The Drift is a dystopian thriller set in a near future world that has been decimated by a virus. All the action takes place in the winter and follows 3 groups of people as they struggle to survive the weather and the medical challenges.

How are the 3 groups related? What is really going on in this horror/mystery novel? Read to find out

I really didn't like Burning Girls, by this author, so I was hesitant to pick this one up but I'm glad I did! While I liked all the moving pieces to the story, I do think that at first it can be a bit hard to keep track of all the characters and side characters. There's a lot going on with a fun dystopian thriller twist, so I think if you're a fan of this author and/or like this genre, you're going to love this one!

The vivid writing of this book has stayed with me - every setting is seared into my mind. And the twists were the icing on the cupcake of a book that I will probably never forget. I enjoyed this one a lot, although I admit there’s a lot of tension and anxiety within its pages and I had to put it down a time or two to read something a little calmer. That said, I’m glad I finally got up the guts to face the feelings and power through and it was worth it to see how it all came together.

I recommend this book to lovers of suspense and thrillers and who don’t mind some tension and stress in their reading. This one is for you

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book - all opinions are my own

I knew within the first couple of chapters that it would be hard to put this book down. Going into this book I somehow didn’t realize that it was not just a thriller, but a dystopian thriller. So that was a nice surprise to stumble into! It follows three different main characters who also have side characters with them which was a bit much to keep track of, but once you’re really into the story it gets easier. The story was suspenseful and, at times, horrifying and had me coming up with several different theories along the way. When everything started coming together I got excited because I felt like the storyline was different from what I usually see in this genre. This was a nail-biting ride and a great read!

What a horror mystery filled with lots of blood, revenge, liars, zombie wannabes, a deadly pandemic, a soulless government, a brilliant scientist, winter storms, and death. Whew.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review.

I liked the premise and the writing style, and short chapters that ended on cliffhangers. The characters weren’t fleshed out enough for me to really get any appreciation or feeling for them. They were also so similar that things got confusing for me. The story drew me in quickly but then the pace seemed to slow a bit. There are quite a few subplots, some of which are left hanging. The ending was very ambiguous, which I’m not a fan of. This was a mixed bag for me. I did feel the need to finish it so it was entertaining enough. This did pique my interest to try some of this author’s earlier work which have rave reviews.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a copy in exchange for a review.

The Burning Girls was one of my favorite thrillers from last year so I had such high hopes for this one. I will say that I didn’t realize this was more of a dystopian horror vs a general thriller/horror, and I definitely do not enjoy those as much in general, so that played a role in how I ultimately felt. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the set up of this book. You’re following three separate groups of people and are sort of immediately thrown into these various scenarios with not much knowledge of what’s actually going on, so I would say it’s a bit of a slow burn. I usually love slow burns but because the genre wasn’t too interesting to me and because we didn’t really have the time to connect with or get to know the characters, everything just fell a bit flat for me. I’m not sure I would honestly recommend this to anyone as I don’t think anything was done particularly well. Maybe give it a whirl if you like dystopians, but I would just say to taper your expectations.

This was a great thriller/horror book to read during the winter. It is told from 3 POV's - Hannah, a medical student whose bus has crashed in the snow; Meg, an ex-cop who gets stuck in a cable car headed toward The Retreat; and Carter, a worker at The Retreat. There are so many dangers lurking for these 3 people, one of them being a deadly virus and another being The Whistlers, as well as the bitter cold, injuries and potential killers in their group. I wasn't sure how the POV's would merge together, but they did it in the best way possible. It was hard to put down and kept me on the edge of my seat!

Thank you netgalley and Random House Ballantine books for the advanced copy!

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book at first because there were so many characters and I was having trouble keeping them straight. However, it soon clicked and the story flowed beautifully after! This book was fast paced for me, my heart was racing at some parts. It was very well written and I felt like I was there with the characters! I went into the story blind and I’m so glad I did. It was a very wild ride! It shows you how humanity can behave during an apocalypse, and people show their worst sides.

Please check triggers before diving into the story. It is very dark, but amazing! I read it very fast and I really want to read more by the author. I did want to know more about the whistlers though! I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of thrillers, horror and dystopian!

"The Drift" is the first book I've read by author C.J. Tudor, but it definitely will not be my last. This book is excellent! I found it very hard to put down; it's the perfect book to read holed up on the couch under blankets on a cold winter's day. The writing is superb and provided me with lots of memorable quotes for my book journal.

At first, I thought this was just another book about a pandemic, designed to capitalize on the recent pandemic that brought the world to its knees. And though the events in the book are spurred by a global pandemic, this book is not your usual pandemic tale. "The Drift" centers on three characters who all find themselves in dire straits . Hannah survives a bus crash in the bitter cold. Meg finds herself trapped in a cable car high above the frozen ground. Carter is desperately trying to survive at a mysterious "Retreat" with unreliable and dangerous companions, power issues, and a winter storm raging outside. The three subplots are interesting on their own, but when they come together at the end-BAM-I was blown away!

The atmosphere created by the author is claustrophobic and bone chilling. I found myself shivering both with anticipation and in terror at many points in the book. My anxiety was sky high! This book was a great way to start a new year of reading and fans of horror and thrillers will feel the same way.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this great book.

I won this as part of a Goodreads giveaway after receiving a digital ARC from NetGalley.

I typically enjoy survival/post-apocalyptic/horror type books and was excited to read this one! The story follows three sets of main characters each in different situations with the backdrop of a awful snowstorm. I wanted to like this but right off the bat, there were way too many characters. How are you possibly supposed to keep up with all of them much less feel any type of character development? It was hard for me to get too far because I found myself entirely untethered to any one of them. The gore was fine but my next qualm is the writing style. Just not for me and I'm honestly not sure how it is for anybody, but I guess it is. Last but not least, what made me DNF at 60%, and I'm surprised I made it that long, was the constant fat phobia. You can tell this author thinks all fat people are disgusting slobs based solely off the descriptions. I wasted my time with this one and don't plan on reading anything else by this author.

3.5 stars

Talk about an edge of your seat thriller! The dangerous situation the characters found themselves in was enough of a hook to reel me in right from the get go. The 3 different storylines was a clever method of storytelling as it left me guessing in what way they were connected. This is the second book I have read by C.J. Tudor and once again I am impressed with her creativity.

I personally like going into a thriller without knowing too many details. I will say a snowstorm plays a big role in this story as you have a group of people stuck on a bus and others in the air in a cable car. Other characters are at a chalet. The publisher synopsis provides way more info about the plot but that's all you are getting from me.

Lots of thrilling and suspenseful scenes. That itself makes for a good read but you also get the added bonus of the author slowly dropping some breadcrumbs that alert you to the fact the there's probably other things going on as well. And you just need to sit back and wait before you get to see the whole picture.

Now, I can't say I was completely satisfied with how everything played out at the end. My interest level was incredibly high but really took a nosedive in the last quarter or so of the book. A shame because it was an entertaining, popcorn thriller until that point. The conclusion is too messy for my taste.

Still an above average thriller though and one to check out if you are looking for something that is far from ordinary and run of the mill.

I really enjoyed the first half, no the first three quarters! Like this was going to be at least 4 stars. The pages were turning so fast and I was so invested. Until there was only a small percent left and a LOT of questions. The ending totally threw the book away for me. I kind of hated it? What a mess. Left with a zillion questions. So was Grant the father of Peggy's baby? Did Sarah just die in the cable car? And really, nothing happened. NOTHING. lol. No one got what they wanted, Grant ended up a damn Whistler, Carter aka Sean aka Daniel died, Meg died. Eva may be the cure? It seemed like? The only thing that was interesting was making you think that the 3 POVs were all in the same timeline but teasing things out to make you second guess because the photo. It started out SO GOOD.

I should have read the blurb on this one before requesting but I saw the name and automatically grabbed for it. I'm a huge fan of C.J. Tudor, I love her writing and her creativity in thrillers when so many all seem to run together. While I applaud her for trying out something different and the story was a creative one, this wasn't my type of genre and found this to be more apoplectic than thriller.

This might be a good one to buddy read for couples or fans of Blake Crouch. The story follows three groups of people in the aftermath of world virus and their journey to survival. This leans much more horrorish/apocalypse than the mystery/thriller I was expecting.


*Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review another C.J. Tudor book. I have loved everything by Tudor so far so couldn't wait to read another twisty read. However, this one just didn't have the same umph to me for some reason as Tudor's others. There definitely was plenty of suspense as you wonder throughout how the heck are these 3 groups of people are connected. I think I just do not enjoy thrillers that involve disease/virus/pandemic situations. However, the writing was the same as others and if you can get through it, it is worth it. Thank you.

I tried reading this but the double whammy of a post-pandemic book while still in the middle of a pandemic coupled with a lot of fatphobia (pointed out by two reviewers) just isn't my cup of tea.

I love this author and this book was no different an apocalyptic thriller it is just good writing as all his books are . You need to read this one.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

Once again, C.J Tudor sucks me into one of her extremely well written books. The tension begins right away after a semi-fatal bus crash occurs on a snowy high-way full of students from a local boarding school and the conversation between a group of people stuck at a getaway at the top of a mountain where people are not what they seem. I cannot wait to read it again when it comes out as I'm sure there are things I missed along the way of reading it the first go around.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. It was a highly anticipated novel and lived up to expectations. The premise of the book is interesting and keeps the reader engaged. I love books like this that keep me guessing.

This book kept my attention from the beginning. A fairly quick read and different from what I’m normally drawn to. Apocalyptic thriller with revenge vibes. Pretty gripping read!