My advice: Go into this one blindly (similar to how these women went into their hike), don't think too much into the logistics, and enjoy the journey! ​​​​​​​​
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I still have my doubts on whether or not these ordinary people (with no training) would be able to complete this fictional hike, even in the best conditions. That aside, I absolutely loved how they showed up for each other and set time aside from their busy lives for this vacation. ​​​​​​​​
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Lucy Clarke again showed how she is a master at cliffhangers that draws the reader in and propels them to turn the page. Combined with short chapters, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗸𝗲 is a quick and entertaining read that I enjoyed. ​​​​​​​​
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DETAILS: Lucy Clarke // Out August 29, 2023 // Gifted by @putnambooks // liked it

I loved this story about four women who grew up together and vacation together every year. It’s Liz’s turn to pick their destination and she chooses to “wild camp” while hiking a treacherous mountain in Norway. If that wasn’t enough of a recipe for disaster, throw in several mysterious men, a mysterious disappearance, and issues between the friends themselves. I couldn’t put it down!

Lucy Clarke had me gripped right from the prologue with her latest thriller! We know from the start that someone is dead, but we don’t know who and there are so many questions leading down this trail. There are no witnesses in the wilderness, which makes for a very chilling premise…

Here’s what I enjoyed most ⬇️

👥 Multiple POVs really helped me get to know each of the four women in this friend group, and I felt like they were well-developed and pretty distinct
⏳ Two timelines: the hike and the search helped to build the pace and intrigue
⛰️ The beautiful, stunning descriptions of a mountainside town in Norway contrasted wonderfully with the stormy, atmospheric and eerie setting on the mountain
🖤 Friendships are complex. They ebb and flow. There are ups and downs. But true friends will show up and sacrifice for the ones they love

I was really enjoying this one up until about 70% of the way through, but there were some things that were missteps for me ⬇️

🚩 Liz let her own selfish motivations get in the way of the safety of her friends. We all make mistakes, but she knew her friends were ill-equipped for such a challenging hike on top of dangerous weather on the forecast. Her priorities were all messed up, which irked me
😈 The antagonists of our story felt under-developed to me, and they almost felt like caricatures, which made them not as intimidating as I think they could have been
🧗🏻‍♀️ I don’t want to give away spoilers, but the secondary plot line that begins when the women seek shelter in the cave is one of my least favorites to see in a story. The eerie vibes of this mountain hike were the perfect set-up for something spookier and more sinister that just never developed for me. I just wanted more!

If you love the outdoors and are an avid hiker, I think you’ll appreciate the backdrop of this book so much! It was intriguing for sure, and it certainly captivated my attention. I ended up finishing it in 2 days! 👀

Thank you for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! I will be sharing this review to my Instagram and Goodreads later this week prior to pub day.

I loved the setting and vibes I got from this book - very cozy yet also cold and creepy, if that makes sense. It was a fun read, but ultimately I felt the ending was a little bit farfetched and unsatisfying, but overall I'd recommend it for a quick vacation/travel/plane read.

Thank you to @putnambooks for letting me be an early reader of THE HIKE by @lucyclarke_author this one is out 8/29.

I really enjoyed this book, I read it at lightning speed! (IYKYK) I loved the characters and all of their quirks. I loved the premise and the setting really came to life for me. The twists, the relationships, the atmosphere, the freaking friendship was all perfect. Go snag a copy of this one as soon as you can!

Every year Liz, Maggie, Helena, and Joni meet up for a long weekend getaway. Usually, it involves the beach or somewhere sunny. However, this year Liz has chosen a mountain hike in Norway. Not everyone in the group is excited about this. Have the women trained enough for this four-day hike? Will everyone make it out alive?

This was my second book by Lucy Clarke, and I find that I enjoy her writing style. I enjoyed the relationship between the four women. Clarke does an excellent job of developing each character, switching the point of view between each character throughout the story. The setting of the story was wonderful, I enjoyed the descriptions of the mountain. As well as reading about each woman’s struggles to climb. The twists were believable and kept me wanting to read more. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers! I give it 4/5 stars.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2
The Hike follows 4 childhood friends who lead separate lives yet come together once a year for a vacation they switch off choosing. Liz chooses one of the hardest hikes in Norway as a way to cope with her unsatisfactory life and to apparently torture her friends who enjoy relaxing on vacations.
I always love a multiple point of view book. I wasn’t quite a fan of the sporadic excerpt of “the search” from Leif’s viewpoint. I think the purpose was to make the reader feel it was happening in a parallel timeline but it was clear to me it was a past experience.
Although I was able to read this book fairly quickly, I found myself bored at times for the first 65% of the storyline. I appreciated the multiple attempts to add some kind of action or event during the bridge from initial story creation to ending. The ending was captivating and action packed with some twists but ultimately it was somewhat predictable as there wasn’t many characters to chose from.
I would recommend this book as a great beach/summer read.
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam via Netgalley for the second opportunity to read and review another good book from Lucy Clarke!

The Hike
By Lucy Clarke
Publishes: 8/29/23
Genre: thriller
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was very good! I really enjoyed the setting, premise, & themes. The main characters were likeable and well written. It did have a lot of plot layers and many characters to keep track of, which at times felt a little busy, but overall a great story full of adventure, betrayal, suspense, love, loss, and friendship. I would definitely recommend this novel.

All this and more…
🏔️ mountains/adventure
🇳🇴 Norway
🥾 hiking trip
🏕️ camping/great outdoors
👯‍♀️ childhood besties/friendship
🤚 multiple pov
🤫 secrets/betrayal
😳 suspense
😢 grief
⚠️ danger
🩳 short chapters

Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks for the digital arc!

#netgalley #putnambooks #lucyclarke #thehike #adventurestory #thriller #newbook #arcreview #newreview #bookrecommendation #bookstagram

Similar to Clarke's previous book, One of the Girls, I felt like this was just okay. It is a pretty typical survival story, told from various points of view. This book has 5 points of view, but it wasn't too difficult to keep them apart. It did cause some repetitive moments when each character learned a piece of information and the reader had to learn it 2-3 times through each POV.

I thought the beginning was slow because it took 25% of the book to even get started on the hike. Once the hike got started, there were some suspenseful parts that kept me interested in the story. The friendship between the women on the hike was the most interesting part of the story for me. It was touching to see them forgive each other throughout the book as one made a mistake or revealed a secret. Made me have some hope that there are non-toxic female friendships out there. Overall, it was an okay read. Can't say I would widely recommend it, but there will be some that get enjoyment out of it.

For my first Lucy Clarke book I didn't know what to expect - a story of 4 friends taking their annual trip together, each dealing with their own anxieties. The suspense lingers until the end because much of this book is heavy on the group of friends and their troubles with minimal insight into the danger that lies ahead. The twist was a little surprising but didn't land a huge gasp. I was drawn to this book because the setting of hiking in the middle of nowhere has so much potential. The pacing was kind of slow but felt like an easy read. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group for an advance digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

It has a slow start but picks up nicely with many twists. It was a very decent read. I would recommend it.

I enjoyed this and flew through it in two sittings.

There wasn’t anything groundbreaking, just an engaging story with some unexpected twists. I had my ups and downs with the characters, sometimes I liked them, but there were also moments I couldn’t stand them. Much like I would expect they were feeling about each other on the hike.

I’d recommend this to others.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Hike was the first book I’ve read by Lucy Clarke! I want to say I was intrigued by the premise but I absolutely requested this arc from NetGalley on the cover alone. Whoops!

This thriller follows a group of four girlfriends who get together every year for a trip and this year’s pick is wild hiking in Norway! I loved this setting - it sounded so gorgeous and terrifying at once which lended to a very atmospheric read. There are moments when the mountains seemed like a fifth character which definitely increased the feeling of unease and unpredictability throughout.

Short chapters kept me engaged and unlikable characters had me intrigued in the drama! However, once I saw where the plot was going I was a bit bored. The last 30% or so seemed to drag and I was just ready for the book to wrap up unfortunately.

All in all, this is a decent book but I don’t think it would be in my top thrillers I’d recommend. I would definitely be open to giving Lucy Clarke another go in the further though!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A solid and fun read! A group of women set out on a hike in the mountains of Norway for their annual girls’ trip and discover themselves. The slog of daily life has been getting to them, and while the mountain is intimidating, as long as they stick together they will make it through. This wasn’t my usual read, but I would recommend it to folks who want relatable characters and an adventure.

What a wild ride! Four friends go on a camping/hiking trip, there's drama, a body is found, a killer is on their trail...not to mention all the risks associated with the extreme hike they're going on.
*
This is fast - multiple POVs, short chapters, quick and exciting, I got through it in a day. I really liked how in addition to the threat they face from the person after them, they also face pretty tough threats from the elements - injuries, flash storms, getting lost in the woods. It reaffirms my desire to avoid camping.
*
There were some points that I just had to shake my head at the decisions they were making, and the climax required a bit more suspension of disbelief, but it was still a really fun and exciting book!

I received an advanced copy of this book from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam via NetGalley.

Maggie, Liz, Helena, and Joni, old friends with a shared history of adventures and hidden secrets, embark on a hiking trip in the enchanting Norwegian wilderness. Amidst towering mountains, serene lakes, and picturesque cabins, they find themselves entwined in a murder mystery as a lifeless body is discovered in a ravine. In the midst of the breathtaking landscape, a sinister presence lurks, and the friends become entangled in a dangerous pursuit to uncover the truth behind the woman's death.

Contrary to my initial expectations, this book took me on a surprising journey. The author's use of different character viewpoints added a unique layer to the story. Among the cast, Maggie stood out as my personal favorite. She embodied the underdog archetype, and I found myself genuinely invested in her journey, rooting for her every step of the way.

I liked the format of this book - how there were two different time periods throughout and you were trying to figure out how they connected. I didn’t predict the way that they tied together. However, the last 40% of the book (especially the ending) were very chaotic and just didn’t feel realistic.

Four lifelong friends set out on the hike of a lifetime in Norway. As they arrive for this trip, their emotional baggage comes out. After an ominous warning from a local farmer to not hike the mountain, the group continues anyways- meeting terrifying situations and potentially dangerous men along the way. Little do they know, one of the women will make the ultimate sacrifice.
The friendship dynamics between the women is realistic- they are all coming from different walks of life. I enjoyed the twist and turns and they book ended very unexpectedly, which is a breath of fresh air as life isn’t always a happy story. I did have different expectations from what’s written in the synopsis, however, it was welcomed.
Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to other readers.

Writing: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

Themes: Thriller, Mystery, Survival

The Hike is about a group of friends that go on a multiple day wilderness adventure up a remote mountain in Norway. But things don’t go as planned with hard terrain and their deep secrets being thrown out in the open. Now they are being hunted by an unknown person who might have already killed. I really enjoyed the thriller and mystery elements. I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what happens. The characters were relateable and I was immediately invested in them. The plot had some twists and turns that made it book exciting to read. The short chapters made this a quick and easy read. But my favorite part was the remote wilderness setting and the unknown of what they would face next.

Once a year, four friends each battling their own demons meet for a getaway together. This year, the trip is a hiking trip to a treacherous mountain in Norway. Little do they know, their trip will be laced with danger, injuries, and death.

An easy to read thriller with some good twists and turns and well developed characters. I don’t recommend reading right before a hiking trip, but a great thriller if you’re looking for a quick, cozy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.