Cecily Wong is a journalist who has come to Manaslu which is the eighth-highest peak in the world, and she has risked everything to get here. To interview the internationally famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh. This is going to be a big story and one she is not going to miss.
Soon a climber suddenly dies and everyone believes its due to a freak accident.
Cecily believes they are all in danger. And when a second climber dies, no one can turn back now.
They find themselves stranded on a remote mountain. And they are dying one by one!

This is such a roller coaster ride--a fast paced thriller with twists and turns and quite unputdownable!
Breathless has such a clever premise, that kept me glued to my Kindle for hours!
Amy draws her characters to new heights and adventure that is yet again both fascinating and intriguing to say the least
It's incredibly adventurous yet It's dark, shocking, stunning, unbelievably fascinating.
It's impeccable writing skills down to it's core!
A wild, action packed, and with a few twists I did not see coming!
And left it left me wanting more of this novel!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|Anchor,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Thank you to Knopf, Netgalley and Amy McCulloch for letting me read this one early. It comes out on May 3.

I usually love books like this but I read one two years ago that happened on a snowy mountain. This one involved snowboarding which I know is different than climbing but it reminded me so much of the other book that I hated and I couldn't get past it. It's like a locked room mystery but they're on a mountain instead of in a room. This book took up so much time teaching me about mountain climbing that I lost interest. I wish this was a just a thriller but it's definitely also educational to an extent. It just made the pacing way too slow to keep my attention.

“Breathless” is Amy McCulloch’s debut adult novel. She has previously written some young adult and middle grade.

This book follow our protagonist, journalist Cecily Wong. Cecily has the opportunity to interview the famous mountain climber, Charles McVeigh, who is on the last leg of a record breaking journey. His only stipulation? She has to climb the mountain too. This mountain would be scary for a very experienced climber, which Cecily is not. And when someone dies in a freak accident, Cecily begins to question whether this climb that could change her life could also end it.

I love isolated snowy books. Put a small group of characters somewhere where they are stuck in the snow and I will pick it up. When I saw that the author had actually climbed a mountain and had personal experience with it, it made me even more excited to pick up this book. That is unfortunately one of the reasons that the book didn’t amaze me. We spend so much time learning about mountain climbing, I think I could go do it myself now. It does really slow the pace of the book, unfortunately. This is a book about mountain climbing first, and a thriller second. I would have much preferred a book about someone really coming into their own through the life changing experience of climbing this mountain than to have this kind of muddled thriller plot scattered through.
A lot of what is going on in this book felt so real. Like I really could see the characters working against nature going up this mountain. And then the last 75 pages just kind of went off the rails.

I do think that it was well written. So I am interested in seeing what this author writes next.

WOW! One of the best suspense books I have read in a long time. Captivated met from the first page and kept me reading all night. Even though I had figured out who the suspect was, there were some twists and turns with the why and how.
Cecily is a travel journalist, asked to accompany the famous Charles on his hike to the summit of the mountain in Nepal. She joins a small, eclectic group, but worries she won't be able to make the climb. However, reaching the summit is not going to be Cecily's main concern, as people are slowly dying on the mountain, and no one suspects foul play but Cecily, and those who have died. Coincidence? Cecily will be fighting for her life, for her determination to reach the summit, and to prove there really is a killer amongst them.
Loved the characters, the plot, and the setting. The sub story of the climb was intriguing, and the description was awesome, I could imagine it all perfectly. Highly recommend this book. It is different from a lot of other suspense/thriller books. You too will be hooked from the start!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A fascinating journey, adventure and psychological thriller with a woman journalist on a mountain-climbing expedition. When at the mercy of a treacherous mountain, no one needs a murderer on the loose. Breathless is the perfect name as readers are as breathless as the high-altitude climbers. After her failure to summit a previous mountain, Cecily is determined to get to the top of this mountain and get the interview Charles Mc Veigh has promised her if she makes it. Is she paranoid and hypoxic as she becomes more frightened that there is a killer among them or are her journalistic instincts warning her to be extra careful? With communications unavailable, would anyone know if she just disappeared? It's a perilous journey that will take your breath away repeatedly. This journey will make or break her career if she lives to tell the story. Those with a fear of heights should not read this book. Brilliant, vibrant, explosive.

Breathless is set in a location new to me for thrillers and suspense fiction and I was hooked. I wanted to be mired in the story anytime I had to do something else like work or chores. There was some drag in the middle, and I would have prefered to have an epilogue after the crazy ending, but the cast of characters were great and one supporting character shined brightest and I loved him.

I thank NetGalley and publisher Archor Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
First off I do recommend this book very much. It begins slowly and was very technical - lots of terms I’d never heard of before not having any experience in mountain climbing or even reading about it before - but it’s building plots, interactions, and events for Cecily Wong to worry about during her whole climb. So hang in there and keep reading. You will be on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who not even if someone is a killer amongst them . . . I like mysteries and this seemed like it would be one. And boy was it ever. When I finished I realized the author knew what she was talking about as she actually did climb the mountain and gave us insight into what it was like. That feat is a great accomplishment and added credibility to the technical facts. I learned a lot about what it is like - I never would want to - and I could even feel the cold through her descriptions.
The story is about a journalist, Cecily Wong, who gets invited to go on a climb with a famous alpinist and she eagerly accepts even though it puts her whole financial structure at risk, makes her lose her boyfriend and her job could be in jeopardy if she doesn’t produce a good story.
She's a novice climber and botched her first climb big time. So being asked to join this climb is a surprise and honor. She does prepare for this one contrary to what her ex-boyfriend had her do for her first one with him that ended in disaster. The strangers she is with on this 8 thousand meter climb are from all different areas of expertise and backgrounds. In the very beginning at the base of the mountain, she is told that the circumstance of a death on the mountain is suspicious. From then on things happen that give rise to questions and doubts about who or if danger is in camp with them. Who can she trust and what if the story is true plagues her constantly and being told to forget all that and concentrate on staying alive because literally one miss-step could mean death

A killer stalks their victims in the Himalayan mountains. This was a suspenseful well written book that was a guessing game to determine who the killer is. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Cecily has given up everything to enable her to go on a dangerous mountain climb. She has to do this to get a first-hand interview with the famous Charles, who is somewhat of a hero for climbing without oxygen or the help of secured rope lines. Although Cecily has climbed in the past, she carries a secret burden that makes this climb even more important. She meets her group, and the sherpas assigned for the climb.
Tragedy happens before the climb has even started, and from that time on, it seems like someone is out to jeopardize their ascent.
I thank the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The book was just OK for me. I wasn’t thrilled. I was looking at the reviews prior to reading it and was expecting more but unfortunately I was a bit disappointed. I struggled connecting with the story. I felt like there was just too much information about climbing which I’m not familiar with and I didn’t really like the characters. I didn’t really see any character growth on Cecily. This is just my honest opinion though.
I believe someone who loves mountain climbing would totally enjoy this. Thank you netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really gripping mystery with a terrifying setting, high stakes, and a fascinating look into mountaineering. The buildup was so suspenseful, I wanted the action at the end had lasted a little longer than it did! I'd recommend to those looking for a book that you won't be able to put down.

4.5 stars. Really great read. There were so many little mysteries that I could barely put the book down! I've always been a fan of mountaineering stories like this, and add in the other suspense stuff and I was hooked. The author did a great job keeping me entertained throughout and I thought the book was just the right length for this kind of book. I've read a few thrillers lately that either feel way too long and bloated, or too short with unsatisfying endings. Or both. This book had just the right amount of backstory, just the right amount of action, terror, excitement, etc. I'm impressed enough that I think I'll check out what else this author has written. If it's anything like this, I'm sure I'll be interested.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cecily, a writer with not much experience is granted an interview with Charles, a legendary mountain climber that is attempting to do 14 clean. Meaning 14 peaks without guide ropes. He will only grant this interview if she climbs the mountain too. She has climbed mountains before, but the last one was a sad one, I. That she was with someone who died on the mountain.
She , nonetheless, decides to participate..
Selling most of her things and losing a boyfriend in the process…after all this could be her big break.
But things are not as they seem. There is a tragic death before they even get started and rumors of Charles cheating on other climbs.
And another death, bad weather. Arguments among the climbers.
Just when I thought I had it figured out The Who did it, I was surprised to find I was wrong.
This is a very good novel. Much suspense and much detail.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This was a wild, creepy ride! Not knowing who you can trust when you’re isolated on a mountain surrounded by strangers and suspicious things keep happening. Even when things were somewhat predictable I still enjoyed the surprises and even almost gasped out loud in the break room at work.

Thanks to NetGalley and Anchor Books for the advanced copy of this book.

I, as a senior citizen, know I will never have an opportunity to participate an extreme sport, such as climbing 8,000 meter peaks so I live vicariously through those who do. The novel provides both a visual sense of what that entails in addition to being a mystery, what could be better?

I appreciated a little of the backstory regarding the Sherpas who are the backbone of this type of mountain climbing and the role they play as hired guides to protect and often save the lives of inexperienced climbers.

The mystery is one that is twisting and leading in many different directions as far as "who done it". Nothing worse than one that is predictable from the start. I enjoyed this novel and look forward to more books by Amy McCulloch.

Definitely not for me. I didn’t find it engaging. Actually, I was just bored with all the chit chat. The story might make an entertaining Netflix movie.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.

I loved this book. It really had me want to keep reading chapter to chapter. I did call who the “bad” guy would be, but didn’t see some of the other twists. I also liked that the chapters were short. Totally worth the read.

Breathless by Amy McCulloch
Wasn't sure what to expect from this book at the very least I figured I'd have some adventure with it taking place high up in the mountains. What I got was a very interesting story that had twists and turns that left me guessing and kept me reading til I reached the conclusion. I will be looking to read more from this author, she does a good job pulling you into the story. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and leave my opinion.

BREATHLESS is, first and foremost, about mountain climbing. I learned more than I could ever possibly want to know about this challenging sport. As much as I never wanted to climb a mountain before, I want to experience the world at height even less. The descriptions are brilliant and completely frightening to anyone, like me, who suffers from vertigo.

The backstory is about death… accidental? … or murder?

Cecily Wong, a journalist, has been invited to be on the Charles McVeigh team to summit Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world. In terms of alpine skill, she is in way over her head. Her self-doubts are real, and understandable; they are not a contrivance of the story. Her determination is the same. It can truly be said that Cecily is a strong woman protagonist. She isn't Wonder Woman but certainly steps up when the occasion calls.

After reading BREATHLESS, I read about Amy McCulloch. The explanation of her in-depth description of the climb up Manaslu is so real is that she lived the experience herself. It is truly a case of writing what she knows.

Mountains exceeding 8,000 meters require extraordinary skill and determination to climb. Summits of this height are said to be in the Death Zone where many climbers succumb to the thin air and treacherous conditions. What better place than one already infamous to set a murder mystery?

I am a big fan of the horror novel… both supernatural and psychological. In some respects, BREATHLESS fits the bill of psychological horror. The story feeds my fear of heights, yet, as I heard Clive Barker say at a convention "there is no delight the equal of dread." BREATHLESS will keep you turning pages long into the night. It is a compelling read.

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
This started a bit slow for me as there were quite a lot of details of mountaineering to start with. But they were definitely essential to the story and when I was past the first 50 pages the pace picked up very quickly and I was dragged into the unique place Manaslu and the intense passion for this extreme sport. This was 100% a wild ride and I loved it. The unique circumstances added so much to the story and I loved the subtle character built.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Short Chapters
Continued suspense 😬
Mountaineering/extreme sports
Character built

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘩-𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳-𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘤𝘝𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥-𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘵: 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺.

𝘊𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵. 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦.