I received an ARC of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I read this in one night (approx 3 - 4 hours) when I couldn't get to sleep and quite liked it! I had just finished a series that I didn't like (except the first book) so I had a bad taste in my mouth / grumpy attitude. This book helped cleanse me of that. The beginning was a bit rough for me but that might have to do with growing up in a similar home situation. I liked that the book flipped back and forth between narrators and time periods. I guessed one of the MCs mysteries early on but that, along with guessing what was going on in general, didn't prepare me for the end. I was satisfied with the end and enjoyed the ride (pun intended) of the book as a whole. I'll keep an eye out for books written by this author in the future!

#NetGalley #TheOtherPassenger

This book was just ok for me. The premise was intriguing and it started out really good and I really enjoyed the writing style. It was a quick read and I think I just expected something more to happen in the end, I felt like the ending was rushed. Overall the story was good, I just felt like it was missing something.

3.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to NetGalley, authors JE Rowney and BooksGoSocial for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.

I enjoyed this book and feel the author has potential for a great 4 or 5 star book. I loved the past and present view from both of the main characters. It was well executed and easy to follow along.

The character development as okay. The main characters were a little ‘whiney’ in my opinion but that was probably what the author was hoping to accomplish.

It was relatable in the fact that what happened to David to send him on this downward spiral could happen to anyone. I felt so much empathy for Emma when her traumatic experience was revealed.

While the book was quite predictable it was a quick read with twists that made you want to read more.

The authors descriptions of characters, locations etc were very well done. I feel it lacked a little development in some of the ‘side characters’ like Amanda and Lottie.

I feel like I kept reading just waiting for that omg moment that never came to make it a 4/5 star read.

Overall, well done and I would recommend for readers looking for a good fiction without a whole lot of twists or gore. I look forward to reading more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars

This was a tough book to finish. I feel like everything was just dull and not at all thrilling. I did enjoy the dual POVs in the book between Emma and David. They are both running from something awful that they've done, but don't know it about each other as they drive through the middle of nowhere. I find that David's POV was a little slow moving. The twists at the end were somewhat surprising, but a bit predictable. I find this a bit of a letdown from the author as I've enjoyed their other books before.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC copy of this book.

I really enjoyed the alternate POV’s between David and Emma, this was definitely an easy read for me. I really enjoyed the plot of this book!

This book took me a little bit to get through because of life, it was worth the read!
Did not see the end coming but just felt a little confused at times, chalked it up to taking me so long to get through the book though

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Such a breath of fresh air! A really original concpet, well written. I was completely engrossed and just loved how the story flowed the characters could have shown a bit more development but it was still a really interesting story

This was an interesting story. A man disappointed with how his life is turning out leaves a business awards dinner. His wife refused to go with him, and he is disappointed as the awards are announced. He has an altercation in the parking lot and starts driving with no destination in mind. It's raining out and he sees a young female standing on the road and offers her a ride. They both have secrets and in flashbacks from where they were 5 hours earlier and up to how they are now together explains a lot. The pace intensifies from page one to the end of a very engrossing story.

3.5 rounded to 4

What a wild ride! David and Emma are two strangers out on the road in the middle of the night, surrounded by darkness, pouring rain, and secrets. 'Wrong place, wrong time' meets 'Everything happens for a reason' in this captivating story. I liked the way the chapters were structured, the Now and Before point of views tied nicely together to tell a story of two people that are 'lost' and stumbled upon each other on the same 'less travelled' road. I felt their internal struggles, their pains and their hopes of making amends with themselves. Nicely done.

That being said.... I believe chapter 5, David's interaction with his daughter needs to be addressed. The whole scene was very confusing. Was the daughter standing, sitting on her bed, lying down? Was she under the blankets? Why was a 19yr old acting like a 7yr old? I went over the chapter twice and it was just so murky, and, as much as I tried, I could not create a definite flowing scene in my head.

I want to thank the author and NetGalley for the advanced copy for an honest review.

This author is quickly becoming someone I really enjoy. I loved the way this was written. I also liked the flashbacks as well.

🚗The Other Passenger by JE Rowney🚗

Thank you @JEROWNEYauthor for this ARC! The Other Passenger is out now! This was a great fast paced thriller.

Pages: unknown, kindle edition.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Goal 2024: 64/100

✨Have you been in a weird situation with a stranger?

This book was an easy thriller to read and I enjoyed it. I was curious how the stories were going to tie together. The author did a great job of keeping the pace exciting and before I knew it, I was 80% in.

David and Emma are complete opposites who happen to get stuck in a car together during the middle of the night. With them being polar opposites, it kept the environment tense. It wasn’t really a creepy feeling which I think would have made it 5 stars for me since I seem to love books that give me ✨anxiety.✨ But it was enough of a difference in personalities that I wanted to know what was going to happen.

Overall, easy thrilling read that I enjoyed.

#netgalley #review #read #0to100 #reads #reading #booknerd #books #book #dark #arc #thriller #horror #fright #spooky

This book was a fast paced book. I enjoyed the pacing and really really loved the ending… that being said, I wanted more from the backstory of the characters. I wanted to know why I should care about either of them. It was a solid but not noteworthy thriller (3stars) until the end which I loved so I bumped it to 3.25 for the ending.

More character development, less focus on just having a shocking twist

Interesting read. I found the alternating POV’s to be confusing at times; however, overall it was fast paced. I enjoyed it and would recommend to others.

This was a bit odd for me though overall it was an ok story. The story takes place in a car with 2 strangers as they try to get out of the middle of no where. But they both have there secrets that they are running from.

"𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔," 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅, "𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆."

I'm screaming that this wasn't a five star read because it very well could have been! A man is traveling an isolated stretch of road to get away from what he's done, and he picks up a young woman who is having car trouble. Is she in danger, or is the driver? Both of them are keeping secrets.

I did like the dual timelines and POVs that allowed to story unfold, but it was just missing that sense of dread that I was expecting. At no point did I ever feel anxious or excited like I expect to with a thriller. The ending was a letdown for reasons I won't spoil, but it really came across like a cheap shot.

I enjoyed a few books by this author but haven't liked her last few. Regardless, I thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the early read. This title is available now.

Time jumping pov was well done. Easy read and small set of characters so easy to follow.
Alone in the rain happening on a body near by… I’d stay clear but hey Emma and David are all about it.

I would have preferred a bit more lean into David’s story and leaving the book on a cliff hanger setting us up for another novella with a deep dive into Emma’s story.

Over all a solid novella.

This was such a fun read. It was very twisty and kept me and the edge of my seat. I did personally get a bit confused but that’s just me. It was well written though. I look forward to reading more.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

A chance encounter between two strangers one late night sets the stage for a tense, captivating ride in this new thriller by J.E. Rowney. I love a good thriller, and I especially love a thriller in which close proximity is the main trope and the tension is palpable, dripping from the page with ever-increasing speed. When I first came across this novel, I found myself instantly drawn to the premise, delighted that some of my favorite thriller tropes would be present in the story. So, I downloaded the ARC and started reading, hoping that it would live up to my expectations. I am happy to report that Rowney's latest novel was an absolute hit for me.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the two main characters. Deeply flawed people with their own ominous secrets, these characters were a lot of fun to get to know. Getting to pick their brains for throughout the story was as intriguing as it was intense. I also really liked how suspenseful the story was. Rowney has a knack for mystery and suspense, and they showed off their writing prowess to stunning effect. Finally, I really enjoyed Rowney's writing style in general. Their prose was fresh and easy to read, and I never felt bored. Overall, this novel was an exciting showcase of how scary people can truly be. You never know who you're sitting next to, and this novel doesn't let you forget it. I recommend this book to anyone that loves suspenseful thrillers. I look forward to the author's next venture!

Rating: 5/5 Stars

We follow David as he drives through a storm when he picks up a woman on the side of the road who looks like she needs help.

This has dual timelines jumping between the present, & a few hours beforehand. They are both running from something, but what is it?

This is a pretty quick read that you can read in a few hours. I enjoyed it but it didn't go deep enough for me to rate it higher.

Things i liked
- Characters from different generations, but still being able to relate to each other
- There is one setting for most of the book (the car / around the car) & a lot happens in such a small space
- Dual timeline

There aren't many characters in the book, so it's quite easy to guess what happened. When I read a mystery, i want a shocking twist & this book didn't do that for me

⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Other Passenger
by JE Rowney
Thriller
My first ARC (=advanced reader copy)!!!!
I liked it!
The author explores the dark sides of picking up hitchhikers in the middle of a stormy night.
We have David - running away from everything he's lost.

We have Angeline or Twenty-One: helplessly trying to hold on to things that have been gone for a while now.

And we have Emma, wandering the streets at night, reminiscing and remembering what has been.

The three of those get intertwined with each other's secrets, scrutiny, personal reasons to run.


The book has a nice pacing. I like how everything turns out in the end. Or, better said, what questions stay unanswered. JE Rowney has a beautiful way of pulling the reader into the scene. There's so much vitality in every description, there's tension throughout the whole book. I really felt the rain and storm crashing down, I smelled the forest and I saw David, dear Twenty-One and Emma.
This one's a short, good and tense thriller. I'd recommend it to everyone who wants to be pushed into a stormy night, in which anything can happen.