A review by amyalwaysbooked
Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

After a snowstorm leaves her stranded at the airport on Christmas Eve, high school student Mira decides to join a group of college students in their rental car, but things take a dark turn when she realizes that they are all keeping secrets and no one is exactly what they seem.

This was a perfectly serviceable thriller for teens, especially those just dipping their toes into the genre. The pacing is all over the place. It took forever for things to get started, and then the end wrapped up far too quickly. Richards was very clearly trying to lay out all kinds of threads to trip up the reader but they come off as clumsy and there's plenty that doesn't make much sense when all is revealed. 

The story was interesting enough to keep me going and the narration was well done for the audio. Overall I enjoyed the experience but the book is not memorable.
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