WOW! I really loved this novel. There was so much detail and description that I felt like I was there. I actually learned a lot from a thriller novel, I love that! I did guess who the killer was but not the story behind everything with Doug. Wow is all I can say. 5 stars!

How does one read something so fast? Like from the beginning to end it went by so fast because I loved it that much. Breathless was a breathe of fresh air for me. Thank you

Breathless
by Amy McCulloch
Pub Date: May 3, 2022
Knopf
Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC of this great book! What I liked best was the atmosphere that the author creates!! There are some awe-inspiring descriptions that transport you to Nepal and it feels like you climb the mountain with Cecily. It captures vividly the inherent dangers of climbing and the difficulties of altitude, you feel that breathless pain and it seems extremely authentic. There’s a good blend of characters and I like the contrast of the humor and good-natured banter and excitement at the start as they acclimatize compared to the seriousness of the actual climb. . There are some moments where it’s unbelievably creepy and if you add in the claustrophobia of being stuck in a hostile environment it makes it an absorbing read.
Great thriller!!
5 stars

Breathless is a fast-paced, unputdownable novel of survival at the top of the world. Cecily Wong is in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to interview Charles McVeigh as he finishes his record-setting mountaineering trip. Cecily has joined the climb and is thrilled by the adventure, until climbers start dying and it becomes obvious that she is trapped on the mountain and could be next. Part action thriller, part survival story, Breathless is exactly what this book is. Highly recommended for fans of closed room mysteries and survival stories alike. Readers of Christina Henry's Near the Bone will love this one.

A thrilling novel full of pulse pounding moments and relatable characters. A few situations seemed a little far fetched and the ending was abrupt but an exciting book nonetheless.

Wow what a twisty exciting novel this was. It really grabbed me from the start to finish, on the edge of my seat, page after page.
There is a killer losing stalking their victims in the snowy mountains of Himalayan.
This would be a great storyline for a lifetime movie network movie.
I’d like to thank netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this one early,
Great book, be sure to download your copy May 2022.

This was a fun thriller to read, centered on the world of mountain climbing Cecily is a journalist who is headed to Manaslu, one of the highest peaks in the world, to interview Charles after he (hopefully) completes his climbing challenge. Cecily has been guaranteed the exclusive interview with Charles - but only if she successfully summits. Her anxiety is already high because of lack of climbing at this level, but very early on, a climber mysteriously dies. Cecily's suspicions are higher after a second climber dies, but now she's invested and starts investigating whether there is a killer on the mountain. A great page-turner.

Cecily Wong is a journalist who has come to Manaslu which is the eighth-highest peak in the world, and she has risked everything to get here. To interview the internationally famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh. This is going to be a big story and one she is not going to miss.
Soon a climber suddenly dies and everyone believes its due to a freak accident.
Cecily believes they are all in danger. And when a second climber dies, no one can turn back now.
They find themselves stranded on a remote mountain. And they are dying one by one!

This is such a roller coaster ride--a fast paced thriller with twists and turns and quite unputdownable!
Breathless has such a clever premise, that kept me glued to my Kindle for hours!
Amy draws her characters to new heights and adventure that is yet again both fascinating and intriguing to say the least
It's incredibly adventurous yet It's dark, shocking, stunning, unbelievably fascinating.
It's impeccable writing skills down to it's core!
A wild, action packed, and with a few twists I did not see coming!
And left it left me wanting more of this novel!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|Anchor,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Thank you to Knopf, Netgalley and Amy McCulloch for letting me read this one early. It comes out on May 3.

I usually love books like this but I read one two years ago that happened on a snowy mountain. This one involved snowboarding which I know is different than climbing but it reminded me so much of the other book that I hated and I couldn't get past it. It's like a locked room mystery but they're on a mountain instead of in a room. This book took up so much time teaching me about mountain climbing that I lost interest. I wish this was a just a thriller but it's definitely also educational to an extent. It just made the pacing way too slow to keep my attention.

“Breathless” is Amy McCulloch’s debut adult novel. She has previously written some young adult and middle grade.

This book follow our protagonist, journalist Cecily Wong. Cecily has the opportunity to interview the famous mountain climber, Charles McVeigh, who is on the last leg of a record breaking journey. His only stipulation? She has to climb the mountain too. This mountain would be scary for a very experienced climber, which Cecily is not. And when someone dies in a freak accident, Cecily begins to question whether this climb that could change her life could also end it.

I love isolated snowy books. Put a small group of characters somewhere where they are stuck in the snow and I will pick it up. When I saw that the author had actually climbed a mountain and had personal experience with it, it made me even more excited to pick up this book. That is unfortunately one of the reasons that the book didn’t amaze me. We spend so much time learning about mountain climbing, I think I could go do it myself now. It does really slow the pace of the book, unfortunately. This is a book about mountain climbing first, and a thriller second. I would have much preferred a book about someone really coming into their own through the life changing experience of climbing this mountain than to have this kind of muddled thriller plot scattered through.
A lot of what is going on in this book felt so real. Like I really could see the characters working against nature going up this mountain. And then the last 75 pages just kind of went off the rails.

I do think that it was well written. So I am interested in seeing what this author writes next.

WOW! One of the best suspense books I have read in a long time. Captivated met from the first page and kept me reading all night. Even though I had figured out who the suspect was, there were some twists and turns with the why and how.
Cecily is a travel journalist, asked to accompany the famous Charles on his hike to the summit of the mountain in Nepal. She joins a small, eclectic group, but worries she won't be able to make the climb. However, reaching the summit is not going to be Cecily's main concern, as people are slowly dying on the mountain, and no one suspects foul play but Cecily, and those who have died. Coincidence? Cecily will be fighting for her life, for her determination to reach the summit, and to prove there really is a killer amongst them.
Loved the characters, the plot, and the setting. The sub story of the climb was intriguing, and the description was awesome, I could imagine it all perfectly. Highly recommend this book. It is different from a lot of other suspense/thriller books. You too will be hooked from the start!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A fascinating journey, adventure and psychological thriller with a woman journalist on a mountain-climbing expedition. When at the mercy of a treacherous mountain, no one needs a murderer on the loose. Breathless is the perfect name as readers are as breathless as the high-altitude climbers. After her failure to summit a previous mountain, Cecily is determined to get to the top of this mountain and get the interview Charles Mc Veigh has promised her if she makes it. Is she paranoid and hypoxic as she becomes more frightened that there is a killer among them or are her journalistic instincts warning her to be extra careful? With communications unavailable, would anyone know if she just disappeared? It's a perilous journey that will take your breath away repeatedly. This journey will make or break her career if she lives to tell the story. Those with a fear of heights should not read this book. Brilliant, vibrant, explosive.

Breathless is set in a location new to me for thrillers and suspense fiction and I was hooked. I wanted to be mired in the story anytime I had to do something else like work or chores. There was some drag in the middle, and I would have prefered to have an epilogue after the crazy ending, but the cast of characters were great and one supporting character shined brightest and I loved him.

I thank NetGalley and publisher Archor Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
First off I do recommend this book very much. It begins slowly and was very technical - lots of terms I’d never heard of before not having any experience in mountain climbing or even reading about it before - but it’s building plots, interactions, and events for Cecily Wong to worry about during her whole climb. So hang in there and keep reading. You will be on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who not even if someone is a killer amongst them . . . I like mysteries and this seemed like it would be one. And boy was it ever. When I finished I realized the author knew what she was talking about as she actually did climb the mountain and gave us insight into what it was like. That feat is a great accomplishment and added credibility to the technical facts. I learned a lot about what it is like - I never would want to - and I could even feel the cold through her descriptions.
The story is about a journalist, Cecily Wong, who gets invited to go on a climb with a famous alpinist and she eagerly accepts even though it puts her whole financial structure at risk, makes her lose her boyfriend and her job could be in jeopardy if she doesn’t produce a good story.
She's a novice climber and botched her first climb big time. So being asked to join this climb is a surprise and honor. She does prepare for this one contrary to what her ex-boyfriend had her do for her first one with him that ended in disaster. The strangers she is with on this 8 thousand meter climb are from all different areas of expertise and backgrounds. In the very beginning at the base of the mountain, she is told that the circumstance of a death on the mountain is suspicious. From then on things happen that give rise to questions and doubts about who or if danger is in camp with them. Who can she trust and what if the story is true plagues her constantly and being told to forget all that and concentrate on staying alive because literally one miss-step could mean death

A killer stalks their victims in the Himalayan mountains. This was a suspenseful well written book that was a guessing game to determine who the killer is. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Cecily has given up everything to enable her to go on a dangerous mountain climb. She has to do this to get a first-hand interview with the famous Charles, who is somewhat of a hero for climbing without oxygen or the help of secured rope lines. Although Cecily has climbed in the past, she carries a secret burden that makes this climb even more important. She meets her group, and the sherpas assigned for the climb.
Tragedy happens before the climb has even started, and from that time on, it seems like someone is out to jeopardize their ascent.
I thank the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The book was just OK for me. I wasn’t thrilled. I was looking at the reviews prior to reading it and was expecting more but unfortunately I was a bit disappointed. I struggled connecting with the story. I felt like there was just too much information about climbing which I’m not familiar with and I didn’t really like the characters. I didn’t really see any character growth on Cecily. This is just my honest opinion though.
I believe someone who loves mountain climbing would totally enjoy this. Thank you netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really gripping mystery with a terrifying setting, high stakes, and a fascinating look into mountaineering. The buildup was so suspenseful, I wanted the action at the end had lasted a little longer than it did! I'd recommend to those looking for a book that you won't be able to put down.

4.5 stars. Really great read. There were so many little mysteries that I could barely put the book down! I've always been a fan of mountaineering stories like this, and add in the other suspense stuff and I was hooked. The author did a great job keeping me entertained throughout and I thought the book was just the right length for this kind of book. I've read a few thrillers lately that either feel way too long and bloated, or too short with unsatisfying endings. Or both. This book had just the right amount of backstory, just the right amount of action, terror, excitement, etc. I'm impressed enough that I think I'll check out what else this author has written. If it's anything like this, I'm sure I'll be interested.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cecily, a writer with not much experience is granted an interview with Charles, a legendary mountain climber that is attempting to do 14 clean. Meaning 14 peaks without guide ropes. He will only grant this interview if she climbs the mountain too. She has climbed mountains before, but the last one was a sad one, I. That she was with someone who died on the mountain.
She , nonetheless, decides to participate..
Selling most of her things and losing a boyfriend in the process…after all this could be her big break.
But things are not as they seem. There is a tragic death before they even get started and rumors of Charles cheating on other climbs.
And another death, bad weather. Arguments among the climbers.
Just when I thought I had it figured out The Who did it, I was surprised to find I was wrong.
This is a very good novel. Much suspense and much detail.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.