This book wins for amount of times “Mm” is said in different dialogue scenes to the point that it subtly grated on my nerves. I, however, much rather enjoyed Milena’s perspective than the main character Anna’s. There was a tenderness and a human vulnerability to Milena, even if she is a little meek and submissive at times, unlike Anna who remains mighty high on herself and quite unlikeable in moments.

The ending is inconclusive and every character unreliable to the point that the reader’s grasp on reality, too, is challenged. I thought that that was the most effective and original as truth, perspective, and someone’s general positionally is subjective and can constantly be called into question and interrogated.

Every year, Anna, her fiancé, Henrik, and good friend, Milena, go hiking deep in the mountains in Sweden, but this year it’s different. Milena wants her boyfriend, hiking and outdoors aficionado, Jacob, to come. Reluctantly, Anna and Henrik agree with some hesitation as there’s something strangely, eerily familiar about Jacob to Anna that she can’t quite put her finger on. The more that time goes on the more violent things and characters become. Jacob is an all-around wildcard and while the story dragged a bit midway through, I thought closer to the ending really had me. If you enjoy action and outdoors thrillers this one is a decent read and had me hanging my head in despair at the tragic outcome of one of the characters and what could’ve been.

Good thriller for beginners, but too similar to many other thrillers I've read. You might enjoy it in one sitting, on a cold winter day!

Short Synopsis: Longtime friends Anna, Henrik, and Milena set out on their annual hiking trip, but this time Milena insists on bringing her boyfriend Jacob. High in, the Swedish mountains, things go from bad to worse, and the friends wonder if they shouldn't have let Jacob come after all.

My thoughts: This was a very slow burn atmospheric read with lots of high stress moments throughout. I was definitely on the edge of my seat throughout all the vivid descriptions and waiting to figure out what was going to happen next.

Overall I wished that it flowed a bit quicker, I sometimes struggle with such a slow burn having no resolution until the very ending pages.

Read if you love:
Atmosperic reads
Friends on vacation
Mountain scenes
Books in translation

This was not my cup of tea, unfortunately. It was slow to start with descriptions that were unnecessarily long, thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this one.

Anna and Henrik are set to rendezvous with their friend Milena for an annual hike. But this year everything is different.

For starters, Henrik is less than enthusiastic to go. Helplessly watching his academic career fade away, he can’t muster the motivation to train for the hike.

And Milena is bringing her boyfriend Jacob, who neither Anna or Henrik know.

When the two couples set off for their hike, Muriel’s new man suddenly commandeers the getaway and plots a new course. One that will require tremendous skill, adding even more danger to the hike. Question: Is everyone up for this? I think not!

As the hike begins and the altitude increases so does the tension between the couples. Is it too late to turn around before someone gets seriously hurt?

This was an atmospheric read, allowing me to just sit back and lose myself in the magical beauty of the Swedish mountainside.

I listened to the audio and Karen Cass did an amazing job of bringing the characters and storyline to life!

My only drawback was the ending. It left me confused and feeling like something was left out or possibly lost in translation. I needed more clarity and closure.

The Couples Trip by Elf Kvensler started a bit slow and the excessive descriptions made the book a bit of a struggle. However, I liked that we were given some potential outcomes, but the ending felt too abrupt. Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next and enjoyed this one. I would recommend this book.

I want to thank everyone for this gifted copy of The Couples Trip by Ulf Kvensler.

I thought that this book had an interesting concept, but once everything fell into place, it just didn't work for me and I thought it fell short.

Anytime a group of friends does something annually and they add another player, the entire dynamic is messed up and it always seems to lead to fallout. This hiking trip is doomed before it's even started. I really enjoyed the characters and their bond, the plot felt new and fresh, and the scenery ideal... for a thriller, that is! Anyone loving a good psychological thriller will enjoy this trip-gone-wrong.

This book was all over the place. I kept reading it because it had a certain something. I wanted to know what happened next but when it happened I was completely let down. Henrik,Anna and Milena always went on a hiking trip each year. Jacob is Milenas new boyfriend and he asks if he can come. The other couple isn't thrilled bit they reluctantly agree. Their is tons of foreshadowing in the story but the characters keep going in the wrong direction. It was like a bad horror movie.
The ending left me with more questions than answers and I was so frustrated. This author tells a decent story as I kept turning the page and the story was good butnot great. Read at your own risk.

I was not able to finish this book, but I provided a rating for the part that I did read. This was just very slow and did not seem to be going anywhere.

Well, I liked this book until the ending. Not sure who thought that was a good way to end it but it felt like it just stopped in the middle of a paragraph. Everything else I liked. It wasn’t really a thriller.…more of a suspense. I was always wondering what was going to happen next.

The Couples Trip is about relationships being tested when Anna, Henrik and Milena go on their annual hiking trip with a new element thrown in, Jacob. Anna and Henrik are already having relationship problems and from the beginning seem to be suspicious of Milena's new boyfriend Jacob, who seems overbearing and mercurial. When Jacob suggests a completely different hiking destination with a much higher difficulty, things go from bad to worse and everyone is tested. Overall, a suspenseful thriller with a stark natural setting. The story is told from different timelines, after the trip is over, interspersed with the events of the trip and past flashbacks. Readers who like unreliable narrators and open-to-interpretation endings will like this one.

This one started out slow, but I was enjoying it by the time they started their hiking trip. The author did a great job creating suspenseful moments while the two couples where hiking. Add in a suspicious character, and I was intrigued on how it was all going to play out. I can’t say that I was surprised by anything that happened, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. The writing was a bit choppy, and it ended abruptly, but overall, I liked it.

The Couples Trip has a premise that speaks to my soul. Any remote setting with a thriller vibe is cat nip to my little kitty heart. As an avid hiker (but not the extent of the main characters) I have a fear of strangers on the trail. The thought of going on a remote hike with a stranger sends my anxiety skyrocketing. THAT atmosphere is why this book is the bomb-diggity.

The story, interspersed with police interviews, tells the story of two friends, Anna and Milena. Each with a different version of the same narrative. It’s interesting because like real life, we all have varying POV’s on our relationships depending on each individual experience/interpretation. But these varying accounts play out brilliantly in this story.

The catalyst in the story is Milena’s new boyfriend, Jacob, who she’s invited on Anna, Henrik and Milena’s annual hiking trip. It doesn’t take long for Anna and her partner, Henrik to see that there’s something off about Jacob. But is there really something there or is it something else?

Full of atmosphere, eerie and tense, this is a brilliant story that I devoured.

My thanks to @HTP for this gifted DRC.

THE COUPLES TRIP by Ulf Kvensler is a Swedish Suspense that left me terrified of hiking in Sweden!

Anna and her fiancé Henrik have an annual hiking trip with their friend, Milena. This year, the trip was postponed until September and a week prior, Milena asks to bring her new boyfriend, Jacob. Despite their reservations, Anna agrees and it becomes clear early on their trip that this addition changes the dynamics entirely.

Told from Anna's perspective to the detective gathering her story after her rescue, we learn immediately that not everyone comes out alive.

This was an intense mix of survival and suspense! It took a little bit to really take off, but when it did, it didn't let up. There was not a small amount of Swedish mountain references and now I want to study a map and see the wild of this place. I enjoyed getting a taste of a specific area in a different country, and this was a crazy good way to do it.

The suspenseful story had red flags all over it and I wanted to yell not to go! There were some questions I had as the story went that did play into the ending. And when an ending leaves you just a tiny bit uncertain, I am all about it! I really can't say more, but if a friendship/survival/suspense sounds appealing, I highly recommend this translated novel!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @hanoversquarepress for sharing this digital ARC with me for my thoughts! It is available now!

The Couples Trip by Ulf Kvensler is a suspenseful thriller set in the mountains of Sweden as two couples navigate the rough terrain both physically and literally. The main trio of characters has a long history of doing hiking/walking trips together. Their easy camaraderie is tested by the arrival of a new member of their group who totally changes and uproots the group dynamic. The setting is amazing and I enjoyed reading about the food they brought along for their camping trip. The plot moves along very quickly so the reader is strongly engaged in the story. Read and enjoy!

My apologies for not posting on time….but I DNF this one. I tried to read it and then picked it up again but had difficulty. I am not sure if it was the translation or what but I found it hard to follow!

An intense debut thriller! Very atmospheric!
🏔🏔🏔🏔
“The Couples Trip” is an anxiety-fueled psychological suspense and debut that follows two couples on a hiking trip through northern Sweden that should be a relaxing vacation.

A group of three friends enjoy a yearly hiking trip together away from the daily stress of life, to recharge and enjoy each other’s company. This year Milena has asked to bring her new boyfriend—Jacob—although Anna and Henrik don’t know him.

The trip heads off course quickly and it’s clear to see Jacob is not a good fit for their group. Once the couple is on their way, Anna and Henrik can see that Jacob has issues and Anna is concerned he might be lying about his past.

Anna and Milena have been BFFs for years and the story is told from their perspectives, which aren’t always consistent. The narratives also switch between past and present. We know one of them is an unreliable narrator. Which one? Or both? This story was a little repetitive and slow in some areas.

Sprinkled in are police interviews and I found those the most interesting!

The scenery sounds fabulous but too rugged for me. I’d love to see the sights but I’d need a helicopter to fly me between the different scenic spots. I’m deathly afraid of heights and relate to Henrik’s panic attacks! I’d smell awful by the end of the trip. I hate the cold so couldn’t possibly wash in frigid water when the outside temp was so low. I love my warm daily showers!

This was an atmospheric and suspenseful debut but the ending left me with more questions than answers. I don’t know how I feel about it or if I understand it correctly. This would be a great book club read. I’d love to discuss the ending with someone!

Thanks to the HTP Books and Hanover Square Press for providing an ARC of this book through Goodreads giveaways! All opinions are my own.

#TheCouplesTrip #UlfKvensler #htpbooks #Goodreadsgiveaway #HanoverSquarePress #netgalley #htpinfluencer #debut #justfinished #newrelease #debutthriller #SwedishDebut #psychologicalthriller #honestreview #thrillerfriendsunite #mysteryandthrills #thrillersofinstagram #bookstagrammer #igbookreels #thriller #suspense #bookreviewersofinstagram #lovetoreadbooks #howluckyamI

I enjoy books by Swedish authors. Kvensler sets her book in Sweden and the descriptions of the scenery are enjoyable.
Three people prepare for their annual hike. A new boyfriend is invited and quickly becomes problematic.
A locked room mystery in which it seems one of them is causing trouble. I didn't like that from the beginning he seems to be the trouble - maybe he is and maybe he isn't.