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After reading several great romances, Antarctica was a welcome change. I d this adventure/thriller mix with a hint of romance.
An all-female group of ten highly qualified professionals with various specialties, form one of three groups who are to spend thirteen months in total isolation in Antarctica. Ty Blackwell is their leader and she had convinced her best friend, meteorologist Jo Petersen, to participate too. Jo is a lone fighter who prefers to run away from problems rather than confront them. She only reluctantly agrees, mainly because Ty asked for her help but also because it’s a great opportunity to do research in Antarctica. Will she be able to survive with no place to run?

After a few training camps, where they got to get to know each other better, the big adventure begins. Ten totally different, smart, and strong women, in a brutal, harsh environment with no possibility of leaving the place and temperatures that make you freeze just reading about it. Will the women grow together as a team or will they fall out and the mission will fail?

The story grabbed me from the beginning. It is told from Jo's point of view, which was a bit surprising, but I have to say it was a good fit. Things happen right from the start, such as destroyed sensors or no replacement elements, which do not appear strange on their own, but become suspicious as they accumulate. What is going on? Is it sabotage? Or are they just stupid coincidences?

What I d best and found fascinating was the changing dynamics between the women. How different they react in challenging situations. Groups form, friendships develop and a possible romance takes shape. A tragedy, communication problems, and discovering dangerous exhibits lead to mistrust, suspicions, and arguments. The uncertainty as to what the incidents are all about makes things difficult for the women. The isolation also takes its toll, it becomes increasingly difficult to remain calm and focused, and the women reach their limits. But each of them is determined not to give up, and they want to know what is going on and who is behind all the threats.

The plot is well constructed and the tension is kept high with a few twists and turns. The interesting and strong-willed Alpha women, who have such different personalities, make the story an entertaining and exciting stay in Antarctica. It's very well written and I almost felt I was one of them.

Thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley for receiving an ARC for an honest review.23 s8 comments Cherie423 1 follower

This is a story about 10 women who set out on an scientific expedition to Antarctica. From the start there was sabotage to the mission. Jo Peterson is the mc and she’s a meteorologist and best friends with the team leader Ty. The team doctor Christina and Jo have a mild romance.

For me there were a lot of characters to keep track of. And the bad guys weren’t developed enough and their plan to take out the women was never fully explained.

I wanted to this book, I d the adventure and the mystery but I needed more character development.

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and enjoy the ARC.8 s8 comments Sue Plant1,828 19

would to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

who would say no to an expedition to the south pole.... not jo peterson when she is approached by her best mate ty blackwell.... the only drawback is that it is for a year, could jo manage a year with strangers in close proximity and in such harsh conditions..... but she agrees

from the very first day at the base camp things dont go well...two of the sensors that jo wanted installed into the ice arent working and her spares are not to be found....

communication becomes an issue with the outside world and could there really be someone in their group that doesnt want this experiment to work

as the days get closer to total blackout. when the planes can no longer come and get them can their group really survive in these harsh condtions when there could be someone close to them that has designs to end their mission before its even begun

interesting read though i didnt feel very close to any of the characters and i missed that closeness....3 s Kaye3,610 51

After just having returned from cruising through parts of Antarctica I jumped into this story. Jo Peterson is a meteorologist and is invited to be part of an elite team of ten women for a year long scientific research mission in Antarctica. The idea behind the mission is preparation for future trips to Mars. So regular communications and supplies are to be extremely limited. Right from the beginning there are issues with some supplies that were ordered but not delivered.

After a death there is suspicion amongst the team and a bit of paranoia sets in. Is it a murder? Is someone trying to sabotage the mission and to what end? Their very lives may depend on if they can trust each other. Jo came on this bucket list mission to support her longtime friend Ty who is mission leader. Christine is the team's medical doctor. There are some potential romantic sparks between Jo and Christine but they need to keep the relationship professional. This is a good mystery that gets mostly resolved by the ending. The author is excellent at increasing the tension along the way but with several characters it takes a while to set up the story.clean mystery netgalley ...more3 s Meghan550 9

This wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. I didn't expect first person POV at all considering the blurb.

Ten women volunteer for a year long assignment in Antarctica and the POV is in Jo Peterson's who is a meteorologist and never stays in one place for long until her best friend asks her to join the expedition. Staying in one place isn't her idea of fun nor is being stuck with ten woman in a small space.

There were a lot of time jumps in the beginning of the book and then throughout the assignment which I d. There was also a layer of suspense with the sabotage, harsh environment and etc. that fights them almost every step of the way. It did keep me reading because I wanted to know how it ended.

There was a hint of romance between Jo and another on the team, but it was mostly flirting as they knew it would be a bad idea to get involved when they were stuck together.

Overall, this was a pretty good book. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.2 s Erin2,316 80

ARC for review. To be published March 14, 2024.

A group of ten women are on a thirteen month scientific assignment, wintering over in Antarctica. Meteorologist Jo Blackwell is invited along by her best friend and team lead Ty Blackwell. Jo usually s to travel from place to place so committing to a year is a tough sell for her but she’ll do it for Ty….plus the chance to be in Antarctica. And the expedition offers many challenges besides living with nine other women, including possible sabotage of their mission.

Set pretty much anything in Antarctica and I’m going to want to read it (and I’ve read some real crap that way.) I d this fine. Would have preferred more focus on the day to day living and less on the adventure, but I’m guessing that is just me. Oh, and there’s a BIG plot hole that as a lawyer really jumped out at me. arc-review2 s David Mueller60

I really enjoyed the story line!1 Jamie 105

The blurb sums it up well! Sapphic suspense and mystery. Not a romance, but does have subtle romantic threads.
10 women from various backgrounds embark on a year long mission in Antarctica. Their goal
Is to prove a group of women can live and work together under extreme conditions. Ty and Jo are the best of friends and Ty has mentored Jo through really difficult times in her life. She invites Jo to go on the journey with her as the weather monitoring person. At first she balks at the idea of being stuck in one place for that length of time, but quickly agrees.
In addition to the below freezing climate, they deal with a death, sabotage, infighting and learning how to lean on each other and become a family in order to survive the extreme stress.
The story was quickly engaging and kept the mystery flowing throughout. Who can they trust? What outside groups are working against them?
I enjoyed this sapphic mystery and will read more from this author.
Thank you to Bella books and MetGalley for the arc.1 Betty648 84

Antarctica is the first novel I’ve read by Katherine Rupley, and I am very impressed. She had me on pins and needles, turning the pages as fast as I could during a good part of this book.

In this story, ten unique, intelligent women scientists will spend thirteen months isolated in one of the most inhospitable places on earth…the South Pole in Antarctica. Ten women, placed in a building of about twelve hundred feet. This is about the same size as a small three bedroom suburban home, and this is where they must work and live for more than a year. This sounds it could be a boring tale, but believe me, it is anything but that. Not only do these ladies have to overcome the harsh realities of where they are, there are influences that want the mission to fail.
We see the story through the eyes of Jo Peterson, the meteorologist of the group. She is a distinct individual, haunted by her past and on the mission mostly because her friend and leader of the mission, Ty Blackwell, asked her to join. Jo is a runner whenever things become too stressful in her life, but that’s not going to be possible in this situation.

The author did an amazing job creating the character of Jo. In fact, all of the ladies on the mission are individuals with quirks and histories that make living and working in such close quarters anything but calm. Add in the harsh climate, almost total isolation from the outside world, and possible sabotage and you have an exciting intrigue-filled thriller.

I only had one problem with the book. The author had a great attention-getting beginning, but after that, the story slowed down and didn’t pick back up until the characters got to their habitat at The South Pole. Once there, the action picked back up and I couldn’t put the book down. There is a lot of information that is needed for the overall plot, though.

I truly enjoyed this story of intrigue, mystery and survival. If you are into adventures in exciting and dangerous places, then definitely try this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bella Books for giving me the chance to read and review this novel.
action-adventure bella-books close-quarters ...more6 s Carolyn McBrideAuthor 4 books106

We’re frequently cautioned not to judge a book by its cover, but the cover of ‘Antarctica’ by Katherine Rupley caught my eye immediately. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from those southern lights! The blurb stood out, too. It’s not often we’re treated to an ensemble cast of strong-willed women who willingly isolate themselves so far from help in a land that can kill the unwary in minutes. We all know that Antarctica is cold, but at the same time, it is unfamiliar enough to be exotic. This was a feature I greatly appreciated.

Rupley’s characters are varied and unique. They each have their reasons for signing up for the mission. A few have secrets, and each is so different from one another in skillsets and personalities, that it’s just a matter of time until sparks fly. This potential powderkeg explodes when it becomes obvious that not all is as it should be. The blurb of this book mentions potential sabotage, and we’re constantly questioning who could be behind it. Their isolation limits the number of suspects while at the same time reducing their resources for assistance. Each of the women responds differently to stress, and it didn’t take long for me to distinguish between the characters. It’s a talented author indeed who can pull off juggling ten different personalities!

While Rupley was ramping up the interpersonal pressure, she didn’t let us forget that the snow and cold are also a grave and immediate danger. I could feel the cold after hiking across frozen drifts with two of the characters. (I won’t tell you why, I’d ruin the story.) You can sense the danger, smell the diesel fuel, and feel your stress levels rise in response. The group’s isolation adds a “locked room” element to this adventure tale, making it the perfect read for those who enjoy a well-written adventure/mystery.

All told, this tale kept me riveted and questioning right up until the very end.
If you’re looking for something different and unpredictable, this is the book you’ll want to read next!adventure3 s Henriette294 11

Challenging: A female team wintering in Antarctica
There are many challenges when wintering in Antarctica close to the South Pole: extreme temperatures, darkness, very close quarters, a lot of science. Add to this the possible sabotage of your habitat and suspicions - and you are about to read Antarctica.
10 female scientists are to prove that not only all male teams are fit to survive without outside support under difficult conditions. The future prize is that female astronauts are declared fit and will be considered as viable options to be send on a mission to Mars.
It shows that the author has done a trip to Antarctica (as have I): There is a lot of realism and I totally enjoyed her descriptions of the setting and the everyday life on station. The mysterious happenings add a sense of adventure to the otherwise maybe quite boring wintering where nothing much can happen (13 months in isolation!). And despite there being lesbians in the mix and some tentative, budding relations are seen the focus is not on hot romantic pursuits which are highly improbable under those harsh conditions.
I really d how the author inserts the deeper issues into the story. The resolution and the end could have been a bit more elaborate. In my opinion the end could have been fleshed out more and felt rushed. Since as a reader I was invested in those women I would have d some „closure“.
To sum it up: a good, realistic read in a captivating and interesting setting. For all who want a bit of adventure and feel the lure of Antarctica you might enjoy this book.

I received an ARC via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.
lesbian sapphic-shelf4 s1 comment Anne635

The story involves ten women scientists who are to spend a year at a station in Antarctica working through various experiments on survival in extreme conditions. Our main point of view comes via Jo who is a meteorologist with commitment issues. She’s best friends with the expedition leader who persuades her that the experience is not to be missed.

From the day they arrive, there are issues and Ms Rupley cleverly uses the tension of ten strangers in a tense, slightly scary environment to ratchet up the angst. Are the ‘bad guys’ internal or external? There are certainly strains within the ten because they are very different people.

The plot is different from the usual formulaic lesfic and that is to be applauded. Having so many characters with ‘similar’ roles made the beginning slow as we had to get them all sorted out. But overall this is a good read and I was happy with the ending and the wrap up. No spoilers here and I can see why the decisions would have been taken as they were for the overall good of the mission and any future female led expeditions.

I’ll certainly be looking out for the next book by Ms Rupley.lesfic Kathleen Gray10.5k 174

Interesting details about Antarctica mixed with a mystery. Know that this is front loaded with info about Antarctica but once this group of ten women are on the continent, it shifts to a suspenseful story. Jo, who narrates, is an expert on extreme weather and she throws in with the experiment to see how a team would cope in isolation- in preparation for future trips to Mars- when she's asked along by her friend Ty. The other nine women each have their own expertise. No spoilers but know there's a death, that there have been threats to the project that begin to manifest, and that Jo's right not to trust everyone. This is more than a little implausible in spots (no spoilers) and there are leaps in time (suddenly they've been there 277 days) but it did keep me turning the pages. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I'll read anything set in Antarctica- this was a good one. Yoly612 44

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