Five Total Strangers

Natalie D. Richards delivers a tense, fast-paced YA thriller in Five Total Strangers that takes the concept of "stranger danger" to a whole new level. The story follows Mira, a high school senior trying to get home for the holidays during a brutal snowstorm. Her original flight is canceled, and she reluctantly accepts a ride from Harper—someone she barely knows—and Harper's three other passengers, all complete strangers. What begins as a desperate ride home turns into a nightmare. The roads are dangerous, their belongings start mysteriously disappearing, and Mira realizes that one of the passengers might not be who they say they are—or worse, they may be targeting her. Richards masterfully creates a claustrophobic atmosphere where trust erodes mile by mile. While some character development felt a little rushed and the twist wasn’t entirely unpredictable, the book shines in building suspense and paranoia. The icy, remote setting was the perfect backdrop for a psychological unraveling. Recommended for fans of snowy thrillers, unreliable narrators, and stories that keep you second-guessing every character’s intentions. 🚗❄️

When I picked this book, I wasn't expecting top tier thriller or suspense. But I definitely expected better. The premise of this book is strong. A winter storm causes some travel delays pushing five random Young adults into a rental with one goal: home for the holidays. After chapter 10. I had one goal: finish this book and Chuck it in the garbage. I HATE DNF'ing books but I definitely glazed over some chapters. I am going to give you a SPOILER free review. 1. Our MC Mira is written as the dumbest Nancy Drew Wannabe ever. She senses danger around every corner but never seems to actually do anything about it. Presented with every chance to save herself, she becomes devoted to being the biggest idiot in the world. 2. Repetitive. I swear on my library card if I read one more internal monologue listing every personality trait of each character and how they could be THE ONE, I was going to teleport myself into this fictional world and drive them off the snow covered mountain myself. Bam. Now none of you are the one. 3. Repetitive. (See how annoying repetitiveness can be?) these kids drove in a giant circle. Every damn chapter was turning around, busting a u turn and blatantly disregarding the MC who seemed to be familiar with the area. The MC points out several times her experiences with the traffic, news, and surroundings. So naturally, she never volunteers more then a weak input. 4. These characters. None of them are ever fully fleshed out. Like why is Harper portrayed with such dual personalities with a dash of crazy mother hen? Why is Josh so aggressive? Why did Brecken's parents give him such a horrible name (not really a plot point but wth)? Is Kayla ever going to stop napping!? 5. None of this story is wrapped up in a bow. And I know, hear me out, you're probably thinking "It's a thriller. They never leave you feeling satisfied!" No. This story simply didn't conclude. Its like "oh my god. The climax. insanity!!" Then "Oh look cops. And a bad hospital bed scene with a fake sense of understanding". But you don't understand anything. Why did the person do what they did? What happens to the other 4 characters? Who is the yellow hat dude who follows them around? What happens to all the chaos left in their wake? Why does her mother have a totally different attitude then what we spent the whole book reading about? I gave this book two stars. And i am being generous. This book had no real plot map. Its like it tried to cover so many heavy topics like grief, responsibility, drug use, depression, anxiety, and growing pains in the small confines of a clown car filled to the trunk with clowns. Listen, buy the book. Read it. What ever. But when you're skipping chapter 27 because you just want it over with already, don't say I didn't warn you.

One of my favorite books. From the very beginning you are pulled in five strangers get a rental car to share to drive home for the holidays when all flights are cancelled. Only one of those strangers doesn't seem to be who they say they are... Great for fans of teen thrillers.

3.5/5 FIVE TOTAL STRANGERS centers on Mira, a high school student trying to make her way to her mother in time for Christmas. Her flight from California has her making a stop along the way only to find out the airport is closed. When a group of young college students bands together to rent a car and make the last leg of their journey on the road, Mira’s desperation to get home has her agreeing to join them. Weather and road conditions continue to worsen as the journey progresses as does the stress of the situation of being stuck in a car with total strangers. More and more begins to go wrong and they must confront the issue that not everyone in the car is who they seem. This book had me entirely gripped and it was a big test of will power to set it down at the halfway mark until after our mid-book buddy read chat. The author did an excellent job of building the suspense and using the horrible weather conditions and Mira’s growing dread of what is happening to keep the reader flipping pages. Interspersed with the narrative are letters to Mira from a very dark point of view that added to the suspense as well. This is one of those reads where you do have to go in suspending your disbelief. There is a lot that relies on coincidence and some unanswered questions that my logical mind wanted answered. I also had the culprit as my main suspect fairly early on. Still, none of that took away from my enjoyment of the book. The author did include a lot of precarious situations and suspicious characters to give us a lot of discussion points for this one! This was an overall fun read and one that leaves me wanting to pick more up from the author when I’m in the mood for a good, fast, gripping read!

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards had an intriguing premise and a few gripping moments, but overall, it fell short of expectations. The idea of being trapped in a snowstorm with strangers had potential for a tense, suspenseful thriller, but the execution didn’t quite deliver. While some scenes were genuinely intense and kept me turning pages, the pacing felt uneven, and the characters lacked depth. It was hard to connect with them or fully buy into their decisions. The mystery aspect was predictable, and the twists weren’t as shocking as they were likely intended to be. The writing was solid but didn’t elevate the story beyond a standard YA thriller. If you enjoy fast-paced, easy-to-read thrillers and don’t mind some cliché moments, this might be an okay pick. However, if you’re looking for a deeply immersive or truly surprising story, you might be left wanting more.

This isn’t the kind of book I usually go for, but one my book club picked it—and wow, I’m glad they did. From the start, it pulled me in and didn’t let go. I was completely caught up in the tension and kept flipping pages to find out what would happen next. The pacing is tight, the atmosphere is thick with unease, and every time I thought I had things figured out, something shifted. It felt like watching a thriller play out right in front of me, only I was holding the script and still second-guessing every character. I didn’t expect to get so into it, but it definitely surprised me in the best way. If you want something gripping that keeps you on your toes, this one’s worth reading—even if it’s outside your usual comfort zone.

Right off the bat, the inconsistencies were making me nuts. The back of the book mentions Philadelphia airport. Then they seem to land in Newark, NJ. But when they do, the main character describes the crowded airport as having half the population of Pennsylvania. (Did PA drive on over to NJ for no reason?). But it’s later confirmed that the car was rented in Newark airport. Which state did we start in?? Also the mom…in the beginning of the book she’s a post-op nurse. Then later is described as an ER nurse. Well which is it? The snow seemed inconsistent also. It would sound like snowmageddon, then be described by a character as “a few flakes”. Speaking of characters, none of them were fully developed. they all had little to no backstory. And none of their stories were ever explained or wrapped up. Not even the main character or the main villain. Why did the villain do it? And moreover, HOW did they do it? This was all planned, presumably. But how did this person predict a blizzard and secure strangers on the fly to drive them across the state? And the dude with the yellow hat. Never explained. Never wrapped up. Also they did A LOT of standing around outside in a blizzard. Seemed they did that more than they actually drove. And just because I’m a native Pennsylvanian, the little things were really bothering me. The route they took was ridiculous. Don’t even know why the poconos were mentioned, as they shouldn’t have been anywhere near there. The brochures at the rest stop wouldn’t be only summer themed…skiing is a huge winter tourism activity. And we don’t generally have so many ditches lining the roads as this author would have you think. I know she’s from Ohio, but it almost felt like she had only ever read about PA on the internet.

You know the feeling, somones there, near you watching you. You turn all around but there is no one around but you can feel it rising up the back of your spine like an icy chill. By the time it reaches your neck and the hairs are standing up all of your body it might just be too late. Mira is a kid desperate to reach her grief stricken mother in Pittsburgh. Flying in a snowstorm to be with her mom knowing that she needs to be there she encounters a record breaking winter storm. Flights delayed, multiple car pileups, and snow that could send a polar bear running for his den. She doesn’t know anyone or how she can get to her mom but knows she has to no matter what. Taking a chance with a fellow friendly passenger from her flight a group forms and they decide to take on the storm. Unfortunately it is not long into this trip that Mira starts to get that spine-tingling, hair raising suspicion that not all of these passengers are on this trip for the right reasons. This was an edge of my seat thriller with many twists and turns throughout. I enjoyed the descriptions of the feeling of dread you can get when strong snow storms hit. Living in the Midwest we know to hunker down when it gets to be that time of year but I also know that feeling of no matter where I am i need to get home. I enjoyed the relationships that formed and reformed and how the author was able to keep me guessing. I do feel that there were some story lines that maybe weren’t as put together as they should be but for a quick read this was a winner. I love blizzard stories and love the snow. That being said being stuck in a snowstorm in a car in the middle of nowhere is terrifying to me. This was a great quick read and I will definitely be reading more of her future works.