A fascinating, heart-pounding escape from a wildfire. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat! ( )

Thank you to the author for this book.

Wow, heart stopping, terrifying, jaw dropping. That's all I can say. Not sure if I could handle this kind of situation that Kat and two neighbor children who she didn't even know survive the woods during a massive forest fire in NC where she was trying to get away from it all to make a big decision in her life. Neither would she realize another life-threatening decision would be upon her. ( )

Rebecca Hodge's debut novel, WILDLAND gave my heart a workout and I didn't even have to leave my chair!

The story about a woman (Kat) who is battling the return of her breast cancer, and her decision as to whether or not to forego anymore treatments drives her decision to stay for a month in the Blue Ridge mountains. Her daughter, Sara, wants her to continue to fight her disease, but Kat isn't sure that's what she should do. She has a "what's the use, the outcome won't change," sort of demeanor about it.

She believes if she takes some time away, it might help her decide. Thirty days in the mountains can't be bad, right? After arriving at the cabin where Kat stayed with her now deceased husband, another loss that enforces her lack of will to live, her daughter Sara springs a little surprise on her - Juni, a labrador who needs a home. Kat is not thrilled whatsoever, but acquiesces under Sara's urging that she "needs a dog."

Other key characters are introduced, people staying in the cabins nearby, like Malcolm who bears a horrible scar on his face from war, his adopted son, Nirav who's seen plenty of trauma too, and Scott, a self-centered father of Lily, a typical young teen girl who we will learn is seeking how to connect to her father, and last of all Tye, a puppy trapped in some underbrush, that Kat and Lily find on an impromptu hike.

Each and every one of these characters - even the dogs - will play a key role in a story that then launches readers into a harrowing account of what it might be like to wake up, and suddenly realize you only have a few minutes to escape or be trapped by a wildfire that is ascending the hill toward you.

Rebecca Hodge lays out her story with the day and time, and for me, this blip of information at the start of each chapter upped my anxiety level. There was something about knowing exactly how much time had passed that further fueled my turning of the pages. Along the way, I did something I've never EVER done before. As the story progressed, at one point I had to peek ahead to check on something. The outcome was that important, I was that invested in what might happen.

I never look ahead in a story! WILDLAND changed that forever.

A great debut by a talented writer. ( )

When I first started reading this, I thought it was a take on that story with Reese Witherspoon from a few years back...a woman soul searching embarks on a solo trip into the wilderness hoping to find herself. Boy was I way off. While there is some soul searching involved here, this became a gripping story of survival as Kat, a breast cancer survivor who recently found out her cancer had returned, struggles to decide if she wants to fight through another round of cancer treatments. Hoping to gain some insight and solitude Kat rents a lonely cabin with a view to die for in the hopes that a month of being one with nature will give her the strength she needs to make difficult decisions about her health. Her plans for some quiet time are disrupted early on when her daughter saddles her with a lab who needs a foster and she gets some attention from two father/ child duos renting cabins in the same area. As Kat builds a budding relationship with Lily and Nirav, the two children staying in other cabins lower on the hillside, so it isn’t all that unusual for Kat to consent to watching the two children for the night. A simple sleepover turns disaster when a fast moving wildfire wakes Kat and the children. With the only road down the mountain burned into kindling, Kat is left to make life and death decisions for the children and pet dogs in her care. Unable to stay in her cabin, she embarks on an impromptu cross country trek, with the wildfire continuing to lick their heels. With few choices Kat can only hope that the children’s fathers made it out and are searching for them. A riveting, harrowing tale of an ordinary person doing extraordinary things when called upon. A story that holds your heart in your throat for most of the book. An outstanding debut. Thank you to Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This was an intense page turner of a debut novel. It was highly recommended to me and I'm so glad that I got a copy. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. The descriptions of the fire were outstanding - the reader felt like they were with the characters in the rapidly moving wildfire. The main characters grit and bravery was apparent throughout but when she was about to give up, I was rooting for her to remember how strong she really was.

Kat has decided to spend month in the Blue Ridge mountains to make some important decisions. Her cancer is back and she has to decide if she'll go through chemo again or just let her life end. During his first round of chemo, her husband was her lifeline but he has recently passed away and she doesn't know if she can fight the cancer without him. She settles in a small cabin with a beautiful view that is totally out of cell range so she's totally isolated. On her first day, she meets a neighbor from down the mountain -- Malcolm and his newly adopted son Nirav. Nirav has just come to the US from Pakistan and knows very little English yet. The next day, she meets Scott and his daughter Lily. They are spending time in the mountains much to Lily's teenage dismay - she'd sooner be shopping than hiking. A few days after they all meet, Kat has the children for a sleepover. So her plans for a quiet retreat are now filled with 2 children and 2 rambunctious dogs. There is a bad thunder storm during the night and early in the morning, Kat realizes that there is a wildfire rushing toward them. When their way down the mountain is blocked, she decides that they'll head into the woods to try to get ahead of the fire. She questions herself at every decision but continues on heading the same direction. The air is full of smoke and she can see the fire behind them. The kids are tired and she has lost her shoes and is walking on blistered feet full of cuts. But they still keep moving while she tries to figure out how she can keep the two kids safe. If it was just her alone, she doesn't think that she would fight but she must keep the two children safe and get them back to their fathers. While they are fleeing the fire, the dads are in a helicopter above trying to find and rescue them but the smoke is so strong that it's almost impossible to see the ground. They have a few successes but the major setback to the search has them doubting their success to find and rescue the threesome on the ground. The rush to find them as Kat and the kids are trying to outrun the flames is so well written that I was holding my breath with my fingers crossed for their success.

Rebecca Hodge has written a fantastic character driven first novel. I loved all of the characters especially Kat who wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life but was determined to save the lives of the children. She was so real as she questioned herself with every decision but did everything she could to guarantee their survival. She had to dig deep to find the strength and determination needed to save them all.

It was hard to believe that this was a debut novel for this author and I can't wait to read what she writes in the future. ( )