Taylor Adams

So I just have to say that I absolutely loved this book. It was the perfect amount of suspense. It had great twists and turns. I really didn't want to put this one down because I had to know how it ended. I enjoyed that we had no idea who we could trust at this rest stop. What I really enjoyed was the way the author gave you an answer so quickly that you just knew that wasn't it... I have to admit the book does not disappoint on the new twists and turns. The various layers to this one are just amazing. It really becomes this game of cat and mouse between Darby and the kidnapper. I think it was interesting how the author incorporated this fight for survival in our characters.

Darby was a really well written character... she has her flaws but also she has an amazing survival instinct. She quickly adapts to the situations that arise and I enjoyed watching how she problem solved. I have to say the last little bit of the book got super tense and had me on the edge of my seat because I had no idea what was going to happen. It did not unfold anything like I thought it would and I loved that. If you are a fan of the locked in type thrillers I really think this is one that you would enjoy. If you love mind games this one is full of them. It was a really great thriller. It had all the elements. I think it really managed to put the suspense throughout and then save up this huge level of tension for the end.… (meer)

Fabulous...it kept me on the edge of my seat. An emotional rollercoaster!
It's clever, it's surprising and so engaging. It is definitely not a story that is predictable.
Taylor Adams is an excellent writer. I'd be afraid to say differently...lol! Well, you should read this book and understand why!
But let's get into things...the author really holds back on some details but then offers others through an unreliable narrator. Even realizing that I was mesmerized. The story captivated me to the last sentence.
I cried at the end! What a great book!… (meer)

A solid and truly entertaining thriller! I personally have never read a suspense novel quite like this and appreciated the freshness Adams brought to his work. He took fairly familiar tropes, like being stranded in a snowstorm and a gathering of strangers, and made it his own. I also think the main character, Darby, was really well written. She didn't make stupid choices and I felt like her thought processes throughout this situation felt genuine and human, which I think can be a weak point in many hyped thrillers. Additionally, the suspense/gasp-out-loud aspects were REAL. There's kinda a big plot twist right near the start of things that I absolutely didn't see coming, and things just escalate from there. The plot and writing were genuinely creepy and didn't rely on cheap moments of suspense. "No Exit" is unnerving if nothing else.
The only things that weren't great for me were 1) the part about Darby's mom having cancer. She repeatedly states how bad their relationship was, and that didn't quite fit in to how Darby was acting. It almost felt like Adams just needed some dire-sounding situation to get Darby out here in the first place and just decided to throw a cancer plot in. 2) No spoilers, but portions of the ending felt a bit dragged on. The story naturally reaches a climax and conclusion but Adams dragged it on a little more than I think was needed. If he had redirected those extra pages into the middle of the novel I think it would have been better!… (meer)