Be Not Far from Me

How would you fare if you were lost in the wilderness with an injured foot and nothing but the clothes on your back? That's what Ashley is facing in Be Not Far From Me when she gets separated from her friends on a camping trip. Ashley might be outdoorsy, but even she is in over her head as the environment continues to worsen. Whenever I thought the plot couldn't thicken further, author Mindy McGinnis proved me wrong. I loved the thoughts that this book evoked in me as I went down several rabbit holes of "what if?"

This is a classic “I Can’t Put It Down” book.

Ashley is lost in the woods, an emotional and physical wreck, and she’s got to figure a way out. The two things she has going for her are serious survival skills and a fierce determination to never give up. Some of her challenges border on the unbelievable, but then, so do so many real-life stories we’ve all read about.

The reader gets to know and understand Ashley, with all her flaws exposed, as the worsening events force her to dig deep into who she is and what she’s capable… show more.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Ashley goes into the Smokies to camp out for a night with her friends, but ends up getting lost and injured and has to figure out how to survive with only the clothes she’s wearing and a crushed, infected foot. Mindy McGinnis is an expert wordsmith, and she paints a brutally real picture of what it would be like to survive in the woods in Ashley’s situation. Ashley is stubborn, smart, and a survivor. It hurt sometimes, but I could not stop reading about her and marveling at her strength.