Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I found this story somewhat repetitive although when there was a twist I was very astonished because much of the story felt like it repeated itself. Not a book for me, I think.

Chevy does it again! Great storyline, plots, twists! She always greats such amazing characters too, the depths she brings to life on many levels

This one wasn’t for me.

Initially the premise really interested me. But what i thought would be a fun ride was pretty slow and repetitive. Wish i connected more with the characters but they felt distant and one dimensional.

This wasn’t a bad book, but it didn’t feel like a suspense thriller to me. It was more of a, who will they run into and hurt next situation. The characters felt one dimensional and it started to feel like how much trauma can be in their back stories so that they have a reason to be this way. I also saw the ending coming for the majority of the book. I’ve really enjoyed the authors past books, but this one just wasn’t as good to me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I usually love books by Chevy Stevens. Unfortunately, I found this one slow moving and I had a hard time suspending disbelief, as I found the situations to be too unrealistic.

2.5 ⭐️ rounded down.

After a devastating tragedy shatters their lives, Tom and Alice set out from Seattle on a healing road trip across Canada in their new RV. Along the way, they cross paths with Ocean and Blue, a seemingly carefree young couple hitchhiking at a remote campground. At first, they appear harmless, but appearances can be dangerously deceiving.

I was really looking forward to my first Chevy Stevens book, especially with that eye-catching cover, a story about hitchhikers, and a 70s setting which I usually love, but unfortunately, this just didn’t work for me. It took me just over a month to finish this book, but it felt more like a year. I managed to read nine other books since starting this one, which says a lot about how little motivation I had to return to it.

I found myself so frustrated with the two FMCs and their constant inaction. And then there’s Tom, who more often than not felt like an afterthought in his own scenes. I expected him to have a much bigger role in the story. The narrative dragged for most of the book, often feeling repetitive and overly long. It could’ve easily been tightened without losing anything important. While the ending offered a touch of satisfaction, it came after such a slow buildup that the rushed conclusion felt anticlimactic. Ultimately, the payoff just wasn’t worth the effort it took to get there

I have a few Chevy Stevens books on my TBR and plan to read them, hoping this was just a one-off miss.

This is the first Steven book I did not love. I think this book is far from her regular stories. I did not engage with the characters and found this choppy to read.

This book, set in the 1970's, is about Alice and Tom embarking on a long trip in their newly purchased RV. After stopping at a campground for the night they pick up two strangers and let them stay with them for a few days until they reach the next camp ground. Tom and Alice think they are just young kids running away to start over but Alice soon discovers that they are not who they said they were. Life turns into one big horrible event after another for Tom and Alice as they are forced to take these two down the road.

At first I couldn't see how this book was going to keep on going, but the author kept up the suspense pretty easily and you were flipping pages to see what horrible thing would happen next. I felt more for Alice and the older couple at the farm than anyone one else in the book. Alice was forced to do so many things that I am not sure how she didn't have her own breakdown. This book was equal part creepy, thrilling and suspenseful.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a new to me author and unfortunately this book was not for me. The writing was good, however, the storyline just wasn't for me.

What a fun read this was! This is the first I've read Chevy Stevens and now I'm going to go back and read her other titles. This is a story about a couple on a road trip that pick up the wrong hitchhikers. Things quickly go from bad to worse! I zipped right through this novel and I highly recommend it! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this digital ARC.

This is one of the better books I’ve read in a while. It’s my first from this author so I had no idea what to expect but I was hooked right from the start. It just kept getting better and better with new twists and turns the whole time. The character development of Jenny was amazing too and I felt myself really caring about her even knowing what she did. The ending was perfect although I pinpointed exactly when I knew that was gonna happen. Still an amazing story and so gripping

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for this ARC. Can’t wait for everyone to read!!

It’s 1976, and married couple Tom and Alice are out traveling in their new RV when they pick up two young hitchhikers, Ocean and Blue. But when Alice sees a picture of the two in a newspaper, she learns they’re not who they appear to be. The Hitchhikers details the harrowing ordeal the married couple endure at the hands of the two hitchhikers as they travel across Canada on a violent crime spree. Unfortunately there’s not much suspense here, as the narrative seems endless and repetitive, and follows a predictable course throughout. This author is usually a safe bet, but the implausibilities and eye-rolling finale were too much to overcome, and it falls flat at every turn. Interesting premise, but disappointing. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“The open road beckons.
A chance for them to reconnect.
Then they make a fatal mistake.”

Personal review: oooo- you know those books you cannot put down, the ones that live rent free in your head? This is it! Chevy Stevens always delivers, in my humble opinion. This one was set in the summer of 76 on a remote rode trip along the Canadian highways, a journey between a husband and wife, to heal with broken hearts from unimaginable losses. This perfect trip turns into a nightmare journey with the introduction of two hitchhikers. This book doesn’t need a long summary, go in a bit blind. Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for the advanced copy!

Synopsis: It’s the summer of 1976 and Alice and Tom set out on the remote Canadian highways in their new RV, hoping to heal their broken hearts after a devastating tragedy.

They’ve planned the trip perfectly, taken care of every detail. Then they meet two young hitchhikers down on their luck and offer them a ride. But Simon and Jenny aren’t what they seem. They’ve left a trail of blood, destruction, and madness behind them.

Now Alice and Tom are trapped, prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn. As the tension builds, the lines blur, and the question becomes, In whose heart does evil truly lie? What secrets are Jenny and Simon hiding? And who will live another day?

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Chevy Stevens is an auto-buy author for me, and none of her books ever disappoint! This one was no exception. The ending really made me like the book even more.

Tom and Alice are trying to heal. After the loss of their much hoped for child, they are packed up in a new RV and headed off to travel and perhaps see a little bit of the world. In the early leg of their trip they meet to young teens, Blue and Ocean (actually Jenny and Simon) who are a lot more than the young lovers travelling they seem to be.
After Alice lets slip that she's seen Jenny's picture in the newspaper, following the brutal murder of Jenny's mother and stepfather, Alice and Tom become hostages on a road trip of terror.
Well, not really. While it was tragic and sad... it was also a bit predictable and meh. Simon is predictably overly violent, Jenny is sadly naive. Tom is mostly out of luck, due to an early, severe injury he's received, so the bulk of the narrative falls on Alice. She's stuck driving the RV, making meals and tending to Tom and his broken collarbone (ouch!).
The ending wrapped it up nicely, again a bit predictably, but it felt like it took a little too long to get there. I imagine Alice and Tom would agree.



ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been SO long since I’ve read a Chevy Stevens book and it’s just like I remember.
- fast paced
- primarily one setting (an RV)
- dual POVs
- suspense (waiting to see how it’s all going to play out)


I can’t say it was my FAVORITE of Chevy Stevens book, as even though I finished in one sitting I found it was dragged out and was wishing for more twists in between…. Only it didn’t happen and even though I didn’t quite predict the ending, it feel short of the big UMPH I was looking for.

But I still recommend for a good thriller/ suspense read on a weekend if you’re looking for a good Bonnie & Clyde type of book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars

The Hitchhikers is a tense, atmospheric read with a premise that immediately pulled me in—Chevy Stevens knows how to build suspense. The setting felt vividly portrayed and the pacing kept me turning pages, curious to see how everything would unfold.

That said, I struggled to fully connect with the characters. While the plot was gripping at times, I found myself wanting more emotional depth or nuance in the relationships and inner lives of the main players. Without that connection, some of the key moments didn’t land as powerfully as I’d hoped.

If you enjoy thrillers that lean more on plot than character development, this one might hit the mark for you. It was a decent read overall, just not as memorable as some of Stevens' previous work for me.

Thank you to Chevy Stevens, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Let me just start off and say that I’ve loved every book I’ve read from Chevy Stevens. For some reason, this one just didn’t connect with me.

Tom and Alice are trekking it across Canada in their new RV, when they happen upon two young hitchhikers. They offer them a ride into the next town and things seem to be going OK until they’re not.

Where this went wrong for me is the characters were, in my opinion, super one dimensional. They each on the surface, had their own demons but it just wasn’t explored enough to get a good feel of who the characters were besides their intended purpose. The plot itself seemed to also drag on quite a bit and was rather repetitive. By the time the end occurred it did pick up and the ending should have had a bigger impact than what it did. I think had the characters been more developed and the book just a touch shorter the ending could have been received by me differently.

Overall, it still was a decent read just not one of her best. With that said, I of course, will be checking out any new offerings in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

3.5

In the end I was pretty swept up in the story but it took me a *long* time to get sucked in. Until about 50% in I kept contemplating DNF'ing the book because while it should have been captivating and hard to put down it was really easy to put down and it didn't compel me to keep reading.

I think my main issue was the main character who I just didn't love and Jenna, the other narrator was even worse.

I did enjoy the nostalgia for the 70s, especially set in the bicentennial as we're coming up on the 250th one next year.

Overall it's a fine read but not one I'll be telling everyone in my orbit to put down what they're reading and pick this one up immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

In The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens, married couple Alice and Tom find themselves on the road trip from hell after offering a ride to young couple Ocean and Blue. While traveling cross country in their brand-new RV, Tom is quick to offer assistance to the younger couple after meeting at a campground, but Alice has reservations about letting the pair tag along to the next town. Alice quickly discovers that "Ocean" and "Blue" are really Jenny and Simon, a young couple wanted for the murder of Jenny's parents. After accidently letting it slip that she knew who the pair were, Simon quickly becomes aggressive and takes the couple hostage in their own RV.
I did not really like this book... it was way too long, it was boring and predictable, and Alice was very frustrating. After Simon incapacitates Tom right at the start, it's up to Alice to try to save them, and she just kind of sits there the whole time. There were several opportunities for her to fight back or try to escape and she didn't, which just stretched out the length of the book. There were also extensive amounts of scenery descriptors, which added nothing to the plot, that made the book drag on and on. There are also chapters from Jenny's POV, but Jenny was immature and tbh kind of annoying and I think the whole book could have been improved without her perspective. I almost DNF a couple of times, but I was curious as to how Alice would finally get out, so I did finish it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Hitchhikers in exchange for my honest review.