Don’t Turn Around
Jessica Barry

Don’t Turn Around is a fast paced, taut, high tension novel that will give you a swift kick in the gut before you’re through.

I went into this book blind, thinking I was getting a traditional thriller. It isn’t exactly that. Barry tackles controversial women’s issues regarding consent and abortion. For me that created a dilemma while reading, there were definitely trigger issues. However, the subject matter is timely considering the current political climate.

The story is well written. The pacing is intense. I enjoyed the development of both Cait and Rebecca’s storyline(s) and their newly formed bond. The additional perspectives from the male POVs felt somewhat disjointed to me. I don’t think they were well connected to the outcome of the story or added much value.


I don’t include a synopsis because Goodreads does it better. I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars. What you need to know, 2 women with secrets traveling across state lines at night with someone chasing them. The reasons behind who is chasing them and why are the crux of the novel….You’ll have to read it to figure it out! On sale tomorrow, 6/16/20!

Thank you to @HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review!

My deep appreciation goes out to Harper and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.

Cait bartends by night, volunteers as a driver for women who need protecting and aspires to be a writer. Rebecca, married to an ambitious politician, has had more than her share of trouble conceiving a baby.

These two women don’t know each other, but they’re in the same car, on a mission, from Lubbock, Texas, to Albuquerque. From page one, terror grabs the reader by the throat and doesn’t let go until almost the last page. A truck tails them on the desolate road they’ve chosen and makes their lives hell. Each woman thinks the driver wants to kill them, but for totally different reasons.

Cait masters some intricate driving maneuvers to get away from the truck driver, but her old jeep still gets hit and sustains some major damage.

Almost each chapter title relates how many miles the women are from their destination. Very little of their journey goes smoothly. When it seems like they're getting closer to Albuquerque, something else hits the fan.

Each woman’s secrets are slowly and gradually revealed, which made each of them equally as terrified of the truck driver.

I loved this book. I want to be scared on the first page of a thriller and Barry, a pseudonym, did that. I read some reviews and realized this book was a follow up to her title, Freefall, which I didn’t read, but may now for sure.

I highly recommend this title to my thriller reader friends.

Jessica Barry's Don't Turn Around has been compared to Thelma & Louise. They do have a long car chase in common. Yet, much of the interest in this thriller comes from the fact that Cait and Rebecca don't know each other at the start. The reader learns about their back stories - and their secrets - just as they do. Each has been in the public eye and neither wanted it.

They are repeatedly attacked on a long road trip together. Their characters are well developed and the suspense - around the reason for the attacks and whether or not they can survive them - makes the reader anxiously turn each page. It's an engrossing read!

I really enjoyed the majority of this book. I felt like the ending was rushed and a bit chaotic. Overall though I would recommend if you love a fast paced thriller.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review

I'm a little torn on this one. I enjoyed 75% of this and was anxious to see how it would all get resolved. Then I feel like the last 25% was just too much going on and a little rushed. It just felt like a lot of stuff got thrown together there at the end.

A bartender volunteers for an organization that assists women on Texas seeking abortions, providing support, an escort through the protesters, and in special cases, a ride over state lines to avoid the mandatory waiting period. Her most recent client is different from the rest, and the two women end up fighting for their lives..

Two different women. One, Cait, a bartender, on a crusade as a volunteer for The Sisters of Service. The other, Rebecca, - wife of a Texas congressman. The reader is not yet sure why Rebecca is fleeing her husband...

Across the state of Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cait drives them in her Jeep. They trust no one on their way. Particularly men - yet at times they need to rely upon them.

A heart-felt story about saving women from different types of abuse and neglect. Two dynamic personalities against the barren desert and those who may be following them...

Superb writing - the characters come to life in this suspense-driven thriller.

Not a read to miss!!!

Many Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for a roller coaster of a ride.

Two women, driving through the dark night of Texas, looking for ….freedom? Cait is working for an organization that helps women in need, no questions asked. She’s picking up Rebecca, wife of a powerful congressman who must get away before it’s too late. But both women are being pursued by men who will do anything to remind them that a woman is the property of a man. This book wasn’t anything like I expected and it blew me away, part thriller, part Hand Maid’s Tale, this is a book that had me cheering for both heroines.