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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
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
eemillers15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Mysterious and creepy atmosphere? Always a win for a thriller!
Friends Liz, Helena, Maggie, and Joni take a yearly vacation together. This year, Liz picks hiking in the secluded mountains of Norway. While on the trip, we learn more history about the 4 friends and how their friendship may be built on more lies and secrets than what any of them believed. Simultaneously, the mysterious mountains have hidden a disappearance of a local and the secrets surrounding her disappearance will have everyone guessing.
I always love a good atmospheric thriller.
This could have probably been 100 pages shorter and there were definitely unnecessary chapters, which caused pacing issues and lulls in the story.
I definitely didn't see many of the twists coming and the story kept me guessing! Overall, definitely a solid thriller!
Thank you to #Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam and G.P. Putnam Sons for an eArc of this story! All opinions are my own!
Friends Liz, Helena, Maggie, and Joni take a yearly vacation together. This year, Liz picks hiking in the secluded mountains of Norway. While on the trip, we learn more history about the 4 friends and how their friendship may be built on more lies and secrets than what any of them believed. Simultaneously, the mysterious mountains have hidden a disappearance of a local and the secrets surrounding her disappearance will have everyone guessing.
I always love a good atmospheric thriller.
This could have probably been 100 pages shorter and there were definitely unnecessary chapters, which caused pacing issues and lulls in the story.
I definitely didn't see many of the twists coming and the story kept me guessing! Overall, definitely a solid thriller!
Thank you to #Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam and G.P. Putnam Sons for an eArc of this story! All opinions are my own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse
Minor: Murder
kaylinvm94's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Drug use, and Addiction
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
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
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
heather_harrison's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for this digital arc of The Hike.
Prologue has a bit jarring but set the tone.
The story follows Three four girlfriends taking a change in their annual girls trip, and instead taking a hiking trip in Norway. The characters are relatively well fleshed out. We have Liz - the organizer of said trip, Type A personality and GP. This lady is obsessed with the power of a good walk.
Helena is the single, career focused of the friendship group in their 30s. Oh god are we really going to the do the “unfulfilled single and childless woman with a career in her 30s who now needs a baby” trope?
Maggie, who probably feels the least detailed outside of her being divorced and a mother. She gives off hypochondriac vibes almost immediately but you can’t help but love her (like Melman from Madagascar)
Finally we have our late joiner to the trip, Jonie the burnt out rockstar. Girl has some serious mental health and addiction issues
I enjoyed the multiple POVs, as it was a good way to get snips of information gradually through the story.
Last point, the “In true life?” seems like a blatant rip from bluey “for real life?” and I’m conflicted how I feel on it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Drug use, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Self harm