This is another enjoyable book from Adrian McKinty! Just when I thought I had some things figured out, another shock came. I really liked this one!

This book wasn’t captivating for me. I was half way in when it seemed like the same things kept on happening. Maybe it was progressing too slowly but it wasn’t for me.

Okay. Wow. I was NOT expecting for how quickly The Island would become wild and fast! I started this expecting to just slowly read it and then suddenly I binged it all in one sitting!

The Island follows newly married Heather, whose still attempting to acclimate herself into her husbands kids lives, as they go to the Australian outback. Hearing rumors of an island with exciting wildlife, they set off and quickly discover that things are not as they seem. Stuck on the Island, they are forced to survive and find a way off.

This does what Reckless Girls wanted to do! It's quick, gruesome, and engaging! I was obsessed with Heather and her survival skills. I could easily see this becoming a popcorn thriller movie.

Maybe it was because I did binge read it, but I do wish it had been a little shorter. There was a chunk towards the end where the action really starts to feel like it drags on a bit too long.

I think if you are looking for a super fun and gore-y read, and you can suspend disbelief and just enjoy the action, then this would probably be PERFECT for you!

Biggest issue was I really didn’t like or sympathize with any of the characters. Fast read but fell flat for me. Enjoyed The Chain a lot more. Thank you for the early copy!

The Island is a fast-paced, action packed, run for your life story.

Heather Baxter (24 yo) marries widower Tom (40ish), a doctor, who has 2 children with his decreased wife. His children, Olivia (14) and Owen (12), aren’t fond of their dad’s new young wife.

Tom is invited to be a keynote speaker at an orthopedics conference in Australia. He takes his family with for a little vacation. They visit an island off Australia for some true Australian animal encounters. Chaos ensues immediately as soon as they reach this island.

The first half of the book is very on the edge of your seat, but then the second half is more of a running for your life. It was a fine thriller? Makes me never want to visit Australia! 🤣 I think it would be a better show/movie (Hulu bought the rights to this book).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a great thriller! You’ve got a strong female protagonist who triumphs over evil. She uses her survivalist skills to protect her step children and uses her brain, over her heart, in an effort to keep them all alive.

This was my first Adrian McKinty book, but it will not be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed the wild ride that is "The Island". It is a psychological thriller about consequences, revenge, and the fight for survival. While most of the story is unbelievable and the characters make poor decisions throughout the whole story, I still found it very entertaining. I couldn't put it down!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙫𝙖𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝘼 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮.

📍 Read if you like:
• Survival Thrillers
• Isolated Locations
• Quick-Paced Reads
• Intense Stories

I gave The Chain the exact same rating. I loved the premise of that book but didn’t love part 2. In this one, I went into it with high expectations after hearing everyone rave about how good it was. Ultimately I have mixed feelings about it.

It is best to go into the book not knowing much. If you read the book blindly then you’ll have the best experience reading it, therefore it’s hard to talk about this book so it’ll be vague.

I decided to try out the audiobook with the e-book as someone recommended it to me and I’m glad I did. The audiobook had sound effects and music that kept me invested. There were rain sounds that were soothing and added to the overall reading experience. It was also super quick to read!

The book was action-packed and suspenseful, but it was such a weird story. There were some violent scenes and it was disturbing at times.

The Australian setting was so interesting. It added so much to the effects the audiobook had.

Overall, it was such a strange read. I don’t know how I feel about the book overall, but I feel like a three-star is where I’m at. The audiobook was great, but the story was ridiculous. I’m conflicted, but I know many enjoyed this one more than I did!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2023 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2023/01/2023-reading-list-announced-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

I’m not a huge thriller girl lately but this one was really good! My husband read it too and loved it! Recommended it to a few friends too!

Y'all, I don't even know where to start with this review. My jaw is still on the floor after reading the last page. I have not read The Chain or any other books by this author but wow do I wanted to read every single one of them now.

This story follows Heather who after moving from a small town marries Tom, a widowed doctor with two children. Heather and the children decide to join him on a working trip to Australia and make it a family vacation. Heather doesn't have the best relationship with her new stepchildren but is trying her hardest even when they want nothing to do with her. When an opportunity to explore a remote island that is off-limits to outsiders arises, the kids are desperate to go so Heather and Tom agree. As soon as they're on the island they realize they've made a mistake, the island is ran by a very tight knit family and there's a reason outsiders aren't allowed in. Then a deadly accident occurs that will change everyone's lives and leave the family fighting for their lives.

I was not expecting to get sucked into this book so fast but it immediately starts off with a bang and just doesn't' stop. There were no slow spots in this book to be found and every second was action-packed and had me holding my breath. I can't remember the last time a thriller gripped me so tightly and had me flying through the pages. If you're looking for a book with endless twists and with a cat and mouse type feel, definitely pick this one up, you will not be disappointed. It's dark, raw, gritty, gory, but such a fantastic read.

Thanks to Little Brown and Company for the copy for my review.

Whew! McKinty once again takes readers on a nonstop thrill ride with The Island. Though I’ll admit I found the main character to be unlikeable at first, as things progressed she started to grow on me. The story’s build up is slow at first but once it starts it doesn’t let up for a second! I absolutely loved this book!

If you have to read one book, let this be it. This was an amazing thriller that had me on edge from page 1. It’s definitely a book I’ll re-read because it was that amazing.

My biggest thrilling surprise ARC of the year was from a title that sat on my unread NG shelf for 9 months before I finally dived into it.

Why The Island by Adrian McKinty was my biggest thrilling surprise

The Island is an exciting fast-paced, imaginative, purely entertaining over the top relentless suspenseful survivalist adventure that I did not expect to like. Once I started, I couldn’t escape this high-stakes/dangerous cat-and-mouse game of survival until that last page. Being surprised by how much I enjoy a story is one of the thrilling things about reading for me.

What is going on between the covers

New wife and stepmom, Heather, her husband, and his two children are on a working /family vacation in the Australian outback. With their limited time, they decided to adventure to a remote family-owned Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors and accessible only by ferry.

As soon as they set foot on the island, something doesn’t feel right about the people there, and they want off as quickly as they can, leading to a shocking incident that sets off a chain of dangerous events for Heather and her family.

My two cents

It’s all about the thrill of the gripping cat-and-mouse hunt between underestimated Heather and the over-the-top family. The hunt is brilliantly paced, speeding up and slowing down just enough to catch my breath, with something new happening to keep me glued to the pages. The tension is relentless, and the continued danger moves the story forward. While it relies on familiar tropes for this genre and stereotype characters, there is something unique, exciting, and different with every turn of the story, and it has a rewarding ending. While there is nothing to take seriously, it is pure entertainment, the action is exciting, and I was on the edge of my seat to see what Heather would do next.

I loved Heather and while her actions are not believable, her motivation, drive and fight to keep her family safe is the heart of the story.

I received a copy from the publisher through NG

After reading The Chain a few years back, I was excited to get my hands on this one and whew! it was a gripping thriller! I think it's best to go in blind for this one. Vacation turned nightmare has been a big theme with books recently and this one was just too good! I really enjoyed the characters and the pacing in this one was *just* right! There was so much action in this book that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

Strange characters...weird start...got even weirder. I definitely turned the pages quickly, and there was lots of suspense. But...it got a little TOO crazy for me. Some of these things would never happen.

The Island by Adrian McKinty seems to be a book that you either like or you don’t. Unfortunately, I fall in the latter category. As I read this book I found very little of it appealing. The characters were unpleasant and unsympathetic. The children were especially annoying although, to be fair, they had just lost their mother in the past year and were then almost immediately introduced to her replacement. What was their father, Tom, thinking? He was simply egotistical and selfish and it showed. Meanwhile, his wife, Heather, was young and rather naïve but then suddenly became the super woman. Huh?

The writing style was also unappealing. The story seemed to be made up of choppy, almost bullet point-like sentences. Meanwhile, the plot itself could have been interesting and suspenseful, but instead it consisted of violence, cruelty, and constant allusions to possible rape and murder. Enough said. When animal cruelty was added to the mix, with graphic descriptions of a dog’s execution, I was finally convinced that this was not a book for me. I wanted to enjoy it, since the reviews were so positive but it just didn’t happen.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This book would make a fantastic movie. I hope it happens one day. Part thriller, mostly adventure, part horror this story about Heather, her newish husband Tom and her two step-kids is full of twists and turns.

While in Australia the American family finds themselves in multiple dangerous situations on an island inhabited by a bizarre, violent family cult. Think Texas Chainsaw Massacre featuring a family trying to escape.

The plot was action-packed and had several jaw-dropping moments. This was something a bit different from my usual pick of thrillers. It turned into a story of survival.

I enjoyed seeing how Heather went from being the wicked stepmom to a true mom protecting her "kids."

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an e-copy of THE ISLAND to review.

I rate THE ISLAND five out of five stars.

Adrian McKinty is really a terrifying author. He takes nightmares and makes them real. He creates these characters who keep us turning page after page.

As a relatively new stepmom to older teens... this book scared the beejezus out of me in so many ways. Not only did it get my mind spinning with anxiety over the interpersonal relationships but then you throw in the actual dangerous situations to make for uncomfortable but intriguing reading.