This was an entertaining and fast read with short-ish chapters. A dark story of secrets, betrayal, murder and survival. I liked the concept of being off the grid, escaping to be alone on a deserted tropical island, especially to an island with a dark history. But it's scary at the same time as you are cut off from calling for help and no drinkable water or food, just poisonous fish.

While I enjoyed the story overall, not a single character was likeable, there were a few plot holes (which I won't go further into to avoid spoilers), and the bad language was a bit much for me. I also found the ending a bit predictable. A solid 3 star read.

\This book about people from two different boats unexpectedly meeting at a deserted atoll in the Pacific with a doomed history started out strong. But as with most thrillers that I read, the ending ruined a book that I was otherwise enjoying. This will be a good vacation beach read for anyone who likes thrillers.

This is a Suspense Mystery. This is not one of those books that pulled me in from the beginning, but I did find the beginning so funny at times. The two main characters had to grow on me for a little bit before I got pulled into the storyline. I love that this mystery takes place mostly on an Island that the characters sailed to. I liked and did not liked some of the characters, but they where written to be liked that. I did not see the twisted coming, and they where really good. I have to say if you do not love sailing or Island books then you will not love this book. I think the setting may this book so great from me. The suspense builds up through out this book before the twists is revealed at the end. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) or author (Rachel Hawkins) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

"... she wondered why every time a guy fucked up, he did exactly this - made a girl think somehow it was her fault, that if only she were cooler and more fun..."

I am LOVING the trend of women taking control.
In the Acknowledgments, Hawkins confesses to her long time desire to write a shipwreck novel. She delivered.

A creepy island with a long history and mystical atmosphere draws bold tourists from Hawaii to explore her shores.
Lux still recovering from the devastating loss of her mother, meets Nico - a rich young man with a boat desperate for self funded adventures. After setting sail from California, the boat becomes damaged, forcing Lux and Nico to make Hawaii home.
With the funding from two young women wrapping up a world tour, Nico and Lux agree to take them to Meroe. A decision that will haunt them always.
Loved this book - the story told by Lux with backstory chapters to give the plot depth and movement.
Very enjoyable. Highly recommend.

This felt like I was reading a season of Bachelor in Paradise with a dark dark twist. The characters were unlikeable, but so are reality tv characters, and I would sign up for these season any day! It kept me guessing the whole way and was a very fun ride.

‘Reckless Girls’ or shall we rename it, ‘20 Somethings Making Questionable Decisions’ by Rachel Hawkins was such a fun book! It was a page turning thriller, and I really enjoyed it. Mostly because of the tropical deserted island setting. There’s nothing creepier than the open ocean. 🦈

Lux and Nico sail from Hawaii to the spooky deserted island of Meroe with a couple girls (Amma and Brittany) they don’t know. What could POSSIBLY GO WRONG. Let me tell you, A LOT could go wrong. The group gets there and another boat is anchored and they’re like let’s all be friends and drink a lot on a beach! Let’s make more questionable decisions! But then they find a dead body and shit hits the fan.

Anyway, there’s a lot of background stories for all of the characters and some unnecessary parts (ahem, Robbie). The main girl Lux seemed super naive and was always like ‘yeah that’s seems like a great idea!’ whether they said things like ‘let’s swim in shark infested waters!’ or ‘hey babe I didn’t mean to cheat on you.’

But all in all the story was fun. The chapters were short. I was very invested and wanted to know how it all worked out. I really liked the atmosphere of a creepy jungle island and beautiful beaches. Although it made me want a shower- so much salty hair and sandy cracks.

This book comes out January 4th by @stmartinspress. Thank you @netgalley for this advanced digital copy! It was most enjoyable!

🏝🌊☀️

“Meroe Island is best known for the shipwreck that gave it its name. The sailors of the HMS Meroe were marooned on the island for more than five months, and the handful of survivors were eventually tried in England for the murder of their shipmates. Dark rumors of cannibalism surrounded the trial, the details of which were considered too gruesome to even be mentioned in the newspapers...”

Lux and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail college best friends, Amma and Brittany, to Meroe Island as they conclude their summer of world traveling. Because of its history, the group fully expects the island to be deserted and are shocked to find another boat, owned by Jake and his girlfriend Eliza, already docked when they arrive. Over the next few days the six of them will bond, dark secrets will surface, and questions about how well you know someone or yourself will be answered.

This book is wild! It was fun to read but also really dark in parts. It’s basically a “locked room mystery” that takes place on a remote and infamous island. The author skillfully uses the first half of the book to develop the characters and relevant pieces of their backstory, alternating between the past and present day, without any added fluff or filler. The second half of the book is where the tension begins to set in and facades start to wear away. In other words, that’s when it gets really good!

Fans of The Hunting Wives might like this one — there were a lot of questionable and messy decisions being made in this group and I was here for all of it! I’d encourage readers to go in as blindly as possible. The Goodreads synopsis gives a lot away and sets the reader up to be thinking about certain plot points way too soon.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was fun to not overanalyze or question every motive and just enjoy the story while it unfolded.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

RECKLESS GIRLS, Rachel Hawkins
Pub Date Jan 4

After having been swept off her feet, Lux uproots everything to join Nate in Maui to follow her dreams and travel, which sounds a lot better than running away. But when their boat is not fit to run paradise is threatened that is until a set of friends literally offer enough money to fix their boat and set their dreams a sail. All they need to do is take them to a remote uninhabitable island where death lurks, slithers, swims and stalks at every turn.

Fast paced, domestic-like thriller, that would be a good beach read... so long as you aren’t also marooned.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy.

I liked meeting the various characters stuck on the island in this "locked room"-type story. While there are plot gaps and several things that would not happen in reality, it's still a fast, enjoyable read.

Lux McAllister makes a bold move and agrees to travel the world by boat with the handsome Nico, who she meets one night waitressing. But, months later, besides landing themselves in Hawaii, they haven't done much traveling at all. So, when Nico gets the opportunity to charter two girls to an abandoned atoll with a sketchy past, they decide to climb aboard the Susannah and set sail to Meroe Island. Will the island be the fun in the sun they are all looking for, or will the island's past will out?

Okay, so I'm not normally into atmospheric novels, but I was HERE FOR IT with this one! The writing, the characters, the before/now unraveling, the little snippets of history of Meroe island... it all just worked for me. I've read a few reviews that complain about the bad language, but I honestly didn't even notice it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I was so wrapped up in figuring out what was going on on that secluded little island. One part was slightly unbelievable to me, but I decided to suspend disbelief to not allow it to take away from all that I did enjoy about this book. Check this one out if you're looking for a little island escape this winter!

I enjoyed The Wife Upstairs and wanted to read more from Rachel Hawkins and her newest release was just what I needed to start off my 2022.

I loved every second of this book. I was so immersed in this story and the journey that I didn’t want to put the book down. Lux intrigued me and I loved the traveling to a mysterious island.

I did not see the end coming to be honest with you. I can’t wait to pick up more!

Lux and her boyfriend are hired by two girls named Amma and Brittany to sail them to a deserted island as part of their vacation. When they arrive, they discover another boat anchored in the cove with two mysterious but friendly strangers. They all bond and form a group of six but their harmony is disturbed when cracks begin to show after another less desirable young man arrives on the island as well.

I started last year with Hawkins’ The Wife Upstairs as my first read so it only felt fitting that I started this year off with her newest novel. I was not disappointed! Reckless Girls transported me to a tropical paradise which was a nice escape given I live in Canada which is not having a nice winter. The characters were really well developed and I loved reading all of their back stories in the ‘before’ sections. There was lots of action and it was the perfect length! It didn’t drag at all. I just found a few questions I had logistically, like Lux’s ability to sail (where did that come from?) Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my review copy!

It’s always fun to change things up a little and check out a thriller, particularly if it’s set in a lovely locale. Reckless Girls starts off in Hawaii where Lux is living with her boyfriend Nico until they save enough money to repair Nico’s boat and go sailing off into the sunset. When two travelling college girls approach Nico about chartering his boat to an uninhabited island called Meroe, he jumps at the opportunity. Lux isn’t quite as keen at first, being somewhat mistrustful by nature, but she too sees the opportunity this provides - these girls are paying for their boat to be repaired and then they can begin their travels.

I initially put this book down at about the 15% mark because I this was going to turn into a weird sex-fueled murder party in paradise. I wasn’t exactly wrong about that, but when I picked this back up I was in a better frame of mind to read a  potentially weird thriller story where strangers hang out on an uninhabited island. Yes, there were several points when I rolled my eyes but the mix of flashback scenes for the different characters and the little tidbits of info kept me intrigued. I ended up finishing this book super quickly once I picked it back up and I’m of the opinion that it would make a perfect beach read if you want to wait for summer, but it did provide a nice break from the dreary greyness of winter. 

I feel like this isn’t anything revolutionary in terms of thrillers, though I haven’t read a ton of them. I also ended up not being overly surprised by the ending because I had started to become suspicious of certain characters part way through the book and once a particular character appeared in a flashback scene I had pretty much figured out what was going on. Not surprising, but it was rather thrilling to see how things ultimately played out! A little bit of murder in paradise keeps things exciting!

Overall, a fun read with a lovely setting despite the dark themes. I liked the story even though I did have to return to it when I was more in the mood for this type of book. Oddly enough, it had an empowering amount of women supporting one another... until they didn't. Also, kudos to the cover designer because that’s what made me click on this book in the first place! It's so bright and fun that you can’t help but to notice it and it fits the tropical theme.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

When Lux met Nico she was drowning in depression after the death of her mother. With no friends or family it’s time for a drastic change and when Nico invites her to move to Maui she knew this was the change she needed.
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Living in Hawaii, however, isn’t the escape she desired. She was ready to set sail on Nico’s sailboat but they need money for that. When two college best friends hire Nico to sail them for two weeks to a remote island in the South Pacific this could be the chance to start fresh and start their lives.
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The island has a reputation. Rumors of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and murder. The group laughs if off but those rumors may not be too far off. When they get to the island they find it’s not deserted, and soon enough they begin to question if they will ever get off this island alive.
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What a wild ride to start the year off on. While I guessed the ending I still thoroughly enjoyed this one. My only complaint is I would have liked more at the end. I need to know what else happens in the after!
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Get this on your list for January 4th!
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Thank you
@StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
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Thank You to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.

A mystery, a thriller and of course, murder all wrapped up into one. This story follows a group of six that have ventured to a deserted island with a very dark past for adventure and mystery. But things aren't as they appear to be on the island and those who have ventured far from home - don't quite share everyone's enthusiasm to just vacation for the short time they have together.

This is my first reading from the author and I find it very hard to put down. With the story's progression, she starts off with the main protag. as she and her boyfriend are hired to take a couple of tourists on a trip to island. While on this trip, things start to become a red flag of things either the character didn't see before or tried to ignore. While this is definitely a very interesting close circle mystery, I think it also showcases the way people can hide their true intentions, whether intentionally or not.

Overall, I definitely found this entertaining. I do agree with others, the ending was a little flat but not crazy unrealistic either.

I would most likely read more from this author.

My Rating: 4 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

🄴-🄰🅁🄲 🄺🄸🄽🄳🄻🄴 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆

𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔
𝙱𝚢: Rachel Hawkins / @ladyhawkins
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: @stmartinspress
𝚁𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝙾𝚗: January 4th 2022
@𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 3.86
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 👭👭👭👭 / 5 Girls

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the gifted E-ARC of 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔.

𝐀 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞, 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Lux & Nico are quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. What they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich.

The new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace. That is until a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge. When one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.

I enjoyed this wicked suspense novel so much. It was well crafted and brilliantly creative. I felt the eeriness of the jungle and Robbie's character sure gave me the creeps. One thing you must to is pay attention to all the characters and their stories throughout the novel because although Lux is our main protagonist each chapter brings you back and forth to the past, the present with all the characters. Which all are pretty likeable besides creepy Robbie. But we don't get to know him much so that’s for the best 😉 Fabulous job Rachel Hawkins! I cannot wait to read more from you in the future.

𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔 releases on January 4th

First thought: I need this cover in my bookshelf. Oh man am I ever desperate for some tropical vibes lately! Get my on a plane and by a palm tree soon please. In the meantime, I’ll just read every book that is set in a tropical setting I suppose!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book and I was definitely hooked in the beginning.
Apart from our main character’s story, there were several other side stories going on with the characters as well. I enjoyed this, as we got to dig a bit more in to their possible motives/reasons for being on the island, but I wanted more depth from the other characters. I just wanted to know a liiiitttle bit more about their background stories!

Regardless, I was immersed in this one and couldn't stop reading it! It's worth picking up in 2022!

Thank you Netgallery and St.Martins press for the advanced copy for review!

Six people looking for an escape. An island with a mysterious history.

RECKLESS GIRLS is the perfect title for this book. Some 20-somethings making questionable decisions as they travel the world. Best friends Amma and Brittany hire Lux and her boyfriend Nico to take them to a deserted island. The setting throughout the book kept me on my toes. First there were four strangers trapped on a boat. Then they are met by two other strangers on a mysterious island.

When seventh visitor arrives at the island, things start to unravel. The relationships between the different characters are intriguing. From the beginning I could tell that there was something off about some of the characters. As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed and everyone seems less trustworthy. I really enjoyed the suspenseful undertone. I devoured this story in less than a day — it was the perfect book for me to get lost in.

I really enjoyed Rachel Hawkins’ THE WIFE UPSTAIRS, and RECKLESS GIRLS was another treat to read.

Title: Reckless Girls
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.

But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.

When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.

So, yeah, when every character is a crappy person, it’s a huge turnoff for me. I wasn’t sure about Lux until about 2/3 of the way through the book, so I kept reading, but…I wish I hadn’t. Brittany and Amma were nice on the surface, and so were Jake and Eliza, but you could tell something was off. And who in their right mind would stay in the literal middle of nowhere with no way to contact a soul, with people they don’t know? That’s leaving out the skeevy guy who showed up—and he just served to reveal everyone’s true colors.

Rachel Hawkins is a bestselling author. Reckless Girls is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Do not read at night or alone oh my gosh. I loved this but it scared the hell out of me. Which was exactly what I was hoping it would do. Rachel Hawkins can't write a bad book truthfully.