Lux and Nico are stuck in Hawaii trying to earn money to fix his sailboat so they can travel around the world together. When they're offered $50K to sail Amma and Brittany to an honest-to-God deserted island, they jump at the chance. Upon arrival, they find that another boat is already there, and they quickly become friends with the rich and gorgeous Jake and Eliza. It's the perfect island vacation, but everyone has a secret. The arrival of another person, Robbie, changes the dynamic of the island and things turn deadly.

This is a propulsive and well-paced thriller that I binged in two days. The book alternates between present-day on the island, and scenes from our cast's histories. These glimpses into the past add to the suspense, as the reader wants to know what secrets the characters are hiding and how they might lead to murder. However, the final reveal and the last chapter are ultimately unsatisfying. There are a few gaping holes in this plot that make the ending a bit too far-fetched for me. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the free digital copy.

"I see you, Lux. I see a woman who cleaned up other people's shit, literally, so that her rich boyfriend could cosplay as a sailor. A woman whose father abandoned her, not once, but twice. I see a woman who deserves some kind of happiness, some kind of freedom in the world....The world took your family. It took mine. So, I'll say it again : we deserve to take back."

Rachel Hawkins delvers again with this hybrid Blue Lagoon/ Lord of the Flies/Thelma and Louise twisty thriller that will keep you breathless until the last page.

Lux is a survivor by circumstance, not by choice. Her mother died after a grueling battle with cancer during her college years and her father has re-married and had more children, effectively closing off a relationship with her. She's scrappy, used to figuring it all out and making her own way in the world. When she meets Nico, she's immediately intrigued. This gorgeous, wealthy free spirit promises her travel and adventure aboard his boat and Lux who has been too saddled down by care-taking and trauma, dismisses any lingering questions and eagerly embraces this opportunity for a fresh new start.

Nico and Lux land in Hawaii. After working for several months, Nico gets approached by two women, Brittany and Amma, who want him to take them to Meroe Island for an off the grid adventure. The island's dark history of cannibalism and death has a "haunted house" appeal that is irrestible to the women. Nico tempted by the huge payout they offer, agrees and brings Lux along for the adventure.

Meroe Island is a picture-perfect paradise-everything that they have been promised. The group soon encounters another boat on the island, carrying a wealthy, fun-loving couple, Eliza and Jake. Soon, their group of six is partying on the beach nightly, drinking, eating delicious food, and sharing...maybe too much.

It seems the island is closing in on them all and as tensions mount and as disaster and even death start to strike, Lux is determined to keep her sanity intact and to do what she does best: Survive.

The slow build-up of the novel might irritate some readers, but it ultimately pays off in the ending reveals. It's a clever thriller with a feminist-leaning that will challenge your thinking and give you a surprise or two.

Definitely a worthy follow-up to The Wife Upstairs, which I also enjoyed and a recommended "add" to your TBR.

A thriller that takes place on a deserted island, what could go wrong?

Six people travel to the beautiful deserted island, Meroe Island, an island known for shipwrecks and rumors of murder. At first life on the island is blissful, swimming in the blue ocean and drinking wine at night. All changes when someone goes missing and a body is found.

Reckless Girls was a fast-paced thriller told during present time and the past. I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it. My only complaint was the ending felt a little too rushed.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The first half of this book seemed sort of like fluffy chick-lit but the ominous feeling that something bad was going to happen kept me reading. Hawkins does a wonderful job of creating an atmosphere of unease and anticipation even before anything really happens. She uses the first part of the book to give the reader backstory on all the characters - making it feel like we know everything that's going to happen. Not even close! I did guess some of the ending but certainly not all of it!

A very entertaining read!

I loved The Wife Upstairs so I knew i had to read her next book! Talk about a book full of unlikable characters this is it. You're not sure who to trust or who is the "good guy" Definitely recommend to all thriller lovers out there!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Already a 5 star on my very first day of 2022? Yes, fellow readers, Rachel Hawkins certainly kept me firmly planted in one spot for a few hours in her latest suspense thriller. A “murder in a boat/ isolated island” plot is a surefire way to keep me interested. Set in Hawaii, Lux and her boyfriend Nico are working hard to save up money to travel the world by boat. Recently fired from her hotel housekeeping job, Lux is invited by Nico to help two tourists explore a much-famed isolated island. Wary of the two girls, Amma and Brittany and very reluctant to just let them be with her very handsome boyfriend, Lux accepts adventure. But something seems very off and it becomes even stranger when they arrive on the island.

As the story alternates from the perspective of different characters and illusions to the mysterious fatal nature of the island, one thing is for certain, this is my first favorite read of 2022.

Expected Publication Date 04/01/22
Goodreads review published 03/01/22

* Also reviewed on Facebook and Instagram

Reckless Girls is a great, exciting suspense novel! Being stranded on a remote island with 6 strangers, you know something is going to go down! Trying to figure out when something was going to happen is what kept me reading! I was hooked! I didn't know if the island was going to cause a character to go mad or if a character was already plotting. This ending took me by surprise, but that is what made it a great book!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“She worked out that thing, that thing that takes most people ages to learn— no one really wants you to he yourself they only want to see themselves reflected back at them.”

This book was okay. It was like asking for sprite but getting 7-up or Sierra Mist, yah know? Perfectly FINE, not exactly what you wanted, but you won’t kick up a fuss.

What could have been better?
The book was cliche and minimal character depth. There wasn’t a lot of suspense, which I kill for in a thriller. Honestly, the premise reminded me of the Amazon prime original series The Wilds, but it’s not as good or dark (10/10 would recommend that show if you’re looking for something to binge). There was a lot of promise and I just don’t think it made it there.

What I enjoyed?
The book was fast paced and I didn’t hate it. It was entertaining enough to keep me interested so I could finish. The book also has some good commentary on the rich and the privilege they hold. The books is what I would classify under: palate cleanser.

If you’re looking for an easy read that you’ll get through quickly, then I’d give this a shot!

Wow! I had so much fun reading <i>Reckless Girls</i>. The characters are unique and highly realistic, and even though there wasn't a ton of action, I was never bored. The slow reveal of people's pasts and the drama between them was so satisfying and juicy.
While I did guess the twist, and the ending wasn't very surprising, I still really enjoyed it.
This is 100% the perfect beach read for 2022.

I devoured this book. I read it in one day, and I only put it down when I absolutely had to. I loved the remote island setting. It is beautifully described and you really get a feel for what it looked like and how the characters felt about being there. Which brings me to the characters. The story is told from the POV of Lux, who leaves her life behind to go to Hawaii with her boyfriend, Nico. I really liked her as a narrator. It is interspersed with flashbacks from some of the other characters, which I honestly wish there was a bit more of because I felt like their backstories were important. Also, some of the characters made some unwise decisions, but that didn't take away from the overall story for me. I did like the overarching theme of this one and kind of wish it had been talked about more. This was a solid read to begin the year and I'm glad I read it! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the advanced copy of this book.

Pure, page-to-page, evil-good FUN! 😈

⏰ 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫: Lux McAlister and her boyfriend Nico agree to take two fellow 20-somethings (Amma and Brittany) on a sail to isolated (and seemingly haunted) Meroe Island. But upon arrival there’s another boat there belonging to uber-rich Jake and his girlfriend Eliza, but everyone hits it off and thus a lively party ensues (cue the bro fist bumping)… until the party ends with the arrival of an unwanted interloper, and then the dead bodies…

💡𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: Oh Ms. Hawkins, this is my 2nd novel I’ve read of yours and I’m thinking we could be BFFs, which probably means we shouldn’t hang out because I LOVE how your sinister, devious mind works, sister! 😂 Let’s put it this way - call me in the middle of the night if you need a shovel. I won’t ask any questions. 😂

This is the COVID society antidote right here - shameless, guilty-reading pleasure with paradise as the setting. Hawkins has found her stride in this novel and what I’m discovering is she takes RISKS in her writing (YES!!!!), and I’m in the front row applauding. She’s become a veritable Robin Hood of the “Domestic-ish Thriller” - those “it” books of the last 10 years with lavish lifestyles on display - beautiful people, tons of money, stay-at-home ladies who lunch? But Hawkins includes a character in the “have not” category and TWIST! She’s not afraid to make the reader question EVERY character and ask, “Who can be trusted here?”

Reckless is a breath of vindictive, vengeance-themed reading at the perfect time for me (post break-up, kinda in a “men suck” fugue). Everything happens in the last 30% of this book (no spoilers) so hang in for THAT ride and hold on tight. The anticipation, the suspense building in the first 70% is palpable and sets you up for all the weird feels you’ll have in the finale.

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆𝗠𝗮𝗴𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

📚𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Mystery, Thriller, Psychological

😍𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: Anyone who likes a good ol’ “hmmm, did they deserve that?” tale. Book clubs, fans of the genre. Especially good if you’ve had it up to here with lying dudes.

🙅‍♀️ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: I suppose some might not like some anti-hero with their coffee. Easily offended rich people.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for making me feel better about dumping my idiot boyfriend.

From Rachel Hawkins, the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, comes Reckless Girls, a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy of this book. This in no way affects my review, all opinions are my own.

Reckless Girls was a really fun read to kick off 2022! We follow our main character Lux, who is given a unique opportunity to travel to the mysterious tropical Meroe Island with her boyfriend Nico and a couple of college girls looking for an adventure off the beaten path. I really liked how the story started out with this found family aspect that helped build the suspense of 'Well, what's going to go wrong here?'. Because everyone gave off this perfect, sunny, and adventurous persona, it made it all the more interesting to learn the characters' backgrounds and flaws until ultimately we find out who is not making it off Meroe Island in the end.

My issue with this book is that while the beginning builds up really well, the middle of the book is pretty slow. I wish there had been something more shocking in the earlier parts of the book to keep me on my toes, but none of the real drama happened until towards the end. I also think it was too unrealistic how all of the pieces came together. It was too neat and tidy to be believable in any way. Despite all of this, I did enjoy reading the book itself because I found the characters so interesting and Hawkins' description of Meroe Island was picturesque and made me feel like I was really there. Overall, despite my issues with the plot itself I still had fun reading this story that offered me a much needed break from reality.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

I absolutely loved Rachel Hawkins’ The Wife Upstairs and couldn’t wait to read her next thriller. Reckless Girls is a fun, entertaining spin on an Agatha Christie tale. It tells the story of six people who go on a trip to Meroe Island. However, what starts as a fun getaway turns into a nightmare when one person goes missing and another turns up dead.

This is such a read-by-the-pool popcorn thriller. The cover alone makes me wish it was summer. I love any thriller that is set on a secluded island and this one has the perfect setting. It is a slow-burn suspense with multiple timelines that keep the pages turning. Fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware will love this one!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to be posted on publication date.

This was a bit dramatic, but all thrillers tend to be.

Is this a thriller? Or a beach read gone wrong?

I’m still not entirely sure.

And while I called the twist pretty early on, I did think this book was written well and was really fast paced and entertaining.

I enjoyed my time reading it, and at the end of the day that’s all I want from books like this!

This book was my 50th of this year - which I didn’t think I’d hit so it’s special to me in that regard. However, I wanted a lot more from this book. I expected there to be more suspense and action but it fell a little flat for me. I also thought the flashback chapters were a bit boring at times. Overall this book had a good ending so it’s worth a read but wasn’t my favorite thriller of the year.

3.5 out of 5 for me.

Underwhelming.

Lux and her boyfriend, Nico, have moved to Maui and are trying to make ends meet before living Nico’s dream of life at sea. When two rich girls make a huge offer to sail to a deserted island, it seems Lux and Nico’s financial troubles may be over. On Meroe island they meet a couple on vacation who know how to party. The island’s troubled past begins to loom a large shadow over their trip, and tensions begin to flare as a seventh person arrives on the island. Lux must ask herself how much she actually knows about her island-mates as she fights for survival.

Unfortunately, Reckless Girls offered more than it could live up to. With all the dark and mysterious backstory of Meroe Island, the final results of the book were incredibly mundane and predictable. The characters were boring tropes that have been done to death and I couldn’t find myself caring for a single one of them. I will say that while I didn’t enjoy the book, I found Hawkins’ writing easy to digest.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for the ARC.

I am a fan of Rachel Hawkins- The Wife Upstairs and The Ex Hex- and this is some of her best work. A slow burn thriller in the sun, this is a great escape from the winter blues. An uninhabited tropical island, sunny and secluded, and far from civilization with lots of dark secrets. You don't believe in cursed islands, do you?!

The locked island mystery (how cool is that term?!) gave me ominous foreboding The Beach vibes in a gorgeous, mysterious setting with creepy, gothic-like possibilities. Great flashbacks scenes and untrustworthy characters really supported the build of the book. The twist at the end I definitely did not see coming. This was a really excellent read, highly recommend. 4.5 Stars.

This was one I was very much looking forward to after reading her other book, The Wife Upstairs. Reckless Girls gave me very much escapism vibes to a remote island which was perfect to read during our blizzard. The story was very well written and you can see the shift in characters as their time on the island continues. However, it took a while to get to the plot and I still felt something missing at the end. Overall, a decent read!

Lux and her boyfriend Nico are hired by two college girls to sail them on an adventure to uninhabited Meroe Island but when they arrive, they find another boat with two passengers who had the same idea. The six quickly become friends and decide to vacation together but with each hiding a dark secret and the island supposedly cursed, it's not long before things start to go terribly wrong.

As she did with her previous book, Hawkins borrows from a classic (in this case, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴) and keeps the pace brisk. I love her flair for dialogue - no matter how outlandish the circumstances, it always grounds her characters in reality. There's not a likable person in this group (which is the point) and the alternating timelines ("now" from Lux's first person POV and third-person "before" chapters establish how the others came to be on the island) keep you guessing about who's responsible for what's happening on the island. The twist at the end completely surprised me but also left me with questions that I can't wait to discuss with #TheYearofNetGalley buddy read. If you're looking for a fun, quick, suspenseful book, look no further.

3.75 stars rounded up

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the copy to review.

Y’all. Whoa. #recklessgirls by #rachelhawkins who also gifted us with #thewifeupstairs brings us this new wtf book. In a great way. Lux meets Nico. Together they have a dream. Fix his boat. And sail around the world visiting exotic places. When they meet two girls who want to pay Nico very handsomely for a trip to a deserted island from #wwii when they arrive they meet two strangers. The six of them become fast friends. Then. Another stranger appears to visit. That’s when things get weird. Get ready to stay up all night devouring this book and discover what happens to these people. #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #booktwoof2022 #netgalley #bookreview