White Line Fever is a creepy read that might have you wanting to stay only on the busiest of roads!

The premise for this one intrigued me as soon as I read it. A somehow haunted stretch of road? A girls’ trip gone awry? Absolutely sign me up. The group of friends had a very long, dramatic history with each other, and they were all entertaining in spite of some frustrating tendencies. I was invested enough in their backstories, and I liked them enough that I was rooting for them to all make it out okay on the other side. I also liked the setting so much! It was genuinely creepy and claustrophobic, and it made me really grateful that I don’t have any road trips coming up soon.

Unfortunately, the story itself never quite hooked me. I kept wanting something more to happen or for things to get really crazy, but it never quite hit the right note for me. It had all the right ingredients, but something still went wrong with the end result. I know a lot of people are enjoying this one, and I am so glad they are! It just never got there for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing, and KC Jones for the free ARC in exchange for my review.

KC Jones does an amazing job of bringing the creepy atmosphere as our group of friends is traveling down this deserted highway. Each one seemingly getting lost in their heads at different moments, all the while seeing the remains of previous wrecks up and down the road they are traveling.
I loved how this book started. With a glimpse of just what the Devil's Highway is capable of. As soon as our group makes that turn you know your in for a horrifying ride, and I loved every moment. I thought the pacing was great, the tension rose perfectly into these big moments that had everyone questioning their sanity, but still sticking together even when they couldn't stop bickering between themselves.

This is the second book I've read by this author, and I will definitely be reading their future works.

This was not the type of book I typically choose to read as I’m not a fan of paranormal material. But it’s a well written story and definitely a unique premise. Liv and her friends are forced to face some of their biggest fears. It’s never easy for anyone but this is beyond anything you’ve ever encountered - I hope!

I really wanted to like this one. The premise had promise, four longtime friends on a girls' getaway stumble into a nightmare on a haunted backroad called The Devil’s Driveway? Yes, please. But after a strong start, White Line Fever quickly veers off course.

The setting is the book’s best asset. Jones nails the eerie atmosphere. One early scene where the road seems to twist reality itself had real potential. But that tension fizzles out fast. The scares never quite land, and the constant build-up with no payoff started to feel like horror blue balls.
The dual timelines (childhood flashbacks vs. present day) could’ve added depth, but instead dragged the pacing and muddied the plot. The characters, while decently developed, are stuck in a story that doesn't know where it's going.

It’s not terrible, just forgettable. A spooky road trip that stalls halfway there.

I went into this expecting a horror novel and it really isn’t that. Once I put those expectations aside, I enjoyed it much more. This is an exploration of trauma combined with supernatural elements. I feel the author did a good job of really getting into the character’s minds and pulling the reader in. Go into this book expecting slow burn character study and you’ll be able to really appreciate it.

Thanks for the opportunity to read!

White Line Fever is an intriguing storyline (haunted highways?! Yes) but the way that the story was executed lost me. The beginning was engaging and set a tone that the rest of book failed to follow. The characters had no depth, the plot was weird (not necessarily a bad thing) and made zero sense. Additionally, the plot was not there nor was the pacing. It didn't invoke fear or excitement, just confusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

WHITE LINE FEVER by KC Jones was captivating and engaging. It was creative and original in its premise and execution. I really appreciated the mental health representation through unresolved trauma and how the antagonist would manipulate the MCs through such. The premise of a hallucinatory haunted road was really fun. I felt it could have been a bit more... explicit? The depictions of violence and/or conflict could have been a bit grittier, but that might just be my desensitization nowadays lol. I absolutely adored Black Tide and feel this author is so good with cosmic horror. A mash up of both mental health representation and cosmic horror would have easily made this 5 stars! I rate it 3.75 at this time :)

What a roller coaster of a thriller! I was on the edge of my seat the entire read. Full of shocking twists and suspense, it was not like any other thriller I’ve ever read. I won’t ever look at desolate stretches of road or tunnels the same way again.

This book was just on for me. It was very intriguing and at times very mysterious and kept me engaged. But there was just so many inconsistencies and questions left unanswered.
At times it seemed like the author was going on one direction but then lost that train of thought and didn’t finish it through.

The storyline was good but just the backstory leading up to the actual current timeframe was off.

Thanks NetGalley for the copy

White Line Fever is Lemmy Kilmister’s unapologetic, pedal-to-the-metal memoir. From his early days chasing girls with a guitar in hand to founding Motörhead and shaping speed metal, Lemmy lived louder than anyone else. With tales of chaos, music, and mayhem, this book is a raw, hilarious ride through the life of rock’s most notorious outlaw.

What a book! Loved it! Thank you, KC Jones, for this read as it kept me up all night as this book is unput downable!

Highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

White Line Fever is the 2nd-book that I have read from K.C. Jones, and I believe we are going to have a long and beautiful friendship. This was great. I loved the themes explored and the hair-raising, disturbing and distressing journey we went on with these characters. This story follows Livia, who after experiencing a particularly rough patch at home, gets swept away on a girls' weekend retreat by her three best friends.

As they head to the remote cabin they've rented, they encounter a bit of trouble on the road, and like many characters before them, decide to take a shortcut. County Road 951 looks unremarkable at the start, but what the women don't know is that this road also has another name: The Devil's Driveway.

It does not take long before the group starts noticing concerning things happening, time slips and confusion, hallucinations and worse. Their good-spirited getaway is quickly turning into a pulse-racing nightmare. The horrors of the road seem to be linked to their past, but it's all so hard to decipher. The women are confused and tired, but regardless of the challenges and their fears, they'll need to work together if they have any hope of survival.

I thought White Line Fever was so interesting. It begins with a startling and gripping Prologue that is set on the stretch of road where the women ultimately end up, but it's not necessarily related to them. That Prologue really set the tone for the story. Then we take a quick step back and meet Livia, as well as her friends, and we learn of their motivations behind their girls' trip.

It had the perfect Horror story set-up: four friends on a girls weekend, driving to a remote rental house, things going horribly wrong. Also it featured a great Horror story lesson, which many of us already know and practice in our own lives: don't ever take the shortcut.

We do get a past-timeline, in addition to the present-day action, where we follow Livia and her friend group when they were just young girls. We learn of formative (read: traumatizing) events that happened to them on Livia's family's property. I did enjoy that back-and-forth. The friend group and particularly the way the events of their youth were relayed did give me heavy-It vibes; not in a copy-cat way, in a more inspirational, subtle way. I enjoyed that vibe.

While some of the events occurring in the Devil's Driveway were a bit too fever dream for my general tastes, I did love the character work and in particular, the growth that our MC, Livia, displayed throughout the story.

You truly go on a journey with these characters. I enjoyed the feel of the road itself, how it plays the role of antagonist. I also loved the strong bonds of the friend group, as they tried to figure everything out in order to get out of there. I would recommend this to Horror Readers of all types. I think the creativity and exceptional character work make this one worthy of picking up. I'm looking forward to more from Jones in the future. Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

K.C. Jones seems to take risks with his writing, and I respect the heck out of that, and enjoy a lot of the themes and concepts he explores in his stories. The best part is, I have no clue in what direction he'll be going next with his work, but you better believe, I'm gonna be there to read it!

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. The characters are mostly okay, though Livia's lack of a spine was a problem and Ash was just mean for no reason. As far as the story goes, it got pretty repetitive until basically the 75% mark. I did think that it pulled together well in the end, and the climax was satisfying enough. I probably would find it scarier if I found myself driving through the woods a lot, but from the safety of my home, not so much.

What a spooky trip! Pun intended. Livia and her 3 friends all decide to go on a road trip to take a much-needed getaway and decide to take a "shortcut" So many scary things happen to them. It's a haunted stretch of road, that haunts you with your past traumas. I really enjoyed it and it gave me some chills reading it before bed, in the dark. But it's worth the read!

County road 951 is an unremarkable road it is known by another name the Devil’s Driveway. County Road looks like any other two lane blacktop. If Livina and her friends take this road it will be a great time saver as it is only 15 miles. The girls decide o take it as to them it is only County road 951. They’re eager to get to their weekend getaway. When Livia and her friends decide to take that shortcut, the morning is a lovely joyride. It ends being a ride that they won’t forget. They’re driving for their lives it also for their sanity and friendships. Will they survive?

A relentless, nerve-jangling nightmare ride. It is suspenseful. I couldn’t stop reading it. The author has written a solid novel that takes a familiar horror and bends it into something new. At times it is truly terrifying.

"THEY'LL BREAK MORE THAN SPEED LIMITS ON THIS GIRLS' TRIP FROM HELL."

If you're a fan of road trips with a supernatural twist, you might want to check out "White Line Fever"! As someone who loves hitting the open road, I'm not sorry I missed this one!

I was immediately drawn to this novel as someone who loves horror movies, especially those that twist a seemingly fun trip into a chilling nightmare. The eerie cover added to the allure! The story follows four childhood friends—Livia, Mo, Ash, and Becka—who decide to hit the road for a getaway after Livia finds out her husband has been unfaithful.

Sounds like fun, right? But things quickly spiral out of control when they encounter a sinister tow truck and take a shortcut. That’s when the adventure amps up! Little do they know they're heading into "The Devil's Driveway," a 15-mile stretch of closed road. As supernatural elements emerge, the friends confront unsettling childhood flashbacks, revealing their struggles and secrets—some of the best parts of the story.

The book's pacing starts like a leisurely drive along familiar back roads, gradually picking up speed as the story intensifies. Bizarre events leave you questioning what’s real. With each twist, the friends question their reality and wrestle with their fears, desperately seeking a way back home in one piece.

If you’re up for a wild ride filled with outrageous and hair-raising supernatural suspense, this road trip might be worth the journey!

I enjoyed this crazy ride and appreciate Macmillan Audio and Tor Nightfire providing the ARCs through NetGalley. Listening to the audiobook alongside the ebook was fantastic, and the narrator did an excellent job. I’m giving this one a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. I was hooked and needed to see how the story wrapped up, but the supernatural twist caught me a bit off guard. As always, my opinions are my own and shared voluntarily.

White Line Fever by K.C. Jones is about a girls' trip gone bad when they take a shortcut on a haunted roadway nicknamed The Devil's Highway. The novel starts with a bang showing an amateur ghost hunter taking a ride on the highway. It doesn't go well and we the audience get to see how the haunting works. I have read many horror stories about haunted places and objects but never read a story about a haunted highway. The unique setting of a highway is used pretty well. The horror of the story is what your mind wanders to as you drive, and the haunted highway turns it into a nightmare. The narrative follows two characters Dave the highway's first victim and Livia who has just split from her husband and needs a girls' trip. Livia is the main character and also has flashbacks about her time in a junkyard and how all the girls on the road trip became friends. The story has two villains Livia's overbearing father and the entity that haunts the highway. The Harrower is what the girls name the highway monster who feasts on fear. The pace of the story is a little slow after the awesome introduction scene. When the group of girls starts realizing what is happening and how to stop it, the book gets very good at the 65% mark. The book's action does not stop until the satisfying ending. I was asked by the publisher to read White Line Fever after I reviewed K.C. Jones debut Black Tide. Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for allowing me to read White Line Fever. White Line Fever was published on March 18, 2025.

Plot Summary: Dave rides his dirt bike on The Devil's Highway. He is shooting B-roll on a dashcam for his friends who are a group of amateur ghost hunters. He has helped out before and never seen anything, but this time is different. He starts seeing a spider within his helmet and he gets turned around and tries to turn back but feels the highway has changed. He gets scared and goes faster. He just wants to escape but will the highway let him? Livia has just split from her husband and needs a girls' trip with friends from her childhood who know her. The group heads to a cabin in the woods. On the main road, the girl experiences road rage and wants to get away. Livia finds a shortcut on a backwoods road that they take. The road is the Devil's Highway, the only way they are leaving is to fight their fears and the entity that wants to feed off them.

What I Liked: The flashback scenes are tension filled. Livia's father is terrifying and a hidden monster. I liked the parallel of the Harrow and the father who are both monsters that feed on fear. The ending was great I liked seeing Livia and the others fight back against the monsters of their nightmares. The ending also had Livia stand up to a real monster that I loved. I liked how the girl's road trip and the ghost hunters are connected. The flashbacks about the girls forming the club were special. I liked the idea of the Harrower, it made me think of the villain in Stephen King's The Outsider. I like the way Jones wrote the descriptions, I could picture the nightmares he created. The zombie dog was the best-described creature.

What I Disliked: The body count was way too low. It felt like Jones thought about killing some more but couldn't pull the trigger. I think I would have liked the book so much more if I felt more danger. The pace after the intro was way too slow. I liked the flashbacks the most but felt that the order in which we got them was too late. The dad was very terrifying and if I had the flashbacks before the nightmare version of him it would been more impactful. I think it was a mistake to not have the group stay overnight, or at least a day on the highway.

Recommendation: White Line Fever is an interesting premise. It has some truly haunting imagery. The low body count hurt the book by making the audience never feel in danger. I read Black Tide K.C. Jones's debut novel and know he has no problem killing characters. I will barely recommend White Line Fever to my followers. I feel like Jones's writing is getting better and so close to being great. I liked White Line Fever barely over Black Tide. Both books have people trapped in a car for long periods. I would like to see his next book have no one trapped in a car.

Rating: White Line Fever I rated 3.4 out of 5.

~TW/CW: Language, anxiety, cheating, abusive family, toxic relationships, childhood trauma, mental abuse, blood, gory scenes ~

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
At a passing glance, County Road 951 is an entirely unremarkable stretch of blacktop, a two-lane scar across the Cascade foothills of Central Oregon.But the road is known by another name, coined by those who’ve had to clean up after all those scenic detours went horribly wrong: The Devil’s Driveway.When Livia and her long-time friends take the Driveway as a shortcut to a much-needed weekend getaway, what begins as a morning joyride quickly becomes anything but. Soon, they’re driving for their lives, pursued by a horror beyond anything they ever imagined.The Devil’s Driveway might be only 15 miles long, but with danger at every turn, it will take the four women to the very limits of their friendships and their sanity.And there’s no telling what else lies in wait just beyond the bend.
Release Date: March 18th, 2025
Genre: Thriller/horror
Pages: 368
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Writing style was okay

What I Didn't Like:
1. Confusing things happen
2. Didn't care about the characters

Final Thoughts:
This book started out pretty interesting and I was interested what was happening but after like the 5th car accident I started to wean on my excitement of this book. There were action scenes of things happening that really weren't that interesting to me. Some parts even came off as confusing. I didn't find the characters for a likable. I didn't understand the whole going back and forth between the childhood at the junkyard tow truck place. I didn't understand what's happening because I guess I just didn't care about what was happening. The characters were so one-toned you could have replaced four women with one woman and it would have felt the same.

I ended up dnfing this book at page 162 because it just didn't feel like it was going to get any better. I had already lost my interest in it and nothing was happening other than her talking about her dead dog somehow reappearing, which under normal circumstances might be an interesting development but in this book just came off confusing and ridiculous.

There were certain parts in this book where I thought were fascinating such as she grew up with a father who was a cannibal. But when we got those flashbacks they were so small that we ended up just talking about her sneaking out and her dog. Let's flush out her father some more and understand what's going on with that. The author would do this to us. They would give us this gripping thing that happen and egg us on with that information but then pull it away to tell us about something else that was not relevant to what we wanted to hear - something far more boring. In instances like this it would remind me of like a PG-13 horror movie that all the bloody scenes would happen off of frame we were just supposed to use her imagination to know what transpired. It frustrated me because we're in a book you can write about anything at this point don't hide away from the good gross things.

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

White Line Fever opens with a truly eerie, atmospheric scene—a long, dark, seemingly endless highway imbued with ghostly legends and haunted by mysterious apparitions. This "Devil’s Driveway" sets the tone for a narrative that deftly blurs the line between supernatural horror and raw psychological drama.

Right from the start, the author’s skill in building tension is evident. The haunted highway is more than just a setting; it’s a metaphor for the journey through one's darkest memories and hidden fears. The novel uses the ominous landscape as a symbolic crossroads where the characters must confront their inner demons. This motif of the haunted road reflects the broader theme of overcoming trauma—a central thread that binds the narrative.

At the heart of the story is Livia, whose personal road trip turns into a literal and figurative journey toward confronting her painful past. Caught between the oppressive influences of a vile husband and a tyrannical father, Livia finds herself drawn back to the very place that symbolizes her deepest fears. Her struggle—and that of her companions—echoes the universal battle of reclaiming one’s power in the face of overwhelming adversity. Each character’s haunted past is not merely a backdrop but an active force that shapes their paths and decisions throughout the story.

The blend of supernatural elements with real human trauma gives White Line Fever a unique narrative texture. While the eerie, ghostly encounters provide spine-chilling moments, it is the intimate portrayal of the characters’ vulnerabilities and their journey towards self-empowerment that leaves a lasting impact. The narrative avoids relying solely on shock value, instead inviting readers to explore the intricate relationship between fear and resilience.

In White Line Fever, the interplay between a chilling setting and deeply personal stories results in a narrative that is as haunting as it is uplifting. The novel challenges readers to consider the ways in which our pasts continue to shape our present, and how confronting these inner demons is a critical step towards healing and reclaiming our lives. Whether you’re drawn to the supernatural or the deeply human struggle against trauma, this book offers a compelling and thought-provoking read.

A group of friends get trapped on a cursed road - sign me up! Unfortunately, I was never really draw into the story. I felt there were unnecessary details that drew away from the plot, and I had a hard time connecting to the characters. This one just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

It's not often that I have no idea where to start the review but here I am. I will keep it short and simple. To me, this book was alright not the greatest thing. It took me a bit too long to actually finish and want to finish it.

The thing I enjoyed about this book was the fact that it takes you on quite a journey of horror and childhood trauma. A friends trip takes a wild turn.

Follow them on a trip of revealing darkest secrets to hopefully survive.