Thank you for the opportunity to preview Drift. This is CJ Tudor best book. I could not put this down.
I don’t want to give anything away. This book takes the reader to three groups. All of them isolated
In a unpredictable situation, all of them wondering how the world has. Changed, and if they will survive to the next day.
And all struck in a snowy mountain with little food and low energy. Somehow these groups are connected. But the truth and consequences of their actions have lead them to this desolate situation. Who will survive
This is so different
Tudor is truly one of my favorite authors and this latest book is one of the best books I have read so far this year. 5 stars

This was the first book I have read by C.J. Tudor and I was impressed. The story was fun and keeped me on my toes the whole ride. I am looking forward to checking out some other stories by Tudor. Three ordinary people risk everything for a chance at redemption in this audacious, utterly gripping novel of catastrophe and survival at the end of the world

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Talk about action. I felt like I was in a thriller movie, and I loved every minute of it. The beginning started out strong, and the momentum carried very well into the rest of the book. The multiple POV's didn't get confusing which is also a huge plus in my book. The ending however? COMPLETE twist. Couldn't have guessed that one if I tried. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

When I began reading The Drift, I was hoping to have a fun survival/mystery with different characters but I have to say that C.J. Tudor did not keep me on this ride.

I read Tudor’s other book, The Chalk Man, and even though I didn’t love it I thought they were an author who could write a phenomenal suspense filled book and The Drift felt like that with multiple protagonists all trying to survive but I hate to say it but I wasn’t a huge fan of this book.

The biggest pitfall for me was the characters and this problem arises with multiple pov characters. You care for some of them while you don’t for others. I felt that all the characters were hard to connect with and some I felt were underwritten and that causes the book to be harder to read because I have a harder time when the characters are underdeveloped or seem fake.

I felt the pacing was good but again it was thrown off by the multiple characters and some characters and their stories didn’t connect and threw the entire book off.

I feel bad but I wasn’t a huge fan of The Drift but I hope Tudor can write a fantastic story.

This book started out great- lots of action, people waking up in mysterious situations, a possible pandemic situation- I was all in. Then it started getting a little clunky. The story switches between different groups of people and not only did I find myself stopping every chapter to try to remember who everyone was, but I began to wonder if they were even all in the same time. As the story progressed, it became pretty confusing. Overall, a fast and fun read, but I think the structure could have been better. Also having fewer characters in each group would have made it easier to remember all of their backstories and relationships with the other characters.

Excellent thriller from Tudor with three storylines going about groups of people trying to survive an apocalyptic virus. It's one of those books where the less you know going in, the better. The twisty stories play out well with nice, unexpected surprises coming towards the end and a solid finale bringing everything to closure. Of course, Tudor had to mar the book by dragging in her woke, anti-Christian, anti-conservative views. Once again, completely unnecessary to plot development. Why oh why. At least it disappeared in the second half. Took a half star away for that nonsense. Plus, I didn't buy the obvious attempts to analogize the virus to Covid. Putting that stuff aside, it's very entertaining, well-written with solid characters and a plot that offers genuine surprises and lots of action. A cut above the usual thriller fare.

A group of students are being evacuated to safety at The Retreat when their coach crashes, trapping them inside without food or water while a snowstorm rages and temperatures plummet. Elsewhere, a sudden power outage leaves another group similarly stranded in a cable car suspended high above the ground. Meanwhile, the group of people residing at The Retreat are facing their own perils. Supplies are dwindling, the power supply is unreliable, and everyone is on edge due to suspicious activities that have recently come to light.

The hazards each group faces are different, but they have a few things in common:
All are determined to survive.
None can call for help.
Their greatest fear, above all else, is exposure to the deadly virus that sometimes culminates in something far worse than death itself.

The Drift is narrated by three different characters (one from each group), and broken down into three sections as the story progresses. Given that each group is trapped (or has their movements severely restricted, at least) thanks to the snowstorm, I made several assumptions about how the story would play out. I thought the ‘meat’ of the story would be almost entirely focused on multiple escape attempts by each group, that would likely resolve with a rescue that miraculously happens—for all of them—just in the nick of time, and (almost) everyone would live happily ever after in the end. It would have been entertaining, but ultimately boring due to its predictability.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Instead, I was treated to a far more complex story that was mysterious in ways I hadn’t expected it to be. Despite having certain circumstances in common, I was surprised when I began to realize these groups were tied together in some less-than-obvious way; I just couldn’t figure out how they were connected. It was one of several mini-mysteries within the story, and my brain got a serious workout trying to piece together all the little clues, trying to figure out the who, the how, and the why of it all.

The most important players in this story were all fascinating to me. They were well written, and quite vivid in my mind’s eye. Even though they didn’t require a great deal of backstory for the purposes of this story, I still found myself wishing I could know more about them.

Similarly, there are a few events that are briefly referenced as having already happened that I would have loved to read about in greater detail. Characters that were little more than an occasionally mentioned name in reference to a past event were on my mind quite a bit. Who were they? Why did <event> happen? Is the narrator’s remembrance of it reliable, or simply a justification for their actions/inactions? I ordinarily don’t find myself so preoccupied with characters and events that barely exist in a story, but I was more than a little intrigued by them, despite the miniscule details that were given.

The resolution of each group’s story wasn’t quite what I thought it would be, but they were all exciting and felt like a proper ending in each case. There was one detail of a particular survivor’s experiences that was left somewhat ambiguous at the end, and it’s left up to the reader’s imagination if the experience was real or not. Even though I’m typically frustrated by that sort of thing, even I have to admit it felt fitting, given the circumstances.

Overall, The Drift is a compelling read that will keep you guessing right up until the end, and leave you wanting more. Highly recommended!

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Ballantine Books via Netgalley.

Wow, What A Trip

Told from the prospective of three people, Hannah, Peg, and Connor, The Drift takes you into a world ravaged by disease and three groups effort to survive. There has been a worldwide plague that has killed many people, allowing only a few to survive and provide the unaffected with the plasma they need to protect themselves from being victims.

There is a raging snowstorm, sub-freezing temperatures, Hannah and a group of students are on a carriage headed to The Retreat when it slides off the road and wedges itself tightly sealed in the woods.

Meg and her group wake up on a cable car suspended high in the air in the midst of the same snowstorm. None of them can recall how they got where they are, nor do they have any idea how they are going to survive.

Carter is an employee at The Retreat, he shares the responsibility of running the retreat, making trips for supplies, and keeping the equipment running. He has a secret project that he must keep hidden from the others.

Told from the prospective of these three people you learn how brutal life can be when it hangs by a thread.

Thank you Net Galley and Ballantine books for an advance copy of The Drift. This is my honest review.

The Drift by CJ Tudor kept me guessing to the very end. There are clues along the way and I don’t want to give anything anyway. The story line is about a virus that spreads throughout the world and how far people will go to try to contain it. There are underlying themes of social justice, the cost of revenge, and how far is too far to save humanity. A couple of quotes that I liked, “We don’t realize, any of us, how much our existence depends upon hope and purpose, the promise of a new day.” Also, Meg’s response when asked why she cares: “Because caring is all we have left. If we stop caring- about life, about other people- who are we? What have we become?”

I loved this new book by CJ Tudor! I recently found this author when I happened upon her book The Burning Girls. I loved that book so was eager to discover this one. This one is so different, but once again a thoroughly engaging, entertaining and thrilling read. I loved how the author split the story, and admired her ability to balance these pressure cooker situations so effectively. I was a bit muddled at the beginning, but the writing is so strong, I stuck with it. I didn't see the ending coming and although I found it to be overwhelmingly sad, I did enjoy it and admired the author for not taking the easy way out in any of her resolutions. Tough, gritty and filled with horrific moments, this was a memorable read that I will enjoy recommending to my patrons.

This novel has three stories, all of which take place in a snow storm. A bunch of students are stuck in an overturned coach. Several adults are stuck on a stopped cable car. And several guards/caregivers are stuck in their workplace while the generator is flaking and causing unexpected side effects.

It all takes place in a futuristic time when there's a virus that has infected much of society and this world is deeply dystopian. This novel was creepy and gory in many parts. I could almost feel the cold and the eerie moments viscerally.

I don't usually read horror but CJ Tudor's books are an exception because of the character development that's interwoven in the fast-paced plot that keeps you on your toes. I was able to guess the twist on this one but it still didn't stop me from avidly turning the pages.

with gratitude to Random House and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I don’t usually stray out of my comfort zone to often but this book was so worth it. So many twists and dark elements. Three groups of survivors. Three points of view. So much suspense and edge of your seat drama that it’s hard to put down.

‘And I like that about you, man. I really do. You don’t give up. Even with that abomination of a face, you’re still here, like a fourth-rate Freddy Krueger.’

This is my first book by this author but it certainly won’t be my last.

I'm a huge C.J. Tudor fan so this was much appreciated! It's a creepy futuristic novel about a pandemic that has swept the nation and obviously needs to be contained. There are three "settings" involved: a cable car, a bus, and The Retreat, a mountain-top where all those on the former two are headed. Chaos ensues in each setting as there are deaths, secrets, and little hope. But of course Tudor is a master at plots converging and I raced through this one to see what happens!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This ARC was received from Netgalley.com at no cost, and I am providing an unbiased review.

There isn't much I can say about the story without dropping spoilers. I was drawn into the story easily and actually finished in within a day. I really enjoyed the plot development, and the characters - how they handled their situations, and self-realizations.

*** Spoiler Alert ***

The plot twist in the final parts of the story are what threw me. It was surprising to me to find out how all three characters stories all came together, and the timeline twist was executed very well. I truly did not see it coming! Well-written in my opinion, gripping my attention throughout the tale. I defintiely would recommend to others, and will be watching for future works from this author.

This book was wild. A dark, post-apocalyptic thriller with several points of view that intersect nicely at the end. It’s a fast read—entertaining, pacey and well-plotted. All in all worth the read. Thank you to netgalley, Ballantine, and CJ Tudor

This book had me on the edge of my seat! It was tense and gripping. Definitely one of the author’s best books. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

The Drift was a riveting novel of desperation, suspense and horror wrapped up in a mystery with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. It started at a fast pace and never slowed down.

As the reader followed the three main characters, Hannah, Meg and Carter, through their separate chapters which were each frightening, you kept wondering how it was all going to come together by the end of the book. And that, how the author brought all this apocalyptic horror together, was what really made this book work. That being said, I would have liked not only a bit more detail about what had been going on at the ski chalet, but also some idea as to how the world as a whole handled the situation.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

As a reader, I am generally plot and character driven. I really don’t like convoluted plot lines that you need a spread sheet to follow and actively dislike reading about characters I don’t care about or find to be uninteresting. It took me a week to read the first 1/3 of this book and an afternoon to finish it. It is well written and the plot although complex never crosses into convoluted. There are three main characters, Carter, Hannah and Meg. All three are involved in separate stories that take place at The Retreat in mountain snowstorms. People die, people look for ways to escape their destinies and people destroy each other. This is the kind of novel a reader will remember long after closing the covers and is one that needs to be finished to appreciate it. Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for an ARC for an honest review.

A good paranoid thriller, with three different tales. People are being hunted, people are being killed mysteriously oh and there's global pandemic wiping out the human race.
People are trapped in a bus crash, a cable car without power stuck out on the cable and ski retreat where people are being picked off one by one. I can't talk about the plot without giving it away but the three tales all intertwined with each other that leads into a nice twisty plot.
My verdict: while it's not perfect it's a damned entertaining read. Great use of the global pandemic so soon after the after the advent of covid. Also great use of the weather, I got cold just reading this book.

I'm amazed at how the plots came together. There are twists in time, mistaken identity, several who-done-it's, and lots of surprises I never saw coming. Nothing and nobody are what they appear to be. Even the timeframe comes as a surprise. I want to pick apart the book to see how the author did it. I want to talk about the twists and turns but then we'd have a spoilerfest.

I have to say that there are so many characters that at first, I thought I'd never keep them straight. That turned out to not be a problem. Between murders, questionable accidents, a virus, and more murders, characters exit the scenes rapidly. I should mention that there is violence, gore, and illness. Oh, and every character manages to roll their eyes. That's my only complaint. Everybody answers questions with a roll of the eyeballs. Please. Just stop. Every book I read lately is full to the brim with eyeball rolling. Dexter the dog was the only one not participating in the eyeball-rollathon..

Other than eyerolling, I found the story exciting. About 50 percent through, I said I was going to stop for the night. Instead, I stayed up until 4 a.m. and finished the book. The mysteries, the twists, the horror, the mistaken identities made it impossible to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballentine Books for allowing me to read and review The Drift.