Joy Ride: When a Prank Turns Deadly

by C.K. Smith, Dina Ezzeddine

WHEN SIBLINGS TESSA, NATE, AND CHASE SET OUT ON A SIMPLE ROAD TRIP TO MEND THEIR FRACTURED PAST, THEY EXPECT AWKWARD SILENCES… MAYBE A FEW ARGUMENTS. WHAT THEY DON'T EXPECT IS THAT ONE STUPID GAME OF TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE WILL SPARK THE ATTENTION OF THE WRONG VOICE ON THE CB RADIO.

A VOICE THAT DOESN'T LAUGH.
A VOICE THAT DOESN'T STOP.
A VOICE THAT WANTS TO HUNT.

NOW EVERY MILE DRAGS THEM DEEPER
INTO A NIGHTMARE OF HEADLIGHTS,
METAL, AND BLOOD. OUT HERE, SURVIVAL
ISN'T ABOUT TRUTH OR LIES—IT'S ABOUT
WHO'S WILLING TO RUN, HIDE, OR FIGHT
BACK AGAINST
THE MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL.

SOME ROADS LEAD HOME.
OTHERS LEAD STRAIGHT TO HELL.

JUMP INTO THIS PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR
THAT WILL LEAVE YOU SHAKEN LONG
AFTER THE ENGINE STOPS.

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2026

About the author

Author also writes as Dina Ezzeddine

C.K. Smith is a Canadian writer and the celebrated author of The Haunting of Aberdeen Manor series, a chilling collection that promises to leave readers breathless with suspense and captivated by dark romance. Blending spine-tingling horror with irresistible spicy romance, C.K. Smith creates stories that haunt the mind and stir the soul.

Her latest work, The Aberdeen Manor trilogy, is a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling. Each book in the series is crafted to send shivers down your spine, perfect for horror enthusiasts who crave a touch of the forbidden in their reads. From eerie halls to forbidden desires, this series is an unmissable journey into the depths of fear and passion.

Drawing inspiration from literary legends like Stephen King, C.K. Smith has a unique gift for weaving intricate tales that explore the shadows of human emotion. Her work is a testament to her love for storytelling, delivering an experience that lingers long after the final page.

When she isn’t crafting her next haunting narrative, C.K. Smith enjoys immersing herself in the beauty of Canadian landscapes and discovering the extraordinary in everyday life. With every story, she invites readers to step into her world of thrilling terror and sizzling romance—where the line between fear and desire blurs.

Discover the world of C.K. Smith, where every book is an unforgettable escape. Follow for updates on her latest releases and insights into her creative process. For fans of Stephen King, dark romance, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, this is an author you don’t want to miss!

Reviews

[iain jones uk 🇬🇧 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great thriller from C.K Smith.
I’ve got into her books few months ago and I’ve not been disappointed yet.
Beautifully written,gripping A story I just didn’t want to put down.
Teenagers going on a trip, they make the mistake of getting a CB Radio and Messaging with a psychopath truck driver.. he doesn’t like being messed about.
Just don’t get into the way of his truck and him.
You need to fight and stay alive..
Can’t wait for her next thriller!

[AmBer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The overall story is great. But the writing is very repetitive. As a truck driver's wife, I couldn't get past the misuse of "Peterbilt Mac."

[Jill E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you want a fast-paced horror/thriller, action-packed book? Then I suggest "Joy Ride" by C.K. Smith. The characters' dynamics were the highlight of this book. They evolved from fighting to fierce protectors. With the high suspense, it was definitely a page-turner! Who knew a CB could cause so much harm?

[Hazel Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me anxious and uneased the whole way. It does remind me a little bit of the 2001 movie “Joy Ride” with Paul Walker and Steve Zahn, but more unhinged. This book had me on the edge of my seat and waiting till the other shoe dropped.
Story is about 3 siblings doing a road trip to grandparents old cabin in the woods to chillout and maybe solve past arguments. They decide to stop at a gas station and the oldest brother decide to buy a CB radio just for fun and mess with some truckers during their trip.

Bad idea.

Playing “2 truths and a lie”, a trucker takes the game too seriously and decides to hunt them down. The story is bone chilling and makes you unease at every turn. The trucker gets out of control, kidnapping, killing people and torturing his victims just for the “fun” of the game and getting his “payback” on childish play with cb radios and trucker bingo.

Now, I did rate this book a 3 ⭐️ first but after talking to C. K. Smith and answering all my questions, I changed it to a 4 ⭐️. It had to do with some details like the constant repetition of the red Peterbilt truck; the constant running around roads and forest lines; the gunshot wounds and broken limbs that didn’t make the characters bleed to death or enter a sceptic shock; and for me the most confusing part was how a trucker that attacked a man in a car hours away from the scrapyard ended up the next minute hunting a running girl in the trees that was half an hour away from the scrapyard and then he’s back at the scrapyard torturing his victims? Time wise it confused me unless he was a ghost. 😂 But thank you C. K for explaining all of this to me to fully understand.

Overall, a very entertaining story that will make you not trust a lonely road or CB radios. Oh and make sure you have great blood pressure, lol.

[Cheyenne Joy Mijdam · Rating 5 out of 5]

PRC Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Joy Ride by C.K. Smith

First of all—thank you for this personal copy. Truly. I’ll never trust a quiet road, a random detour, or a radio ever again. Love that for me. 🙄

I need to be honest for a second—this one hit weird. Not “boo, scary, jump scare” weird. No. The kind of weird that crawls under your skin and just… stays there. I actually had to put it down. Not because I was scared, but because something in me snapped when that moment happened. When the first one was taken.

This isn’t just some slasher with blood and chaos for entertainment. It pretends to be that at first, sure. Lures you in with that familiar “oh this will be fun” energy… and then quietly drags you somewhere much deeper. Somewhere emotional. Uncomfortable.

Three siblings. Grief sitting between them like an uninvited passenger. Years of distance. Unsaid things. And somehow, within seconds, I was in that car with them. No seatbelt. No exit. Just… there. Watching. Feeling everything they didn’t say out loud.

When I picked it back up, it didn’t even give me a second to breathe. I was right back inside it—running with them, thinking with them, panicking with them. Invisible, but fully there. The worst kind of haunting.

And yeah, there’s horror. There’s chasing, fear, that “don’t go there you absolute idiot” energy. But underneath all that? It’s about how far people go when love is the only thing left. How hard they fight. How much they endure.

I caught myself actually yelling at the pages—
“No.”
“Run.”
“Please… just let them be okay.”

Which is honestly not what I signed up for. I came for chaos. I stayed for emotional damage.

And the worst part? I wanted a happy ending. Me. Wanting a happy ending in a story like this. That alone should tell you everything.

Did I get it?
Yeah… I’m not ruining that for you.

Just know this—my heart was racing, my stomach felt like it was hosting a horror convention, and I couldn’t shake this story even after I closed the book.

Five stars. Easily. Because if a story can mess with my head and my heart like this? It’s earned every single one.

Go ahead. Pick it up. Get in the car. Join the chase.

Just don’t expect to walk away untouched.

“Some roads lead home. Others lead straight to hell.”- C.K Smith

[Connie Fielder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two truths and a lieeeeeeee

One
This book was fast paced and constant anxiety inducing

Two
Trucker bingo sounds like fun

Three
I actually love pickles

Couldn't help it

This book was kinda crazy. After the first chapter and I saw how long was left I was like what the hell are we gonna get into if that much is left.
There were a few holes and things that didn't make sense so that's why I didn't rate it higher.
Overall enjoyed the story, confusing at times keeping up with the crazy. My anxiety is glad to be done

[Jolene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joy Ride had a really strong, creepy setup that pulled me in right away, road trip, bad decisions, and a voice on the CB radio that refuses to let go. The atmosphere was tense and gave off that classic “middle of nowhere ” unease.

That said, I didn’t fully love it. I found myself getting a bit tired of the game and trucker dynamic pretty early on, and it started to feel repetitive. Still, I was invested enough to keep reading and wanted to see how it all ended.

Overall, a solid, quick horror read. If you enjoy lighter, fast-paced horror, this will probably hit better for you than it did for me.

[Susanne Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy

I loved this! It is creepy, dark with lots of action. I will definitely read other books from this author.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

RECEIVED THIS AS AN ARC — and OMFG.

What the hell did I just read?! C.K. Smith absolutely killed it with this one.

It’s action-packed starting from Chapter 2 and doesn’t let up until the very end. And that ending… seriously… that ending—I’m still not over it.

I loved the characters—MAC Daddy the trucker was terrifying in the best way, and the siblings had me completely invested the whole time. I was literally on edge with anxiety from start to finish.

GO GRAB IT ASAP.
You will not be disappointed with this wild, heart-pounding horror ride.

[Maria Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five ⭐️
First time reading a book by this author. And I’m so glad I did I absolutely loved it! It grabbed my attention and I couldn’t put it down! The plot ,the characters everything was top tier! Her writing style is so captivating so descriptive. I can’t say enough about her book and her writing style! Will most definitely be reading more of her books! I highly recommend reading this book!

[Ashley Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg this book if u haven't read it its a must.ck has a way of ducking u in n having u feel everything.

[Wendy Pinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

this bookwas incredibly intense and amazing. this author wrote this like she was there! Hopefully there will be more in the series!

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

joy. ride

Joy Ride is one hell of a good book! I read it in one sitting! It’s a story about three siblings losing their mother to breast cancer and the sister leaving after a huge fight with her brother and the other brother trying to be the peace maker.
Tessa was gone for several years and gets a text from brothers saying to get ready they are coming to pick her up and they are going to grandparents cabin for the week!
On the way they pick up a CB Radio and decide to play a game of two truths and a Lie. This is the start of a nightmare for the kids. A deranged trucker over hears them on the radio and he stalks them with a peterbuilt truck. He chases them Goes on a killing spree and other truckers are in on it to. Nate and chase are captured by the psycho and are severely injured. The police get involved and try to stop Mac the truck driver. If you like Stephen Kings Christine you will love this book! If you want to know how this story ends you will have to read this wonderfully written story! I was given this ark and I voluntarily review it!
Be careful with your pranks they may turn deadly!

[Deborah Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy Ride is one hell of a good book! I read it in one sitting! It’s a story about three siblings losing their mother to breast cancer and the sister leaving after a huge fight with her brother and the other brother trying to be the peace maker.
Tessa was gone for several years and gets a text from brothers saying to get ready they are coming to pick her up and they are going to grandparents cabin for the week!
On the way they pick up a CB Radio and decide to play a game of two truths and a Lie. This is the start of a nightmare for the kids. A deranged trucker over hears them on the radio and he stalks them with a peterbuilt truck. He chases them Goes on a killing spree and other truckers are in on it to. Nate and chase are captured by the psycho and are severely injured. The police get involved and try to stop Mac the truck driver. If you like Stephen Kings Christine you will love this book! If you want to know how this story ends you will have to read this wonderfully written story! I was given this ark and I voluntarily review it!
Be careful with your pranks they may turn

[Armando Ramirez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joy Ride by C.K. Smith was… okay. It’s a decent, surface-level introduction to the horror genre, not too scary, not too gory, and easy enough to follow. I’d describe it as a mashup between the 2001 movie Joy Ride and an ’80s B-grade horror flick.If you’re looking for a splatter horror experience, this isn’t it. The story never leans into graphic or disturbing territory, so it works more as a “dip your toe into horror” read rather than something intense.My main issue is the repetition. The term “Mac” appears over 200 times and “Peterbilt” over 100, which gets old pretty fast. As someone who isn’t a trucker, I can say those are actually two different truck brands, not interchangeable terms, and the overuse pulled me out of the story more than once.I do get why people compare it to the 2001 movie, there are definitely similarities, but in the end, the writing felt too repetitive for me to ever want to reread it. A passable read, but not a memorable one.

[Madison Isley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried to love this book. I thought the idea and concept of the story was really cool, but there were so many things I couldn’t get past.

There were way too many characters and they all had similar names so I never knew who was who and how they fell into the story. The only people I knew for sure were the three siblings. I also didn’t enjoy how the father was randomly added in about 68 percent in and he was talked about like the Tessa was there with him when his parts were happening when they was not at all the case.

The story was very repetitive. People are getting chased and end up in an accident and the MAC disappears. There were so many role overs and cars getting split in half that I was just bored because the same thing kept happening.

I do really enjoy her other books! This one was just a miss for me.

[Mandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joyride was a really enjoyable read for me. The story pulls you in quickly and the chemistry between the main characters is one of the strongest parts of the book. Their dynamic felt fun and engaging, and it kept me invested in their journey. There were some emotional and intense moments that added depth to the story and made it easy to root for them.
The pacing was mostly good and it was easy to keep turning the pages. However, there were a few moments where I felt things moved a little too quickly or where certain emotions and conflicts could have been explored a bit more. Because of that, it didn’t quite reach a full five stars for me.
Overall, Joyride is a solid and entertaining read with great character chemistry and plenty of moments that keep you hooked. Definitely worth picking up

[Kez · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoyed the Joyride movies (I am a huge fan), then you will definitely enjoy this book. I was really excited to see that this is Book 1, and I cannot wait for the rest of the series to come out. I have seen this book recommended a lot, which is why I was so eager to pick it up.

I devoured this book in a morning. It is gory and scary and plays out very similarly to the movies in regard to violence and motive. That being said, it is not a cut and paste and they are different storylines.

My only gripe with the book (and it is a small one to be fair), is that I found Tessa irritating. I am fully aware that this is probably a ‘me’ thing but just have to put it out there. Other than that, I really loved this book.

[KwentongKuneho · Rating 5 out of 5]

HEART-STOPPING! I’M SO OUT OF BREATH!

Why did you have to do that CK? As early as Chapter 2? Really???

Guys, before you read this, I recommend that you do cardio exercises for at least 2 weeks straight. Set your mind and body as if you’re preparing for a marathon run. Believe me, you’ll need that. I don’t think you’ll be able to put down this book just like how the siblings Nate, Tessa, and Chase were not able to sleep during that joy ride.

Where’s the joy in that joy ride, you ask me? Oh ask Mac. He was the one who had the real joy in all of these.

Bravo, CK! That was one hell of a ride. Scratch that. One hell of a read!!!

[Joy Whiteside · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, grabbed me within the first few paragraphs and kept me interested and reading until the very end. It moves along at a really great pace that makes for an easy and enjoyable read that you find yourself unable to put down no matter what you need to do. No matter what happens, you will find yourself loving these characters and you want to see them overcome anything that they might encounter throughout the story. This book has to be read, it needs to be at the top of your TBR list, no doubt about it.

[Shay's book corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

JOY RIDE
By -C.K.SMITH

🖤⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🖤💀💀.5
🖤3 siblings
🖤Road trip
🖤Horror

A CB radio.
Three siblings.
One road trip meant to mend a relationship already fractured maybe beyond repair
What could go wrong? They only wanted to play Trucker Bingo something about it feeling nostalgic
But the prank turns on them fast. Now it’s a deadly game of 2 truths and 1 lie and losing may cost far more than pride.
Every stranger they meet is in danger
Are any of them safe or is everyone already bound for the road to hell?
All I’ll say is this don’t f💀💀k with a trucker. They don’t play by the same rules.

[Sarah * Between the Lines Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy Ride y’all was a freaking RIDE!!!
This is the perfect book for those that want to dip your toes into horror (I don’t read much “slasher” horrors, so this was a good one for me). If you enjoyed the movie Joy Ride, loved the thrills of that movie but maybe wanted a little more “horror” thrown in, then this one would be a good!
Action packed all the way through.

[Kikicanadianchick kikicanadianchick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A road trip, and bad decisions? Count me in! Joy ride was the best good decision I’ve made! The twists and turns in this book kept me wanting to read because I needed to know what was going to happen. This book grabs you from the very first paragraph and moves along through the story at a good pace.

[Chastity Raven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't for me. I probably should have DNF it when I grimaced at the kindle.
This graphic ride will be perfect for lovers of extreme splatter and horror.
This just wasn't for me. It was well written and some descriptions were very very thought out.
I thank the author for taking the time and having the bravery to put their work out there.

[Fieneke Kroon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just no. I absolutely hated it. The premise was nice the execution not so much. Characters were just there no introduction, just names popping up at random.
And you can just read so much about cars fishtailing knuckles whitening. It became annoying.
Also I can’t stand to read another sentence like this:
Empty.
Devoid.
Meaningless.
There were way too many of them.
Would not recommend.

[Amy Lismore · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very interesting ride, and I loved it. horror isn't a genre I usually read, but I enjoyed it. If you like the podcast 'Killer,' you'll enjoy this. I really like the story; it gives a 4.5-star rating.

[Michele M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down for the first half but then it became a bit repetitive, but that could be because in 2001 i saw a movie by the same name with the same basic premise.