From the very first page, this book draws you into its world with engaging prose, well-developed characters, and a compelling narrative. The author's storytelling is confident and immersive, weaving together themes that resonate long after the final chapter.

Wow, what a ride! This is a dark and violent story of two hitchhikers and the people they meet along their journey (no spoilers here!)
Set in the 70s, with vivid and accurate detail, this a story of a cross-country crime spree that examines the reasons behind our dark behavior. The characters were relatable and compelling. And kept me reading till the end.
Once I thought I had the ending figured out, the author threw in a couple of curveballs.
Overall, emotionally draining, but entertaining story.

This had great atmosphere, good character development and twists I didn’t see coming. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and couldn’t wait to see how it turned out!

Tom and Alice set off on the trip of a lifetime.
Hoping to put some magic back into their faltering marriage, they pack up their camper
and head out on the byways.
When two young hitchhikers seem down on their luck and are looking for a ride to the next
town, they decide to let them ride along with them.
Mistake number one and they just compound from there.
Murder and mayhem follow.
The storyline was easy to follow: a simple case of "what were you always told not to do"".
What comes next was never a mystery or a surprise of any kind.
Just 3 stars for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It starts out as a happy roadtrip story that quickly descends into a nightmare. The characters are well developed and their motivations seem clear. I was pleasantly surprised by the twist at the ending that showed that some things weren’t as they seemed.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎℎ𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑟𝑠 is impossible to put down, full of tension and suspense that never quits until you read the final page. But even then, this story with so many twists and turns refused to leave my thoughts.

It’s 1976. Tom and Alice’s marriage is in trouble, so they take a trip down some remote Canadian highways to spend some much-needed time together. While traveling, they run across a down-on-their-luck young hippie couple who say their names are Blue and Ocean. Against Alice’s better judgment, her husband asks this young couple to travel with them for a bit.

If only Tom and Alice knew the trail of blood and terror these two hitchhikers – one seemingly enjoys being in control and has no trouble being cruel while the other always wants him to calm down, to be nicer – were leaving behind them. But she is in love with him, and her love covers a multitude of sins. In her eyes, he can do no wrong.

If Tom and Alice realized these two would turn their lives into a living nightmare, they would never have befriended these two strangers, much less allowed these two to ride along with them.

There are so many times I was sure of just what was going on and what was going to happen, but each character has so many layers that I was surprised.

Warning: This book will potentially distract you from everything else. Forget about things like cleaning your kitchen, doing laundry, and fixing dinner. You might still do these things out of necessity, but reading this book is all you will want to do. Your life will be filled with a desperate need to know what happens next, what happens to the characters, so much that you will exist on sandwiches that only take a minute to fix. And once you have read the satisfying conclusion, this story will refuse to leave your mind and what happened will stay with you for quite some time.

This book doesn’t publish until October 7, but it is available for pre-order now. If you love thrillers that capture your attention and characters that pull you into their story as much as I do, you need to pre-order this book so that you will receive it as soon as it is published.

Wow, what an engrossing book. Following Simon and Jenny on the run, taking unwilling participants with them. It was very emotional and action-filled. I was surprised at the end and also it got me in my emotions. What a great book! Another slam dunk from Chevy Stevens! Thank you NetGalley!

Really enjoyed this ARC. This book was set in the 1970’s and follows a husband and wife on a trip to the Olympics through Canada. They pick up two young hitchhikers and things take a turn for the worse. The hitchhikers kept me engaged and I didn’t want to put the book down. Great story with a great ending!

This is a fast paced thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat! While the men (Tom and Simon) are good characters, it is the women (Alice and Jenny) who carry the plot and are more compelling, multidimensional characters. The novel shows that things can escalate quickly and how things are not always as they appear.

I was so excited about a new Chevy Stevens book! I lovedddd the premise- love a good kidnapping story and this delivered. I will say that it felt very very long and at some times drawn out... but the tension and intensity was sprinkled throughout so my attention was held. The ending wrapped up nicely which I appreciated.

I was expecting a little more from this story when I picked it up. The setting was intriguing, and the 1970s having a huge serial killer moment made me think that this was going to be dark and rough, especially with the hitchhiker element. Unfortunately, I found the characters, especially the villains, to be very one dimensional, with choices that had me as a reader kind of rolling my eyes. A few of the reviews mentioned the ending being worth the slow build up, but I guessed the ending correctly in chapter 1. It was underwhelming.

What I liked:
Alice and Tom were a well matched couple, and their moments together in the RV really saved the story for me. The plot taking place in 1975 was a really good choice from the author because if this was more modern, Simon and Jenny wouldn’t have gotten as far as they did. I did get a really good visual of places and people throughout reading, and appreciated all the little Canadian things that any other readers may gloss over. I also appreciated that the author put in the animals on the farm getting cared for while Simon and Jenny were there. As an animal lover, I appreciate when authors go out of their way to mention the animals are safe.

What did not resonate with me:
I really struggled with the choices made by Alice. Multiple times she had the opportunity to run, to make contact with people, to ask for help and she never did. She could have run when Simon was fighting the church guy, she could have made eye contact; given a facial expression to the cops that were at the closed road; mouthed help, she could have even done that to the doctor but she didn’t. It was frustrating to see her constantly just be helpless when there was ample opportunity to do something.

Jenny was inconsistent. Some chapters she was almost so childlike and naive, I thought she had some sort of cognitive impairment, and then in other chapters she’s observant and cunning. I also found her chapters unnecessary, especially when they went into her back story. A lot of what was said could have been done through Alice’s POV with conversation or simple observation. Also the SA backstory with the stepfather was not necessary to make her a sympathetic character. She was already a pregnant teen in an emotionally unstable and abusive relationship.

Simon was supposed to be this unhinged, insane criminal and he did not come off that way. At no point did I think that either Alice or Tom were in danger, but also he was almost nice? The food sharing, the bathroom breaks, the threatening but not really following through…he was kind of boring. I was hoping for deranged and dark and more murder. I think if this crime spree was murder across the province, and Simon just got sloppier and unpredictable it would have had more intrigue.

A lot of character plot lines got left behind too. What happened to the cult guy? Was he dead? What happened to William and Ruth? Bones? The reader doesn’t get closure on these characters that came into the story.

I’d be interested in reading more books by this author as I can see there is genuine talent and ability to tell stories, perhaps The Hitchhikers was not the best place to start with her work!

The Hitchhiker by Chevy Stevens is a fast-paced psychological thriller that keeps readers on edge from start to finish. The story follows a young woman who becomes entangled in a deadly game after picking up a hitchhiker, only to realize that nothing—and no one—is what they seem. Stevens weaves suspense with emotional depth, exploring themes of trust, survival, and trauma. Her trademark atmospheric writing and well-crafted twists make this a gripping read for fans of dark, character-driven thrillers. It’s tense, chilling, and hard to put down.

4.5 ⭐️

Wow.😮
I adore Chevy Steven's writing. It. Is. So. Intense.
You have really got to be able to keep your emotions and feelings in check when reading her work because it has the potential to wreck you.

Tom and Alice have experienced tragedy and loss leaving them both struggling mentally and emotionally, causing a noticeable disconnect in their marriage. At a loss, Tom buys an RV and plans a trip for them in hopes that they can rebuild their relationship with new adventures and quality time together. Their time together will be altered significantly as they meet Ocean and Blue, a young couple doing their own "traveling."

I had so many conflicting feelings throughout this book; from moments of pure anger at the evilness of characters to my heart softening at times from the unfairness of the situations. I cannot recommend this one enough. If you have loved Chevy's previous work, you will absolutely love this one too!

The Hitchhikers is suspenseful, thrilling, scary, tragic, infuriating and likely to completely consume you until you hit the last page and then you will still be thinking about it hours later.

Thank you NetGalley, Chevy Stevens and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Wow I loved this book, I could not stop reading and it had my heart racing . I have not read a book by this author that I did not like , love all her books ! This book kept me interested and I enjoyed the ending. Highly recommend reading this book.
Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Set against the backdrop of a 1976 RV trip through remote Canadian highways (which honestly sounds like my personal nightmare), The Hitchhikers is a slow-build thriller that eventually finds its stride. Tom and Alice, a couple who are more melancholic than troubled, pick up two young hitchhikers—Ocean and Blue—who turn out to be a whole lot more than they bargained for.

The pacing felt uneven at times, and I occasionally caught myself frustrated by the characters’ choices. That said, the final stretch really pulled things together. The ending didn’t completely redeem everything, but it added enough emotional weight to make me appreciate the journey—yes, even the map-reading and lack of road snacks.

This isn’t my usual go-to kind of read, but I’m glad I stuck with it. It’s part thriller, part emotional drama, and while it didn’t blow me away, it did leave me with misty eyes and something to think about.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have really enjoyed this author's books and this one was right on top. It just goes to show you shouldn't take rides or give rides to strangers. Wow, this kept me on the edge of my chair. With a R.V. you expect to rest up and enjoy cooking outside and watching your campfire. Oh this blows your mind! One thing after another and I want to jump into the story and tell them NO don't do that every 10 minutes. I will not give you any hints because that's what makes this book awesome! Suspense and excitement is on each page. Go get this book and read!!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by Chevy Stevens, and it made me decide to check out other books by this author. This is a locked-room thriller where everything happens in quick succession, so it makes you want to keep turning the pages. Alice and Tom are on a road trip where they have every detail planned. They decide to pick up a pair of hitchhikers, Simon and Jenny, but they probably should’ve stuck to their original plan.

The writing is solid in this book. The character development is great, with much depth to the characters and we get multiple POVs. It is anxiety-inducing and heart-wrenching at times. Alice and Tom have to cross some lines in order to have any chance of survival. There really aren’t any big twists, it’s more a straightforward thriller, which is an interesting change of pace. I think I was looking forward to a twist because that’s what I expect in thrillers.

I always am pleased when Chevy Stevens produces a new book. This one was suspenseful, sometimes frightening, but always entertaining. I read it basically in one sitting. The characters were well-developed and the prose sharp and not overly verbose. While there were no heart-stopping twists, I enjoyed it wholeheartedly and will definitely recommend it to my thriller-loving friends and patrons.

This is my first novel by the author and I am glad it was! I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written and I really couldn’t wait to see how it all turns out.

A nice couple in an RV is exploring Canada and decide to give a young couple who are hitchhiking a lift. You know the saying no good deed goes unpunished? This is the epitome of that. After a short while the wife sees a newspaper that says the two are wanted for murder. I literally had to put this book down a couple times because I had so much anxiety when she was trying to find an opportunity to let her husband know without tipping the young couple off.

I don’t like to spoil anything but the wife winds up really having to do a lot of bad things because the young guy is holding her husband hostage. I can’t imagine what I would do in that situation. She manages to keep her calm really well and is forced to drive this young couple across the country. Driving the RV would be enough to give me a major panic attack.

There is a good back story on both of the couples and I enjoyed reading about both of them. Was the ending predictable? Yes, but I didn’t care. I was happy it ended the way it did.

Excited to read more books by this author! Highly recommend this one for sure!

The beginning of this book captured my attention and sucked me in. But then the storyline drug on for what seemed like forever. Half of the middle portion could seriously be edited out because it didn't add much value to the storyline.

To categorize this as a thriller seemed like a stretch to me. This is basically just a sad story about abuse, mental illness, peer pressure, murder, and a young man that frankly just needs a swift kick in the ass. He has zero respect for anyone and no one stands up to him.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.