{"id":4883,"date":"2025-11-20T06:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T06:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=4883"},"modified":"2025-11-20T06:05:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T06:05:00","slug":"adrift-by-will-dean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=4883","title":{"rendered":"Adrift by Will Dean"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adrift<\/strong> by Will Dean<\/a>
on February 17, 2026
Genres:<\/strong> Fiction \/ Thrillers \/ Domestic<\/a>, Fiction \/ Thrillers \/ Psychological<\/a>, Fiction \/ Thrillers \/ Suspense<\/a>
Pages:<\/strong> 352
Format:<\/strong> ARC<\/a>
Buy on Amazon<\/a>
Goodreads<\/a> <\/p>\n

Peggy and Drew, both aspiring writers, make the unusual choice to move onto an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son, Samson. Peggy is the glue holding their fragile little family together, even as Samson is relentlessly bullied for his appearance and their family\u2019s lack of money. When Peggy\u2019s writing begins to find success, Drew\u2019s resentment grows, and he takes them farther and farther away from civilization\u2014away from any chance of help.<\/p>\n

As their world shrinks, the cracks in their family deepen. Dean paints a chilling portrait of how emotional abuse, gaslighting, and control can warp a once-loving relationship into something dark and claustrophobic. The novel becomes a gripping exploration of toxic generational patterns and the desperate fight for freedom.<\/p>\n

This book is not a light read. It\u2019s a heavy, emotional story that will make you mad, then sad, then mad again\u2014an absolute rollercoaster of feelings. At first, I thought the idea of living on a boat sounded idyllic and peaceful, but Peggy and Drew quickly scared me out of that fantasy. From the very beginning, I was terrified for Peggy. I wanted to yell at her to run, to get away, but she was trapped\u2014financially, emotionally, and psychologically. Drew\u2019s manipulation was insidious: he controlled her every move, took away her independence, and made her question her own sanity.<\/p>\n

Their son, Samson, broke my heart. A sweet redheaded boy constantly bullied at school and ignored by the adults who should have protected him, he endures cruelty that\u2019s hard to stomach. Every evening, he and Peggy are forced to stay completely silent while Drew writes\u2014chasing a long-past literary success he can\u2019t seem to recapture. His bitterness and insecurity consume him, and the tension in their home becomes unbearable.<\/p>\n

Dean masterfully interweaves chilling flashbacks to Drew\u2019s childhood, hinting at how he became the man he is\u2014and what he\u2019s capable of doing to anyone who threatens his control. As the story unfolds, strange and sinister events happen around them, leaving you wondering: are they victims of bad luck, or something much darker?<\/p>\n

Adrift<\/em> got under my skin. It\u2019s unsettling, emotional, and deeply human. It shines a light on how difficult it is to escape an abuser who makes you question your own reality\u2014and how hard it can be to truly break free. This is a story that lingers long after the final page. Will Dean\u2019s sharp prose and layered characters make Adrift<\/em> a haunting, unforgettable read.<\/p>\n

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eArc of this incredibly haunting story.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The post Adrift by Will Dean<\/a> appeared first on Book Nook Buzz<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adrift by Will Dean on February 17, 2026 Genres: Fiction \/ Thrillers \/ Domestic, Fiction \/ Thrillers \/ Psychological, Fiction \/ Thrillers \/ Suspense Pages: 352 Format: ARC Buy on Amazon Goodreads Peggy and Drew, both aspiring writers, make the unusual choice to move onto an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son, Samson. Peggy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4883"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4883\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}