A really fast paces and intriguing story. I really liked the main character Laura and loved the story and was desperately trying to uncover her secrets. Highly recommended xx

I am always excited to start reading a Jenny Blackhurst novel because she is one of the top thriller writers for me! She is wonderful at building up suspense and those short snappy chapters that mean you can’t put the book down!

In The Hiking Trip, we start by meeting Maisie back in 1999. Ready to take the trip of a lifetime, hiking in the Canadian mountains with her best friend, she finds herself let down and alone. When she meets the glamorous brother-sister pair, Seraphine and Ric, at the bus stop for the start of the hike, she can’t help but gravitate towards them and become interwoven into their lives. Three days into the trip, things take a turn, and the perfect trip becomes anything but.

Twenty years later, in 2019, we meet Laura. She has done a great job of escaping something from her past and, when she hears the news that human remains have been found on the Canadian West Coast Trail, she is incredibly panicked. And things begin to happen to make her feel threatened for herself and her family.

But who is Laura? And what connects her with that hiking trip 20 years ago? What really happened on that night?

As always, Jenny Blackhurst creates a compelling page-turner with some excellent twists and turns towards then end. I raced through this as it was so gripping!

Set in the beautiful British Columbia wilderness, The Hiking Trip is downright riveting. Told in dual timelines, twenty years ago several people met on trail orientation and others later on the trail. Maisie's hiking friend stood her up so she and new acquaintances Ric and Sera camp decided to camp together. Personalities mesh and personalities clash.

In the present, Laura is shattered to hear about Mitchell and frantically tries to avoid him but she cannot escape. Her past becomes her present and future and she fears for her life and those to whom she is close. Her paranoia is palpable and so is the angst and tension in both stories, in good ways.

Echoes of "Human remains found" throughout give the reader plenty to think about. I like many aspects of the book (can't resist wilderness thrillers!) but graphic sex (and rape) and oodles of adult language are common themes, none of which to me enriched the story whatsoever. Though the thrillery elements are fabulously briskly and sharply told others are disappointing. This book felt very immature. It was just not for me.

The Hiking Trip will have you hooked from the first to the last page.

Jenny Blackhurst always has twists and turns and endings I don't see coming and this book is no exception.

I thought many times I had it all figured out who the body is that is found some 20 years after a hiker goes missing on the B.C. Trails but with every new clue and revelation I knew I was wrong.

The story is told from the past and the present. Laura is the present and unexplained things are happening to her after Mitchell was released from prison for the murder (no body ) of the hiker.

The past is Maisie who joins Ric and Sera on the trails and how they eventually meet up with another group.

Each page and each chapter brings more questions, more tension and I was unable to put the book down.

I loved the setting of Canada as I am Canadian so I could picture the trials perfectly .

I highly recommend this book (though I wont be hiking anytime soon) and I eagerly await Jenny Blackhurst's next book.

Preordering this for my daughter.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo Mystery and Thrillers for a gripping read.

Loved it! The West Coast trail sounded beautiful with all the descriptions of the waterfalls and the beaches. There were so many twists and turns. I was convinced that Cally was involved with the kidnapping attempt along with Mitchell. Laura told so many lies, I'm not sure how she kept them straight. She kept so much stuff hidden from her husband. I was definitely shocked when the truth about everyone was finally revealed, especially the identity of Laura. I really enjoyed how the book alternated between the present time (2019) with Laura and 1997 with Maisie, Seraphine and Ric while they hiked the trail. I didn't believe anything Ric and Seraphine told Maisie. Who goes hiking without bringing any food? They were out in the wildness. Masie was extremely naive. She knew Ric for maybe three days and was completely in love and obsessed. I didn't love any of the characters but they kept the story interesting. I felt bad for Mitchell, Maisie admitted it from the start that she lied about what happened from Seraphine. I could wait to find out what Maisie really saw the night Seraphine was killed and why she lied. Who dognaps someone's dog and puts a noose around an elf and hangs it from a window? Someone crazy!!! The person behind everything was definitely mentally unstable.

Definitely recommend the book. It was a great mystery/thriller. Loved the characters, story and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Canelo through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

**3.8 stars rounded up**

This was a real page turner! I really enjoyed the author's style of writing, I'm a sucker for a short chapter and who doesn't love some variation in narration. In this instance we go between the perspective of Laura in present day who's living a wonderful family-centric life, and Maisie who recounts her solo trip to Canada where friends were made and lives were lost.

There are plenty of twists and turns and I genuinely didn't see the big reveal coming, and I usually pride myself on being ahead of the curve! The characters weren't necessarily the most likeable people in some instances, and a lot of Laura's problems could have been solved from the outset if she'd communicated better with her loved ones but I guess then we wouldn't have much of a thriller to read! This is one for those who like a fast paced page turner or a twisty mystery to unravel, or just those who have a secret to keep..

I love hiking. Its so fun. We like going as a family so we haven’t done intense hikes for a while, but I did do one with huge elevation change a couple years ago alone.

Seraphine goes missing on a hiking trail in Canada and she is presumed dead even though her body never turns up. The only one who holds the key to the secret is Laura. Now twenty years later, a body has been found, presumably Seraphine, and the only other person who can reveal Laura’s secret is set to find her. The only way this secret is staying hidden is if one of them dies.

This fast-paced thriller was exactly what I needed to draw me out of my slump. I was just feeling down and like nothing was any good – until this one came along and swept me off my feet. You could cut the tension in this book with a knife and all the twists were so delightful. I enjoyed the alternating chapters of present and past that really helped keep me wanting for more. Overall, this was a solid thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Special thanks to @netgalley and the publisher, Canelo, for this advanced e-arc in exchange for this honest review. This one is out January 12th so make sure to get it on your lists.

This book kept me guessing. There were enough twists that as soon as I'd worked it out I had to change my mind and rethink things. I didn't guess the ending either. The characters were well written and believable. The plot moved along at a steady pace. In my opinion a book worth reading

A proper psychological thriller this one, with a classic mystery at the heart of it,, an engaging, possibly unreliable narrator and plenty of twistiness to keep you entertained.

Beautifully done with an addictive, involving sense to it, this is one of those books you devour in one sitting wanting desperately to know the outcome.
Excellent stuff.

I am not sure if I have mentioned this before? I believe I have, but I’m going to mention it again, I am a “sure” in for a novel that has woods! Hiking, murder, survival, stalker, in the woods? I’m there. So naturally I went for “The Hiking Trip.” On cover alone, I was sold, but the blurb was fetching as well.

The story goes…. Sometime in 1999 a young woman by the name of Maise travels to for a hiking trip to Vancouver. Now while on that hiking trip there is of course, a murder! We are now 25 years in the present…
A woman who identifies as Laura hears that bodily remains have been found, and away we go.

I found the protagonist to be rather grounded, and down right self deprecating. That in and of itself was cool because in most thrillers everyone is soooo serious! Blackhurst does a fine job with character development, the pacing is is solid, the multiple POV’s are easy to follow and the chapters leave you hanging. There is not much, if any at all, superfluous ‘talk’ of the natural wonders, how to set up stent, etc…

There were plot twists, on top of plot twists, and then there was the Top Twist!. The twist can be figured out early on if you are paying attention. Still, a fun read. My disappointment was in the ending, it was professionally wrapped, with a pretty bow, too many questions unanswered.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own

Another brilliant book by one of my favourite authors.
I knew there was a twist coming and thought I had it all figured out until another twist blew me away! It's not often a book blindsides me so this was an amazing surprise.
I love how the author casually drops bombshells throughout their stories.
I'd really recommend this page turning thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Maisie is going on holiday to Canada with her friend, Ruth. It’s once in a lifetime, and Maisie has saved hard for a long time to go, especially after her home life is limited to helping her mum with her sisters. At the airport, Ruth lets her down, so Maisie goes it alone. In Canada, she meets Seraphine and Ric, and travels with them. But the situation becomes twisted and toxic, and secrets and lies become easier to bear.

This was a great story, full of twists and turns. It created tension and mystery.

We read through two timelines, the trip and the current day. We use those two different timelines to get to know the characters better, and they were greatly written.

A great read, and highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book it was fast oaced and hooked me all the way through. If I had one criticism it would be that the ending didn't grab me as much as the rest of the book and it felt a bit rushed

I found the first two thirds of this book captivating, and the entire book was well-written, I just found the last third, the resolution a bit confusing regarding "who was who". At times, putting a final twist to the story just to add one to make a novel less predictable is not always the right decision. Also, I found the progression of a primary character a bit jarring, meaning that there was not a strong enough motivation to cause a major "about face* personality-wise where one character changed from an entirely selfish, unlikeable person who only viewed others from a standpoint of how she could best use them and manipulate them to the next minute when the character (after coming to the realization that she had been similarly used, she immediately turned into a conservative housewife, very selflessly dedicated to her family and community. Just too extreme and jarring of a change that didn't quite make it past the "suspension of disbelief" factor for me. And, this could have been successfully avoided without the addition of one of the story's "twists" as another character was much closer initially in personality and caring than the identity determined in one of the final revelations. Once again, thanks to Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to read and provide feedback to what was nonetheless an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of The Hiking Trip. This was such a surprisingly good psychological thriller. That ending was so good. Having read a fair amount of books in this genre, I thought I had everything figured out really easily, but the final twists were so unexpected!

The chapters are short and it’s a fast paced novel, which is always perfect for a thriller. The story alternates between past and presents and I especially loved getting all the backstory of the hiking trip.

This was my first novel from Jenny Blackhurst, but I’ll definitely be checking up more of her work!

In 1999, Maisie Goodwin goes out on a hiking adventure by flying all the way from UK to Vancouver. While on the West Coast hiking trail, she meets a British girl named Seraphina Cunningham and her brother Ric. The trio becomes friends and soon go on the hiking trail together. However, soon, the hiking adventure soon turns to a nightmare when one of them ended up getting murdered.

Present Day, a woman named Laura reads the news that the human remains are found in the forest in Canada and the person who was found guilty will be released from prison. And Laura feels that her past is about to be haunted again.

This was actually a surprisingly good psychological thriller. The story divides between the past, told mianly from Maisie's POV and present, told mainly in Laura's POV. The story is fast paced and the reader feels like they are at the edge of the seat when reading this book. The ending was a complete unexpected twist that I did not realize that type of ending! However, it was a bit too dramatic and unrealisitc, but nonetheless, I actually enjoyed the ending. The writing was really great, the thriller itself is unputdownable with twists and turns. So overall, if you are looking for a thriller with some twists and turns based on hiking trail, then this book is one for you--worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Huzzah. I finished that. And whoo, that ending. I read a lot of thriller mysteries and can say confidently that I usually pick out the end fairly often. I was sure going into this that I knew who was who and what was what.

Well, I definitely had some things figured out but there were still some twists I hadn't guessed. It was a nice change of pace to be surprised by the twists.

The way she writes her main characters is fun. They knew in the moment what they should do, but explained away why they were doing it the final girl way anways.

The only thing about this, the way it wrapped up so fast and neat and tidy. Now I don't mind neat and tidy. But we had a pretty big build up and then it felt just a tad rushed.

This was my first book by Jenny Blackhurst but I am going to make sure I keep up with her work and check her previous works.

Maisie is set to go on a hiking trip of a lifetime with her best friend; until her friend backs out and she is ends up going alone. Maisie makes some friends right from the start of the trip, one of which is a girl named Seraphine. Things turn terrible when they meet up with some other hikers and have a wild night, then Seraphine goes missing and it thought to be dead. 25 years later a body and been found on that trail and Laura, a married mother of two children, starts to panic. Who is Laura and why is she so scared?

What a great story! There are some twists that I was prepared for and some that I never saw coming. The only reason I gave this book a 4 star review instead of a 5 is because I thought the ending was too quick. There is a lot of buildup and then the ending just happens so fast and there are a lot of questions that end up going unanswered. Otherwise this is a great story for a quick and easy read. This is my first book by Jenny Blackhurst and it will not be my last


Thank you Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in return for an honest review.

OK!!! I read The Girl Who Left so as soon as I saw this I knew I had to read it.

This is really hard to review without spoilers, so all I'll say is there were moments when I was certain I knew what was going on and I was absolutely wrong. The ending felt a bit rushed, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend if you like thrillers/mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maisie leaves her home in the UK to solo hike the West Coast Trail in Canada. While waiting at the bus, she meets siblings Sera & Ric and they instantly hit it off. They spend the first few days together before something goes terribly wrong.

25 years later, body remains are found on the trail. A woman named Laura is panicked by the news and believes she is being stalked by someone who was involved with the incident.

I REALLY liked this book. It was somewhere between 4-4.5⭐️ for me. It had everything that I love in a novel. Short chapters, different POVs, Cliff hangers, and some clever plot twists that I didn’t anticipate.

While it was slightly predictable, I still couldn’t put it down! I read it in one day.

If you’re interested in an easy, unputdownable thriller, I would recommend giving this one a read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.