Thank you to Random House Ballantine, C.J. Tudor, and Netgalley for the digital arc of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

NO SPOILERS EVER

C.J. Tudor's latest novel, The Drift (as in snowdrift), is an apocalyptic, medical thriller with a dash of supernatural horror that will chill you to the bone. Hannah, Meg, and Carter are all stranded on a snowy mountain in the middle of a blizzard, trapped in different life or death survival situations. (And that's not the only thing they have to worry about.)

The story is told from three different viewpoints, and as you are reading, you get the sense that the stories connect, but I'm not telling you how. I loved all three characters POVs. It was like getting three books in one and I don't think I could choose a favorite if I tried. Each was gripping and terrifying and though there were a few similar elements between them (the cold, snow, survival, etc.) each storyline was completely distinct.

This book was impossible for me to put down. All the chapters end on cliffhangers, which compels you to read "just one more chapter" all night long. I love books in a harsh winter setting or with a end of the world theme, so this fit perfectly in my wheelhouse. The Drift will definitely keep you guessing. You won't know who or what to believe. I guessed one of the twists to the book fairly early on, but that just made me enjoy it more - waiting to see if I was right. I love it when books feel like puzzles you can put together as you read them.

The only thing that slightly bothered me was there was no real backstory. You're sorta just plopped down into a world that exists the way it does in the book, and it was never explained. The Drift is a twisty thriller in the vein of A.G. Riddle or Blake Crouch. It's the perfect book to curl up by the fire with on a snowy winter day.

4 ½ stars rounded up to 5 stars
Recommended for fans of:
Thrillers, Suspense, Mysteries, Science-Fiction, Action Adventure, General Fiction

In the middle of a catastrophe, three people come together for survival. Hannah is one of several survivors that had been evacuated from a boarding school. Meg is with strangers in a cable car suspended in midair headed to The Retreat, and none of them have any memory of how they got there. Carter is in an isolated ski chalet with companions, and the generator is failing in the storm; somewhere within the chalet is something trying to escape. The three strangers' stories are each part of a larger puzzle, of something threatening all of humanity.

The threat is a virus, one spread through air, blood, saliva, or ingestion of infected meat. The outbreak is terrible and worldwide; as readers, we're only too aware of how that works. Hannah and the surviving students try to escape the bus, but her father is the lead researcher and is more than willing to kill the infected to contain the virus. That includes Hannah. A former policewoman, Meg is a volunteer for testing possible vaccines. The Retreat is an isolated location to do that, but one of the people in the car is a murderer. Up at the Retreat, survivors weather the storm, each with their own agenda.

The way the three threads are woven together is clever. As the timelines collapse and we understand where and when things happen, we are completely invested in their stories and want to know how it turns out. The three POV characters are survivors, each with their own core of goodness. Hannah compartmentalized everything and can be seen as cold, but we know where she gets it from and she still cares enough to try saving the survivors. Meg might want to die to be with her dead daughter again, but she still wants to see others safe. Carter has a niece that he wants to protect and had hoped to help the friends he made at the Retreat. We see the best and worst of humanity in each thread, and the ending pulls it all together flawlessly. This was an engrossing book keeping me up long past my bedtime.

BEST BOOK I HAVE READ THIS YEAR!!! I wish I could give it more than 5 stars! This was a twisted, fast-paced, interesting read, that I found I did not want to put down! It had well-developed, multi-faceted characters. It was suspenseful, thrilling and addictive! I gasped, I cried, I cheered, my heart beat wildly with anticipation and, sometimes, even fear! I felt ALL of the "feels". I was glued to my Kindle screen from the first page to the last. If you like unputdownable psychological suspense as much as I do, you CANNOT miss out on reading this book!!!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Huge amount of thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine books for an advance copy of this book!
CJ Tudor is on fire y’all! The Drift is a perfect mix of thriller and horror, with a bit of apocalypse thrown in for good measure.
3 separate groups of people are stranded in deadly blizzard conditions: a bus crash, a stalled ski lift, and an abandoned ski lodge. In addition to being stranded with little to no resources, they are also being faced with a deadly virus with no cure.
Fantastic read!

This is not the book one should read if you need a pick-me-up. This is the second book I've read by this author, and just like in The Other People, there are multiple complex threads that seem entirely disconnected until the book is much further along. The story is narrated in third person from three different points of view: Carter, Hannah, and Meg. You discover fairly quickly that a terrible pandemic has struck the world, but I'll leave it there because this book will be a lot better if you have no foreknowledge going into it. I loved how the author was able to connect the threads, but even toward the end, I still couldn't figure out the exact story. This book is dark, depressing, brutal, and violent, but there are elements of the better side of humanity on display. By the end, despite the pessimistic view of what the world faces, you still think that humanity might find a way to finally live with the virus. I'm sure the author was inspired by our own Covid-19 pandemic, but this is one of the better books inspired by Covid-19, and it moves towards the paranormal, as the author is wont to do. I'm not usually a fan of zombies, but occasionally, a book manages to get it right, at least for me.

In terms of thrills and chills, I thought it was more horror than thriller, but that may vary depending on the reader. I ended up liking this at least as much as The Other People, and will continue to look for her books.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House and the author, CJ Tudor for advanced copy.

CJ Tudor needs no Introduction to those of us thriller lovers!

The Drift is a 3 for 1 for storyline. We have three different prospectives of people who find themselves in life or death situations. One woman has been in a bus crash in a remote snow ladened area, trapped. Another woman is in a cable car suspended in the air. And a man in a high security facility named The Retreat. All three stories come together and they need find out what they have in common.

Page turner because you NEED to find out what happens and why. 5 stars, highly recommend!

The Drift was a fast paced, heart pumping thriller with lots of mystery and puzzle pieces to put together. Unfortunately, the repetitive nature of the survival story had this structure going stale at around the halfway point. I did enjoy the snowy atmosphere, but the characters were not developed in a way that made me care about what was happening to them. I was watching the twists occur knowing that they might have been shocking, but without the emotional buy-in, this didn’t hit as hard as I wanted it to. I’m beginning to think that Tudor’s writing style just isn’t for me. Disappointed 2 stars.

This book sort of fell apart at the end for me. Until approximately 80%, I was INTO IT. Unfortunately, that's when things started to cross over, all bows were being tied up, and it was just too many things and got too confusing. However, I'm giving it four stars because it was a book I enjoyed, though I would have liked to know more about the whistlers.

Hannah awakens to the scene of an accident after being evacuated from her boarding school. Can she and her few survivors survive until they can be rescued?
Meg awakens to find herself and several strangers trapped in a car stranded above snowy mountains. Can she and the rest of the group arrive at their destination alive?
Carter and his friends think that they are safe in the cabin that they call home. Until, the generator begins to die. Can they make it?
Three groups of people, can any of them survive?

#thedrift:⁣
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Thank you @prhaudio & @randomhouse for the gifted copies!⁣
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“You’re either a good guy or you’re a survivor, someone had once told him. The earth is full of dead good guys.”⁣
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Hello. Welcome to my favorite book [so far] of 2023. Holy. Macaroni. That’s what you call a third act twist y’all. This post-apocalyptic winters locked room book had everything in it. I was cold, grossed out, and as always, in awe of C.J. Tudor’s writing. This book is a banger.⁣
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Audio was top tier. I listened to The Drift mostly on audio because it was so good. I only switched to print whenever everyone fell asleep and I had to be quieter than a mouse. ⁣
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I loved this book. It is wild it was written in 2019, because it definitely felt like a 2020 world. Absolutely smashing, favorite book of the year right now. Amazing, my kind of chaotic. Oh! It’s out today as well! ⁣
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“Because caring is all we have left. If we stop caring—about life, about other people—who are we? What have we become?”

A Dystopian Murder Mystery

Under the shadow of a deadly virus, society is breaking down. Three groups are seeking shelter at the Retreat, but are forestalled by accidents. Hannah and her classmates are on a bus heading for the Retreat when the bus goes off the road in a snowstorm. The bus is on it’s side with the unbreakable windows on the exposed side. Meg is trapped with strangers in a gondola swinging a thousand feet above the mountainside. Carter is already at the Retreat where he works, but the generator is going out and getting more supplies would be difficult at best.

The three threads of the story seem seem disconnected at first, but as the novel progresses the author cleverly pulls the strands together for a surprising conclusion. Although the book with multiple narrators and numerous characters seems difficult to follow at first, it’s worth sticking with it to get to the ending.

The writing is atmospheric and the difficulties faced by the three groups will have you on the edge of your seat. There is rather a lot of horror and blood. If it makes you uncomfortable, this may not be the book for you. However, the murder mystery and the interacting strands make for plenty of twists. I couldn’t figure out the trick at the end until well into the second half of the book.

I received this book from Random House for this review.

I enjoyed this book alot although different from the normal thriller books I read it was still very good full of tension and surprising things along the way! I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a different type of thriller to read!

Much thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC
All thoughts and opinions are my own

I've been trying books outside my usual genre to see if I enjoy anything besides fantasy. This one sounded pretty good. It's kind of post apocalyptic/thriller.

There's been a deadly virus outbreak. Hannah is on a bus on her way to safety at the Retreat. It's a safe haven in the mountains away from the infected. The bus crashes.

Meg is on a cable car, also headed for the Retreat. The cable car stops.

Carter is at the Retreat already. Is it really a safe haven?

This was ok for me. I didn't love the characters. I did think it was pretty realistic as far as the rich getting preferential treatment if something like this happened. Overall, it's a decent story, but not one that will stick with me.

Multiple locked-room mystery scenarios set against the back drop of a plague-ridden dystopian future? Sign. Me. Up. This book was a win for me. The author cleverly wove together the story lines while creating compelling characters. I really enjoyed how it all slowly unfolded and came together like a puzzle. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Publication Date - January 31, 2923


The Drift Is An Excellence In Horror!

C.J. Tudor' s new book is just so good that I don't know how she will top this one but please keep writing Ms. Tudor because I and all of your other fans will keep reading and waiting for each new unique creation that your imagination brings to written words!

Hannah awakens to moaning and stiffness and wonders where she is. The last thing she remembers is daydreaming while looking out the coach window watching the snowstorm that keeps getting worse by the minute on the way to the retreat after leaving their academy along with a dozen other students. What has happened and why and where have they stopped? What are all those other awful, strange noises she keeps hearing and why is she so, so cold?

Meg awakens out of her dream or nightmare that she can't quite remember to a room filled with windows and all she can see is a blizzard of wind and snow but No, not a room though, she is on a cable ski car hundreds of feet up high in the mountains with several other people bundled in heavy snow suits fast asleep. But why? Meg has no recollection of getting on the ski lift or even leaving her room.

Clark gazes out the immense windows with the most beautiful scenic view from the resort known as "the retreat". A snowstorm is building and it's his turn to travel to the village for new supplies, one of the duties he despises the most. Clark knows another storm is brewing at the retreat but he is unsure of everything involved and knows he must be very, very careful of the next steps he takes otherwise the wrong step could be his last!

I couldn't wait to finish this superb horror novel yet I still didn't want it to come to an end end since the story and the characters were so mesmerizing that I felt as if I was in a reading trance. C.J. Tudor has written an awsome story with all the horror, tension, creepiness, blood, gore and surreal atmosphere that any reader could have asked for. I went into this book blind and what a fantastic treat it was, although even if readers think they have ideas about how this novel plays out they will be seriously mistaken! I just loved the parallels between each group of people thinking how they would all intersect at some point but in my wildest imagination I never would have figured out where this author would make all the journeys evolve and intertwine. I was truly enraptured with everything in this book. Brilliant storyline, Brilliant writing, Brilliant characters and Brilliant Horror! Did I mention Brilliant? I plan to read this excellent book again someday! All horror readers, please don't miss out on this book especially if you love a claustrophobic and Snowbound atmospheric ride into terror!

I want to thank the author C.J. Tudor, the publisher "Random House Publishing - Ballantine" and of course Net- galley for the opportunity to read this special novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!




I have given this wonderful horror book a rating of 5 FRIDGID SNOWBOUND 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

My first CJ Tudor book and wow what a ride! Nice change up of POVs. This was dark and intense
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Read this on a perfect ice day while the kids had off from school. Perfect seasonal backdrop. Big fan of this author so the dystopian theme was a fun change of pace. The setting was the perfect backdrop to immerse yourself in this tale of horrors.

This was definitely a thriller that leaned on the horror side. There were some gory and gruesome descriptions. I had no problem with them, but just as a heads up to readers who are not expecting that! I really enjoyed the way the three disparate "plot lines" came together. The characters were intriguing, and the backdrop of a deadly pandemic was timely, for sure. Overall, an extremely propulsive read that I could not put down. If you are looking for a neat ending, look elsewhere. I will look forward to trying more of CJ Tudor's books in the future.

The drift is a chilling post apocalyptic horror that is so gripping from the start! Three separate plot threads are introduced in the beginning and the book alternates through them as the story develops. You have no idea if or how these characters are related to one another, just that there are mysterious circumstances surrounding all of them.
One woman wakes on a bus that has crashed after evacuating a secluded boarding school during a snowstorm. The handful of survivors are trapped and must work together to escape, all while keeping their secrets intact.
Another woman awakes in a cable car, stranded high above mountains with five strangers. None of them have any recollection of boarding the cable car, but they were all going to a place called “The Retreat.” Tensions rise as temperatures drop and it soon becomes apparent, they all are not making it out of this alive.
A young man is in an isolate chalet that he and his few companions call home. Their generator begins to fail during the snowstorm, risking their security and everything they have worked hard to protect and stay safe. But who are they hiding from and what are they protecting?

This book was a little chaotic (in a good way) in the beginning with the multiple plot threads and numerous characters to keep straight, but I plowed through the first 50% in one sitting, so I think that helped me. The characters weren’t difficult to differentiate and it was so fascinating watching the twists and secrets come out! I simply could not put this one down. It is so dark and horrific at times, and the snowstorm setting was perfection for me. At times it was like reading three locked room mysteries at once! I cannot believe this is my first book by CJ Tudor, but I guarantee it will not be my last!

This one is a bit confusing for me to rate.
I knew very little going into this and was surprised that this was very gory and more horror than thriller or mystery. I was also surprised that this was a pandemic book. It didn't bother me but I know many people could struggle with that topic.

I liked the three different storylines and how they were all equally tense and full of questions. I liked how chapters often ended with a cliffhanger or a reveal which made me want to keep reading. I also liked how all of the stories worked together and eventually intertwined. It was clever, but also a bit predictable.

I found the pacing to be a bit slow, especially in the middle of the book. There was just a lot of talking, and discussing across all of the timelines that made it a bit tedious to keep reading. I also felt like I was left with a lot of questions and some underdeveloped parts at the end. Finally, the last 10% felt rushed with not a lot of explanation or time to process or understand what was happening.

Overall this was an interesting story but it had some faults for me.