What Happened on Hicks Road

by Hannah Jayne

Sadie Oliver is loving her new life in California. For the first time, she has friends and a normal teenage life filled with parties and pranks. But when one of those pranks goes horribly wrong, Sadie hits someone with her car on a dark, winding road. Or at least… she thinks she did.

Though her friends are quick to convince her that they didn’t see anything, Sadie can’t shake the vision of the girl in the headlights: bloody hair, wide, terrified eyes, lips parted in a scream. When she goes out to investigate, there’s a slight dent in the car, but that’s it: no body, no blood.

Sadie wants to go to the police—but how can she? She shouldn’t have been driving, and as her friends remind her, there’s nothing to tell. But when a note that says FIND ME is slipped through Sadie’s window, she fears that she’s either onto something big… or slipping deeper into the illness that took her mother.

Genres: Thriller, Young Adult, Mystery, Horror, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published August 29, 2023

About the author

Hannah is the author of the UNDERWORLD DETECTION AGENCY CHRONICLES from Kensington books and the upcoming young adult thrillers TRULY, MADLY, DEADLY and SEE JANE RUN available from Sourcebooks, Inc. When she's not battling the demons of the Underworld or tackling a murderer at Hawthorne High, Jayne kicks her feet up in her San Francisco bay area home and attempts to share couch space with two enormous cats.

Now that you're here, kick up your feet and stay awhile...

Reviews

[Crystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

The synopsis for this book sounded so fun!
I love a good urban legend, and Hicks Road has a darn good one (Hint: It involves cannibalism!) Unfortunately, the story veers off in a different direction, and the legend is never explored. Bummer!

Also a bummer... The blah story. It was so repetitive and boring. The conclusion to all of it wasn't great either, and the ending was (If I'm being generous) open-ended (if I'm not being generous) incomplete.

I've read another book by this author (The Escape), and in both books, she has described mental illness in offensive ways. I don't think it's intention, but it is off-putting.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lily (Night Owl Book Cafe) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite some low ratings due to the ending.

I think people are being a little too harsh slamming the book on its 'abrupt' ending. I thought it wrapped up fine for the way it was going. The ending did not seem open-ended... The main plot line wrapped up. Ducking it stars solely based on that seems unnecessary.

Overall, this was a great October read. It follows a girl named Lennox (Not Sadie.. Unsure why the synopsis on GR calls her that) who may or may not hit someone on Hicks Road. Lennox is unsure, as it's dark and she cannot find a body. Also, her mother has been hospitalized for losing her mind and now Lennox thinks she also is. Her new friends that were in the car with her, claim there was no one there, but Lennox is sure she knows what she saw... Or is she?

There was repeated repetition... I thought it made sense since Lennox thought she was going crazy while everyone else around her denied the plausibility of the night. We are after all in Lennox's head, since this is her point of view and given that she thought she might have hit someone, it makes sense that this would continue to haunt her. It was well done, It kept me wondering the entire time if Lennox was going crazy and did something happened that night.

Given the low ratings, I didn't expect much from the book but I ended up really enjoying it and thought it deserved better than what people have written about it. It's definitely a book that's worth looking at, if you enjoy YA thrillers.

[Kay Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lennox is the new girl at school. She's been the new girl at a lot of schools. This is the first school she went with friends to a haunted road though. That night she remembers seeing a blonde girl with ice blue eyes, and accidentally hitting her with het car. But there wad no sign of the girl. Except the dent in her car's grill. Since that night, she can't stop wondering if there really was a girl or not. And everything else around her seems to be slipping into the same type of delusion--people, possessions, memories, conversations . . . She began to worry that she might be losing her mind. Just like her mom had . . .

I've said it before, I'll say it again: I LOVE psychological thrillers in which the narrator/POV character are unreliable. And this book executed that so perfectly, but it took it a step further. The ENTIRE cast was unreliable. But I couldn't tell if that was because Lennox was off or because there was some bigger conspiracy. It made reading this so much fun. I was kept guessing to the end. A must read!

[Alison is probably reading smut · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won the Advanced Readers Copy as a giveaway from Goodreads. This had a really good premise but moved very slow throughout and really didn't pick up until the last 50 pages of the entire book. The ending seemed a little rushed but did a good job piecing together the events of the book. Even though the book was slow paced, it still held my interest throughout despite not knowing what was going on with the main character. It was definitely more of a YA book and I'm not sure why it is tagged as horror because it most definitely wasn't.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 2 out of 5]

"But Lennox heard the sickening thud of metal bat against flesh and Mr. *** low groan, then dead silence."

Smile meets The Dare in this mystery that’s just not as fun.

A smiling blonde ghoul haunts Lennox’s life as she tries to figure out if she’s losing her mind or not. It sounds like a lot of horror fun with twists and turns that’ll leave you speechless but sadly it was none of those things.

It was obvious from the beginning what was happening and who was behind it. The author didn’t even try to hide it and you really don’t have to look that hard to figure this out. It was disappointing on the mystery aspect. It was funny to see Lennox lose her mind when the answers were smacking her right in the face. I think I lost my voice at how many times I screamed at her. Ugh!

I think whatever happens next on Hicks Road needs to stay there!

[Bailey Lamar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcefire for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I… don’t really understand what I just read. In the moments after finishing it, I immediately had to think to myself: what the hell? I have no clue what What Happened on Hicks Road was about, I have no clue how this book passed through editing. There were so many moments where the scene shifted aggressively, where the interactions didn’t make any sense. I know it was a psychological thriller, but it could’ve made a LITTLE more sense, right? Anyway, I don’t really know what else to say about this book because I cannot even fully gather my thoughts on this one. All I can say is proceed with caution.

[Samantha Pace · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of this book sounded very interesting, but it fell completely flat. It felt like a child wrote the story. The number of times the phrases "girl with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes" and "did I really see her" was repeated drove me crazy! The ending was very rushed. Also, there were a ton of typos in this book.
Would not recommend.

[Ashley Reel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Missed opportunity to de-stigmatize mental health. Story meanders a lot. Writing or even alluding to the creepy adult school staff member is just gross. Don’t do that.

Also - why pick on the gamers and Star Wars kids …?

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great premise.
Below average execution.
Dumb ending.

[Cora · Rating 1 out of 5]

SO BAD. Predictable and the main character was plain stupid and ending sucked? Literally so abrupt

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thrilling from beginning to end! Talk about a modern day telling of Gaslight! What Happened on Hicks Road is a delightfully fast YA thriller that had me speeding through it, desperate to find out what happens next. I thought I had predicted the big twist, but I was shocked to discover I really hadn’t. The true big twist is borderline unbelievable and just intensely out there in a teen soap opera kind of way, but I’m not mad at it. Big drama is fun, even if it isn’t always realistic. Overall, I had a fun time reading this book and was pleased to see that I’d read something else by this author I’ve enjoyed before. Definitely looking forward to reading more of her work!

[Elo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What

[Tiffany nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why are the names in the book and in the summary different? That was a bit weird to me! Sadie or Lennox?

Anyways can I just say I’ve not read a book so fast as I did this one omg it was so good 😊

[K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Content warnings: mental health, institutionalisation of a parent, bullying, gaslighting, murder

Oh boy. I really wanted to love this because The Girl From the Headlines, Jayne's earlier novel, is fast paced and compelling and generally one hell of a good time. This was definitely fast paced and it was, for the most part, compelling. But at the same time, it felt extremely repetitive and there were times when the mystery itself felt very much on the back burner while the focus was instead on the protagonist wondering if she was developing the same schizophrenia that has her mother in a psychiatric facility.

There was something of an I Know What You Did Last Summer vibe to the story, but not in a good way. And I kept thinking that there was going to be something nefarious going on with her dad and the fact that he keeps moving them around the country and the fact that her mum's facility only ever calls the dad when she's at school and so she's had no contact with her mum in years. But apparently I was giving the book too much credit because instead what I got was a ridiculously overblown plot that had me rolling my eyes just about out of my skull.

So that's unfortunate.

[Mikala]

DNF 31%

Reading Journey Notes:

◘ Very strong start 👏 gets right into the meat of the story and takes off from there

◘ 5%...we just got the classic "She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding" 😬 instant star downgrade

◘ Okay I have to warn that this deals with mental health and schizophrenia as a plot device and to create an unreliable narrator. I am highly interested in schizophrenia and like to learn more about it, however thrillers that feature it can often be exploitative so I do want to warn ⚠️

◘ Chapter 8. Wowww....the way that Eva addresses her mom in this is WILD 😬

◘ 29% I definitely am not vibing with the writing for the most part, for me it's a bit over dramatic YA 🙃

◘ Dnf 31% ...I struggle with reading young adult that has romance influences. I can't read about teenagers awkwardly flirting 🤣

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

What...? What the hell just happened? We were in the middle of a scene and BAM the book ended? Not like a cliffhanger, like pages were missing. I have read a lot of books by this author before but those were enjoyable. I'm not even sure what this was. I do know that it makes me so sad that I have to give it such a low rating. Ugh.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great mystery, I loved watching her deal with this situation, it was so thrilling to read!

[Haley Jane Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!

[Erika Reynolds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lennox is a high schooler in a new town trying to fit in. With her mother in a mental institution and her father a traveling nurse, she doesn’t have much stability until her father lands a job in San Jose. But all of that changes one night when she is driving home from a party with her friends, Allison and Eva. Lennox hits something—or someone—but her friends swear nothing happened. There are clues to suggest that Lennox is right, but did she actually hit someone, or is her mental health spiraling like her mother’s?

The synopsis of this book is spot on, but somehow it’s much more interesting than the plot itself. This is a psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator, which I really enjoyed. I didn’t know what to believe, and that is what kept me reading despite not much happening. It’s just Lennox and her friends having the same conversation over and over again: Lennox swears she hit a girl and her friends try to convince her it isn’t true. The ending is extremely abrupt and makes zero sense with the rest of the story. It majorly jumps the shark and doesn’t align with the characters and their interactions throughout the entire book. Thanks to NetGalley, SourceBooks, and Hannah Jayne for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a real slog to get through. The pacing was so slow and the dialogue felt repetitive. So much of the book felt like unnecessary filler.

The author brings up different topics throughout the book and then never goes back and discusses them. The character development was really lacking too. I don’t want to spoil anything if you decide to read the book, just know the way some of the adult characters are characterized is inappropriate and doesn’t add to the book.

The ending felt very rushed and thrown together. When it was over, I had to go back and reread because I thought that surely couldn’t be the end. This book was lacking in so many any areas.

Sadly, I just can’t recommend this book.

[Tori · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oof. This book had an amazing opportunity to shed light on schizophrenia and how it impacts a person and their family. Instead of helping to destigmatize this mental health disorder, the author went in the completely opposite direction. Her depictions of mental health, and Lennox stating over and over that she’s not “crazy” like her mom, were extremely off putting and made it impossible for me to engage with the rest of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Sydney Blondell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first 35% I wasn’t sure how I was going to like this book, but I should’ve known the ending would get me.

This book is so creepy and had my heart rate going the whole second half. Hannah Jayne is the queen of making you think you have the twist figured out and end up being DEAD wrong.

This is the perfect thriller to add to your fall TBR

[Zachary · Rating 1 out of 5]

3/10

When sh!t hits the fan are you still a fan?
Answer: No way lol

[Madilyn Heim · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason this was three stars was because of her dad. All the other characters were just being unbearable annoying.

[Cece · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s been a while since a book has confused and underwhelmed me so much. The entire idea and concept behind this book has so much potential and initally sounded like something that would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, the more I read, the more I found that this book couldn’t quite decide on what it wanted to be. Especially the first 200 pages more or less constantly had me forget that I was supposed to be reading a thriller, because it felt more like a coming of age story or romance than anything else. The thriller aspect was pretty much non-existent until the last 50 pages or so.

Something else that bugged me about this read was the constant repetition of information that is revealed to the reader at the beginning of the story. At some point I literally started skimming through certain parts because I got so sick of reading about how Lennox doesn’t feel normal, about what happened after that party and her mother‘s illness that I even considered DNF-ing for a while. The book could easily have been 100 pages shorter and it wouldn’t have impacted the plot at all.

I found the reveal to be quite random and rushed, because there is no buildup to it whatsoever and the reader is just randomly confronted with facts that don’t really make sense. It genuinely felt so random and I‘m still trying to make sense of how this is supposed to match the plot, as there wasn’t even a trace of a hint to it. It all just felt super sudden and not well rounded at all, in my opinion.

[Ella Moody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm gonna go with 3.25. I think parts of this book were good, but it definitely could have been so much better. I don't think there really was any mystery as to whether Lennox was going crazy or had actually hit someone. Maybe if there was more background to her mother's insanity I could have been more convinced, but it was obvious she was being drugged, and obvious she had hit someone.
I did not guess who the real killer was, only that Lennox obviously hadn't done it. Buuuut I thought the reason of murder from the real murderer was ridiculous.
The writing was pretty rough too, very, very basic and plain.
I think Eva sacrificing herself for Lennox was a good way to end it, and I was intrigued by the plot and wanted to finish it. I think it definitely helped this reading slump I've been in so I appreciate that...but I didn't really like it all that much and would never recommend it.

[Mjkummer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just read a free arc of What Happened on Hicks Road from #netgalley. This YA mystery/thriller is well paced and keeps you guessing until the very end. Lennox Oliver is the new girl in a a new town, trying to fit in. For once she has made friends, but attending a party with her new friends leads her to Hicks Road where legend and lore deliver lots of spine tingling questions about what actually happened when she feels her car hit something. I recommend to all YA readers of mystery or thriller.

Note: Because it was an arc, I won't criticize the several mistakes in the narrative since I'm sure those will be corrected, but it did throw me off once or twice. But I will comment that even the name of the protaganist is incorrect in the description.

[Wren · Rating 1 out of 5]

This may be the worst mystery book I’ve read in my entire life and I’ve read some absolute stinkers.

First of all, nobody has ever used the word cocked as much in the history of literature, someone is always cocking their hip or their head or their eyebrows.

Nobody talks like the people in this book talk.

The entire story takes place over one week despite so much happening.

The ending is entirely nonsensical, none of the plot makes sense, you spend most of the time in Lennox’s head and so nothing really happens and yet everything that does happen is wild and so truly offensive.

Like the mental health depiction in this book is truly horrendous, and also doesn’t make sense all the way through, what do you mean her friends were trying to make her think she was insane by making her think she was forgetting things and conversation and stuff?? When she forgot about things outside her friends as well???

This is honestly the worst book I have read in a very long time. Steer absolutely clear of this one.

The more I think about it, the angrier I am. I paid money for this book!!!!!! Why!!!!!!!!! I truly believe it’s the worst book I’ve ever read.

[Handsome Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, so I actually enjoyed reading the whole thing, but halfway through I’m like what are we even doing? It felt like we’ve gone nowhere. It felt like that up until the very, very end where the story almost abruptly revealed like five twists at once and just dipped out. I just feel like a lot of the middle could’ve been cut out to build more of an ending.

I like Lennox’s character. She wasn’t just reacting to all the stuff that was happening around her. I really wish her mental issues played more into what was happening with the girl. It felt like two different situations like we were getting the narrative that Lennox was going a little bit crazy, and by the end that she was going to find this girl and maybe feel better about her what was happening to her but we just get this whole typical you can’t trust anyone scary movie type stuff so kind of disappointed in that

[Madison !! Crane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ honestly it was a very great book, towards the end I really did feel like it was not in English but there was sooo much happening also a lot of the time I found myself comparing Owen to Luke from PJO so I kinda figured that out BUT HER FRIENDS ? I NEVER WOULDVE SEEN THAT COMING ok, maybe not never, but that wouldn’t have really been a guess of mine, overall it was a great book but spotting our killer outright kind of dragged me down, and the other thing that dragged me down was the "memory loss“ I’m pretty sure some of it was true memory loss but when they messed with her and made it like that, the memory loss just didn’t work for me it kind of made it feel like I was reading something that was poorly translated from another language, overall not too bad though !!