Thoughts
I’ll preface this by saying I read this book in under 3 hours on a night I couldn’t sleep. I read the whole book in quick sitting and it didn’t help me sleep afterwards either. The other thing I want to highlight is that this is a YA thriller. Meaning the key characters are not quite as mature in thinking, but honestly I barely noticed that this was YA thriller.
18 year old Mira currently lives on the West Coast, where she attends a prestigous art school for high schoolers. Mira is stranded in the airport and trying to make it home in time for Christmas, when her seat mate from the flight offers her a ride in her rental. My first reaction of course was, ‘don’t get in the car’, but of course she did. If I was her though, and trying to get home to my mother who lost her twin the Christmas before, I’d probably do the same thing.
Also in the car is cool guy Brecken. He’s wealthy, pre-med, good natured, but might have a violent side. Josh is on crutches and seems nice but is becoming increasingly agitated. Kayla is the weird girl who sleeps basically the whole time, or at least appears to be and is probably an addict. Harper, Mira’s seat mate and the one who offered her the ride, is the epitome of cool and sophisticated but is also very secretive. Everyone seems okay, but what exactly are they all hiding and running towards or from?
Regardless of the characters though, they five of them stumbled upon some crazy situations. Icy roads and narrowly missing major car accidents. An escape from a gun waving gas station owner that goes out of his way to track them down. A weird drifter who keeps popping up on their journey. Not to mention items keep going missing from the car. Someone is up to no good and Mira is in trouble.
I thought this would be your average predictable ‘get in a car, they’re trying to kill you’ type thriller but honestly it was way more entertaining than that. Every incident the kids encounter throws a wrench into who exactly is out to get Mira. Add in the creepy stalker notes we get to read, and you won’t want to put this book down. Everyone was suspect, the pacing was great, and the ending really sealed the deal for me. ★★★★ for this read from me.
This book goes on sale October 6th. Get your copy HERE!
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Five Total Strangers If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books. Huge Thank you to Source Fire Books for my advanced copy.
