Be Not Far from Me

Hatchet meets Wild in this harrowing YA survival story about a teenage girl’s attempt to endure the impossible, from the Edgar Award-winning author of The Female of the Species, Mindy McGinnis.

The world is not tame. Ashley knows this truth deep in her bones, more at home with trees overhead than a roof.

So when she goes hiking in the Smokies with her friends for a night of partying, the falling dark and creaking trees are second nature to her. But people are not tame either. And when Ashley catches her boyfriend with another girl, drunken rage sends her running into the night, stopped only by a nasty fall into a ravine.

Morning brings the realization that she’s alone—and far off trail. Lost in undisturbed forest and with nothing but the clothes on her back, Ashley must figure out how to survive with the red streak of infection creeping up her leg.

A Strong Female Protagonist: Ashley Hawkins is more comfortable with a deer skull in her hands than a curling iron. But when betrayal leaves her for dead, she’ll discover just how tough she really is. Lost in the Woods: A drunken flight from heartbreak turns into a nightmare. Alone, miles off-trail in the vast Smoky Mountains, every rustle in the dark could be her last. Gritty and Realistic Survival: This is not a fairytale. With a gruesome injury, no supplies, and a creeping infection, Ashley faces an unflinching, page-turning fight for her life. A Harrowing YA Thriller: Perfect for fans of Hatchet and Wild, this story combines the emotional punch of a contemporary YA with the high-stakes tension of an outdoor adventure.