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Ratings & Reviews for

One Was Lost

Natalie D. Richards

5 stars
1,751 (26%)
4 stars
2,357 (36%)
3 stars
1,766 (27%)
2 stars
498 (7%)
1 star
123 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 897 reviews
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booksnpenguins (wingspan matters)
763 reviews2,347 followers
November 19, 2017
This is going to be a very quick review because meh, I've read worse, but I've definitely read better, too.
I didn't mind the writing (especially the dialogues) and the characters. I wish there was more diversity, but still, Natalie D. Richards did a nice job on that front, thing that not many authors feel the need to do, nowadays.
The plot, however, could have been developed better, same goes with the slasher factor (it had some serious Pretty Little Liars For Dummies vibes going on).
The killer identity reveal was too bland imo, and everything right after that felt so anticlimactic and rushed that I would have lost every interest in it, hadn't I been 5 chapters away from the ending.
As I've said before, it's not an awful story, but it didn't leave me on the edge of my seat, either.
In short, I don't regret reading this, though, I probably wouldn't recommend it to those who don't love this genre.
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Sarah Elizabeth
4,727 reviews1,278 followers
February 7, 2021
This was pretty good, I didn't guess who it was behind everything, but I suspected everyone! It was a bit of a mystery about what had happened between Sera and Lucas too. She never did tell him that she was trying not to be her mother.



(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley.)

“Your blood is on our hands.”


This was a YA mystery/suspense story, about a group of kids attacked whilst on a camping trip.

Sera was an okay character, although we didn’t really find out all that much about her. We knew that her parents were divorced, that she looked like her mother, and had some problem with a boy who was also on the trip (Lucas), but other than that we were in the dark a bit.

The storyline in this was about Sera, three other students, and a teacher getting separated from two other students and a teacher during a storm whilst on a camping trip. Sera, Lucas, Jude and Emily then woke up to find their stuff destroyed, their teacher drugged, and random words written on their arms – Damaged, Deceptive, Dangerous, and Darling. We then got the mystery of what had happened to them, who had done it, and whether they should be worried about that someone returning. The story was quite well done though, with lots of questions over who was out there and who could be trusted, although the romance wasn’t really necessary.

The ending to this was okay, and I didn’t guess who the killer was.



7 out of 10
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Carrie
3,160 reviews1,517 followers
August 26, 2016
During the senior camping trip things take an ugly turn when Sera and her group find themselves waking up to find half the group missing and their teacher unconscious. The group comes to the conclusion that they must have been drugged but really become suspicious when they find words have been written on all their wrists. Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling.

One Was Lost is one of those reads that while it's not really a new or unique story line or even amazing writing it still can hook you into the story as the suspense builds trying to figure out what had happened to these kids out in the woods. I was quite intrigued with what was going on to the characters all throughout and definitely didn't guess at the ending.

This one was a rather fast paced action based read. Not a lot of character or story building in it but rather just dropping a reader right into the action and suspense really quickly to keep one turning the pages to see how it would all turn out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....



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Angela P.
438 reviews6 followers
January 8, 2017
The one star is for the premise of the book, the reason I checked it out to begin with: on a hiking weekend, four friends wake up in their tents to find words scrawled on their arms; dangerous, damaged, deceptive, and darling. Their leader\teacher won't wake up and all of their supplies have been stolen or ransacked. The rest of the group is missing.
Sounds like a good read, right?
It should've been, but instead of focusing on survival and a possible serial killer, the author went with simpery romance and an unbelievable plot twist instead.
I won't reveal the plot twist, but here's the simpery parts:
Imagine being stalked by a killer. You even found a severed finger. This killer also lead bears into your camp. Your classmates are missing and your teacher is in a puking and pissing coma. What do you do? You lean against the boy you're crushing on and think back to when you kissed on a porch. You worry about turning into your adulterous mom if you fall more in love with this boy (because that's believable, right? You're 17 and kiss a boy, so obviously you're bound to be a whore, yes?) You also, bears and fingers and poisoned water be damned, gaze into this boy's "heavily lidded eyes". I'm not joking when I say that the author used "heavily lidded eyes" five times in this book. So basically I imagined this poor kid with Sun visors for eyelids.
And I won't reveal the piss poor plot twist, but will say this about it:
The Appalachian trail is long and arduous. Appalachia is full of weirdos, I'm sure. If a killer/stalker were to descend on a group of young campers, those campers don't have to know him/her. This book, set in the great expanse of the outdoors, felt as if it were set in a small room. No matter how they ran or sought help, the scene never felt any bigger than a backyard.
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Stacee
2,711 reviews703 followers
September 12, 2016
I do love a creepy story and this sounded perfectly delicious...and for me, it delivered.

I really liked the four MCs. It's Sera's head we're in, but the one person POV makes it easy to suspect everyone. It felt like every time I had it figured out, something else would happen.

It doesn't get much creepier than the woods and the plot takes off pretty much right from the beginning. There were some interesting twists and a couple of character reveals I didn't see coming. Not to mention an ending that was satisfying.

Overall, a quick, tension filled story. And yes, I'm being vague on purpose.

**Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
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Figgy
678 reviews219 followers
May 9, 2018
Actual Rating 1.5

So, from the outset it’s clear that this isn’t the most original idea for a novel. Undoubtedly scenes from countless suspense and slasher films and books spring to mind.

And yet, the book has some pretty good ratings online; some pretty positive reviews. There’s bound to be something about the writing that makes it worthwhile reading, no?

No.

Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh. The book is fast-paced and easy enough to get through, so if you like that kind of thing and don’t much care about character development or stories that make sense, you’ll probably enjoy this.

But for this reader it was an eyeroll-palooza.

Sera is incredibly hung up on the fact that her mother ran away to be with a man who wasn’t Sera’s father. It’s fair enough for her to be hung up on it, but she goes on and on about it, and is convinced that if she ever lets herself feel anything for Lucas (spoiler: she does feel things for him), she will turn into her mother.

Let’s take a moment to look at the comparisons, shall we?
- One was a married woman who left her husband and young child, the other is a seventeen-year-old girl who is not in a relationship.

- They look similar to each other and are, of course, related.
That is all they have in common – or don’t, as it were – and yet the theme of “I can’t let myself get involved with him because then I will turn into my mother” feels as though it’s mentioned on every other page.
Maybe I can find a way to be with Lucas without feeding the part of me that is like my mother. Or maybe that part will grow like a cancer, quietly snagging bits and pieces of my organs, taking me over cell by cell until there’s nothing good left.



The rest of this review can be found HERE!
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Dianne
6,766 reviews589 followers
September 12, 2016
Your senior year in high school, the last year cocooned in the relative safety of the halls of education. When it’s over, they say you are ready to go out and face whatever the world has to offer. Never were those words put to such a grueling test as the senior camping trip, when two teachers, and a handful of teens become the prey for a sadistic shadow in the night.

One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards is a dark and chilling tale of a school trip gone more than just bad. It is a twisted tale of misplaced trust, revenge, and how truly unprepared for the world teens are as they blame or suspect each other because of false impressions, petty high school personality clashes, prejudice and raw fear.

Left almost completely on their own, can they settle their differences long enough to stay alive? Can they learn to work together and trust each other? Who is after them and why have they been “branded” with one word on their arms? Why are they waiting so long to leave the woods?

Ms. Richards has pulled together an intriguing tale of horror, added teens that, for the most part prove they are far too emotionally immature to face life-threatening danger until it is almost too late. I found it hard to totally connect with the personalities of most of the teens, but I will say, the ones I did connect with were the ones who had the most compassion for others.

Condensed, this makes a perfect Halloween or camping campfire story that will make you listen for everything that goes bump in the night.

I received an ARC edition from Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (October 4, 2016)
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
ISBN-10: 1492615749
ISBN-13: 978-1492615743
Genre: YA Suspense
Paperback: 320 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

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Morris
964 reviews164 followers
December 27, 2016
“One Was Lost” is a good book for those looking for a fast, creepy read.

The story begins immediately, without much explanation as to the backstory of the characters or the situation they’re in. All of that is explained over the course of the book. I would describe the plot as one of the current PG-13 horror movies out there. It isn’t something complex, but it delivers on the chills and jumps. The cover pretty much sums up the mood.

I recommend “One Was Lost” for those looking for a fun and fast read that may leave them afraid to turn off the lights.

This unbiased review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.
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Eva • All Books Considered
421 reviews66 followers
October 10, 2016
Review originally posted at All Books Considered: 2.5 STARS

This one was very much in the vein of I Know What You Did Last Summer and other, similar books by R.L. Stine or Christopher Pike, just not as good as I remember those YA horror/thriller books being. One, there was a serious focus on Sera's crush/former crush and why she thought she couldn't be with him; I found her reasoning to be quite lacking and also the fact that she would be focused on him and kissing him when someone was trying to kill her. I wish this sub-plot hadn't even existed; the thrill ride would have been more present and tangible had this "romance" not been a part of this book. That being said, there were some fun twists in this but something about the writing left me fumbling and wanting more depth to the plot, the story and the characters.

The trip was supposed to be great. Mr. Walker practically promised mythical nirvana out here. We'd see mountains and ancient trees and unicorns that come to drink at sunset or some crap. Extremely remote, he said. Personally enlightening, Ms. Brighton added.
They pegged the remote part. We're in Nowhere, West Virginia, where the only thing less common than people is cell phone reception. Of course, we're not remote enough to get me away from the one boy I'm trying desperately to avoid.

Sadly, neither of these thrilled me much; hopefully you will have better luck with one or the both of them.
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Jen Ryland
1,481 reviews903 followers
Read
October 9, 2016
One Was Lost is the story of a group of high school students on an outdoor trip. When the weather turns bad, the group is split in two and then creepy, unexplained things start to happen. Is a killer stalking the group? Or is the killer one of them?

On the positive side, this book had a lot of action and suspense that kept me reading, and I enjoyed the first 80 percent. On the negative, when I got to the end, I didn't feel like much of it was plausible. The group suffers from a lot of bad luck (not only bad weather, which happens, but these healthy, prime-of-their-lives teenagers trip and fall a little too often to be believable to me). Plus, the explanation for all of it was ... a little out there. And any book or movie that has little dolls dressed like the characters veers too much into cheesy territory for me.

A fan of Natalie Richards, and I think she does a great job evoking suspense.

Read more of my reviews on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin

Thanks to the publisher for providing a free advance copy of this book for me to review.
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Carlos
588 reviews289 followers
October 22, 2018
Easy enough to read , the content is not that complex but it will make you read on and read on for sure . If you want an easy horror read for this Halloween season, this is the book for you .
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Wonda
1,055 reviews5 followers
March 11, 2022
So very, very slow for me...The premise was great, the characters, well, any group of teens in any slasher novel, movie, show...Definitely gave me another reason to NOT go camping!
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Alaina
6,316 reviews215 followers
April 24, 2020
What a wild ride.

One Was Lost is about a group of students, and two teachers, going on a camping trip. Kind of unusual for a school to be okay with this.. but I went along with it all. At some point, they are separated from one another and kind of held captive within these woods. They have no idea who is hunting them and they all have suspects. Honestly, they all kept me guessing. It wasn't until the end that everything started to make sense to me.

If people weren't acting so damn sketchy in this book then I probably would've known who it was from the beginning. Anyways, I really enjoyed this book and the whole mystery behind it all. The twist and turns kept me on my toes and I was just overall extremely worried about everyone. If they lived in a perfect world, they all would've survived and no one would've been crazy.

In a perfect world.

Definitely enjoyed this book and will look out for another one by this author!
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Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms
2,724 reviews331 followers
October 18, 2016
This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Books like One Was Lost is one of the reasons why I'm terrified of camping in the woods! (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it...)

Review - (un)Conventional Bookviews

One Was Lost follows a group of teens as they are on a school trip in the forest, where they have to survive with the means they have with them. We get to know Sera better than her school mates, as the story is told from her perspective. And one of the themes in this story really has to do with perception and perspective! What do we think of other people, and what do we base our "judgement" of them on? One day, at the beginning of their trip, the weather is getting much worse, and not all of them manage to cross the river. The main teacher, Sera and three other kids have crossed, while the teacher assistant and two girls are on the other side. Because of the rapidly rising water, they have to go to higher ground before they start setting up their tent before it gets dark.

And from then on, One Was Lost becomes spooky, scary and more than a little disturbing. The first morning after the group was separated, the kids all feel strange, and the sun has been up for a while already. And it's impossible to wake the teacher! There is mystery, memories of the creepy story the teacher's assistant told at camp fire the first night, and very weird things happening. Sera and the three other students have to either trust each other or separate, as more strange things happen, and they think they are all being drugged somehow, as they wake up to weird voodoo like dolls, more water, and strange sounds.

One Was Lost is the perfect creepy fall read! I never knew what would happen next, and I was at the edge of my seat with the mystery and the suspense! Since it's written in first present present tense, I felt like I was right there next to Sera, feeling her doubts and fears.

Fave Quotes - (un)Conventional Bookviews

Everyone's tall measured against me, but Lucas is ridiculous. He towers. If there was actually a sun to be found int his Appalachian monsoon, his shoulder would cast a shadow you could hide two of me in. I have no idea what you have to eat to grow like that. Corn? Eggs? Small children?

The forest around us mocks my misery on every level. It's like the whole place has gone Disney. Birds trill softly, and sunbeams slant through leaves just this side of golden. Everything smells fresh and earthy and warm. Well, everything but us. I've met hockey bags that smell better than we do.
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Ashley Lloyd
Author 12 books124 followers
March 8, 2018
Shockingly good! This was a new author for me and I could not put it down. The intrigue was brilliantly woven together and left just enough to the imagination. I felt like I was in the book and part of the action. Highly recommend!
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Kitkat
379 reviews105 followers
March 9, 2018
I figured out who the murderer is and I'm really upset. I loved the ending though. The ending was filled of action and danger which made me excited. I liked the characters but I felt like some characters were just there.

SPOILER!!!!
I knew the murderer was Mrs. Brighton. I mean her name has brightness and sunshine in it. I mean that's a huge irony because of how depressed and messed up she is. Also how Sara automatically trusted her and liked her from the beginning gave me a vibe. I mean the author obviously wanted us to forget or like her from the start. I thought that was quite suspicious and how her finger is cut off. Her body was never found and everyone automatically assumed she was dead. The narrative was by Sara who isn't an all knowing narrator which knows the murderer. Her narrative and judgement could not be trusted. I had to analyze each character with a motive and including the three characters who were marked. How Sarah jumped to the conclusion that Mr. Walker was the killer. I mean he was drugged, sick, and it was so obvious it would be him. It's never the obvious one and if it is then that's disappointing. Mrs. Brighton had a motive and she was never seen through the entire book. Also how one of the injured girls kept looking at the girl meant that it was a female murderer. I mean that's how I figured it out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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Jenn
1,728 reviews295 followers
October 30, 2019
A school camping trip that goes horrible wrong.

description

A group of 6 students and 2 teachers set out on a school camping trip but end up separated from each other and what follows is nothing short of horrific. When Sera wakes up, she knows something is not right. Her group quickly discovers all of their belongings are gone, their teacher has been drugged, and there's words written on their wrists.

Dangerous
Deceptive
Damaged
Darling

No on knows what they mean or who did them. But they no food and no water and a sick chaperone. They try to head towards the road to find help but it's soon clear that someone is hunting them though no one knows why.

The characters were pretty solid high school students. We didn't get a whole lot of background story because this is mostly a 'what's happening now' tale, so I didn't really attach to any of them. I did get a little annoyed at Sera's constant comparison to her mother. We get it, you don't want to be her, but I don't need to hear about it every chapter.

I really enjoyed the mystery that surrounded the story. And the constant shifting of blame kept the whodunit aspect alive. I wasn't too surprised by the ending as I had figured out part of it early on but I really enjoyed the twists and turns the writer took us on. I would definitely read more from Richards. A good spooktober read.
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Vanessa S.
333 reviews81 followers
July 18, 2017
I won a finished copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

This one creeped me out! Going into this, with the young adult label, I didn't expect for it to be scary, but, boy, it was. You know how books have you creeping around corners and jumping at the slightest noises? This was one of those books for me; granted, I get scared easily, but Natalie D. Richards is really good at what she does.

The book was well-written, and I enjoyed the characters' personalities, though I wasn't crazy about Sera's backstory. It detracted from the story slightly and seemed kind of pointless, but not a huge sore point for me. While I did guess who the bad guy was about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way in, I suspected everyone at some point, so I don't know that I can take much credit in guessing correctly. ;)

Even though it's targeted to YA/teen audiences, I think mystery lovers of all ages who are looking for a quick read and a good thrill will enjoy this one.
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Tayane Cristie
491 reviews49 followers
October 27, 2020
Pra mim, esse livro prometeu muito e entregou pouco. Pareceu que não acontecia NADA. Os momentos de tensão, como quando eles encontram o acampamento revirado e depois quando percebem que tem alguém (ou alguma coisa) atrás deles, são tão poucos que a maior parte do livro é basicamente eles andando pela floresta, tentando fugir de lá. Eu não consegui me sentir apreensiva em nenhum momento, e o final foi meio decepcionante também.

Alguns aspectos da premissa me lembrou muito aquele filme mais recente de "A Bruxa de Blair", achei que teria uma vibe parecida, mas apesar desse filme não ser lá grandes coisas, ele é bem mais assustador do que o livro foi. Como eu ouvi o audiobook, às vezes começava a narrar um flashback do nada, e até eu perceber que era um flashback, já estava perdida na cena. Um outro ponto negativo do audiobook é que em alguns finais de capítulos eles cortavam antes da narradora terminar de falar, o que cortava palavras ao meio.

Pra finalizar, não consegui gostar muito dos personagens também e nem fiquei tão imersa na história, mas foi uma leitura rápida.

English review:

To me, this book promised a lot and didn't deliver the half of it. It felt like NOTHING was happening. The moment of tension, like when they wake up to find their camp trashed out and then when they realized there was someone (or something) going for them, are so scarce that for the most part we only follow them walking through the forest, trying to escape. I didn't feel apprehensive at any moment, and the ending was kinda disappointing as well.

Some of the premise reminded me of the most recent "The Blair Witch Project" movie, so I thought it would have a similar vibe, but although this movie isn't that great, it's much scarier than this book was. I listened to the audiobook, and sometimes it started narrating a flashback out of nowhere, but until I realized it was a flashback I was already lost in the scene. Another negative point about the audiobook is that at the end of some chapters it was suddenly cut before the narrator finished speaking, what caused a few words to be lost while jumping from one chapter to the other.

To end things up, I also didn't like the characters that much and didn't get imersed in the story, but it was fast to get through.
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Trisha
4,651 reviews161 followers
September 4, 2017
"It's harder to wash away things once they're buried this deep"

Imagine backpacking - miles and days of walking from civilization, your cell phone doesn't work and you haven't see anyone other than your hiking group for days.

A group of seniors and 2 teachers head out for a school trip - it's one of many options so there aren't a ton of kids on the trip. They are two days into their backpacking trip when the rains hit. It's been raining all night and all day. There are concerns of bridge washout and stream flooding but also concerns about keeping clothes dry and kids safe. But it's a flooded bridge and rising water that separates a group of one into a group of 2 - separated by rising water with no way to cross.

They set up camp that night and when they wake up in the morning, it's like waking up in a nightmare. This was a wonderful horror story. Well done with all the wonderful elements of remote setting, lack of supplies and complete terror in all of the tricks and horrible things that happen to them. Each turn was a question - what could be next?

It helps that I absolutely love horror stories. I read this one at night, alone in a dark house. And even though I knew from the get go who had done it, I loved learning the why and how it all unfolded. Such a fun, scary story!
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Stephanie ((Strazzybooks))
1,003 reviews97 followers
June 26, 2019
I had fun reading this book. It was a random library find and it was perfect for a summer afternoon/night. There’s just the right amount of creepiness and I liked the characters enough. It’s not ground-breaking and it is predictable, but I enjoyed it and kept wanting to pick it back up.
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Amy
1,874 reviews1,880 followers
October 1, 2016
Full review on www.novelgossip.com

I kept having one thought come to mind while reading this, over and over again and it was this; I feel like I’m watching a typical teenage horror movie. You know how when you’re watching said movie and you end up yelling at the screen because the main character (s) keep making stupid decisions and walking into obvious traps? There was quite a bit of that happening here. Similar to the way I feel after watching one of these movies I can’t quite decide if I liked it or not. Were parts of this book enjoyable? Sure. Predictable? Sometimes. Creepy? Yes. Satisfying? That’s the part I’m having trouble nailing down.

Four teenagers are trapped in the woods with their teacher. They’ve been separated from the rest of the group and though they can’t totally tell what happened to their classmates, they can see that it’s not good. Weird and chilling things keep happening; they’re being drugged, their things are destroyed and someone is definitely watching them. While there were absolutely some disturbing moments, unfortunately they weren’t quite enough to get my pulse pounding.

I feel like this yet another case where I’m just the wrong reader for this book. There was nothing inherently wrong here, Richards is a good writer and the plot was alright. The pacing was a little too frenzied for me, it made me feel anxious in a uncomfortable way. The characters were fine too, maybe not as fleshed out as I would have liked them to be, but otherwise good. I think if I had read this while I was a teenager I would have enjoyed it more. For readers first starting out with thrillers this would be a good place to begin, but for the more seasoned thriller readers I would pass on this one.
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Kirsti
2,456 reviews82 followers
March 26, 2018
Nothing like an overdue library book to get you reading, huh? So I decided to read this in one sitting, moving away from my laptop and any other distractions in the process. It helped add to the creep factor as well, because I sat with my back to an open window and felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck a few times lol.

This is a fast paced horror that keeps up with the horror and gore from the beginning. While I don't want to give anything away, I did feel that the explanation was a little lacking, and I also thought Sera being hung up on her mother's affair and the repurcussions in her own life was an overused plot point. Apart from that I liked the characters, and I liked the roles they had. The writing was good and consistent. I notice this author has other books out, so I'll defintely be trying those in the future.

A good, scary YA. Four stars.
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Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen)
422 reviews1,629 followers
July 10, 2018
2 Stars

Mini review because this was pretty unremarkable?

Pros:

- action starts from the first page and remains high-adrenaline the whole way through. This is difficult pace to manage, but somehow worked?
- The dialogue feels pretty realistic for a group of teenagers

Cons:
- the plot feels really formulaic
- LIKE REALLY formulaic. So many tropes from slasher movies and a villain right off of the CW
- all everyone did was fight like 24/7
- the lover interest was boring, and the only romantic conflict felt created by the protagonist
- all the characters were introduced very quickly, without really standing out... and I couldn't keep them straight/care to?
- Jude's whole plot revolves around being super angry at the world because he had two dads and oh god, what if people think he's gay too??

In Conclusion:
Meh

I received an ARC of this through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you SOURCEBOOKS for the opportunity!
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☆Kylie☆
125 reviews
April 24, 2023
My boyfriend hates to read, its not is thing, but he likes when I talk about a book I'm reading, specially If it's mystery. So I was talking about this book with him (I was only at 70% of the book) he told me who he thought it was the culprit... He was right. So as you see, not really a mystery 😂. Was fun anyway tho.
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Heather A
670 reviews16 followers
December 16, 2016
I received a copy from Netgalley.

The premise of this one sounded interesting enough, a group of teens on a senior field trip wind up stranded in the woods, spooky things start happening, teachers go missing and they’re being stalked by an unknown figure who writes strange things on the arms of four of the kids. Dangerous. Darling. Damaged. Deceptive. With no clue what’s happening, stranded from their classmates by bad weather, and suspicions mounting, the kids must pull together and figure a way to get to help and safety.

Kind of reads like a cheesy teen survival movie. It’s certainly got all the right elements, and the plot was fairly fast paced. Only once it got to the reveal it was more eye rolling than shocking, at least for me anyway. The other problem I had with it was there are no depth to any of the characters. The main character Sera is sensible enough with a snarky tone, and clearly has some sort of a past with one of the boys on the trip, Lucas. Rich boy Jude has a clear attitude problem, ditzy Melanie and Hayley seem to be into drama, and quiet Emily doesn’t seem to say much at all.

But there’s no real reasons explained for anyone’s attitude. We get a little insight into Jude as the novel progresses and there are a few flashbacks as to what happened with Sera and Lucas, some sort of a potential romance that didn’t go very far, and Sera backed off. All that’s mentioned is something to do with her mother and not wanting to repeat her mistakes.

More questions than answers. Once the spooky things started happening, the suspicion and tension builds fairly quickly, though it seems everyone is quick to point figures without much evidence. And while they’re trying to figure things out with scary shit going down Sera and Lucas seem to be inexplicably drawn to each other. Cue more eye rolling from the reader. The romance felt forced and unnecessary, though in a way I can understand wanting someone to cling to in an increasingly dangerous situation.

There is a fair bit of background on Lucas’s character, but almost nothing on Sera herself. Though to be fair, stupid romance decisions that can be blamed on teen hormones aside, Sera is pretty logical and fairly sensible for the most part.

Spoilers, but these bits really irritated me

There was one stupid scene where she hears something at night whilst in the tent and thinks it might be bears in their camp. And she goes OUTSIDE in the pitch DARK to see what’s going on. Leaving her tent-mate Emily asleep inside the tent. For fuck’s sake.

One teacher is missing, presumed dead after an icky find and the other is alive but appears ill, and all they want is a grownup who can help get them sorted, so it becomes all about waking the teacher and getting him on his feet. Sensible, no? Though once the teacher is awake enough to get his bearings and not being sick, once he doesn’t immediately believe every word they tell him they start thinking he’s the one responsible.

There’s also a story about a girl who died in the woods many years ago on a trip similar to theirs. Deemed an accident when kids went partying in the woods, but there are hints there may be more to the story. Never really explored until the end.

Which in typical teen horror movie fashion, turned completely stupid. At least, it did for me.

Kind of a blah read for me in the end. Interesting premise, not so great execution. Would have liked some more character depth and background info filtered into the story.

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for approving my request to view the title.
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Shane
Author 32 books657 followers
October 10, 2016
This is my third time reading a Natalie D. Richards book and honestly, I was hoping for more after that blurb. It filled me with intrigue, seeing as the characters were camping in the woods. I like that setup; it's dark and alluring, the perfect mix for a suspense novel. But throughout One Was Lost, while the mystery held my attention, I wanted more in other areas.

I liked how it started out with the characters already in the woods and about to start heading back. It would have been fine like that, but then Sera hinted at a kiss that happened with one of the guys and the roller-coaster emotions between them that went on was just frustrating. In fact, I didn't care for it at all. In their present situation, I felt like the romance could've stayed out of it. I don't know, it just didn't seem to blend in with the rest of the story, especially after realizing a dangerous person was lurking around your camp planning to kill you and you weren't even sure if it was one of the people you were with.

There was also the issue of not really connecting with them. But that didn't deter me and aside from that and the romance thing, I did enjoy the mystery and wanted to know who had drugged them and had written on them. I liked that the author kept us guessing. I mean, I suspected ALL of them. Even Sera, thought maybe she had split personalities or something lol. And then I believed it was the guy she so loved and pretended not to. Then I was convinced it was their remaining teacher. I mean, why take his students out to a place where tragedy had occurred before? That was suspicious on his part. So yeah, the mystery of who the culprit was kept the story alive for me and in the end, I was truly surprised by who it turned out to be.

To conclude, not a bad novel with a dark setting and creepy moments so fitting for the season. The writing was fluid. The overall mystery, if nothing else, will keep you hooked.
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Debbie
1,751 reviews95 followers
September 24, 2016
Six students and two teachers go on a hiking trip into a forest. Due to a huge storm, they are separated. The river is starting to rise and all of them can't make it across in time. . Four students and a teacher on one side and two students and a teacher on the other side. No big deal. The river will go down soon as it has stopped raining. They all set up their camp sites and go to sleep.

The next afternoon (yes afternoon, not morning) is when things start to become strange and scary. And that's also the moment when my heart beat starts to elevate. There are six people in this group. Is one of them trying to hurt them or has someone decided they want them off their property?

I've just finished reading this book and my heart is still racing, my body is shaking and my breathing is a little faster than it should be. This is what I would call a really good book. So many suspects!! And the things that this person does are certifiably insane. There is definitely a nut case running wild in these woods, but who could it be? I couldn't guess and I'm glad. I love it that way.

This is a YA book, but I believe adults would enjoy it as well. These are senior kids but they are pretty mature with only slight teenage angst.

Huge thanks to Sourcebook Fire and to Net Galley for providing me a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
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