You're stranded on a tropical island that is known to have a dark history. Sounds like the perfect vacation spot right? I mean, come on, all that dark history could simply be the truth fabricated and stretched to sound like a terrible tragedy. Or is it?

I really liked the idea and concept of the story. It reminded me of the kinds of movies I would definitely be interested in watching. I just wasn't super impressed. It felt really slow to me and it honestly didn't pick up till the last 20-30% of the book. It felt predictable although that is not something I find as a bad thing. What I have an issue with it being predictable was that it didn't surprise me or wow me enough to be , "I knew that was going to happen!!!" My reaction was more like, "I knew that was going to happen." See the difference in punctuations? It wasn't a terrible book! Not at all. I found that book to be decent. Okay. Good enough that I'm willing to recommend it to others because they may find it a lot more enjoyable than I did. What I really liked was the epilogue and how the end was wrapped up. It was, to me, the perfect way to end the book.


Many thanks to NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

This is a thriller with lots of twists and turns. Starts out with Lux and her boyfriend, Nico getting an offer to sail two tourists looking for an adventure on a haunted Meroe Island 2 days away from Maui. With the offer of adventure and enough money to fund their own sailing trip afterwards they agree. Things start getting weird when they realize that they are not the only boat anchored by the island they meet a rich couple looking to join in the adventure. Lots of rumors from the island are correct with poisonous fish and sharks surrounding the island and when they find a skull Lux starts feeling very uneasy about staying there. Keep reading to see how all the female characters are connected and who will end up leaving the island alive at the end!

This book is a wild time. 3.5 stars, rounded up to four.

Now, I'm a sucker for isolated, closed-circle mysteries. Give me one of those in a thriller or mystery and, generally speaking, I'm going to like it. And, I think Hawkins did a fantastic job with hers! I loved the setting of the isolated island and how tensions arose between everyone on what, on the surface, is just a fun vacation adventure. It's fast paced, and kept me wanting to read "just one more chapter." This would definitely be a great beach read.

I will say, I can see the end being pretty divisive. I think folks will either love it or hate it. It's...wild. I definitely didn't see it coming. I'm unsure I buy character motivation, but it was still fun if I just suspended disbelief. And the writing wasn't quite my cup of tea. It was repetitive, at times.

All in all, I would recommend this to those wanting a good isolated, closed circle mystery beach read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in one sitting, and refused to sleep until I finished!

I really enjoyed the imagery the author gave so much that I felt like I was on the Island with them for the most part. The flashback scenes bringing everything together was so well thought out, and one of my favorite things about this book.

Seeing how this book played out, I can say that I never knew what was going to happen next at any given moment. I would come up with a theory and then have it debunked in the next chapter which I love. I found Eliza, Jake, Nico, Brittany, Amma, and Lux (I absolutely fell in love with this name) all compelling characters and as I said previously couldn't get enough of the chapters telling how they all ended up there.

Overall I would say this book is a fantastic read if you like twists and turns you don't see coming. It keeps your mind at work and you itching to find out what comes next.

Reckless Girls was a gripping locked room type mystery, but set on a deserted island. It is definitely a page turner and keeps you guessing and misled right up until the very end. I could see this one day becoming a movie. It has summer thriller vibes for sure.

Boat✓
Beautiful weather✓
Hot boyfriend✓
Stunning beaches✓
A boatload (forgive the pun, I couldn't help myself) of money✓
Your own private paradise✓

What more could a girl ask for ?
Lux thinks that's going on an island adventure with her boyfriend and the two women that have hired them to charter the trip will be easy money and a solution to fund their own vacation dreams. Turns out though that everything is not as it seems and paradise becomes something much darker and more sinister as people start to mysteriously die.
I have heard about this book for a while as it has been a hot ticket book title that has been discussed and requested frequently amongst my many book clubs and book swap groups. Everyone is dying to get this book. Basically, to get anyone to part with their arc of Reckless Girls I would have needed to give up my first born child. Needless to say when St. Martin's Press and NetGalley were beyond gracious enough to provide me with an advanced copy of Reckless Girls I about fell out my chair from pure shock as I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to get my hands on this book.
I could not put this book down. With a solid beginning and thrills that just kept coming I was hooked and genuinely sad I finished this book so quickly.
One tiny critique; as much as I adored this book I can honestly say that I did find it very hard to actually like any of the characters. They weren't the nicest people and were absolutely pretentious even at times our protagonist. Although I'm pretty sure that's what Rachel Hawkins is trying to do. All in all this is a great book and a definite beach read for sure.
Again many thank yous to St. Martin's press and NetGalley for advanced copy of this title for review.

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc!

I cannot get over this book. There are books full of twists and turns... and then there is this book which didn't even give me time to guess what was going to happen because all I could do was simply keep up!

Lux is down on her luck. She's living in Maui with her gorgeous boyfriend but she's the one working at hotels and dives trying to pull in the money to keep them afloat. Nico, her boyfriend, is great to look at and has a charming personality making him easy to love but, at the same time, he's a bit too laid back. Luck seems to show itself when two girls, Britney and Amma, offer Nico 50,000 dollars to sail them to Monroe Island... and, of course, Lux is invited. There are many rumors about this island and none of them are good. Lux has no idea what she is getting herself into and neither does the reader until the last page.

Definitely recommend as a thriller! Reckless Girls is fast-paced and non-stop surprises. I absolutely loved this book!

Rachel Hawkins writes fun books. Sometimes all you're looking for an engaging read that isn't overly complicated or grisly, horrific thriller. This is exactly what I've come to expect from Rachel and Reckless Girls delivered in spades. While I generally prefer books that have some redeeming characters this story still kept me interested all the way till the end, and I definitely will not be sailing anytime soon HA!

Thank you so much for an advanced copy and a chance to read this fun ride!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

This was the book I needed right now! I recently read The Wife Upstairs by this author and absolutely loved it. So I was excited to be approved for Hawkins' next thriller on Netgalley.

I would not read the full synopsis for this book because I feel it gives too much away. The basic premise is two girls hire a man to take him to a deserted island for a couple of weeks away from the hustle and bustle of tourists. The man refuses to go unless his girlfriend tags along. She reluctantly agrees and the two sets of strangers take off to the island together.

I absolutely love the author's writing style. It is so easy to read and the story flows so nicely even though you are switching between past and present time. The way the twists were slowly revealed through the past POVs kept me intrigued and interested because I needed to see how things were going to play out for this group of people on the island.

If you love a locked room/isolated setting mystery, then I encourage you to check this one out. It is a fast paced, easy read. I read most of it in one day because I couldn't stop!

Deserted island. All the wine you can drink. A pile of books. Warm waters to swim in and a boat to sleep on. Sounds like bliss doesn't it?

But wait, the island has a bad history. The people you're with have deep dark secrets. Things are hidden in the jungle. Someone comes along to ruin the dynamics of the group.

I kept waiting for something to happen to one or more of the people on the island. Seems all they did was swim and drink. The chapters about the past of these people were more interesting; they gave you perspectives on who might want to gain revenge.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book.

One island. Six visitors. Countless secrets. Meroe is a deserted island with a dark history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and rumors of murder. Six people embark on what was supposed to be a tropical adventure filled with sunny days and intoxicating nights. But when they realize how cut off they are from civilization, the island begins closing in.

HOLY COW. This book absolutely wrecked me. I’m honestly reeling as I sit here writing this review. I devoured this book in two days, if you read it you’ll understand why. I constantly had this sinister feeling in the back of my mind while reading and the suspense was perfect. I loved how the author included flashbacks of the characters’ past because you learned so much about who they are and how they’re all connected. And I loved the deserted island setting! So spooky. Huge thank you to NetGalley + St. Martin’s Press for the E-ARC!

Waited a while to review this because I am torn but it’s like a 3.5 stars rounded up. I really enjoyed Hawkins’ The Wife Upstairs and this cover is beautiful, so I was very excited to start reading this.

The setting was my favorite part - by far. This remote and hauntingly beautiful island was a dream. The inclusion of “historical” documents and writings on the island was genius and added to the eeriness of the setting.

The characters, however, annoyed me tremendously, and honestly, I didn’t care even a little bit if any of them survived. I didn’t find their backstories, even the sob stories, very interesting and their actions never made sense. I really like the title, but calling them reckless may be making those girls sound cooler than they are.

The well-written atmosphere of dread, knowing that something bad was going to happen - but not being able to decide on what that bad thing was going to be - kept me engaged in the plot. Also, during parts of the story, we don’t know if the actions we are reading about are real or imagined by the characters, adding to the thrill of it.

The ending was cheesy. Like eye roll level cheesy. I feel like it was a completely missed opportunity to bring the creepy and mysterious elements back at the end to further confuse the reader. I found it boring that everything got tied up in a (nonsensical) bow at the end.

Nonetheless, this was a binge worthy page turner and I recommend it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to review this ARC!

Well there goes my lust for sailing 🤣. This was one where the plot was more intriguing than the actual story. I had a lot of high hopes going into this story, but I felt like it fell short for me. It felt that the suspense and mystery in the beginning were more interesting than the reveal of the “huge finale”. I did feel disappointed when everything was revealed because I felt the intensity of the story leading up to it didn’t match.

When it comes to mysteries, I love it when it’s a dual time frame. I enjoy reading and piecing together the past and present and how they interlock with one another. The multiple POV was an interesting touch too because it brought the story to a new level. Being able to include every character's history and path to this island added to the heart of the story. Though I did enjoy the layout and the multiple POV, I think all in all the book was so-so for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC

I loved this island thriller! It starts out in Maui but then moves to a creepy island called Mereo, that is steeped in tragic backstories dating back to 1800 shipwrecks and WWII. There are 7 people on the only but who will come out alive?

The story line goes back and forth between the now and before. The now is from Lux’s POV (first person) while the before parts are third person about the various characters with a few letters/emails thrown in about other minor characters.

The setting is brilliant and creepy; however, the characters are all horrible people. I didn’t *like* any of them but I felt varying degrees of sympathy for each. Overall, I devoured this book and thought it was well done. It had me guessing and sitting on the edge of my seat through the whole thing!

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martins press for an advanced copy.

*A detailed review will be up on social media and the blog the week of release. Social media will be posted on release day.*

This was a good, action-packed thriller set on a unique location! This was the story of Lux, a 20-something living in Hawaii with her boyfriend of one year, when she gets fired from her job at a resort. Her boyfriend Nico, rejected his rich family to work on ships in Hawaii, gets the opportunity to sail two tourists to a remote island and enlists Lux to go with him. The island has a sordid history and is essentially abandoned. When they land they discover another couple also checking out the secluded island and then the story takes off.

This kept me interested from the first page. I really enjoyed the journey. However, the ending wasn't for me. This author did a great job with setting the location, dialogue and the plot so I really enjoyed it, but the ending wasn't for me. There were some twists and turns that I predicted but also some that were unexpected. It was a good thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Meroe Island is beautiful, but has a dark past. When six travelers arrive to enjoy paradise, they know the island’s history… but they don’t know each other’s.

I love thrillers with wealthy elite characters just after a fun time, add in an abandoned island and some secrets… even better! I liked the glimpses at the past, even though they didn’t make much sense until it all tied together but that made for a great aha moment. This was a hard book to put down and it would be pretty difficult to predict the ending.

“The world takes a lot from us, doesn’t it? Women like us. Women who don’t get things handed to them. Women without a lot of options. So sometimes, you have to take back. You have to create your own options.”

Reckless Girls comes out 1/4

An interesting read - neither life-altering or can’t-put-downable… might follow the author for backlist & future reads.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Since Lux McAllister lost her mom years earlier she has been trying to find her place in the world. When she meets Nico and he invites her to sail with him to Maui, she is thrilled. Later, Lux and Nico are hired to sail two young women, Brittany and Amma, to Meroe Island. They learn that the remote island is rumored to have a creepy history. When they arrive, they are surprised that they are not the only ones there. On a fancy catamaran, they meet Eliza and Jake. The six of them become quick friends over expensive food and wine shared by the uber rich couple. When they start exploring the island and getting to know each other, things get disturbing fast.
First, I loved the remote island setting and how the characters haunted pasts intertwined with each other. Unfortunately, after all the twists and suspense, the ending wrap up was just meh. Still worth a read if you are looking for a quick, page turner. I did read most of it in a day. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a early digital copy of this book.

This was a snooze fest for me, it was pretty slow. I couldn’t connect with the characters, nor found one I liked. There’s parts where it picks up and gets interesting but then it falls flat or there’s a flash back.

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan publishers
I received a free ARC of Reckless Girls from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review

I really liked this book. Gave me Lord of the flies vibes with the planning and secrets and death in the beautiful tropics. The urban legend part of the story was played up well and added to the drama, to the fears of the islands visitors and let's just say that the saying about a woman scorned takes on a whole new meaning in this book.