[I received an electronic review copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Aubrey Sommers thought she was going on a romantic getaway with her husband, Grant. Things had been strained lately, and she was wondering how long their marriage could hold out. But then Grant invited her on this surprise trip. They sent their kids to stay with grandparents. It was going to be a magical week.
The surprise, though, was the fact that it was a mandatory work trip for Grant at a wilderness camp. The camp once hosted the defunct reality show Survive or Die. Grant’s boss is using the camp for a survival-of-the-fittest contest where the winner gets a raise and the loser gets fired. No wonder someone left a death threat on the guy’s car. Great vacation!
Things don’t get much better for Aubrey. While Grant is apologetic about his deception, he says he really wants Aubrey there. But he prioritizes the game and his job over her every time there’s a choice to be made. She’s stuck on the “leftovers” team while she watches another woman try to make inroads with her husband.
But her week is going better than Stewart’s. His wife just found him dead at the camp.
Review
Early on I wasn’t sure about this one. There are a TON of characters – almost too many to track, especially at the start. Then there are several point-of-view characters. This is essential with a cast this large and a setting this vast, but it made it hard to know early on who I was supposed to track as the “sleuth” for this mystery.
But this evolved into a great story with some crazy developments and even crazier twists. The survival story alone kept me turning pages – what a disaster these poor people were dumped into! Add to that an early attack/murder that no one noticed and then Stewart’s death which seems to be an accident. So the reader knows *something* is going on, but you aren’t sure what. The questions and the twists and the business pieces and the backstabbing keep growing and getting more convoluted as the story goes on. It got the the point where I couldn’t put the book down. I had to know what was going on!
I’m a character-driven reader. And this book is full of unique, quirky characters. I didn’t really get attached to any particular ones. I stuck with this book because of the plot moreso than seeing what happened to any particular characters. But the main 6 or so were fascinating to watch as they negotiated the dilapidated survival camp, the dangerous tasks, and the interpersonal tensions. If you like intricate stories with lots of quirky characters in challenging circumstances, don’t miss this one. It was a wild ride!