Be Not Far from Me

By: Mindy McGinnis

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

Hatchet meets Wild in this harrowing YA survival story about a teenage girl’s attempt to endure the impossible, from the Edgar Award-winning author of The Female of the Species, Mindy McGinnis.

The world is not tame. Ashley knows this truth deep in her bones, more at home with trees overhead than a roof.

So when she goes hiking in the Smokies with her friends for a night of partying, the falling dark and creaking trees are second nature to her. But people are not tame either. And when Ashley catches her boyfriend with another girl, drunken rage sends her running into the night, stopped only by a nasty fall into a ravine.

Morning brings the realization that she’s alone—and far off trail. Lost in undisturbed forest and with nothing but the clothes on her back, Ashley must figure out how to survive with the red streak of infection creeping up her leg.

Fast-Paced Survival Story

I'm always a fan of a good survival story, and this was no exception. At just over 5 hours, this was a quick and easy read, action-packed at every turn. I finished it one evening, on the edge of my seat the whole time. If you're looking for a classic, lost-in-the-woods, survival story, this one definitely fits the bill. My only real complaint was that I didn't love the main character. She was a bit too "not like other girls" for my taste. The story moved quick enough that I didn't really care, though, and I do feel that she did some growing during her time in the woods.

Narration was solid, and I would recommend this for anyone looking for a survivalist, action-packed, YA novel.

INTO THE WILD goes YA Thriller

I’m going to be honest. I am OBSESSED with Into The Wild, the story of Chris McCandless, and survival stories in general — but that story centers around a boy who made a dumb choice and eventually killed himself to prove a point.

So imagine if you replaced him with a fictional character who knew a lot about survival, a lot about the forest, and ended up in peril after one not very bright idea. Ashley Hawkins is a badass girl dealt a bad hand in life, but she wants to live. She pushes through horrible experience after horrible experience, all to get back to a not-so-great life and with her one shot at a future totally ruined. BNFFM is intense, stressful, raw, and heartbreaking (as is to be expected from McGinnis) and some scenes should not be read/listened to while eating because oof even I got a little squeamish. She respects the woods and nature in the most honest way, all throughout her journey, and she deserves the nickname Asskicker Ashley.

I absolutely loved it

If you like the survival genre you will love this story with compelling story telling and a great narrator.

Shocking Tale Of Survival

I bought this book on a whim not really expecting to like it, but I was pleasantly surprised. I finished the whole thing in a day because I desperately needed to know what was going to happen next and if our main character would survive (or at the very least, catch a break). The writing will have you glued to the plot from the first chapter and unlike other survival stories this one seems more realistic and like it could honestly happen to anyone which adds to the suspense!

Loved it

The story and the voice actor were soooo good. I can’t wait to read more of her works