Keely Parrack's 10 Hours to Go is a story that is part revenge, and part survival. Lily is touring a college in Oregon when fire warnings cancel her train and leave her stranded. With her mother sick and waiting important tests, she reluctantly agrees to a ride with her former bestie, Natasha and Natasha's friend Elke Azizi whom Lily got expelled from school four years ago after an event that happened at Yosemite Adventure Camp.

While Lily is prepared for a tense, uncomfortable 10 hour drive home to California, it seems Natasha and Elke have other plans. Things become weird, when Natasha's boyfriend Darius seems to be in on the pot. When Natasha and Elke drift off in the woods, Lily realizes that something is definitely not right. Upon hearing Darius talking about making Lily pay for something that happened years before that divided them from once being best friends.

But as night comes, the plans change again when it becomes all too clear that leaving the main road was a mistake. Now the three of them are trapped in the woods under a burning sky, with no easy way out. To survive, Lily must depend on Elke and Natasha—but after all that's happened, can she trust them with her life? With a ticking clock to natural disaster, the story combines locked-room-style tensions with survival elements and the unpredictability of nature. The story unfolds like an action movie full of revenge, betrayals, fire, and a desperate fight for survival and maybe forgiveness as well.

Why the rating? First of all, would you get in a car for 10 hours with someone who is no longer your friend, and likely has ulterior motives for agreeing to drive you home? No, I would not. Second, why would anyone get out of a perfectly good vehicle and wander off in the woods where creepy people with dogs seemingly have committed likely acts of violence against those who wandered into the woods? Third, it is pretty obvious that Lily isn't an innocent once you get the full scope of what transpired 4 years ago. Was Elke right to be upset? Yep. The fire scenes scared me, and I was a firefighter for almost 10 years. I remember a group of hotshot firefighters who died after a fire caught them and there was nothing they could do. Fire still scares me today. It's the one thing that impressed me that even after everything that happens, Lily and Elke, and even Natasha have real perils that they have to deal with.

rly wanted to like this so bad but it just fell off in the most ridiculous way possible. the book's premise had me intrigued but it was literally pointless bc not only were the girls annoying as hell but 80% of the book was just them arguing abt the same thing that happened YEARS ago n it just kept going.. i kept waiting for a plot twist to pop up but it never happened overall i'd say it was an okay read just not for me

This was full of lots of drama and was a short and fast paced storyline! I love a good thriller about toxic friendships. A good read!

This story was insane! I had no idea what to expect when starting this and it was different from what I was thinking it was going to be. The story follows Lily as she takes a ride with a former friends to get away from a fire from school and ends up in danger, but not only from a fire.

I think Parrack did a great job writing the natural disaster portion of this story. The details about how the fire was moving and how quickly it could change are extremely accurate and this really added to the story. There is nothing worse than something unbelievable ruining a storyline. Lily's character was instantly likable and I was constantly rooting for her along the way. The way Parrack made me feel an intense level of anger towards the other girls from the start was unparallel to what I have felt before. The small jabs and petty behavior was so typical of a mean girl and I felt my blood boiling. I love it when an author can make me feel emotions that intense. That feeling followed me through the story as well as being frightened for them, concerned, elated, and more. This story is jam-packed with emotions and Parrack was pulling them out of me one after another.

If you love a high-intensity, thrilling, suspenseful YA Novel, this story is for you. I love Keely Parrack and plan to read much more from them shortly! Go grab yourself a copy now!

There is nothing like a ticking clock to keep me interested! The intensity of this book was evident both outwardly with the wildfire and inwardly with the strained relationships of the characters. I loved the push and pull of these two elements! It created a very dynamic plot with a boost of forward momentum that kept me hooked!

"10 Hours to Go" by Keely Parrack presents an intriguing premise with a diverse ensemble cast of characters, each with their own motivations and secrets. Set against the backdrop of a high-stakes countdown to a life-changing event, Parrack attempts to create a tense and atmospheric setting that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. However, while the characters are initially intriguing, their development feels somewhat shallow, lacking the depth needed to fully engage readers in their struggles and conflicts.

Parrack's writing style is clear and straightforward, making for an easy read, but lacks the depth and complexity needed to fully immerse readers in the story. The plot of "10 Hours to Go" offers moments of intrigue and suspense as the countdown unfolds, but ultimately falls short in delivering truly gripping twists and turns. While the logic behind the characters' relationships and decisions is generally sound, there are instances where the narrative veers into implausibility, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the novel. Overall, "10 Hours to Go" is a moderately entertaining read that may appeal to fans of fast-paced thrillers, but ultimately fails to leave a lasting impression.

Enjoyable YA book about teens holding grudges, and making bad choices on a drive home during fire season. Some good twists, and I did enjoy the ending.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC!

This was the most frustrating thing I’ve ever read. And I've read a lot of books. Every single moment was spent with the main characters arguing and putting themselves into life threatening situations. So much could have been avoided if they hadn’t tried to strand Lily in the woods with a literal wildfire as a backdrop. Why would anyone do this as a joke in the middle of fire season??? Also why did Lily take the offer of a car ride in the first place??? Natasha literally didn’t even want to do it, and both her and Elke had massive grudges against Lily so the situation was dangerous from the beginning.

It’s great that there was so much tension between characters, but I just didn’t like any of them and the constant arguing became unbearable for me. I understand that the plot was mostly tension, but the entire argument revolved around the exact same plot point that happened years ago.

If it wasn’t such a quick and easy read, I probably would have stopped it early on in the book. However, the book did get much better towards the end once Natasha left and Elke and Lily started arguing a lot less.

This is my first Keely Parrack book and although it was well written and extremely realistic it wasn’t one of my favorites. The book detailed the journey of three former friends through a devastating forest fire.

Ten Hours to Go is a young adult thriller in which a wildfire interferes with Lily's plans to get home, forcing her to rely on her ex-best friend Natasha and the girl she got expelled, Elke, for a ride. Past conflicts resurface as they navigate the dangers of the wildfire and try to get home. From the beginning, I found the characters and their backstories interesting. It was nice to see how Lily, Natasha, and Elke's relationship developed throughout the book. The story keeps you engaged with its unpredictable twists. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this ARC.

Book Review: 10 Hours to Go by Keely Parrack - A Disappointing Ride

Rating ⭐ Stars

Upon picking up "10 Hours to Go" by Keely Parrack, I was intrigued by the promising premise of a thrilling journey filled with suspense and unexpected twists. However, as I delved into the story, I found myself sorely disappointed by what unfolded.

The narrative follows Lily, who finds herself in a precarious situation of relying on her ex-best friend Natasha and their mutual acquaintance Elke for a ride home amidst a backdrop of looming danger from wildfires. What could have been a gripping tale of survival and redemption instead devolved into a monotonous and tiresome account of three characters bickering incessantly.

The characters, far from being compelling or relatable, came across as shallow and unlikable, constantly rehashing past grievances with no real growth or development throughout the book. The tension promised by the synopsis felt forced and contrived, lacking the depth and nuance needed to engage the reader.

As the pages turned, I found myself increasingly frustrated by the lack of substance and meaningful plot progression. The repetitive nature of the interactions between Lily, Natasha, and Elke only served to further diminish any potential intrigue the story might have held.

In conclusion, "10 Hours to Go" failed to deliver on its initial promise, leaving me underwhelmed and dissatisfied. Regrettably, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to those seeking a captivating and immersive reading experience.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll start this review off by saying I had no idea what to expect from the book. I didn’t do a ton of research beforehand, and I was definitely expecting a murder mystery rather than a contemporary fiction.

I originally enjoyed this book for its short chapters and mysterious background, but I just don’t think it was for me. It felt aimed toward the younger side of the YA genre, and sometimes felt immature. Our character kept saying “WTF” (exactly like that) which was a bit of a put off for me, and the character “history” boiled down to a misunderstanding that happened when our characters were 12. Moreover, I feel like there wasn’t much character development, and all three of our MC’s weren’t very likable, but that also could have been intentional.

I enjoyed the action and high stakes that our characters faced in the last few chapters, but even the pacing felt weird as there was no real action in the first half of the book and it all came crashing down in the latter half. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book as much as I had originally hoped, but it still had some entertaining qualities.

This was an interesting story but just wasn't for me.

Right from the beginning, it just felt odd. I had a hard time believing the car ride and why anyone would stay in there. I found the girls' conversations tough to read and just not believable. Since I wasn't invested, the rest of the story just felt long and I felt disconnected. I wish I'd liked this one more.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Awesome story! A roadtrip gone wrong, due to a series of unfortunate decisions, a wild history, frenemies, and oregon wildfires. This story was thrilling from beginning to end, yet so beautiful too! The character developement is done really well. Absolute recommend!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

I've read several books with similar plot lines. While 10 Hours To Go did have a few twists that made it stand out from the others, the story over all was not what I expected. It's a good book, just not a great one.

Wildfires terrify me but I love survival thrillers so I thought I would give this a try. The author does a great job of capturing the angst of having to ride with people you don’t really like, and then the added anxiety of the wildfires closing in, as well as the annoying ways of teenagers (the this or that game was getting on my nerves before the wildfires started). There were a lot of TSTL situations that they put themselves in mixed in with some pretty brave moves that somewhat redeemed them but holding onto past transgressions for that long and plotting revenge when you can just drop someone off and get rid of them just doesn’t make sense to me (but I’m too lazy for revenge scenarios). Not sure how accurate the wildfire scenes were (and I hope I never find out) but it made for a thrilling backdrop for a story.

This book is described as a mystery thriller. And personally, I didn't really get that vibe much at all across the scope of the book. There were definitely elements that leant that way, but for the most part I wouldn't have said it was a thriller.
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I enjoyed the plot and the characters, though the amount of times that past events and mistakes were brought up, even after everyone has forgiven each other felt a bit weird to me. It felt as though despite them saying they'd forgiven each other, they were still holding grudges.
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The ending felt kind of off to me. It felt like a bit of a let down after the excitement and the stakes of the rest of the book. Maybe that's just me though. Overall, it was a good book, and I enjoyed it, but I just wish it might've leant into the thriller aspect a bit more.
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Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

2⭐️

Ugh sadly this one was a swing and a miss for me. I had really high hopes for this one and thought I would have connected more with. Being from Oregon and having friends who fled the Beachie Creek fires and survived

But right off the bat it just wasn't very believable for the characters. Why would anyone agree to a 10 hour car ride with their two bullies. Who still were completely awful to her. The amount of times I read friendemies when they are running from literal fire.

I thought the atmosphere was the best part of the book. Although confusing and disorientating at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own

This was a harder book to get through for me. The concept interested me and I was excited to jump in. The story was OK I just wasn't excited to pick it back up.

I am not the target audience for 10 Hours to Go and that could be why. I rated reflecting that

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this title.

Another nail-biting survival story from Keely Parrack. Lily just wants to get home to find out the results of her Mom's tests. but after her train was cancelled due to a wildfire, she accepts a ride from a former friend.

Natasha only agreed to drive Lily home so she could finally get revenge for the incident that ended their friendship. She brings along Elke, who was also involved in the incident 4 years ago, to help in her revenge plot.

The trip is supposed to last 10 hours, but there are delays due to the wildfire.
Natasha & Elke decide to leave the main highway, hoping to go around the delays, but instead they get lost

Now, with the wildfire closing in, the three of them must depend on each other to survive, but can Lily trust the others?

Lots of twists & surprises in this one. I will definitely be purchasing this one for my students.


Content Warnings/possible triggers - Bullying, wildfires. language, death.