I received this important story from NetGalley. This is my third read by Chevy Stevens and she did not disappoint.
Cold Creek is a a town in British Columbia, where a highway is known for missing teenagers and predators. Hailey is an orphan that lives with her aunt and police officer uncle, who uses his badge as a way to bully and control her. She vanishes to the mountains, and is rumored to be taken by a highway killer. A year later, Beth, a sister of one of the murdered teenagers, arrives to Cold Creek. She is trying to find out what happened to her. But her search puts a target on her back and the truth on Hailey's disappearance.
This was a great, yet there was a few places that it seemed a little disjointed. It did come together in the end quite nicely.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review.*

Hailey is going through some life changing events and living along the Cold Creek Highway where girls have gone missing for decades. And in her mind, the only way to escape the events is to live off of the grid. Then Beth shows up looking for who killed her sister.

It was interesting to read about all of the prep work that Hailey did before she ran into the woods and it was a stark contrast for how Beth stumbled around. Some parts were a little far fetched throughout the novel, but I think that part of reading is being able to suspend reality a bit. There did seem to be a lot of falling, wrecking, and possible head injuries and that were only addressed two or three times by medical personnel.

I read the eBook a bit and listened to the audio version. Both versions were enjoyable. First book I've read by Stephens and I'm sure I will read more.

Unfortunately I think this was a case of “wrong book for me” because I didn’t love it, but seem to be in the minority.

The begging was immediately captivating and I quickly connected with Hailey and felt so much outrage and did guest and genuine fear for her. And the ending was a dramatic action packed ride with fantastic twists. However the middle was so slow paced and meandering. So much detail, which was great but I felt like I read almost 200 pages where very little happened (or few interesting things). For me this was about 100 pages too long so that by the time I got to the action I was already too bored by the slow parts.

If you like slow burn thrillers where you feel like you are in the footsteps of the characters. And don’t mind reading about mundane events, then it’ll be worth it to read this book for the ending.

I felt like this one was written well and had great characters, but at the same time, it was depressing and slow. It had almost a YA feel to it. I struggled at times to keep reading and feeling engaged by the story. I didn't see the reveal though, which is always a plus when I can be suprised.

My first Chevy Stevens book was a complete hit for me! I’m ready to add more to my TBR from this author.

Dark Roads was inspired by Highway of Tears, a true crime area in British Columbia where indigenous women have been murdered for decades and the cases remain unsolved. This book is gripping from the start. I love the way the points of view were written, first from Hailey and then from Beth who only knows of Hailey through her sister. Their stories weave together so perfectly. Very well written with action that is so suspenseful that you’ll have a hard time setting this one down. I also don’t think I’ve loved a dog character more than I loved Wolf.

I listened to the audiobook and also read an electronic galley. Loved having both to go back and forth between. Great narrators on the audio version!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Audio for the early copies!

I found the story in Dark Roads very compelling and the narrative style kept me engaged throughout. I would definitely relisten to it again.

Hitchhikers, a desolate country road, a highway killer and missing young women!⁣
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This is a well written thriller with an opening prologue that instantly grabs you! 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 proved to be unputdownable for me and I binged the audio which I thought was very well done. ⁣
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The story is based on Canada’s Highway of Tears, where young Indigenous women were murdered or went missing over a forty year span. Most of the cases remain unsolved and if you look it up - the numbers are staggering. Stevens uses this to loosely frame her story but the storytelling and anxiousness you feel reading is all hers. ⁣
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I enjoyed the character development and found myself rooting for Hailey, the main character to not only survive but to bring down the killer. There is also a survivalist aspect at play here and a dog, Wolf that will absolutely steal your heart. There are some graphic moments, a LGBTQ romance and definitely trigger warnings in play but they all fit together to create a suspenseful story with a satisfactory ending. If you’re looking for an atmospheric, intense thriller I definitely recommend 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
I’ve read several of Chevy’s thrillers. They are always so intense in the best possible way. The Cold Creek Hwy is over 500 miles across Canada. For years now girls have gone missing off that stretch of road either disappearing completely or their bodies being found. After Hailey’s father dies suddenly in a car accident she’s forced to live with her Aunt and her police officer uncle Vaughn who is known for being an intense jerk. He’s very assertive and takes his job of protecting his citizens very seriously. Hailey being 17 butts headed with Vaughn from immediately. He forbids her from getting a job or socializing with her friends. Her father was a outdoors men who taught her everything he knew. After finding disturbing images of herself she takes off in to the woods and lives out there for a year.
When another girl, Amber is found by Hailey in a ditch on the side of the highway she’s convinced that Vaughn has something to do with the murders. Beth, Amber’s sister arrives in Cols Creek a year after her sister is killed for a memorial service. She’s determined to find out what happened to her sister. Her sister had worked in the local dinner and after arriving in town and deciding to stay she’s offered the same job. In her quest to uncover what happened to her sister Amber she uncovers secrets that even the police haven’t been able to figure out.
It’s an intense story that I thought I had figured out early on only to be completely blown away in the end.

I read so many thrillers that I’ve been getting sick of them being so predictable and having the same storyline over and over. This was a refreshing change and had some new elements that I don’t see in many thrillers. The pacing was good and the characters were interesting. Would definitely recommend this one if you’re in the mood for a thriller!

I really enjoyed the audiobook of Dark Roads. The narrator's voices were clear and easily understood. I thought midway through the book, things were moving a little slow, but the audio version helped to keep my interest. I am glad I stuck it out, the end of the book was worth it.

This book is so good. It is character driven and beautifully paced. I was instantly drawn in to this unputdownable listen. There were several twists and turns that I loved as well. You won't easily be able to see how it will end and you will be left satisfied! I could see this book being made into a movie or mini series! A really powerful book that tackles a really important issue! A must read!

Fantastic audio! This thriller kept me up at night - not because I was frightened, but because I couldn't wait to hear more about this story! For decades, people have been warned about the Cold Creek Highway. Hitchhikers have vanished along it over the years, and women have been known to have their cars break down... and never be seen again. When Hailey McBride decides to run away from an unbearable living situation, she thinks that her outdoor skills will help her disappear into the Cold Creek wilderness, and she counts on people thinking that she was the victim of the killer. Hailey, Amber and Beth also with Johnnie and a questionable cast of characters make this story so hard to put down!

I am a huge fan of Chevy Stevens and was super excited for this one. Sadly, I was only able to get through half of this and I am dying to finish. I could not get the second half to load. I am rating up to that point which I loved.

I was so excited to read this one after reading Still Missing by the author earlier this year and loving it. Unfortunately, I was a bit letdown by her newest release.

Things I loved:
-the first 40% was SO good
-inspired by true crime, The Highway of Tears, devastating unsolved murders - that need more attention brought to them
-the creepiness of the uncle - the author knows how to write a character that can get under your skin

Things that weren’t my favourite:
-the abrupt POV change made me lost interest
-slow burn
-long periods of time where not much happens


This might be a case of wrong book for me or wrong timing, because there are tons of five star reviews out there. The audio narration was so well done and is what kept me going.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an ARC audio version of Dark Roads in exchange for honest feedback.

This is yet another story of young women drinking too much, taking on the world so sure of themselves and getting in big trouble and the reader being privvy to their every internal thought.
The subject is not what that normally would have interested me and I do believe I was misled when reading a description of the book.

That said....Ms. Stevens is a very good writer and I enjoyed how her dialogue and story just kept zipping along although it made no sense whatsoever. She had as many red herrings as you could shake a stick at. She also made one of her "heroines" very knowledgeable of living off the grid. As I was raised to be self-sufficient in the wilderness, I appreciated How Hailey planned and lived.

The story is about Native Americans (here called First World people) and that was not rubbed in. It almost came as a shock to be reminded where the story took place and who was in it.

The second "heroine" Beth, was much less believable but I guess she had to be the way she was. She is a lost girl who has no idea what she wants to do with life, misses her sister, rebels against the religiosity of her parents, and goes wandering off completely blind into very dangerous territory.

So, once I suspended all belief and just enjoyed Ms. Stevens way with words, I enjoyed the book and though I saw most of the ending coming, it was mostly well thought out.

The narrators were good. One had the whiney voice of a lost young woman and was able to transmit that without being too obnoxious. And Hailey, the orphan, spoke mostly with a good voice. It must be very hard to be the narrator of teenagers so I do not feel in any way qualified to judge these women. It was fine to listen to.

I saw that Chevy Stevens has a huge fan base and these people will love this book. for the rest of us just discovering her and liking more adult and complex mysteries, I have to give it three stars.

So, this is a hard book for me to review. I feel like it was well written enough and you cared about the characters to an extent but overall I felt like the book dragged a little. So the book would drag you need to be thinking, okay come on when is something exciting going to happen, and then bam something big happens and then it goes back to dragging. I feel like she's a good writer but perhaps needs to learn how to connect the two exciting moments together with something better in the middle. I know that's an unpopular opinion, and I'm sorry because I can see how hard the author worked on it. I will say that I definitely think it's worth the read if you are a big fan of thrillers or who done it sort of books. Thank you #netgalley for the chance to read this book and Chevy Stevens for writing it. :)

The audio narration is good but I went into this thinking it was going to be a dark serial killer book and it really wasn't. It was more a story of a girl, her troubled family life, a murder and then quite a bit of small scale detective type work on the part of a random character to figure it out. I found the abrupt shift in perspective over a third of the way in to be very abrupt and took me out of the story

Trigger warnings: Animal harm, abuse, teen abuse

This book was such a great, twisty thriller. The characters were relatable and I loved Hailey and Johnny's friendship so much. After her beloved father's death, she needs someone to rely on in her life, and there was no way it was going to be her aunt. Note this part of the synopsis: "Overwhelmed by grief and forbidden to work, socialize, or date, Hailey vanishes into the mountainous terrain, hoping everyone will believe she’s left town." Yes, she is overwhelmed by grief, but forbidden to work, socialize, or date, while true, just scrapes the surface of the hell that Hailey goes through living with her aunt and her aunt's husband Vaughn. The man is a nightmare. I can't count the number of times I had to pause the audiobook to rant and rave about everything that was wrong with him; he's manipulative and controlling to the most extreme degree. And the other things he does to Hailey...well let's just say she had every reason to run away. She wasn't a petulant teenager lacking coping skills, she was in a dangerous situation and getting out of that house and living in the wild by herself was her safest bet. Yes, dealing with potential wolves, bears, and predatory cats was better than being under the same roof as Vaughn. Let that sink in.

Hailey manages to pick up a dog along the way, but Wolf gets himself into serious scrapes a few times and I spent a chunk of the book worried for him. Spoiler: he makes it.

You learn pretty early on that Vaughn is a dirty cop, and Hailey's experience of trying to get someone to believe her is all too realistic. After probably the first quarter of the book or so, the point of views start switching between Hailey and Amber's sister, Beth.

Beth is hurting, understandably so, and feels like she's at a loss as to what to do with her life after losing Amber. She ends up in the town Amber was murdered in, decides to stay, and works at the same diner Amber did. Beth has some other demons as well - she's addicted to pills and alcohol, and sometimes she blacks out without knowing what happens around her. This just really makes the reader concerned for her - after all, we don't want a repeat of what happened to Amber.

And speaking of what happened to Amber, we spend so much time believing the bad guy is one person that when we discover the one responsible for her death, it hits out of nowhere. It's not in a bad way, though, let me clear: Stevens does an excellent job. It's just a lot of readers will find themselves suspecting everyone in a book before they get to the big reveal and that didn't happen for me this time.

There's a really moving part of this book where we get to see the perspective of one of the victims of the Highway Killer early on. But we also hear from Amber at one point, and she describes others that are stuck along Cold Creek Highway. Stevens tackles the subject in a really respectful way. I know a little about the actual Highway of Tears in Canada, but not a ton. Stevens included an author's note at the end of the book where she describes how she didn't want to use the real highway or the real victims or their families, or the real RCMP officers investigating the cases. She wanted to show them all respect, so she created a fictional highway and town and campground to tell her story. Even though her story isn't about the real highway, she manages to bring to light this very real tragedy that exists and all too often doesn't receive the attention it deserves. If you haven't read about the Highway of Tears, I urge you to do so and educate yourself on the many Indigenous women that have gone missing or been brutally murdered there since 1970.

This was my first Chevy Stevens book, and it kept my interest. I listened to the audiobook and looked forward to hearing what would happen next.
The fast-paced thriller of a serial killer lurking along Cold Creek highway (think Highway of Tears) in a desolate area of Canada keeps young women on their toes. Young women like Hailey, Amber, and then her sister, Beth who comes to Cold Creek to find out what happened to Amber. There are so many possible suspects in this well-written story that keeps you guessing right to the end. I accused just about everyone in my head by the time I finished the book!
Great, quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this thriller.

Hailey’s father has recently passed away. She is now living with her aunt and her husband. Her husband, Vaughn, is the local cop with a hard reputation. He makes Hailey’s life almost unbearable with all his rules. Then he starts to make other suggestions. Hailey knows she must get out. But she does a little investigating on her own and discovers Vaughn has a huge secret.

Hailey is positive that Vaughn is the one behind the missing girls. She discovers quite a few secrets on his computer. Hailey, with the help of her good friend, takes off to the live wilderness to hide. Then, she discovers a body!

Wow! This is true Chevy Stevens! I was so wrapped up in this mystery. And then when you find out who, what, when and where…GEEZ! No one can create intensity and tension quite like Chevy Stevens!

This audiobook is narrated by Angela Dawe, Brittany Presley and Isabella Star LeBlanc. And these ladies did a fantastic job. They absolutely had the perfect tone and intensity.

Need an intense, fast paced thriller you will not want to put down…THIS IS IT!

I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review