3.5 ⭐
This was a fast paced, easy to read YA thriller. The book had twists and turns that kept you wanting to read.

Mira is on her way home to her mother on Christmas Eve during a snowstorm. Her layover flight is canceled, so she decides to hitch a ride with four total strangers. Only one of them is not exactly a stranger, more like a stalker. The trip turns disastrous almost immediately. Between the weather, missing items, and the eerie feeling Mira keeps getting; this read has enough to keep you reading. The book keeps you guessing and pointing fingers at each of the other characters. I really enjoyed the book, but I felt like the ending was a little disappointing. I wanted more, it seemed rushed. I could have used 15-20 more pages. Once we find out who the villain is, it was over. There were so many unanswered questions. This was very close to a 4/5 star 🌟 book. I still would recommend this one. It was an engaging read.

Unfortunately I could not ge to go this book and put it down after a couple of chapters. I did not like the writing style and I found that I could not get into it. I am so grateful for this opportunity but I cannot offer a review of this book.

Fast-paced is the saving grace for this novel. But let me backtrack a moment. I hate snow. So the idea of being stuck in a car with four other strangers during a snowstorm feels like my idea of hell. And since I find snow to verge more on the creepy than beautiful (after all, notice how bright blood looks in the snow!), I was eager to read this book. The fact that the novel mostly takes place within the confines of the car makes for some masterful claustrophobia. Not to mention the fact that if it weren’t for it being the dead of winter, any of these characters could’ve just taken their changes on walking to the nearest house instead of staying inside a car where they each were becoming suspicious of the other, especially when things start to go missing.

If you love movies along the lines of I Know What You Did Last Summer and the hit TV series YOU, then you will love this fast-paced novel where not only does the protagonist Mira, have to contend with dire weather and a creepy drifter than continually see at all their rest stops, but also one of the four in the car with her has been stalking her for a year. All those things line up to create one hell of a thrill ride.

I didn’t enjoy any of the five characters in the novel and sometimes I was tired of Mira because while yes she was in a car with four strangers, a lot of her assumptions towards one character seemed plain our judgmental. And that she automatically assumes that her stalker is the one person she has been judgmental about during the whole trip is just plain annoying. Sure, the character in question wasn’t the best person out there but he wasn’t the worst either.

I recommend this book if you love YA novels that read like a Blumehouse horror. If they hurry up and turn this book into a movie, Lucy Hale could still pull off playing high school senior, Mira.

Mira needs to get home and decides to take a ride from the person she sat on the plane seat. She shares a ride with 4 other strangers. What's not going to go wrong? Especially in a snow storm.
The writing is intriguing and won me over in just the first couple of pages.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC.

Mira needs to get home, and Harper, Josh, Breckin, and Kayla are there to help. Only someone isn’t who they seem to be. Is it the man at the bar? Or perhaps someone even closer to her? When the answer comes, you’ll be just as surprised as Mira.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Mira's plane lands in what I assume is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is going to Pittsburgh, PA but her connection flight is cancelled due to snow. She is determined to get home to be with her mother on Christmas Day. She gets a ride with Harper, who she sat aside of on the plane from California to Pennsylvania. Harper also has 3 others going along for the ride. Mira assumes they are Harper's friends, but later founds out they all accepted rides as Mira did. With the snow storm they run into dangerous driving situations which builds the tension for them and the reader. Then things start to go missing, they are chased by another man, is someone following them, and who is Mira's secret admirer/stalker. At least one of the 5 in that car is not exactly who they seem to be. Some of the story line, such as how the stalker ended up in the car with Mira, is still a bit far fetched to me , but I am forgiving because this story kept me guessing until the end. Talk about red-herrings. I am giving this book a solid 4 star review.

YA thriller about 5 young adults all strangers (or are they?) who rent a car in a blizzard after getting stranded in an airport on the East Coast so they can get home for Christmas. Things can and do go wrong - very wrong. It's fast paced and entertaing, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was fun trying to guess who the bad guy was. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

It is widely accepted that a thriller truly becomes a thriller if it makes the reader or viewer audibly gasp and be filled with utter shock at the events that happen. Five Total Strangers served just that purpose. It began with the first of the letters. Before that, everything that was read was necessary story set-up and character development. But with the first letter, Natalie Richards creates a harrowing and slightly horrific subplot that keeps you on your toes. With each new letter and each new wild event that happens to our cast of characters, the reader finds themselves more and more entangled with the plot until they are left wondering just how much worse it can get for Mira and the four strangers she's tied herself to.

Mira needs to get home. Badly. She's worried her mother will be reacting poorly to the anniversary of the death of her sister, Mira's aunt. She already felt bad going away for the rest of high school, but this Christmas she fears her mother will spiral again, especially once she learns her mother is getting a divorce. A major blizzard halts her travel plans and she agrees to something she never would agree to normally, if the circumstances weren't what they were: to get into a car with four strangers, one of which she just barely got to know on the plane ride here. Harper, her seatmate on the plane rents a car and brings three other stranded youth along with the pair to drive to Pittsburgh and beyond, making sure everyone is home for the holidays. The longer they are in the car, the worse the storm gets and the more secrets Mira starts to realize everyone holds. When a dark and mysterious stranger shows up frequently in between the never-ending spiral of horrific things that happen to the traveling teens, Mira is left wondering who holds the darkest secret and if they will all make it home alive.

It was truly the letters that kept the pace of this book moving. They were so dark and creepy that I found myself seeking the next one and then the next one. As they progress, you start to realize you may have met the author of the letters already, but which character is it? There was a moment, just briefly, where the reader might think the events in this novel are unrealistic, but if you watch horror movies frequently, you begin to deduce that, while they might be a tad unbelievable in such rapid succession, the events ARE realistic and could happen just the way the occurred in the novel. Each builds on each other and fits the darkness each member of the traveling teens holds within in them. You start to realize that nothing is impossible when you have such a mismatched cast of characters who would do anything to get home. There were three small reasons I knocked this down to a four. The first was that, while the negative events that occurred to the characters were realistic, some of them were just a little too crazy. Specifically the one at the climax of the novel. I felt any of the previous events were a better setting and fit the plot better than the one at the end. The second was a character that seemed to have a bigger involvement than they really did and were never explained at the book's end. Finally, while I know it will be corrected in final production, there was a major error regarding a stolen item in the last 20% the ruins a reveal near the novel's end. Outside of that, Five Total Strangers made me audibly gasp and cringe and I don't even do that in horror movies. So, for me to be spooked by a novel? It must be a pretty good thriller.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast paced, well-written page turner that I finished in almost a day. The characters were well-written and interesting, and the level of suspense throughout kept me on my toes. I do think the ending could have been a little bit stronger, as it felt a little rushed to me, but overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it for anyone interested in a YA thriller.

I'm a lover of thrillers. Richards manages to create a story that is fast paced and draws the reader in quickly. Mira needs to get home to her family but an ominous snow storm has many unfortunate circumstances in store for her. The twists and turns in the novel kept me guessing until the very end. There were a couple of scenes in the book that had me on the edge of my seat. The pile up, the gas station owners, the letters. Those particularly had my heart racing The book is super fast so there is not a ton of time for character development which I always love, but would definately recommend for anyone looking for a good thriller!

Mira is trying to fly home from school to spend Christmas with her mom. This is the first Christmas without her moms twin sister so she wants to be there to support her mom. Imagine getting to your layover only to find out that all flights have been cancelled due to a snow storm coming. So Mira takes a chance and decides to ride in a car with the girl that was sitting next to her on the plane, Harper. Along with Harper there are three other individuals whom none of them know and from the time they take off on the rode trip it was as if disaster and chaos followed them.
This young adult book was soo good, I never really would have considered it to be young adult. While things such as a massive pile up wreck they get involved in to disappearing items from all the people and then we see the chapters that are the letters to Mira. Someone in the car has been stalking her for months and while she doesn’t recall who it is they are determined that they will have her.
This is definitely a nail bitter scenario, I was on the edge of my seat for a good part of it. The ending on who was the one who was causing a lot of the chaos kinda blind sided me I didn’t see that one coming! Over all I think this was a great read I finished in one day. I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys nail biting moments and a pretty quick read! This is the first of this author that I have read I definitely would consider reading anything else by her!

I want to take a moment to appreciate the cover of this book. It is quite simple, but at the same time the contrast of the red font against the snowy background makes it stand out. The cover matches the vibe of Five Total Strangers perfectly. I know if I passed it in the bookstore, I would be inclined to pick it up.

What happens when you are stranded at an airport on Christmas Eve, desperate to get home in time to spend the holiday with your grieving mother? Mira is desperate to get home, the kind of desperate that she takes up an offer from her seatmate Harper and her "friends" to travel home by car in a snowstorm with them. But not everyone is who they seem to be and soon Mira is in a fight for her life.

I really want to call Mira stupid for accepting the ride with people she barley knew, but desperate times call for desperate measures. A year ago her aunt Phoebe passed away, who happened to be her mother's twin. Mira's mom hasn't handled her death well and with the anniversary approaching and their favorite holiday happening Mira is desperate to be there. I understood Mira's desperation, Harper had given her a sense of security and she felt as if she took this ride it would get her to her mother quicker. She never expected to storm to thicken and for the events that would unfold to happen. I enjoyed that the story takes place in such a super short time frame.

Five Total Strangers was a quick read, it flowed nicely and it had enough surprises and thrills to keep you wanting more. As a thriller lover, the story didn't stand out as different, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave! This is the only phrase I could think of when I finished Five Total Strangers by Natalie Richards! I couldn’t help but put myself in Mira’s shoes when she’s stranded at the airport trying to make it home for Christmas to be with her mom. Would I do just about anything to be with her? Her mom is grieving the loss of her sister and just separated from her husband, so yeah, I’d probably get in a car bound for Pittsburgh in the middle of a snowstorm with a girl I just met and three complete strangers that look completely normal and definitely not serial killerish!
But as the story progresses, it’s revealed that one of the strangers is stalking Mira and has been for a while.

Talk about the car ride from hell! Even though there is a little predictability in this story, the getting to the why and the who is a fun trip – HA – see what I did there? The atmosphere is absolutely perfect for this YA thriller, snowy and storming, 5 people in a car and sketchy things are afoot!

This is the perfect suspenseful thriller for anyone that enjoys a quickly paced plot and a satisfying ending!

This book drew me in and kept my attention. Fast paced and suspenseful, every time I thought I knew what direction this twisty thriller was going to go it shifted gears and surprised me! Craftily plotted and with plenty of red herrings, the author keeps you guessing until the end. So get in the car and prepare yourself for a ride full of nail biting tension!

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Five college-aged kids on their way home Christmas Eve find themselves stranded at an airport after a canceled flight and decide to rent a car to make it home - and go on a violent road trip of a lifetime. After hitting it off with her seatmate, Mira decides to go with her and three others in a rented car across snowy roads and hopefully home in time for Christmas with her mother, whom she just found is divorcing her stepfather. As Mira rides with the strangers across icy roads, pileups and danger at every corner, she soon begins to question who she got into the car with - and who is playing a deadly game with all of them.

This was a good, tense read that keeps it up through the whole story and making you wonder if anyone was going to make it out alive.

This book is chilling.

Claustrophobic.

Atmospheric.

Just downright unsettling.

The entire time I was reading I was simultaneously on the edge of my seat, Ipad gripped in my hands, the air crackling thick with tension (probably much the same way as it was in the car in the book! But more on that later) while also looking up and over my shoulder, convinced that someone was watching me even though I was alone in my room. (Was there someone peeking out at me from my closet perhaps? Through the window? I shudder to think of it now)

The claustrophobic air of this book combined with the thick tension definitely had the feel of the building blizzard that swirled around in the background in this book.

I may have been reading this in the blazing heat of summer versus the dead of winter, but it may as well have been winter due to the ever present chill running down my spine and goosebumps on my arms.

Seriously, this book actually had me creeped out at multiple times throughout, and I was impressed, because I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did, much less be creeped out by it, but I did and I was!

I actually felt like I was there in the book, sitting amongst the characters in the car, packed tightly in with them, my skin crawling from their eyes being on me, watching me me way too closely and much too intensely.

Yes, this book got under my skin!

I’m all about road trips, and love airports, but now this book has me paranoid to the extreme, thinking about all the things that can go wrong, and how I may just end up stranded at an airport, with no choice but to get in a car full of strangers, strangers who may possibly have a psycho amongst them. I’m usually all about being adventurous and living life to the fullest, throwing caution the wind, and now i’m over here all paranoid. Thanks a lot Natalie Richards!

But anyways.

The basic premise:

This story revolves around five strangers who all come together after getting stranded at the airport after their flights are cancelled due to a blizzard. They decide to road trip it home together, and obviously this is recipe for disaster. A very sinister disaster. Because naturally things start to go wrong, very wrong. Each of them is shady in their own way. Each of them has something more going on beneath the surface, hidden secrets, perhaps even deadly secrets, or worse, one of them may even be a murderer. You couldn’t pay me enough money to get in a car with these people, ok. The anxiety was bad enough just reading about them. An entire anxiety filled car trip with them in which I have to be in fear for my life, wondering if i’m ever going to make it home? Hell to the no!

Things between the five of them become even more complicated and tense the more they begin to distrust each other and suspect each other, and their secrets start to become uncovered and rise to the surface.

The tension between all of them was REAL. You could seriously feel it vibrating off of the pages at times, and I was even biting my nails with anxiety because the tension was just so thick. That tension was so thick it could NOT be cut with a knife lemme tell you.

The anxiety wasn’t just about the tension between the passengers in the car though.

The road trip itself was filled with some serious ominous happenings and twists as they met up with some seriously unsavory and shady characters on their stops along their way to their destination. This one was twisty, hair raising road trip!

The desolate, eerie backdrop with the blizzard ominously blowing in the background just made it that much more nail biting and I was just utterly freaked out! But I could not. Stop. Reading.

This is seriously the perfect late night read for the added creep factor, or, of course, the perfect read for when you’re snowed in during a blizzard!

If you’re a fan of thrillers that will raise the hair on the back of your neck and give you a sense of unease the entire time that you’re reading, then this is the perfect book for you!

I’m still creeped out as i’m writing this review! Kudos to the author! Thanks for the chills and thrills!

Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this YA thriller. It had a horror vibe but not scary as such. The dread starts as so subtle that you don't really notice it and then something happens to catch your eye, and then something else, and then after a while, you realize something bad is going to happen and you are scared for Mira.

Let me roll back a bit. The plot is basically - a handful of stranded strangers share a rental in an effort to get home in a storm when the planes are grounded. Not a super wise idea, but I can understand why Mira wants to get home. There are several reasons she feels she needs to be with her mother. It's sweet. Relatable and made me care instantly about what happens to her.

Of course once they get on the road, all of the reasons it's a bad idea pretty much come true in secession. There were some horrifying parts, but for the most part it's subtle and relies on the atmosphere of being stuck in that car with people who, all for various reasons, could be the person behind the odd missing things and bad vibes that have been twisting in Mira's gut. I, like Mira, suspected them all at one point or another, but I'm proud to say I solved the mystery before the reveal. Not too soon to spoil the fun, but at just the right place to make me lean forward and shout at Mira to run.. run.. So that was great timing/writing to bring readers in at the climax like that.

I liked the letters too, that added to the creepy vibe. I think this would make a great popcorn flick. The pace, and pitch were perfect for a thriller/YA phycological horror. I'd definitely recommend it and happily one-click this author in the future.

The last few books by Richards didn’t capture my attention so I didn’t expect much when I began this. I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself enthralled with the story that was equal parts thriller and mystery. The main character, Mira, is trying to make it home for Christmas and decides to hitch a ride with four college students from the airport. They attempt to outrun a blizzard and hazardous driving conditions, but one bad thing happens after another and suddenly the five strangers are pointing fingers at each other over missing belongings, erratic behavior, and the trouble that ensues. I enjoyed how letters from Mira’s stalker were included every few chapters that gives the reader background knowledge on where this person first encountered Mira. Even though I pinpointed the stalker from the start, Richards embedded enough clues and redirection to make the reader think it was someone else. She also did a fantastic job building the lack of trust and paranoia between Mira, Harper, Kayla, Josh, and Brecken.

I really enjoyed this. I love the way you suspected each character in turn and were never really sure which one was the 'bad guy's. With all their secrets it was difficult to differentiate weird behaviour from dangerous behaviour.
The subplot of how exactly they are going to get home was equally gripping and I read it in one sitting.
Brilliant dialogue that is stilted enough to be realistic without making it drag.
Felt like an old school point horror book

"What can I do to help?" I ask.

Brecken shrugs. "I don't know. Stand over there and look pretty or something."

"Is it 1972 in your mind?" Harper asks.

I never read YA but this sounded SO good that I broke every rule to get a copy! Five strangers stuck at the airport in a storm rent a car together to try and make it to their respective homes by Christmas.

What can go wrong in a blizzard when one of them is a sociopath? And isn't a stranger?

Thank you to Natalie D. Richards, Sourcebooks and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.