This was a slow burn for me but towards the end I couldn’t put it down. There was alot of characters to keep track of and the story was kind of all over the place- overall this wasn’t my favorite!

This was such a fun, creative thriller. I was very intrigued by the relationship of the two women and it took a while for me to unfold everything. I did guess the twist a little early, but I think the reader is meant to figure it out before the characters do. I also enjoyed Anna's note at the end about how she came up with the idea for the book. All in all, this was a solid read.

Truly a rollercoaster ride that I could not put down! The characters were all so quirky, and yet I adored all of them. And the ending - man, I did not expect this to take all of the twists and turns that it did! When thrillers hook me in from the beginning and have a surprise twisty ending - that's a 5 star read for me!

Multiple POV in thrillers is always a plus so the reader gets more insight into the characters' mindsets. This one was no exception. Loved the twists leading to the exciting crazy climax ending. thank you Netgalley

I have long been a fan of Anne Downes and could not wait to get my hands on this one. Solo female travelers, creepy unexplained happenings, missing people - what's not to love?

I thought this was a fantastic book, with alternating perspectives and lots of interesting characters that kept my head on a swivel. I did think the last quarter of the book got too :busy" trying to explain things and I had to go back and re-read a few times. But over all, a great roadtrip thriller that I would absolutely recommend.

Red River Road

I’ve fallen behind in my reviews and I’m happy to have time to now catch up. I listen to Red River Road over the summer. The focus on a missing woman combined with the van life she led and the beautiful setting made for an intriguing read. I appreciate how the story brought together two different women and explored the circumstances that led them to each other. At times I did find the story lagged a bit. However, just when I would find myself drifting the tale would take a turn, and I would be right back into it.

The last quarter of the book is truly a wild ride and I found myself looking for any opportunity to listen to it. If you’re looking for a book with some darker elements and a few twists then I highly recommend trying this one. Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillion audio for both my DRC and my ALC.

On the fence here. The second half of the book (as others have mentioned) is much better than the first half. This is my first book by Anna Downes and I would give her another shot.

Red River Road by Anna Downes. This story is told in three pov’s
I felt engaged and on edge throughout the whole story. This is a great roadtrip thriller set on the roads of Australia. I enjoyed the turns of this thriller and was surprised by the ending. This was my first book by this author and I’m impressed.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing me an advanced copy for honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I really enjoy books set in Australia and I loved the cover and description on this one. Unfortunately, this wasn't for me, and I'm probably in the minority. It was SO slow and I disliked/couldn't relate to any of the characters. DNF at 40% when I realized pretty much nothing had happened and I didn't care about anyone or their stories to find out the ending. Katy annoyed me - she seemed too paranoid about everything to be able to travel solo. Beth/Lily apparently made herself out to be American when she met Katy, but there were too many Australian words and phrases to make that believable, and why didn't Katy catch that? And Wyatt - I'm sure I didn't read far enough, but his chapters seemed completely useless to the story (except for the background about Lucas) that I ended up skipping through his narrative.

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of Red River Road in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third book I have read by Anna Downes and I am most definitely a fan. I love that each of her books have been so different from each other and I could not wait to see what was in store for us in this latest one. And I have to say I was not disappointed. This is another addicting read that will keep you captivated from start to finish!

A road trip thriller through the western coast of Australia, this is the type of story that is sure to get under your skin! I loved that the setting is as much a part of the story as the characters are. This one is so haunting and atmospheric, full of secrets and twists that keep you unsure of what to expect next. While it is a slow-burn initially, it does pick up the pace towards the end for an ending that completely shocked me!

The suspense builds almost from the beginning and having Phoebe’s social media posts included added to that as we try to piece together just what happened. This book really kept me on my toes as there is that sense that all along, something is just not right. I definitely think this is the type of book that begs to be read again because I’m pretty sure there were clues given all along – I just didn’t pick up on them!

I love Australian crime fiction and Anna Downes is definitely one to watch in that genre. I cannot wait to see what she brings us next!

This was an interesting story. A woman, who’s a free spirit , takes a solo trip all over Australia Phoebe goes missing and the main character Katy goes in search of her sister.

With only some online posts as clues the search begins. Katy meets Lily, who stows away in her van. Lily is traveling under an alias with a mysterious backstory.

There are a few clues but lots of things not making a lot of sense. It’s a rather confusing plot and a bit long. But still in would recommend reading. The mystery is captivating and the descriptions of Australia are enticing.
Thanks for the opportunity to read

This was just fine. I almost DNFd around 40% but kept going. Things picked up in the second half and I did enjoy that more, the twist did get me, but I felt underwhelmed in general by the end.

I am very confused on how we did a six minute drive from the house to the rest area thing then went from the house through the backyard to the rest area thing. I didn’t get that. I’m also a little disappointed that we didn’t get a real answer on vivi green (other than where she was and a line of speculation from I don’t even remember who). It also felt hinted at throughout that this happened to a lot of women over a lot of years but it wasn’t.

Overall, I’m glad I read it, I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. I did like the setting a lot.

I'm glad people are enjoying this and I was SO excited about it, but in the end it just didn't grab me.

First off, I have lived in Australia, visited WA, and taken classes in Australian film and fiction, so I love Aussie suspense and was beyond excited to read this.

I'm a little (a lot?) burned out on influencer stories and wasn't thrilled about that aspect, but pressed on.

I felt that RRR was a bit too heavy on the gaslighting and unreliability, had a very predictable element, and I really wished for more descriptions of the beautiful Australian landscape.

3.75 stars and I will happily try another book by this author.

I read this book in its entirety on a lazy Sunday and that's no small thing after an unlucky run of ARCs that I just <i>could</i> put down, so I'm tempted to give this four stars just because of that. I can't, though. Man, I just can't.

Even reading it in one sitting I still felt like I was missing some things, which was in sharp contrast to the way that I guessed the Big Twist at approximately the 39% mark due to a foreshadowing moment that felt more like a flick on the forehead in terms of subtlety. I think I would have enjoyed the rest of it more had that twist not been so clearly telegraphed.

Also I know that books about influencers are generally meant to show the dark side of it all, but there was genuinely no point at which I understood why anybody would be doing the #vanlife thing in the first place. I totally get that neither of the narrators involved in the quest were doing it for funsies, but it was also impressive how they never managed to even run across anybody who seemed to be enjoying the ride of it all. An Australian reader pointed out in their review that "the author captured the boring and banal vibe of the coral coast reaaaally well" so perhaps that's a part of it - aside from the pink lake nothing really stood out in terms of why anybody would make this particularly trip.

It seems like nobody who writes about influencers has ever been one, which makes sense because they are writers, but even a book like this could have been improved by a feeling that the author understood even a tiny bit why people do this and what's interesting about it. Because otherwise this book is just about a kind of boring (and also scary, but not in a way you really <i>feel</i>) road trip.

This was a diverting enough read for a lazy afternoon though. Fair three stars.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

If you are ready to question everything you think you know about these characters, this is the book for you!! Katy is determined to retrace her younger sister, Phoebe’s, van journey to locate her missing sibling. The authorities have run out of leads but Katy has to know how and why her sister disappeared. Along the way, she meets Beth, who is on the run from her own dangerous past. Told in alternating voice, Katy follows along with Phoebe’s blog to hopefully solve the mystery of her disappearance. What she uncovers will spin your mind. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Red River Road is a worst case situation for any solo traveler. Throughout the novel, I drew connections to the Gaby Petito case. The characters’ aliases were a little hard to follow at first as with the connections to the side storylines, but halfway through, I was hooked. The twist at the end caught me by surprise and I never would have considered it. As a follower of many travel Instagram accounts, I enjoyed the social media aspect. 4/5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my unbiased review.

Vanlife intrigues me to begin with, but add in a young woman driving the Big Lap, following her missing sister's social media posts and trying to figure out what happened to her on the isolated roads of Australia, and I found myself totally immersed in this book. Some of Phoebe's posts are included between the chapters and the comments give chilling hints about what might have gone wrong. Chapters alternate between characters who seem unrelated at first but the author sets up a suspenseful collision course that had me holding my breath by the end.

It took me a little while to get into this book because I thought it would be too scary to read before bed. Once I finally had time to sit down in the daylight and read, I was hooked! Every direction I thought this book was going to take was WRONG! It kept me guessing the whole time and I loved all the twists and turns. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from . This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

2.5 hearts

I started Red River Road on audio and just felt confused. There are three main characters: Katy, Beth and Wyatt. Wyatt is a child and seems a bit unconnected to the story for most of the book. Katy and Beth seem like unreliable narrators of the story which is not one of my favorite things. It also could have been mood, as uncertainty is not my reading preference right now.

So I tried again later, switching to the ebook version. This switch is the opposite of one that was effective earlier this month with a different paused read. So format can be tricky and works for me differently in different genres.

Katy is searching for her sister, Phoebe who has gone missing. Beth escaped her own bad situation and wound up in Katy's van. Together, they follow Phoebe's route and try to find people who saw her and talked to her. The method is not very effective. Eventually they get into Phoebe's accounts and emails at Beth's suggestion to figure out more of her interactions.

Meanwhile, we are getting flashback chapters to Wyatt and Beth's history. Beth and Katy haven't trusted each other completely so they solve the mystery from different aspects, which all comes together in the end. Domestic abuse and misogyny plays into the history strongly, so be advised.

Red River Road was not a fun or pleasant read. The women were not very careful and had only each other for support, for reasons. I could admire their strength and perseverance, even understand their unwillingness to get help. I struggled to read this one, on edge but tired of the unhelpful details until the last bit which happened very quickly.

I consumed this book in two sittings. The short chapters, the multiple POVs, and the incredible twists kept me on the edge of my seat. Plus, a timely message behind it all. Anna Downes has become one of my favorite suspense authors. Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for my copy.