Car drives can be fun, don’t you agree? For Charlie Jordan, her drive to her childhood home was very much the opposite. With Charlie’s best friend and dormmate a new victim of a serial murderer known as the ‘Campus Killer’ only two months before the story sets place, Charlie begins to decline, talking to only her boyfriend and stopping going to classes. Everything on campus reminds her of Maddy, giving Charlie one conclusion: get out of Olyphant University and go back home to her grandma. And so, she goes to the ride-share board, a board used for students to be able to plan travels with each other for free travel or help with their fuel prices where she meets Josh Baxter. Another student hoping for someone to accompany his drive to Pennsylvania. But when they’re in the car, Charlie’s suspicion raises as Josh’s stories begin to counter other small points. Could he be the ‘Campus Killer’? Could he be the one who killed Charlie’s best friend?
Release and published in 2021 by Riley Sager and placed into my hand in 2023, I found myself on the edge of my seat with each turn of the page, my brain unfolding many theories I began to think about for both Charlie, Josh, and even the late Maddy. None of these theories were correct, and some I had were only half truths, making even the most expected moments to be filled with shock, horror, and suspense. While many disagree on the idea of unreliable narrators, I thrived on the constant questioning of “Can I trust this?” and “Wait what if…”. A whole book wholly focused on a car drive, with few pit stops should be uninteresting, but I was unable to put the book down; each turn of the page leading to even more intrigue. One chapter turned into two, two turned into three, and three turned into the whole book!
I did feel that the book felt rather cheesy at some points; I found myself cringing at reveals and such. While I did enjoy the aspect of not knowing whether what was happening was one of the ‘movies’ in Charlie’s head, it became so repetitive that I found it less enjoyable. Another thing about the book is that at times it was very predictable with the plot. While there were many plot twists, I still found that I wasn’t as surprised as I thought I should have been. In addition, I often found myself annoyed at the main character, Charlie. Without her consistent regret and grief of Maddy, I feel I would have enjoyed the story much more. However, Charlie is constantly thinking about her late friend, and while Maddy’s killer is relevant to the plot, it made me feel that we could have missed out on more interesting, fun parts of the story.
Overall, the book is a great read, and can keep you questioning many things. However, be aware that you may tire of all the plot changes and the characters.
- Rai Mitchell
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