I give this book a 3.5/5 stars.

I think it was a great thriller and kept you guessing as to how it would end the entire way through. I guessed the killer fairly early on in the book however I had no clue as to how it would end and it didn't disappoint. I really liked the main character Cecily and found her to be very relatable. Here is this young, female, amateur climber/journalist who was looking to break her first big story/interview and yet she was still jaded from her last big climb that ended in a death and severe trauma for our main protagonist. Following Cecily's story was really fascinating especially as this came from a females perspective in a male dominated extreme sport and I found myself routing for Cecily not only to survive but to finish that climb and achieve her big goal. I really loved the fact that that the author was a mountaineer herself and that she was the youngest female Canadian to climb mt Manaslu! The other cool fact, Amy climbed with world renowned Nims Purja who was undertaking his crazy "project Possible" at the time which was a mission to climb all 14 8k meter summits in seven months. There is even a netflix documentary about it called "14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible". I am assuming this is who she based her "Charles McVeigh" character on. Knowing all of this made the story that much more interesting and authentic as Amy based it loosely on her own experience and it wasn't just an author researching mountain climbing. With that being said the story itself could have done with a little less information on climbing as it made the book a really slow burn until the last few chapters but overall, this was a quick and entertaining read!

great job Amy McCulloch not only on your mountaineering success but on a great thriller!
Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada for approving me for this ARC in return for an honest review!

I was in the mood for a thriller/mystery and this book didn't disappoint! It was an interesting tale with a few good twists.

I received an e-copy of BREATHLESS by Amy McCulloch from NetGalley and the book is now out in stores. This is an exciting ride up one of the highest peaks in the world, a challenge of all challenges for writer Cecily Wong who is doing it to get an interview with world famous climber Charles McVeigh. She is part of a group and not very experienced but most of her co-climbers are in the same situation.
(Author McCulloch has climbed this particular peak, Manaslu, so the descriptions of the main character's climb are exquisite).
Cecily soon learns that someone mysteriously died on an earlier climb and while she is there another person is found dead, another goes missing.
All of sudden she is well on her way up a mountain with danger all around her. Are these missing climbers a coincidence or is there more to the story?
It's a nailbiter!

Thank you Net Galley for giving me this opportunity to read this book..
A journalist gives up just about everything to climb Mount Manaslu. On their way to the summit of Mount Manaslu climbers start turning up dead. Could these be murders or altitude sickness and that they subcome to.
Journalist Cecily Wong is invited to go on the climbing expedition to Mount Manaslu by Charles Mc Veigh.

Thank you Amy McCulloch and Penguin Random House for an e-ARC of Breathless.

Firsly, I thought the concept of a killer on a mountain was brilliant. And in the acknowledgements, I read that this idea stemmed from Amy's own experiences climbing eightthousander peaks. This whole other alpine climber world is really interesting to me so I was fascinated by this aspect of the book.

In terms of the actual story, I guessed who the killer was on maybe page 5 of the book. I found it really obvious which took away from the suspense and mystery aspect of the book.

I liked Cecily's character development throughout - she goes from being a timid girl with low self esteem just trying to make a buck to a self-assured, confident woman trying to save her friends and find the murderer.

Additionally, we found out way too much about the murders from the murderer himself. This is so unrealistic. A murderer is not just going to divulge all of his secrets, why he kills, who he kills etc. for no reason at all. I think some of the details needed to be found out by Cecily and others, instead of the murderer having a monologue divulging everything.

I also think the different characters on the climbing team needed to be brought into the story more. I would have liked to hear more about the other character's stories and how they fit into the book, why they were climbing the peak etc. because at some points it seemed like those characters were just added so they could be killed off.

Anyways, I enjoyed this book!

3/5

Who else now dreams of climbing a mountain? A terrific immersive thriller that transports you into a world, so few people ever get to experience. Amy McCulloch skillfully describes the world of mountaineering bringing readers along for the treacherous journey with Cecily. A journalist on the cusp of the story of a lifetime, Cecily must climb Mount Manaslu the eighth highest mountain in the world with famous alpinist Charles McVeigh. Reach the top and she secures the exclusive interview with McVeigh as he concludes his series of summits as a true alpinist. Fail and her reputation of not being able to climb will follow her forever and ruin her career. The summit ascent is off to a rocky start when a fellow climber is found dead. A true survival story told at dizzying heights and with hairpin turns that will have you racing to the end. Is there someone murdering mountaineers or is the mountain claiming another victim? Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this great ARC, all opinions are my own.

If you’re even remotely fascinated by mountains and enjoy mystery and thriller, this book is for you!

Cecily Wong lands a once in a lifetime opportunity to interview the famous alpinist, Charles McVeigh. But there’s a catch, she only gets the interview if she summits the Manaslu mountain.

Climbing mountains is dangerous. Period. But throw in a mysterious killer and it might be the worst decision Cecily ever made.

My overall rating 3.5/5.

Overall I liked the book but didn’t love it. The writing was great but the characters and the predictable ending ruined it for me.

Visit my blog lifeaftersavannah.com to read the full review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was really stellar. The mountain climbing details were so much fun. It starts off slow, but the tension amps up as the bodies drop. I really liked the hero as well.

Enjoyment: 4
Total rating: 4.5

When struggling journalist Cecily Wong is invited to join an expedition to climb one of the world's tallest mountains, it seems like the chance of a lifetime.

Breathless is a book that got me intrigued from beginning to end. As a reader with mind-blindness, I would love to see it adapted to a movie so I can experience the action in all its glory. It starts off slow, and when it picks up, it is INSANE.

I appreciated McCulloch's character work and plotting. This novel storyline pace mirrored the climb. The beginning was slow, getting its footing and the higher the group got, the more intense and fast-paced the story became. I am so thankful for Cecily; I adored her. It was so easy to get into her mind frame, and through her eyes, I was able to experience the mountain I couldn't envision.

I'm looking forward to more books by McCullogh. Banging debut.

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of Breathless.

This one gave me the shivers! Not only are you surrounded by ice and snow, but one false step and you could plummet thousands of feet to your death! And of course, so many strange "accidents" keep happening...

<img src="https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DetailedFearfulBangeltiger-size_restricted.gif"/>

The writing was good - the author gave us vivid descriptions of the various locations in this story. There were also plenty of red herrings and guilty secrets to lead you astray or arouse suspicion, You had all the elements of a good thriller. The "never-ending ending" got a bit on my already frazzled nerves, though. Slight spoiler: It was like your worst nightmare in every horror flick you've ever watched. I wanted to yell: Stay dead why don't you!

<img src="https://media4.giphy.com/media/ZTjQgJGDiuJZS/giphy.gif"/>

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

* Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advance copy for review purposes *

Very exciting thriller, set in the midst of a climbing expedition to Manaslu, the eight highest mountain in the world. Cecily, an adventure travel journalist with limited climbing experience and traumatic memories from her last failed climbing attempt, has the opportunity for a private interview with the hottest alpinist of the moment, as long as she can climb the mountain along with him. As accidents continue to accumulate during the climb, Cecily starts to wonder whether there is a killer somewhere in the camp.

I really liked reading all the details around the climb, the equipment, the different segments and how the people in the expedition worked their way through them. The sceneries described were exhilarating - the author loves the peaks and it shows in the writing. On its own, the mountain climbing adventure was an exciting read.. Add in the mystery, and it was really hard to put down the book. I was not super keen in the main character tho - as a journalist who researches her subjects, her initial climbing attempts seem too negligent and naïve, even if steered in that direction by her even more negligent boyfriend.

Great descriptive writing about the breathtaking scenery and the challenges and dangers of climbing, make the reader feel like they're on the mountan. It was interesting learning about the required training, prep work and the customs of the locals. The author's passion and knowledge of mountaineering shine through.
Unfortunately I found the pacing slow, the tension lacking and the protagonist to be a foolish and naive young woman.

Thank you Netgalley and Peguin Random House Canada for this ARC

This one started slow but picked up and was exciting. I appreciated the mountain and climbing terminology. Definitely added to the atmosphere. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC.

Journalist and novice mountain climber Cecily Wong is invited by Charles McVeigh, an acclaimed mountaineer, to join his team in their attempt to summit Mount Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world. Charles has promised her an exclusive interview on the condition that she reach the summit with his team. Cecily is the least experienced of the group but she is intent on proving herself in spite of the many difficulties she encounters.

This book is extremely well written and, although I don't know much about mountain climbing, the story had a ring of authenticity about it. In the author's Acknowledgements she confirms that she did indeed climb Manaslu herself so she's familiar with the terrain and the terminology. The mountain climbing aspect of the story was supplemented by curious and frightening occurrences and I was breathless throughout a lot of the book (I'm definitely not a lover of heights). Although I was expecting a lot more tension than I got from the book, I'd definitely recommend it to friends. 3.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada/Viking via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own. Available as of May 3, 2022.

I found this book as an option one of NetGalley's available advanced reading copies and I had to request it: it's a mystery/thriller set on a Himalayan mountain during a mountaineering expedition to climb Mount Manaslu. My kind of book, and I do enjoy reading about mountains and mountain climbing.

Journalist Cecily Wong is part of a team attempting to climb the eighth highest peak in the world. She has never attempted climbing a mountain that high and has failed to summit smaller peaks. But summiting the mountain and being part of the team will get her an exclusive interview with legendary climber Chris McVeigh and set her career.. As the expedition begins however, so do some mysterious deaths to fellow climbers.

One thing that I liked about this book is that it gives the reader some about the technical aspects of mountain climbing and gives a good appreciation of how difficult it can be physically and mentally. And it's done as part of the storyline so that doesn't come across like a non-fiction book.

The pace of the storyline is a little slow at first, but it does pick up and it kept the pages turning for me. One thing that I also liked is that there were multiple things going on at once. You certainly want the main character to figure out what is going on with the mysterious deaths, but you also want her to succeed and reach the top of the mountain as well.

I would rate this one as a 4.5 out of 5. The only real negative that I was say is that I didn't find the ending as satisfying as it could have been.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.
#Breathless #NetGalley

I wish to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC.
Great quick, gripping, fast-paced read.

A good read more 3.5 stars
I loved the climbing aspect of this book and all the info the author gives us, I felt like I really was learning what it took to embark on a climbing expedition. I also enjoyed the characters in the book. The reasoning behind 3.5 starts was once we learned who the killer was. it felt a bit forced and rushed considering the flow of the book up to that point, Did I enjoy reading yes just a bit disappointed after reading the beautiful flow for the first 3/4 to the change near the end.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

I would recommend this book to friends and family

The most compelling part of the book was the mountaineering. I enjoyed learning about the process involved in climbing very high mountains - quite realistic due to the fact that the author is an alpinist. Finding this out actually made me appreciate the book even more. I really had a sense of the emotional and physical trials involved in this kind of feat.
I was a little disappointed with the thriller aspect. It was more mystery than thriller. I never found myself on the edge of my seat and figured out who the killer was at the beginning of the novel. That being said, it was still a rather enjoyable mystery and I really enjoyed the characters.

This book was unlike anything I've read before. The whole mountain setting is something completely new to me, but the author did a great job in setting it up in such a way that it was understandable for someone who has no prior knowledge on mountain and climbing.
I really admired Cecily and I appreciated how the story would touch on her struggles in making her mark in the journalism field without compromising herself just to be taken seriously. I think that's something a lot of women would definitely relate to while reading.
It did take me a while to get into it, I didn't find myself too invested in the story until about halfway through, but once I was invested I could not stop reading.
Overall, a pretty good thriller, if you enjoy thrillers I would say to give this one a chance!

I have to give Amy McCulloch credit for setting a very atmospheric tone but the pacing had me constantly losing focus and there was far too much repetition. It felt like it was just page after page of Cecily’s whiny internal monolog. She was more focused on self-sabotage than she was on preparing to climb the mountain.

Thankfully things started to pick up in the second half. The almost nonstop action that was lacking in the first part of the book really turned this reading experience around for me. I was able to figure out the who but not the why of the murderer so the big reveal wasn’t totally ruined by my excellent armchair sleuthing.

The author’s note also had a big reveal; Amy McCulloch is herself a mountaineer. Learning that she had lived the same experience as our MC (albeit with a lot let murder and drama) was really cool. That, added to the increased plot pacing ultimately lands this book firmly in the 3.5-star zone.