First things first: vanlife AINT for me!! But I absolutely loved that element of this story.
I was hooked from page one. Downes knows how to get her teeth into you and not let go until long after the last page.

This was a missing person's story and I was SO HERE FOR IT.

Is there anything more entertaining on a hot, humid July day than getting lost within the pages of a story with unreliable characters, plenty of hidden motivations, women in dual timelines embarking on solo road trips into beautiful and wild Australia, a disappearance, and then efforts to find the missing? If there is, I don't need to know about it because I was glued to the pages of this compelling psychological thriller. I love mysteries about disappearances, and Red River Road didn't disappoint. 

I loved the setting! This story being set in a land that seems untamed, dangerous, and undeniably beautiful added an extra element of intensity and intrigue that helped take the mystery to the next level.

Once this story pulled me in, it didn't let go. The further I read, the more confounding the mystery became and the more puzzling the connection between all the different, seemingly unrelated story threads. This book ventures into some dark places and had me constantly questioning what was really going on, who was being truthful, and who was being deceptive. The ending made sense, was satisfying, and most definitely unforgettable.

A missing vanlife travel influencer, a sister determined to retrace her path and find answers, and a mystery woman whose path intersects the search all set against the wild beauty of western Australia made this a perfect summer thriller and another winner from Anna Downes.

Thank you St Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
At first I was not sure about this one because in the beginning I disliked the unreliable narrator; however, my feelings changed as the story progressed. This is a suspenseful, tense, twisty, and atmospheric read. I enjoyed the three different POVs from three characters, even though they all seemed to be unreliable sometimes-each of them grew on me. The story starts off with building up the tension and suspense, and Downes does a fantastic job at keeping this built up until the very end. I loved the setting and the atmosphere throughout this book, and really enjoyed the creepiness and eerie vibe that Downes creates. For a woman who has traveled on her own (and loves to do it) and plans to do it in the future, this had me second guessing that 😆 Downes leaves you wondering who you can really trust. This is a fun, entertaining read which plenty of tension which all comes together with a bang in a fantastic ending that I did not see coming. If you love your thrillers with plenty of secrets, lies, twists, suspense, and which leaves you feeling claustrophobic at times, then definitely check out this up-coming thriller as I am sure you will not be disappointed!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦Unreliable narrators
✦Different POVs
✦Suspense, twists, tension, secrets, and lies
✦An ending that you do not see coming
✦Mixed-media (Such as letters and texts)
✦A book that keeps you guessing until the very end
✦A book that creates an unsettling, creepy, and eerie feeling

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.5/5

A riveting thriller! With multiple character perspectives, the author keeps the reader guessing throughout the book. I also love an unreliable narrator; but it is up to you to figure out who it is. Highly recommended to all readers!!

This was a pretty twisty thriller with some interesting turns. I did find the first half to be a little slow, but the last part more than made up for that with how action filled it was. Katy is searching for her sister Phoebe. Just over a year ago Phoebe took a trip and posted constantly about vanlife. But when she disappeared no one seemed able to find her at all. Katy has decided to get her own van and follow her sister’s path to try to find some clues the detectives missed. Beth is running with no belongings, no money, and no id. She hides in the back of Katy’s van and begs for help. Soon Beth is helping Katy try to find her sister, but there are all strange things happening. Beth has been keeping some secrets and as she realizes the monster she’s running from may have a connection to Phoebe she panics. I definitely enjoyed this one and recommend it if you like a twisty story.

I think this may be better as an audiobook, listened to on 2.5x speed, because it progresses so slowly i wanted to scream.

Told in POV from Katy, Wyatt, and Beth. Katy is looking for her sister, Phoebe. As she looks for her, she meets Beth. Beth is hiding from her past. Katy believes Beth might be able to help her locate Phoebe. Phoebe has been missing for over a year, she used an Instagram page to document her travels.

The setting in Western Australia is amazing. Katy experiences many things during her search for her sister. This book is a slow burn and keeps the reader guessing. There seems to be danger at every turn. Both Katy and Beth are hiding stuff and encounter struggles along the way.

Creepy, Suspenseful and Dark! 3 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be released 8/27/24.

Whoa! Never saw that coming!? I LOVED this book. Having read THE SAFE PLACE back in 2020 I knew I loved Anna's writing and once I saw it was about a vanlifer, I was hooked, having lived vanlife myself. It also takes place in Australia, and while there were a few words here and there that I admit I didn't get (being American), I have a deep love and interest in Australia, so it added to the charm of this book for me. 

The story follows Katy, a girl whose sister, Phoebe, disappeared while traveling around the Western Australian coast in her van and Katy is re-enacting her sister's trip in order to find clues to her whereabouts and try to find out what happened to her. Katy uses Phoebe's Instragam posts from her travels to follow in her footsteps where she looks for clues, talks to locals, fellow vanlifers, anyone who will listen to see if they remember Phoebe passing through. 

One day in her travels she is stunned to find a strange woman in her van, begging to let her travel along with her and very seemingly on the run from something she isn't talking about. Realizing she could use the help, being very much on her own and feeling out of place on this trip, together they team up to retrace Phoebe's footsteps as they continue following her previous path. 

This one came from out of nowhere! You know that moment in a book where you find out the twist and it just makes you want to re-read the entire book at that exact moment!? THAT was this book for me- I just finished and I already want to restart it!? I love the cover, the twists, and the locations! A story about brave, solo-traveling women, I was sucked in from page one and was blown away by the ending. Highly recommended!

Great thriller - held my attention from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley aan the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a well-written, entertaining, fast paced, gripping thriller. It vividly describes vanlife in Australia, and has likable and engaging female protagonists, suspense, mystery, twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, from whom I received an advanced reader copy of this fantastic story. This is my honest opinion.

That was a very twisted ride through Australia ! I loved the book taking place off the beaten path in Australia. The descriptions of all the scenery and destinations was so well written and it made me ready to book a flight and van life around, but not alone like Phoebe. I feel like you have to pay very close attention while reading this clever book because there were so many little clues scattered throughout you might miss otherwise. I enjoyed the alternating chapters of Beth, Katy, and Wyatt so you had more point of views throughout the book. I did not see the ending coming at all. It was so wild but so good. I almost feel like the ending was a little too rushed for me since so much information comes out towards the end, that it was hard to process. I highly recommend giving this book a read if you enjoy a great thriller !

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

🗺️ W I L D R I D E W E D N E S D A Y review 🗺️ featuring “Red River Road” by Anna Downes!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Katy Sweeney is on a mission to find her missing sister Phoebe. She is taking a solo van trip through the Australian outback to retrace her sister’s steps in hopes of finding ANY clues and some answers on Phoebe’s disappearance from one year ago.

Phoebe’s case has gone cold after the investigation is unable to find any trace of Phoebe whatsoever. Katy is using her sister’s Instagram to follow her route through the Outback in search of anything that the police could have missed.

One day Katy finds a random woman sleeping in the back of her van who looks like she has run for her life. Lily is on the run from something/someone and begs Katy to accompany her on her trek to find her sister. Together they embark on a trip through the WILD … navigating through the dangers of women travelling alone.

This book was such a wild ride and definitely sent me down a rabbit hole on multiple occasions! The remote Australian setting was perfect and I enjoyed following along in the #vanlife solo travel! This book is twisty, surprising, tense, atmospheric and nerve racking! I will not be going on any solo trips any time soon after reading this one!

Thank you kindly to @anna_downes_writer @minotaur_books @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on August 27, 2024!

Phoebe is a solo traveler and van life influencer, exploring western Australia in what is called the big lap. But in the midst of her travels, she goes missing. After a year of hearing nothing, her sister Katy gets a van and starts following her sister’s trail on social media, doing her own investigation.
I enjoyed following Katy on her adventure through different WA locations in search of her sister. I also enjoyed taking a look at what van life is like, since my knowledge on both fronts are really limited.
I found this book to be a bit of a slow burn, unfortunately, so it took me longer than usual to get into it and get through it.
I thought the different perspectives helped make the book more dimensional. Katy meets someone who is caught on a darker side of van lifing. We get to learn about Beth from her perspective as well as another character named Wyatt, whose mother went missing when on the road. We also get to see some of Phoebe’s social media posts.

I have completed this book but as it is published by an imprint of St. Martin's Press I will be withholding my thoughts until they respond to the boycott.

Red River Road is an atmospheric, intense thriller. The main characters have a multitude of issues - searching for a lost sister and hiding from attackers. The twist, turning story turns more and more bizarre as the story unfolds. Great for lovers of suspense stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

As a big Jane Harper fan, I was excited to dive into another Australian mystery novel. As the title indicates, this one unfolds mostly on the road in a van carrying two passengers: Beth, an elusive woman on the run, and Katy who is searching for her sister Phoebe that went missing a few months ago. Told in alternating voices and chapters, it becomes clear pretty early on that neither protagonists is who she says she is. To make matters worse, unsettling events unfold during their search pointing to a stalker leaving breadcrumbs of Phoebe's whereabouts. I thought this was a decent book with plenty of eeriness and overall sense of unease. The final reveal was disappointing to me, mostly because I think this theme/angle is a bit outdated for 2024. I'll be curious to read others' reviews to see if they felt the same way.

Whew- this was a whirlwind ride! A year earlier, Kate Sweeney's sister disappeared while doing a solo van trip around the Australian Coral Coast. Kate decides to follow the trip her sister made up until she disappeared to try and discover what happened. She uses her sisters Instagram account to follow. Her sister was a big influencer, and documented her trip on her feed.

This story is so well written. The pace is fast. There are many trailing events that the author brings together for a fantastic and somewhat eerie conclusion. The characters are so interesting. I felt I got to know each character- what motivated them, their fears, anxieties. I also really liked the build up in the relationship between Kate, "Beth", and eventually Wyatt. The tension racks up as Kay suspects she is being followed. I liked the grayish area of "Beth";s history, and was blown away when all was revealed! And- the ending makes sense! YAY!!!!!

The atmosphere was out of this world! I love to road trip and camp, but have never wanted to do it alone! Although the area was described beautifully, the author does a fantastic job of also adding a sense of darkness/creepiness. From suspecting she is being followed, to not knowing who to trust- this is a twisty, edge of your seat read! I highly recommend!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books for this outstanding ARC! This is my honest review.

Complex and intense mystery that grabs on and won't let go. Lies within lies and secrets everywhere - just when you think you figured something out, bam! Definite must for mystery and suspense fans.

Red River Road by Anna Downes is a gripping tale of a road trip gone awry. This fast-paced suspense novel takes readers on a thrilling journey that culminates in a resolution that is both terrifying and shocking. Downes skillfully turns our expectations on their head, leaving us questioning everything we thought we knew.

I really enjoyed this thriller. It definitely kept me guessing - I never knew what character to trust or who was telling the truth. It had some surprises and a great twist at the end. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.