Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: July 6, 2021
“The Hunted” is the new novel by author, Roz Nay, of “Hurry Home” and “Our Little Secret” and although it is my first experience with this author, I was definitely intrigued.
Stevie is desperate to start over, after the loss of her grandmother and her best friend, so when her boyfriend Jacob gets offered a job as a dive instructor at a resort in Africa, she reluctantly agrees to join him. After a scary experience at their first hostel, Stevie is on edge but Jacob assures her that once they get settled in Africa, she will begin to enjoy herself. When they arrive at the dive resort, Stevie immediately bonds with Tamsin, who is traveling with her partner, Leo, and soon the two are inseparable. But Leo gives Stevie the creeps, and when she catches Leo following her around and reading her journal, she tries to convince Jacob that they need to leave. And then the dead bodies start to turn up…………
“The Hunted” is a suspense-fueled novel, set to the backdrop of tropical beaches on rarely-traveled parts of Africa. It has all the elements of an escapist novel, and I was instantly pulled into the salt water and sand of Rafiki Island.
The story is narrated from the viewpoint of both Stevie and Leo, although we do occasionally get to witness snippets of Jacob and Tamsin’s experiences, which helped form a bond with the four core characters.
The characters, for the most part, are likable and endearing. Stevie is a reluctant traveler who is desperate to get away from the secrets of her past, but she is forced once again to deal with the biggest secret of all when she meets Tamsin and begins to bond with her. The unique characters that frequent the hostels and the dive school in Africa are entertaining and free-spirited, but when the murders start, all of them are instantly under equal suspicion.
The ending of this novel managed to surprise me, and it left no unanswered questions. Nay has a way of making the reader anticipate a certain outcome, and then pull the rug out from under them, without leaving any plot holes. Everything is wrapped up in a tight little bow when the ending of this novel comes, and I was satisfied with how it played out.
“The Hunted” is a great cat-and-mouse stalker novel, and the beautiful African beach as a setting certainly doesn’t hurt either! I will be checking out Nay’s future (and past) works!

The bookstagram community speaks highly of Roz Nay so I was very excited to get an advanced copy of her upcoming book through Netgalley. Based on the various posts I’ve read about her I was expecting to be blown away by this book. My high expectations slowly deflated the further into the book I got. I know that this will be an unpopular opinion but this book was not that great. I found the first half was slow and the story dragged. When things did begin to pick up in the latter half of the book it sped up too quickly. Too much information was squished into too few pages. Perhaps if the book was longer and the author gave herself more space to the plot I would have enjoyed it more. For me, the big twist ending came too late in the story and the information was delivered by the wrong character.

None of the main characters were my cup of tea. Stevie is whiny and both she and her boyfriend Jacob are ridiculously co-dependent and should not be in a relationship with each other. Half of the book is told from Stevie’s point of view and the other half is from the POV of Leo; a narcist whose relationship with his mother is very troubling. There isn’t even a side character in this book that could have saved it for me. I wouldn’t trust any of them to have my back on a dive and there’s no way I would want to travel anywhere with them never mind to a country I’ve never been to before where I know no one and don’t speak the native languages.

It wasn’t all bad though. Roz did a great job setting the scene on the island. Having not been able to travel in forever, due to Covid restrictions it was enjoyable to feel like I was back in the tropics. All in all, I let my high expectations get the best of me. I am bummed that I didn’t discover a brand new favourite author like I was expecting to. I’m pretty sure that my opinion of this will be in the minority so if you are into nightmarish travel thrillers then you might still want to check it out.

Ho. Ly. Smokes. Let me tell you, I haven’t read a book that kept me on the edge of my seat like #TheHunted by #RozNay in a while.

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Stevie has endured a fair amount of trauma in her life; most recently she lost her Grandma, Nattie. Her long-term boyfriend Jacob suggests a change of pace, and they head as a team to Africa, touring a bit before heading to the exotic, secluded Rafiki Island to help run a dive camp. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀
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Things get off to a rocky start when Stevie has a strange encounter in a bathroom at their hostel, but her fears about being so far away from home are quickly quelled when she and Jacob meet Leo, a man who understands the ins and outs of navigating the African continent. Wouldn’t you be impressed if this person you just met stopped you from eating Raid-laden pastries? I would.

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These feelings of security are quickly quashed, however, when Leo and his girlfriend Tamsin, end up going to Rafiki too. Stevie quickly realizes she’s being stalked by a killer and needs to get off the Island— a matter which is easier said than done. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀

#TheHunted is fast-paced with a vivid backdrop, making you want to turn the pages well into the night, but also question every stranger you meet going forward.

A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. Thank you to @Netgalley for the arc!

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THE HUNTED is Roz Nay's upcoming book (releasing on July 6th) and is the first of her's that I've read.

It follows Stevie and Jacob, who are moving to Africa because Jacob's been offered an exciting new job.
Along the way they meet a carefree backpacking couple, Leo and Tamsin.
The four form a fast friendship but they all have secrets that are becoming harder to keep buried.

I'll start with what I wasn't too fond of about this book...
⌛ Nothing exciting happens until around 60-70%. That was a long time to wait for a thriller to be thrilling. I get the need for character development but these people are not that complex, I had them summed up pretty quickly and so much repetition was unnecessary.
🔚 The ending was definitely a surprise but I wouldn't call it a twist. It was just a bunch of information that was omitted from the story until the last ten pages, and it caused a few plot holes.

What I enjoyed about the book was...
♌ Leo was an interesting character. The story is told from his and Stevie's POV and his chapters were exciting and he had a great character arc.
🏖 The African setting really came alive at times. The beaches....the hostels....the heat. I love when an author uses the settings so vividly.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the gifted copy**

Who loves a good prologue?? Me! This book had a great prologue and I was quickly hooked. I found myself thinking about those first few pages multiple times throughout the book and wondering when it would fall into place.

This book ticked many thriller boxes for me: remote isolated setting, dual POVs, lots of secrets and a instantly vile villain. I did find myself frustrated with the main character at times and her decision making.

The scenery in this novel was so well done. I could easily picture the beach, hear the stillness of the waves and feel the heat. Makes a perfect summer read!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy!

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: July 6, 2021

SUMMARY:
Stevie needs a new start after recently losing grandmother, her rock in an otherwise tumultuous life. Her boyfriend Jacob convinces her to join him on an adventure to Africa but things don’t go as planned when Stevie immediately starts feeling unsettled and scared in her new environment. Experiences in the present and memories from the past threaten to overwhelm her. Who’s the villain here...and how far will they go to ensure Stevie is theirs?

PROS and CONS:
This is an eerie story of stalking in Africa...and I don’t mean by the wildlife. Obsession, lies, betrayal - this one has it all! I loved the descriptions of Africa, especially the remote island of Rafiki. A sense of dread kept building and building as I wondered what was going to happen next. The ending let this one down a bit...but I still enjoyed reading it!!

READ IT?
Yes, if you’re a fan of thrillers in exotic settings, you’ll love this one!!

4 Stars

Absolutely loved this book! Fast paced and unexpected. I couldn't help thinking how great it would be as a movie! Highly recommend this one and her other books as well.

The Hunted is my first novel by Roz Nay. This thriller takes us on a journey to Africa, where American couple Stevie and Jacob are having time away from their hometown and haunted memories. On their trip, they meet another couple that seems to weave themselves seamlessly into the lives of Stevie and Jacob, and then things start to get a little weird.
I love the premise of backpacking in a foreign country because there can be so many unsettling aspects to being in a foreign country, meeting and becoming friendly with strangers and having so many opportunities to possibly reinvent one's own identity. The eco-tour dive camp was a fantastic setting for the thriller to unwind - so many opportunities for things to go wrong!
This novel starts off with a bang, but once the action unfolds, I found that it fizzled out a little bit. There is a twist towards the end, which was enjoyable, but I felt the end to be a bit rushed. The characters could have been more developed, for me, and I think the ambiguity offered by the backpacking vibe wasn't fully captured. Definitely a fun weekend read for summer!
Thank you to Roz Nay, Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for review.

this was the perfect book to kick off June!! the best setting for summer (backpacking through Africa), a little LGBTQ+ action, and a fun, thrilling ride!

WHAT I LIKED
- like I said, the setting. it was easy to picture the hostels, the island, the boats. I always appreciate when an author can bring their vision to life through their words
- the overall storyline - you think you know but you don’t

WHAT I DIDN’T
- as much as I liked the story, the twist was saved for the ending, and then it just, ended
- told from the perspectives of two (very) different characters, one being Stevie (who made really frustrating decisions throughout the book) and Leo (I felt like I was in the mind of a sociopath) - I just couldn’t relate and I always feel like something’s missing if I don’t

*thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this eARC*

Stevie is grieving the sudden loss of her grandmother and is desperate for an escape. So when her boyfriend Jacob lands a job working as a diver for GoEco on the small island of Rafiki, she welcomes the opportunity for an adventure. While backpacking across Africa on their way to the island, they meet another couple and quickly form a connection to them. The closer they become, the stranger things get though, and soon Stevie and Jacob find themselves questioning, how close is too close?

Told from dual POVs, The Hunted was an intense and fast paced thriller! The island setting made me feel like I was on vacation. The odd happenings and creepy vibes were enough to make me thankful to be home. I could have easily made it through this in one sitting given the chance. It read like a movie, and almost had a similar vibe to one I watched years ago. I also found parts to be predictable, however, that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this novel!

I wanted to shake Stevie and Jacob and scream at them to pay attention! I could feel Stevie's heavy sense of grief throughout and how she questioned herself was very relatable. Jacob was frustrating at times with his complete obliviousness to certain situations.

Overall, I loved this one. The exotic backdrop, the fast pace of the story, the mystery and suspense, and the dual POVs all added to my enjoyment. I would recommend this to any thriller lover. It was my first Roz Nay book and it won't be my last! (less)

This book will grip you from the very first paragraph and will leave you feeling totally unsettled the rest of the way through.

Stevie has had a rough go of it recently so her and her boyfriend, Jacob, have decided to take an extended break and head to Africa for a while for a new adventure together. Jacob got a job as a diver for an EcoTourist company on the secluded island of Rafiki. As they make their way to Rafiki, the first night at their first hostel doesn't go well and Stevie has quite the scare and now she's certain someones watching her. Eventually they meet Leo and Tamsin, a couple of experienced travelers. When they get to Rafiki relationships are tested, secrets are revealed and some pretty creepy stuff starts happening.

The story has a lot to it - an exotic location, interesting characters, lots of twists and turns and a super tense conclusion. Pick this one up for a great summer thriller to read in the sunshine!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada who provided me with a copy of this book.

The Hunted by Roz Nay has got to be one of my favourite thrillers I’ve read in a long time. The Hunted is full of twists and turns and heart stopping moments and an amazingly unexpected plot twist. I absolutely loved it.

After tragedy strikes in Anchorite Bay USA, Jacob and Stevie travel to Africa. Jacob has been offered a diving job in Tanzania and they both see this new opportunity as a fresh start and an opportunity to leave Anchorite Bay and their past behind.

Upon arrival in Africa, strange things start to happen to Stevie. She constantly feels like she’s being watched and that something isn’t quite right. Jacob tries to reassure Stevie but she just can’t shake that feeling. And on their first night in Africa at the hostel they are staying at, Stevie has a very scary encounter making them flee the hostel the next day. But not before the couple encounters Leo.

Leo and Tamsin are a beautiful, privileged couple, travelling through Africa escaping demons of their own. When Leo sees Stevie for the first time in the hostel in Nairobi, he is “mesmerized” and suddenly The Hunt is on.

The two couples become travel friends, both heading to GoEco a diving camp
on Rafiki Island in Tanzania. Stevie and Jacob think it’s a mere coincidence that they have become travel companions with Leo and Tamsin. But it’s the furthest thing from the truth.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for my Arc of The Hunted. I will definitely be buying this book when it’s published July 6, 2021

Creepy. From the opening paragraph I was creeped out - unsettled. Like being out with your friends and the creepy guy from across the bar stares and gives off such a vibe that you know that you need to 1, stick together, and 2, go find a different place to hang.
Granted, it's COVID, so it's been a (long) while since that happened, but this book made me feel all of those creepy, uncomfortable feelings again.
Roz Nay does an excellent job of making the feelings and vibes feel authentic (almost too authentic), and you are transported. You are there with them in Africa - backpacking and trying to figure out life because it clearly didn't go as planned. And then you meet them - them - this other couple. They seem nice, friendly, and you get along great. And how lucky - you are headed to the same place - what a small world.
Except it's not. It's not all fun and games. Someone's been watching you. They watch you sleep, they've read your journal (not even your boyfriend has read it)... and they want you.
Anything that gets in their way - they will destroy - that's how bad they want you.

The Hunted is dark, twisted, creepy, exotic, tangled and well written. Worth your time. Just - maybe don't start it at night, especially if you are alone.

If you like thrillers with an extra dose of creepy, then this one is for you! Stevie and her high school sweetheart Jacob have arrived in Africa on a backpacking trip/work adventure, and are soon befriended by Leo and his girlfriend Tamsin. From their first night upon arrival in the foreign country, Stevie is feeling uneasy about their surroundings and has received mysterious warnings from fellow travellers at the hostel. The chapters switch POV between the characters, and right off the bat, we know that Leo is a stalker. However, we don't know what his motive is, or why he has suddenly developed this strange obsession with Stevie. As the story progresses, she begins to feel increasingly uneasy by Leo and his strange behaviour, but they have trouble shaking their new friend.

The element of being in a foreign place while also feeling unsafe in your surroundings and unsure about the people around you left me feeling very uncomfortable and unsettled while reading. Ultimately, this was an unpredictable thriller with some unexpected twists that will have you on edge until the end!

This book was such a quick, compulsive read. I read it in two sittings - it would have been one but you know, sleep.... I do not like to give away too much when discussing a thriller but I will say this was well crafted, propulsive and deceptive. As an avid thriller reader, I do not typically expect to be surprised but when I am, it is most welcome.

Add this to your beach bag - you will be glad you did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Ca. for the advanced reader copy. Publishes July 6, 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley and Roz Nay for giving me this opportunity to resd this ebook.
A young couple go to Africa to travel the continent and meet up with another couple a quickly become friends. Incidences happen but no one knows who has done these things. You may think it is one character then read more into the book and you think it could be another character. The story kept me thinking who was doing these incidences.
If you're looking for a summer read this is the book to read and/or listen too.

Gripping book. It's the kind of book you read in one sitting because you just can't put it down.

Stevie is a little bit broken with a haunted past and you really want to know what it is. Suffering the death of her grandmother and her home, Stevie is deep in grief and following Jacob to Africa when he takes a new job seems like a good idea.

Enter Leo and Tamsin. Leo is a lot broken and you think you know his past (and you really wish you didn't). Tamsin is fun-loving and beautiful. Because we have Leo's POV, you know there is something not quite right about the pull between the couples, and it draws us into a web of obsession and stalking.

The conclusion was tense and made this book impossible to put down.

This is a taut, character-driven psychological thriller, filled with suspicion and tension. The author’s wonderfully developed characters that you will love or otherwise love to hate make this a riveting read. Non-stop action with multiple twists and turns leave you wondering at times who the good guys really were. It was so captivating and exciting that I simply couldn't put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Shuster Canada who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Fantastic read with intriguing storyline. The characters were very defiined and the mystery was kept til the end. the available detail was enough to keep the suspense until the end.

This is another quick and unputdownable thriller by the mistress of flawed characters, Roz Nay! Seriously, I am now having second thoughts backpacking in remote cities!😂 Like all her books, I was quickly drawn into the complicated personalities and relationships of the main characters. I must say that I didn’t see the twist coming and it completely blindsided me! I still do not know how I feel about it except that my mind was 🤯 after finishing it!!! I love how the book has a stalker-ish vibe the whole time and how it kept me on edge from start to finish. The dual POV certainly made it even more suspenseful! This book will be out on July 6, 2021 so thriller fans, please watch out for it!

Thanks to @netgalley for providing me the eARC. All opinions are mine. 🛶