I really enjoyed this book, David and Emma are running from something, but we aren't told what, through flashbacks we get glimpses of what lead to where they are now. Along the way the author leaves hints, could it be this, could it be that.

The characters are well written, and believable, and they plot moves on at a decent pace, I liked the back and forth as it gave hints as to why they might be in the situation they are in, without giving away too much.

This book is an interesting journey that has many far reaching meanings. It is told in multiple timelines with two persons. We finall learn a little more as the story emerges! While there were hints of certain twists sprinkled about, and there were many, I believe they are glaringly intentional. The author leaves us with a lot to think about, and I’ll have to take a deep breath before I start another book! I really enjoyed it!

The Other Passenger is a thriller that will leave you wanting more. A rainy night and dangerous roads, a killer on the road. Two strangers meet, both running from something but forced together because of bad weather and chance.

I really did not know where this story was going, and I have to say I was shockingly surprised by how it turned out! I quite enjoyed, not only the two different POV but how it also went back and forward in time. And slowly made you realise what had happened to bring both characters together. This was a very interesting book, and I really enjoyed it!
Thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the arc!

Paranoia.
Jealousy.
Betrayal.
Murder.
Secrets.
Anger.

Quote: "He wished he had planned ahead but tonight was a night he hadn't expected."

In The Other Passenger by JE Rowney, we follow the journey of David and Emma. Their story is told between "now" and the hours leading up to "now." The journey starts off with a murder. However, we do not know who, what, or why.

In the "now" David is driving down a dark an isolated road in the rain. David has just experienced an unfortunate event at his work's awards ceremony. The ceremony in which David attended alone per usual. His wife Amanda just could not be bothered to support her husband, who was supposed to receive a prestigious award. David and Amanda used to be happy. That happiness has become more of just a game of cat and mouse. There had been a time when David was not a failure.

Quote: "Perhaps she had been lucky, but the night wasn't over yet. There was a storm to get through first."

Emma has had a really tough year. She is quite troubled, to say the least. She has migraines all the time, and her life is falling apart. She still talks to her sister, Angelina, who never responds because Angeliana really isn't there anymore. Emma sets off to search for answers as to why that is.

David and Emma are complete strangers from totally different generations. However, they are both running from something.

Along the road, David picks up a young female hitchhiker. She appears to be around the same age as his nineteen-year-old daughter, Charlotte. The girl is very focused on her phone but eventually her and David begin to talk. David is asking the typical "get to know you" questions when an alert comes across the radio. "The discovery of a women's body in a shallow grave..."

Will David and Emma get away from what they are running from? Do they have secrets they hope will never see the light of day?

Quote: "Sometimes it's better to be two strangers in the night sharing a ride."

The Other Passenger by JE Rowney is a quick read. The pace is well written. It will keep you engaged. I do feel like the ending was abrupt and could have been a little more detailed. All in all, I would recommend this book to my fellow thriller lovers.

This book has minimal foul language, which I really appreciate.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Other Passenger.

Having read books by J E Rowney before I had high expectations and this book certainly does not disappoint.

I loved this was totally enthralled from th first to the last page. Thank you for the opportunity to review. Solid 4 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Other Passenger by JE Rowney due to be published May 31, 2024.
A man and a woman are both running and forced together by the rain. When David picks up Emma on the side of the road neither one knows what secrets each of them holds. When they hear on the radio a body has been found on the road, they are both curious as to what the other’s real story might be. Are they both innocent or both dangerous?
The Other Passenger was a great read. It alternated from boy Emma’s and David’s backstories that caught you up on why they were in the car together and how they came to be where they were on that night. The story just sort of went along, and I wondered where it might be going. Oh. My. Gosh. The ending! It did not go at all where I thought it would. It was truly a shock just like a good thriller should be. This is one you will not want to miss!
#NetGalley #JERowney #BooksGoSocial #TheOtherPassenger

I enjoyed this book.. I love psychological thriller books and this book had my attention from the first few Pages.. I like how David and Emma are forced together by the rain, knowing that they are trying to get away from something they have done..I like how the story unfolds, as we get to know what they are doing on that Dark Road at Night.. the story is well written, but sometimes a little slow… So I gave it 3.5 stars😊thanks to netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review..

3.75 stars rounded up. This book is told from dual points of view of David and Emma. All we know at the start is that each of them are trying to get away from something they have done. Each chapter focuses on the past or present of each character. Because of this, the story unfolds slowly as the reader learns what brought each of them to be on that lonely dark road at night. For most of the book, you are kept in the dark about David and Emma's secrets and motivations until it all comes together at the end.

It is well written, and the author does a good job of bringing the characters to life, although I feel that we get to see far more of David's situation than Emma's. It is also fairly claustrophobic as for a lot of the book, they are travelling in David's car. I didn't mind this as it added to the uncomfortable tension between the characters.

It is tense in some places, but I found that the pace was slightly disrupted as the characters' POV changed. It is an enjoyable, easy to read thriller, and I liked the ending as it tied everything together. I would try more books by this author and would recommend if you like a twisty thriller with dual POV.

Two strangers meet on a desolate road during a downpour, both heading away from something.

David expected this night to be the night everything fell into place, the night all of his hard work came to fruition. Slaving away at work, ignoring his family and becoming unimportant in return, was all for the chance at this award.
Emma hasn’t been the same since her sister left. She’s spiraling but she won’t give up. Angeline is still there, and she needs their bond again.

The story is told in dual POV, switching from the past (5-1 hour ago) to the present situation, the two in the car together. This book is definitely a page turner. The prologue hooks you right from the get go, it’s engrained with the frantic anxiety of a killer. Makes you look for clues in everything to figure out which of the two are the killer.

The first few chapters were a little clunky but it quickly sped up and became more engaging as David and Emma’s lives unraveled. Definitely recommend this book if you’re in a reading slump, an easy to read, fast paced, thriller to get the mind going.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC!

The story started off very interesting but slowly started to die down I was not a fan of the jump time lines with two POV. I feel as though this had great potential to be a 5 with the way it began and the mystery it shared but being that it was a short read I lowered it to 4. Overall great suspense to keep you on edge but gets lost with PoVs.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 written by JE Rowney is marketed as a psychological thriller that follows two characters, David and Emma, two strangers driving in an isolated stretch just a couple miles outside a city, where they’re both hiding a dark secret. I was shocked with the way the book ended—although I wasn’t entirely happy about the ending—but it was a fun read nonetheless.

I was immediately drawn in by the opening sentence of the book and wanted to know what just happened and why. The dual POVs were interesting—although it did fall flat a bit as we rarely go to see into Emma’s perspective as much as we’re able to see through from David’s eyes. I liked the flashback/present chapters that made me question what the characters did before their first interaction and how their past would connect to the present issue. The author has very lovely descriptions throughout the book, but it is a little overdone most of the time as it reads like purple prose. I often found myself wanting to skip entire paragraphs just to get to something that actually was part of the plot and not just flowery constructed sentences of a character doing a basic thing. I didn’t have many issues until the halfway point of the book.

Once the cop made his appearance, I was instantly bored with where the story was going. We still had the two characters stuck in a car together while not really knowing why either of them are out in the middle of nowhere so late at night. I quickly figured out what David had done early on in the story and was a bit surprised when I learned what Emma had done given the history of her sister.

All in all, the ending blatantly sucks. I was hooked from the first sentence and was pleased until about the mid-way point when things went pretty slow for the characters, but I absolutely hate how the author ended the book with not just one character dying, but both of them. I didn’t like how Emma just murdered David and then killed herself. It just felt kind of pointless in terms of how I perceived her character and her mixed feelings with what happened to her sister . . .

I would definitely recommend others to read this book, it was definitely worth reading, even with my issues with it. It was an easy/quick read for a thriller book and didn’t leave me asking questions that never got answered.

Thank you NetGalley and JE Rowney for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe I should not read books with male perspectives during that time of the month because I was immediately tired of David. He is just driving his car and whining. "oh no this cupcake smell is stressing me out." Like David your grandfather probably fought in awar and your great grandpa likely worked in a mine and you're whining over a cupcake scent in your car with the nice leather interior. UGH! Anyway, as the story goes on you see more reasons for his whining but he still comes off as a whiner.
"I am so alone" he whines after a woman tries to take his hand and offer him some support.
Emma is a teen dealing with her own stuff when David finds her on the side of the road and offers her a ride.
David only has a single debit card and he left it with his wife. Is that normal where they live? Because We all have tons of cards and payment methods here. Anyway, he can't get gas in his company car. Emma won't let him use her debit card.
Then we get a huge twist. It was delightful!
The end is sad tho.

It was pretty good. I would like to see more suspense. I would recommend to my friends. If you like authors like Rosie Walker you will like this one

The Other Passenger kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved it! It was very mysterious with a huge twist that I didn’t see coming. I was in shock (in a good way). It does jump back and forth between characters and timelines, I love when books switch characters, but sometimes the timelines can be confusing. I did not find myself getting confused with this one. If you want edge of your seat suspense, this is the book for you!

Emma and David are both running away from something and land up in the same car during a terrific storm on a dark night in a remote area of England. David we know from the outset is upset at being passed over for an award at work that he was sure he was going to get; Emma is trying to find her sister Angeline.

The descriptions of the car ride into the stormy night and of the two strangers in the same car going somewhere, but not knowing exactly where, carries the story. The plot is not complicated but the background stories and the interaction between the two strangers, forty-year- old David and the 21-year-old Emma, also carry the story.

The ending of this psychological thriller came as a surprise. It was well worth reading for the writing as well as for the plot.

Dark and ominous - two strangers on a rainy night. Two different reasons to be out in the rain, two roads converging almost as destiny. A quick and curious read, draws you in - and is there a HEA?

One of the issues with thrillers is that they tend to become a bit formulaic, and it’s hard to find one that breaks out of that mold.

“The Other Passenger” by JE Rowney was an exciting play on the hitchhiker trope and I had a hard time putting it down. When I got to the twist, I literally gasped out loud!

This book comes out May 31 and I highly recommend adding it to your TBR pile if you love to curl up with a good psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This story had me hooked since the beginning! I always make it my mission to try and figure out the ending before I finish the book. I kept going back and forth on who I thought was the culprit but boy was I wrong. I could not put this book down with how much anticipation I had on finding out the truth.

I was a little disappointed at the end with how abruptly it ended. It makes sense but I just wish there was a little more. It might have needed like an extra chapter or two.

Overall, a great book. The cover is amazing! It is what ultimately got my attention because of it’s vibe. It gives very much an ominous feeling throughout that keeps you on your toes.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

Where to start with this book? the premise: two strangers whose lives connect for mysterious reasons. I was definitely excited when I read that! And most of the book kept me interested and wanting to know more about what was going on because it was all so confusing. And here's the problem, at some point it became a little tiring and frustrating to read this dual POV and dual timeline because we kept switching from one thing to another wich affected the pace of the story.
What I liked the most were the main characters; Emma and David, because they were really fleshed out and for that reason it was very interesting to be inside their minds.
That being said, I don't think this book was all that memorable. Still, a quick read that I would recommend if you like the genre.
3.5 stars rounded to 4.
*Thanks to NetGalley uk, the publishers and the author for the ARC*

A good story which kept me guessing all the way through. An unusual story as it drip feeds you information about the two main characters all the way through. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC! . It was fantastic. I loved it from the beginning to the end. I really enjoyed the cover. It totally drew me in. The plot was amazing. It was fast-paced and down. I really thought characters and this is a new book for me from this Author it will not be my last. Highly recommend this fast pay psychological thriller.!!!!

(ARC read….Release Date 5/31/2024)
This book was a quick, short read but jam packed full of surprises! Plenty of flawed characters that overlap into each other lives. The book takes place all on the same dark stormy night. It starts off with a long anticipated award ceremony and the promise of a celebration…but then…things don’t always turn out as we think they will…or how we hope they will. All the actions of the night are unplanned yet unthinkable….and how all the characters deal with the night, lends to some great book club discussions!  A new fan of JE Rowney…who also wrote Other People’s Lives!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Other Passenger. This is a treat. A cat and mouse game. This story centers on two people. Emma a young 21 year old woman who is struggling over the loss of her sister and David. He is a workaholic with a family who could care less about him but loves his money.
This novel goes back and forth as each character tells their story and also bring them together in the NOW.
Great dialogue and gives you an itch to scratch. What’s going to happen when these two people come together on a rainy night with their own secrets.
Read it and find out. I liked this book. Fast read. 3.5 stars

This book had me on the edge of my seat!!! The thought of breaking down at night by yourself and a killer is out there??? Yikes. This is a wild ride!

Dark and twisted story of two strangers coming together on a cold rainy night each with secrets. “The Other Passenger” contained parts that made my jaw drop. Suspenseful and a quick read. Perfect for the beach and summertime.

Thank you Net Galley and GoodReads for allowing me to provide my honest review of this ARC.

This was a fast read and was paced nicely. I read it in a day and was recommending it to my friends - she’s a great writer and I will read more!

This book was very well written and was a slow but easy read. It tells the story through dual pov, dealing with past and present timelines. The present storyline has the same setting the entire time—in a vehicle—which could make the read feel boxed-in, but I feel as if the author executed it decently. Meanwhile, the past timeline didn’t seem to evolve as well as the author may have expected it to and could have been developed more. I enjoyed the elements of the thriller! The author did a great job at bringing the characters to life, but I hoped for them to grow and evolve throughout the story, which didn’t seem to happen, and the main female lead seemed to lack character, making it a bit difficult to connect with her. The dialogue was strained at times, but good overall. The ending felt rather abrupt as well and could’ve used more detail. Overall, this story was well written, but not something that I would personally go out and choose to read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author J.E. Rowney, and the publisher Books Go Social for providing me with an ARC of this book for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Other Passenger
by JE Rowney
Thriller
My first ARC (=advanced reader copy)!!!!
I liked it!
The author explores the dark sides of picking up hitchhikers in the middle of a stormy night.
We have David - running away from everything he's lost.

We have Angeline or Twenty-One: helplessly trying to hold on to things that have been gone for a while now.

And we have Emma, wandering the streets at night, reminiscing and remembering what has been.

The three of those get intertwined with each other's secrets, scrutiny, personal reasons to run.


The book has a nice pacing. I like how everything turns out in the end. Or, better said, what questions stay unanswered. JE Rowney has a beautiful way of pulling the reader into the scene. There's so much vitality in every description, there's tension throughout the whole book. I really felt the rain and storm crashing down, I smelled the forest and I saw David, dear Twenty-One and Emma.
This one's a short, good and tense thriller. I'd recommend it to everyone who wants to be pushed into a stormy night, in which anything can happen.

Interesting read. I found the alternating POV’s to be confusing at times; however, overall it was fast paced. I enjoyed it and would recommend to others.

This was such a fun read. It was very twisty and kept me and the edge of my seat. I did personally get a bit confused but that’s just me. It was well written though. I look forward to reading more.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

A chance encounter between two strangers one late night sets the stage for a tense, captivating ride in this new thriller by J.E. Rowney. I love a good thriller, and I especially love a thriller in which close proximity is the main trope and the tension is palpable, dripping from the page with ever-increasing speed. When I first came across this novel, I found myself instantly drawn to the premise, delighted that some of my favorite thriller tropes would be present in the story. So, I downloaded the ARC and started reading, hoping that it would live up to my expectations. I am happy to report that Rowney's latest novel was an absolute hit for me.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the two main characters. Deeply flawed people with their own ominous secrets, these characters were a lot of fun to get to know. Getting to pick their brains for throughout the story was as intriguing as it was intense. I also really liked how suspenseful the story was. Rowney has a knack for mystery and suspense, and they showed off their writing prowess to stunning effect. Finally, I really enjoyed Rowney's writing style in general. Their prose was fresh and easy to read, and I never felt bored. Overall, this novel was an exciting showcase of how scary people can truly be. You never know who you're sitting next to, and this novel doesn't let you forget it. I recommend this book to anyone that loves suspenseful thrillers. I look forward to the author's next venture!

Rating: 5/5 Stars

3.5 rounded to 4

What a wild ride! David and Emma are two strangers out on the road in the middle of the night, surrounded by darkness, pouring rain, and secrets. 'Wrong place, wrong time' meets 'Everything happens for a reason' in this captivating story. I liked the way the chapters were structured, the Now and Before point of views tied nicely together to tell a story of two people that are 'lost' and stumbled upon each other on the same 'less travelled' road. I felt their internal struggles, their pains and their hopes of making amends with themselves. Nicely done.

That being said.... I believe chapter 5, David's interaction with his daughter needs to be addressed. The whole scene was very confusing. Was the daughter standing, sitting on her bed, lying down? Was she under the blankets? Why was a 19yr old acting like a 7yr old? I went over the chapter twice and it was just so murky, and, as much as I tried, I could not create a definite flowing scene in my head.

I want to thank the author and NetGalley for the advanced copy for an honest review.

This author is quickly becoming someone I really enjoy. I loved the way this was written. I also liked the flashbacks as well.

🚗The Other Passenger by JE Rowney🚗

Thank you @JEROWNEYauthor for this ARC! The Other Passenger is out now! This was a great fast paced thriller.

Pages: unknown, kindle edition.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Goal 2024: 64/100

✨Have you been in a weird situation with a stranger?

This book was an easy thriller to read and I enjoyed it. I was curious how the stories were going to tie together. The author did a great job of keeping the pace exciting and before I knew it, I was 80% in.

David and Emma are complete opposites who happen to get stuck in a car together during the middle of the night. With them being polar opposites, it kept the environment tense. It wasn’t really a creepy feeling which I think would have made it 5 stars for me since I seem to love books that give me ✨anxiety.✨ But it was enough of a difference in personalities that I wanted to know what was going to happen.

Overall, easy thrilling read that I enjoyed.

#netgalley #review #read #0to100 #reads #reading #booknerd #books #book #dark #arc #thriller #horror #fright #spooky

This was an interesting story. A man disappointed with how his life is turning out leaves a business awards dinner. His wife refused to go with him, and he is disappointed as the awards are announced. He has an altercation in the parking lot and starts driving with no destination in mind. It's raining out and he sees a young female standing on the road and offers her a ride. They both have secrets and in flashbacks from where they were 5 hours earlier and up to how they are now together explains a lot. The pace intensifies from page one to the end of a very engrossing story.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC copy of this book.

I really enjoyed the alternate POV’s between David and Emma, this was definitely an easy read for me. I really enjoyed the plot of this book!

I received an ARC of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I read this in one night (approx 3 - 4 hours) when I couldn't get to sleep and quite liked it! I had just finished a series that I didn't like (except the first book) so I had a bad taste in my mouth / grumpy attitude. This book helped cleanse me of that. The beginning was a bit rough for me but that might have to do with growing up in a similar home situation. I liked that the book flipped back and forth between narrators and time periods. I guessed one of the MCs mysteries early on but that, along with guessing what was going on in general, didn't prepare me for the end. I was satisfied with the end and enjoyed the ride (pun intended) of the book as a whole. I'll keep an eye out for books written by this author in the future!

#NetGalley #TheOtherPassenger

What a terrific concept! A stormy night, an angst-ridden driver, and a mystery hitchhiker - both of whom are keeping dark secrets. With alternating POV between a downtrodden middle-aged father and a hitch-hiking teenage girl, both pushed to breaking point, this book kept me guessing throughout as the dynamics between the two constantly change - until one twist in particular took my breath away - I did NOT see it coming! A gripping noir.

The Other Passenger was quite the rollercoaster and took me through several different emotions while reading. I was absolutely hooked for the most part though. We bounce between the POV of David, a scorned businessman who was driving in a bad storm…and Emma a young woman who was walking on the road in this storm.

We don’t exit the vehicle except through flash backs and memories via the two main characters, but it totally works. The suspense and tension were palpable and thoroughly enjoyable.

I also felt like the “twist” or surprise was actually shocking. I didn’t see where the ending was headed at all. Highly recommend.