Holy shit, this book. I picked up a physical copy of this at the book store, knowing literally nothing about it other than having heard the author's name before. I didn't even read the back cover before diving in. But I could not put this down. I read almost all of it in a single day.

It was very interesting reading this book so close on the heels of reading Stay and Fight by Madeline ffitch. There are similar themes of wilderness survival, what it means to be a family, young child characters. I really didn't care for Stay and Fight but I absolutely LOVED this book, even before the sci fi elements started to come into focus, which only made me love it more. 

I found Vern to be such a fascinating and compelling character from beginning to end, I was really rooting for her in every moment. And I love, love, love her kids. The distinct personalities between the two of them and all of their relationships together felt so real. I really thought I was going to be more discerning in my ratings but this is another "immediately smash that 5⭐ button, contender for top 10 of the year."