10 HOURS TO GO

A long drive home goes drastically wrong in this dramatic survival novel.

After a visit to her Oregon dream college, California senior Lily finds her return travel plans derailed by a wildfire. Enter erstwhile best friend Natasha, who just happens to be in Portland; through the girls’ moms, she knows Lily needs a ride. The small talk is tense but tolerable—until Natasha unexpectedly picks up Elke in Eugene. Elke was expelled from middle school thanks to Lily, which led to the rift in Lily’s relationship with Natasha. Even with the wildfire encroaching, Natasha and Elke insist on stopping for doughnuts. When Natasha hits a motorcycle in the parking lot and they drive off, the enraged biker pursues them deep into the forest. Readers learn this was all a ploy by Natasha and Elke to scare Lily (the motorcyclist is in on it): payback for what happened in eighth grade. But the wildfire is tearing through the forest, setting the teens up for a night that will test their mettle, force them to rely on each other, and perhaps even rebuild their old bonds. The monster here is an increasingly common environmental threat. The breathless writing, with most chapters ending in cliffhangers, feels appropriate, creating a sense that the air has been sucked from the room. The peril the teens endure makes the saccharine ending a cleansing sigh of relief. Main characters read white.

No slow burn here—this extreme homeward-bound tale thrills.