✨Happy Pub Day & Review✨

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the electronic ARC for Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens.

I remember reading Still Missing when it first came out years ago and I’ve been meaning to read the rest of her books she’s released in the interim. I was so excited to get approved for Dark Roads when I saw it!

I also buddy read this with @keepingyouonread and we both really enjoyed this one! Both of us were excited to pick up the book each day to see what happened next!

This story revolves around a section of highway notorious for young women, especially indigenous women, being murdered over a series of decades.

In present day Hailey has lost her father to a fatal car crash and has to move in with her aunt and uncle. We follow Hailey through this story and in the second half are introduced to Beth, a young woman who becomes linked to the highway murders. Her story is then intertwined with Hailey.

I’ll be honest and say both women make some dumb choices, but Beth more so. I’m talking like when you’re watching a horror movie and you want to cover your eyes and shout “don’t do that!” type of stupid. 🤦🏼‍♀️

This story built well and the characters were well developed. I wish there had been a bit more of an indigenous persons link and explanation, but Becca and I agreed that Stevens probably didn’t want to dabble in that subject too much since it’s based upon a real highway: the Highway of Tears in Northern British Columbia. Also, I would’ve liked a little more motive explanation for why the killer did what he did. But, overall I thought this was a solid thriller.

And WOLF 🐺 was a wonderful addition to the story, I want him for my very own!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Ooh, I liked this one! Add to your TBR stat. What Hailey endures throughout the story will keep you intrigued and wanting to know more. I did not see the major plot twist coming and I love when story lines shock me.
This is a thrilling and quick read that you don’t want to miss!

This is a fantastic story about the massive Cold Creek Highway that extends through large amounts of rugged area. Women go missing here. Just gone without a trace and the police have no leads at all.

I loved Haliey's character. When her father dies in an accident, she is sent to live with her aunt and uncle. He won't let her out of his sight or be involved with anyone. Hailey was so smart and brave running away, to the woods that she called home with her dad. But thats not the end. This was an intense read with the awful things happening and survival. One year later Beth comes to find answers about happened to her sister who happens to be connected to Hailey. The struggles Beth encounters are real and what I felt like would happen if you really went on a rouge plan to find answers by yourself. It felt it was so real.
I really enjoyed the journey to find answers with questionable police that just give you the creeps, wildreness, and unshakeable friendships and first loves. The ending was great I didn't see most of it coming!!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for my copy for early review!

Thank you NetGalley, author Chevy Stevens, and St. Martin's Press publishing for giving me a free arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
5 stars
This book will keep you up at night wondering who is responsible for the disappearance of so many young women?
This story had so many twist and turns that when it came time to reveal the killer, I was totally taken by surprised and well satisfied. This was my first book by author Chevy Stevens and it will not be my last. She has a wonderful ability to build up the tension, false leads, and suspense that kept the action moving very quickly and yet left nothing unfinished. The characters were well developed and some of them even came across the page as creepy and untrustworthy. I also enjoyed the small town atmosphere, the family drama and secrets, and strong friendships. I could not believe this story was based on real events. Overall, I would say if you are going to read this book, you should make sure you have time to finish it in one sitting because you will not want to put it down until the very end. I can't wait to read more books by this author in the future.

The prologue hooked me right from the start. A serial killer in the forests of British Columbia, who murders women along a stretch of highway. Unfortunately this book didn’t quite turn out to be what I thought it going to be.

Hailey is 17 years old, grieving from the recent loss of her father. She lives with her Aunt and her husband, Sergeant Vaughan. He has a reputation around town as ‘The Iceman’ due to his tough, cold demeanour. After discovering some unsettling information about Vaughan, Hailey decides to run away and live in the woods.

Amber is a waitress at the local diner and is Hailey’s first love. After she is found murdered, her sister Beth comes to town to try and find her sister’s killer. Could Vaughan have something to do with it?

While the plot is decent, I didn’t find myself connecting with the two main characters. They made terrible and dangerous decisions, I lost count of how many times they injured themselves. Numerous situations they found themselves in were so implausible it was hard to take it seriously.

I did find the final reveal and conclusion however, to be unexpected and satisfying.

I also appreciate how this book brings awareness to the horrific true events on a highway in British Columbia involving the disappearances and murders of Ingenious girls and woman.
With that being said, I wish this book did more to pay homage to that.

This book didn’t quite do it for me, but I’m sure a lot of readers of this genre will enjoy it. I will still continue to read Chevy’s Steven’s books, as I think she is a talented author and is also local to me!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This was one of the most thrilling books I have read this year. It will send chills up your spine. I could not see the twists coming. A perfect fall read!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC copy! I loved loved this book. I was guessing and thinking I had it figured out when the script would flip. I love the main character, Hailey and her best friend being completely platonic with a boy. This was a great thriller.

Hailey’s father has recently passed away. She is now living with her aunt and her husband. Her husband, Vaughn, is the local cop with a hard reputation. He makes Hailey’s life almost unbearable with all his rules. Then he starts to make other suggestions. Hailey knows she must get out. But she does a little investigating on her own and discovers Vaughn has a huge secret.

Hailey is positive that Vaughn is the one behind the missing girls. She discovers quite a few secrets on his computer. Hailey, with the help of her good friend, takes off to the live wilderness to hide. Then, she discovers a body!

Wow! This is true Chevy Stevens! I was so wrapped up in this mystery. And then when you find out who, what, when and where…GEEZ! No one can create intensity and tension quite like Chevy Stevens!

This audiobook is narrated by Angela Dawe, Brittany Presley and Isabella Star LeBlanc. And these ladies did a fantastic job. They absolutely had the perfect tone and intensity.

Need an intense, fast paced thriller you will not want to put down…THIS IS IT!

I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review

I love Chevy Stevens and her new book did not disappoint! This thriller-mystery kept me turning the pages to find out what happened. I thought I pretty much had it nailed down about half way through and I was a little bummed it was so obvious, but NOPE. I was not expecting what happened! I loved how each character played a specific role in the story. I also loved that there was a strong male/female relationship without forcing them to be together.

Many thanks to the publisher for an advanced ecopy of Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens.

I have been a big fan of Chevy Stevens since I read Still Missing a few years ago. Dark Roads is the fourth book of hers I have read. (I have 3 in my TBR pile that came out before I discovered her.) Dark Roads was different from the others in two ways. 1. It had a distinctly YA feel about it aside from the description of the actual crimes. I mean the lead characters, Hailey, Beth, and Jimmy all behaved in that annoyingly angsty teenage way that can be grating for those of us with low tolerance for that. 2. The crimes were more realistic and thus the book felt even more dark than usual.

I think the quality of Dark Roads is definitely one of Chevy Steven's best. It was harder for me to read because it contained some of my personal "triggers" which stress me out: Intense bullying by someone in authority, seemingly hopelessness of a minor, alcohol/pain medication addiction treated as less significant than it is. Aside from my personal issues with the book, it was addictive and twisty. I enjoyed the survival aspect of the story as well. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. There were characters that were genuinely good people for the reader to root for.

The author's note at the end brought the whole thing up a star for me. Chevy Stevens was inspired by some real life crimes similar to the ones that are in the book. She was moved by them and it showed in how she wrote the book. The epilogue of the book really was a good illustration of that. I cried while reading it.

I hope the author doesn't have such a long time between books again as I miss her when she's not publishing!!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is based off the indigenous women who have gone missing in Canada for a number of years now. There are no specific cases quoted in the book and the town and highway are made up but it was written to bring awareness to this cause.

Dark Roads is a very dark book written about young women who go missing or found dead along the Cold Creek Highway in British Columbia. The story is about a girl named Hailey who becomes orphaned in between her junior and senior year of high school and moves in with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle is the town sheriff and makes her pretty uncomfortable. He uses his badge to bully and control not only Hailey but others in the town as well. Hailey finds out a secret about her uncle and decides to run away into a cabin in the woods to protect herself. Hailey's girlfriend Amber becomes the latest victim to the highway killer and leaves you wondering who the killer is.

The second part of the book is set a year later when Amber's sister Beth comes to town to attend a remembrance for her sister and the other victims of the highway killer. Beth decides to stay in town to help find her sisters killer and get answers to the many questions she has. Beth's trying to get questions answered about her sister puts a target on her back and she finds the killer after her now.

This was a very suspenseful book. It was also very sad and I could really see what these two girls were going through. It was very well written and the attention to detail was fantastic. This was an amazing thriller and I would recommend it to anyone who likes that genre. This is the type of book that still has me thinking of it a few days later after reading it. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Fast paced read based on a true story. I always enjoy Chevy Stevens' work and this was no exception!

Do you like slow burn mysteries? They’re actually not usually my favorite, I prefer something fast paced most of the time but if I find a slow burn from a trusted author I’m willing to give them a chance. I had heard before reading this that it was slower paced, so I think that helped set my expectations, but I’m actually glad I went against my initial reaction and ended up giving this one a chance, it was pretty solid!

There’s something so eerie when a thriller is atmospheric and this one was seriously creepy and pretty all consuming. Besides a strong setting the characterization was also very good, I really felt like I knew both main characters by the end and I was definitely invested in them as well. This was more of an emotional mystery than anything else, but again the plot was pretty good as well. Recommended for anyone that really wants to sink their teeth in a thriller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An eerie book that will stay with me for quite some time. I wanted so much to help Haley and Beth as I read this book, but as I was reading I could see that bad things were bound to happen.

I found Dark Roads to be a crime thriller that was a ok read. The first part of the book was really good, the middle section dragged a bit and then the last part got intriguing again.
The story is based off the true story about the Cold Creek Highway. The author does write a twisty, creepy and dark story. For me, it seemed to drag a bit and didn’t keep me engaged.
I recommend you read it. It may be a perfect read for you.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

After her father’s untimely death, 17-year-old Hailey McBride is living with her aunt, nephew, and her aunt’s police sergeant husband, Vaughn, the one everyone in town calls The Iceman. The community of Cold Creek, British Columbia, has seen more than its share of murders and disappearances, mostly of young women, and the townspeople are certain that a truck driver passing through is responsible. Hailey loves her aunt, but resents the hold Vaughn has over her and the entire town, simply because of his position. When Hailey discovers Vaughn’s secret, she is forced to disappear to protect herself, and everyone assumes that Hailey, too, has fallen victim to the highway killer.

The next year, Beth Chevalier arrives in Cold Creek, looking for answers regarding her sister Amber’s murder. Getting a job at the truck stop diner is easy, thanks to the owner’s remembering Amber, and Beth tries to settle in and learn all she can about Amber and her life in Cold Creek. Her decision to sleep in her car at the lake gets her on Vaughn’s radar, and she is frightened by his demeanor and almost heeds his warnings to leave town.

So many twists, so much intrigue…Dark Roads pulls the reader in, leaving us to speculate who the killer actually is. There are dark hints, but nothing is revealed until the ending, as it should be. This is a good solid thriller, with an interesting storyline, and I applauded Hailey’s resilience and courage.

The book is based on events that happened in Highway of Tears where lots of Indegenious women went missing and murdered during the 70s. I am expecting the book to explore more on this, with scare, thrill and suspense. However, the plot of the book veered away from that and more teen romance was explored. Some of the actions of the two MCs are questionable to a point.

The first part of the book is interesting enough, the middle part drags a bit that I feel it too long but the last part makes it exciting, nail biting suspense (with little bit over on the action). The story is predictable with unexpected twist. Overall, if you are into mystery and action pack read, you might enjoy this.

Summary
The Cold Creek Highway stretches hundred of miles, it’s vast and isolated. For decades, lots of women went missing and murdered in the highway and no one has been brought to justice. Hailey McBride, orphaned and living with her aunt whose husband is with the local police uses his badge to intimidate and control Hailey. Then she vanishes in the mountain terrains and people thought she is taken by the highway killer.

One year later, Beth Chevalier arrives in Cold Creek, where her sister Amber lived and was murdered. Beth is seeking closure and tries to understand what happened to her sister. While searching for answers, without her knowing she is putting herself at risk trying to reveal the truth and with Hailey’s disappearance.

Thank you NetGalley for giving access to e-ARC in exchange for honest review.

This story grabbed my interested from the first page and held it throughout. Wow! I loved this one so much, even though it was super disturbing and a difficult read. It tells the tale of about twenty young women who've gone missing and found dead along the 500 mile stretch of Cold Creek Highway, a logging and mining town.

Hailey McBride is a seventeen year old whose been dealt a bad hand of cards. Her mother died in of cancer and her father died in a car wreck, so she's orphaned but her aunt Lana takes her in. Her aunt is married to a character I detested, Erick Vaughn who is the sergeant of the local sheriff's department and he is one mean, evil SOB.

The three MC's are Hailey, Beth, and Jonny and I loved them all for various reasons. The three really bond and Jonny is really protective of both girls, but Vaughn has it in for Jonny and being the sheriff gives him the opportunity to do him wrong.

There is so much to this one and the killer of the girls was definitely not on my list of suspects at all! That one was a shocker to me.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this book.

Dark, claustrophobic and disturbing-this book goes there!
Cold creek highway is somewhere you never want to Travel alone. It seems to be a haunting ground for a serial killer.
The characters are well developed and the background to their stories is deep. And I liked that it was based on real events in British Columbia-she really did her homework in learning about the indigenous women who went missing. That being said, there was a lot of slow pages but there were enough twists and darkness to make up for it. Definitely recommend!
Thanks to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

If you like fast paced thrillers that keep you guessing, the Dark Roads is for you!. I haven't read anything by Chevy Stevens before, but am looking forward to reading more.