The Drift by C.J. Tudor

Available January 31, 2023

CW: child death, fatphobia, viral pandemic, violence

Buckle up! This is a wild one! Told through multiple POVs, The Drift is a story of survival in a world overrun with a deadly, zombie-like virus. A charter bus carrying wealthy private school students crashes during a blizzard, and the passengers slowly begin to realize that it may have been intentional. A cable car full of passengers on their way to the Retreat is stuck halfway up the mountain, also with a blizzard raging outside. At the Retreat, the storm seems more of an inconvenience, as they have generators and food stores. But electrical issues are causing headaches and tensions between the various inhabitants are beginning to reach a breaking point.

As the three groups face the deadly challenges before them, dark secrets from their pasts are revealed and cause even more strife and pit people against each other. Every person has a secret to hide and is willing to kill to survive.

This is one doozy of a book! It’s incredibly tense and violent with graphic descriptions of gore and trauma. My only complaint is the amount to casual fatphobia found throughout the entire story; I found that far worse than the violence. There is A LOT of fatphobia, please read with care. I will admit, I began to wonder to when the twist was going to be revealed, as this is a thriller, and it’s worth the wait! This is one of those stories that there isn’t a single character that you have any reason to care for. Every single person is horrible. Every single person has something to hide: an evil agenda, a person to protect, a grudge to be avenged. Every. Single. Person, Absolutely sucks. And also, there is a viral pandemic going on that causes people to become zombie-like and I understand the desire to survive in a world that would be just fine with you not being in it anymore. But the payoff at the end is, begrudgingly, earned. I was very surprised for the twist in events and found it very deftly done.

If you would like to add this book to your shelf, or add it your Library Holds Lists, you can click on the book cover or here, for ordering information. I was fortunate enough to read this title early through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. If you stuck around this long, did your read it? Love it? Hate it? Leave a comment and start the conversation.