The decision to skip a stressful chemistry test for a day of rock climbing and geocaching couldn’t be easier for Trevor and Micah in Raelyn Drake’s On Edge. But their day of fun quickly takes a dark turn—or, several. With so many curveballs thrown at them, it becomes more and more uncertain whether they will make it out of the canyon alive. 

When Micah suggests skipping school to go to the state park to rock climb and geocache, everything seems to work out too perfectly. As high school seniors, they’re able to sign themselves out of school without even mentioning it to their parents, and going on a weekday during the day meant that they essentially had the park to themselves. 

Alone in the park with Micah’s sister being the only one to know they’re gone: it sounds like a peaceful dream come true, and it is, until disaster strikes. An old bolt suddenly coming loose off of the climbing route leaves Micah with a debilitating injury, but Trevor’s encounter with a rattlesnake makes getting help imperative. 

The book might have been shorter at 100 pages, but it made sense with the story and its pacing. With chapters that alternate perspectives, every page is used meaningfully, and Micah and Trevor both get to shine as separate characters. Their friendship is clear throughout the book, shown in their discussions of Micah asking his long-time crush, Peyton, to homecoming, their dialogue, and guilt. 

The straightforward plot and writing seems more geared towards younger readers, but with just water, a few granola bars, an emergency whistle—which at first seems like their salvation, that is, if there were people around to hear it—and each other, On Edge was a tense story of a high stakes adventure that can still be enjoyed as a quick, easy read.