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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
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
jillwedemeier's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Four best friends—Liz, Maggie, Helena, and Joni—celebrate their friendship each year with an annual girls trip. This year, they are trading cocktails on the beach for mountain climbing in Norway. As the women hit the hiking trails, each is carrying more than just camping gear—marriage woes, burnout, a surprise pregnancy, and more. The further they climb, the more dark secrets emerge. And the further away they are from civilization, the more it becomes clear that they are not alone in the wilderness. There is no cell phone coverage, no help…and no one to hear them scream.
Told from the perspectives of each of the four women, this adventurous thriller explores the power of friendship and nature. Set in the picturesque mountains of Norway, this novel had an engaging plot and lovable characters. It took awhile for the action to really begin, but once it did, they were so many shocking twists and revelations. I was not a fan of the ending, but I will say it was definitely unexpected. Overall, a captivating survivalist thriller that I highly recommend you add to your summer reading list.
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP/G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, and Infidelity
notsoquietgrrl's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
While this was a bit slower and less overtly thrilling as, say, a locked-room thriller, the two parallel mysteries and strong characters kept me hooked until the end. The writing is a notch above a lot of other thrillers. There were a few plot points that made it harder for me to suspend my disbelief why was the trail even open if there was even the most remote change of a landslide?? and I didn’t like the vague mention of the supernatural as an explanation for unpredictable weather but it was still a quick and enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Pregnancy, and Addiction
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
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
itsalina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Murder, Addiction, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Grief
Minor: Gun violence
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
booksbytheglass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
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
2.0
I was veryyyyyy disappointed in this one 😩 after absolutely loving ONE OF THE GIRLS last year, I was really hoping this would be a hit too! sadly, it felt victim to overused tropes!!!
when four friends reunite for their yearly trip, everything feels different - and not for the reason I was expecting (aka they selected to hike up a dangerous mountain during a storm season like THAT was a good idea 🥴🥴)
and if that wasn’t a key enough example, every single one of these characters is SO stupid that I was physically rolling my eyes every chapter at something one of them did, such as leaving your packs behind with everything important in it in your tent … or … choosing to leave a cabin when there’s literally a murderer on the loose …
I think I was just so put off by the dumb actions of the characters that I felt like I was in a stereotypical horror movie instead of a mystery thriller
lucy clarke’s writing, however, is as fantastic as ever, keeping me intrigued and occupied with different POVs until the very end! sadly, the ending wasn’t enough to save the storyline and left me wondering what was the whole point
a huge thank you to netgalley and st martin’s press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 2 stars
wine pairing: alsace gewürztraminer
when four friends reunite for their yearly trip, everything feels different - and not for the reason I was expecting (aka they selected to hike up a dangerous mountain during a storm season like THAT was a good idea 🥴🥴)
and if that wasn’t a key enough example, every single one of these characters is SO stupid that I was physically rolling my eyes every chapter at something one of them did, such as leaving your packs behind with everything important in it in your tent … or … choosing to leave a cabin when there’s literally a murderer on the loose …
I think I was just so put off by the dumb actions of the characters that I felt like I was in a stereotypical horror movie instead of a mystery thriller
lucy clarke’s writing, however, is as fantastic as ever, keeping me intrigued and occupied with different POVs until the very end! sadly, the ending wasn’t enough to save the storyline and left me wondering what was the whole point
a huge thank you to netgalley and st martin’s press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 2 stars
wine pairing: alsace gewürztraminer
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Infidelity
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