Five Total Strangers

by Natalie D. Richards

Overview

A New York Times Bestseller

A "page-turning thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end" (School Library Journal) about a road trip in a snowstorm that turns into bone-chilling disaster, from New York Times bestselling mystery author and "master of tension" (BCCB) Natalie D. Richards.

She thought being stranded was the worst thing that could happen. She was wrong.

Mira needs to get home for the holidays. Badly. But when an incoming blizzard results in a canceled connecting flight, it looks like she might get stuck at the airport indefinitely.

And then Harper, Mira's glamorous seatmate from her initial flight, offers her a ride. Harper and her three friends can drop Mira off on their way home. But as they set off, Mira realizes fellow travelers are all total strangers. And every one of them is hiding something.

Soon, roads go from slippery to terrifying. People's belongings are mysteriously disappearing. Someone in the car is clearly lying, and may even be sabotaging the trip—but why? And can Mira make it home alive, or will this nightmare drive turn fatal?

Perfect for readers who love:

• YA horror books for teens
• Mystery books for teens
• Natasha Preston, Megan Miranda, Karen McManus and Ruth Ware

Praise for Five Total Strangers:

"A twisty thrill ride that will leave you breathless. I stayed up after midnight just to see how it all ended."—April Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Girl, Stolen

"Richards is a master of tension. Suspense fans will get all the ups-and-downs of a well-paced narrative, but they may never want to drive on a snowy road again."—BCCB

"A page-turning thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Just the kind of fun book one needs for a hot summer day or a cold winter's night."—School Library Journal on Five Total Strangers

"High thrill factor."—Booklist

Also by Natalie D. Richards:

Six Months Later

Gone Too Far

My Secret to Tell

One Was Lost

We All Fall Down

What You Hide

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492657217
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	12,205
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	HL610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Natalie D. Richards writes books that will keep you up way past your bedtime. She lives with her family in Columbus, Ohio and when she’s not writing or reading, you can probably find her wrangling Wookiee, her enormous dustmop of a dog. Visit her on Twitter @natdrichards or at nataliedrichards.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Richards’s text sustains the suspenseful mood from the very start to the final pages—just the kind of fun book one needs for a hot summer day or a cold winter’s night." — School Library Journal

"A twisty thrill ride that will leave you breathless. I stayed up after midnight just to see how it all ended." — April Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Girl, Stolen

"Richards is a master of tension...Suspense fans will get all the ups-and-downs of a well-paced narrative, but they may never want to drive on a snowy road again." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Richards’ (What You Hide, 2018) latest young adult thriller will keep readers intrigued." — Booklist

From the Publisher

08/01/2020

Gr 9 Up—High school senior Mira just wants to get home for Christmas. The one-year anniversary of her beloved aunt's death is rapidly approaching, and she must get home so her fragile mother isn't alone. After a massive blizzard grounds all air traffic, Mira reluctantly accepts a ride with her seatmate Harper, a chic, fast-talking college student who nattered to Mira the entire flight. Harper, Mira, and three other students climb into the rented SUV and head west from Newark, NJ, to Pittsburgh, PA. They are five total strangers driving off into one of the worst snowstorms in recent memory. But something isn't right—Mira can feel it. As feelings of paranoia and deep dread settle over the treacherous car ride, things quickly go from bad to the very worst. Richards has crafted a page-turning thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Mira is a strong protagonist who is not a passive bystander. She is fully engaged even when she is ignoring every gut instinct to get out of the car. The resolution seems to come a bit too quickly; the action could easily continue for another 20–30 pages. VERDICT Richards's text sustains the suspenseful mood from the very start to the final pages—just the kind of fun book one needs for a hot summer day or a cold winter's night.—Elaine Baran Black, Georgia P.L. Svc., Atlanta

School Library Journal

2020-07-14
Getting home for the holidays turns into a nightmare for five strangers.

High school student Mira Hayes has been living in San Diego with her dad while attending a prestigious art school. Now it’s Christmas Eve, and all she wants to do is get home to Pittsburgh and her mom, who, like Mira, is grieving the death of her twin sister, Mira’s aunt Phoebe. But a blizzard may thwart her plans. During a layover in Newark airport, Mira learns that every flight out has been canceled. Luckily, Mira’s seatmate Harper offers her a ride in her rental car along with three other stranded passengers: Brecken, Kayla, and Josh, but Mira is uneasy from the start. Accepting a ride with strangers usually isn’t her thing, but she’s desperate to get home. However, snarled traffic forces them to resort to risky side routes, Mira feels like she’s being watched, and the group’s belongings keep disappearing. As their situation becomes more dire they make reckless decisions, leading readers to wonder if anyone will get home alive. Richards does a serviceable job of building tension, but aside from Mira, who narrates, the other characters are thinly drawn. Letters to Mira from a menacing stranger are sprinkled throughout, but their melodramatic nature detracts from the threat, and last-minute revelations stretch credulity. Everyone seems to be White except for Harper, who is Chinese American.

This chilly road trip is woefully short on thrills. (Thriller. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews