Name: On the Free
ISBN: 9781512467383

Coert Voorhees

Santi agreed to join the Bear Canyon Wilderness Therapy Program for one reason: less time in juvie. Amelia signed up to prove a point. Victor—well, no one can figure out why Victor's on the trip, but he's definitely not out to make friends. After a mudslide sweeps away other campers, the trio is left stranded in the Colorado wilderness and short on supplies. They'll have to band together to survive the elements, their demons, and each other.

On the Free

Lynn Braden

Santi knows it is a mistake getting into the car with his friend, Eric, but he does it anyway and winds up in Juvie for a crime Eric committed. That is why he is on The Bear Canyon Wilderness Therapy Program trip into the Colorado Rockies. If he can just handle leader, Jerry's nightly therapy sessions and the four other fractured souls on the trip, he will be out of Juvie when he returns home. Things don't go as planned when heavy rains cause a mudslide that kills Jerry and two of the other campers. Victor, Amelia, and Santi are on their own, but Victor has plans that include more than just survival, putting them all at risk.
On the Free is divided into three parts. In the first part of the book, tells Santi's story from his perspective; every other chapter detailing his history prior to the trip. Once the mudslide occurs, the book switches to Victor's perspective and we find out in alternating chapters that he is on this trip in order to get revenge against his stepfather whose cabin lies in these woods. The final section belongs to Amelia and we discover that even though she served as Jerry's assistant, she has emotional issues of her own. On the Free tells the story of these three damaged souls and how their struggle for survival changes them. The ending of the book is a little abrupt leaving the reader feeling like the falling action and resolution at the end of the story are missing, but overall, this is a good story of physical and emotional survival.

On the Free

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