Tag Archives: Girlfriends

Review: The Hike

The Hike

The Hike
By Lucy Clarke
G.P. Putnam’s Sons,9780593422670, August 2023

The Short of It:

They wanted adventure. They got it.

The Rest of It:

Liz is burned out. Her marriage isn’t what she imagined, and work? More of the same. So she plans a trip to the mountains of Norway with her three best friends. As glamorous as it sounds, it’s a strenuous hike that not all have prepared for. The physical demands leave them exhausted and then when they realize that they aren’t the only ones on the mountain, and that someone has quite a bit to hide, things suddenly take a turn. Their little adventure turns into a game of cat and mouse.

Clarke has become one of those authors that I automatically read. Her last book One of the Girls was a zippy read and the pages just turned themselves. Same here. There was just enough time on the mountain to build up the tension, just enough background story to get a feel for each character, and the story wraps up quickly. I’ve been reading these types of quick reads lately and it’s working for me.

Have you read Clarke yet? I highly recommend her.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Review: The Party

The Paty

The Party
By Robyn Harding
Gallery/Scout Press, Hardcover, 9781501161247, June 2017, 352pp.

The Short of It:

After just a few paragraphs I found myself completely absorbed by this story of a sleepover gone wrong.

The Rest of It:

Jeff and Kim Sanders host a sweet sixteen party for their daughter Hannah. They open their beautiful home to Hannah’s closest friends, pick-up her favorite cake and make it clear that boys, drugs & alcohol will not be tolerated.

What do you think happens?

As you can guess, something horrible happens and now Jeff and Kim Sanders, perfect in every way, find themselves trying to prove their innocence to the police as well as the parents and children involved. This blemish on Kim’s otherwise perfect reputation is enough to do her in. Then there’s Jeff, who is keeping a secret from her. Hannah is no saint either and forced to choose between popularity and cruelty.

There is a lot going on in this story but it’s SO good. You’ve got the whole “perfect” thing going on with Kim and Jeff but they are far from perfect. The other parents have their issues too and the kids…oh, the kids… their loyalty to each other changes with the weather. People are in. People are out. There are lies and secrets and lots of self-analysis going on. Oh, not to mention the denial!! I could not turn the pages fast enough.

These characters are complex and very well-developed and even though some of them do horrible things, you still feel something for them because the author just pulls it out of you. This book was read while making spaghetti and doing laundry because putting it down wasn’t an option. Plus, the events detailed in this story could literally happen to anyone which makes it all the more readable.

If you want a fast-paced domestic drama then you can’t go wrong with The Party.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.