DNF at 30%.

K.C. Jones’ debut Black Tide was a standout for me last year earning a 5 star rating, so I was super excited to read White Line Fever. I tried reading the print ARC, then listening to the audiobook, but neither engaged me…like at all. Maybe it’s me, but I could NOT get into this one. I’m not even sure how the same author wrote both of these books. One was super slow and the other had me on the edge of my seat from the first paragraph. Very disappointing!

Expected publication date: 3/18/25

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and MacMillan Audio for the ARC of White Line Fever in exchange for an honest review.

While emotional and tense, this story relies heavily on its horror genre without really delivering on the scares you’re looking for. It was easy to predict most of the frights and the redemption arc was obvious. I did like the character building and the way the MC was able to conquer her demons, I just wanted more from the story to grab my amygdala.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy. These opinions are my own.

This line in the book description accurately describes the book “…friendship, trauma, and learning how to take the wheel of your own life.”
I wanted to love the book but I only liked it. The book dragged and felt like it was stuck in a repetitive cycle.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for letting me read this ARC.

This book comes out March 18th, 2025

This book is an adrenaline fueled horror, spine chilling, terrifying. It’s a white knuckled road trip through literal hell known as “The Devils Driveway”. This book was seriously so scary, but I loved every second of listening to it. I was absolutely hooked from the start of the MC traveling on Country Road 951, what used to be another way to the other side of the mountain that was closed due to so many accidents and deaths happening on it. The MC open the gate not closing it behind them and that’s when the girls on their girls weekend took that road while trying to get away from a tow truck that was haunting them. I have never read or listened to another book like this. I was a bit nervous at first because I scare so easily but this had me on the edge of my chair the whole time. KC Jones had me especially with being haunted by your own past in the middle of a closed abandon highway, I would be absolutely terrified if this happened to me. I think that the narrator did an excellent job of really brining the story truly to life. If you are looking for a horror that is thought provoking this is the read for you.

If you like to read:
* Horror
* Adrenaline Fueled
* Spine Chilling
* Mystery
* Girls trip from Hell


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio as well as KC Jones
I voluntarily wrote this review and all words are my own.

Overall, White Line Fever is an engaging read for fans of cerebral, reality-warping horror, but it may not fully satisfy those looking for a more tightly structured narrative.

2.5/3*

Despite being drawn in by the blurb and expecting a wild thriller with some paranormal elements, this book was not for me and I could barely finish it.

I felt nothing for any of the characters, not that they didn’t each have an interesting back story.

It was just buried in too much slow burning rubble to care.

I came so close to DNFing this multiple times while not actually wanting to because it’s an ARC.

The quality of the audio was fine.

With thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance listening copy.

The Devils Driveway indeed! A girls trip gone wrong, and a highway hell bent on making sure they don’t leave it alive.

This is a heck of a thriller that follows a group of women that are going on a getaway to escape major stressors of their lives, and a detour that they probably shouldn’t have taken. The pacing of this story was a bit on the slower side at first but hit the gas petal for the last half and it was a wild ride that required your seatbelt to be fastened tightly. The characters are well developed, especially with the little tidbits that are doled out from the childhood timeline. I wish that the dual timelines would have been eliminated in the last 1/3 of the book, it just disrupted the tension of the present when things really started to get interesting.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read with some good scary bad guys! Definetly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Kate Handford did a super job narrating this story and making it come to life.

County Road 951 is a 15 mile stretch of roadway that is filled with ghosts and horror stories from accidents past. Its known as the Devil's Driveway. A group of girls make the mistake of taking County Road 951 as a detour around traffic and aggressive drivers when bizarrely strange things begin to happen. Will they make it out alive?

The setting is very atmospheric and the creep factor is high. But the pacing to me was slower than I like. I found myself skimming to get through the middle which dragged on for me. The characters are likable but there just was not much happening aside from the supernatural events.
While the book did not hit my psychological suspense buttons, I think fans of the supernatural/horror genre should definitely read it.

Kate Hanford did an excellent job narrating but this was overall a miss for me. I LOVED KC Jones’ debut Black Tide, so I’m a bit bummed I didn’t love this as much. If you enjoy roadtrips gone wrong, paranormal horror, and overcoming childhood trauma then this is absolutely still worth checking out.

This was a dull, but sort-of interesting read, written in first-person POV, with alternating timelines. It explores childhood trauma and some paranormal / occult themes, with an air of ‘Final Destination’ all the while.


Cheating.
Girls’ trip.
Child abuse.
Paranormal activity.
Trippy sequences.
Hallucinations.
Bickering.
Domestic abuse.


Overall:
While it was rather slow-paced, something about it was interesting enough that I kept on.It did feature for the most part, likable leads. It’s trippy, and reads much like a fever dream or a bad trip—not really my idea of a good time and IMO, not exactly brilliantly executed, but not bad per se. It’s okay.


3 stars.


🎧 Audio:
Fantastic production, excellent narrator, professional overall quality. 5 stars.

I was approved by NetGalley for an ARC of “White Line Fever”.

I went in blind and I didn’t know what to expect. Although it was a bit of a slow burn, the creepiness vibes had me hooked. This book was a wild ride! Scary, suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt like I was in the car with the characters and I could feel their terror.
If you like a good scare, pick this one up today!

I loved the narrator here, and that's the only reason I made it as far as I did. It just felt so boring and a bit disjointed. I wanted way less of a slow burn and a lot more of what came in the prologue.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. I was excited to read this book, and the first few chapters started well, with well written and suspenseful writing. Feeling set up for a great read, the book became slow, but picked back up and was fun to listen to. The narrator was enthralling, and told the story well and with wonderful intonation. Overall, the book was an enjoyable read.

I was so excited to get approved for this audiobook! The premise sounded super interesting and I love a good horror novel.

The pros:
-Psychological Horror
- Friends on a road trip
- The narrator, I listened at 1.75x. She was great!

The cons:
- The build up was good for the horror, but in the end it didn’t quite deliver.
- Some of the scenes were too long winded.
- Why so many “parts” in the story? It didn’t seem to fit in the book.
- I didn’t really enjoy the “past” timeline. I understand it was trying to paint a picture of Olivia’s dad, but it was a bit on the boring side.

All in all, not a horrible book/audiobook. I was expecting a bit more from it. I will however read more books by this author because I believe horror authors are few and far in between and this book did have the right idea.

"White Line Fever" is a gripping story about friendship and survival as a group of friends take a shortcut on a dangerous road in Central Oregon. The road, known as The Devil's Driveway, turns their joyride into a fight for their lives as they are pursued by a terrifying force. The women must rely on each other and their own inner strength to make it through this harrowing ordeal.

I used to live in the Pacific Northwest, and reading this book brought back memories of driving around in the woods there. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I must say, I found it quite enjoyable despite its bizarre nature. It's a typical horror supernatural book with a lot going on, making it hard to fully grasp, yet impossible to put down.

The story follows several characters, including Livia and her friends, as well as Drew and his friends. The narrative jumps between both groups and their experiences during a drive. The nonlinear timeline allows us to uncover Liv's secrets and past, creating a sense of mystery and intrigue. It reminded me of a mix between Stranger Things and The Sixth Sense, set on the road.

The eerie descriptions in the story made it captivating and difficult to set aside. Having lived in Seattle for four years and frequently traveled to Oregon, the vivid imagery made me feel like I was right there with Liv and her friends on the Devils Driveway.

While I understand that this book may not be for everyone based on the ratings, I personally was not disappointed. From start to finish, I was engrossed and couldn't stop reading. I was fortunate enough to also listen to the audiobook, and the narrator did an excellent job of bringing the story to life. If you struggled with the writing style in the book, I highly recommend the audiobook as a great alternative.

If you enjoy supernatural thrillers with a touch of horror and an overall atmospheric feel, then this book is definitely worth checking out. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Tor Nightfire, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was a quick listen and the narrator’s voice added to the addictiveness of the listen
I did find I was confused for most of the beginning of the book but the story did come together.
It was a good book but not a great book

White Line Fever: highway hypnosis, a trance-like, altered mental state induced by driving great distances or long periods of time.

This was one weird story, and not in a good kind of weird. It kind of reminded me (just a little) of those trips I took to visit my parents in OR (after they retired) driving from LA to Coos Bay, late at night, drinking coffee to stay awake and getting startled when the car tires wandered onto the gravel shoulder and getting weirded out at some of the strange things I would see out on the side of the roads. Yeah, I don’t drive like that anymore.

So, the book summary introduces the MC’s, four BFF’s since childhood (they’re in their 30’s now), Livia, Ash and Mo (sisters), and Becka (married to Ash) are driving to an OR resort for a girls weekend. Along the way, they decide to take a shortcut in an effort to get there faster. VERY BAD DECISION!!! It’s not long before a bunch of freaky things start happening that has all of them questioning their sanity, definitely regretting taking that shortcut, and praying that they make it back home alive.

The story flips back and forth between present-day and 20yrs ago, when they were tweens in some podunk town named Newberry and called themselves the Scoundrels. basically, spending their days just running around town getting into mischief and sneaking out at night doing what tween girls do when left to their own devices. There were so many passages where Jones was definitely building intensity and leading the reader (at least this reader) to some scary discovery or incident only to just……..nothing. Jones did this throughout most of the story. One disappointing passage after another.

By the halfway point, I seriously wanted to DNF the book, but I didn’t because I have an implied agreement with NetGalley to provide them with honest reviews. That and I kept hoping the story would get better and Jones would finally provide some substance to all that intensity he kept building up to but failing to ever deliver on. Anyway, the end came fast (thank goodness), in a bit of a mess, with the finale being kind of anticlimactic.

The character development of the MC’s was good, and that was probably the best part of the story. The MC’s were good characters and their relationships and life-long history were entertaining. The pacing was steady, and the storyline had potential to be something more than what it actually was – a little disappointing. The weakest link in this story was the writing. Once again, there was so much potential that just never came to fruition. This story was labeled as Horror on GR, but I would not label this story as horror, which is a good thing because I’m not a fan of the hardcore horror. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being horror-filled, this was maybe a 1-1.5. Anyway, I’m looking at an overall rating of 2.8 that I will round up to a 3star review.

I flipped back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook and I'm not sure which medium I would recommend more, probably the ebook. The audiobook narrator, Kate Handford, was very adept at building up that intensity that more times than not ended on a whimper. Whereas, in the book, the letdown didn’t seem as jarring. JMHO. I want to thank NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group and Macmillan Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #TorPublishingGroup #MacmillanAudio #WhiteLineFever

This was a gripping, well-paced read with the perfect blend of suspense and paranormal horror. The tension kept me hooked, and the eerie atmosphere was executed flawlessly. The ending was especially satisfying, wrapping things up perfectly. While I wished for a bit more character depth, the fast-paced storytelling and chilling twists made up for it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Livia and her friends are headed to a weekend getaway and take a “shortcut” on Country Road 951. Also, known as The Devil’s Driveway. The past and present narratives only added to all mystery and creepiness. And Livia was having hallucinations about the past in the present, but they were also manifesting in physical ways – cuts, blood. The 15 miles turned into a nightmare.

Some parts seemed disconnected but I just looked past it and enjoyed the book. Seems like this is a young adult book, so maybe that audience won’t mind.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy of #WhiteLineFever in exchange for an honest review.

Talk about a wild ride through a fever dream. The back and forth from the past and present was chilling. The junkyard, the childhood memories, the slow descent into how bad things actually were was HEAVY. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the imagery with this road and where it leads to. I truly loved the life long friendships, their trials and tribulations, their bonds and how that carried into their adult life. This felt sort of like a coming of age story without being one if that makes sense. I really loved the narration and how much I felt like I was pulled into this story. I definitely recommend this!!