A nice read - nothing that’s earth-shattering or life-altering, but that’s ok sometimes, right? This mystery/suspense tale was told at a nice clip, keeping those e-pages flipping. As always, I look forward to their next release While this might not have “wowed” me, I enjoy most of this author’s work and this one was no exception. Give this a gander, you’ll be glad that you did.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

It’s about 3.5 stars but if it didn’t get so confusing with the plot and characters. I did enjoy the deceptive characters all trying to survive a clearly impossible scenario. I was not prepared for the gory apocalyptic story. It was all anticlimactic for me given the deadly virus so which they had all been exposed.

⭐️⭐️

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.

📍 Read if you like:
• Post-Apocalyptic
• Multiple POV
• Survival Stories
• Major Plot Twists

This is my second read from this author, and just like The Chalk Man, I am once again disappointed. I really wanted to love this book as the premise had me so intrigued, and honestly, the beginning was so good.

This story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a deadly virus is going around killing people. We follow three different characters:

~ Hannah: medical student locked in a bus with other survivors.

~ Meg: ex-police officer trapped in a cable car in the middle of nowhere.

~ Carter: ski chalet worker stuck at the retreat having to witness people die in front of him.

If I had to choose, I think I enjoyed Hannah’s perspective more - even though she was my least favorite character.

I liked the idea behind this virus and I enjoyed the three different timelines and characters. There was so much potential lost and I just felt so underwhelmed with the book. There’s a lot of talk about these elemental factors that was quite interesting.

While this book wasn’t for me, I really appreciate what the author tried to do here. I found so many things that I just couldn’t deal with, especially with the way some characters talked about overweight people.

This post-apocalyptic story didn’t work for me, but I’m sure there’s an audience out there who will enjoy it more.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Gore, death, blood, suicide, rape, pregnancy, minor vomit

The Drift is a phycological thriller set in a post apocalyptic world where three storylines eventually merge so you are switching back and forth between three sets of groups trying to survive and/or ultimately reach the same location. All fraught with uncertain perils and challenges. To me it’s a bit slow moving at first. However, the over Arching timelines and background development was the main reason it was slow going. Everything needed to line up for the reveal. It was well done and there was definitely a surprise ending. I just was left wanting more it just kind of converged and it was over with a lot left unsaid. Ultimately that leaves you either to draw your own conclusions or to feel kind of letdown about what you can’t know.
I did enjoy the book and post apocalyptic and dark storylines are always a draw for me. Just hoped for a more wrapped up story at the end although it is left open to continue so maybe I’ll get that bow lol.

I've read several books by CJ Tudor and have always found them to be fast paced, interesting and hard to put down. This one was no different. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

This was pretty good but I felt like there was a huge loose end that didn't get tied up that ruined it for me at the end. Loved the twist though and the dystopian world is super interesting.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I read Chalk Man by this same author so I was excited to read this one as well. It started a bit slow for me, but did eventually pick up as the story progressed. I'll read more by this author in the future!

I was lucky enough to receive this ARC and I am so glad I did. Being stranded in a snowstorm in the middle of nowhere is honestly one of the scariest things that could happen. I loved every character and the plot so much, I cannot wait to pick up another one by her.

Really enjoyed this novel. Story was very interesting and engaging. Looking forward to reading more by this author. Highly recommend!

C.J. Tudor's newest release is a post apocalyptic horror/mystery/thriller book that takes place during a big snowstorm that will keep you on your toes. The plot is divided into three separate narratives.

First, there's Hannah, a med student who is trapped in a wrecked coach with other students. She and the other survivors must work together to make it out alive. Next is Meg, she is a former police officer trapped in a cable car with others and they too must work together to figure out how to get to safety while 1,000 feet in the air. Last is Carter, a worker at a former ski resort turned secret laboratory. All are impacted by a worldwide pandemic. What happens next? You'll have to read the book to see as telling anymore would spoil it.

I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of being trapped in a snowstorm. It built a lot of dread. The pacing is very good and the characters are mostly well rounded. Speaking of characters, there are ALOT of them. Sometimes it was hard to keep them all straight. I also felt like the plot from Meg's POV was the least interesting, while Hannah's POV was best. Carter's lies somewhere in the middle. Overall, I feel like it was a pretty decent read. If pandemics are a trigger for you, it may be best to skip this one though.

My thanks to Ballantine Books, author C.J. Tudor, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

What started as kind of a cool original story got very very dark quickly. I don’t know if I was just too sensitive but it didn’t work for me. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy in exchange for review

The Drift was a surprising treat. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but at first, I was a little lost with the 3 stories that I assumed interacted.
The Drift begins with a strong female character, Hannah, who awakens to find herself trapped in a bus that has crashed. Surrounded by snow, deadly low temperatures, wolves, and creatures known as "whistlers".
Next, we have Meg, who awakens to find herself trapped in a stalled cable car, high above the frozen mountains.
And finally Carter, a worker at the "retreat" all seem to be heading for when their nightmares begin. There are mysteries at the Retreat that are threatening and everyone has a secret that could be worth killing for.

Once these 3 stories come together, you are simply amazed at how C.J. Tudor has spun a most complicated yet satisfying web that keeps you glued to the pages until the very end.

I'm hoping for a sequel myself.

Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

The Drift is Tudor's best work yet; a locked room thriller with three stories that slowly intertwine, she really escalated the tension.

Set during a global pandemic (far worse than Covid), a group of students on their way to The Retreat; a safe house of sorts for survivors of the virus are trapped on a bus which crashed in a snow storm; a small group of people trapped in a cable-car in the freezing cold, and a group of survivors living at The Retreat are all fighting for survival as they try to reach safety.

This is a very gory story and not for the faint of heart, but the writing is excellent with Tudor really taking the time to give her characters a backstory and making them likeable. I rooted for all of them.

The three stories really kept it interesting as well as each chapter was a different character's point of view; this technique really drove the story and made it a very exciting read. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

The Whistler's (people who were infected but had survived) were very creepy and were used well, although I wish they had been utilised more; they could've been a really terrifying enemy.

The way the stories do eventually connect was also beautifully done and very well thought out - a plot twist that actually worked!

3.5 stars. This was great … it took a minute to figure everything out and once I did, I loved how it all tied together. My only issue with the book is how it ended, I wish there was “more”’or it would have ended maybe a little differently. I feel like it was anticlimactic and it needed something else to really bring it to completion.. the main character worked towards one goal is his entire adult life
and when it came to it, it was flat. I love zombies and post apocalyptic things and I wanted so much more. I’d still definitely recommend, it just left me wanting more.

I've enjoyed all of C.J. Tudor's books I've read in the past, but this one fell a bit flat for me. The setting was interesting but I never got familiar with the cast of characters. They mostly felt like 2D archetypes of character tropes without any real personality. It was disappointing for me. But overall, the story kept me interested (despite not knowing who was who, which honestly, might have been a me problem). The aspect of a pandemic that was improperly handled hit a little too close to home, but hearing snippits throughout the story kept me engaged. Though it left me a little confused, I generally had fun. Maybe I'm due for a reread to see if I enjoy it more the second time, but this didn't discourage me from reading more from this author in the future.

This is an easy book to binge. It moved at breakneck speed, and just when you start to wonder how everything connects, it connects. I especially liked the beginning and ending (wink). There are a lot of characters, but they're written so vividly, it's easy to keep track of them. So weird how the timing of this novel's pitch vs writing worked out, but it definitely worked!

I enjoyed the suspense of this book the writer kept me reading trying to discover who the villian was or who the survivors were going to be. I loved how he was able to keep the timeline so sharp that by the time i realized that it was not in reaL TIME the book was almost to the end and man oh man that ending you reap what you discard yep. loved it

📖My Thoughts📖

I’m not entirely sure what to make of this one. I may actually have to read it over again. It was pretty gripping, however to me it was a little confusing. I guess I didn’t realize that this had three different timelines to it, which made it a little confusing for me. There were some pretty violent parts and some serious twists (the biggest one being jaw dropping worthy). This was told from multiple points of view which may not have been so confusing had there not also been multiple timelines. This was my first book by CJ Tudor, so I may also just need to get more familiar with her writing style. Overall it was very fast paced, intriguing, and kept me on the edge of my seat.
Thank you Netgalley, CJ Tudor and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

I love this kind of mystery but have been reading a lot of them in recent months. I liked that the setting of this one was more unique. I loved The Chalk Man so I had high expectations for this and it did not disappoint!!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm DNF'ing this novel at just past 100 pages. It's unfortunately just not holding my attention. However, I certainly think there's an audience for this and I would recommend it to fans of multiple POVs and anyone interested in a unique blend of horror, thriller, and dystopian. I loved The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor and I will continue to try her novels in the future.