How To Survive In The Woods
Emma Sharp is a survivor by design, shaped by a childhood in a doomsday bunker and a career in the ruthless startup landscape. Yet her most dangerous challenge is navigating a marriage to Logan Grant, a magnetic but oppressive man who treats her like a possession. Emma has spent years convincing herself that her husband’s control is a fair price for security, but when that safety evaporates, she finds an unlikely ally in Logan’s former flame. Together, the two women orchestrate a daring escape centered around a grueling trek through the Hundred Mile Wilderness, the most isolated and treacherous section of the Appalachian Trail.
As the group plunges into the Maine backcountry, the psychological weight of their secrets becomes as heavy as the terrain. In the deep woods, where the elements are unforgiving and help is miles away, the power dynamic begins to shift in dark and lethal ways. Amidst growing paranoia and the chilling sensation that they are being hunted, Emma must confront the reality that some people go into the forest to hide, while others go there to disappear forever. In this remote wilderness, the truth is about to be unearthed, and only one person can emerge truly free.
- Emma - Founder of Vitalist, a nutrition company
- Logan - Emma’s husband
- Taylor - Logan’s ex-girlfriend
- Gregory - Emma’s father
- Mara - Emma’s first love
- Phil Pigeon (Dirty Bird) - Hiker
- Pete - Hotel employee
- Owen - Journalist
- Emma attempts suicide but survives.
- Part I
- Emma and Logan get married.
- Logan is very controlling and after two years he starts physically abusing Emma.
- Emma is having an affair with Taylor.
- Taylor, Logan, and Emma set off to hike the northbound stretch of the Appalachian Trail.
- Part II
- Taylor and Emma plan to kill Logan during the hike so they can be together and free from him.
- Part III
- Emma and Taylor drown Logan in a pond at the campsite.
- Part IV
- Emma and Taylor put Logan's body in his sleeping bag.
- The next morning, Emma and Taylor discover that Logan’s body and sleeping bag have been dragged away.
- Emma and Taylor attempt to hike back the way they came but get off the Appalachian Trail.
- Taylor and Emma encounter Dirty Bird at the top of a cliff.
- Logan emerges from the woods and pushes Dirty Bird off the cliff, killing him.
- Part V
- Emma realizes the plan was always for her to be the one who didn’t make it out of the woods.
- When Emma was twenty-one and realized Mara would never want a future with her, she stabbed Mara, causing her to fall off a cliff and die.
- Part VI
- What happened in Denver: Owen approaches Emma and suggests Gregory is responsible for Mara’s death, claiming he stored battery acid too close to her climbing gear, degrading the ropes on Mara’s harness and causing it to fail during a rappel.
- Emma fears this revelation will overshadow her company going public, so she seduces Owen and threatens to accuse him of rape if he publishes anything about Gregory or Mara.
- Emma escapes from Taylor and Logan.
- Part VII
- Emma follows Taylor and Logan through the woods as they get more and more lost.
- Taylor and Logan argue because he got them lost, and Logan ditches Taylor.
- Logan realizes Emma is following him and confronts her,
- Logan eats poisonous mushrooms he believed were safe, and Emma leaves him a gun with one round, telling him suicide will be less painful.
- Logan shoots himself.
- Part VIII
- Pete joins search parties looking for Dirty Bird, and they find Logan’s body, then Dirty Bird’s body.
- They find Taylor in a cabin; she says Emma is coming back for her, but Pete sees footprints outside leading further into the woods.
- Epilogue: Emma hikes through the woods with no plans, letting the future take her where it will.
How to Survive in the Woods is a survival story told from Emma’s point of view in the present tense. It is a major slow burn with noticeably long chapters.
The narrative leans heavily on flashbacks to Emma’s childhood. They give helpful background information, but after a while, they become repetitive and stall the main storyline. This story tackles heavy topics, so I highly recommend checking the trigger warnings before jumping in.
Pushing through the slowness was tough, and the payoff was not there. I found the ending to be boring and anticlimactic, fizzling out instead of giving a solid resolution. If you like a slow burn and a lost in the woods trope, you will probably still enjoy this read.
- Logan - Dead - Shot himself
- Dirty Bird - Dead - Pushed off a cliff by Logan
- Emma - Alive - Living in the moment instead of planning her future
- Taylor - Alive - Rescued from the woods
- Mara - Dead - Stabbed by Emma, then fell off a cliff
- Suicide attempt
- Domestic violence
- Gaslighting
- Alcohol
- Rape
- Loss of a parent
- Drugs
- Animal death
Publisher: Harper
ISBN: 9780063467484
Publication Date: March 10, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
