This book has a Lord of Flies type feel. I didn't particularly really like/relate to any of the characters in the book, however, in the latter part of the book Olive was starting to grow on me.

Castaway is wonderfully written, fast paced and gritty. It captured me right from the start with funny characters, interesting ideas and some lovely world building.

Olive is everyone's favourite kid to bully at school. She has a slightly weird name, is a little bit different in that she's not a horrible mean girl, and all she wants is to get on with her life without any hassle. Hassle like being pinned to the bathroom floor by a nasty clique of girls. Hassle like being chased through a maze at the local carnival by the same nasty girls. Hassle like being sucked into some sort of hidden world, with lots of other kids who were running from something through the maze. Because that carnival is full of secrets, but something well established is that every year someone vanishes into thin air in that very maze.

What I like so much about this idea is that it's barely explained for a large portion of the story; the mystery behind the maze really intrigued me. In fact, all we know is that these kids all needed an escape. I love that this kind of helps them fit in, when they otherwise wouldn't have. It's a soppy concept I know, but somehow Fleck makes it really likeable. More than this though, the characters are really unique - mostly because they all come from different years, sometimes a decade apart, but have stopped aging, somehow frozen in time inside their safe little island.

Except the plot thickens. They're not safe at all. There is a war on this island. And Olive and her newly found tribe must work together to avoid being pushed off a cliff by the rogue islanders, and ultimately find a way back home.

The secondary characters are well developed, super likeable and there's a character for any reader in this story because they're all so different. The plot is quite predictable, but it moves so quickly that the excitement of discovering more swiftly counteracts this. Equally, the world building and ways in which the island works are great elements of the narrative with consideration to what island life might be like.

My only complaint was that the story hit me full force with the romance from about half way through. I liked that it was gradually introduced, but I did find it a little cliche, what with the perfectly imperfect nature of Will with his heroic eye patch and slightly crooked nose. I prefer something a little more subtle.

Nevertheless, this is a really great read, with some utterly lovable characters, which I absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a quick, action packed world of fun. Also, how ridiculously beautiful is this cover?

Jessika Fleck created an addicting story that makes you dive full in and not come up for air until you’re done reading the last page. Whether you’re young or young at heart there is something in the story or characters that everyone can find themselves investing in, can discover about themselves.

Since bullying is such a hot button issue in American society right now it’s no surprise Fleck would use this social crime as background for part of her story and as a setting for her character development. After all, seeing a victim progress from a browbeaten kid to a survivor and self-possessed leader is something to behold. I’ve heard it described as something like a combo of Mean Girls and Lord of the Flies and I can see where people would perceive the comparison whereas I’m siding a little more with it being something of a YA version of LOST. There’s plenty of the same adventure and survival instinct that shows up within the characters.

Unlike the reality based Lord of the Flies, this is definitely a Fantasy novel. In LOTF they arrived at the island by a downed plane, here Olive ends up on the island by running into a corn maze as she is trying to escape being abused yet again at the hand of her uncontrollable peers. The detail Fleck puts into building her island world with its two groups of warring kids is incredible and makes you feel like you’re there fighting for your side to win.

I liked how Fleck’s used her various B-list characters to describe and showcase various levels of Olive’s personality; depending on who she was interacting with brought out a different part of her identity much the way we all do. Her characters overall were so realistic, complex and multi-dimensional she was able to display a wide spectrum of human interaction.

Her writing style lend itself to a great pace to keep you interested and she adds a bit of romance between Olive and Will. There’s a little bit of everything to cover a wide continuum of themes; one of which, learning to be okay with yourself regardless of others opinion, is one of the better ones.

Oooooooooooo I loved this. All of it. Everything. It was so good!

The writing was so easy to read that I flew through this hardly putting it down long enough to pee. The characters, the setting, the conflict, the development, the romance, the cover - EVERYTHING was done so well. It's going straight on my favorites list.

Poor Olive, not only does she hate her name, but she seems to always have a knot in her throat. Ouch. I liked the concept of this book - a Pirate Carnival with a cornmaze where kids disappear, an island of lost teens. It did kinda drag in parts, was a bit repetitious, full of clichés. And I didn't care for the ending because I just don't understand how that could happen. But overall it was a fun read.

“Castaways” is an incredible YA fantasy that takes place on “The Island.” Think “The Lord of the Flies” or “The Maze Runner,” although this book is a masterpiece in its own right. Olive Maxi Gagmuehler has always hated her name- she believes it is at the center of why she is bullied and represents everything terrible about her life. Olive is horribly bullied by a trio of girls at her school with real violence. One of the first scenes we witness is the trio holding her down on the bathroom floor while shoving a used tampon into her mouth until she vomits.

It is no wonder that Olive runs through the corn maze to escape the trio after they beat her and shave off some of her hair. What she doesn’t expect is that running through the corn maze will land her somewhere completely different from Texas- “The Island.” This is where the real story begins. Olive is found by a group of children, currently engaged in a war with another set of children. All the kids are from different places and times, although a few came through the same corn maze Olive did (albeit at very different times). On The Island, they don’t age- although death is very real.

The group of kids which found Olive consist of the leader, Will, whose bully Dean leads the other group of children, the adorable and young Bug, who always sneaks into Olive’s bed at night, the young Charlie who won’t speak, Tilly, whose care keeps them all well, and Jude and Lucas. Olive and Will instantly have a connection and a sweet young love forms. Will and Dean came through the same corn maze in the 70s, a bully and his victim. Everyone on The Island was running from something when they landed there, but none of them know how to get back. They’ve been engaged in a war for so long, complete with bombs and deaths- it’s pretty intense.

This is a strong, fascinating and fast-paced book that will keep you guessing. I could easily imagine this turning into an amazing series, but this book has a complete story with an ending that doesn’t leave much room for sequels (so if you like complete stand-alones, this one’s for you!). There is quite a bit of violence and some really extreme bullying in the book- it’s pretty intense. The romance was quick, but I liked it/it was believable enough! It’s definitely worth the read though- I was completely captivated by the story and could not put it down; I loved the characters, I loved The Island, and I loved the mystery of it all. This is a beautifully written book, and I really enjoyed it!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Wow! I can't even express how epic this book was. I couldn't put it down and read it from cover to cover in 24 hours. The Castaways pulls you in from the moment you open the cover when you realize that the main character, Olive is being bullied at school. Through the rest of the book, all I could think about was how Olive was going to get off the island alive and would William go with her. At the end, all I wanted to do was scream at William "Go with here!." But, alas, he couldn't. At the end, I just wanted to cry, but the author made everything better. I'm not going to give it away, but it has a happy ending. Five stars for Jessika Fleck!

This book was actually pretty cool, if you can push aside the clichéd lines, like how the mc can't decipher a look, and how the main guy has a crooked or once broken nose. There is a trio of mean girls in the beginning that definitely put other bullies to shame. They were rough.

Loved the side characters. Especially Tilly and Bug! The whole island situation is pretty cool. The romance did happen a little fast, but it was still cute. Overall an interesting read!