Minnie's Fiction Addiction

Four long-time friends, Maggie, Liz, Helena, and Joni, set out on a hiking adventure in Norway to reconnect and escape their busy lives. But the beautiful landscape soon becomes a dangerous setting as tensions rise, secrets emerge, and one of them goes missing. What follows is a tense, emotional journey where survival and truth become intertwined.

👀 First Impressions:
The Hike immediately drew me in with its premise: four friends on a hiking trip in the Norwegian wilderness that quickly turns into a survival nightmare. I was excited to see how Lucy Clarke would weave together suspense, friendship, and the rugged setting. The tension between the characters was clear early on, and the isolated backdrop promised plenty of drama and danger.

✅ What I Liked:
The setting is absolutely stunning, Clarke really excels at creating a vivid, atmospheric world, and I felt the chill of the mountains and the sense of isolation throughout. There were some great tense moments as the group dynamics started to fracture, and the mystery of the missing friend kept me engaged. I also appreciated the themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the complicated nature of long-term friendships.

❎ What Didn’t Work for Me:
I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I’d hoped. Their decisions sometimes felt frustrating, and while there were some solid twists, a few moments felt predictable. The pacing also dragged in places, which took away some of the suspense.

📚 Why You Should Read The Hike by Lucy Clarke:
If you enjoy thrillers with an atmospheric setting, tangled friendships, and emotional undercurrents, The Hike is a solid choice. Lucy Clarke delivers a story that balances suspense with character-driven drama, making it perfect for fans of domestic thrillers and survival tales. It’s a great pick if you want something absorbing but not too heavy.

💭 Overall Thoughts:
The Hike is an ideal holiday book, it’s gripping enough to hold your attention on the beach or during a long flight, but light enough that you can easily dip in and out of it between activities. While it wasn’t a standout thriller for me, it’s still an enjoyable read for fans of twisty, female-led suspense stories set against an evocative backdrop. A solid 3-star read.

🛍️ Where to buy:
To grab your own copy of ‘The Hike’ by Lucy Clarke visit HarperCollins HERE

Final Rating: ★★★☆☆½
Atmospheric and tense with a great setting, though some character choices and pacing issues held it back from being truly standout.