Five Total Strangers
Ratings73
Average rating3.1
Ooof. This book was RoUgH. If I had to pinpoint a perfect example of trying too hard, I'd pick this book. To start off, the first couple chapters weren't actually that bad, and the premise of the whole book was pretty cool, but the execution was painful. I could honestly feel the author trying to be mysterious instead of BEING mysterious. As a reader, the last thing that I want when reading a suspense novel is to be constantly told by the main character's narration that someone is being weird. I should just inherently know that. There were also a LOT of plot holes that were just never explained. For instance, the entire time Mira, the main character, keeps getting these weird "gut feelings" about people or feeling suddenly nauseous, but there is not explanation. The "strangers" all also seemed to know each other, but how they did was never explained. The ending honestly felt like a shot in the dark. I wish that I could say that there were parts that I liked, but this was difficult to get through. I would NOT recommend.
This felt a bit like a low budget horror/thriller film but with a 12 classification. There were gasps and surprises but nothing very terrifying. Kept me reading though, I wanted to know who it was... The ending was rather predictable and rushed with the final few pages feeling almost unnecessary.
3.5 rounded up because it was better than some of the recent rubbish I've read.
This book had an interesting premise but as you can imagine, there's only so much excitement and bad stuff and then internally monologuing about bad stuff that can happen in a car. During a car ride. There was some definite filler in the form of our MC second guessing herself and constantly considering her gut instinct- we get it! Something's off! Also way too much coincidence for them to end up in the situation they were in. Plus I found 2 typos toward the end. Ugh. Last book of the year. Good to read during our shockingly cold weather but ended up lacking in content and smart decisions.
A group driving through a blizzard in an attempt to get home for Christmas come down with a case of cabin fever. Make a bunch of bad choices, commit some crimes, try to make everyone else into the bad guy. Its very slow building in the first half and then everyone starts pointing fingers based mostly on vibes.
It was a drag to get through and probably not going to be picked up again
3.5 Rounded to 3
This one makes for a fun buddy read. If you love B-Rated movies then this will be one to add and enjoy.
Even though this is predictable, it was still enjoyable. Mira is a tad irritating but then give she's a high schooler it made sense.
Some of the events didn't make sense to the story, except to add terror where there really didn't need to be any. I think the story would have been fine without a certain addition of “mystery” which was never answered.
Overall though, not a bad read and it's quick so that's a plus.
Interesting, went into a direction that I really didn't anticipate (although, maybe should have been obvious). A plane can't take off in the snow but 5 strangers decide to take a car back to their homes. (surprisingly, this happened to me once...but I was with my family so it would have been just 1 stranger. We talked about getting a car to just drive back home because we were only a couple of hours away.)
Anyway, I kind of thought this was going to be 5 strangers getting cabin fever inside of the car and everything isn't what it seems... It starts out that way, but quickly there is someone following her so it ends up being one of the strangers in the car is a killer. Still a good premise and the book does ok with it. I think a YA aged audience would really enjoy this a lot.
Kind of a nice read for the winter month. I read this for #thebiglibraryread on overdrive!
This one gets a solid “it was okay” from me. I'm not one for thrillers. I was entertained throughout and wondered who it would be, but a few important conflicts felt inflated to me. It needed a little more high stakes and believable villains to be truly “good.”
I was certain that I knew who the bad guy was a couple times and I was wrong every time. I was sure I knew the other secrets. I was wrong again. I'm glad I read all the way to the end, so I could find out exactly what was happening.
Suspense that...didn't make sense and went nowhere. A messy bummer of a book. So much made absolutely no sense (like the man in the yellow hat) and the payoff wasn't one, it loosely connected some of the dots, left the rest, and then just ended. It's a promising idea that needed better writing, editing, and character development.
Great book. What a ride. Mira, who is traveling home for the holidays, when all flights are canceled. Ends up sharing a ride with 4 other strangers. Or are they. Things go from bad to worse when items in their car start to go missing and the roads are getting worse because of the winter storm. Fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Okay uh wow. This book was... interesting. I was seriously about to DNF it like 5 times. It was so slow in the beginning and JUST started to pick up around page 150 or so. It then grabbed my attention slightly, but still managed to bore me up until pages 230 and so on. I enjoyed the ending more than anything, but I probably will never read this book again.
2.5 star
The description didn't prepare me at all for what was to come...the plot kept me turning page after page.
I was halfway through the book and it was abt 2.30 am and I asked myself ‘do you want to finish the book tmrw or finish it now' and I chose the most obvious answer.... To finish it now.
So I finished the book at abt 3/3.15am and let me tell you it was like I was there in the book with Mira facing what she was facing, I didn't feel like the reader at all, more like a passenger in the car and to think the person she was fearing was more closer than she thought.
Abt 3 quarters into the book I found myself shivering a bit by Mira's thoughts and her instincts
This book was just so meh for me. I didn't dislike my time reading it, but I didn't really enjoy any aspect of it. I was intrigued some of the time but the ending was lackluster and some of the things that happened were honestly ridiculous. This also tried to do wayyyyy too many things at once, and it just didn't work.
“I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me” – There may not be a better lyric to explain Mira and her motivations than this and if anyone makes a book trailer, but doesn't use this song in a creepy way with images of car accidents, blood, and fear-wrecked teens they are missing out. Gosh I wish I felt like spend tons of time to make this darn trailer to promo this book. This was fantastic.
Truly though, I listened to this audiobook and it was so difficult to put it down. I kept guessing about what was going on and who was doing the sabotage and for what reasons. Seriously, SO GOOD and one I plan on recommending a ton.