The Island is Adrian McKinty's next kickass novel! For fans of The Chain, be forewarned that The Island is more graphic with violence and gore.

With the exception of the gore, I really liked this book! It's a trophy wife with some secret skills that helps her family survive. I'll admit, I did see one of the twists coming, but only because the breadcrumbs were laid fairly obviously.

The Island would make the perfect can't-put-down beach/vacation read, so long as that vacation isn't taking place on a semi-remote island.

The Island ~ Andrew McKinty
This book had me on the edge of my seat. It's about privilege and consequences. A wealthy widower and successful doctor marries a young woman from a small town and she becomes the step-mom to his young son and teenage daughter. Together the take a family/work trip, overseas, in hopes to bound. However when they discover a remote Dutch Island that is off limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry looking for some adventure. But a shocking accident pits them against the locals and that's where this pulse pounding nightmare begins. It's about choice, trust, and what you would do to protect your family and stay alive. McKinty is a master of suspense and thrill rides. He pulls you into the story and doesn't let you go. This was definitely a barnburner and I would recommend it to everyone. Top Notch

Most of the time when I'm reading a thriller, I want a who-dunnit with lots of twists and turns. A solid cast of believable characters in a bad situation. BUT sometimes you just need to read a thriller that is batshit bonkers, and this book is that.

I don't think there is a moment in this book that is believable, but who really cares? Did I have a fun time reading this, yes! Was it an absolute page-turner, also a big yes!

I went in hoping I'd get a female survivalist character like Erin from You're Next, and we don't get that in Heather who's survival seems entirely based dumb luck and chance. But, If you want a solid b-movie style plot that will keep you entertained, I'd definitely recommend this one.

A really fun, high action adventure thriller novel with a somewhat predictable ending. Overall enjoyable if not earth-shatteringly brilliant.

I could not get into this book. I did not like the writing style nor could I connect to the characters. It wasn't for me.

With a slow start, this book definitely picked up the pace once the Baxter family was on the island. What began as a family vacation turned into a disastrous side excursion to a private island and then trying to escape alive. The premise was not totally believable but it made for an exciting, edge-of-your-seat read. I felt as though I had been reading when I was suddenly plopped onto the set of “Survivor” and the cameras were rolling. The main characters are Tom, Heather, Olivia and Owen. Tom is widowed and now has a new wife Heather, a massage therapist who is not particularly liked or respected by his children. Once the family gets to the island, the clan that runs in are introduced to the scene and they are just plain evil, especially the matriarch whom everyone calls Ma. Once the unthinkable happens, it is up to Heather to escape with the children and try to get off the island. The book is intense and intriguing with a lot of surprising twists, but I will say that it did seem to drag at times as Heather built a relationship of trust with the two teens. There is some violence that occurs and more that is hinted at, so this book may not be for the squeamish. Heather is a strong female protagonist that is relatable and well-developed even though she is different from anyone that I actually know. This book is a trip into dropping off of reality and entering no-man’s land of survival no matter what you have to do. Fans of thrillers will enjoy the story and want to watch a movie about it because it would make a good one!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

*will be submitting instagram post shortly*

This book was a WILD ride! I absolutely did not expect….almost everything that happened lol. It’s set in Australia and the author does an amazing job of really setting the scene and the atmosphere, it’s really easy to feel like you’re immersed in that environment. It definitely is a fast paced page turner and has so many twists and turns, I highly recommend this one! I think it would be a really good read to get out of a reading slump also!

3.5 Rounded up. This one was definitely a wild ride. I couldn't set it down. The cast was quite insane.

An American family, pays some locals in Australia to get on a ferry to go to an ungoverned island with wild life. When they are involved in a hit and run the locals decide to take justice to their hands and a wild escape story happens. Read this if you want a high pace action packed survival novel!

Thank you Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the ARC of this crazy book!

Where to begin! Full of tense, action-packed mayhem! The Island was so much fun, but so anxiety inducing! I love love loved it! I'll read anything by Arian McKinty! You can bet I won't be taking any small island vacations anytime soon!

I love when books make you think “what the heck would I do in this situation?” It was slow at times, but also had a lot of action. I loved the strong female lead in the story and I thought the ending was sweet. Can’t wait to watch the series on Hulu!

I have had a mixed reaction to this author’s books. I really like his Michael Forsythe series, don’t care for the Sean Duffy books and thought his most popular book, “The Chain”, was pretty bad. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that “The Island” has real and enjoyable thrills.

A family on an Australian vacation visits an island inhabited by a single clan. The island is accessible only by a ferry controlled by the clan and it is not possible to communicate with anyone not on the island. After an unfortunate accident that Tom and Heather handle badly, Heather winds up on the run with her two stepchildren, 12 and 14 years old, who dislike her. Heather and the children have to use all of their resourcefulness and knowledge to outwit and outfight the entire clan of violent and sadistic pursuers. This was fun, was full of action (both human and animal deaths were involved) and had a satisfying ending. Note that the audiobook has gunshots. They are the only sound effects and they never failed to startle me. 4.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I originally marked this as unfinished as the beginning of the book is incredibly violent. The threatened rape of a teenage girl was too much for me. But because I enjoyed McKinty's Sean Duffy series so much I picked this one up again. The rape didn't occur but there's a lot, and I mean a lot, of violence. Too much for me. The writing is mostly good, but I never did understand why Heather married Tom. He just comes across as a jerk and there were unexplored threads that annoyed me. Why mention Heather's friend texting about Star Trek? I'd read another of the Sean Duffy in a heartbeat, but I think I'll pass on the thrillers.

Wow, this was a nail biter! Enjoyed every 'on the edge of your seat' minute. Fast read snd great story...not without some surprises along the way. Read his last book which was also great and looking for more to come!

A family vacation turned deadly with non stop action. Grabbed me from the first page and did not let go! I had such a sense of dread and anxiousness (in the best way) I read it in a day because I HAD to know what happened next. A little over the top at times, but still a great story overall that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Also, the character Ma actually scared me!

This book was a wild ride! I could not turn the pages fast enough. I was spooked and delighted by the action, I think I'm going to have to read McKinty's last book now (The Chain) too.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley, the Author, and the publisher for my advanced copy to read and review. This book will hook you from the first chapter. I'm not usually one to compare characters with characters from other books/movies but this is feminine Rambo in the Australian Deliverance. You feel bad for them, you root for them, and you hate the villains with a passion. There are some predictable moments as he sets things up but it was a fun twisty read. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good Thriller novel.

I am the self-proclaimed queen of thrillers. I have read every "must-read" in the genre for the past five years. I can say, confidently, that "The Island" is one of the most original, most engrossing novels I have ever read. This book should be on every "what to read this summer" list that is published. It should go on the "featured reads" section of every bookstore, it will be the title I recommend to every patron who wanders into the library looking for the "it book" of the summer. There was no point during my reading of "The Island" where I could say with any confidence what was going to happen at the end, or even on the next page, and I absolutely loved it.

Heather Baxter holds a precarious position in her family. Second wife to an older husband, stepmom to two kids too close in age to really respect her as a parental figure, and trying to fill the gap left by the death of a beloved mother and wife only a year after her passing. She hopes that their first family vacation, a trip to Australia, will be the bonding experience she needs to really connect with the kids and cement their relationship. She has no idea just how seriously the bonds that tie this family together will be tested.

Determined to show their children some Australian wildlife, father Tom pays a local family to take him to their private island, lured by promises of koalas, kangaroos, and wombats that linger right by the docks. Heather can't shake the feeling that something is wrong with the entire family and has no desire to set foot on this exclusive land, barred from letting outsiders enter. This feeling of wrongness only intensifies as they wander further and further from the dock and their only passage back to the mainland.

Their day of exploration grinds to an immediate halt after a horrific and traumatic accident, and suddenly escaping the island seems impossible. Left with only her wits and a minutes long headstart Heather finds herself separated from her husband and the only thing standing between her stepchildren and violent and certain death. Even as she finds herself stranded with children she's not sure she ever wanted, she becomes determined to do anything (and I do mean anything) to get them all off the island alive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advance e-copy of The Island by Adrian McKinty in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Wow! For all of my fellow literary adrenaline junkies out there, The Island does NOT disappoint!! I now regret to say I haven't read the authors previous super popular title, The Chain, but believe that it's now a top priority for me. The Island is an adrenaline filled, heart pounding thriller full of twists and turns you won't see coming! Heather and her new husband Tom, along with Tom's two snotty, jaded teenagers are traveling in the Australia for an Orthopedic Surgeons convention, in which Tom will be presenting the Keynote address. Heather and the teens, Owen and Olivia, have come along with the intention of bonding as a new family and to fit in a side trip of an authentic Australian Outback adventure. At the very least the teens are hoping to see some local wildlife, a koala, maybe a kangaroo. After the trip starts off as a bit of a bust, by chance the family meets a couple of locals, Matt and Jackie who reside on a wild and mysterious private island known as Dutch Island, full of koalas, wallabies, wombats, even penguins! Only accessible by their private ferry, as Jacko expresses to them, " it's like Jurassic Bloody Park, mate". Intrigue! The family is dying to get on that island to get the authentic experience they were hoping for. Tom strikes a deal with the men and they're officially on their way to the experience of a lifetime. Once there, a tragic accident and a split second bad decision causes this family vacation to take a DARK turn and things go VERY VERY WRONG. I don't want to spoil anything further, just be ready for a twisted, gory, horrifying adventure. The chase is on and it is survival of the fittest. At times, this was almost a bit too gritty and gory for my taste, but still a total page turner that kept my attention and overall a fun, fast summer read!

I generally post a review regardless of how I feel about a book. I can usually find a way to critique without being an ass. Adrian McKinty has been one of my favorite authors over the years, and his Troubles work is fantastic. To say I was disappointed in The Chain is an understatement, though I thought it showed promise while being written in the "made for movie" set. I decided to take a chance on The Island and won't be taking another.

I don't require common sense in my characters, but they should at least be consistent. These were not only paper-thin, but they were not consistent. At times they were written one way in order to set a scene, then changed for another. The whole Porsche set-up was ridiculous. Make Tom an arrogant prick, which he was, but keep him in character. Why Heather married him was very unclear. The kids hated her, but she called them "baby" and "honey?'

There were more fart references in this book than moments of enjoyment. I'm sorry, Adrian, I just have nothing nice to say so I'm not going to publish anything at all. Which I don't like to do, but I have too much old respect for you to do otherwise in this circumstance.

this is a good thriller. It took me on quite the unexpected journey and i like that they flashed forward at the beginning and then told the story. i am unsure why the author didnt continue the flash forward scenes so that was kind of odd.
I will say <spoiler> the concept of going with two wierdos to a secret island with your whole family.. is fishy </spoiler> so once you get over that initial "who would even make that call" you start getting into a real story.
lets get past the cheesyness.
you have a woman whos step children are horrid humans, a husband who is so out of reality and a woman who is struggling to even figure out who she is and where she is meant to be in this world. What happens is a story for the decades so much ups and downs. You really felt you were there. I wish the first 10% of the book was chopped off because this would be a 5 star read because of how cheesy and unneeded some of it was.