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mandi_lea's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Addiction, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Violence
greatestheights's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This had a lot of promise but ended up being extremely meh by the end. I definitely enjoyed elements of the story, but there were quite a few plot points I could have done without. I feel like it's common for thriller authors to try to pack in as many conflicts as possible when it just doesn't have to be that deep.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Death of parent and Pregnancy
meltingpages's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was good! It wasn't anything groundbreaking or crazy, but it was pretty entertaining. I loved the atmosphere and in general, thrillers where a group of people are isolated, especially in the wilderness is definitely my thing. I was definitely invested in the characters from the beginning and knowing that something was going to happen to at least one of them definitely added to the tension.
When things started to go down hill for me is when the end reveal started to happen. The book definitely took a turn that I wasn't expecting and didn't necessarily like. With the synopsis mentioning a murder, I definitely was expecting something totally different than what actually happened. It really felt a bit unrealistic, especially with the big reveals at the end. Drugs and drug usage played a large role in this book and I wasn't expecting that, as it wasn't mentioned anywhere in the synopsis so if that isn't your thing I would maybe skip this one.
When things started to go down hill for me is when the end reveal started to happen. The book definitely took a turn that I wasn't expecting and didn't necessarily like. With the synopsis mentioning a murder, I definitely was expecting something totally different than what actually happened. It really felt a bit unrealistic, especially with the big reveals at the end. Drugs and drug usage played a large role in this book and I wasn't expecting that, as it wasn't mentioned anywhere in the synopsis so if that isn't your thing I would maybe skip this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Infidelity, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
catriona176's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Very wonky Bristolian accent from the female narrator. Would’ve preferred they just cast someone from Bristol.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Murder, and Grief
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Drug use
rad_reads_123's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Grief, Addiction, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Murder, and Infidelity
awebofstories's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Grade: B
Four British women head North to backpack in Norway as a girls’ getaway. We have Liz, the leader and most put-together of the group. Maggie is a struggling single mother with a heart of gold. Helena has a carefree lifestyle of career and fun. And the fourth, Jodi, is a world-famous rock star. However, these women bring more than just their gear to this trip, where they battle the elements and each other.
It was the Norway aspect that drew me to this book. Norway is a dramatic, breathtaking country, and Clarke brought the landscape to life. Clarke states in a note at the end of the book that the location of this novel is fictional, but it seemed completely realistic to me. I also really enjoyed the fact that the climate and environment are a force in the story. While they aren’t the main antagonist, they are fascinating in the role. The weather and the environment take no sides and have no bias or ulterior motive; it just "is," and there is nothing anyone can do to control it. I feel as if the bulk of the tension in this book came from the natural world.
The pacing of this novel works well. I never felt that the forward motion of the narrative stopped, although there were a few places where I noticed that it had slowed for a chapter or two. As with any thriller, there are some twisty moments, and the ones here did not disappoint. The twists were not overly creative, but they were unexpected and made sense in the grand scheme of the plot.
I found the characters of this novel to be the weakest link. It isn’t that they were badly written or unrealistic, but more in what they brought to the story. All four women are at a point of some crisis in their lives. While these moments come to everyone, it was just too coincidental that all four women were going through some trial at the exact time of this girls’ getaway. I would have liked to see one of the characters be, well, okay in life to provide some balance. There were also moments where the women just made incredibly stupid decisions, and I did feel that the plot relied on these moments a bit too much.
This book is written from multiple viewpoints. This is a popular technique in modern novels, but I don’t feel it works especially well here. For one thing, there is no tonal difference between the narrators. There were times when I would forget who I was supposed to be focusing on. All the viewpoints were written in the 3rd person. I feel it would have been more effective to write in 1st person with voices different enough to differentiate one from another or skip the entire format of multiple viewpoints and tell the story in the 3rd person omniscient viewpoint.
While this book had some flaws, I can’t deny it was fun. While it falls firmly in the “popcorn thriller” category, it is the kind of delicious popcorn that will keep you taking handful after handful.
Four British women head North to backpack in Norway as a girls’ getaway. We have Liz, the leader and most put-together of the group. Maggie is a struggling single mother with a heart of gold. Helena has a carefree lifestyle of career and fun. And the fourth, Jodi, is a world-famous rock star. However, these women bring more than just their gear to this trip, where they battle the elements and each other.
It was the Norway aspect that drew me to this book. Norway is a dramatic, breathtaking country, and Clarke brought the landscape to life. Clarke states in a note at the end of the book that the location of this novel is fictional, but it seemed completely realistic to me. I also really enjoyed the fact that the climate and environment are a force in the story. While they aren’t the main antagonist, they are fascinating in the role. The weather and the environment take no sides and have no bias or ulterior motive; it just "is," and there is nothing anyone can do to control it. I feel as if the bulk of the tension in this book came from the natural world.
The pacing of this novel works well. I never felt that the forward motion of the narrative stopped, although there were a few places where I noticed that it had slowed for a chapter or two. As with any thriller, there are some twisty moments, and the ones here did not disappoint. The twists were not overly creative, but they were unexpected and made sense in the grand scheme of the plot.
I found the characters of this novel to be the weakest link. It isn’t that they were badly written or unrealistic, but more in what they brought to the story. All four women are at a point of some crisis in their lives. While these moments come to everyone, it was just too coincidental that all four women were going through some trial at the exact time of this girls’ getaway. I would have liked to see one of the characters be, well, okay in life to provide some balance. There were also moments where the women just made incredibly stupid decisions, and I did feel that the plot relied on these moments a bit too much.
This book is written from multiple viewpoints. This is a popular technique in modern novels, but I don’t feel it works especially well here. For one thing, there is no tonal difference between the narrators. There were times when I would forget who I was supposed to be focusing on. All the viewpoints were written in the 3rd person. I feel it would have been more effective to write in 1st person with voices different enough to differentiate one from another or skip the entire format of multiple viewpoints and tell the story in the 3rd person omniscient viewpoint.
While this book had some flaws, I can’t deny it was fun. While it falls firmly in the “popcorn thriller” category, it is the kind of delicious popcorn that will keep you taking handful after handful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, and Murder
meganrae047's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Grief
Minor: Blood, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
eperetz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.75
This book was incredible, I highly recommend it. It was tense and intriguing enough without actually setting me on edge or making me jumpy like some other thriller/murder mysteries. I found the characters to be fascinating and multifaceted in a way that gave them a lot of life and invested me further into the plot. Great book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Pregnancy and Grief
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