The Hitchhikers

Chevy Stevens is a must-read author for me. In her latest book, this Canadian author takes her readers back to the late 1970's in a story about two couples who have a chance meeting and find themselves travelling around western Canada in an RV.  

Alice and Tom are in their 30's and are working on their marriage after a devastating loss. They invite a younger couple, Ocean and Blue who they've just met at a campground to tag along until the next stop. What began as helping a young couple soon turns their lives into a road trip from hell.

This book had a different feel than Stevens' other books and I wouldn't consider it a suspense read per se. There were some tense scenes, I loved the 1970's setting and it kept me turning the pages with its use of dual POVs and timelines, but it was less atmospheric than I anticipated. It's got a locked room ... er locked RV vibe, but the first half of the book felt just kept circling through various situations that enabled one character to violently abuse anyone in his path - whether they were a threat or not. This repetitive feel (and the often silly decisions and passivity of the female characters) at times made this a frustrating read for me. 

In the second half we get more backstory on the younger couple, a tense scene or two and an ending that was predictable and satisfying. While not my favourite book by this author, Chevy Stevens remains an auto-read author of mine and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

Disclaimer: Thanks to St Martin's Press for the complimentary digital copy of this book that was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Chevy Stevens

Genre: Suspense, Canadian

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: St Martin's Press

First Published: Oct 7, 2025

Read: Sept 11-17, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: The open road beckons. A chance for them to reconnect. Then they make a fatal mistake.

It’s the summer of 1976 and Alice and Tom set out on the remote Canadian highways in their new RV, hoping to heal their broken hearts after a devastating tragedy.

They’ve planned the trip perfectly, taken care of every detail. Then they meet two young hitchhikers down on their luck and offer them a ride. But Simon and Jenny aren’t what they seem. They’ve left a trail of blood, destruction, and madness behind them.

Now Alice and Tom are trapped, prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn. As the tension builds, the lines blur, and the question becomes, In whose heart does evil truly lie? What secrets are Jenny and Simon hiding? And who will live another day?

A chilling, twist-laden ride to the final page, THE HITCHHIKERS is that rare novel that will break your heart as well as hold you in suspense. The author of the classic thrillers STILL MISSING and THOSE GIRLS has delivered her next breathtaking novel.