Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for my eARC of The Hike, the latest thriller from Lucy Clarke.

Liz, Maggie, Helena, and Joni are childhood best friends who take a vacation together each year. Liz decides that instead of a sunny beach with drinks, they need to climb treacherous mountains in Norway. Each woman has secrets they bring to the trip and each is trying to out run something. But when the weather turns and they are in the wrong place at the wrong time, the friends must use all their strength and knowledge to survive the killer on their trail.

I love a locked door type thriller and the isolation and danger in nature definitely worked here. Clarke has us suspend disbelief a little but she does an amazing job describing the desolation and desperation of the hikers and countryside

My thanks to Penguin Group/Putnam, Lucy Clarke and Netgalley.
Short review.
Far as I'm concerned, if Lucy writes it, I will read it!
Average story. Everybody seems to have one of these type of tales nowadays.
Ms. Clarke however is fantastic at building her characters and the atmosphere.
Recommended. Wear some decent hiking boots though!😜

Pub date: 8/29/23
Genre: suspense/thriller
Quick summary: Liz and her BFFs have taken lots of trips together - but a difficult hiking trip in Norway may be more than they can handle.

I love books about friends with secrets, and this one had plenty of secrets! I definitely could not have predicted the ending - which was something I loved about Clarke's last novel ONE OF THE GIRLS as well. I switched between audio and text and finished this one in just a day.

If you like fast-paced books and don't mind suspending disbelief a little bit, there's a lot to like here! I'm excited for Clarke's next book!

Thank you to Putnam Books for an e-ARC and PRHAudio for a complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

"𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 - 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉.”

This is a great faced, paced read. Full of suspense and questioning just who the bad guys really are.

I loved seeing the drama of the friend group and seeing how they worked through the situations.

It did start out a bit slow as it built the story, but it was still a page turner for sure.

Thank you @netgalley @lucyclarke_author PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC and allowing me to read and give my honest review.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I have enjoyed books by this author. They typically involve frenemies, betrayal and an exotic location. This one was no different except that all of the characters except Maggie seemed to be extremely dumb and frankly thoughtless. I simply could not believe the selfishness of Liz. Who goes on a treacherous hike like this without any true preparation or guide. Just ridiculous. It was a quick read but predictable, which does not bother me - but these characters were just too kind numbingly dumb to root for. I will read more books by this author, mostly because I enjoy the lush or picturesque locales. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance readers copy of this title. My reviews are freely given and never contain spoilers.
The Hike is a suspense novel about four friends who meet for group vacations. Liz, who has discovered walking/hiking, schedules a vacation in Norway to hike a trail across a mountain ridge. Each woman is dealing with personal issues; failing marriage, unexpected pregnancy, drug/alcohol use, etc. The characters are well developed and like able despite their individual flaws. The hike is a 4 day adventure and the story is broken into one day increments. The women are challenged in ways they never expected to be, and each comes out a changed person by the end. A quick, easy read and will definitely hold your interest and keep the pages turning. Highly recommend.

I love a great thriller that has twists and turns, and this did not disappoint! Although I enjoyed the plot, and the edge of my seat moments I can't say that I was a huge fan of the slow burn. I personally prefer a fast paced thriller which I did not feel was the case with this book.

The Hike is a page turning read that will keep you up at night, following all the twisty turns and clues littered throughout the book. I was originally eager to read this because of its Norway setting, seeing as how I had just been there. The setting did not disappoint. It was remote, chilling, and a bit mysterious.

Four women who were childhood friends try to vacation together once a year, but normally their vacation involves lying on a beach and drinking. This year Liz, a doctor who is into prescribing a good walk to all her patients, plans a hike in the remote mountains of Norway, to summit Her friends aren't quite as eager to undertake this challenge, but they all show up. Each one is at a crisis point in her life. I liked all the characters. They were quite different but each had both endearing and annoying characteristics, like real people.

When faced with an unbelievable challenge on the mountaintop will their friendship endure, or will adversity tear them apart?

I found this a very entertaining read and highly recommend it. Especially for nature lovers who love a good mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Clarke, and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an amazing adventure to join these four friends on. As they head out to their early friend vacation, they are set to embark on something completely different for them; a wild hike in Norway. Things feel of kilter from the moment they arrive and notice a strange man staring at them in the lobby and the owner having an argument in the office.

They are warned against the hike multiple times but for personal reasons they head out, but only one of them has all the information about they are facing.

Time and time again they find themselves in situations where you are hoping they choose to turn around and head back to the lodge, but they don't. The situation continues to go down hill and soon they might not be able to make it home much less off the mountain.

I enjoyed the mystery and adventure in the story, as well as the characters each facing their own insecurities and struggles while finding their inner strength.

What a fun thriller set in a country I don't normally read about. Now I want to visit there it sounds so beautiful even if our story was quite so beautiful.
This book had me thinking one thing for the search part of the chapters but it was definitely not what I was thinking. The twist also threw me for a loop I was not expecting that at all.
I really did like how it turned out in the end though it was over all a good book maybe just a bit slow in the beginning.

This book was not for me. I didn’t find the twists to be entertaining and the ending fell for me. I just don’t think it was my cup of tea. I appreciate the opportunity to read this, but will refrain from posting reviews online.

The Hike, by Lucy Clarke, opens with the dramatically terrible news that one of the four women on this hiking adventure is going to die. This thriller was an odd case where the big A-plot hook was underwhelming, but the subplots, characters, setting and vibes were amazing. So the big hook is that one woman is going to die on this hike. Someone isn’t coming back! Who could it be? SO DRAMATIC! But actually, when the Big Moment happened, I was more like, oh, right, so that’s how we’re gonna tie all that off. Well done.

The rest of the book was great, an absolute page-turner as well as a friendship story. Four school friends have kept in touch, and meet up once a year for a group vacation. This year, Liz has chosen a strenuous hiking holiday, and she’s sent her friends packing suggestions and fitness videos to prepare for this trip. Tandem sent me this fun BuzzFeed quiz, and apparently I’m a Liz, but let’s be real, I’m not nearly Type A enough. Liz is a busy and successful doctor and mom, married to her high-school sweetheart.

Buzzfeed quiz results, I'm a Liz
Each of the friends – Liz, Maggie, Helena, and Joni – is in a different stage of life, and coping with different problems. This is where the story really shines. I absolutely believed these women were real, lifelong friends, every scene had layers of affection, annoyance, and expectation. I could see how they’ve all changed since high school, and all they’d had to do, in various ways, to get the annual trip out of the group chat.

UK cover of The Hike, I think I like this one better.
The Hike uses an omniscient third-person narrator, and it really works. Every time it focused on one woman’s emotions, I felt myself agreeing with her perspective, even when it was in opposition to one or more of the others. I eyerolled along with one friend at her friend’s overpacking, for example, but then I understood why she wanted to cover every possibility. When there was a certain big misunderstanding, I nodded along with Helena’s viewpoint and then Joni’s.

I also really enjoyed the setting, there’s a wonderful focus both on the natural beauty and the isolation. My Instagram is usually equal parts cool books and cool mushrooms, so I was predisposed to like a hiking trip. (Oh, wait, maybe I am the Liz.) The friends get to see some gorgeous views, while also suffering from blisters and disappointing trail food. The trail logbook with their expected return date was such a great piece of scene-setting on multiple levels.

And you know I always like thrillers where the characters get cut off from everyone else! An isolated hike is just perfect for that kind of drama, and it leads to intriguing, page-turning scenes when the characters have to survive on their wits.

Finally, I liked the balance of clues and misdirections throughout this thriller. The friends meet some other hikers and outdoorsy types, and the overall question is about who choose to be outdoors for the solitude and natural beauty, and who choose the isolation for sinister reasons. It felt realistic and unforced.

The Hike was such a fun, page-turning blend of a warm friendship story and an twisty, isolated mystery, with a gorgeous setting too.

Recommended for fans of Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party, although The Hike is about actual friends, not frenemies.

Four friends begrudgingly gather for a hiking holiday in Norway. They've been a group for years, and though their lives have diverged significantly, they try to keep up some traditions and connections. However, they all have problems in their lives that they're withholding from the others, and as their hike progresses and becomes more dangerous, those secrets come out, sometimes with a vengeance. Now, they are all ill-at ease with each other--but after a dangerous avalanche blocks their retreat, it becomes clear that Mother Nature and something darker are also out to get them.

Maggie, Liz, Helena, and Joni didn't work for me. I didn't like any of them as individuals and failed to see how they had ever fit together as a whole. But the story had the knife's-edge to it that I enjoyed in One of the Girls, even if it lacked the cohesiveness. It was atmospheric and gritty, and though even more unbelievable than a lot of thrillers out there, it will definitely do the trick when fans of Rachel Hawkins or Alice Feeney are looking for a fix.

This was an exciting book!
Four long time friends go on an annual vacation. This year, it’s a hike up a mountain in Norway.
Although lifelong friends, each woman has lead a different path in life:
-Liz, the organizer, is a married mom of two kids, whose marriage is a bit rocky. She walks to relieve anxiety.
-Maggie is a divorced mom with a young daughter, whom she hates leaving with the father. She’s not happy about hiking at all.
-Helena is a single woman who has just found out she’s pregnant, and is not sure how she feels about that.
-Joni is a rock star singer, who lives in a drug and alcohol infused world, but wants to get out of that life.

Together they begin a hiking journey, full of beautiful scenery and adventure…. Until they stumble upon a complicated mystery of death, and illegal activity.
All in all, this is an intriguing and fast paced book with lots of action and mystery!
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin/Putnam books for the ARC in return for my honest review!
5 stars!

Four friends go on a hike and stumble across something unexpected which triggers a cat and mouse chase on a mountain in Norway.

This is a slow build thriller that picks up once the friends start their hike in the wilderness. It’s told in multiple perspectives and struggled to keep the characters straight in the beginning but once the story picked up it wasn’t challenging at all. The Hike is a suspenseful and tense story that will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s a story about friendship, loyalty and survival. Loved the dynamic of the group and the descriptions of Norway. A great read!

Four friends take on a challenging 4-day hike in Norway, with each woman bringing her own secrets and DRAMA to the trail. To add to the tension, there is a missing hiker and a murderer on the loose!

The drama unfolds as the friends begin hiking on a treacherous trail, not realizing the dangers that lie ahead. Soon, one of them goes missing and the women realize they are being chased by a killer. But can the women put their differences aside long enough to help each other when it really counts?

This was my first Lucy Clarke novel and I enjoyed it enough to want read more of her work. The author does an excellent job setting up the drama by providing the reader with a glimpse into each woman’s life. The tension builds so that by the time the four women are ready for their hike, you know something is going down!

Four close friends from England take a hiking trip to Norway but not everything goes as planned. The setting of the Norwegian lodge and mountain was very evocative & I could clearly picture it. The story, like a long hike, is slow moving. It’s an easy read but takes a bit too long to reach the conclusion.

I did go into it with high expectations….I absolutely loved One Of The Girls last summer.

I think the author does a fantastic job of writing atmospheric summer based novels. You truly feel immersed into the scenery!

But I feel as though this one fell so insanely flat – each pov lacked so much depth and it was hard to tell who’s voice it was.

I personally thought the murder mystery aspect of the storyline was silly.

While I understand the friend group dynamic was supposed to come off dysfunctional – it was almost to cheesy for my taste (if that makes sense?)

I just found this book to be oh so uneventful and in no way, shape or form would I ever go on a hike (in general) but most definitely not with those ladies! Lol

SIMONE SAYS READ THIS IF YOU LIKE

Atmospheric Norway setting
Hiking
Multiple pov’s
Dysfunctional friend groups

Loved it! Lucy Clarke writes such great thrillers, and this one was no exception. I read it super quickly, and loved the twists and turns!