Lux and her boyfriend have been hired to sale two women to a remote island in the South Pacific. This island has a dark past though, and suddenly their Paradise is a place of nightmares. 🌺🏝️🦈🥥⛵🎣

This book was sooooo good! It grabbed my attention from the beginning, and was impossible to put down. I lost so much sleep last night because I simply had to finish it! I cannot recommend this book enough! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love the summer vibes of this cover, and it definitely has me longing for warmer weather! The snow was fun, but now I am ready for warm weather and sunshine! ☀️☀️☀️

Secrets, retaliation, and survival on a not quite deserted island

“Reckless Girls” is the story of an “island in paradise” vacation that terribly went wrong, but perhaps it was doomed from the start. Lux McAllister and boyfriend Nicholas Johannsen III, Nico, live in Hawaii; the narrative unfolds mostly in Lux’s narrative and occasionally in other voices. Chapters alternate between events “before” and events “now.” These flashbacks show how people got to this time and place and what baggage they brought with them. There are also interludes containing unsettling reports of past tragic events on Meroe Island.

Amma and Brittany charter Nico, and his boat to take them for a two-week on exotic Meroe Island, a getaway from everyone and everything. It should be exciting, restful, and fun, but it turns out to be something quite different. The trip to the island is dangerous as storms pound the ship, and that is just the start of the drama. The island that should provide rest from the traumatic journey and a peaceful respite from the world holds surprises. Another boat with another couple arrives, and suddenly nothing is going as it should; no one can be trusted. Secrets from “before” come crashing into “now” with disastrous results. Dark currents of evil float beneath the playful, shining surfaces of the beach waves.

This vacation was not supposed to an adventure, a good time on a tropical island; it was something very different. I received a review copy of “Reckless Girls” from Rachel Hawkins and St. Martin’s Press. Accidents happen so easily on a deserted island; there are a million different ways to die. I read with trepidation as they perished one by one, wondering who would be left.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

I honestly super enjoyed this mayhem of a reading ride. This was so obsessively addicting to read, it was actually impossible to set down. And being in year 2 of the pandemic with no travel yet in sight, this was the perfect island escape I needed.

While this story goes so wildly nuts and takes some crazy turns, it never stops being 100% entertaining, and I think that is the key thing. It had a fantastic mix of characters who you dislike to varying degrees, layers of secrets that slowly reveal themselves through flashbacks and perspective jumps. It has a fun closed door mystery aspect taking place on a boat/deserted island. It has murder and drama and it was just fun. Fun to read, fun to guess what was happening, fun to finish.

If you just need escapism in a book.....this is it.

Reckless Girls is a fast paced read that kept the momentum from beginning to end. It's a twisted beach read meets haunted island thriller and no one is who they first appear.

The plot line is a little unbelievable at times but it kept might attention and was especially fun for a winter weekend read. If you enjoy plot lines with imperfect (and sometimes unlikeable) characters and plenty of suspense, this one might be for you as well!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy.

A deserted island, beautiful young people, and copious amounts of alcohol-what could go wrong? In Rachel Hawkins latest release, Reckless Girls, the reader is taken on a fast-paced journey to a remote island several days away off the coast of Maui. Lux is at loose ends-losing her mother after years of taking care of her during cancer treatments, she meets handsome sailor Nico in a bar in San Diego and they head to Maui together. Six months later they are crashing with friends while trying to save money for their next sailing adventure. When two young college-aged girls approach Nico with an offer to sail them to the deserted island of Meroe-and $50k for his efforts-he jumps at the chance and convinces Lux to join them. The island has a haunted, grisly history and after a few idyllic days it is clear they may be in the fight for their lives as the reckless girls are hiding deadly secrets.

Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, Lucey Foley and Ruth Ware-if you love psychological mysteries, pick this one up today!

Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…who wants a vacation with stress? This group of young people get what they did not ask for…although this is not the story I love to read, younger readers…in twenties…might be engrossed…

Nico and Lux want to sail the world, but lack the funds to fix their boat. Enter Brittany and Amma, two college girls who want a different kind of adventure- they want to charter Nico's boat to Meroe Island, a deserted atoll in the middle of the Pacific. What could go wrong? Let me tell you- this is a wild ride! The suspense slowly builds as the book unfolds, with several "Before" chapters that show that each person on the island is not quite how they appear to be. I loved how the book slowly becomes more and more creepy until everything starts happening. I couldn't put it down!

Lux and her boyfriend Nico are hired to sail two friends to a secluded island. When they get there there is already another boat anchored. The foursome now becomes a group of six and they all settle into the island and have a good time. But of course, things eventually turn deadly as someone new joins them on the island, someone goes missing and another turns up dead.

This is a fast paced thriller that was a lot of fun, even if you can predict what's coming next. I really enjoyed the setting and atmosphere of the remote island they were on. The characters were ones you were never quite rooting for because you knew they were bad people and you wanted to know why.

I do wish the ending was a little better. It was kind of lackluster but it’s not a deal breaker, I still enjoyed the book!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars- I found the first half rather slow. I didn’t feel the characters had any real personalities. The descriptions of what was happening on the island made me want to finish this but the ending was such a letdown. I reread the last few chapters twice and still didn’t understand what really happened.

This book had me from page one! When Lux and her boyfriend are approached by two strangers who want to hire them to sail to a paradise island, how could they say no? (Ok, they probably should have said no.....but anyway....). Hearts are broken and lives are destroyed when the island of paradise turns into an island of terror. It's Agatha Christie meets Outer Banks. I loved it!

Life in Hawaii isn’t quite living up to the dream that Lux and her boyfriend Nico imagined when they set sail for Maui. She has had to take a job as a maid at a high end hotel, and he seems content enough to let her clean rooms and pay the bills while he works on the docks.

Their boat-“The Susannah” is in need of repairs they can’t afford-the adventures they planned are on hold.

Until, college friends Brittany and Amma, arrive and offer Nico $50,000 to be their Captain. They want to travel to Meroe Island-named for a shipwreck where 32 sailors lived-but only 8 survived. It’s beautiful, and off the beaten path but some say it’s cursed- which makes it seem just dangerous enough to be alluring…..

But, when they get there-they aren’t alone.

A beautiful Catamaran, “The Azure Sky” is anchored offshore and now, with Jake and Eliza, they become a party of six on the exotic Island.

How many will survive this time?

I don’t know why the synopsis calls this “gothic suspense “-I don’t think it fits that description at all.

It reminded me of Samantha Downing’s “He Started It” in style. That one was a road trip-this one a sailing adventure and both were a “may the best man win” kind of book. If that is appealing to you-grab a life vest and set sail with this bunch..I could practically smell the suntan oil, and feel the heat of the sun.

I loved this one ! I love a locked room type of mystery and this one is fast paced and doesn’t disappoint! Thank you for an opportunity to read it !

Chaos abound in Reckless Girls — Lux agrees to join her boyfriend Nico who accepts a job to sail 2 young women from Hawaii to Meroe Island. The girls, Brittany and Amma, have money to spend and are looking for an adventure off the beaten path. ⁣

When they arrive at Meroe, another boat is there with a picture perfect couple, Eliza and Jake. The crew of 6 begin to bond and spend their time on the remote island together, however as time continues, all isn’t as it seems. There are increasing fractions among the group as another visitor arrives and the unusual history surrounding the island surfaces. ⁣
⁣
Overall, Reckless Girls has a slower pace with tension that continues to build but ramps up, significantly, in the last quarter of the book — Far fetched and unrealistic? Yeah, a bit, and it’s best to know that heading into the story. I’ve seen lots of mixed reviews for this one and I get it. The amount of action in the conclusion of the book is definitely a reach but I still enjoyed the ride.

First of all I love the cover, it is mighty cold here in Massachusetts and I could tell just by the cover this one was going to take place somewhere warm. Luckily, it did and it made me long to be where the weather is much, much warmer. The setting in this one had me from the very beginning. The idea of a creepy deserted island with a creepy past in the pacific ocean definitely had my attention! It was just as eerie as promised as Hawkins set the scene for a lord of the flies esque plot line. A group of strangers find themselves stuck on a deserted island with no way to communicate with the outside world. All of them have secrets, some worth killing over. I enjoyed the multiple POV and the back and forth between the past and the present day. It really provided the build up needed to keep the story interesting and provided the necessary backstory details. It was a quick and enjoyable read. However, I did not love the ending. It was a bit strange and far fetched for my liking but overall a good story.

I recorded a review of this thriller as an audiobook, and I’m glad I did. The audiobook narrator was exceptionally good, and had it not been for their delivery I may not have made it to completion of this novel. This book was what I deemed a White Lotus meets White Feminism, a thriller without a lot of thrills. It was a perfectly acceptable and fun beach read, if you’re looking for something beach related to sink into for a weekend.

This just didn't hold my attention and I honestly didn't care about what was going to happen to any of the characters. I usually love all of Rachel's books so maybe it was just the plot here that didn't work for me? IDK. Just not feeling it.

Not every book works for everyone eh?

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins is a head spinning psychological thriller.
I really loved the characters that were well written, dynamic and multi-dimensional.

The setting of Meroe Island makes the perfect setting for a murder.

This is a complex, well written thriller.

I really enjoyed this book and all the twists and turns and the ENDING OMG!!!

2.5 stars rounded up

What I Liked:
-Unique plot and the book was an easy, quick read. I read this in one sitting.
-Loved the setting and how creepy the island seemed.
-I didn't guess the plot twist at the end!
-I liked how we got to see each characters story in flashbacks.

What I Didn't Like/Wanted More Of:
-The pacing was SUPER off. The beginning and middle were way too long and the ending was way to quick. It was almost confusing, it was so quick.
-I didn't get a good grasp of these characters at all. The were very flat. I actually hated them all.
-There were a lot of plot holes that I just couldn't get behind. Maybe plot holes is the wrong word, but a lot of what happened just was SO unrealistic.
-I didn't really understand the necessity behind the like, social media posts and quotes between each section?

Multiple POV. This was a quick read! We have Lux and Nico. Lux moved to Hawaii to follow her boyfriend in hope for adventure after a tragic but those plans were derailed when his boat needed some fixing. Now they get the opportunity when Nico is asked by two young women, Brittany & Amma, if he can take them to an island that is inhabited and has history of tragedy. With the money they are offering him her is able to fix the boat and do Lux is able to join them. However, when they arrive at the island there is already a couple there who seem to have it all. Soon the six of them Willow into a routine the days they spend there but then things begin to change and comes to head when a newcomer goes to the island. Everyone seems to have secrets and their own reasons for being there. What Lux was hoping to be an adventure with her boyfriend to something more and maybe a bit dangerous.

Overall, I enjoyed this one more than the authors previous book, The Wife Upstairs. However, I didn’t really care for the characters but kept reading because I wanted to see if I was able to see what was coming. I was able to piece most things together and you see how each person slowly begins to really crumble under secrets? The island? Lies?. If you like quick reads where most of the story takes place at an island and with some iffy characters you just might love this one.

Thanks to stmartinspress and netgalley for my review copy.

Locked boat/island thriller with 2 POV’s- Lux now and Before in 3rd person.

This had the feeling of everything being just a tinge off which added to the atmosphere Hawkins was going for!

The characters felt a bit vapid to me, not much growth for any of them.