This novel grabbed me right from the first page and didn't let me go to the very end! How have I never read this author before?? WOW. Highly recommend this one and I am immediately going to read another book from this author. A huge thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow!! Such a good thriller from Chevy Stevens!! Is it as good as Still Missing? Not for me but this ranks a close second!!

What I liked best was the story has me hooked from page one. It has total creepy character energy and I couldn’t really figure out why. And then you realize why, and then you realized you didn’t have it all that figured out which to me makes it a great story. Did I see the final twist coming??? Kind of, it took nothing away from everything else, and the epilogue to me sealed the four stars I have the book.

Our main characters are Alice and Tom, and Jenny and Simon and I although my feelings about each character changed from the beginning to the end of the story I still felt a connection to them.

I highly recommend this book to Thriller fans and Chet Steven fans, you will be happy with this book!

This will come as a shock to some of you but this is my first book by this author! (I know you’re shook), she has been on my radar for a while though!

I was super excited to receive a gifted copy of hitchhikers, the synopsis sounded very promising and the plot definitely exceeded my expectations!

The vibes are a throw back to the 70s/80s when things just seemed a little riskier and edgier with the lack of cell phones and surveillance cameras..

The plot follows a couple embarking on a trip of adventure who are hoping to strengthen their connection in the process, when car troubles lead them to crossing paths with another seemingly innocent couple, things start to take a dark turn!

Expect tension, high stakes, violence and danger

I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to go back and read the authors previous books!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press for the gifted copy!

Publishes - October 7th

Great story! It was very suspenseful and I had no idea what the ending would be. Turns out that it was a twist that no one could see coming! I love being surprised by books, this one definitely surprised me. A heck of a tale, I loved the characters and the storyline. She is one amazing storyteller!

Right off the bat, this story hooked me in. Once it got going and the hitchhikers were showing their true colors, Alice angered me so much because there were so many times I was screaming at her to make a move and do something and she just wouldn’t! But I guess if it were that simple, we wouldn’t have much of a book. The plot twist with one of the hitchhikers was something I didn’t see coming. Overall, I would recommend this book to others and would say this was an easy suspenseful read.

I received an electronic ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Tom and Alice are a married couple on a road trip in their RV from Seattle to Canada to go to the Olympics. While at a campsite for the night, they meet a teenage couple who are hitchhiking. Tom and Alice befriend them, and let’s just say, Tom and Alice were the only ones with good intentions.

I have enjoyed Chevy Stevens’ other novels. However, this particular novel was not for me. I found it too violent. I kept reading because I was hoping that the hitchhikers would redeem themselves - that an explanation would be given for their actions, and they would turn themselves around, but it never happened. When an explanation was finally given it seemed rushed, and incomplete. I did connect with Tom and Alice while reading, but by the end even their actions did not make sense to me.

I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would ang give it a solid 4 stars. For me it was a little different from the psychological thriller genre that I am more accustomed to. At first, this story began like any other with criminals on a crime spree and the tense thriller aspect of the book had me hooked right from the beginning, which was a delight. The story is set in 1975 which lends its purpose with the lack of 'instant information' allowing the criminals to go undetected for much longer than they would in today's digital age. The story was absolutely believable and the characters felt real. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read my first Chevy Stevens book; I enjoyed it immensely and will seek others by this author.

I love Chevy Stevens! But this was just okay for me. She knows how to build tension, and The Hitchhikers is no exception. The premise is instantly intriguing—strangers crossing paths in dangerous circumstances, with a constant sense of threat looming. It’s a fast read, and the pacing stays tight throughout, making it easy to get caught up in the momentum. I especially appreciated that I never quite knew where the story was going. There were just enough twists and surprises to keep things interesting without veering into the ridiculous.

But while the idea was strong, the execution didn’t totally land for me. The entire book takes place over what feels like a day or two, which made it feel oddly stretched out for such a short timeline. It started to feel like a “bottle episode”—claustrophobic and repetitive. The plot followed the same pattern on loop: the characters are on the run, they almost get caught, and then narrowly escape… only to do it again, and again. The tension stays high, but it’s the same kind of tension over and over.

I also had trouble keeping the characters straight. They blended together a bit, with not enough unique traits or voices to distinguish them. And to be honest, I didn’t particularly like or root for anyone. I’m okay with morally gray or flawed characters, but I need someone to care about—and that just wasn’t there for me. Tom, in particular, felt like a completely useless character. He didn’t add anything meaningful to the story, and his presence felt more like filler than substance.

In the end, The Hitchhikers had a compelling concept and solid pacing, but the shallow character development and repetitive structure held it back. If you're in the mood for a fast, suspenseful read that doesn’t require much emotional investment, it might still be worth picking up. Just go in for the thrills, not the depth.

I read this in a matter of days! Chevy Stevens does not miss when it comes to writing suspenseful thrillers! Following a couple who just purchased a new RV as the travel the Canadian country, they stop at a park to rest and they pick up a young couple who they later find out are on the run for murder! The feeling of nostalgia and horror is welcome while this book keeps you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for that end of summer or early fall reading time!

An RV and an older couple helping out 2 hitchhiking teens. Even though Alice has a funny feeling about it, she rolls with it because, for the first time in a long time, she and Tom are laughing again. The miscarriages, the doctors - it's been a lot. But they've bought an RV and are trying to out this camping thing. And these 2 kids clearly needed something so it's nice to help.

This was a really rough read for me. I find it hard to enjoy stories where the good guys get their teeth kicked in and the bad guys win again and again and again. It's rough, to keep reading how Tom is suffering and Alice is abused by this couple. But the mystery is interesting and many enjoy the twist. If you can get past the frustration, you just might enjoy the conclusion at the end.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Alice & Tom plan an RV trip down to the smallest detail. Then they pick up 2 hitchhikers, and a deadly game begins. Will Alice & tom survive? This book is fast paced and thrilling!

Gritty and gripping, this thriller hooks from page one. Stevens excels at building dread, and while the plot took a few familiar turns, the suspense and emotional tension stayed high. A haunting survival story with teeth.

Chevy stevens has done it again! I felt SO anxious the whole time I was reading this book - I felt rage, felt relief and sadness.. each character made me feel for them even the bad ones and I truly could not stop reading. And the ending? So satisfying!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

3.5 stars

Have you ever read a book where you are either deeply disturbed or just in a perpetual state of worry throughout the entire journey? Well, that was this book for me, and I honestly can't decide if that's a positive or a negative.

I had to space out this book in different reading sessions, because I literally could not maintain a level of calm while reading about these characters. Alice and Tom just bought an RV and are driving through Canada camping to help improve their marriage. While their marriage is not a focal point of the story, the two hitchhikers they pick up are. Surprise surprise, the hitchhikers are actually murderers and are crazy.

I will admit that the middle portion of this book was a little slow, but overall I still felt like there was enough plot propulsion that I wasn't bored or not wanting to read it. Like I mentioned, I just had to take breaks from it due to the constant state of anxiety I was in while reading this entire book. It also makes me very uncomfortable to read or watch people getting beat (mostly kicked) while on the ground, and this book had a lot of that. (TW: there is also child abuse, so beware)

Overall, I think this was a good book- just maybe a little heavier/violent than a typical thriller. I enjoyed Chevy Stevens other book, Still Missing, more but will definitely continue to make my way through Stevens' backlog since she is a great writer.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book kept me hooked from the very beginning and enjoyed the wild ride it took me on.

As a summer RVer, this book caused so much worry and emotions. The vivid action, so much violence added to the book and what the author wanted to accomplish with this story.

I highly recommend this one! Enjoy the ride, and be careful who you friend camping.

Tom and Alice head out in their RV over remote Canadian roads. They are hoping to spend some time healing their fractured marriage after a devastating tragedy. Then they meet Ocean and Blue. Who are really Jenny and Simon. And things take a turn for the worse. Tom and Alice are trapped, doing whatever they are told to do, even as people lose their lives. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I have loved every book I’ve read by Chevy Stevens. And this one did not disappoint. It is a roller coaster ride. As always, I connected to the characters and felt invested in their story. I must add the ending was perfectly satisfying. Thank you!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title

Unfortunately, this was really boring. It dragged on forever and nothing exciting happened. The small twists at the end were pretty good but nothing mind blowing.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for me honest review.

Chevy Stevens is one of my favorite authors, so I was really looking forward to The Hitchhikers. I have mixed feelings about it, though. It didn’t feel like a typical thriller to me. I found Simon’s need for control and his violent behavior overwhelming and hard to read—especially since he hadn’t committed any crimes until he and Jenny ran away.

Jenny, a deeply abused and traumatized teen, was a character I truly sympathized with. But the standout for me was Alice. Despite all she had been through, she showed real compassion for Jenny. She was strong, confident, and determined to fight for all the victims.
Simon’s ending wasn’t a wow moment and the ending was predictable. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I found myself completely engrossed in this book and couldn't put it down! The story instantly hooked me, and I was constantly eager to discover what would happen next.

The narrative follows two hitchhikers, Simon and Jenny, who encounter a couple, Alice and Tom, on their vacation. Seeing that Simon and Jenny are down on their luck, Alice and Tom kindly offer them a ride. However, the hitchhikers are not who they claim to be. They soon pull Alice and Tom into a chaotic spiral of destruction and deceit, involving murder, theft, and kidnapping.

If you've ever needed a reason to avoid picking up hitchhikers, this book offers a compelling and thrilling argument.