Whew! So! As far as depth and emotion go, this will probably stick with me. The complexities in the relationships, digging through what’s true and what not. What traits we inherit, how much we trust those we love, the intricacies of how we miss terrible people. BUTTTTT the whole book felt like it was reaching for a peak that never came. Like I’ll be forever climbing a hill that never crests. It was anticlimactic and it bummed me out.

ADRIFT
WILL DEAN

It’s been a long while since a character has evoked such a visceral reaction from me. At 40% [or Pt 2] of the book, the gut wrenching hatred I had for this MMC was almost scary. Peggy and her son Samson are literally just trying to get thru their days and it seems there is no shortage of people lined up to prevent them both from doing just that, and their hardships struck every nerve and plucked every heartstring I had and I wanted to go to war for both of them! For me there could never be enough vengeance to satisfy all the injustices this pair, and even a couple unlikely friends, suffer at the hands of others. The ending left me unsure of how I felt about the conclusion itself but I suspect these characters will haunt me for some time. 4.25⭐️ Many thanks to @netgalley, @willrdean and @atriabooks for the ARC🖤
#arcreview #arcreader #arcreviewer #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #domesticthriller #Adrift #willrdean

Adrift by Will Dean was absolutely gripping from start to finish. The tension never let up, and I found myself completely immersed in the story. It’s one of those rare reads that made me feel everything — sadness, anxiety, dread, and hope, sometimes all at once. The writing pulled me right into the characters’ emotions, and I couldn’t look away, even when my heart was pounding. An intense, emotional, and unforgettable read. 4.5/5 stars.

W o W....ok reading this gave me flashbacks of my ex husband which was super triggering but also extremely eye opening. Drew is probably in the top 5 of my most hated MMC's. He is just awful....manipulative, controlling, abusive, cruel...to the point where I felt like he was suffocating me just reading about him. The level of neglect he gives towards Peggy and their son, Samson is atrocious. Although Peggy doesn't seem to realize just how far underwater they are, she decides to write her own novel. She tries to take back her life but while doing so, Samson is being terrorized and bullied at school. Determined to raise Samson to be nothing like his father, Peggy makes a plan to break free of Drew's chains.

I felt so many emotions with this one but it is written so unbelievably well. Full of emotion, this one left me in tears. Although a tragically dark read, one that I'm so glad I read.

What if the man you loved turned your life into a prison you couldn’t escape?

Peggy lives with her controlling husband Drew and their son Samson on a narrowboat, isolated from the world. What begins as a quiet, off-grid life slowly reveals itself to be a prison built from manipulation, fear, and eroded identity. As Peggy secretly begins writing again, long-buried truths and a spark of hope threaten the fragile balance Drew has forced upon them. With tension rising and escape feeling impossible, Peggy must summon the courage to reclaim her voice before they’re lost to the water and his lies forever.

This book was my actual nightmare. It was brutally hard to get through and LOVED IT. Not bc it was fun (it wasn’t), but because it was that well done. The husband/father character was absolutely vile. Horrific. Manipulative. Disgusting. Name a negative adjective and he qualifies.

I felt the brilliance of Adrift lies in its character development. I felt deeply for the mother and her slow, devastating reality check. Her internal struggle, her love for her son, her desperation all hit so hard. Dean includes a personal author’s note explaining that some of this story stems from his own fears and childhood experiences, and that fear is woven into every single chapter.

This book is particularly eerie bc the story is so realistic. It's not simply a far-fetched thriller, but it's also the kind of scenario many women dread but are too scared to name.

I 1,000% recommend this one, but with two important caveats:

1. It doesn't release until February 17, 2026 🥲
2. It contains heavy domestic violence and suicidal ideation, so if those are triggering for you, please take care before diving in

This has become a favorite ARC read. The plot twists had my jaw DROPPED. I really can't wait for this book to publish so everyone has the opportunity to read it.

I received an advanced copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Adrift is another powerful read by Will Dean, the author of The Last One and The Chamber.

This book tells the story of a troubled family. The head of the family is Drew, a self proclaimed writer with grand delusions about what his life could be if everyone just did as he told them. His wife Peggy is his second in command. She doesn't get to make decisions for herself and instead busies herself with making dinner every night and volunteering at the local library. And then there's Sammy, their teenage son. Although he mostly chooses his mother's side in arguments, he keeps quiet to stay on his father's good side.

Doing what Drew says and staying quiet is one of the best ways to survive on their tiny houseboat.

As the story progresses and Drew becomes more and more disenchanted with the outside world, he begins to sail their boat further and further from town. And that's not good for Peggy and Samson, who need access to things like school and the library. It's their only lifeline.

I feel that the author did a good job of writing Drew's character. He was very manipulative, but also very fleshed out. I felt like he was a realistic portrayal of what can happen when mental illness is not addressed.

I was a little disappointed in the ending. In the last Will Dean book I read (The Last One) there was an awesome twist. And so I kept waiting for something like that to happen. It's okay that it didn't, but it did let me down a little bit in the end. I probably shouldn't have gotten my hopes so high.

It was still an enjoyable story though. Adrift by Will Dean is the kind of book you read when you want to escape for a while. His writing will grip you and transport you to another world.

First Will Dean book and won’t be the last! Read this book so fast. Dark, chilling and thought provoking!

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️. I’m really sad that I didn’t like this book more than I did. The reviews are so high - which kind of confuses me because I thought this book was repetitive and such a slow burn! It starts off really strong but by 30% it’s just the same thing over and over again (abuse and bullying). I stuck with it because I thought for sure the ending must have had a really big shocker….sadly it did not. Overall, this one was just meh for me and it bums me out because I thought Will Dean’s The Last Thing To Burn was worthy of 5 stars and I had really hoped this one would be just as good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Adrift - Will Dean

Wow! This book had me hooked but in a rage the entire way through. The writing is amazing and I ate this book up but my oh my will the main male character have you pissed off and want to kick him in the shins (or worse). The book is about a family, Drew, Peggy and son Samson that live on a boat in the canal. It’s not a typically thriller book, but a book of loss, challenges, and resilience as this family struggles for survival in more ways than one; some struggles that are not necessary. This book had me thinking about past toxic relationships the entire read through. (Check triggers if there are any) but I could not get enough though and had to know how it was going to end.

This is not my first Will Dean book and will not be my last. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This was a terrific read and I will (and have already) be recommending.

Adrift: A Story That Sinks In Slowly

Author Will Dean pulls you into this unsettling story with immersive prose. The chilling atmosphere has such constant presence that it almost becomes a character itself. The dread lingers in every mundane moment of this dysfunctional family’s life.

The writing is especially strong in its sensory detail:

“The sweet scent of wet, brown earth. Pigtail moss and decaying leaves. The landscape slowing down into the cold, still months.”

“My breath clouds in the cold air and mingles with dust from the burnt wood. A palette of grays.”

However, one aspect that lacked cohesion was the setting. Although the story takes place in America, the language, cultural references, and even the weather often felt distinctly British. This occasionally left me wondering why it wasn’t simply set in the UK.

Around a third of the way in, the chapters began to feel somewhat repetitive and hopeless, but I also recognize that this mirrors the monotony and emotional despair of the characters’ lives.

Adrift is a slow-burn novel that is rather uncomfortable to read, but for those who don’t shy away from distressing narratives, it is a deeply affecting and skillfully written story.

This book is giving Stephen King energy. Closed-door to the liking of Misery. A terrifyingly unpredictable antagonist reminiscent of Annie Wilkes. A brilliant protagonist held against their will with no mean of escape as was Paul Sheldon. I truly believe that @willrdean has captured the exact rollercoaster of emotions I felt reading that book and brought something new and fresh to the table.

Drew and Peggy live on a houseboat that is 6ft by 50ft with their 14 year old son Sam. Drew is a neurotic wannabe writer rooted in his writing routine that impacts his whole family. He withholds their hot water, sleep, and food at his whim.

Peggy is trapped. Her legal documents are missing. She isn’t allowed to work for a wage. Her family members are all deceased. No phone. No bank account. But she has a dream of escape that gives her the strength to get through each day.

Sam is a freshman in high school and the victim of daily bullying and harassment from his peers. His bed is the converted dinette. And he has no reprieve at home. His only “break” is caring for an elderly man in town after school with whom he develops a friendship.

Drew does not do well when he is 1. Questioned or 2. When he loses control of everything.

This is the story of what happens in the aftermath of both on a suffocatingly small boat in the middle of nowhere.

Engrossing. Jaw-dropping. And a must read.

*Check content warnings.

I loved the claustrophobic element in this book, it uses the overall concept and enjoyed the suspenseful atmosphere that I was wanting and enjoyed in this type of book. I enjoyed getting into the world and how well the characters were used to tell the storyline. Will Dean has a strong writing style and thought it works as a way to tell the storyline.

This was a difficult book to read but nonetheless an important story about bullying, emotional abuse, and gaslighting. Very thought provoking and a dark psychological thriller that I will be thinking about for a very long time.

3/5 ⭐️
Adrift follows the story of a small family living on a boat in a midwestern canal slowly creeping away from society into isolation. The story is written in multiple parts and we get dual point of views from both the mom, Peggy, and the teenage son, Samson. The plot is very slow moving and incredibly depressing. There is so much bullying, psychological abuse, and physical abuse throughout the entire book without much forward movement until the last 25%. We did meet some interesting side characters that were the highlight of the book for me, I would’ve liked to see a bit more of them. The ending was well done. If we saw a bit more action like that through the book it definitely would’ve held my attention better!

Unfortunately I don’t have a lot to say about this book - it was fine. It had some good suspenseful parts, but overall I found it lacklustre. There just wasn’t really enough going on to maintain the suspense, and the ending was not surprising in the slightest. I would only recommend this one to those who like very slow burn domestic thrillers.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review! I still remain a fan of Will Dean!

This book filled me with intense dread. A mother of a teenager living with a controlling and isolating man on a tiny houseboat? Yeah. You can feel literal eggshells and terror through this book. A good domestic thriller from Will Dean.

I think the best word for this novel is 'intense'. We learn immediately that the male leading character is a sociopath and almost the entire book is spent with examples of how he emotionally/psychologically abuses both his wife and his 14-year-old son.

Add-in the claustrophobic fact that much of the story takes place on a small houseboat, and you get a very well written novel that makes you feel like a guilty voyeur.

This book is dark and bleak but intentionally so. We should feel uncomfortable knowing that the familiar interactions represented, while fictional, are being experienced by real people in the world.

This was a tough read, but well worth it. Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Will Dean for providing an advanced reading copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book, my first Will Dean novel!

This was tough to read the abuse and gas-lighting because this was so well-written and so engaging.
I was confused about the setting as it was supposed to be in the US but there were so many UK references, not sure why the mixing...

Overall a really good story.

Adrift by Will Dean is a gripping, emotionally intense thriller set on a canal boat. The tension builds with every page as the characters’ secrets and manipulations unfold. Chilling, atmospheric, and impossible to put down—a must-read for suspense lovers!

This was a solid, slow-paced thriller that I really enjoyed. I think the character work is really well done and there's no doubt Dean does closed-room/claustrophobia really well!