Dead Drift
(Whitewater Thriller #1)
Author: Kelly Romo
Published: May 15, 2022
About the Book
Two teenage girls on the run with fake IDs and a beater car…what could go wrong?
Emmy has always been impulsive. She is no longer a minor and has aged out of foster care. When her best friend, Amber, is the target of a perverted uncle who lives in the basement of her group home, they plan her escape.
They head for Canada, where Amber will be safe, and the foster care system can no longer control their lives. When they come across a whitewater rafting brochure, they decide to take a detour for one last adventure before leaving the country. Emmy and Amber have no idea it will be a decision that will forever change their fates.
The rafting town is so far in the middle of nowhere that Emmy’s car radio catches nothing but static. They consider turning around until a truck pulls up, loaded with hot whitewater rafting guides and rubber rafts–just the fun they were looking for. Ignoring every instinct, they turn off the pavement and follow the truck down an isolated dirt road. They end up in Lodell, the town where a girl went missing the previous summer…and she will not be the last.
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About the Author
Kelly Romo grew up in California but has lived in Oregon for over twenty-five years. She teaches writing, literature, and social studies. She is the mother of three grown children: Brittany, Brennan, and Ryan. She is an avid outdoorswoman who loves to kayak, hike, and fish. DEAD DRIFT is Kelly’s third novel. She also has two historical fiction novels; WHISTLING WOMEN (2015) and WHEN SORROW TAKES WING (2021).
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My Thoughts
After years in foster care, at 18, Amber is getting her life together. But Emmy, her best friend, is still stuck at the foster house. And with the way their foster father has been acting, Emmy isn’t safe there. So after devising a plan, Amber helps Emmy escape, and they head for an adventure of whitewater rafting. This is the start of their new lives, and they will have a blast.
Romo writes solid characters. Amber is clearly suffering, and after years in foster care, she doesn’t always know what healthy looks like. She latches onto Brian and doesn’t want to let go. She’s clingy and constantly worried that he will up and leave her. That’s been the pattern her entire life. But things have gotten serious, and she needs him more than ever.
This is a fun story. I liked how there were alternating points of view and that Romo slowly built the suspense, so you knew something was up, but you weren’t sure where to point the finger. I like the small-town feel and that everyone sticks together. It’s very representative of small-town life. The book ends in such a way that readers won’t feel disappointed, which I thoroughly enjoy. Overall, this is a fun mystery with a bit of romance. It will be interesting to see where Romo takes this series.
Rae's Reading Lounge 
Yikes! It sure sounds thrilling. Excellent review!
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