3.5 stars
The premise of this sounded interesting but it did take me a while to get into this story, which was a bit frustrating.
It was just too slow in the beginning.
There are unlikeable characters and then there are the ones in this. I honestly didn't care what happened to them, that's how much I didn't like them, which meant that I wasn't as invested as I could have been because of this.
I did like the setting and the way that it was expertly described. But sadly I preferred similar books and found myself comparing this one to them, which really pointed out how much more I enjoyed the other books with very similar settings and plots.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really struggled to get into this read. I was gutted as I absolutely loved the sound of the storyline

It was certainly an original setting. Despite a couple of twists and nuggets of intrigue early on I found this to ultimately be a slow read and I couldn't get fully absorbed into the story.

This was a real slow burn for me, once it picked up it did get better and liked the some of the twists. I found the kilamamgiro to be interesting and thought it was described really well.

I’m so disappointed in The Contest as it promised to be a fun thriller full of rich people drama, but instead it just dragged on and on, so much so that I didn’t care about anything that was happening. The main characters were so unlikeable that I was hoping they’d fall off the mountain into a crevasse. It’s such a shame when exciting premises turn out to be so bland!

This was a really well written thriller that had me engrossed throughout. It was full of tension and suspense. I loved the twists and didn’t see any of them coming.

I really liked the detail of the experience of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. It felt like you are partaking in the climb alongside the characters.

The story is told through the dual POV narrative of the main rival characters Florence and Jacob. They are colleagues who are leading two teams in a competition to reach the top of Kilimanjaro.
However the story is full of secrets and pranks and things the tensions are run high throughout building the suspense and keeping you on the edge of your seat.

The narrator of told the story really well and made it really easy to distinctly recognise which character you were listening to throughout. I also thing it was narrated at a good speed as I was able to listen to it at 1.5x speed and found it great when normally I would listen at 2x/2.5x speed.

I will definitely be looking to read more by this author and looking out for more by this narrator.

Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for the eArc and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Contest but that has in no way influenced my review.

Blackmore Vintage Travel offer their exclusive, wealthy customers the ultimate travel experience. They go above and beyond to make sure every aspect of their customers' vacation is perfect. And for those extra special customers, there's the opportunity to attend The Great Escape. An annual excursion that money simply can't buy (well, clearly it can!). Two teams led by two of the company's most promising guides pit themselves against each other to prove which team is superior (both team leaders driven by the promise of a more lucrative future in the company). This year's Great Escape will be climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Florence is delighted to have been chosen as a team leader as she's not really looking for glory but answers to difficult questions. Her competitor is the rather obnoxious Jacob, son to Hugo, the CEO. Can Florence reach the summit before Jacob or will her awkward questions lead her down a deadly path...?

The Contest is a well-written, slow burn,  psychological suspense thriller which I enjoyed from start to finish. I've read several mountain-based thrillers over the years, which this is. In fact, I would go as far as saying I make a bee-line for them when the opportunity arises. There's something about the isolated setting, the way the characters are cut off from help, that I just love. The author has clearly done her research for this book as the experience of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro felt very true to life (based solely on the small number of other mountain-based thrillers I have read over the years!). Very absorbing stuff indeed!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of The Contest. Florence is a very likeable character who, unlike the rest of her colleagues, isn't out for herself. She's looking for answers but how far is she prepared to go to get them? When her boss, Hugo, drops a bombshell on her hours before the climb starts, she has to manage her own situation whilst carrying out a demanding customer service job and keeping her own secret safe. I couldn't help but warm to her. She was pretty much the only character I did warm to though! Her rival team leader, Jacob, is a spoilt, totally self-centred character - quite the opposite of Florence. But when you meet his father, Hugo, things start to make more sense. Hugo is a demanding, controlling boss (and father) who pushes his employees (and his son) beyond natural limits and has completely unreasonable expectations, setting challenges and pitting staff against each other. Jacob never stood a chance! The characters, whether likeable or loathsome, all really add something to the story. All in all, I very much enjoyed The Contest. The setting was perfect, I found it truly fascinating to live the experience of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro alongside the characters. The plot moved at a good pace keeping me engaged throughout, with the tension building as the end of the book approached. Fabulous escapism with a cast of fascinating characters keeping me company. I look forward to seeing what the author has for us next! Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Contest. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Review will be published on damppebbles.com on Friday 15th September 2023.

Rival travel guides Florence and Jacob are selected to lead two groups climbing Kilimanjaro, a challenge set by their eccentric boss. It's an annual getaway with their exclusive clients. For Florence, this trip was already about much more than winning as she is on the hunt for answers after a tragic accident at a prior retreat left her fiancé in a Coma. The stakes are about more than winning. It may be a fight to the death.

This was a action packed book that had me on the edge of my seat literally could not put it down. The idea of mountain climbing is terrifying to me so that added to the suspense for me.This was an entertaining read with lots of twists along the way that kept me guessing.

Thank you to Netgalley, Headline and Karen Hamilton for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a good read but it took me a while to get engaged. The characters weren’t very likeable and all seemed a bit spoiled.
Once engaged I was there with the story until the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get to this book before it was archived I will be reading it and posting my review to my Instagram page and blog when circumstances permit

The contest is like nothing I have ever read before. This is a fast paced thriller as two teams try to make it alive to kilmanjaro. I absolutely loved this and I am recommending to everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wildfire for the ARC of this book.

This is an excellent destination thriller. I loved the setting and Karen Hamilton does a brilliant job of describing the Kilimanjaro trek - from the factual elements of what happens at each stage to how gruelling the physical challenge is. It really felt like I lived the headaches, altitude sickness, and freezing cold temperatures with the characters (from the comfort of my warm house!).

The story is told from two different POVs - Jacob and Florence - who are each leading teams in their travel company's 'Great Escape' up Kilimanjaro. But you soon realise that this competition is only the visible (and most palatable) layer of their rivalry with lots of darker elements rumbling underneath. The competition is run by the company owner, and Jacob's father, Hugo and he continues to meddle throughout the trek, which drives the plot forward.

There are a lot of characters in total, but the book concentrates on a small enough number for them to be fully-rounded. They are generally ruthless and not hugely likeable, but they all have some redeeming qualities (except Hugo maybe!) that make them interesting and at times sympathetic.

The plot gathers pace as the story develops with an explosive finale and it also ties up nicely at the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - The Contest - Karen Hamilton

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book which could easily be a blockbuster movie!

Beautifully paced, with the drama unfolding and building as the two teams battle their way to the top of Kilimanjaro - this is family rivalry and subterfuge at its finest.

Each leg of the contest sees more friction, more tension and more pieces of the puzzle begin to unlock.

Quite a big cast to keep a hold of in my mind from the outset - but well worth persevering with as there are some real gems in there!

Fours hours well spent reading this - and I feel that I climbed the mountain with them!

An annual work trip to a far flung destination - it’s called the Great Escape, where bosses select expert travel guides to escort a group of super rich clientele on a cut throat contest
This year the ultimate work prize destination is Mount Kilimanjaro
But things are not as they seem and events take a sinister turn.
You feel like you’re climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with a bunch of unsavoury characters, made all the more real because it’s told in real-time over the span of the climb - you can literally feel the altitude sickness.
An exhilarating, addictive thriller with plenty of twists.
Thanks @karenhamilton @headlinepg & @netgalley for the eARC

Florence is pleased to be given the job of team leader on one of her employers' infamous travel challenges. Two employees are chosen to head two teams which compete to be the overall winner via a series of competitions & the prize this year is the top job which is why Florence's rival is Jacob, son of the company owner, Hugo. Not only that but Hugo will also be undertaking the trip & a rival travel company will also be there. Florence has another reason for taking part though - finding out what really happened to her fiancé, George, on a previous trip & why he was left in a coma.

Jacob desperately needs to win: on one hand he needs to finally impress his father but on the other, he needs the job to pay back the debts he owes from his gambling addiction. As the trip progresses, Jacob begins to wonder if anything he does will actually matter to his father. Both Florence & Jacob are the focus of some dangerous 'pranks': a scorpion is left in Florence's bag whilst Jacob finds broken glass inside his sleeping bag. When one of the group is found dead, both Florence & Jacob fear that the competition has become deadly.

I'm a sucker for reading anything which involves climbing mountains or trekking through a frozen wasteland, so when I read the synopsis for this one I was sold. The narrative is told from both Florence & Jacob's points of view so the reader gets to see that what's happening on the surface may not match what's going on underneath. There's lots of secrets & hidden agendas. I really enjoyed the first two thirds but around 70% of the way through, it became a bit repetitive, there wasn't as much tension as I hoped, & the ending was a bit 'meh'. Love the cover though. 3.5 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Headline/Wildfire, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

The Contest is about staff at a luxury travel agency, Blackmore Vintage Travel, and the annual trip whereby its top guides go on a jaunt with VIP clients. This year, they're off to Kilimanjaro, and awful boss Hugo has Florence and Jacob competing not just to lead their team to the top of the mountain but, it seems, for their future at the company. Of course, there's lots of stuff going on in the background too.

BVT is a terrible place to work and Hugo a completely ghastly boss, prone to mind games and ludicrous tests and challenges. I'm not sure why anyone would stay there.

We hear alternately from Florence and Jacob - both have their own issues and agendas. I liked all the Kilimanjaro stuff, which is well described, and it made me want to climb it... something for the bucket list, perhaps, although I certainly won't be travelling in BVT style.

I enjoyed the story though it went a bit off the boil for me towards the end - I found I wasn't really caring any more. Perhaps because I didn't find either Florence or Jacob massively interesting - some of the more minor characters on the trip were actually a bit more interesting, though none are particularly likeable. The guests are, as one might expect, an entitled bunch, and a bit of a nightmare to work with, by and large.

But as I said, I liked the Kilimanjaro stuff. A note from the author at the end suggests she hasn't actually been there herself but based her descriptions on others' accounts, which was a little surprising as it is very convincingly described, with lots of authentic detail.

Thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy and provide an honest review.

The setting of Kilamanjaro sold this for me and it didn’t disappoint, with stunning descriptions of the mountain and surrounding areas.

I really loved the premise, and the constant deceit that was running as an undercurrent alongside the main competition between Florence and Jacob, to secure the top job at the travel company they work for; both of them willing to do whatever it takes to win. Some of the characters could be a little more developed as they felt surplus to requirements, but I felt really tense and on edge (luckily not a mountain edge!) from the halfway point, where the action really kicked up a gear.

Very enjoyable.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Karen Hamilton and Headline, Wildfire for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I loved this book. The setting was what really did it for me - I find mountain climbing so interesting to read about, I really wish it was something I was able to do myself but that seems very unlikely! You could tell that a lot of research had been done to make it feel realistic and I really enjoyed following the characters as they made their ascent.

Another thing that drew me to the book was that it was a corporate trip - a trope I really enjoy. I love to see the dynamics between the characters, and the addition of the VIP clients and their crazy requests had me genuinely laughing out loud at points.

If I had any small complaints, it would be that there were too many minor characters and it was almost impossible to keep up with who was who, but since the focus was really on just a few main characters this didn't really matter too much.

I would absolutely recommend this book.

Overall, an enjoyable read about two teams battling to get to the top of the mountain. Told in alternating points of view from different characters with several twists along the way. Interesting read but I found the characters unlikeable so for that the reason it fell slightly short.

When I first read the synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it, my husband is after all climbing Kilimanjaro this year so my world has become a little absorbed with everything to do with this incredible mountain so it makes sense for it to venture into the books I read too!

‘The Contest’ is the ultimate cut throat competition at a high-end luxury holiday firm, a firm that is proud of the fact they will always go that extra mile to make any trip perfect. There are no boundaries to just how far that means the staff have to go for their clients, the company’s reputation depends on it. But just how far and what corners have been cut over the years to achieve this perfection? The secrets are about to come out as two teams, led by team leaders Florence and Jacob, ascend Mount Kilimanjaro, both determined to be claimed the winner once they reach the summit, but at what cost?

This is my first book I’ve read by Karen Hamilton and I devoured it in two days, the pace between the chapters keeping you wanting more. There is a wide array of characters but the focus is kept on Florence and Jacob, the alternating chapters perfectly setting the scene, all whilst explains the secrets both are hiding. I really enjoyed it and the knowledge of the climb of the mountain was extremely detailed, I could imagine how hard the experience must be at every step of the way, beautifully described. Some of the ‘higher-class’ requests did make me laugh out loud!

Perfect timing for this release by this author, this is the summer adventure thriller that you will want to read on holiday! And if you’re hiking up a mountain somewhere then even better but let’s just say that hopefully the drama stays in the book - I’ve definitely told my husband this!