Molly is taking part in the London Marathon after overcoming an injury and surviving a stalker, her goal is to qualify for the Paris Olympics but her stalker seems to be back with more determination than before and is determined to stop her at all costs.
An original novel as it takes place over the duration of the marathon, alternating chapters of the events leading up to it.
The truth is that throughout the book you can feel the struggle against all the obstacles that arise physically, especially during the marathon, and also mentally when he begins to suffer the stalking.
Although there are some moments that seem a bit repetitive, it is an enjoyable novel.

Molly Fitzume has been through a lot she is a professional long distance runner and has survived a stalker and a slipped disc and today is her chance to qualify for the pre-Olympic trials and the Paris team. She feels ready but isn’t prepared for the strange things that start happening. This book is told in a clever way although dual timelines is nothing new, in Every Step You Take by MA Hunter we meet the protagonist as she in one POV runs the London marathon and then the second is her training and trying to figure out who her stalker is. From a jealous teammate her coach and even her agent all look like good suspects but she first believes it is her original stalker auto. when police officer Zara finds out surprising news about her stalker, she isn’t sure who the new culprit is. Although they do many things that her original stalker did she learns things that cause her to believe it may not be him after all but who is it? I don’t like to put things in my review that aren’t in the summary so let me just say this first Molly investigates her self and even advises policeman Zara as to what to do to help her out it is a really good book I love that this author always has a new story and doesn’t rely on the same old tropes but I found this one to be so original although I did get tired of hearing about her running there is enough happening and moves along swiftly enough that you soon are going to the next situation. The more books I read by this author the more I like her books. This is a great thriller and pretty original in a genre that don’t have many original ideas so if you’re in need of a different type of thriller you should definitely give this one a try. As I said every book I’ve read from this author is different from the one before and now I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next. I want to thank boldwood books and Net galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A marathon runner named Molly is convinced she’s still being stalked even though her stalker is supposedly in jail in another country. Not only is she receiving packages when no one knows where she is staying, but she’s also receiving the same type of threatening texts as she did before he was convicted. She even believes him to be at the London Marathon while she’s competing in it, so she tries to balance focusing on her running, locating him, and staying safe. Will she possibly be able to do so?

If you’re a fan of running or possibly exercise in general, I think you’d be more apt to enjoy this book. Honestly, I enjoy this author and his other stories, but this one just wasn’t up to par. As is typical, the character in this story has already been injured and is pushing herself to not only compete in this marathon but to finish within the qualifying time for the Olympics. And she also hurts herself multiple times throughout the race yet ignores all common sense and medical advice and keeps on running. Not to mention obsessively calling the detective in charge of the stalker case, her agent, and her coach. All while she’s running a marathon. Ok.

I think part of my issue is that Molly wasn’t a likable character. I didn’t feel bad for her, I just grew tired of her. Because of behavior like not blocking his number so she could keep track of what he was telling her. I mean, come on! It’s not hard to see why another character tells her she loves playing the victim. And even though the detective tells her that she’s busy on the task force of a CHILD KIDNAPPING CASE, Molly still calls her non-stop and even complains that the detective isn’t getting back to her. Ugh. Enough said.

Generally fast paced and an original story but for me certain parts got a little repetitive. An ok read for me. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

My stalker is back.”

M.A. Hunter capably placed me at the London Marathon starting line and put me in the mind of an elite distance runner.

Not only did I become aware of the grueling training, but also the preparations necessary to simply meet the requirements to run in a race of this calibre. It’s not just a train and register event. It’s not just a physical exhaustion. I am in awe of anyone who competes at this level. I appreciated Hunter explaining the preparations done on behalf of the city as well as the mental and psychological preparations of each competitor.

Six months ago, Molly Fitzhume was in hospital recovering from a slipped disc surgery. She was unable to walk and her Olympic dreams were in tatters. She’d finished the 2021 Tokyo Olympics just milliseconds from taking bronze and was determined to grab her chance to go for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer. This marathon, the 44th consecutive marathon in London, is her last chance to place with Team Great Britain. She needs to cross the finish line at two hours and twenty-eight minutes to qualify.

Training for a marathon is a mammoth task, let alone doing it while being harassed both in person and online. Just when Molly thinks she’s got rid of her stalker, he warns her that he’s at the race watching. She now has 28 miles to figure out what he wants, why he’s there - there’s more than just the race to lose.

I felt the tension, the exhaustion, and the inner drive that the race and the harassment were causing. Every page was filled with paranoia and unsettling events. The parallels between the athlete’s body shutting down from race exhaustion and her mind shutting down from a prolonged fight or flight response to her personal safety were excellent. Seeing it all unravel from Molly’s POV was thrilling and knowing that neither Molly nor I could expose her nemesis was unnerving. It made for a compelling read.

Hunter’s balance of Holly’s push to win was phenomenal. I really felt the struggle she had to overcome; the other elite athletes she was competing with, her stalker, her body, and those who were supposedly looking out for her best interests and pretending to be right there with her….

“I’ll do whatever it takes to get to Paris.”

When overcoming a spinal injury with the realization that you may never compete again is the least of your worries, Molly shows us what our inner drive is capable of mastering. It’s a wild sprint to the finish…and I loved it.

I was gifted this copy by Boldwood Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Molly has overcome a lot to be where she is today. Needing to qualify for the Olympics, she has to run the London Marathon.
London is a very lonely city, and besides her agent, her coach, and a fellow athlete, Thea, she has no friends.
However, she does have a stalker. He contacted her via Instagram, and she can't get rid of him.
The police feel as though she is over reacting.
But he is there, while she is running the marathon. She can feel his eyes following her every step.

I wasn't expecting the bulk of this book to take place during the marathon. I am not a runner, but do understand that it is a lonely sport.
However, I thought that during a race, a runner "zones out", concentrates on putting one foot in front of another, and focuses on getting to the finish line.
Molly, however, was constantly on her phone it seems. But she did manage to work out who the stalker was.

So did I. Long before she reached the middle of the race!

I think, if a reader has running and marathons as a hobby, this could be of interest. The story was well plotted and twisty, but not my personal taste.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book.

💎the book has its own rhythm 🎵 you follow the story and you think you know how it will be developed but then comes the surprises ! The feeling of being stalked is not the nicest one but how you can escape it …. The destiny of many people who experienced that personally ! 😭 the book had that point ! Great read ! #thrillseeker #bookstagram #newread #readingtime #readingaddiction #thrillerbooks #thrillerlist #netgalleyreader @netgalley

Molly is a marathon runner and about to run the London Marathon in order to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Unfortunately she has a stalker however the police have told her that he is in prison in Germany. On the day of the London marathon she finds flowers outside her hotel room door, flowers that were her mothers favourite and a note saying he is behind her all the way. Chapters alternate between race day and the training leading up to it and the story with the stalker.

I enjoyed this, possibly more so being a runner. It's been written from very much a runners perspective- giving wonderful descriptions of being out there and battling the elements and the clock, but most of all, yourself again and again. It's a lonely profession in many ways, it made me think of “ The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” a book from long ago, doing as it says in the title but this one has a sinister air of the stalker possibly hovering at every twist and turn. It's clever and a brilliant insight to both the human mind and body and how Molly deals with this through the race. There’s a clever twist, expect the unexpected. Loved it.

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Every Step You Take by M. A. Hunter started off well and was intriguing and suspenseful. But then it just got repetitive and tedious at each mile and the flashbacks with Molly thinking she sees her stalker at the race or second guessing everything.

The ending was okay, and I kind of guessed who was involved about halfway through the book.

#EveryStepYouTake #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks

Publication date: March 28th, 2024
Page count: 338
Genre: domestic thriller
Setting: London

Unique concept drew me in. Found it to be very repetitive. Very dry. Really hard to get through unfortunately. Only completed it because I had requested it from Net Galley.


Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.