Eh, I had high hopes for this one when I read it was described as Lord of the Flies meet Survivor. While I see why that comparison was made, this fell flat for me.

I loved the premise of this book and enjoyed the story. A treasure hunt with a twist make a great plot for a teen thriller. Unfortunately, I wasn't entirely in love with Riley, the main character. She signed on to the reality show to save her reputation that she ruined through rash actions. She seemed too focused on thinking through everything she did both on and off camera and how it would reflect on her. More time could have been spent on the treasure hunt or further developing the other characters. A good quick read for those looking for an escape, but those looking for a more in depth thriller will be disappointed.

Honestly? Underwhelming... which is very unfortunate as the premise seemed like it would be very interesting. The synopsis and cover seem to promise a darker, grittier YA mystery/thriller but it just wasn't that. It felt like there weren't really any real risks for any of the characters, much less our main character Riley, for there to be any tension you would expect when reading something marketed as a cross between Survivor and Lord of the Flies.

Eh.

This wasn't horrible but I wasn't invested.
YA isn't usually my thing but the synopsis of this book intrigued me.

A huge thank you to Dreamscape Media for my advanced audio.

This audiobook is narrated by Stephanie Willing and she did a great job. She is part of the reason I was able to push through.

I was debating on a 2 or 3 star rating and have decided on a 3 because I don't believe it's completely the books fault that I struggled to enjoy it. I have been in a unique kind of slump. I am not so much struggling to read atm but I am struggling to enjoy the things I am picking up.

I encourage other readers to seek out a more positive review for this title.

Enjoyed this so much. A classic treasure hunt that is also semi-plausible in the modern day? What's not to like?! It felt like a nice escape from the current hellscape that is this pandemic. I really liked Riley; more specifically I really liked Riley's transformation. She seems so level-headed and put together by the end. Would have liked to know if she ever resolved everything with her father. The narrator for the audiobook was also quite good. I listen at 2x speed and I still felt like I got everything from the book.

I feel like it's hard for me to relate to a story about an entitled rich girl who decides to go on a reality TV show to save her reputation after it's ruined. Well, that's Riley. If that's not bad enough, she's also super annoying. While listening to this book, I kept hoping she'd get better. Spoiler alert, she doesn't get much better unfortunately.

Problems with the main character aside, you'd think there'd be a least one other relatable or interesting character in this book. After all there are like 30 characters. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but there are A LOT of characters. None of them are anything more than flat caricatures.

Stephanie Willing was a fine narrator. She sounded what I imagined Riley to sound like. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Unfortunately this book wasn't for me.