WOW, What a ride. This is the 2nd of Ms McKinty’s books I’ve read & both were dynamite! This is a tale of survival on an Australian island. The family heads to Australia for a vacation but gets anything but. I can’t imagine the research that had to be done but it’s so believable & really tense. Can’t wait to watch the series on Netflix, I believe. It they stick to the book it’ll be fantastic. Great read!

Once again McKinty has written a book that has made me forget how to breathe for several chapters at a time.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

Heather and her new husband Tom are visiting Hawaii while Tom is at a surgeon’s conference. Heather is tasked with trying to make his two kids like her, and so when they want to visit the tiny island to see a koala, she is inclined to convince Tom. When they get to the island things aren’t at all what they seem.

This book is heart pounding and tense. It takes the survival story trope to all new lengths making it impossible to put down, but also make your skin crawl to the point you want to put it down. Which is everything a thriller should be

Definitely check trigger warnings before heading into this one!

The Island was a fast paced thriller. A family becomes trapped on a small island off the coast of Australia. It’s hot and miserable but not a problem compared to the crazy reception that awaits them. I found some parts implausible but it didn’t take away from the intensity of the story. The author is already well known from his book The Chain. I believe this will be a great seller too.

Adrian McKinty always, always has his finger on a reader's pulse-point...and THE ISLAND is no exception. A cunning, propulsively-paced, surprising tale of survival, deception and ingenuity, this is a suspense novel which delivers on every level. Highly recommended!

Summary A blended new family is on a outback vacation in Melbourne and decides to day trip to a nearby island to see Aussie wild life. When the husband accidentally hit a young deaf woman on a bike, the family takes into their own hands to serve justice.

Comments: A propulsive page suspense filled turner. Some twisty turners and a heroine comes to life.

Adrian McKinty knows how to write a twisty and twisted thriller, and The Island doesn't disappoint; I could not put it down.

Heather is the 24-year-old second wife to orthopedic surgeon Tom and stepmother to his 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son, who have not accepted her. Heather and the kids accompany Tom to a conference in Australia, where he is the keynote speaker. They go out for a drive so the kids can see koalas but fail to find any wildlife in the suburbs. A sketchy guy convinces them to pay top dollar to ferry them across the bay to an island. Home to a defunct prison and one extended family, the island has no cell service or amenities. Accompanied by a Dutch couple who joins the group, they are given a short time to look for animals.

The family outing turns into a nightmare when they run afoul of the locals. Cut off from the mainland, the islander clan, presided over by an elderly woman called Ma, mete out their own justice. At first they seem willing to make a deal but things go downhill fast, and Heather finds herself thrust into the role of leader and protector as she uses every ounce of courage and ingenuity to protect her family.

The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the characterizations seem a bit shallow early on, although Heather's family gains depth. I also found the set-up somewhat contrived--Deliverance on a desert island in Australia--but in the acknowledgements, McKinty says that it is based on a real place and the inciting incident almost happened to him. (He is very clear that the people who live on the island are nothing like his fictional clan.)

Overall, I loved this engaging, sometimes disturbing, read. It would make a good movie, too.

This was action packed, and a part of me enjoyed the ride. But to be honest, it was also a pretty ridiculous storyline that made it hard for me to suspend disbelief.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown for providing a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and every time I thought it would degrade to predictable, boring tropes of the genre it surprised me and took a different turn. The relationships between Heather and her step kids is really well done and it was interesting to see how they developed and came together as the danger on the island got worse.

This book could have easily degraded to The Hills Have Eyes in Australia but it didnt. The characters use their brains to think through situations instead running around in a blind panic, which for me made it a much more enjoyable read and kept me engaged and rooting for them to win.

Definitely recommended!

I just finished reading The Chain so was excited to read another book by this author. It was a good story overall, but it didn't give me the same sense of thrill or of being on-the-edge of my seat. You definitely need to suspend your disbelief as the story is quite unrealistic when you think about it. 3.5 solid stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company and Adrian McKinty for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great follow up to The Chain. A family of 4 takes a vacation to Australia and decides to take a little detour to a secluded island. Something happens on the island where they aren't able to leave and it turns into a survival type horror. I sped through this book and stayed up way later than my bedtime to finish it. It was so tense and anxiety provoking. There were some unrealistic moments but it was still entertaining. I read Hulu already bought rights to make this into a show and I'm so excited to see this in action!

Four stars! The Island is a thrilling ride that I read in one sitting. it is definitely not for the faint of heart because it had my heart pumping around every turn. The twists were crazy and unpredictable, and I definitely enjoyed this release much more than the last one that I picked up from this author. I think it has great summer/vacation vibes and it’s being released at the perfect time. it was absolutely unputdownable and I recommend it for any thriller lover!

This might be the best book of 2022. What else could you want from a thriller than relentless fear and a young, bad-ass, Porsche-getaway-driving, gun-shooting stepmom main character? This novel is an unforgiving ride that you will read through the cracks in your fingers covering your face in horror.

YIKES!! Adrian McKinty's latest thriller will definitely make you think twice about travelling to a foreign land. It was utterly terrifying and wildly entertaining. The horror and intensity of this book hit me like a vengeance. The Island gave off major vibes of Wolf Creek, Wrong Turn and You're Next. An absolute page turner for all fans of the thriller/horror genres!

Since the synopsis does not give much detail, I won't either. In my opinion, it is best to go into this book somewhat blind. Just keep in mind: Revenge is a dish best served cold!

I really enjoyed this book for the most part, but I did have moments of confusion and boredom with some of the inner dialogues. I just didn't understand the context, so I lost focus a bit. But that's just my opinion and it didn't happen often. I still highly recommend grabbing a copy of this when it is released! If you liked The Chain, you are going to love The Island!!

Thank you to the author, Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this ARC!!

The Island is one of those non-stop action books that kept me turning the pages until I was done. If I wasn't at work when I started it, it would have been a one sitting read. McKinty did a great job of fleshing out his protagonists, and his antagonists, for the most part, were truly despicable.
The few gory parts manage to not be gross.
The entire book worked for me except the inclusion of the best friend moments. They felt unnecessary and pulled attention away from the real story.
All in all, The Island is and exciting and fun book that I can see myself reading again some day.

I read this action-packed thriller in a day. I was skeptical because the blurb made this book seem a little too suspenseful for me, but I enjoyed it and never felt bored. Near the end of the book, some of the revelations about a main character seem a bit out of left field, but the pacing made up for this.

A very good, heart-pounding, scary, twisty tale of suspense and survival from the author of the Chain. Though the Chain was much hyped, I liked this book way more! I think it is an even better showcase for author Adrien McKinty’s unique talents of description, characterization, and completely bananas high-stakes twisty plotting. This book is Lord of the Flies meets Taken with some Lost and Yellowjackets in the mix. And at the same time as all that, it’s completely its own unique story and one that, even though the starting plot is familiar, quickly becomes an experience unlike anything I’ve read before.

If I’ve learned one thing from reading thriller books this past year, it’s this: if you’re on vacation in an exotic land, and a person you’ve just met offers you a private ferry ride to a beautiful secluded island? DO NOT GO WITH THEM!

Alas, 24-year-old new bride Heather, her new much older husband Tom, and her two teenage stepchildren Owen and Olivia have not read enough thrillers, because they never learned this lesson. So, when the family accompanies Tom to Australia for a conference and a friendly stranger offers them a quick ferry to a beautiful island with koalas, naturally they go with him even though there is apparently no public access to the island and no way off the island other than with this sketchy stranger. Needless to say, big mistake. HUGE.

It’s hard to write a review for this because I don’t want to give too much away, but immediately upon their arrival to the island something pretty shocking happens. To describe this book I’d say it’s part thriller, part survival is story, and part twisty domestic thriller, but that really doesn’t give you the full flavor of what makes this book great. The bulk of the what makes this book so exceptional in this crowded genre comes with the character development. Heather is at first blush a very flawed character who you may not like much, who is ambivalent about her new family and step kids, and who appears to make some questionable decisions. But as the book progresses and as you learn more and more about Heather and her unusual family, you learn that our heroine is uniquely equipped for this particular terrifying moment and the chase that follows. She has, as Liam Neeson would say, a very particular set of skills, and they will shock, delight and surprise you.

Now, I am not usually one for island survivalist stories. But island survival while being chased by an entire island of eccentric psychopaths? With a heroic crew including one brilliant autistic kid, one brilliant depressed kid, and one brilliant bad-ass reluctant 24-year old stepmother? YES YES, sign me up. The characters are unique, wonderful and realistic. And my goodness the villains (and there are many) in this book are so fun and oddball. I would love to describe them for you one but one but the way they reveal themselves is too good to spoil. There’s also an element of domestic thriller in this book, and the way the twist within the twist is revealed is so surprising and spectacular.

In a sea of mediocre thrillers this year, The Island stands head and shoulders above the rest with so many satisfying twists, thrills and characters that you just know someone is going to make it into a movie. But I think the movie would have a tough time living up to prose as good as this. My hugest recommendation — even if you, like me, don’t tend to love survivalist stories I highly recommend you give these wonderful characters a try. I had more fun reading this than any book I’ve read in quite awhile.

Big thanks to Little, Brown, NetGalley and the author for creating such a tightly plotted, thrilling and downright cinematic experience in my brain!

I had previously read "The Chain" by Adrian McKinty and it was such a wild ride, I was excited to see a new book out on NetGalley. The Island began with a family on vacation in Australia, Tom is there for a conference but his new, young bride Heather is there along with Tom's snarky teenage kids. The teens beg for some sightseeing while out for a drive one day, overheard by some locals, they are offered a chance to be taken to their "island." While trying to scope out wildlife on the island, Tom accidentally hits a local woman on a bike. When they try to hide this from the locals, hoping to escape the island safely, that's when the trouble begins...

I love mystery and thrillers, but I think I'd make a new classification for books like McKinty's. Right now I have a short attention span and I love books that can grab me quickly and keep me until the last page. I call them adrenaline thrillers. There's a lot of action in "The Island" and I loved the fact that Heather was a complete badass. Strong female leads in adrenaline thrillers are a huge plus. Sure there's a few things that I have to wonder how realistic it would be, however, that's the point of escaping to a book, even an action/adventure thriller.

I'd highly recommend this to those who enjoyed McKinty's first novel. Also those that like Jane Harper's books like "The Dry."

You should not have come to the island, especially with children. You cannot run forever.

I haven’t read such an exciting and fast paced book since Stranded by Sarah Goodwin. I sped through this book and stayed up til 1:30 AM to finish it in one sitting. It’s intense, anxiety provoking, and while there were a few moments that felt unrealistic, it was just so darn entertaining that I didn’t care.

“Civilization meant nothing here. Perhaps it has always meant nothing. There were no monsters on Dutch Island, but the beast was man, had always been man.”

The Island comes out 5/17.

Adrian McKinty does it again with this amazing follow up to the Chain. This is the scary story of a family embarking on a vacation to a secluded island, with danger lurking everywhere unbeknownst to them. Fascinating yet terrifying, I highly recommend this novel.

This book was sent to me electronically for review from Netgalley. A family vacation turns deadly...a father/husband who is a workaholic...a mother who is underestimated...blended family...the horror of what happens on this vacation is unbelievable...the book moves slowly at times, but at other times, it is engrossing...enjoy this one.