the mountain story // lori lansens

published: 6/2015 

308 book pages // 248 ebook pages

isbn: 978-1-4767-8650-6

read from:  2/6-8-16

ahh!

i picked this up from the library when i went to go pick up my other read. 

they have a newly released section right as you walk in so i started looking around and came upon this one. 

i read the jacket and i decided to give it a go because it's about hiking and if i can be super cheesy real quick, since it was based on hiking, it reminded me of my boyfriend. so thanks B. ill think of you more often when i head out to the library. and if your memory keeps churning books like these, then ill keep ya for a bit longer ;)  

now, you're probably wondering "why is there a library book AND an ebook?"...i don't blame ya. 

reason being is because i checked out the book knowing nothing of it or the author and then! i read literally the first page and i didn't even bother to continue with the library copy. i bought it for my nook right away. 

i HAD to buy it. 

this is one of those books that i KNOW i will pick up later on in life, re-read and be like woooah! <3 

so i checked it out, read 1 page and bought it. let that sink in. :D 

SYNOPSIS

Four lost hikers are about to discover they’re capable of something extraordinary.

Nola has gone up the mountain to commemorate her wedding anniversary, the first since her beloved husband passed. Blonde, stick-thin Bridget is training for a triathlon. Vonn is working out her teenage rebellion at eight thousand feet, driven by family obligation and the urge to escape her mistakes. Still reeling from the tragic accident that robbed him of his best friend, Wolf Truly is the only experienced hiker among them, but he has come to the cliffs on his eighteenth birthday without food or supplies because he plans to take his own life.

When a series of missteps strands this unusual group together in the wilderness, they soon realize that their only defense against the brutality of nature is one another. As one day without rescue spirals dramatically into the next, and misadventure turns to nightmare, these four broken souls begin to form an inextricable bond, pushing themselves and one another further than they ever could have dreamed possible. The three who make it home alive will be forever changed by their harrowing days on the mountain.

THOUGHTS

and nooooow, drum roll please, here is my report (like i said, review sounds to harsh. specially since I'm not a pro or whatever...anyways.....) 

this story takes place in Palm Springs. erm well in the mountains of. before i even finished reading the description i knew the exact spot the author was describing because i want to go there so bad!

it starts off with Wolf writing a letter to his son explaining his time on the mountain. 

even his own mother doesn't know the complete story (and she was there with him!) 

so after his son knows the truth, so will his wife. 

and all i can say is holy shiz. 

so Wolf (Wilfred) moves to Tin Town after his father loses their home in Michigan. 

on his 18th birthday, Wolf is on his way to Angels Peak to end his life. 

he's led a shitty-ish life in his 18 years so you know, i kinda cant blame him.

on his way up to the top, he takes notice of the people joining him. 

there's Nola in a bright red jacket. 

Bridgette who's more bouncy (and kind of annoying) than who knows what and there's Vonn. who's going up in green flip flops. 

Bridgette is going up to train for her triathlon and Nola is looking for Secret Lake to honor her late husband by spreading his ashes there. they have been going up there every year for 40 years on their anniversary and on the first anniversary since his death, she is returning without him to say goodbye. 

however, she somehow cant find the way. (typical. I'm the exact same way.) 

wolf runs in to them and after some questioning (more like "bugging" him), he advises them that they are going the wrong way. after some coaxing, they (Nola and Bridgette) manage to convince him to lead the way. 

on the way over, Bridgette runs in to a swarm of bees. she freaks out and takes off running. 

Wolf chases after her but then Nola falls and hes like aaah where do i go but Nola advises him to go after her. 

couple of bee stings. what can be so bad? 

well, shes kind of allergic. 

and she forgot her epi pen. ._.

by this point, Vonn has joined the group. 

this is where it goes to shit. 

they spend 5 days lost in the mountain. 

no food. no water. no shelter. 

wolf has nothing because he left his bag seeing as how he wasn't planning on coming back. 

Bridgette lost her bag when they fell. 

Nola has water but very limited and no food. 

Vonn was supposed to stay in the center but ended up going with them and also had nothing. 

and no one knows they're missing. 

(i have since re-read this book (6/27-30/2020) and came back to update this post to hide the spoilers at the bottom so excuse the mess that i just made out of this post!) 

whattt what!!!? 

honestly, i read this book while i was sick as shiz (if i thought the last time was bad, this blew that like 500 light years away) so i think there are a few things that flew right by me. but i definitely want to read this book again down the line. like really REALLY want to read it. and that's saying a lot because i hate re-reading books (okay. not hate but I'm not crazy about it.) i know i said I'd re-read yes please by Amy Poehler again but i honestly think ill read this one before that one. and Amy wrote a really good book. 

I'm so glad to have stumbled in to this book! 
i wont be forgetting it any time soon. 
so far this is by far my favorite read of 2016 (yes i know there is a long way to go!) 

i know i gave away a lot of the book but there is still stuff i left out (as always!) 
so whenever you get a chance, please pick this up! <3 <3 <3

thanks for reading! 

this is as much as i can say without spoilers. sooooo....

***SPOILERS!!!!***

stop reading here.

as it says in the beginning, only 3 of them make it. 

there's a part where you honestly think Bridgette wont make it. a wolf (not Wolf) is about to basically eat her but the crazy b jumps something like 15 feet and makes it to the other side with the rest of the group. whoa!

VONN

the water and food that Bridgette lost that they couldn't find? Vonn found it and was eating/drinking it herself. 
i know. 

but!, well, before ya get mad...she's pregnant. shes only a few weeks in so shes trying her hardest to make it as safe as possible without harming the baby given the conditions. so when Wolf finds out, hes bothered but he understands once he hears her reasoning.

day 5 (maybe 4 but im thinking 5!) (UPDATE: its day 4)   i think it was, she gets bit by a snake because Bridgette is probably the only human on earth who cannot be calm in a moment of need. so she yells and boom it attacks. she goes in to shock. luckily it ended up being a dry bite so no venom was released. 

baby and Vonn are great. however because of the bite, there's a lot she doesn't remember. but even before the bite, she doesn't know who the father of the baby is. 

NOLA

she falls and fucks up her wrist. like bone sticking out, a lot of blood oozing, get her to a hospital right now messed up. 

she reveals a regret from her past that makes her think this is her karma for it. 

BRIDGETTE

you kinda wanna smack her from the get go. shes basically the reason they're lost but yet she's always blaming it on Wolf. 

you expected her to die a while ago (like i mentioned above)  but she survives. shes the reason Vonn's down for the count. but she's also the reason they're all alive and got rescued. 

day 5: they're hiking down when her and Wolf decided to walk because they hear a stream. corazon falls. very few have laid their eyes on that beauty. because of how high and weak they are, they cannot reach the bottom. and then they see the rescue team. 

Wolf gets the pink knapsack (i think it was) fills it with rocks and then she throws it in the hopes of getting their attention but fails cause they're so weak so her throw was even weaker. they scream and yell and waive their hands to get their attention but it all fails. so finally, Bridgette wearing Nola's red jacket, takes a running start away from them. 

only to turn back around and run towards them to jump off the cliff. 

only then did the rescue team spot them. 

this crazy woman gave up her life to save Wolf, her mother and her daughter. 

yep. 

Nola is Bridgette's mom and Vonn's grandma. 

and Bridgette just saved them all. 

gah! 

so in the hospital, Vonn finally gives birth and because of the way they bonded, her and Wolf end up together. he cant stop thinking about how much he thinks the baby looks like his jerk cousin Yago. 

but in reality, the father of the baby is.....

***SPOILER FOR REALS!!!!***

his father. 

yep the father of Vonn's child, the child that Wolf claimed as his own since the day he found out, is the child of his father. Wolf is the freaking brather, frather? (brother/father. im working on a word)

***SPOILERS OVERS***