds because trianing for her sport starts in the winter so she needs money. She's also trying to work off a five year shoulder injury. In addition to those tid bits we also learn about her somewhat contentious yet angsty and potentially romantic relationship with her teammate, Brent.
Now, although the abduction happens probably a quarter of the way through, the reason I say the story was dull to me for the first 75% was because the events that transpired prior to that wasn't anything I haven't seen before. There was nothing really keeping my attention because I was already familiar with the format of stories like this.
Now after the 70-75%, was just AXNIETY CENTRAL! Now, I'm not gonna lie and say I wasn't intrguied by the outcome because if I hated this book I would've just dnf'd, however, at that time I was jsut continuing because the book was short. It was just gonna be another 3-star. But OH MY GOSH! THE EMOTIONS and THE ANXIETY this book pulled out of me was so uncalled for. Bro, I was crying! I was anxious, so invested in what was going to happen. This book had me ON EDGE! I know I'm being dramatic, but I'm really not like I had to paused SEVERAL times to gain my barirngs; I didnd;t think I was gonna be able to finish this book. That's how anxious it was making me feel. The tears in my eyes! Oh my gosh!
Shout out to the MVPs of this book: Wes & Annabelle (if you know, you know)
So, all throughout this book, I was banking on a 3-star max, but the last quarter caught me in the heart. Made me raise it a whole 0.5 star. The likelihood of me reading again from this auhtour was slim, but that last 25% was very persuasive and I read some comments saying that "Ask For Andrea" really is her best so I think I'm gonna have to try that!
Note: If you want something similar to this, one that I actually enjoyed more, try "Still Missing" by Chevy Stevens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Noelle W. Ihli is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She has a real talent for building suspense, especially when it centers on kidnapping or violence against women. Gray After Dark is another strong showing of her ability to keep you on edge while telling a deeply emotional story.
I was hooked from the start and really enjoyed the way the tension was layered throughout. The pacing is solid, the stakes feel real, and the emotional moments hit hard.
That said, I still liked Ask for Andrea a little better—so if you’re new to her work, I’d start there. But once you’ve read that one, definitely pick this up next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it... 🤷🏽♀️ There were "saw that coming" moments, but also moments that got the adrenaline pumping. It's worth reading if you're between books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Minor: Miscarriage, Kidnapping
dark
tense
fast-paced
A breathtakingly chilling read!🍺 This book's gut-wrenching realism left me breathless and haunted by the characters' desperate struggle for survival against unimaginable darkness.💔🍺🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻✨✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Basically the man vs bear debate in a book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, Rape, Kidnapping
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
SUCH A GOOD THRILLER! Def check the content warnings. this was a very tense read and kept me coming back for more. It gave me the same feeling that horror movies do!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion