Lucy Clarke is a phenomenal writer. She has a knack for writing the most interesting stories, characters, and she creates an atmosphere that is described with such precision that the reader almost feels as if they are there.

The Hike was another gem of a book. The plot and the characters were so entertaining. I was on the edge of my seat reading this latest novel by Lucy. The premise of the book was excellent and so entertaining. I really enjoyed this book and recommend to others.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I could not put this down!

It was fast paced, and I loved the flawed characters and their complex relationships. It was very much the thriller I was in the mood for.

Twists and turns just kept coming. Highly recommend

Wow! This was an amazing read. It’s a journey through friendship and a thriller. I could not put this one down. Highly recommend the read👏🏻.

A group of four best friends have all gone their separate ways in life. They meet up for a vacation together often and this time they are going to Norway for a hiking trip. This trip is a chance to escape and figure out all of their next steps.

Liz is a wife & mother who has just learned her marriage could be in trouble. Will she fight to save it or let it go? Helena is a free spirit. She’s about to find out some news that will alter the course of her life. Maggie is a single mom. She really hates leaving her little girl but needs the time with her friends. Joni is a rockstar with a huge secret. Will she come clean with her friends?

The girls set out on their journey into the mountains and discover the beauty of Norway along the way. Their friendship is put to the test as they encounter obstacles in their journey. Danger is lurking along the way and threatens their return to civilization. Will they make it back alive?

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nicely paced thriller!

The Hike follows four childhood friends as they embark on their yearly girls trip. This year, unlike their usual tropical vacation, Liz has chosen to take Maggie, Helena and Joni on a four-day hike in Norway where they face treacherous terrain, severe weather and even chance some supernatural encounters--will they make it out alive?

I really enjoyed this book! There was a good amount of meaningful dialogue. The character development was solid and the plot was sequential and believable. Everything in the book was purposeful and succinct, which I truly appreciate! This is the first book I have read by Lucy Clarke and it certainly won't be my last!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wish you were here?
Think again . . .

Maggie, Liz, Helena & Joni. Old friends bound by history, adventures, old secrets.

And now, bound by murder.

They lace up their hiking boots for the adventure of a lifetime in the Norwegian wilderness: a place of towering mountains, glass-like lakes, log cabins and forests stolen from a fairytale.

It’s the perfect place to lose yourself – until a broken body is found at the bottom of a ravine.

Somewhere out there, someone knows exactly why a woman has died. And in this deep, dark wilderness, there’s a killer on the trail . . .

Going into this book I thought this was going to be one of those heart-pounding thrillers but this was not at all what I was expecting.

I felt the characters were developed really well and it was interesting to see all POV’s with the chapters switching to all 4 POV’s.

The descriptions of the mountains and what they were enduring were really cinematic like. I can definitely see this becoming a movie. It really felt like I was with them the whole time, going through the mountain. I read this book in literally less than 24 hours and definitely recommend this book if you love nature type books with a twist.

I was definitely not expecting the plot twist that happened. This definitely confirms my dislike of hiking though.

3.75 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for this arc, my thoughts are entirely my own. This book kept me on my toes the whole time. When backpacking there are already risks, and watching them constantly increase was so stressful in the best way. The characters had well developed lives and personalities, and seeing how they played into the plot kept me guessing and shocked. I would recommend this thriller, especially with the unique setting of backpacking on a mountain which I’ve never seen before.

Very grateful that I was given an ARC of the book via NetGalley. I didn’t expect to be as invested in the story and characters as I was in this book. I was expecting a typical whodunit thriller, given the prologue, but instead it was more of a character driven survivalist story with thriller elements.

The story is about four lifelong friends who embark on a hiking adventure in Norway. The chapters switches perspective between each of the four women.

The beginning starts a bit slow as the author introduces the four main characters and their personal struggles in life, but once we get to Norway, and especially the hike itself, when a lot of things start to go wrong, I couldn’t put down the book.

I loved how fleshed out the characters were and appreciated the time the author spent on each of them in the beginning because it made me root for all of them throughout the events of the book. I also loved all the nature imagery and descriptions because it made me feel like I was experiencing everything the characters were going through on their hike. The story itself is very cinematic and I can easily picture the story as a movie.

My biggest critique was how choppy some of the chapters felt. I loved that the chapters were short, but sometimes it switched too suddenly for my tastes. I also felt like I lost the voice of the women in some of the chapters towards the end where the main bulk of the action was occurring, to the point where I would forget whose perspective the chapter was being told from. I also thought around 80% into the book, the plot seemed to drag on for longer than it needed to be. The ending was bittersweet, and I didn’t love the outcome, but overall, it was a solid read.

3.5⭐️

this book is about a group of friends who go on a hike in norway and encounter a few problems along the way, both externally, from the environment and other people, and internally, between each other and also their own individual selves. i honestly had no idea where this book was going at any point and it kept me intrigued. for myself, i tried to figure out the plot twists and was wrong every time. i actually thoroughly enjoyed this book and the mystery/thriller aspect of it. but also underneath the mystery and suspense, lied friendship and how with these strong connections you can conquer anything and i really really loved that!

I liked this book. It took a bit to get all the characters straight with all the switching chapters but once I caught on I enjoyed it. I liked the setting and enjoyed all the history the characters had together.

Synopsis
4 childhood besties chose their annual vacay to hit the trails in Norway on a four day hike. While the majority of the group would prefer some r&r on beachside, this Norway trip holds a special meaning tied to their childhood. This hike will unveil lots of secrets, heartaches, and true colors. Sprinkle in a dead body and you’ve got yourself a real mystery!

This book would make a phenomenal motion picture. I’ve got the cast already lined up.
Maggie- Ginnifer Goodwin
Helena- Kerry Washington
Joni-Jessica Alba
Liz- Rachel McAdams
Leif- Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Eric-Alexander Skarsgård

The beginning starts slow while establishing the characters, but once the hike gets started the book flies! The plot is excellent. Fans of Breathless will love the storyline. It reminded me of a Scooby Doo Mystery where the whole team bands together at the end to rid the villain. The ending was not my favorite, HOWEVER I think it will translate much better on the big screen. Hollywood, call me!

Wow, I tore through this book! The pacing of this was excellent, I found it so hard to put down. Lucy Clarke did a great job of bringing these characters to life, I could picture them so vividly. I read "One of the Girls" and enjoyed it, but I thought "The Hike" was even better. I will be reading more of her books and cannot recommend this one enough! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Very much a popcorn thriller - short chapters, so easy to binge, and enough suspense to keep you wondering what was going to happen. While I didn't necessarily predict the twists at the end, they made sense with the story and weren't shocking. It started off slow as there was a bit of introduction and back knowledge to know about each of the 4 main characters. Each of the 4 women were very different and each had their own personalities and qualms with each other, which added a lot of elements outside of the main plot. The survival mode was fun and unlike other thrillers I've read recently. I thought the "Search" chapters were going to lead in a different direction where it did. Overall, an enjoyable, quick, tension-filled read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Posted to Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5482917748 - and StoryGraph, live now

This mystery thriller was about four women, very close friends, going on a hiking trip in Norway. It was a hot mess and I really enjoyed it. The author portrayed a believable, mysterious and some what scary story.
I thought it was well done and I recommend this one!
Thanks G. P. Putnam's Sons via NetGalley.

I think the description for this book is a little deceptive. Or maybe it’s my interpretation that is at fault. I was expecting sort of locked door mystery vibes where we aren’t sure who is stalking the group/they keep disappearing as the book goes on. This is not the case. This book didn’t really hook me, but I also was never bored. The story was good, the writing was succinct and well done, but there was something lacking. Perhaps an element of suspense? I wasn’t really surprised at any point during my read. This is a good book and I would recommend it, but it wouldn’t be in my top reads of the year.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC.

I did not see that coming! The Hike was full of twist, turns, and secrets! A group of friends take turns picking a destination for their annual holiday. This year it was Liz's turn to pick and she chose hiking (and wild camping) difficult mountains in Norway. What could go wrong spending time with friends in the beautiful outdoors? After stumbling across something the friends were definitely not supposed to see, things go downhill quick. The friends are left wondering who they can trust and if they will all survive this trip.

Thank you to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP- PUTNAM and Lucy Clarke for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date for The Hike: August 29, 2023

The Hike was a story of 4 friends who met for an annual girls holiday. This year, Liz chose to do a difficult hike through the mountains of Norway. The POV shifts between Liz, Maggie, Joni, and Helena, each of whom are dealing with their own life circumstances. It’s also interwoven with external characters that own & operate the lodge… not all of whom seem to be trustworthy.

I personally love books that shift from one POV to another. I like being able to put the pieces together from different perspectives. I like being able to choose which characters I like and which ones are not-so-likeable.

I won’t give away any spoilers, but this was an enjoyable read. The challenges of the wilderness and other situations that arise out the girls’ friendship to the test, but ultimately it’s a tale of survival, loyalty, and being able to LIVE (in every sense of the word).

I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. I was so excited to receive a Lucy Clarke book…and it fell short for me.

The first 30% of the book is all set up. We meet the four “friends” who are going on their annual girls' trip together and all the creepy characters in the lodge at the foot of the trail. In my opinion, these four women don’t treat each other very well. The only likable character, I thought, was Helena, who despite her faults, was the only one who was fiercely a friend.

The next 50% of the book is the hike. Just them hiking around and talking. Conflicts arise. Arguments are had.

There was no mystery in this to me. There was no suspense. I didn’t have any sense of urgency to find out what happened.

The multiple points of view are helpful but the person in which they are written is odd. The chapter title would say the character's name and be from their point of view, but the tense is third person, not first. The Leif sections are in a weird tense. So, instead of being consistent with the women’s chapters of “Helena walked…”, his were “Leif opens the map…” It felt off.

The spoken parts of those from Norway weren’t written consistently. Some characters spoke English very well then later would speak in broken English. Sometimes they would say “yes?” and other times “ja?”. I’m unsure if this was on purpose or because I had received an uncorrected proof and the errors weren’t caught yet.

This was an absolutely phenomenal story! I got sucked in from the very beginning, and as the friends started on the trail, I couldn’t put the book down. I NEEDED to know what happened next! I typically avoid books told from so many perspectives, but it was not confusing or distracting in this book. I appreciate that there was enough mystery and suspense to keep me interested without trying to “solve” things myself. I enjoyed letting the story unfold. I also liked that each of the characters played the part of the hero at some parts and a villain in others, which made the story more realistic and honest. Five stars!

There are no words. When I tell you that I was up past midnight because I couldn’t go to sleep without knowing what happened - but I was also freaking out, not wanting to read what happened…and the amount of times I audibly gasped…just wow. Having been to Norway and climbed Prekistolen, that is what I was picturing the entire time, which just added to the book and made it all the more real in my opinion (even though the actual location of the story is fictional).

The storyline had a slow start for me. I wasn’t really a fan of any of the characters, and wasn’t sure how the timelines would overlap, but it all made perfect sense in the end. Speaking of - I did not see the ending coming AT ALL. I appreciated that we were given an epilogue of sorts for all the main characters and not just one.

I can’t go as into detail as I would like for fear of spoilers, but I would recommend this book 10 times over.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for letting me have the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Four longtime friends visit Norway for a hiking expedition as part of their yearly tradition of taking a girls only holiday. Each woman has personal problems they're struggling with and have reached a crossroads in life. The trip is meant to be a wildernees adventure, an escape from their problems, a chance to consider the choices before them, and an opportunity to reconnect with each other and renew their bonds. The trip quickly escalates from thrilling holiday to a perilous test of endurance as problems plague the group from day 1, their mistakes and poor decisions add up at an alarming rate, and an ever present sense they're being watched haunts their every move.

The sense of dread and impending tragedy slowly but surely builds as we move thru the story and get closer to revelations about the tragic event in the prologue. The remote, moody setting works well to amplify the suspicion and paranoia the women experience as they struggle to figure out who is trying to help them and who poses a threat. Norway's dense, disorienting forests and vast mountains and valleys create an ominous backdrop as the friends realize they're in over their heads and not prepared for all that the wilderness will throw their way.

As usual, Lucy Clarke writes convincingly about complex, tangled female friendships, with all the highs and lows, struggles, weaknesses, regrets, insecurity, and jealousy. Adverse circumstances magnify both the fractures and strengths of these women's bonds and Clarke captures the nuances of their flawed but believable relationships so very well. Several of the women have wonderful character growth, as they find an inner reserve of strength they didn't realize they possessed, and I absolutely loved that aspect of the story.

I always look forward to my next Lucy Clarke novel, anticipating the vividly described setting, complicated relationships, twisty mystery and stunning conclusion I know awaits me. I flew thru the pages of this book and finished it in less than a day. I enjoyed it all: the slow burn early chapters where we get to know each of the main characters, their adventure evolving from a fun girl's trip to a fight for survival, and finally the intense, breathtaking final showdown.

The Hike is an entertaining, unpredictable thriller from the first page to the last and sure to be a winner for both current Lucy Clarke fans and those who enjoy survivoralist thrillers with flawed but relatable protagonists.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me a copy to read and review.