The Drift by C. J. Tudor was set in the most atmospheric location. I absolutely love closed-circle mysteries and The Drift has all of those mysterious who-dun-it vibes. I enjoyed the storyline and plot points but found it a little difficult to follow the characters since there were many of them. I did like some of the reveals and plot points.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a very well-written post-apocalyptic story, but overall, is probably my least favorite of the 4 books I've read by C.J. Tudor. I think this is partially my fault, because in a lot of ways I'm still not ready to read stories about pandemics and mass sickness given the last few years.

One of the best parts of this book was the sense of atmosphere and the descriptions of the cold, desolate landscape. I had a very vivid picture in my head of what everything looked like!

There were three perspectives in this, and I thought the way that they were connected was well-done. I will say, though, the voices of the three POVs felt very similar to me; in particular, Meg and Hannah felt nearly indistinguishable from one another. Because of this, I could never quite get a grasp on the characters, and this made it more difficult to root for them and/or care about their fates.

All in all, I think the lesson here is that if you don't think you'll enjoy a depressing story about a feasible apocalypse, you probably aren't going to love The Drift, even if it is written by an author you'd consider to be a favorite.

The Drift tells three stories, connected in a way I really wasn’t expecting, centered around the struggle to survive in a world that has been ravaged by a mysterious pandemic. I’ve always loved apocalyptic stories (not sure what that says about me, lol) but after what the world has gone through over the last couple of years, novels focusing on pandemics just seem to hit a little harder. I can’t go deep into the story without spoiling some major plot points/twists, but I will say each of the three stories is an intense tale of survival. I do wish there was more focus on the early days of the outbreak, that we got to see things fall apart. That being said each of the stories happen in unique locations which brings added stress to the events, as there is more than just the virus our characters have to worry about. I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of C.J. Tudor’s The Drift.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2EPE374NNJARY/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This book is three separate POV stories of survival until they combine in the end to a thrilling conclusion. First, Hannah and a handful of other students from an exclusive school are escaping to safety, fleeing a brewing deadly virus that's sweeping the nation. A flash of light, a crash, and then nothing until she wakes up to find herself one of few survivors of the bus crash. The doors are jammed, there's no way out, and the temperature is dropping fast. They'll have to work together to survive, but Hannah isn't the only one with a secret.
After volunteering for a secret project, former cop Meg wakes up suspended in a stalled cable car, dressed in a stranger's clothes, with no memory of how she got there. With her are a group of strangers all except one, a familiar face from her past... and he's dead. With little hope of rescue, these strangers will have to trust each other to survive even though one of them is a killer.
In an abandoned ski resort, a small group is working toward creating a vaccine against the deadly virus. They are barely surviving, exchanging doses for vital supplies. But when the power starts to fail, the threat lurking in the basement gets closer and closer to escape and Carter and his small group of friends could be its first victims.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't put it down! With details of the reaction to the virus so familiar, yet so strange and the perfect time of year to read this snowy chilling story, it pulled me right in. I'm excited to read more by this new-to-me author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

All I can say is wow! I didn’t re-read the blurb before reading and forgot what the book was about. I was greatly rewarded when I realized it was apocalyptic (one of my favorites). It’s told from the different POVs and takes place years into a viral pandemic during a snow storm. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time reading this. There are mysteries, secrets, survival and twists. There are a lot of tense moments in this one and great story telling.

Thank you for letting me read this wonderful book in return for an honest review.

I absolutely couldn't put it down. I got so involved with the characters that I wanted to see what was happening.

That twist at the end was something that I never saw coming. My only regret is that I can't read it again for the first time.

⭐⭐⭐/5

• violent survival horror
• heavy but well written
• strong ending

This one is very different from the author's previous work. In the beginning, I had a hard time keeping all of the characters and storylines straight in mind. There was a virus, a bus crash, and zombies in this post-apocalyptic setting. I did enjoy how it all came together in the end though.

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse/Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

I read C.J. Tudor's book, The Chalk Man, years ago and while I generally enjoyed it, it ultimately wasn't for me. However, I'm happy to report that I really enjoyed The Drift! The book synopsis definitely keeps things very vague, plot-wise, but I think that's a good thing. I'm impressed that the author could make a pandemic/zombie story feel fresh and interesting. The book alternates between three different characters in three different storylines. The Drift does a great job of building tension and slowly revealing the full story and how everything connects. This was definitely a page-turner, even though I was honestly a little scared to read it at night! I would absolutely recommend The Drift!

Review of The Drift by C.J. Tudor

My thanks to Ballentine Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

This is a post-apocalyptic novel. There is some sort of disease running rampant seemingly worldwide that affects both humans and animals. Plus, this disease can be transmitted from one to the other.

The Retreat is a remote outpost built to house people who are not infected with the disease with the hope, I suppose, of saving humanity when/if a cure or protective drug can be invented. The Drift is organized in three groups. There is a group of people on a transport bus headed to The Retreat which crashes mysteriously within a few miles of the outpost. I call this Hannah’s group. There is another group of people in a cable car headed to The Retreat which mysteriously stops a few hundred yards from the cable car station. I call this Meg’s group. And then there is a group of people already living at The Retreat. I call this Carter’s group. I named the groups like this, because those are the names of the chapters in the novel. This is helpful starting to read so that you can begin organizing the story at the outset.

Without spoiling the book but giving you a bit of a heads-up, know going in that the timeline of the novel is not linear. It took me longer than I liked to figure that out. When it occurred to me what was going on, it was confusing. Also know that names change…more than once. I never did get a solid handle on this. All is explained at the end. I hope you do a better job than I did following the conclusion.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed this novel. My confusion at the end could very well be attributed to my being distracted or just my personal issues with keeping track of this many characters. There were a bit too many for me. The weather is also a character. The story takes place either in the winter or in a northern area affected by climate change. There is snow…lots of it. Hence, the name of the novel.

As you can imagine, there are good guys and bad guys everywhere…on the bus, in the cable car, and at The Retreat. As with all pandemic situations, there are people immune to the virus, asymptomatic people who can still spread the disease, and those who die from other things than the virus.

The novel ends with somewhat of a positive outlook for the future. I think. You decide.

My star rating: 3 stars

3.5 stars
The Drift is a mixed read for me. It is a graphic, disturbing apocalyptic horror novel set in a snowy, virus-ruled future. This is definitely not my typical genre, and though it’s truly horrifying in so many ways and not for the squeamish or faint of heart, there is something so utterly captivating about the plot, that it’s hard to stop reading.

The accessible writing and atmospheric setting are immediately immersive and the plot, told from three perspectives, sucks you in. Despite the unsavory content, the plot, with its diverging perspectives, is really unique and the way they weave together is spectacularly clever.

I’d be willing to give it a higher rating, but there is such vitriol towards Christians and blasphemous commentary towards God, that I cannot in good conscience give it a high rating. I don’t understand why authors do this. Believe what you’d like, but don’t spew hatred and think it’s acceptable because it’s “fiction”, or a character speaking and not a real person. There are all kinds of trigger warnings in this story as well as some unfortunate how-to descriptions. In some aspects it felt like the author included gory details just for the shock value, and there is a great deal of language. I find it interesting when authors think that that is a common way that everyone speaks.

As far as structure goes, at first I liked the rotating points of view, but the further we got into the story, the less I liked being pulled from the plot at hand, only to hop into another. It did make for a fast-paced read, and the way it was written did construct a rather comprehensive story with pieces slotting into place after a bit of contemplation. The conclusion is bleak and it leaves questions unanswered. It will be too soon for many to read this type of novel, but regardless of my issues with it, it was a compulsive, unusual, intriguing story, if also graphic and disconsolate.

I felt this book needed a photo with snow, but it’s -10 right now, so this is the best I could do. Please clap.

This was my first time reading anything by CJ Tudor and I really enjoyed it!

The novel follows 3 characters in the United States after a zombie-type virus outbreak. The three stories intertwine, but how and why they do is slowly revealed over the course of the novel. Hannah wakes up in a bus that has crashed while transporting her and other students to a safe place; Meg wakes up in a broken down cable car suspended partially up a mountain on its way to “The Retreat”; and Carter lives and works at “The Retreat.” There is an ever-present backdrop of snow and cold in all three stories, so it’s a perfect thriller for this time of year!

After having previously given up on the Chalk Man, I was a bit worried about this one. I enjoyed the atmosphere but everything kinda just faltered afterwards.

The Drift was such an attention grabbing read. This was my first by author CJ Tudor and I am looking forward to reading others now. The mystery of how the different people whose points of view we hear from are all connected really kept me reading. All three groups are dealing with a horrendous virus that has changed all life as they know it. The gore and grit of all of the story really kept me wanting to read until the end. The end is where I felt I had more questions than answers, though from what I understand that is how this author writes.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book follows three main characters through three separate timelines before connecting them at the end. The stories are all unique, and each character faces their own challenges in hopes of surviving. While I loved reading The Chalk Man, I found this book to be a little bit too much of a challenge for me to follow, In my opinion each storyline was great on it's own but once you combine all three and the numerous secondary characters it became too hard to keep track of what was going on.

I read a review where a woman stated that she almost 💩 her pants when reading this book at night, so that was enough for me to run over and request it immediately.

This book follows the lives of Meg, Hannah, and Carter. Each character is seeking safety at The Retreat to escape an infection that’s quickly spreading and taking the lives of loved ones across the country.

The Retreat has promised safety and security but it comes with a hefty price…your life. Meg, Hannah and Carter are on their way to The Retreat but tragedy strikes during evacuation. Can they survive the freezing snow, the infection, and reach their destination?

I loved the cold, eerie setting that bloomed in my mind as I read. I’m always hesitant to pick up post-apocalyptic books because of the virus that we all survived but this one was written so well that it gave me the creeps.

The Drift by C.J. Tudor is an absolute 5 star book. There isn’t much I can say because I don’t want to give away how the storyline progresses but I will say that each and every character was written to perfection. I was shocked several times and was unable to figure out where the story was going. When I saw, my mouth was hanging open. Somehow, Tudor ended every single chapter on a cliffhanger and I was so invested in the three POV’s, I never knew who I was more worried for. Basically locked room mysteries, the sense of claustrophobia was always present. I was completely satisfied by the ending. So basically, no notes!!

This is probably Tudo's darkest book yet. The varied storylines and writing were fabulous. If you have read Todor's other works, you can even catch references to other books. I think anyone who has read a CJ Tudo book before knows there will be a mix of horror, just beware this one has a lot more violence and gruesome imagery than usual. Overall, not my favorite of hers, but I'm always happy to read anything by this author. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. 4 stars

Confusing as all get out, super creepy, super gross, and yet I couldn't stop reading!! It was very intense from start to finish. I'm still not a hundred percent sure how everything wrapped up- I'm going to need to read it again!

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for the early read.

This book pulls you in quick with multiple POVs and quick cliff hangered/big reveal chapter. It is a detailed atmosphere in an apocalyptic world that has a lot of action and violent scenes.

I'm going to rate it at a 4 as you don't know until the last quarter who you are even rooting for. I was entertained and didn't want to stop reading, but I was never fully backing/rooting for any character in particular until the end.

CJ Tudor never fails to miss the mark. She is an incredible author who loves her twists.

4.5 stars! The Drift gave me Emily St. John Mandel meets Justin Cronin’s“The Ferryman” meets kinda Stephen King vibes? A very contagious & deadly virus hits, leaving the world in a post-apocalyptic state. Without giving too much away, I love how C.J. Tudor spun this one.

Even though this book came out today, I got a ARC from NetGalley and finished it on it’s pub day.