I’d never read this author before so I didn’t know what to expect. What I got was great writing. Stevens excels at showing character through dialogue, and quickly, which made me invested in the characters and where the story would take them. The novel takes place during 1976 which I thought was a nice choice. The descriptions of British Columbia were beautiful without being overdone.
3.5 rounded up.

Chevy Stevens returns with “The Hitchhikers”, and it’s a barnburner. It’s the summer of ’76. A dream vacation. A new Winnebago RV and a drive across Canada to see the Olympics. Life is good or so it seems. Alice and Tom are a married couple with trying to overcome a past tragedy. Fate crosses their path with “Ocean” and “Blue”, a couple of fellow campers who are hitchhiking through the mountains. A friendly introduction quicky escalates into the road-trip from hell.
The beginning is a little slow, but by mid-point the story is chugging along like a fine tuned car, I raced through the last third of this book without stopping, amazed at some very well placed plot twists. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller and characters you truly come to care about. I personally didn’t care for the ending, it plays out like a Lifetime movie-of-the-week, but that didn’t take away from an amazing book that will surely be a best-seller. Many thanks to Net Galley for the early copy to read and review.

Not my typical read. But enjoyed it none the less.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Dark, Intense, and Totally Gripping

Wow. The Hitchhiker by Chevy Stevens was a wild, chilling ride from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down—and honestly, I didn’t want to. The tension builds so perfectly, and there’s this constant sense of unease that had me holding my breath more than once.

The story is gritty and raw, and while it’s dark at times, it never feels overdone—it’s just real. I loved the way Stevens wove in the emotional depth of the characters while still keeping the thriller aspect front and center. You feel everything—the fear, the desperation, the fight for survival.

Also, the pacing? Absolutely perfect. I flew through this book in just a couple sittings. If you like your thrillers with high stakes, strong characters, and twists that make your stomach drop, this one is 100% for you.

Chevy Stevens always delivers, but this might be one of my favorites from her yet.

What started as a fun RV trip across Canada to see the Olympics turns into your worst nightmare for a road trip. Befriend some young travelers to find out they are on the run for murder and force you to partake in numerous crimes to protect yourself and your husband, and to continue and fund their flight from the law.

It was an exciting read, but not one of Stevens' best.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Chevy Stevens delivers a taut, nerve-jangling thriller in The Hitchhikers, pulling readers into a haunting tale of trust, danger, and survival. With crisp pacing and tension that never lets up, Stevens keeps you guessing until the final, chilling twist. Her keen psychological insight and ability to create vivid, vulnerable characters make this both an emotional and adrenaline-filled read.

this was my first novel by Chevy Stevens, what a tight and unique story! I felt tense throughout it all and that was a good thing for a suspense novel!
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I read this pretty fast. While I admit at certain points in the book I was scared and couldn’t read any faster, it was captivating. The author did a great job with the characters, but especially Simon. The forming of “all hell breaks loose” was right in the beginning so by 20% you knew this was literally going to be a wild crazy ride.

From page 1 it grabbed me! Must read

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I honestly love everything Chevy Stevens writes. Her last book was 5 stars. I really liked The Hitchhikers, too.

Tom and Alice (made me think of Days of Our Lives) are a couple who live in Seattle, Washington. It's July 1976 and was just the Bicentennial. [I am a July Bicentennial baby, but that's besides the point] Tom anf Alice bought an RV and decided to drive across Canada and go to the Olympics. They recently suffered a loss and are trying to reconnect on this trip.

Not far into the trip, Alice encounters hitchhikers walking along the road by the campsite. Alice sees the young woman in the bathroom and offers her a bandaid for her blisters. She introduces herself as Ocean and her boyfriend Blue. (it could be the other way around, I don't remember) They are obviously fake names.

From there on, its a ticking clock until Alice realizes who the young couple really are. They are in danger, and we get nonstop suspense. We get both Alice and Jenny's points of view.

Jenny's back story is very sad and I wasn't surprised about one reveal towards the end of the book. The ending was sweet.

You will spend much time racing along to find out what happens and marveling at 1976 prices. I don't remember 1976 very well, so I can't say how accurate it was depicted. 4.5/5☆ available October 7, 2025.

This was a book by a new author for me. It grabbed me from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. The tension starts from the beginning of the book and slowly builds to the climax. You won’t be able to stop turning the pages to see what happens next. I would definitely read this author again. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Solid story, Ms. Stevens writing gets better and better with every book! Some good twists and turns and a really satisfying ending!

This was a good book. It wasn’t the most thrilling I’d ever read, and I found some parts predictable, but I was interested in the storyline. Really enjoyed the ending.

The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one had me hooked right away. The Hitchhikers is tense, emotional, and full of those creepy, isolated-road-trip vibes that Chevy Stevens does so well.

It’s 1976, and Alice and Tom are hitting the road in their new RV, hoping to heal after a major loss. Their plan is solid, their route mapped out. Then they pick up two hitchhikers, Simon and Jenny, and everything changes. What starts as a kind gesture quickly spirals into something dark and dangerous.

Remote highways, no cell phones, no easy way out. I loved the slow build of tension and the way the story kept me guessing. The characters are layered and complex, and the question of who you can trust keeps the pages turning. Definitely recommend if you're into psychological thrillers with strong emotional stakes.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

What would you do if you were driving and saw two youngsters trying to hitch a ride and you pick them up just to find out that they are running from a murder they committed and then they realize you know what they did…..You can’t yell ‘dont do it’ because they can’t hear you so you just wish them the best through this wild chaotic ride they’re headed down.

This is such a fast paced read and grabs you at first page. It pulls you along through the book page after page until the very end of it, definitely NOT the trip that this middle aged couple planned on taking. This book is filled with mystery, murder, kidnapping etc and keeps you thinking, wondering and guessing. You have lots of likable characters and unlikable characters but they are all very well written per this story, in fact the characters are strongly developed. I sat down with this and read it from cover to cover and it was so good. I have never read anything by Steven’s before and I was very pleased.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Muptiple POV, Thriller, Middle Age Couple, Bonnie And Clyde Vibes

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as St. Martin's Press

A nice couple driving their RV heading to Canada pick up a young couple and as a kindeness, offer to drop them off at the next stop. Ocean & Blue seem skitish and guarded. Then, everything goes south.
Ocean & Blue are really Simon & Jenny on the run from something horrendous. The majority of the book deals with violence and abuse wielded by Simon (Blue). Graphic to excess. The storyline then fills up with back stories about both couples The ending popped into my head 1\3 of the way through the book. I thank NetGalley for the ARC , there are some mistakes early on in identifying Ocean/Jenny & Simon/Blue. .That was confusing.

My first Chevy Stevens book and it won't be my last. The story kept my interest and I had to know what would happen to Alice and Tom. Parts of the story seemed rather unbelievable, but I kept going. You learn more history about the characters toward the end of the book, though I wish we would have known more a bit sooner. The ending felt a bit rushed but ultimately I liked how everything came together.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Chevy Stevens for an ARC of The Hitchhikers! I cannot believe (well I can believe it) how fantastic this book is. It was gripping, heart pounding, emotional, tragic, scary and just so well written. You were right there along with the characters. It was a difficult read in a good way. I loved the alternate perspectives - hearing from Alice and Jenny made you more immersed in the story. Can we just praise Chevy on this book? This will be one I will absolutely think about for years to come. It’s one that will leave an imprint on you and make you question some lines between good and evil. Alice and Tom are on a road trip to see the Olympics and traveling throughout Canada and see a two hitchhikers who they offer to help out. From a nice gesture turns into a nightmare.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this novel.

A fan of Chevy Stevens since the beginning, I was excited to dive into this one, and it didn't disappoint. This road tripping thriller is a perfect summer read, and the suspense held from beginning to end. I couldn't wait to find out what happened, and wasn't disappointed by the ending.

Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-arc of Chevy Stevens’ upcoming release The Hitchhikers.

It’s the road trip from hell for a couple taking traveling from Seattle to Montreal for the 1976 Olympics.
Alice and Tom set out on an RV trip across Canada. When they meet a young couple hitchhiking and sleeping rough, a few simple acts of kindness lead to a world of danger that Tom and Alice may not survive.

This book is absolutely filled with tension and suspense. It pulled me right and didn’t let me go until the very last page. The story unfolds through dual POV. Alice is grieving the loss of their infant son. Her grief has made her withdraw from the world and pulled her away from Tom. Jenny is the other point of view. She and her boyfriend Simon aren’t the harmless pair of hippies Tom and Alice first believe them to be. Everything changes when Alice stumbles onto the young couple’s secret. Simon forces Tom and Alice into danger. As Simon becomes more desperate and violent, Alice finds strength and courage during the ordeal. I couldn’t help cheering for Alice as she worked to keep Tom and others safe along the way. The ending of the book didn’t exactly surprise me, but I thought it was very satisfying.

The Hitchhikers comes out Oct. 7. Preorder or add this one to your tbr now because you don’t want to miss this roller coaster of a story. Now I’ll be diving into the author’s backlist because this was a heck of a ride.

Hitchhiking was a real thing in the 70s - it's hard to believe, but it's true. I knew the 1970s setting for this story would be interesting. And it was.

However, I think the story was predictable and I just didn't like the characters.

I can't put my finger on why, but I didn't enjoy the story as much as I hoped I would.

This would be a good thriller for people in their 40s/50s (me!) who remember those bizarre times in the 70s.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of THE HITCHIKERS to review.

I rate THE HITCHHIKERS three out of five stars.