The Castaways reminded me a bit of the TV show Lost, but it is a really unique read.

Olive is severely bullied by some of her classmates and while running away from one she is mysteriously transported to an island. There she meets a group of fellow castaways who are all from different places and times in history. The group she befriends is at odds with another group of castaways, so there is more than just finding a way home at stake.

I liked the author's writing style. She did a great job creating interesting characters and a story that kept me glued to the page to find out what happens next. There were some plot points that felt a bit rushed, especially one relating to Will. Overall, though, I thought it was a great YA read.

This book was . . . bad. The writing was clunky and disjointed; it felt like reading a story written by a middle school student and it might be impressive for them but as a published novel, it just didn't work for me. Wouldn't recommend.

I'm terribly behind with this review...

What starts as a game turns deadly in an instant. Olive enters what is supposed to be a simple corn maze. But this maze has a dark past. Olive ends up on a desolate island where a feud rates between two tribes of teens, all who, like Olive, disappeared from various locations around the world. Why have they been kidnapped? And why are these two groups fighting?.

With The Castaways, Fleck has merged elements of Survivor, Lord of the Flies, and Maze Runner, and made Survivor seem far more interesting. These kids are from many places, many eras in time. They don't age, but the threat of violent death is all to real. I found this to be a well-written story, with good pacing. These are characters one can really care about. Fleck doesn't shirk away from the darker side if humanity. There is violence here, and, touching closer to real life, depictions of extreme bullying. I would go so far as to say the latter is a trigger warning.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the chance to review this book.

Easily captivating, great, well rounded characters, and a story that feels both magical and dark!

I was super excited to read this book because it kind of sounded like a mix of Lost and The 100! It definitely did not disappoint and I fell in love with the plot, characters, and that cover is just stunning! Great read!

At first I will admit I thought this was going to be a sort of cheesy attempt to be like LORD OF THE FLIES, but in truth I ended up really liking it! There was a lot of depth to the characters, plot, and themes that I wasn't expecting. It reminded me some of NIL by Lynne Matson, which is a series I love, so that is a point in its favor for sure. I loved how the teens worked together in their 2 separate camps to figure out what was happening to them. The "fights" between the 2 groups were actually frightening at times, and towards the end I was on pins and needles to see how a certain meeting between them would play out. I was glad that Ms. Fleck had a twist up her sleeve to help elucidate that people are not all good or all bad, but that we are instead very complicated. I think had this twist not been there, the story wouldn't have had the depth that made it so string. 

The realization to which the kids finally come, that which may just help them leave this godforesaken place, is quite powerful, and I think the book ended on a perfect note. I would actually be really happy if Ms. Fleck wrote a follow-up to this so we could see how the kids fare after the end of this book!

Thanks as always to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for the early copy of the book. This is my honest rating and review.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This was unexpected! I love a good Young Adult novel and ecspecially the ones that have a unique concept with a little fantasy or science fiction element to them. This was certainly a unique concept with the Castaways Carnival and the corn maze. I liked the characters and the resolution. It was a fun read and would definitely recommend.

My favorite thing about this book is the amazingly colorful cover. It instantly attracted me to the book and I requested to read it. The writing and prose is beautiful.

I feel like this one covered a lot of ground other recent books/series already have.

I like the way this novel is written and the direction of the plot.

I was reading it and stopped when I was at 30ish% of the book onlh to find out when I could go back to it that I didn't want to. In all that time I just hadn't warmed up to any character, and most of those on the island were similar between them. I had enjoyed the book when they were on the institute, but even for me there were lots of things that didn't made sense (and I tend to go with the book and not question things): so kids keep disappearing on the corn maze but they don't close... a peter panish island? really? Coconut bombs? A war on the island going on for centuries and only one person dies? until our main character arrives and kills another and feels regret but she had to do it to save a little one and herself but I buy it all the same I buy the romance?
The narrative was nice, but the book didn't make sense, although you can see is about bullying and abuse and power over others.

I think I really started getting interested when I was about a third of the way into the book. The Trio is an absolute nightmare in terms of bullying. The characters on the island really drew me in and I got a little emotional at the end.

Magnetic book cover + engaging story = the perfect read.
I loved The Castaways, debut novel by Jessika Fleck and I absolutely recommend it! Well written, strong / positive characters and a truly empowering message make this book a "must read".

Holy mother of everything, I loved this book so much. I didn't expect that at all.
There will probably be some vage spoilers cause I need to write about this book and some things that happened.
 
The story is seriously amazing and really creative. The writing is so great and really transported me in the middle of this world.
 
I loved Olive, the main character, right from the start. She got bullied REALLY bad. Like, the trio of girls that bullied her, took things to an insane level.
Later on the island we get many more characters. Characters that I loved from the first moment they showed up, Bug, Tilly (I didn't pick up the book for a day after THE THING happened) and Charlie. The rest of them were all just there and I didn't care that much.
 
I also didn't care much about Will and Olive as a couple. Cause I cared much more about the family dynamics. Before the island I loved the relationship between Olive and her little brother Lucky. On the island I loved Olive and Bug and Charlie, cause it reminded me so much of her moments with her brother. Also the whole family feel of the group, that just found there way on the island and who had to figure out how to life there.
 
I loved the character growth in the story, cause that was what I really cared about in the book. They all had their history, they all went through something terrible. They all grew so much on the island. I just. I'm getting the feels just talking about it. Especially Olive, cause we got the story from her point of view, so we could really see her growth. (The thing she did at the end of the book, back in school. I just. I felt like a proud mama)
 
To make things really short, I loved the book and I highly recommend it.

http://readdayandnight.blogspot.com/2017/04/D-castaways.html

For some reason, I’m a sucker for teens stuck on an island trope. Not in the Lord of the Flies dead pigs and mob mentality sense, but more whatever that TV show was with the plane crash and a bunch of teens on an island that was on Discovery Kids back in the mid 2000’s? I think a kid from High School Musical was on it. 

Anyways.

Olive Maxi Gagmuehler would say her name is the root of all her problems. And she wouldn’t be wrong. Having a name that one can manipulate into innumerable prepubescent jokes will certainly follow you through school and attract bullies. But Olive’s mean girls tend to be a little worse than most, and after fighting back for once, Olive has a larger target on her back. It comes to a head at the Castaway Carnival, a travelling theme park with a history of disappearing children, where Olive is chased into the corn maze that has a habit of eating kids that are running from problems and then spitting them out on a deserted island where they have the chance to work out their issues while fighting for their lives and dodging coconut bombs. Because the universe is nice that way.

Jokes aside, Jessika weaves a story with relatable teens (and lovable little kids) in a rich setting. The island location is vivid, from the treehouse to the mountain, with a cast that has not only figured out how to live day to day, but has built a found family. Among my loves were Tilly, giving Olive a girl her age to interact with, and Bug and Charlie as they are too cute. Then there is complicated Will, of course. The leader and older brother figure, and Olive’s lovely love interest. These are characters you care about: you wonder why they are there, where they came from, what they are doing. The mythology of the island was just as enthralling as the characters, the fact that these kids were pulled from a nonlinear timeline and the reasons that certain kids were pulled, out of the many that have such problems, was something that I wish was explored more.

Despite wishing for a little more regarding the island, The Castaways was entertaining, fast paced, and intriguing with a little swoon. Just the way I like my books.

So much fun! I really enjoyed this book. It started off a bit wobbly to me, but when I passed around the 30% I was so glad I gave it a good chance. I enjoyed the side characters and the adventure of the island. Bigger review to come

Olive Gagmuehler, a bullied teenager, decides to go to the pirate-themed Castaway carnival that’s just come back in Texas. Unfortunately, her bullies gang up on her at the carnival. Left with no other option, Olive runs away into the maze where teenagers have been known to disappear until she lands on a lost island. Two groups of teenagers and kids, the Lions and the Panthers, are at war on that mysterious island, unable to go home. Olive joins them and tries to survive in the wild as well as break the island’s curse keeping them here. But is it really a curse or something much bigger than them that intends to teach them to face their demons?

There are few negative points in that novel, so let’s start with that! The first one is nothing major, only a few typos and mistakes here and there. It was not enough to be annoying, but another round of proofreading would make The Castaways almost perfect. The last point (I told you there were few) is the lack of plot about the mysterious island throughout the book. Sometimes it even seemed as though the kids were not living away from their family and friends, stranded like by magic on that island with no apparent way home. Although I understand the author meant to keep the mystery surrounding the island, I feel like this particular topic could have been tackled more times during the story. Instead, the characters appeared to forget or at least not think a lot about being in an unknown place with perfect strangers. Perhaps their questioning could be present? That’s what I would have loved to read. It would also make for a more realistic situation as I doubt we’d easily go about our business, forgetting how far we are from home and to question ourselves about how we can get home.

Now, how about we talk about the positive points (which are legion)? Let’s go! I found the subtitles to be enticing – it was original and gave a sense of foreboding, which I appreciated. The chapters are generally short, which makes for a fast read. The idea of mixing bullying with a magical island full of warring teenagers and kids is marvellous! Plus, the story’s got quite a lot of action. Just when you think you can start to relax, something unexpected happens and has your blood boiling with excitation! This book contains poignant bullying; it was well-done (unfortunately, I speak from experience so this story particularly moved me) and is laced with a lesson to stand up for oneself, a good surprise! It shows that bullying is eternal, it’s always been there and will keep on being unless we stand up to it. In my opinion, this book managed to show the effects that bullying can have on people, mostly on teenagers. As for the characters, the author made me care about them and more particularly about Olive’s dangerous yet adventurous situation. They’re all different and I could well imagine the teenagers, a feat in itself! The characters seem alive, which was fun to read. As for Olive, the main character, she is a strong heroine (more than she knows) and likeable. I could easily identify with her. Her development as a character was interesting to watch; it was done through highs and lows, just like in real life.

If you’re looking for realistic reactions as well as both inner and external conflict (beautifully conflicted Olive and others), look no more! The Castaways is a gold mine of realism, conflict, and solutions. Not only was this book thrilling, but it was also a pleasure to return to every single time. There were twists and turns I wouldn’t have expected and a pinch of humour that was more than welcomed in the midst of all these emotions. Speaking of emotions, they were well-woven in the tale, which will have you caring for the characters in no time! And they feel real, at least for Olive. By the way, there is a sweet romance in the story and even though I’m not overly fond of romance, I must admit this one was cute in its own right. It didn’t take the space required for the action. Did you know that the main character, Olive Gagmuehler, is somehow ill? She suffers from hyperventilation, which was probably caused by her being bullied. I found the idea of having her suffering from some kind of illness was different and a good move. I connected with her more easily and it makes us want to help her somehow, which only proves my point of the characters being unique and alive in our eyes. The basic needs and survival situations were respected – there was the matter of hygiene, odors, bladder, and else. The descriptive imagery used was great and the vocabulary was diverse. I felt as though I was once again a teenager, stranded on that island with those other kids. Last but not least, the ending wraps up the book quite nicely. It’s like a present with a cute bow on it.

The Castaways is a book I thoroughly enjoyed. It made me experience all kinds of emotions on that roller coaster ride and even managed to make me cry towards the end (and I rarely cry in books nowadays). It is perfect for fans of Peter Pan (yes, the classic story!), Lord of the Flies, and the Red Queen series because of the non-stop action and unexpected twists. 

I give The Castaways a rating of 5 out of 5. It was that fun and really got me deep in the emotions, which I loved! I even have a hard time deleting it from my Kindle Fire to make room for other books – but really, I think I’m going to keep it. Who knows, I might just re-read it one day, something I like to do with books that left their mark on me. Honestly, I wanted to read more of it and I still do. While recommending this novel to other readers, I will definitely look forward to Jessika Fleck’s upcoming works.