This book felt like the equivalent of an action movie. Did it have any type of artistic merit? No. Was it highly enjoyable and a fun ride from short to finish. Yes, yes it was. The action starts almost from the very beginning, and the book continues with tense moments throughout.

I will say that since things start so quickly, I didn't really feel any type of connection to the characters until a good ways into the book, so it was hard at times to feel any sympathy for them. At first, the children just felt like spoiled brats to me and Tom an entitled rich man who seemed to look down on Heather at times because of their age difference and experiences. As it went on though, I was definitely rooting for them more and more to escape their situation, and we did learn things about them that made them more likeable.

There were a lot of parts that reminded me of The Hunger Games, I guess because it was about people being hunted. Anyway, a definite recommend if you want a fun, mindless read with lots of action and tense moments.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really like the storyline and subject matter of this book! The Australian setting mixed with emotionally damaged characters and murder kept me intrigued and held my interest throughout. The book was relatively short, but I didn’t feel like it was lacking details or plot. There were some points where I felt like the action scenes were a bit rushed but other than that, it was all in all an entertaining read. There weren’t any twists that I didn’t seem coming but I didn’t mind, just want to see how they would escape from the island!

There was so much buzz around this book that I was incredibly intrigued to read it.

Heather and Tom take his kids on a trip to Australia, where Tom is expected at a work conference. Promises of koalas send them heading to an island that belongs to a family, one they aren’t supposed to be on and no one knows where they are. When an accidental tragedy occurs at the hands of Tom, the family turns on them, and it becomes a race of survival. Heather, Tom, and the kids must do whatever it takes to get off the island.

This book was kind of crazy. The island family gave me “Texas Chainsaw” vibes (without the cannibalism), and Heather’s desperate drive to protect the children was very “You’re Next”-ish. I love a badass heroine who can handle herself, and Heather definitely delivered on that. I also liked that there was some well-defined villainous characters, but also some in shades of grey.

I enjoyed this survivalist thriller!

Heather, Tom, and their kids discover a remote Dutch island. They take a ferry there thinking that they’re going to experience nature for themselves and have the time of their life. Unfortunately, what they experience on the island is worse than a nightmare. Heather and the kids are separated from Tom and are forced to try to stay away from the locals in order to survive on the island.

This book completely shocked me for several reasons. I absolutely wasn’t expecting the level of violence that there was. Maybe that’s my own fault for not knowing this author well and just requesting a highly talked about the book without doing my research. While I enjoyed the shock factor of the book, there were some parts that were just too much for me. I can read about a lot of disturbing things, but animal cruelty is too much for me. I’m sure many others enjoyed this book more than I did and didn’t have a problem with the violence. However, it was a bit much for me. For that reason, I give it 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 because I’m sure others will be into it way more than I was.

I was excited about reading this book after enjoying The Chain. I did not find this book quite as compelling as The Chain but I did really enjoy it. It was interesting. I originally found the plot to be implausible and then I read an interview with the author where he found himself on an island off of Australia and almost got into a car accident. So it’s not so implausible. I found it compelling reading about how they survived on the island. I enjoyed the character development and how the characters learned to work with each other. Being the mother of a scientist, I enjoyed how science got them off the island. I would definitely recommend this book.

A thriller that doesn’t thrill. A plot twist that unwinds. The Island was originally called The Chase, which more closely describes the endless, pointless pursuit. Included in this made-for-TV script are unbelievable transformations, such as a massage therapist becoming Wonder Woman. This novel has more stuffing than a carnival prize teddy bear.

Thank you to #netgalley #netgalleyreads and #adrianmckinty because this one was just what I needed to get out of my reading slump 👌

100% page turner


McKinty's The Island is an adventurous suspense-read that takes place on...well an island 😏 A family of four find themselves taking what seems like a simple tour around the island but twists and turns have them stranded and fighting for their lives.

This had my heart pumping and also second guessing my next vacation 😅

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A family on vacation, but the kids and wife want to see something more like kangaroos and koalas. The father finds a way onto a ferry and a private island. That is where the vacation ends. Everything after that changes and it's a fight for survival.

Adrian McKinty has hit another book out of the ballpark. I couldn't put this down. A quick easy read. The characters were well developed and I loved them. The only downfall I have is the survival on the island seems to be a little overdrawn out.

I just saw it's going to be a movie or tv series and I can't wait.

McKinty (The Chain) delivers another solid thriller in a book you just can't put down. A mini-vacation for a recently blended family in Australia turns into a thrill a minute adventure which can only be described as Mad Max meets Deliverance. A huge recommendation from me for my customers who loved The Chain!

Another great book by McKinty! Totally kept me on my toes throughout not knowing just what direction it was taking and what would happen next!

This book held my attention the entire time. It was fast-paced and exciting, and I became invested in the characters and what was happening to them. I would recommend this book to others!

The Island was an unexpected thriller and hell of a read!

The story takes place in Australia. Isolated by water and far from any other people and civilization.
Then a funny joke, made by a minor character. She warns her friend, the main character, to avoid Australia. As that is where all the scariest and most horrifying serial killers live (i.e. based on all the movies that take place there).

I have to admit, I completely agreed with this sentiment. Of all the scary movies I've watched. The only ones that I either turned off or desperately wish I'd never watched, took place in the Australian outback. And I don't mean, I was a scardy pants. I mean, I love watching horror movies and these particular movies were too horrifying, too brutal, too everything to possibly enjoy watching. To this day, I'm still wary of Australia as a result. And trust me, I completely understand how ridiculous and utterly absurd it is for me to hold this stereotype. Lol.

So when this character mentions it, I laughed my face off! I'm not the only one with this absurd idea! But also felt concern as to whether this book would be too extreme for me...

That said, albeit, in a very wordy manner. I hesitantly continued reading. While simultaneously waiting for the story to go off the rails like the movies. However, while the stereotype was alive and well in this read. It was an endurable level. Add in a rock star lead female character, plus intensity, sheer craziness and a very constant sense of fear and adrenaline. Equals = A knock it out of the park read!!

*Thank you to Little, Brown and Company, via NetGalley, for providing the DRC.

Wow, this book had me on edge the entire time. It's very disturbing and frightening and I was anxious the entire time I read it. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves high concept survival thrillers.

A great, compelling, heavy, twisty thrilled. The story was very bleak, but I was immediately hooked.

The Island is a story of a family who takes a trip to Australia and while there accidentally get caught on an island full of a family that is trying to kill them.

This book was a little too graphic for me.I felt a real sense of foreboding while reading it, which made me more uncomfortable than intrigued, which in thinking about it is a complement on the author’s writing style, which was descriptive visually.

I thought the constant references to teenagers as little children annoying, but not as irritating as the fact that there was absolutely nothing our 24-year-old main character (who was self admittedly shy and insecure) couldn’t do / didn’t know to survive in the Australian outback. Tom’s backstory was unnecessary, as was the inclusion of Carolyn, who really didn’t add anything to the story; I would, however, had liked more of Ma’s backstory. The O’Neill’s seemed completely over the top as a whole.

This started slow for me and I found the husband not at all likeable and the children whiny and spoiled. I almost gave up reading it but I’m glad I continued because I really wanted to know how they’d get off this horrible island. Heather became a survivalist keeping her stepchildren alive and I even liked the children by the end. Can’t wait to see this on the screen.

Wow!! This was so good! I couldn’t put it down! I loved how each chapter ended on a cliffhanger. This is truly and edge of you seat, nail biting thriller!!

The Island
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 4 stars
by: Adrian McKinty
Genre: Thriller/Psychological Fiction/Crime Fiction/Suspense
Thank you for the arc copy @netgalley @orionbooks

Wow! I don't think Heather Baxter had any idea what she was getting herself into when she agrees to go on a working vacation with her new husband, Tom, and his 2 children, Olivia and Owen.

The kids desperately want to see the wildlife of the region, considering mama considering they are vacationing in Australia and they are from Seattle. Where are the kangaroos and koalas? Tom is able to bribe a ferry captain to take them to a remote island where they will see wildlife galore but they're limited to a very short time before they need to leave.

Unfortunately, a tragic accident happens almost immediately on the island involving a local. When the rest of the locals find out it turns into a fight to survive and to get off of the island beforenightfall.

It seems like the survival is left up to Heather who steps into her role as the mother. Very suspenseful as you never knew what was going to happen next.

Published on May 17th, 2022

This was a page turner and while I couldn’t put it down, it was hard to read at times. It was hard to read because anything with kids in a dangerous situation makes my stomach churn a little. Either way, this was great!