This book hit close to home as I live in Upstate South Carolina and my family lives in the Blue Ridge area. Knowing the landscape and how isolated certain parts of Blue Ridge are made this eerie in the best ways.
I did have a hard time with the main character. It didn't feel as though she was in self preservation mode when she left Wolfman to go to the bathroom and also skipped out on harming/injuring him when she had the chance. Another area that was difficult to believe was when the neighbors wouldn't call the cops for our Main Character. I understand them not wanting to let her into their home, but not calling the cops felt like a point made only to move the plot forward. I feel like we could have gone down a different path to get the same point across.
I also found it jarring, and this was probably due to me not doing my own research, that one of Wolf Man's intentions was to rape these girls. I felt queasy and wish I had known this before getting into the novel. It added a level of discomfort, and I probably wouldn't have chosen to read this book if I had known beforehand.
Overall, I think this would make for a great read in the autumn months if you're looking for a book to keep you on the edge of your seat and are aware of the triggers inside.

Ruth is a fighter, brave and unsuspecting. She is likable, despite her tough exterior. When she wakes up in the back of a truck disoriented and covered in manure, she soon realizes she’s in trouble. She’s been taken. He’s done this before.

I read this book in two sittings- only because I was forced to put it down.

Fast paced, intense, this book grabs you and doesn’t let go! I held my breath through so much of it! A quick read but packed full of suspense and great storytelling. It’s one you’ll be thinking about for a while! This book has the same intensity as Dean Koontz, Intensity- which is hard to do! The only two that have I’ve read with such tension and horror that I could not look away. Easily one of my favorite reads this year. A must read!

Thank you Simonteen for an EARC! (The new cover is PERFECT)

Where has this book been my entire life??

This book hooked me from the beginning and didn’t let me go until the very end! This was masterfully crafted and executed by the hand of someone who clearly knows the thriller genre. The setting was dark and the description of the cabin she finds herself in was bone chilling.

Ruth’s character was well…Ruthless. Even with her arrogant tone and personality she was absolutely brutal. She was a fighter through and through. Steadfast and did whatever it took to survive and make it back to her family.

Wolfman was…putting it simply. Terrifying. Carolyn pulled no stops on creating a twisted, psychotic villain that had absolutely no redeeming qualities. He was evil to the bone and nothing could change that.

It was a quick-paced character driven novel that I throughly enjoyed and that I definitely recommend! :)

Ok so this is a reissued book which I didn’t realize when I requested it. The description was a bit misleading as it said “a spine tingling debut thriller… etc..” and never said that the debut was 10 years ago!
I knew I was going a little outside of my typical plots that I enjoy but it looked interesting.

Now it’s a well written book that folks can get completely engaged in. It just wasn’t for me personally. It is fast paced and well thought out where the anxiety one can feel is palpable and keeping one on the edge of their seat.
For me while I love all types of thrillers there is just something about the gross loner with long time issues that just crosses the line into the creep factor.

So the book did its job in being a suspense thriller. It just creates much too much anxiety for me!!

It comes out May 13th 2025.


I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Simon and Schuster Children’s through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

THANKS TO THE NETGALLEY AND SIMON TEEN FOR THIS DIGITAL ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

Ruth Craver is nothing if not ambitious. She grew up with instructions to use her survival instincts if she found herself in a bad situation. And that’s exactly what she tried to do when she found herself kidnapped in a truck. Wolfman—the kidnapper and killer—is a creep who kidnaps and kills girls with specific attributes. The story is a detailed experience of Ruth being forced to survive a twisted game with a psychotic killer.

I was instantly hooked. It felt like I was watching a movie, holding my breath throughout the book. The kidnapper creeped me out. Unfortunately, with time, the pacing went off track. Initially, the chasing, hiding, and seeking scenes kept me on edge, but the repetition of the same scenes made me skim a lot. Wolfman's past sob story wasn't convincing enough to justify his actions. Ruth was ambitious, but some of her careless actions made me question her. The story was more about chasing than about building characters or understanding dynamics. The ending felt like a fever dream, and I’m still not entirely sure if I read things correctly.

In the end, Ruthless had its moments, but it didn’t live up to its full potential.

pretty fun thriller. the protagonist is definitely one of the stronger ones I've seen and despite being a YA Adams does NOT shrink from going VERY dark. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

RUTHLESS by Carolyn Lee Adams

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schusters (Books for Young Readers) for the earc (May 13)

When Ruth Carver awakes in the back of a pickup truck, she knows she's been kidnapped by a man with a grudge, a man who has done that six times before. As she works to escapes, she's working for survival.
I flew through this book. RUTHLESS entranced me. It was an edge-or-your-seat thriller that had be constantly rooting for Ruth and hoping she'd survive.
RUTHLESS delivers nonstop action and survival tactics as Ruth fights for herself, for her life. It's also gut wrenching in a way I can't describe. Like my heart broke for Ruth and all she endured---the fright she experienced. Like I said above, this book goes nonstop all the way until the end.
There were some things in RUTHLESS that may be triggering, but I don't want to go into details.

Ruth Carver wakes up on a truck bed. Tied together, she fails to remember what happened to her, but there’s one truth that lies deep within her heart. She’s been kidnapped.

The whole books centers Ruth’s fight for survival, and the things she must overcome to simply live. I thought the premise of the book sounded good, and I loved the dual timelines, but I found myself wanting more. The book was engaging, and was a quick read, but it started to become repetitive, and I felt the ending was a little unsatisfying. Ruth’s character fell flat to me, and I wish there was more development.

This was a quick and thrilling ride! This is perfect for audiences who love the classic final girl story with a twist. I honestly would've enjoyed the story being even longer to really flesh out the tension. Overall I really enjoyed my time.

This was the kind of book that has you biting your nails and yelling to the void for the main character to run faster. Reading this felt like watching a (good) lifetime movie. It was twisted and kept you on the edge of your seat, the characters in need of therapy, and an eerie atmosphere; it all made for a great thriller.

I will say a few moments I did have mixed feelings about it; for example how it felt like the main character could never catch a break yet, it conveyed the hopelessness that she was probably feeling while trying to get help. And Ruth’s attitude kinda got on my nerves, she came off a bit arrogant at times and just annoyed me, yet at the same time she was a fighter throughout instead of waiting for someone to save her; so I really appreciated seeing that rather than the “damsel in distress” trope.

Plot: 6/10
Pace: 4/10
Ending: 6/10
Characters: 3/10
Enjoyability: 4/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character: Ruth

Favorite Quote: ❝"I'm not going to be raped. I'm not going to be murdered. I'm going to bring him to justice so this never happens to anyone else. I'm not going to think like a victim. I'm going to think like a winner. Because that's what I am. I'm Ruthless, by God, and I need to act like it."❞

First off let’s talk about this cover it’s beautiful 😍 second Ruth was a very strong character loved Ruth I think this is a great young adult read and the kiddies and adults will definitely devour this book the way I did I love it

A more than worthy addition to the YA thriller genre! I appreciated how the author showed both the similarities and differences between Ruth and Wolfman, and I liked her as a tough, spiky protagonist.

This book was good however, I wish that there was a little bit more explanation detail around the main characters kidnapping it felt rushed. I would’ve loved again more detail, but it was good. Otherwise it was a very unique take on the kidnapping trope

Well this was...haunting. I'll be up forever now. It's been a long time since I've felt so ANXIOUS during a book, but be prepared for the darkness.

This was absolutely brutal in the best way possible. A thriller and a survival story wrapped into one.