Married couple taking an RV trip to rekindle their relationship goes horribly wrong when they pick up innocent hitchhikers. I wanted to like this so much more. Good story, good suspense but I wanted more depth in the characters. Alice was toooo weak, Tom was pretty much out of the picture most of the book and the hitchhikers - only the girl had a some background that helped to explain why her passiveness. Would recommend for a quick suspenseful read though.

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley!

This book kept me on my toes and had me glued to my kindle. It was suspenseful, captivating, and held your attention the entire time.

I was so excited to get my hands on this book! I feel like I've been waiting forever for Chevy Stevens to come out with something new. I didn't realize it wasn't a thriller until after I finished reading. It's categorized as fiction and definitely reads as such. It's more of a character-driven, psychological descent into two separate hells. The POV of Alice, who is held captive and doing whatever it takes to ensure her and her husband's survival, and the POV of Jenny, who is fighting her own inner demons and struggling with her insecurities. The story was very well written, from a psychological aspect, but the high level of tension or suspense that I should have been feeling wasn't really there. Instead, all I felt was anger throughout the entire story. I simply couldn't relate to Alice and her feebleness with the situation. Just do something already! It was not as fast paced as I would have liked, and the ending was a little too abrupt and dissatisfying. I needed more action and a final Eff You. I would recommend this book for what it was...a psychological drama, not a thriller. I think many fans will still devour it and love it.

3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

Wow just WOW there’s so much to unpack with this book I don’t even know where to begin!! I went into this book knowing very little, but was very impressed and left speechless!

Let me start by saying if you don’t have this book on your radar YOU NEED TO! Chevy Stevens never ceases to amaze me with her talent for telling a chilling story. You’re instantly hooked and can’t put her books down!

It’s 1976 when a married couple, Alice and Tom, buy a camper and travel to Canada for the Olympics. Along the way they stop at rest stops, camp grounds, and state parks. One night they meet a very young couple that are also traveling. Little do Alice and Tom know this couple is about to destroy their world.

This book was full of action, gut wrenching moments, and so much more. I truly couldn’t put this book down once I started it. There’s so much that happens in such a short amount of time and you have no idea what to expect next! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

My only complaint? I wanted the villain to face even more consequences. He was such a terrible person that I was hoping for a more satisfying downfall!

Thank you so much @stmartinspress & @chevystevens for letting me ready this one early and review it!! I couldn’t wait another second to start this one once it arrived!!

I cannot even imagine hitchhiking and certainly doubt that I would pick up anyone. Is there a part of our country where hitchhiking is acceptable? I wonder if it happens still in Canada. Anyhow, this book is set in the 1970s and Tom and Alice will come to regret their choice to give Ocean and Blue a ride. Let’s just say that they are not the nice young couple who just need a ride.
The year is 1976 and can I just say I felt like I had entered another dimension. Early in the story, Alice discovers something about their guests. I could not believe how Alice reacted, and I came close to closing this book and never picking it up again. Then I visited my good friend Dr. Google to ask what life was like in the 70s. Once I had that frame of reference, I stopped rolling my eyes at Alice and just went with the flow.
Alice and Tom’s vacation was meant to help them heal. But it becomes a frightening journey when Jenny and Simon (Ocean & Blue) reveal their true colors. I did not expect Alice and Tom to survive. I’m not going to spoil it and say if they did. You’ll have to read The Hitchhikers to find out everything they went through and whether or not they both managed to survive.
I’m still not sure how I felt about the ending. It will be good to discuss this book with other people after publication day.

Three very long long years is how long I’ve been waiting for this fabulous author to release another book. Take my advice and just immediately purchase every single book Chevy Stevens has written. The Hitchhikers did not disappoint and was just as twisty, unpredictable and amazing as ALL of her books.

I always love a Chevy Stevens novel, and this was certainly no exception. I was looking forward to kicking back and reading this one on my birthday, and I am glad that I took the time to do so! This is not my favorite Stevens novel, but it's definitely enjoyable and I had a great time in the pages. If you're looking for suspense, Chevy is the queen!

This was amazing read! It was creepy and terrifying and so full of suspense you simply can’t put it down,
The characters are so well done! This one will absolutely horrify you. This author is very no holds barred and tells it like it is. The story line is plausible and deals with things that could happen but one does not want to think about. As is often the case in real life there are some lines blurred between the law and empathy.
This is a must read for all.
One note… the title doesn’t really make sense. They didn’t hitchhike… they were offered a ride by friends they made camping.

Review Copy

Did anyone ever tell you not to pick up hitchhikers? This book, taking place in 1976 tells you in no uncertain terms exactly why. Sure times have changed, but people haven't. Imagine what you might do without so much as a cell phone.

This wildly clever novel hits all the high points and leaves no wiggle room. If you see a way out for these poor people, you're a more imaginative person than me. One thing leads to another as night follows day.

I really enjoyed THE HITCHHIKERS. If you're a fan of thrillers and love a great ending, read this. It's well worth your time!

This is an intense read that drew me in and kept me engaged throughout. I was rooting for the characters...well, most of them, anyway. As the history of the characters is gradually revealed, which was very artfully done, I became more and more focused on the book and the characters. This is one that I didn't stop except for bathroom and food breaks, and I think most people would find it a very entertaining book. The last couple of twists were AWESOME! I want more from this author!

A couple sets out on a road trip to try to rescue their failing marriage in the mid 1970s. While on their journey, they stop to pick up two young hitchhikers who are definitely not who they pretend to be. Now, the couple will have to expend all their energy to stay one step ahead of the killers they have inadvertently picked up. Stevens never fails to entertain, always original and never formulaic, this one will please her legion of fans

This book drew me in from the first page! I’ve read other books from Chevy Stevens and I knew she never disappoints!
I also liked the nostalgia of going back to the 70s and the story definitely depicted the time.
The story opens in 1976 and things were definitely different then.! You wanted to warn the main characters Tom and Alice about picking up hitchhikers but it was common for the time.
As the story evolved you couldn’t wait to see what happened next and there was definitely some surprises !
This was a riveting story that wasn’t for the faint of heart.

Chevy Stevens writes a book every few treats and The Hitchhikers was well worth the wait ! It was gritty and filled with twists and turns. I would highly recommend this book to all . As usual all her books are amazing.

In horror and thriller stories, it’s common to want to slap a character on the back of the head and ask, Are you out of your mind, or just stupid? But sometimes, their actions are so mind-numbingly thoughtless that the question answers itself. And that’s frustrating—because if they had even a minimum of brainpower, they wouldn’t have ended up in those situations in the first place. That’s exactly the case with this novel. Barely 10% in, I was already itching to throttle Alice—and seriously considering tossing the book along with her (too bad it’s an ebook). And somehow, it only gets worse. Never mind the unlikable characters, the gratuitous violence, the typos (so many missing “the”s), and the shock-value twist with zero trigger warning—there are plenty of infuriating things about this book. But the worst? The sheer inaction.
There’s a book on storytelling called Save the Cat, and its title says it all: a main character needs to take action—save the cat—rather than stand around waiting for a kindhearted firefighter (or whoever) to do it for them. But whether it’s Alice or Jenny, the two narrators of this story, they don’t take charge. They let the story happen to them. After 80% of the book, all we get is a piss-poor attempt to run from a truck, followed 5 percent later by a dramatic “She was ready to risk everything.”—a bold declaration thta collapses like an uncooked soufflé, just like the rest of this book.

A wonderful read. This was a consistently faced paced book. I felt as though there was no downtime. The story really kept you on your toes the whole time.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for providing the copy of The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens. This book started out great but slowly devolved into a celebration of violence. It also felt manipulative, trying to make us feel sorry for or like a character only to set us up for a big reveal, or “twist”. I kept reading, because I hoped the ending would make it all worth it, only to be disappointed with a rushed conclusion. I still enjoyed the writing style and I thought the idea of the book was good even though the execution was off. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

4.5, rounded up.

I’ll say this for Chevy, she really knows how to write a book that you can’t put down. I’ve read everything she has written thus far and this one, though not as dark and twisted as Those Girls, gave me similar vibes. The atmospheric nature of the 1970s backdrop where people were truly cut off from being able to communicate or call out for help and everyone trusted far too easily was deliciously thrilling. In comparison with a world where we currently have access to our phones 24/7, you truly knew that these characters were unable to seek help without putting their lives in grave danger.

Pregnant 18-year-old Jenny and 21 year-old Simon, are on the run after they murdered Jenny‘s parents. They are hitchhiking across Canada to put distance between themselves and their brutal crime scene. Unlucky Americans, Alice and Tom unknowingly invite these monsters into their world by simply offering them a hot meal at a campsite and some bandages. What happens from there is a nightmare that gave me serious Bonnie and Clyde feelings.

As they continue across Canada in Alice and Tom‘s RV, bodies pile up and you begin to question what are you really capable of when pushed beyond your limits?

This story takes place in a time when things were cheap. A young couple is on the run after her parents were murdered, by them. They have no money, food, or car. They end up taking hostages and using their RV to get themselves into even more trouble. Jenny didn’t realize how mush Simon enjoyed hurting people. Loved the location, BC and Alberta mountains. Loved the epilogue, glad to see she was able to do the right thing.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my e-ARC of The Hitchhiker.

Unfortunately I DNFed this at 53%. I simply could not get over how unlikable and irritating Alice was. She would find herself in these situations and do absolutely nothing to try and get herself out of them when she had so many chances to get the upper hand. It just didn’t make sense why she was so spineless and I just couldn’t find any empathy for her. She’d already been through hell losing her baby, I’d think this would be a cakewalk compared to that, but maybe not. The plot line moved at a glacial pace as well, and took me too long to get through. I wanted to like this one as I loved Dark Roads, but it was simply a miss for me. I’ll be on the lookout for her next book though!

4.5/5 Stars. Another stellar suspense/thriller read from Chevy Stevens. This book took me on such a wild ride and I absolutely loved it.