I received an invitation from the publisher to read/review an ARC of this upcoming mystery/thriller from Rachel Hawkins. Having read and enjoyed one of the author's previous works, The Wife Upstairs, I was happy to accept the invitation.

Reckless Girls does not measure up to The Wife Upstairs. In many entertaining novels, one needs to suspend disbelief and let yourself go along with the ride the author is taking you on. But I just get the feeling that anything about this story was remotely real.

It is about a small group of young people who come together, partly by happenstance, on an uninhabited and deserted island on the Pacific Ocean. The narrator of the book is a young woman named Lux,who meets up with a guy (Nico) with a boat on Maui. Nico gets hired for $50,000 (!!!) to take two young women to this small island. There they meet another couple, who also have a boat. And money. And drugs.

The little island has a spooky history and the rest of the story of these young people adds to this spooky history. But the characters don't seem real, the interactions between the characters are pretty random and the end result of this adventure is pretty morbid.

Previous reviews are far more favorable. The story did move at a good pace and there were many twists. But I had higher expectations.

Last year, I was given The Wife Upstairs, to review. Having loved it, I jumped at the chance to review Reckless Girls as well. I was not disappointed.

I found Reckless Girls to be a couple shades darker than the Wife Upstairs. I spent a lot of the book feeling uncomfortable, but to be fair, I hate boats and a deserted island sounds like a nightmare to me, even without any dead bodies. My discomfort didn’t detract from how much I enjoyed the story though, it only made it feel more tense. That’s never a bad thing when reading this kind of story.

I was so excited to get this book after loving The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. I felt a sense if unease through this entire book even when I wasn't sure why! I loved the setting and for the most part the characters but the ending put it at a 4 star for me as I felt like it just didn't make sense. Overall a great read that I would recommend to others!

Loved, loved, loved this mind blowing good book! Better than her first book; riveting, unique, fast paced, and unputdownable!! Really snoring me just how good of an author Rachel Hawkins is! Tension so thick you can cut it, twisty turns, thrills, chills, depravity, and shocks! Well written, with fantastic character development! Highly, highly recommend! Definitely clear your schedule before you start, as it’s one you won’t want to stop once you’ve started!

Will buzz around and use top Amazon reviewer number on release date!

Rachel Hawkins is one of my favorite authors! This book was so good!! I was thrilled that I was approved to read this book and sat up all night to finish. I highly recommend this book and every other book she has ever written.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this book!

Say hello to a tight, twisty thriller that will make you stay up at night clinging to every word.

It takes you to the middle of the Pacific Ocean at a place called, "Meroe Island," named after a shipwreck. It's described as heavenly with the brightest blue colors of the sea comforted with warm waters. It seems to be a destination of choice except there's no drinking water, the fish have toxins, the jungle is dark and the visitors have a tendency to get sucked in without ever having a chance to leave. Only a few brave travelers go there.

Lux was living in San Diego when she met her boyfriend, Nico, while working at a restaurant. He was the reason she moved to Hawaii to be with him in spite of her poor living conditions. She despised her job as a housekeeper and it wasn't fun living in a crowded tiny house. She hoped they would be living on Nic's sailboat, "The Susannah," named after an old girlfriend. But it had problems that were expensive to repair. Nic had a job at the marina making low wages. His family, however, was beyond rich with houses all over and millions made from the stock market. But he refused to ask his father for money.

Then there was hope for a better life. Nico said two girls on vacation were willing to pay him $50,000 to take them to Meroe Island on his sailboat. Lux wasn't going to be left behind. It sounded like trouble was brewing with these two beautiful girls but Lux realized they needed the money. He managed to get the boat in gear and all four made it to their destination through a wicked storm only to meet another couple already anchored with their beautiful boat, "Azure Sky" filled with luxuries.

Like many thrillers, I had questions in my mind if this could ever happen. All the characters were well described and the plot was fast moving. With clues, it's sometimes easy to predict the ending but not with this book. I enjoyed it as much as her previous book, "The Wife Upstairs." It took a lot of thought and research to create all the clever movements of this story,.

My thanks to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin's Press and NetGallery for allowing me to read this book to be released in the beginning of 2022.

Hawkins is fast becoming my favorite author. This book has everything I love in a story—including the secluded island which I’ve loved since I watched the first episode of LOST. With two giant twists I never saw coming, a whirlwind of secrets, lies, and betrayals, and a sun-soaked setting, this is—without a doubt—my favorite read of 2021!

Are you tired of being nice? Don't you just wanna go apeshit?

Do you have those authors that you just trust? An author that you'll read anything they write even if it's not your usual cup of tea? Rachel Hawkins is one of those authors for me.

I was able to read an early egalley of this and WOW. So lush. So sinister. I had an unshakable feeling of giddy unease through the whole book. We meet a group of people who all seem to be looking to escape to paradise, temporarily, at least. Unfortunately for them, paradise becomes a claustrophobic nightmare in this Beach Gothic. The kind of book you don't want to put down. The kind you want to finish in one sitting because you've got to know what that reaction meant. Incredible and gasp-worthy by the end. Loved every word.

I flew through The Reckless Girls in one sitting. It's the perfect thriller to curl up with on a rainy day. The island setting was both really intriguing (the ominous backstory!) and a refreshing change of scenery for this kind of story. While sometimes the time jumps with varying perspectives felt a bit distracting, overall, I really enjoyed the book and I'm already looking forward to Rachel Hawkins' next one.

An easy, entertaining, and mysterious read with a darkness you won’t see coming. A must read for those who enjoy mysteries/thrillers.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693168

After the death of her mother, Lux McAllister finds herself adrift, tending bar and getting by but not truly happy. And then she meets Nico, the guy born with a silver spoon in his mouth who tries so hard to push away his family’s wealth. When Nico suggest that they go on a sailing adventure beginning in Hawaii, how can she refuse? But by the time she gets to Hawaii, she finds the boat needs major expensive repairs and Nico isn’t ready to dip into the family coffers to fix it.

Lux loses her go nowhere maid job one of the luxury resorts just as Nico is hired to take 2 women on a 2 week charter to a desert island in the South Pacific. With nothing to hold her to Hawaii, Lux is quick to jump on board, forming an instant friendship with one of the women. But when the foursome arrive, they discover that they aren’t the only visitors to the island. Jack and Eliza seem to mesh well with the group and Lux feels an immediate bond with Eliza and begins to feel a sense of belonging that she has missed since her mother died.
Another stranger sails to the island and seems to have an agenda that doesn’t mesh with the group dynamic which begins to unravel bit by bit. As each characters past and connection is revealed, their little island paradise begins to look more and more sinister.

As relationships get more strained, a dead body is discovered, and someone disappears, Lux begins to question everything she thinks she knows about these people, the island and herself.

A very fast paced read, would make a great beach or weekend away read. Very atmospheric.

Holy cow! I’m so sorry that this book doesn’t release until early 2022 because I just finished it and I can’t stop gasping curse words over and over - which means I love this twisty, revenge-y, absolutely crazy-in-the-best-way mystery so much.

Lux and her boyfriend Nico are hired to take Brittany and Amma to a remote island in the South Pacific. The four soon become friends with each other and with Jake and Eliza, the wealthy couple they meet when they reach Meroe Island. Basking in the sun, swimming in the sea, good food, fine wine on a deserted island - sounds like the perfect getaway. Until it isn't. Things aren't as they seem on the island or with these new friends that Lux really doesn't know anything about. Including her boyfriend.

This is the book you want when you’re in the mood to light a fire and burn it all down. So so good. Put it on your TBR and preorder -- just make sure you read this one.

I was so excited to see another book written by Rachel Hawkins as I loved her first novel. I was even more exited to receive an email offering me an advanced copy. I loved the cover and the premise of the book made me dive in. I read this book in one day and (literally) could not put it down. I loved every minute of it. Such twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. I will read anything written by Rachel Hawkins! After reading the acknowledgements, I loved that the book's idea came from the novel "And the Sea Will Tell"....I remember reading that book ages ago! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. Next time Rachel Hawkins has a new book, let me know! Thank you Thank you!!!

Lux and her boyfriend, Nico, aren’t exactly living the life of luxury in Hawaii. In fact, when Lux followed him there from California, she thought they were going to be cruising on his boat, traveling the world via the Pacific and just enjoying each other’s company. Things don’t go according to plan.

Then, one day Nico meets two young women, besties Brittany and Amma, who offer to pay him $50,000 to take them (via boat) to a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific so they can continue their whirlwind vacation. Lux meets the women and immediately bonds with them. She’s going to go on the trip as well, and looks forward to a couple weeks off-grid on the island.

Unfortunately, this group of folks aren’t the only ones who have the idea of inhabiting the island, and they find another couple with a boat already anchored on arrival. Eliza and Jake are an attractive, rich couple. Luckily, the six of them quickly become friends and enjoy wine, delicious food, and plenty of sun and fun.

Everything is groovy until a mysterious and ill-mannered stranger sails to the island...and things start to unravel.

My anticipation for this one was high after reading and loving author Rachel Hawkins’s The Wife Upstairs. This book is very different in tone, but still so good for the most part. There’s an underlying sense of suspense, and it’s hard to pinpoint the sense of unease in the air, but you’ll detect it just as you can feel the suffocating heat of the sun that these characters endure while exploring the island.

The atmospheric and rich writing made this a hard one to put down. I couldn’t wait to see where it was going. Unfortunately, where it was going was when the book fell apart in my opinion. I didn’t buy the direction the plot (and some characters) went in, and I wasn’t thrilled with the ending. It felt a bit silly and lackluster to me. But, maybe it’s just me. Others may enjoy the denouement.

Overall, this is another solid read from the author, and I savored it for the most part. In the acknowledgements section, Hawkins explains that she has been wanting to write a “boat murder” book since she was 12 years old. I’m thrilled she finally got her wish.

This would be the perfect beach read, and would pair well with a mixed drink and plenty of sunscreen. Expected publication date: 1/4/22 (definitely not beach weather where I live).

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

I absolutely loved Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins! A unique and suspenseful thriller that will leave you wanting more. Plotted on a mysterious and remote island in the South Pacific where people go missing and dead bodies appear, this twisty gothic novel will have you addicted.

A remote island in the South Pacific full of history and mystery is the setting for the new book by Rachel Hawkins, author of The Wife Upstairs.

Lux and her boyfriend Nico are hired to sail two college friends to the Meroe Island for a two-week adventure. It seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Not only are
they going to be paid well, but they can also get their boat fixed so they can begin their sailing adventures as planned. But when they get to the island, they are not the only ones with the same idea of visiting a place off the beaten path. Jake and Eliza are anchored at the island on their sleek
catamaran filled with tasty food and a well-stocked bar. As the six island inhabitants get to know each other and adapt to island life, a stranger arrives sailing alone. His arrival starts the downslide of events disrupting current and new friendships/relationships to the point you are not sure if the island is truly cursed as the legend goes or there are ulterior motives amongst some of the islanders. Missing boats,
people and death follows leaving the reader to unwind the mysterious Meroe Island!!!

My Thoughts:
What is not to love about a book that grabs your attention from the start and keeps you reading late into the night!! This is a fast-paced thriller with well-developed characters set in a beautiful island setting. 4.5 stars rounded up