LOVE the cover of this one. The audio was good, not mindblowing but didn't irritate me so I was able to finish it. It was very much an edge of your seat read, would gladly read this author again.

This book kept my attention throughout. It had a lot of action and many surprises which kept me engaged. The ending however felt a bit rushed and did not support the premise of the story. It seemed truncated. I did enjoy it and I love reading about Australia, especially the outback. I give this book three and a half stars, would have been four but for the ending which I felt was weak. One comment that I would like to make is why is it titled 'The Rush', I don't get it. Recommended for fun. 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for a chance to listen/read an audio version of this ARC novel.

The Rush by Michelle Prak started out slowly but I ended up really liking it. It was suspenseful and had a lot of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it!

OMG, what a wild ride! I loved it! I just knew that dude was going to end up being shady, I just didn't realize to what degree! I love that this book has super strong female characters that got shit done. This was my 1st book by Michelle Prak but is not going to be my last, I adding all of her books to my TBR!

#TheRush
#NetGalley

Did you watch Wolf Creek and think "that Australian Outback holds some terrifying potential"?

Well, strap on your hiking boots and let's see what other new fears we can activate with Michelle Prak's debut, The Rush.

As we often see in Australian novels these days, it's the weather and the terrain that become the major players in the story, while the people do their best to navigate the hardships thrown at them. That is certainly the case here, where a relentless and powerful storm brings together an assortment of people, some with bad intentions and some with only the intention to survive, to shelter in a small, off the beaten path motel.

If you liked the claustrophobia of Daisy Darker or Rock, Paper, Scissors, I think you'll find this one thrilling too. I had to keep stopping myself not to rush through it to find out what was going to happen next.

The Rush Audiobook: 3 stars. I don’t have too much to say about this one. I couldn’t really get into it or even care about the characters or what happened to them. The narrator was just okay, not my favorite. This does have an Australian backdrop set in the Outback, so if you like those kind of thrillers, this one may be for you. I don’t have anything negative to say, it just really didn’t hold my interest. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a copy of the audiobook.

I really enjoyed the setting of the Australian Outback during a huge rain storm, and the problems it caused in the ill-fated road trip. The ending felt rushed but the I liked the information we learn in the epilogue. I really enjoyed the narrator’s Australian accent but she had two other difficult accents to do and they didn’t quite work as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I blew through this in two days, I think I was compelled because it's full of things that I consider scary and feel like personal fears of mine. The pace picked up as it went which was nice. Nicely paced and twisty. I was already afraid of the outback and now I'm very afraid of the outback haha.

Narrated by Jodie Harris ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Story by Michelle Prak ⭐⭐⭐⭐

For a general fiction /drama the tension building in this book was FANTASTIC!

I myself live in a very remote park of the Australian Outback and the way this author described the environment down to the airstrip, it was like she was talking about my home.

If you are a fan of Jane Harper then I strongly suggest buying yourself this book! I can not wait to hear more from this author in thr future.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I unfortunately almost DNF'd this one half way through. It was so slow and boring in my opinion. However, I read some other reviews that said the last part was good and so I trudged through. It did get suspenseful at the end but I'd say it wasnt worth it.

Thank you to @NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the audio ARC. I really liked this book. I thought it was going to be all about bad weather in Australia and how are characters were going to survive, but I was way wrong. The story starts out harmless and than continues to escalate just as fast as the rain coming down. I did not see all the ending coming. The only thing I felt was the ending ended on an epilogue and I wish it had one more chapter before to see it all played out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the setting of this book because it was exciting and beautiful. I felt this road trip was going to lead to something crazy and I was right. Something seemed off with the guys on the road trip and I was in awe of how crazy everything became in the end of the book.

Hayley planned a long-awaited vacation in hopes that she and her boyfriend, Scott, will revitalize their relationship. Dating for two years, both are in their final year of an accounting degree . They recruit two more travelers to make their road trip affordable. Livia, an environmental activist from Brazil, and Joost, a “super tall Dutch guy”, join them on their drive from Adelaide to Darwin. Fate will eventually lead them to The Pindarry, a pub and rustic travel stop, owned by a small family, Andrea, Matt, and their 3 year-old son, Ethan. Pindarry employee, Quinn and her pup, Bronte, also meet up with some of these travelers during as the terrible storms unfurls. The reader bears witness as each group deals with their own conflicts and further deteriorating weather conditions. I am drawn to Australian authors and was excited to find a new author! Great pacing and plenty of tension keeps the reader going. While I am okay with suspending disbelief for thrillers, the plot strained my limits on this (particularly in regard to Andrea and Ethan, as a parent I would not have made the same decisions) and this story became darker than I anticipated. The violence is not graphic for those who are sensitive to that, but there are some trigger warnings you may want to explore beforehand if this is important to you. There was another storyline that was threaded in that could have been better developed, but did add more tension. The desolate Australian setting paired with the impending storm really worked for me. The reader experiences the sense of isolation and limited communication these people deal with on a daily basis, as well as their resourcefulness. I particularly liked Livia and Quinn as they were the most interesting to me and I enjoy strong female characters. The narration by Jodie Harris provided the Australian accent readers desire with books like this and she did a wonderful reading of this story. If you get an opportunity to see the physical cover of this book, check it out. It is amazing! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Michelle Prak’s debut thriller, 'The Rush,' transports readers to the unforgiving landscape of the Australian Outback, where an impending storm sets the stage for a gripping tale of survival and connection.

Haley and Scott set out on a holiday that Haley hopes will repair their crumbling relationship. To share the cost, they find fellow travelers Livia and Joost on a backpackers online forum. All meeting up for the first time as they begin their road trip amidst the incoming weather.

After discovering a beaten body on the side of the rain-soaked road, Quinn returns to the Pindarry with the stranger. There, Quinn (her loyal companion Bronte) and Andrea, owner of the pub and lodging, care for the stranger while they wait out the storm.

Over the course of 48 harrowing hours, we follow the fearful experiences of each character until they all meet unexpectedly at the Pindarry. When they do,theye discover the dangers far more threatening than the storm.

A gripping, fast-paced, must-read (or listen) thriller! The audiobook was fantastic, with excellent narration. 4.5 ⭐️ rounded up!

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Michelle Park for the opportunity to listen and review a digital advanced copy.

I loved listening to this book!

You hear different perspectives and wonder how in the world do these stories connect? When they do, it’s such a wild ride. It shows, you cannot trust anyone!

The constant rain and flooding just added to the claustrophobic feel.

There was a big twist at the end, and I was NOT expecting it. A well written story.

The narrator was great. I listened at 1.75x and it was a great pace. It was crazy how the narrator could change her accent from Dutch, to Brazilian and Australian. It added to the story and was so entertaining.

All in all, a good listen!

3.5 Stars

I believe that it's best to approach this novel without knowing too much about it beforehand. So, I'll try my best to avoid spoilers and keep it vague.

The story is told from multiple perspectives, but they don't converge until the final third of the book. I should mention that the story starts off slowly, but it picks up around 44% and becomes a page-turner. However, I do wish that the pacing had been better and the ending wasn't so rushed. Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable story overall. If you're interested in reading a novel featuring characters dealing with a harsh environment and some psychological thrills, then this book is definitely worth checking out.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Michelle Park, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

I picked this book up because of the description on the back. And I have to say, it delivered!

I was instantly hooked from the beginning. After a couple of chapters, it had slowed way down for me. But once it picked up again, it did not slow down. There are multiple POVs, which I think adds to the tension of this story. Each character and each storyline has you on the edge of your seat. The isolation and ominous vibes were strong!

This story built up to an explosive ending, and when the word "epilogue" showed up, I audibly said, "Wait, what?" It did not feel over to me at all! And while the epilogue did wrap everything up fairly well, I still felt like more could have been said.

Overall, if you are looking for a face-paced, high-tension, isolation popcorn thriller, this one will not disappoint.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thank you Netgalley, Michelle Prak and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook! A great narration by Jodie Harris. I love a good mystery thriller based in a crazy storm! This book was wild and crazy and when you thought it couldn't get crazier it did!

Overall, this was a good thriller and is a story about everyone’s worse fear. I struggled through the first half of this book but LOVED the second half! I didn’t see the end coming at all. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers/ horror books based on human connection and the unknowing of who you can really trust. To me, there is nothing scarier than monsters living in plain sight and acting as they are normal kind humans.

I loved the audio version. It really brought this book to life and I’m very impressed with all of the different accents Jodie Harris did!!

Thank you NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for an audio arc of ‘The Rush’!

The Rush by Michelle Prak
Narrated by Jodie Harris
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers
Expected Publication Date: April 9, 2024
Date Finished: 3/31/2024

The Rush by Michelle Prak is a psychological thriller. This standalone book was one I could not put down. This was fascinating and twisted.

I did struggle to read this because I didn’t connect with the characters. I don’t read many thrillers because I don’t actually like to be scared, but this one sounded interesting so I gave it a chance.

The narration by Jodie Harris was really good. I think the narration is what I liked best about the story.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this one may be for you…it wasn’t for me though.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.