My review of Survive

Survive by Alex Morel
Release Date: August 2, 2012 (US), February 4, 2013 (UK)
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Jane is on a plane on her way home to Montclair, New Jersey, from a mental hospital. She is about to kill herself. Just before she can swallow a lethal dose of pills, the plane hits turbulence and everything goes black. Jane wakes up amidst piles of wreckage and charred bodies on a snowy mountaintop. There is only one other survivor: a boy named Paul, who inspires Jane to want to fight for her life for the first time.

Jane and Paul scale icy slopes and huddle together for warmth at night, forging an intense emotional bond. But the wilderness is a vast and lethal force, and only one of them will survive.

Survive is an emotional and gripping book about a girl who's planning to kill herself on her way home to New Jersey. She is flying back from a mental hospital, which has been her home for the last year. Her plan is to swallow a lethal does of pills during her flight. But what she doesn't expect is for the plane to crash. Or for her to survive. She seems to be the only one alive on the snowy mountaintop until she hears the cries of another survivor. A boy named Paul, who couldn't have irritated her more while she was on the plane. Now the two are fighting against the weather, the journey and their blossoming feelings for each other.

I was not sure of what to expect when I first saw this book. It looked a little weird and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to read about a girl with mental issues, but the book was actually very enjoyable! At first I had a few issues with the main character Jane. I wasn't used to reading about someone who was so keen to take their own life, so that may be why I felt so uncomfortable with her thoughts and intentions. When the plane crashes and she has to work with Paul to find civilization, we do see a change in those disturbing intentions and for the first time ever she's actually working to stay alive, and I loved her for that. When you start the book, you'll have to be patient with Jane. She's frustrating and completely out of order at times, but her character does get better! Give it a little time because the book does spice up and get a load more interesting.

I adored Paul. He and Jane do not get on at all when they first meet each other on the plane, but when they both have to work with each to survive, their relationship improves and we get to find out more about Paul's past and his family. He is an awesome character that I had a soft spot for, and knowing his past just made me fall for him a little more. He is a boy who has gone through a lot in his life and he really didn't deserve to be stuck in a life-threatening situation with an unstable girl to drag through with him.

Leaving the characters behind, I thought that the plot was really well thought out. It had me on edge of my seat for most of it, and it had me balling for the last part of it. The author has done well to make the book realistic and completely absorbing. Morel takes you into the depths of the cold, snowy mountains and it's like you're there with Jane and Paul. On the journey, you will smile, you will laugh, you will cry, and you will ask yourself the ultimate question: Will they survive?

Survive is a wonderful book that I would recommend to all those out there who want a contemporary/thriller with a slice of romance and breath-taking conclusion. 

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