Thank you to Netgalley snd the publisher for the ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read in ages that I absolutely could NOT put down. Talk about a thrilling read! I brlieved every character, every moment, and really was at the edge of my seat throughout. It was so believable. I could see myself getting strongarmed into that situation and thinking it was my own fear to overcome instead of it being instinct. Great ending as well (no spoilers!).

This book does exactly what it says on the tin. Four friends in the woodsy wilderness: you're guessing wild animals, some sort of accident, and Deliverance-style backwoods people? You guessed right. That said, Ferencik has a beautiful way with words, the descriptions are vivid and the characters likeable. I'll be reading more from her – I just hope the next novel is a bit more original.

Four friends are going on their yearly holiday together, somehow they always seem to do what Pia wants and this year it's white water rafting on the Winnegosset River, through an uninhabited area of Maine. Told through the eyes of Win, it's not really what she wants to do but she's going as she's afraid of loneliness and fear of being left behind by her friends. Each of these women are fighting their own demons of sorts but this trip will be like no other before and no other they would ever want again.
With their guide Rory, a 20 year old who has only rafted the river five times before, it's not long into the trip that a terrible accident happens and sees the women by themselves in the middle of no where with a raft that is destroyed then lost. With no knowledge of where they are, shelter, food or communication they have to try and make their way out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I did have to suspend disbelief at times and wonder how these women could be such good friends, especially due to some of Pia's actions. But there is an understanding and acceptance between them. Quite suspenseful at times it had me wondering if and how these women would survive, there were many twists in this novel, when you think all is going to be fine, something else pops up. All I know is that it's not a holiday I'd ever want to have.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy to read and review.

I loved the sound of this book, I really love the outdoors and reading about survival and people pushed to their limits in desperate situations. I dream of setting off on an adventure holiday and exploring the less polulated areas of the US. The fact that the lead characters are all female swayed me even more and I accepted an advance copy of this book with alacrity.

Sadly I found it rather difficult to get into, the lead character Win was annoying, she clearly didn't want to go on this proposed adrenaline adventure trip into the remote and hostile Maine mountains but she allows herself to be pushed into it by her equally annoying pushy group of friends.

And of course everything that can go wrong does, and everyone makes some really bad decisions and what should be a tense and terrifying rollercoaster ride became one big ordeal of soul seaching and bitching and ill advised foolish choices.

The descriptions of location are great it paints a really great picture of the Maine wilderness and made me even more keen to visit there myself, though NOT with this group of hapless women. The characters are so blooming annoying. It reads more like Bridget Jones goes camping than a serious survival adventure.

If you can see past the group of 4 irritating, stereotyped females who should never have been allowed to leave the safety of their homes and lose yourself in the descriptive locations and bite your tongue at some of the pretty unlikely situations this is a fast paced read with lots going on to keep you entertained, A good holiday read to lie on a sunny beach with, thinking "Boy Im glad I'm here and not there"

The River at Night by Erica Ferencik (blog tour review)

Win Allen is struggling. After the death of her brother and an unhappy divorce, she wants to keep the world firmly locked outside. She sees danger everywhere and her fear and sadness are almost crippling. But when her old friend Pia proposes a white-water rafting adventure in the Maine wilderness, Win is torn. An adventure, particularly THIS type of adventure, is the last thing she wants but this is a chance to re-bond with Pia and their two dear friends, Rachel and Sandra. Time has flown since they last met up and so much has happened to each of them in the interim. Win can’t help but think that if she doesn’t go she’ll regret it for the rest of her life. She’s wrong about that.

And so begins an adventure of a lifetime for Win, Pia, Rachel and Sandra. A time to chat around campfires and put their worlds to rights, to try something new, maybe flirt a little with their young handsome guide Rory, all within this most stunning Maine scenery. None of them could have imagined it would be so beautifully remote, so far away from the cares of daily life. So far from help.

The River at Night is one of those novels that hooks its claws into you almost immediately. It’s not a long novel, at about 300 pages, and so I would recommend that you try to read it in as few a sittings as possible. I read it in two over twenty-four hours and this really intensified its mood and atmosphere, immersing me not only in the wonderful descriptions of the wilderness and the river but also in the horror and terror of it all. The two complement each other perfectly, with Erica Ferencik doing such a fine job of creating the perfect setting for danger and menace and then fulfilling that promise completely.

The novel brings together a range of styles – travel, adventure, buddies, crime, thriller and horror – and it’s a recipe that works very well. Win narrates the story and seeing its developments through her eyes adds so much to the mood. She is an intriguing character – flawed, timid, scared, suspicious – and that’s even before they set foot on the boat. But Win is capable of surprising herself and us. We also learn about the other characters through Win and it’s like peeling an onion of its layers of skin. Sandra, in particular, is fascinating. There are surprises through the book and some take the breath away, they are so unexpected.

It’s clear from the outset that something is going to go badly wrong and the tension builds page by page. I did not want to put it down. As much horror as thriller, this tense, fast and very well-written novel has put me off camping and rivers for a long, long time!

I’m delighted to post this review as part of the blog tour to celebrate the publication of The River at Night on 12 January.

Win is coasting through a pretty empty life when we meet her. She is in her mid thirties, single, in a job that’s being usurped by millennials and grieving for her beloved brother. So when her friend Pia suggests a trip white water rafting in the Maine wilderness for their college group of friends she is hesitant but agrees. Headstrong Pia, meek Win, insecure Sandra and no nonsense Rachel embark with their hippy guide Rory onto a getaway that is meant to be a bonding exercise and a way to force themselves to ‘live in the moment’. Something goes awry on the trip which leaves the women fending for themselves, and the thrill seeking girls’ weekend turns into a battle for survival on the river.
This is definitely a plot driven book, the writing is nothing special, but it doesn’t suffer for that as a decent thriller.
3.5 stars

I was hoping for a thriller that would equal the thrill of white-water rafting with this book. Four women having a thrill-seeking outdoor adventure and things go horribly wrong, will they survive etc., what could be better? Unfortunately there wasn't a huge amount of drama and very little apart from what you read in the blurb above happens.
That being said at times the pace did pick up and had me turning pages a little quicker, I just wish there had been a few more thrills along the way.

Four female friends go on a trip white water rafting. Things start to go wrong quite quickly and the women find themselves in terrible danger.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait to see what happened! The writing is good and very easy to read.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This took me a while to get into, but once it kicked into gear it was great. The characters felt real, the writing was descriptive and the plot was fun. A solid read.