Four best friends decide to take their annual trip to the depths of Maine wilderness where they will take a rafting excursion on a remote river. As you can guess, the "vacation" goes from bad to worse as they are quickly separated from their guide and the raft in a freak accident. Not only will they have to figure out how to survive the elements, they will also have to contend with what they find in the forest. What looks to be a lifeline turns out to be anything but safe. 
 The best parts of the book were the action sequences that took us down the river. I felt like I was right there with them, tumbling over falls and generally being overwhelmed by the water. The author also did such a nice job of describing the scenery, I have to imagine that she must be a nature lover on some level. 
 The characters were pretty two-dimensional. Winifred is responsible and scared, Pia is an athletic and beautiful thrill seeker, Rachel is hot headed and no-nonsense and Sandra is the sweet and shy buffer. I think I would have been more invested in the outcome had the individuals and relationships been better developed. The author does attempt to give us some backstory on each, but most was irrelevant as it didn't play a part in the story. We do get to find out more about Wini, as she's the narrator, and her background ties into a major story line in the third act. 
 To call this book a thriller seems a bit inaccurate. It takes a while for the story to pick up and once it does there are lengthy breaks in the action to keep tabs on each character and a lot of tedious dialogue. Had I been more invested in the characters, these breaks would have been a point of interest, rather than a desire for the book to "get on with it". 
 3.5 stars for my ride on the rapids and some lovely written passages. (view spoiler)[ I will dedicate the lost 1.5 stars to the truly cringe worthy final paragraph that tried to be inspirational but made me want to punch something instead. 
 "What difference does it make how old I am or what jeans I can fit into or how fast my roots come in? My aging body, my dull job. I mean, really, who cares? I'm alive." 
 After all of her accomplishments on their harrowing journey and a newfound confidence hinted at, this is how the author chose for Wini to define her life? Yikes. Maybe she should head back to the river instead. (hide spoiler)]