Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

SYNOPSIS

Maddie thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your best friend is the president's son, sometimes life has other plans. Before she knows it, Maddie's dad is dragging her to a cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.

No phone.
No Internet.
And not a single word from Logan. 

Maddie tells herself it's okay. After all, she's the most popular girl for twenty miles in any direction. (She’s also the only girl for twenty miles in any direction.) She has wood to cut and weapons to bedazzle. Her life is full.
Until Logan shows up six years later . . .
And Maddie wants to kill him.

But before that can happen, an assailant appears out of nowhere, knocking Maddie off a cliff and dragging Logan to some unknown fate. Maddie knows she could turn back- and get help. But the weather is turning and the terrain will only get more treacherous, the animals more deadly.

Maddie still really wants to kill Logan.
But she has to save him first.

Synopsis from Goodreads

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PERSONAL REVIEW

It was fun to pick up a book with snow on the cover when we’re in the middle of hot weather, but I figured I’d give this book a go anyways! I liked the idea of a teenaged girl learned to survive in Alaska, and now has to also save the President’s son. It sounds like a pretty good adventure (also, equally scary — that much nature all around? I’m freaking out). This ended up being an easy and light read, which I don’t have a problem with.

Easy Reading
I have always been fine with stories that are easy to read; sometimes you just need a book to enjoy for the sake of reading, without massive world building, really detailed descriptions, or just emotional plot line. I’m comfortable with books like this, especially when I’m in a more intense reads and need a bit of a break. As much as I joke about the cover being filled with snow, this book was a great light read to enjoy in the summer season when you don’t always have a ton of time to dedicate to massive trilogies, serious, or emotional roller coasters. I liked to Maddie, Logan, and their adventure trying to run away from kidnappers in Alaska. Yes, I think there were some missed opportunities for character growth, but I wasn’t expecting a ton of that to begin with so I was ok with the lightness of it all.

Cute Concept
I thought it was cool that Maddie had been living in Alaska for the last six years, almost on her own a lot of the time since her father would often have to leave and help people (he flies his plane to help people nearby). Yes, it was a bit unbelievable at parts, but I still like the idea but a young girl could figure out so many inventive ways to survive with very very little. Plus, I like the fact that it’s Maddy usually saving the day. As smart as we find out Logan is, it’s Maddie who knows what to do in this life threatening situations. It does suck that we didn’t get more information about the Russian connections throughout the book; there seems like there was so much more to the story, and we’d only really got the surface of it. I would’ve love to know more about the Wolf, about Maddie‘s father and how he knew that he was in danger, or about the President and Logan‘s relationship (that was one that I REALLY wanted to know more about; definitely seemed like there was more to talk about there). But again, this was meant to be a light story about a girl saving a boy and they just happen to be in Alaska; to that end, I liked it.

Overall, I don’t have too much to say about this book. It was a light break in my more different reading choices and didn’t take too long to go through. I’d actually really like another story about Maddie adjusting to life in D.C. and going to school, but I’m not overly committed to or invested in these characters. This is something to read if you have time in between naps at the cottage.

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FINAL RATING: 3.5/5