Katy is determined to find her sister Phoebe, a vanlifer who disappeared during a trip through Western Australia. Using Phoebe’s social media posts, Katy tries to retrace her sister’s movements, trying to gather clues along the way. During the trip, she meets Beth, another young woman who may help uncover the mystery of Phoebe’s disappearance. Red River Road is an intense, suspense-filled journey that explores the depths one will go to find a loved one, and it touches on many issues including mental health, violence and domestic abuse. Plenty of unexpected turns in this one, as this well-written book flows smoothly from the start, the mystery grabs the reader and firmly holds on, and keeps getting better and better until the unexpected ending. Under the radar, but well worth a read. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great read, difficult to put down. It was very engaging from the beginning, and kept me guessing. The twists absolutely got me! I enjoyed trying to sus out some suspects in the instagram comments. I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this, and will be looking out for more work from this author.

Mystery, mostly because you aren't told everything all at once and sometimes thriller, this novel is told in 3 pov's along with some blog posts. Different fonts and short chapters break up the story in a good way. I felt a little off kilter while reading this, the revelations came in small measured doses, knowing there is more to come but the pace was very even throughout.

Ominous most of the time, particularly if you are a woman reading this. Predator vs prey, this can be quite disconcerting. Some useful tips if you choose to be a predator.

I took many notes, questions, etc but things were tied up neatly at the end. Overall a great read but unsettling.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I just finished reading the ARC for Red River Road by Anna Downes and if I could I would give it 10 stars!

This was incredibly well written, descriptive, fast paced and I LOVED it!!

I am fascinated by #vanlife & that was one of the reasons I requested it. The story was vividly written that I felt like I was in Australia on the adventures with Katy/Beth. There is a general air of creepiness, lots of lies, secrets and red herrings . The ending blew me away!!
Just how can someone and their van just disappear off the face of the earth? Well, it turns out it's quite easy . . .

I cannot say enough good things about this book and it is by far one of my favorite reads for 2024.

Thank you to Netgalley, St Martin's Press and the author for providing me an electronic ARC to read in exchange for my honest review. #redriverroad #annadowneswriter#vanlife

Red River Road
Anna Downes
Pub date: August 27, 2024

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC. This was a perfect example of a “who done it “novel. It’s based on a girl named Katie, who is searching for clues as to what happened to her sister Phoebe, who was traveling alone on a trip to the Australian outback. I loved the social media representation in this book and the eerie atmospheric setting as well. There was so many twist and turns and I literally did not know what was truth and what was false and who to trust until the very end!! I will continue to read more books from this offer, and I would highly recommend this book for fans of psychological thrillers!

Red River Road follows our main character Katy Sweeney as she traces the steps of her missing sister, Phoebe's solo vanlife trip. Katy is determined to figure out what happened to Phoebe who went missing, without a trace, a year ago. Along the way, Katy runs into Beth and they form an uneasy alliance, as Katy is hesitant to trust a complete stranger. We are introduced to a slew of other characters throughout the story and I felt myself questioning if they could be trusted.
Overall, Red River Road had a slow start for me. There was a lot going on and the story is told from three different POVs. However, it became clear as the story continued that it was necessary to lay the groundwork for different aspects of the storyline. While it started slow and some of the plot twists were predictable I did find myself invested in the story and did end up enjoying it as a whole.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was absolutely riveting, from the first page to the last! I will be following Anna Downes from now on!

Red River Road is an Australian thriller with alternating points of views. Flipping between a first person unreliable narrator and the people she meets, the story twists and turns until you cannot tell up from down. There is a lot going on in this book and I spent a lot of time not really sure what was happening except everyone was lying or hiding something. I am still unsure exactly how I feel about this book except to say it was a little bit overwhelming. The conclusion tries to wrap everything up in a neat little package but there is just a lot. The story has elements of suspense and touches on mental illnesses and traveling safety. I never really connected with the main characters but I don’t usually enjoy unreliable narrators in my stories. I am sure some people will love this but it’s just not really my cup of tea. My voluntary, unbiased, and non mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Red River Road is a thriller by Anna Downes that follows Katy on a solo road trip through Australia to find her sister, Phoebe, who vanished without a trace during her own vanlife adventure. With no leads and no DNA evidence, the case has gone cold. But Katy refuses to give up. Using Phoebe’s social media accounts as a map, she retraces her steps, searching for missed clues. Along the way, Katy’s path intersects with Beth, a young woman on the run from her own dark past. The book examines the dark side of solo female travel and family bonds. Additionally, the book celebrates strong female characters, touches on domestic violence, trauma, and the human psyche.
Red River Road is a captivating read that keeps you guessing until the very end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love when I do not see a twist coming, but makes me go back and rethink everything from the start. In Red River Road we meet Katy Sweeney who is searching for her missing sister Phoebe. Phoebe disappeared last year shortly after embarking on her first solo van life trip. As Katy follows her sister's path in Western Australia in an effort to find someone who knows what happened, she meets Beth. Beth has a difficult past and is keeping secrets from Katy, but they end up traveling together in the hopes of finding Phoebe. The story unfolds slowly and it took a while for me to understand the multiple points of view and how they played together. The ending was worth the wait however and is truly satisfying.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

📚 B O O K R E V I E W 📚

Red River Road by Anna Downes

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“At its heart, Red River Road is about the joy of travel and the right of all women to move through the world without harassment, judgment, or constraint. It explores perceptions of safety, personal responsibility, and gendered violence. It’s a story about stories, those we tell each other and those we tell ourselves, and the power we each carry within us to break a particular cycle.“

I don’t often read a thriller that I know I’ll be thinking about long after it’s over, but Red River Road is one I know I’ll be replaying in my head for a while. The book is atmospheric, twisty, gripping, and perfectly unsettling.

Set on the Coral Coast of Western Australia, the book is told through three perspectives as two of the characters journey up the coast on a long distance road trip. As clues are dropped, more questions arise, and as the story progresses it is less and less clear which (if any) of the narrators are reliable in their perspectives. We start to question what is real, what is perception, and what is being covered up.

I had correct predictions about parts of how the book would conclude by the halfway point, but I didn’t guess the whole end by any means. As someone who usually figures most of the twists out early on, it thrilled me to no end that I didn’t have a completely clear picture of how the book would end! But even if I had, I would have enjoyed the book even with that. The slow build of suspense, the gorgeous descriptions of the stops along the way, and the growing sense of unease kept me glued to the pages, and I truly didn’t want to put it down.

This is a thriller I definitely recommend, and if you read it, definitely read the author’s note at the end! Also, be aware of the content warnings that include domestic violence and stalking.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Kate is following her sister Phoebe’s social media posts. She left a year ago, traveling in her custom van and vanished without a trace. When the police come up with no leads, Kate decides to follow her path, hoping to find someone who knows where Phoebe went.
She soon discovers a woman, Beth in her van. Beth has no money or identification and is terrified of something or someone. Kate agrees to help her and Beth joins her on her journey to find her sister. I found it to be a bit of a slow burn, but that twist caught me offguard. I love reading about Australia and the descriptions of where Phoebe traveled, and the places that Kate went sounded amazing.

The longer I sit with this one, the more I realize how much I enjoyed reading it! It starts as a slow burn, which isn’t always my favorite, but I became more invested in the storyline and characters as time went on. The setting and atmosphere in this book were well done, and there were plenty of twists along the way! I’m ready for more, Anna Downes!

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC via NetGalley.

Anna Downes delivers what will likely be the runaway hit of the summer and one of the top mystery/thrillers of the year. She has become a new auto buy author for me!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book.

Katy Sweeney’s sister went missing a year ago, just three weeks into her “vanlife” solo trip around Australia. Pheobe had been documenting her travels on social media, and now Katy is using that to try to track her down. Along the way, Katy runs into Beth, who has a complicated past and a dangerous present. Both women aren’t being fully honest with each other. At times, it seems they are being stalked, with strange clues (warnings?) hindering their ability to find Phoebe.

There are definitely a lot of twists and turns, and it took me a while to figure out how Wyatt was connected to the other two points of view (it alternates between young Wyatt, Katy, and Beth).

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 27, 2024.

Red River Road is a novel that follows Katy Sweeney, who is traveling in the footsteps of her vlogger sister who went missing as she traveled along Red River Road in Australia. Along the way she runs into Beth, another female traveling alone, and they team up on the investigation.

I found the descriptions of the Australian setting and people very interesting. It tapped into the romanticism of the "vanlife" movement, while highlighting cautions of traveling on the road as a single woman.

I enjoyed the majority of the story. It was compelling and kept me interested and reading for long stretches. However, I struggled with the ending a bit. Everything was pulled together, but I found parts confusing and difficult to follow.

I do think this would a great atmospheric late Summer read and I rate the book 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was addicted from the very beginning. Anna's style of writing, being in my home country. I never seen the ending coming and I must say, I was excited the entire time!

This book had just the right amount of creepiness and what Wyatt discovered about his family. Despite being so diverse, all the characters end up nicely connected, and when all is revealed, I really liked this book and read it quickly.
The story is told from the viewpoint of three characters, Katy, Beth, and Wyatt, and posts from a solo female traveler named Phoebe are interspersed amongst them. Phoebe was definitely a palpable presence, and while not physically interacting with the three main characters, she was definitely a presence. I felt on edge the entire time I read and was definitely kept guessing until the very end.

thank you to st. martin's press for the book in exchange for an honest review

you know how they test delayed gratification on small children by placing a marshmallow in front of them, asking them to wait to eat it, and then leaving the room, with the promise of a second marshmallow if and only if they wait?

this book is the marshmallow. it's a slow burn with a big reward.

I'm not typically a mystery/thriller girlie, but I enjoyed myself with this one. to note, it leans more psychological thriller, which is my preference, but I won't be saying any more about that. I also really loved the descriptions of Australian scenery. I was googling pictures of the locations throughout the reading experience, and it made for a delightful summer mystery read.

✧ 4 stars

katy is determined to find out what happened to her sister phoebe after she goes missing in Australia's outback. katy does everything in her power to retrace phoebe's steps and solve the mystery. so many different twists and turns. hard to put this book down!!!