“Out of the Woods” is a nonfiction true crime novel that follows Shasta Groene in 2005 as her family is slain and she and her older brother, Dylan, are taken deep into the woods by a serial killer. Shasta and Dylan experience the most horrific abuse imaginable. While Shasta survives, this story focuses on what her life looks like after she returns home, as she battles the massive amount of trauma she endured as an 8-year-old girl.
This was an Amazon First Pick read for July, and that’s what initially drew me to the novel because I wasn’t aware of it before. I also wasn’t aware of this case, so I gobbled this novel up quickly. I wanted to know the details of this case, and I am really impressed with the author focusing attention on the aftermath. The trauma that victims experience and their struggles are not talked about very much. The journey for Shasta, trying to heal, is very sad. Warning: this is a very tough story to read. Are there trigger warnings? Yes, just about every trigger warning you can think of. So please, proceed with caution.
I would recommend reading the author’s note at the end of the story. I saw a lot of poor feedback on goodreads regarding people concerned that Shasta was being exploited for this novel. But according to the author’s note, that is simply not true.
Overall, I would recommend this novel to those who are interested in true crime stories.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
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Page Turning Thrills 