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-Quick read
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I enjoyed the read, but I can’t help but feel like I expected a little more from it. Rachel Hawkin’s writing style is very enjoyable, and the short chapters made this read go super quickly. I would recommend this book to those who are fans of drama, horror, adventure, and action. I did not expect the ending which was a nice surprise since I am usually really good at guessing outcomes. I look forward to reading Rachel Hawkins earlier works, and works still to come.

Thank you Netgalley for early access to this title!

Personally, I loved Hawkins’ “The Wife Upstairs”, and I also enjoyed “The Ex Hex”, which she wrote under a pseudonym, but this one just didn’t hit home for me.

From the beginning I was getting “Lord of the Flies” vibes from this, and after teaching that book so many times to my students, it wasn’t what I was hoping for this book. Plus, they mention LOTF as well as Robinson Crusoe numerous times. More than all of this though, it just didn’t seem like a realistic or even plausible plot.

Lux has lost most people who matter to her, and meets Nico who seems ready to explore the world. After deciding to go along with him, there’s a snag in the plans and they end up stopping in Hawaii and are unable to move forward without enough funds to fix up their boat. Enter Brittany and Amma, who seem to have endless amounts of money and want to hire Nico to bring them to a deserted island. Lux is invited after the fact.

When they arrive at Meroe Island, a place known for death, murder, and disappearances, another couple is already there. The six of them bond – a bit too much, and events take on a nearly carefree “what happens at Meroe, stays at Meroe” mindset. Only, it doesn’t. There’s more going on that what Lux (our main narrator) is truly aware of, but it isn’t until it’s too late that everything starts to be revealed. And at that point, Lux might have even become someone she no longer recognizes.

TW: murder, death, gore, drugs, revenge

Lux has been dealt a difficult hand in life. After losing her mother, she meets a handsome, rich young man named Nico who more or less sweeps her off of her feet. He is planning a sailing trip to Hawaii shortly after they meet and asks Lux to meet him there. Since she doesn't have much else going on in her life, she takes a leap and agrees. Once in Hawaii, things are not going as Lux had planned. Shortly after arriving, she learns Nico's boat suffered some damage on the trip, and they can't go on their adventure until they earn enough money to fix it. One day out of the blue, Nico meets two girls who want to hire him to take them to an abandoned island for an absurd amount of money. They even offer to pay to fix his boat to go on this trip. Being the charming boyfriend that he is, he says he will not take them without bringing his girlfriend, Lux. The four of them embark on this adventure which is supposed to only be two weeks long. Once arriving at the island, they find it is not deserted like they thought. There is another couple, on a very expensive yacht, also docked at the island. Although they all become friends and have fun for the first couple of nights, things start to get crazy as relationships become strained and others develop. Once Lux realizes this adventure is not what it originally seemed, it's too late.
I was first drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and the intriguing cover. It did not disappoint. There are so many stories and subplots that I didn't see where it was heading until the very end, I also enjoyed that it takes place in paradise. It was a good winter read to getaway without getting away. Rachel Hawkins did an excellent job on this one.

I'm somewhere between 2.5 & 3 starts for this one. I loved the family upstairs, so I was really excited to read this. But, for most of it, I was kind of bored. There were parts that were really confusing (like all the emails) and there's one major plot twist toward the end that is the most confusing at all (not elaborating due to spoiler). None of the characters are likeable, which actually helps to move it toward the 3 star rating. You hate them all so much that you want to know what happens to all of them. I liked reading about their backstories and toward the end when it all starts unravelling, I was the most interested. But, then it ended, and I was left more confused. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this one to be a nice, slow burn! I read this pretty quickly as well since I couldn’t put it down. I found the storyline to be very entertaining and the characters quite likable in their horribleness. I really enjoyed the twists in this one. Definitely recommend for readers who love a slow burn mystery/suspense read!

My second read from this Author and this one did not disappoint.
While it was a little slow at times, the intriguing plot kept me reading. This is a story where you are kept in suspense waiting for something to happen. All the characters had likable and unlikable traits but I felt very distrusting of them all. Good story with an interesting ending.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press and the Author, Rachel Hawkins for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lux is trying to figure out what she wants and how to make it happen when she follows new love, Nico, to Hawaii where they aren’t exactly living it up. While she is trying to figure out where the money is going to come from to fix his boat so they can travel they are given an opportunity to take 2 college girls to a remote island. The money offered would let them fix the boat and still have money to travel. Secrets are revealed and tension rises, and it remains to be seen who will survive and how far will they go to be the survivor.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins and St. Martins Press for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

I really enjoyed the wife upstairs so was excited when netgalley awarded me an ARC of this book.

As I read this book, I was constantly trying to piece it all together. I knew there was something, but couldn’t quit fit it together. It kept me guessing right until the end.

The book goes back and forth between the before and now which gave us slight insight into the girls pasts are glimpses into personalities.

Overall, I really enjoyed the characters in this book and the storyline, even though I found the characters to be a bit of a hot mess at times.

I was definitely in the mood for a thriller and this one hit all the marks and kept me guessing through the whole story.

I got to the end and was like whhhhaaat! I had no idea and could not have guessed that ending at all. I loved the multi POV of these characters and that the time line went from present to past and back again. It really weaved all those secrets into this story even more. Then you add in the reports and letters from other travellers and this story just gets more and more interesting and you put it down and then right back up because you can feel something is just about to happen.

I feel like telling you more will give too much away you'll just have to read, maybe not on a deserted paradise beach though.

3.75 Stars

“Reckless Girls” by Rachel Hawkins is a suspense/thriller set on a deserted island that had me up all night to get to the end. After reading Hawkins’ “The Wife Upstairs” and loving it last year, I knew I had to give this one a read.

Lux McAllister has been coasting by and living in Hawaii with her boyfriend, Nico, for six months when they get an offer they can’t refuse. College best friends, Amma and Brittany, want to hire them to take them to a remote, deserted island, Meroe Island. Meroe Island has a bit of a creepy history and Nico is ready for the adventure. Lux finds herself being talking into going as well but problems arise pretty soon after they sail off.

This starts off a little slow as Hawkins lays the ground work and introduces all the characters. It’s in Lux’s POV with alternating flashbacks between the other female characters. I really enjoyed that aspect because you get the sense that not everyone is being honest with everyone else and I like trying to figure out how it’s all going to play out in the end. It was also interesting to me to see how different the characters were when you got in their heads vs. how they came across in Lux’s point of view.

Things really pick up once the group gets to the island, they see they’re not the only ones interested in a remote island vacation. Jake and Eliza quickly welcome them and they spend time exploring the island and getting to know one another. Eventually another character shows up and things finally start going sideways. I really enjoyed the creep factor and how well Hawkins was able to build the suspense with all the different characters. As I mentioned above, the island itself has a creepy history and that comes into play with the building tension.

My only real complaint is the ending. It’s okay if you don’t look at it too hard but for me, it left way too many questions to be completely happy with it overall. In the end I do recommend this because mostly, this was a fun, page-turning read. Just beware the ending may have you rolling your eyes in disbelief.

Hawkins is a great writer and I really enjoy how readable her stories are and how descriptive she is. I look forward to reading more from her in the future!

I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. If you enjoyed the author's first book, The Wife Upstairs, you will like this one! Meroe Island, the setting of this book, is a beautiful spot in the Pacific Ocean with a mysterious reputation. But its beauty makes the characters of the book forget about that. Six twentysomething people in two beautiful sailboats end up there at the same time and become friends. But what first appears to be a chance encounter turns out to be more of a setup. The title of the book is appropriate as the girls do appear to be reckless. As the plot thickens, the author allows readers to see more of each person's life and all of the things that brought them to this point. Lux has buried her mom and has been wandering aimlessly when she meets Nico, a beautiful, rich boy who only wants to sail the world. Brittany and Amma are traveling and decide to hire Nico to take them to Meroe. They meet the other boat's occupants, Jake and Eliza, and form a bond. Even on a beautiful island with nothing to do but relax, swim and drink, life gets crazy when another person decides to embark on a visit to Meroe. Twists and turns follow in a way that Rachel Hawkins does well.

OKay Rachel Hawkins really can’t fail, can she? I have been in a massive reading slump and this book made me want to dive back in. I feel like Lux was so relatable in so many ways. She felt very real even though some aspects of this different feel as real. I was just mind blown the entire time. Excellent. Just excellent.

ADULT SUSPENSE NOVEL
-GREAT BUILD UP & ENDING, BUT WANTED A LITTLE BIT MORE
-4 ⭐️
-A MIX OF LORD OF THE FLIES/AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
-CW: MURDER, DEATH, CAR ACCIDENT, DRUGS, ALCOHOL, PRISON, BLOOD, VIOLENCE

Reckless Girls was my first book by Rachel Hawkins, and it had me hooked from the very first page. It was just what I needed, a fast-paced, gripping thriller with a lavish, atmospheric setting and a lot of complicated characters you can't really trust, not exactly likable, but oh so interesting! I loved it. It was really well constructed, the flashback chapters so well placed, each character with a precise and palpable background. I didn't hate the ending like other readers, but I was expecting something more, a little more closure. Some things felt a bit rushed, but the atmosphere and the sense of place were just so great and the whole book so bingeable that I'm still giving it four stars and I recommend it to everyone looking for a deliciously twisty easy read to escape to on a rainy winter day. Overall, it was an amazing reading experience and I'm looking forward to read more from Rachel Hawkins! Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to download this advance digital copy!

I unfortunately couldn't get into this book and had to DNF. I love a good beach/island read (even as a thriller!!!). I also really love a good locked-room setting but this one just didnt work for me.

Oh my gosh, this is NOT a vacation you want to take. To some an off the grid island adventure sounds peaceful, but to me.. I’d be too paranoid something would happen. Are you truly alone? Are the people you are with really trust worthy? And how the heck are you getting home when your boat needs repairs.

I was so excited to receive a copy of Reckless Girls in the mail. I started it right away and read it in a day. I couldn’t put it down.

This was a really interesting one for me because the first half to 2/3 of the book is slower in terms of action but the amount of suspense and tension that was building had me completely hooked. I just kept thinking to myself, “Something BAD is going to happen.” That’s a huge talent for an author to make the reader feel that sense of foreboding and get stressed and anxious while reading.

Then - BAM! Constant action in the last 1/3 of the book. It’s just one thing after another, secrets being revealed, figuring things out…. I was there for the ride and I loved it!

I’m a fan of Rachel Hawkins. I really liked both The Wife Upstairs and The Ex Hex. I will definitely read whatever she writes next!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for my copy of Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

I loved The Wife Upstairs and absolutely adored The Ex Hex so I couldn’t wait to read this one.

This one was a fun one because you had no idea what was going to happen. The characters were interesting especially once they arrive on the island.

Once they are on the island things begin to unravel. I liked this one, but it’s not my favorite. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, but it is because I wanted someone else to have made it through everything.

I can’t wait for her next book. :)

I really, really wanted to like this book. I did not finish because I just couldn't connect with it. I really loved the author's first book, The Wife upstairs, but unfortunately, just couldn't get into this one.

I'm pretty torn on this one. There were some definite things I liked there were a few things that were off. It had that long summer day feeling where your exhausted from the sun and everything is just sort of hazy. There were so many weird coincidences and plot holes that it started to get ridiculous. Overall the story is completely unbelievable. However bizarre the story is though it still manages to suck you in. The author does a great job creating and maintaining tension in the book, taking a fun trip into creepy territory really well. The setting was fun but I wanted more from it. I don't want to say what because I'm trying to avoid spoilers but I was hoping for something different. Overall if you can overlook the parts of the story that seem unbelievable this can be a fun read.