Member Reviews
I absolutely loved One of the Girls and was not disappointed by The Hike! This thriller will keep you glued every page and I’m telling you right now you won’t be able to put it down. The location itself was everything! The story takes place in the mountains of Norway and how the author describes the scenery is unmatched. I swear I could feel the cool mountain air as I was reading! In my opinion, that’s truly a sign of incredible writing. The friendships between the four women added a whole other level of complexity to the story and I found ways to connect with each one. And the suspense was so good! Read this one ASAP if you love being on the edge of your seat. Thank you to Lucy Clarke, Putnam, and NetGalley for my e-ARC!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
Maggie, Liz, Helena, and Joni are life long friends, they’ve grown up together and go on a trip together every year now that they are grown up with families. They have all reached turning points in their lives it seems and Liz picks a difficult hike in Norway as their yearly trip.
As they set off on the hike they were all apprehensive to start, no one really wanted to spend their vacation roughing it on the trail except Liz. All the women are keeping secrets from each other it seems, and they all were forced to face the demons they are keeping in this hike.
But in the end they have to band together as they always have if they all want to make it out on the other side.
It was a book that kept me interested and reading due to the different points of view and the intertwining stories that were happening in the book. Overall a good read with some suspense and a great story about friendship.
The Hike is a page turner thriller about 4 best friends since childhood who travel together once a year. This year is very different from most years when they sit by a pool or ocean and relax, Liz is having work and marital problems and decides she really need an adventure and talks Maggie and Helena into joining her on a hike in Norway. Their 4th friend, Joni, is a rock star and said she couldn't join.
I always enjoy a good character driven novel no matter the subject matter and a story about life-long women friends is sure to draw me in. I could easily understand the pulls and pushes in their relationships which made the tension of the book that much better. Of course, anything that could go wrong did and there were times when I questioned their sanity of going on the trip but I was hooked and had to keep reading.
There are a number of mysteries within the story and the Clarke does a great job with them and with the scenery, I could see it all in my mind so well.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Lucy Clarke never fails to write an entertaining plot-driven story. I very much enjoy reading her books. However, there were a couple of moments when the book could have benefited from a more thoughtful editing process.
The Hike is a solid thriller that kept me guessing. Four childhood friends take turns picking the destination for their yearly girls trip -- this year, it involves a treacherous hike in Norway. Each woman comes with her own issues and baggage and I initially had difficulty keeping them straight. The first night in Norway they learn that a woman who closely resembles one of the friends went missing the year prior. The next morning they leave for the hike despite unfavorable weather conditions and the story never stops from there. I absolutely loved the setting and the details about the hike helped me realize I would never want to do it! This is a well-plotted thriller with many twists and turns, most I did not anticipate. The ending was slightly disappointing to me but overall a great read if looking for a fun thriller. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was exactly my kind of book. Four best friends travel to a foreign country on a girl trip hike. All of them have different reasons why they do, or don't really want to do it. Upon arrival to the small town they can already sense something eerie about the town and its history.
As the story unfolds you get to learn more about their friendship, their past and secrets they have been keeping from each other. But when you think this book is just about their journey, no no just wait. This small town has its own secrets and mysteries that the group of ladies will soon discover and get caught in the middle of it.
This was a fast paced book that was hard to put down and I would highly recommend to anyone that likes a good thriller.
Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group and the author for a copy of ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was just ok. I was intrigued the whole time but the ending was slightly less than ok.
The drug storyline was not it. I didn’t like that, it felt very strange in this story. I hoped it was an actual hiking disaster survival story but the drugs became the main thing.
The ending was disappointing and I was pretty annoyed by Helena and Joni most of the time. This sounds like I really didn’t like it but I did, kind of. And I never considered DNFing it. It was just fine.
The Hike by Lucy Clarke
Four friends on a hike in the wilderness, what could go wrong? Yikes! A lot, apparently, especially when the hikers stumble across something they were never supposed to see.
This is one of those books that are well worth hanging in there for. Told in multiple POV, it doesn’t take long for each character’s voice to become crystal clear as the story progresses, and despite a bit of a slow start, things ramp up quickly and once they do, hang on to your hiking boots!
Love the setting, the twisty plot and the subtleties explored within each character and their place within the group! I will never tire of remote setting thrillers. Ever!
Lucy Clarke is one of my auto-buy writers, and this latest released lived up to all of my expectations. True to her writing style, this is a slow-burn thriller that focuses heavily on character development and setting while slowly reeling the reader in for a high-energy ending. Broken up into short chapters with different points of view, this story does seem to move faster than Clarke's former thrillers.
At the suggestion of Liz, she, Joni, Maggie, and Helena meet in Norway to hike for a weekend. Childhood friends, the four women's different paths in life have distanced themselves from each other, so Liz feels that a reunion is the only way to reconnect. When secrets best left hidden start to surface and the weather becomes their worst enemy, the friends must learn to overcome their differences and make it out alive.
Methodic, Melancholic, and Character-driven, this was a solid thriller.
Four long time friends take a girls' trip every year. It's usually a laid back beach trip. This year, however, they are in Norway to hike a mountain. A couple aren't thrilled with the change.
I was engrossed and on the edge of my seat from start to finish. And I'll never hike in Norway!
I like this author and this book gave me lots of twists.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Four friends gather each year for a fun trip to get away from their everyday life and reconnect. Liz has chosen a four-night camping trip in Norway as their getaway this year. While the other women are not as excited about the adventure as Liz is (and one is touring the world as a rockstar so her participation is still unknown), they decide that they all need a little escape from their lives. The hike takes them further and further from cell service, help, and civilization and when things start to go terribly wrong, no one is close enough to hear them scream.
This is my favorite type of thriller - suspenseful, not gory, and lots of twists. The friendships between these women are very relatable. I loved seeing the power in female friendships juxtaposed with the tension of being in different places in life. While the thriller part of the story was engaging, the real heart of this book is the story of friendships and how they evolve over time. Highly recommend this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of The Hike.
This one took me a little bit to get into because there was a lot of development of all the characters. Once I got them straight though I was pretty intrigued by all their different stories. They're all very different characters so it was interesting seeing their dynamics in the friend group.The drama really ramps up about halfway through and I really enjoyed the latter half. I thought the ending was very justified and answered all my questions. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
THE HIKE -
4⭐
4 best friends taking a trip and that too on a hiking trip..I was sold on the plot. The setting was good and Lucy has become a new favourite author. Not a thriller per day but more mystery a bit of which I could predict but still enjoyable .
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
First of all, I would like congratulate each of these women for having 3 other friends and being able to go on annual vacations. (Or is that why this book is fiction?) I was jealous of them, not going to lie. Having three other long term friends, being able to trust other person with choosing the right location, and booking those tickets without complaining much require a lot of commitment and compassion.
But also I knew that, it was all facade! I know they rather went to Ibiza than Norwegian mountains and sipped on posh drinks instead of having blisters. All four women were in some sort of crisis, but only one believed that walking for four days and climbing mountains would solve the problems they were all hiding. But guess what, as the trip progressed, they accumulated more problems instead.
The trip was a test of patience and endurance both physically and mentally. I wished certain words were not said and certain actions were not taken. If you want anxiety, please go ahead and read it. It has both happy and sad ending, but it’s better than completely bad one
I love this kind of trapped in the middle of nowhere story. And Lucy Clarke is becoming my favorite author of this type of book. This story centers around 4 best friends taking an adventurous hike through the mountains of Norway together. I love the setting of this book! Each friend is running away from something in their lives and they are all keeping secrets. As with most of her books, an unexpected guest joins their adventure in a surprising way. This is my third book by this author and I cannot wait to read more.
Four best friends, Liz, Joni, Helena, and Maggie, are starting off on their yearly getaway. This year, however, instead of cocktails by a pool, ocean and beach, Liz has chosen a hike and camping in Norway. While it’s an unusual choice for them, Liz, after difficulties in her marriage, needs something physically challenging, exhilarating; also, it’s the location from geography class that she and Joni vowed they’d one day visit. All four women are facing issues in their personal lives, adding a great deal of drama in this destination mystery/thriller by Lucy Clarke, The Hike.
The Hike began with the usual introduction of characters: Liz, organized and disciplined, a doctor; Joni, the out-of-control rock star; Helena, serious, promiscuous, searching for love; Maggie, whining, unfocused, an artist. My favorite character was Joni because she owned herself, her mistakes, which also meant that when/if any of these hikers died, she would be the first to go. Unfortunately the author pushed Joni into stereotype-mode after a bit, which added nothing, but did subtract. In fact, characterization offered no surprises as these felt like stock characters.
Which leads me to, yes, The Hike was far too predictable for me. Even the twist at the climax didn’t feel that twisty. The plot/action felt formulaic, lending itself to an average read–good if you’re looking for a mystery that won’t keep you up all night but not if you’re looking for a thrilling read.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy.
I loved this book as much as I loved Lucy Clarke's first book ONE OF THE GIRLS. The atmosphere of suspense grabs the reader early on. The reader quickly gets a feeling that this adventure is not going to turn out well. The characters are well drawn - some likeable, some not, which makes for good reading. The pace of the book was fast and unpredictable. Clarke's writing reminds me of Rachel Hawkins and will appeal to any reader that likes a good psychological thriller.
Thank you Lucy Clarke, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and NetGalley for allowing me read this ARC e-book. Another great Lucy Clarke novel. I binge read this book in almost one sitting. I loved how all the friends told each of their sides of the story and how all the drama spilled over between them and into present day, This was one of my favorite new books of the year.
The Hike is a gripping thriller penned by Lucy Clarke, unfolding against the stunning backdrop of the Norwegian wilderness. It follows the journey of four lifelong friends who embark on a hiking holiday together. While hiking might not have been the top choice for some of them, they adhere to their tradition of taking turns to choose the destination, and this year, Liz is determined to make the trip a success. Unbeknownst to them, the location they’ve selected has a dark history, with an unsolved mystery surrounding a previous year’s discovery of a body.
What truly captivated me was how the author skillfully utilized the setting to craft an eerie atmosphere, intensifying the suspense as the friends navigate the unfamiliar terrain during their hike. Adding to the tension is the lurking presence of an unknown observer. As the story races toward its climax, the tension escalates not only from external threats but also from internal conflicts within the group. The revelation of long-held secrets among friends reaches a boiling point, heightening the story’s intensity and kept me on edge.
This was a good thriller. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book had so much potential and had many good elements, but ultimately it had a difficult time keeping my attention. Particularly, it felt as thought it was very slow moving and that the characters, who had to carry most of the story, we're not particularly likeable or fleshed out enough. I did however feel that the author did an amazing job with conveying their environment and communicating the overwhelming isolation and the atmosphere