Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
I was blown away by this book and would easily call it one of the best mystery/suspense books I have ever read. I could not put it down and stayed up way too late reading because I wanted to know what is happening going forward.
So many twists and turns that were all unexpected. I thought I had things figured out only to realize I was wrong once again.
The author wrote a spellbinding story that keeps the reader glued to it. The chapters broken down written from different perspectives makes it so much more interesting. Also, the story is closed out and finalized with everything addressed. The reader is not left hanging trying to imagine what happened at the end to everyone.
I especially enjoyed the descriptions. I could see myself at the location, had an image in my head of what everything looks like and would fit into place. Great job on the research to portray everything as a hiker would be exposed to!
Awesome job on this book and cannot wait to read more from this author!!

Shoutout to netgalley for another ARC of Lucy’s newest book. Unfortunately this one was a bit of a miss for me. I tore through it pretty quickly, it just wasn’t my style of book. I felt there was so much “fluff” in there, lots of info that didn’t really add to the story. It was overall quite anticlimactic and I stayed up late to finish it only to feel a let down with the ending. It wasn’t really a bad story, it just wasn’t exciting and I felt like I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. However the chapters were short, it was interesting enough I got through it fast and I enjoyed the setting and the writing quite a bit! This one releases August 29!!

The Hike by Lucy Clarke is an exhilarating thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. From the moment I started reading, I was captivated by the story of four friends embarking on a hiking adventure in the Norwegian wilderness. Lucy Clarke skillfully weaves together elements of friendship, betrayal, murder, secrets, and more, creating a gripping narrative that had me hooked until the very end.

The setting of the story, with its towering mountains, glass-like lakes, log cabins, and enchanted forests, adds an extra layer of intrigue and danger. It's the perfect backdrop for a tale filled with suspense and unexpected twists. The characters are well-developed, each with their own motivations and secrets. As tensions rise and the group faces the challenges of the hike, their bonds are tested in ways they never anticipated. And when a broken body is discovered, the stakes become even higher. The sense of unease and uncertainty permeates the pages, keeping me guessing and engrossed in the story. I flew through this book in just a day, unable to put it down. This is the first book I read from the author, and I was thoroughly impressed. The pacing was perfect, the setting vividly described, and the plot kept me engaged from start to finish.

I want to express my gratitude to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing me with an ARC of The Hike. I highly recommend this thrilling and suspenseful novel to anyone who enjoys a gripping page-turner. With its blend of human suspense and environmental challenges, it's a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Hike is a survivalist thriller about four lifelong friends who meet up every year for a vacation together to reconnect. This years’s choice: Norway. The plan: spend four days hiking the trail up Blafjell Mountain. What starts out as a pleasant hike through lush valleys to the coast quickly turns disastrous as one thing after another starts to go wrong. As tensions rise and a murderer lurks in the wilderness—Liz, Joni, Maggie and Helena’s secrets are forced to the surface. Will they all return alive?


I’m giving this one 3.5 stars. Solid popcorn thriller but nothing earth shattering. Writing was good—plot was good, but a little predictable—and the ending was mediocre. Would recommend as a good weekend read though!

I actually didn't read this one right away because I thought it was going to be long and drawn out.... I mean the book is about 4 friends who go on a yearly trip and this time instead of a beach vacation they go on a challenging hike through mountains in Norway, so I figured oh a hike, how exciting could that be? Well, this book was anything but long and drawn out. There were so many twists and turns that I read it all in one day. There is a year old mystery that unravels, a current mystery, weather issues, family issues, past betrayals, The Hike has it all.

A group of friends all travel every year for an annual girls trip, and this years choice isn’t the relaxation they’re all used to. Liz, a doctor and mom wants to take her friends out of their element and into the wilderness for a hike of a lifetime. They all bring their backpacks, tents, and drama to the trip hoping to just survive the week and make it home, but the mountain has other plans for them.

This story was interesting for sure, and the twists and suspense made you wanting to keep reading to figure out what’s going to happen to the 4 friends on their journey. The writing was well done and made me exhausted just listening to their trek. I highly recommend it, it will be a perfect fall / winter read. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The Hike was an interesting journey of a read. Albeit pretty fast paced, there was a lot of exposition around the hiking itself which was just “meh”, and then the actual conclusion and “twist” was not to my liking. I thought it was far fetched and not remotely guessable. Overall, I just wasn’t a fan of the plot itself, even though it was a fine read and had some redemptive elements in the characters and qualities of female friendship.

Hot take! I was hesitant to dive into this one because I totally felt let down by One of the Girls, and I was not impressed. However, The Hike...HOLY SHIT THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!

Talk about metaphorical claws sinking themselves into me - I could not at all put this down. This was fire. We are whisked away on an annual girls trip and unlike the previous trips, this group of friends heads to Norway for a hike on an intense mountain. No big deal right? Wrong. None of them are hikers, mountaineers or even that physically adept at outdoor activities.

Clarke made you feel like you were in Norway, traverssing the mountain alongside Helena, Liz, Maggie and Joni and she kept your hearrate up the entire time. I absolutely loved this and need more like this from Clarke. This made me want to climb a mountain - or maybe just go for a walk :)

This was so adventurous, exhilirating, mysterious and even had a dash of is-there-paranormal-activity?! You all know I don't do ghosts, so read between the lines there...this was just so unbelievably good.

Ayy, I liked this one a lot. It was very twisty and lowkey spooky at points. The relationships were believable and the pace was thrilling. Also, that cover is 💯
10/10, would recommend to others.

3.5 ⭐️

This was a very slow start for me; I thought it dragged through the first half of the book. Luckily, it did start to pick up and it kept my interest through the second half of the book.

This book follows four women (each of whom are at very different stages of life). Each year, they meet up and go on a friendcation. Usually it’s at warm, beautiful places where they can sip on cocktails and catchup. This year, however, Liz just needed a change and planned a hike! The girls were all less than thrilled by this. For starters, none of them are overly athletic- where do they start?

The location they decided on, it turns out a woman had gone missing on the trail a year prior. Vanished without a trace and there’s a good chance the person responsible might still be out there and hiking that trail. Are these women safe on their own?

Lucy Clarke's Lucy Clarke book The Hike The Hike by Lucy Clarke seemed to me a fictionalized version of 4 friends coming together and having feelings that came and went being good and bad. Liz, Joni, Maggie, and Helena seemed to set off on vacation every year. This year Liz decided to do something that was lacking and that was to go to Norway and climb a mountain. Things get complicated with the group and get very bad at a time I'll let you decide. There seem to be books about hiking in Norway a lot this year but you would be foolish to let this one go. I liked it and recommend it without any reservation.

I loved One of the Girls last year, so I was really excited to see The Hike on NetGalley! It did not disappoint. You can always expect greatness from Lucy. I really enjoyed how there were different perspectives on the plot, as well as the different intersecting plot points. There was character conflict & history which added to the thrilling story.

The Hike is Wild meets The Guest List. three storylines meet in the middle to weave everything together. I promise you’ll be turning the pages as fast as you can to find out what happens.

highlights:
- picturesque norway (albeit not a real hiking trail)
- mix of murder mystery & thriller
- told from four perspectives

This was a very propulsive read. I looked forward to picking it up and finished it rather quickly. I really enjoyed the setting and characterization in this novel. I would absolutely read other Lucy Clarke books. That said, I had a few things I wish were - in my opinion - better. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so hiking and backpacking is basically a language here. While the setting of a mountain hike is wonderful, I felt it a little light on specific details that would've felt more true. (One of which is I found it very hard to believe 4 women with zero hiking experience would go backpacking on a dangerous mountain.) I also found the women to be a bit too catty to be believable. My last issue is a minor one, but one that often has me put a book down because it pulls me from the story and that's word tics, words that are used too often that they end up standing out. The word "glance" and its iterations are in this book far too often. (I'd also argue the word "strode" is overused as well.) I really eish an editor had noticed this. Otherwise, good book, happy to read, loved the setting - which is my favorite thing when I read a novel.

✨RATING: 4⭐️

✨REVIEW: How can you go wrong with a first liner like that?! Hooked me for sure! Between the short chapters and prologue like that, I was flying through this. I NEEDED to know and had SO many theories as I read. I only put it down one star because the ending wasn’t as expected. I personally felt as though the writing changed towards the ending and it wasn’t as I had hoped. However, the fact that it kept me on the edge of my seat and I never wanted to sleep while reading it - definitely a strong 4⭐️

✨PROS: multiple POV, short chapters!!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

🚨WARNING: Potential triggers include drugs/addiction, pregnancy, divorce discussion

Nice, quick thriller set in a beautifully described location.
There were many twists and turns that had me guessing until the end. I didn't see the end coming, which is always a nice surprise. I hate when I figure out a plot too soon. Thrillers are always hit or miss with me, but this one had me guessing for a while. I feel like I got to know the four women, but I only on a superficial level, even with the insight into their thoughts.

This is one of the best books I have read so far this year. It is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing. The setting is wonderfully described and the characters are likable yet still flawed as humans are. Part thriller and partly contemporary fiction about adult friendships. I definitely recommend this book!

DNF at 30%.

None of these characters caught my attention, and all of them honestly annoyed me. The build up to the actual story was taking too long so I would put this book down for long stretches of time and finally just decided it wasn’t worth my time to pick it back up again.

I loved it! The characters and their friendship were delightful. They were well developed and individualized and each had strengths and flaws. The setting was well fleshed out and described to create a visual setting in my mind. The story flowed well. Of course there were some unrealistic parts but that’s what makes it fiction. Ending was satisfying. Despite the challenges they faced, I want to go for a hike!

I enjoyed this book and there were definitely a few twists that I was not expecting. I never at one point picked someone I thought was the killer, but I liked that the suspense was still there and I was surprised. A good book for someone who enjoys a good friend group from different stages of life coming together with their own baggage and getting closer than they probably imagined. Would recommend!

Slow burns are a hit or miss with me, the beginning was really slow with a lot of build up but after about the halfway point I flew threw the rest! Isolated thrillers have been taking over my bookshelf and they are easily becoming my favorite! While there were multiple POVs in this read she does a good job of keeping the characters relatable and well developed, so even though there was a lot to keep straight it wasn’t confusing. I’ve seen a lot about this author since reading this book and look forward to giving some of her other books a try. Thank your to Putnam Books and NetGalley.