Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I'm not sure what I expected of this book, but it definitely surprised me! What I expected was a relatively straightforward disaster-pandemic book, with 3 different groups of people being affected by the events, and with a shadowy, evil government agency in the background. Yeah, there was some of that, okay, but with a few twists that pulled it up to another level. It kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next - this was not a book that I put down and picked up later, but one that I compulsively read!

There were certainly clues throughout that tied the 3 groups togther, and I was constantly concocting theories about how this could be working out - but I was not really ever ahead of the author. I hesitate to say much about the book, because part of the fun of reading it is the twistiness of the plot - so no spoilers!

It was a compelling read for me - well worth reading!

This is a story about a dish best served cold.

I wasn’t sure what to expect having only read normal thrillers by the author, but this was an absolute ride of a book. If you do not need to like the cast of a book, and you’re up for a truly bleak perspective on the collapse of society- this is a solid bet. The book does not stop from the first page to the last!

Thank you so much @netgalley Ballantine for the eArc & @prhaudio for the audio copy!

This multi-POV thriller follows three different stories set in a post-apocalyptic winter. Each character finds themselves suddenly in life or death situations, and as the stories unfold, you realize there’s something more sinister tying their experiences together. I loved the pacing of this book and was absolutely blown away at the way she crafted the big reveals. There is a lot of violence and gore in this one, so it may lean more towards horror than your traditional thriller for some readers. The ending did leave me with some unanswered questions, but overall this was a quality read.

Calling this chilly isn't to make a pun, this was scary in many degrees, even if it's not a book I'll remember for life.

This is probably another child of the quarantine. Even though we could say we have three different stories happening in the same universe, they're all claustrophobic. The world is facing a highly contagious disease and each of the three main characters are doing their best to survive. One is stuck in some sort of refuge but that is running down and without much hope of getting help, so they need to fight for themselves. One is on a cable car to get there when the car gets stuck and the group gets desperate. And the other in on a bus full of students from a boarding school going to a retreat as well, when it gets into an accident in the middle of nowhere.

More than wanting to know what would be of all of them, I was mostly curious about how the stories would connect and got a good explanation to it. It mustn't have been easy to plan for all of that, either, even if it's not so complex.

There is a lot of action and plot twists, but having three basically independent stories made it hard to follow the side characters. Even harder when a lot of them died along the way. Like, I've finally got to understand who this name connects to whom in this scene, why did you have to kill them? That shows it was also hard to care much for them.

Still, if you like action and some scares, this is a book for you. In the end the plot didn't deepen as much as it could in such an apocalyptic world. I imagine Tudor wants us to read it more than once to catch details we wouldn't on the first read, and I don't think I will do it. This or that detail didn't sit well with me either when I started contextualizing with reality, it made me uncomfortable the book could transmit the wrong social message when we're still fragile about the pandemic.

It's good for a momentous fun at least, for that it will work like a good page turner should.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

I love CJ Tudor but this was not my favorite by her. The pacing was off and it felt like the ending was dragging. I did love the horror aspects of it and I think that sets it apart for your typical thriller. I would recommend it to people who like survival thrillers.

Told from three different settings, The Drift follows several sets of characters in a plague ridden post apocalyptic world.
Hannah and her fellow students awaken after a bus crash on their way the potential safety at The Retreat.
Meg and a few volunteers are stranded on a cable car, to participate in a a study, also at The Retreat.
And Carter is an employee at The Retreat, where they are up to all sorts of questionable things.
And they way it all ties together....
Very clever!

The timeline in this story is a bit confusing, though I think it added to the suspense and mystery.

This is one of those stories where every detail is crucial and no one is who they seem to be.

I definitely recommend this book. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

C.J. Tudor is always a pleasure to read, and this one is no different. I was fortunate enough for an ARC and was so glad to read this one. Gripping of catastrophic proportions is underselling it.

This book defines the word gripping! I just read the majority of The Drift yesterday on an 8 hour plane ride. Usually, I break up my travel time with napping, some reading, an in-flight movie, chatting, and looking out the window. Not this time! I started this book at my hotel, continued to read it as the plane took off, and was 25 pages from the end by the time the plane landed. I had to be nudged to get off the plane because I wanted to sit right there and finish the novel.

First thing I did when I was safely back at my house was read those last 25 pages!

I have only minor complaints with the book. A few sections got bogged down with minutiae and details, in my opinion. Also, some of the conversations between characters seemed laborious and forced. Dozens of characters are introduced in the beginning, and I was having trouble keeping them sorted in my mind, which made the first third go slowly since I had to keep referring back to refresh my memory as to who was who. I’m giving this book 4 1/2 stars but overall I really liked it so I’m rounding it up to 5 stars.

This novel is dripping with gore in the most visceral way. I loved the frozen, white-out blizzard conditions, and the claustrophobic locations. Reading the intensely vivid descriptions, I could feel the characters’ discomfort in my own body.

CJ Tudor is one clever author. I was enjoying each of the three separate stories well enough, and then when they all came together at about the 80% mark, wow! I relished the feeling of being completely blindsided when it was finally revealed how the different characters connected.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!


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This book is a perfect read for the winter. Although at times, if I was not paying attention, I could easily get lost between the timelines. I love the fact that it had an apocalyptic theme to it. The only downside for me was that the author in my opinion spent a lot in the first half of the book apart from that I absolutely recommend it.

Catching up on reviews this week. No complaints here! Just not totally memorable. Overall 3 stars. Didn’t love it and didn’t hate it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC copy. I am a fan of CJ Tudor so I had to read this book. It is a closed circle horror story that has an "illness " . I wanted to love this, unfortunately it wasn't for me. I was able to guess what was going to happen. 3.5 stars

I'm going to sound like everyone else here with a critique for this book but there were way too many characters to keep up with across way too many perspectives that were way too similar.I kind of wish I could have kept track till the end because I want to know what happens, but this was a miss for me. CJ I'm sorry!!

For better or for worse, the world is currently neck-deep in zombie and virus fiction. To find a story that brings something new to the table amidst this (admittedly understandable) outbreak is a rare treat. As readers wade into THE DRIFT, it becomes evident early on that this is more than just another COVID book—even before reading Tudor's afterword explaining the idea's ironic timing.

For the bulk of the story, we follow three separate groups, from the points of view of one member of each. All three groups are in similar circumstances despite being located in a mountain "retreat" and a coach and sky car on their way to said retreat. All are trapped in dubious—and worsening—circumstances in the midst of a hostile environment. All are forced to cooperate with people they aren't sure they can trust. And if the weather or their current dilemma doesn't kill them, the plague... or one of its resulting situations... will.

The world has been set upon by Choler: a virus that spreads in every way imaginable (and a few that aren't). Should you contract it, one of two fates awaits you. Either you die, or you become a Whistler: a gaunt, red-eyed walking dead being. The only even remotely effective vaccine is processed from the plasma of the infected, leading to some morally dubious decisions for the sake of the Greater Good.

In the crashed coach, med student Hannah unravels a conspiracy involving her powerful physician father. Up in the sky, ex-cop Meg copes with memories of her past while attempting to save who she can. And at the mountain retreat, Carter and his fellow residents find themselves in the midst of a locked room murder mystery. But there's more to all three stories than is first evident.

Tudor masterfully weaves these three plots together into one overarching story. When you'll first see the linking tissue varies from reader to reader. But it's a rewarding process, which will leave readers putting the book down more than once simply to contend with a new revelation. If there is a weakness, it's that the web is so intricate that the third act requires a "Before I kill you, Mr. Bond" conversation between the last characters standing. Still, it's better to have this than be left in the lurch.

In the end, the truth of the story is both compelling and rewarding. And while the contemporary inspirations are quite visible, it's also clear that this isn't the point of the story. It's not a Pandemic Parable. The choices made, the beliefs held, and the rights and wrongs wrought don't require an earth-shattering event to be true. In the end, it's a story of love, revenge, guilt, and (in a strange way) hope—all timeless themes.

This book is creepy, but it's super slow. I know the author is building that sense of dread gradually, but it was just too slow for me.

There is not too much that I can write about this...

The author did a lot better before and I enjoyed her first books.

However, it seems like this book was a little too boring for me.

This book made my jaw drop multiple times. I am obsessed with CJ Tudor and love everything I have read of hers so far. Can’t wait til 2024 in Alaska 🤩

I have one thing and only one thing to say. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Tudor has never disappointed me. This one so far has been my favorite book in 2023. I am in awe. I ned to own a physical copy of this masterpiece.

Read if you have been hooked by "The Last of Us".

The Drift was a slow start for me. There are three narratives going on in some pandemic-y, almost post-apocalyptic, snow-filled world. I think part of the reason I had a harder time becoming invested was that every time I would start to want to know more about the narrative I was reading, it would switch to a different location. Instead of making me more engaged, it felt like stopping and starting over and over again. It wasn't until I was a little over halfway in the book that I really became hooked. Of course, you can't have any type of thriller without some sort of twist, so expect that.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and I liked it, but it wasn't anything that blew me away.

I enjoyed the mystery of this story and I wanted to see how everything connected. There was a lot going on.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.