I've never read Agatha Christie and generally don't read mysteries/thrillers. This was a quick, entertaining read. I figured out who it was pretty early on, but I think there could have been a few more clues. The writing was good, and the plot, while cheesy, pretty much plowed forward. I'm not sure how typical readers of the genre will like it. It might be a bit derivative for them, but it is YA so...

This was a roller coaster of a read. I probably could have read it in one sitting but I had to stop and break it up into two days just because I know how my brain works and if I had read it in one sitting I would have been up all night.

When I first got the email about this tour I was intrigued, Ten Influencers, One Island, One Week, and someone bent on revenge, yes sign me up please.

I should mention that there are several trigger warnings in the book such as death, gore, and suicide and a few others.

This island is called Unknown Island set somewhere remote in the South Pacific and there is only one way in and one way out. The island appears to be located in a beautiful spot but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Looks can be deceiving. Once these ten influencers arrive they discover that this is nothing like they were told it would be.

Someone launched a marketing campaign for Unknow Island that went viral and it got everyone’s attention. Whoever did this knew what they were doing. ( I instantly thought of Fyre Festival!) This was the world’s most exclusive destination. It was invite-only and no one over21 was allowed on it. The mission was that it was going to represent a new kind of travel, one that would allow travelers to avoid crowds and meet & mingle with curated strangers. No one knows who the owner is except that is a foreign philanthropist billionaire.

The ten influencers are:
Emma Jane (LA, 18-year-old, spoiled rich girl who is into true crime)
Justice (Kansas, 17-year-old, environmental activist)
Robby (17-year-olds, Youtube sensation chef, restaurateur)
Xander (Texas, 19 years old, football star, TikTok star for dancing)
Chelsea (LA, transgender, 18-year-old, youtube beauty guru)
Margot (NYC, 20-year-old, CEO of her own company)
Graham (Minneapolis, 19-year-old, ex-City Council member)
Manny (Miami, 19-year-old, DJ)
Frankie (18-year-old, a superstar who is TikTok famous has her own make-up and clothing line, cohost & produces reality tv)
Celia (California, 16-year-old, gamer)

When I saw the list of characters at the beginning of the book I knew I had to keep a piece of paper beside me to take notes and I am so happy that I did because so much was going on.

All these influencers think they are there because of their social media following but soon realize that it has nothing to do with their following but the deep dark deadly secret that each of them keeps to themselves and someone wants payback.

No sooner do they hit the island than things begin to go wrong. They all receive a letter after breakfast with a list of the influencers and their crimes. Then just like that one of them is murdered and a cryptic message appears on the Unknown Island’s Instagram page. It doesn’t take the group long to figure out that they will all be picked off one by one. As it continues to happen they realize that someone in the group is behind it but who and why?

I was way off in who I thought it could be and I wasn’t right in any of my guesses only when I got to the end that I was like of yea I see it now.

I loved how the author made sure the reader got to know a little bit about the characters and what they were hiding. The story behind their secrets. Although I do have to admit that I was curious about why this particular group was curated because looking on the outside you know they are all influencers, do they know each other? Someone did a lot of work/research to curate this group.

The book is told from multiple points of view and at first, it was a little confusing but once I started to take notes it was a bit easier to follow.

This book definitely makes you realize that just because someone does something bad doesn’t mean they are a bad person. It’s not our place to take the law into our own hands. Two wrongs don’t make a right. I think sometimes that there is a gray area in there.

I didn’t realize until I went to write my review that this is a modern-day retelling of one of Agatha Christie’s books, And Then There Were None. I definitely need to pick this up and read it. Have you read this?

The moral of the story is never take a free luxury vacation from a stranger you have never spoken to before.

If your looking for that summer beach read then I highly recommend this.

alright. for the most part i really enjoyed this book. it was almost like a reality show to some extent. i never watch those reality tv shows, but i have the general idea. it is like naked and afraid, without the naked aspect. The premise and plot was really amazing to read. there was drama between characters, a look into the life of influencers, death, a killer and a beautiful tropical island. sounds pretty cool. along with loving the idea of getting a look into the lives of social media influencers, but this book lost some points there.

i felt like the characters were not developed enough to make me truly care about them. they were all in their own worlds. they didn’t really have any connection to one another, and I would have liked to see that more.

OVERALL:
This was a fun summer read for any fans of murder stories, or looking to get in the mind of influencers.

Never Coming Home is a clever updated version of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, locked room mystery. Ten young influencers are invited to Unknown Island, an exclusive new island resort, to be the first guests. The guests include a beauty influencer, a gamer, DJ, a chef, a 20 year old female CEO, AN environmentalist, a marketing guru, football player, and a wealthy socialite. What appeared as an career climbing opportunity turns out to be their worst nightmare literally. Soon after they arrive on the island they notice very little staff and subpar accommodations. The biggest shock of all comes when they learn they were brought their for murders they got away with and “murder follows back” !

This YA thriller was a very well done modern version of the locked room mystery. I loved how the characters were forced to own up to their sins,and ultimately that was what destroys them. If you’ve read Christie’s,s ATTWN, you know that the cast of characters are killed according to a children's nursery rhyme. While reading it I was mentally making that comparison but Williams has included her own rhyme that the guests discover after a few of them have been eliminated already.
Using influencers as the target makes this a cautionary tale of the dangers of living our lives so public ally through social media.

Thank you to @turnthepagetours and @heykatewilliams for including me in this tour and for the digitally copy. Thank you @prhaudio for the complimentary audiobook that I listened to for about 75% of the book!

4.5/5 stars. I started out reading the ebook but couldn't focus for some reason. Then I switched to the audiobook and I'm very glad I did. This was such a wild ride. In a world full of social media influencers, this story was so dang creepy.

OMG, this was soooo good. I didn't go into it knowing a whole lot, but now that I know it was a retelling of And Then There Were None, AHHHHHHHH. It makes so much sense and is sooo good. Unknown Island has taken Instagram in a huge way when it announces that it will open its doors to the first ten elite young individuals for their soft opening. These ten don't know that this is no ordinary vacation and in no way will it be fun and relaxing. They are there because they all have a secret that they are guarding with their lives and someone is out for revenge for all of them. This book was amazing and had me guessing the whole way through, never correctly, though. Such a fun modern take on Christie's beloved mystery. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC. I loved it. 4.5 stars

This was by far the best retelling of And Then There Were None I’ve come across! When ten successful influencers are invited to spend a free week at a luxurious resort on a private island, they can’t refuse. Social media is going crazy for “Unknown Island”, a tropical paradise only for people under the age of 21. When the guests arrive, the island does not meet their expectations. They receive letters that let them know that they have not been selected for their following, but for the secrets they’ve been keeping.

I am not exaggerating when I say I was hooked! I can’t stop thinking about it. The setting, the premise, and the characters were just perfect. I liked being able to read each character’s perspective and try to figure out the puzzle. It was so hard to guess who was behind the whole thing and I can honestly say I was surprised by that last chapter. This was one of the most shocking and thrilling books I’ve read.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Kate Williams, and Delacorte Press for the eARC.

I was immediately drawn in by the premise of Never Coming Home. A perfect and suspenseful thriller for this day and age. Ten influencers are invited to a tropical island for free. If that sounds too good to be true, it's because it is. Right away things start to go wrong- there's no staff on the island, barely any food, and the internet goes out. Then one by one, our cast start dying. Someone seems to be out for revenge. I was kept guessing up to the end as to who the culprit was, which is exactly what you hope for in this kind of novel.

I enjoyed this susenseful story. This is a new author for me which I look forward to reading more from in the future. This is a well written story about a group of teenage influencers who find themselves on an island. But what they didn't expect was to find a killer. Who will survive, if anyone? This is a great, engaging story that I found hard to put down. A story that has twists and turns that left me turning pages fast. I enjoyed how the characters were able to pull me into the story from the beginning. They are connectable and truly made the story for me. This is an entertaining story that is not only easy to read but also has great growth of the characters and the plot. You don't want to miss what happens in this suspenseful story. I highly recommend thsi book.

Never Coming Home has all the Agatha Christie vibes that any mystery buff will love. This book was definitely the author's play on "And Then There Were None". In Never Coming Home, 10 influencers are invited to a free trip to a new exclusive tropical island resort. However, when they arrive, the island is anything but luxurious and more like a deadly Fire Festival. Each guest is accused of murder and they will all pay for their crimes one way or another. This book was really fun to read. While I did figure out the ending a little early, it didn't stop me from wanting to continue reading to see how the events unfolded. It was fast paced and a fun summer read. Definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a quick, fun beach read.

#bookreview Never Coming Home by Kate Williams

☺️ the good ☺️
- Beginning definitely grabs your attention.
- Conclusion makes sense…


🤨 the bad 😒
- The conclusion is annoying? I wanted more of an explanation. I don’t want to spoil for anyone that’s going to read it….but what the hell? I did not like the ending. It was not satisfying AT ALL.


😍 the beautiful 😍
- I liked the idea of the story; it just didn’t play all the way out very satisfyingly.


rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received this ebook free from the publisher via netgalley. Thanks Delacorte Press!

#bookstagram

3/5

This was...okay.

Never Coming Home seemed like a Fyre Festival situation gone (somehow) even more wrong than real life, with a number of young, beautiful/famous influencers being called to an exclusive island to be wined and dined in a one-of-a-kind paradise only for them to be trapped in a nightmare where their deepest secrets will come out at the cost of their lives.

I really, really wanted to like this one. It had all the elements of a classic slasher, a super unlikeable group of spoiled people who make you wanna grab a bowl of popcorn and watch them get their dues—but I could not for the life of me get into it.

The writing had points of brilliance and then entire sections that just read as incredibly stilted to me. I put the book down and came back several times, which doesn't make for a great experience with this kind of thing, as part of the entire point is to be drawn in and biting your nails in anticipation.

In the end, just not for me. But there was enough of an entertainment factor regardless that I'll round this up to three stars.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Let me preface this review by saying, I expected a "Then there were none" vibe when I started reading this novel, but I don't think I was prepared for just how twisty this book is. Kate Williams created a storyline that I found relatable given how popular social media influencers have become for marketing products. Who hasn't scrolled their Insta and purchased something based on an ad or an influencer recommending it? I'm guilty of it, just place at my TBR Bookshelf. I digress. Never Coming Home dives in with prominent influencers coming to the soft opening of an exclusive resort by invitation only. Each influencer has their reasons for wanting to come and boost their social media presence, but quickly they discover the paradise they were promised isn't what they expected.

I enjoyed the role social media played in this story and the way secrets were uncovered. The author plays with themes of good versus bad and the control social media plays in our lives consciously and subconsciously. The way the characters twitch without their connections to their followers. What I also enjoyed was how different each of the influencers were. They came from various walks of life and had different marketing niches. Williams did a great job with having also a variety of ages without them being too starkly different to be unbelievable.

However, that's about where the realistic aspects end. The rest is quite inventive, but not particularly plausible. For me, it worked. I was looking for an escape read. I guessed who did it before the end, but that didn't ruin anything for me. My one wish is that there were a few more nods to the island folklore and a few more interactions with locals. I think stories instantly feel more captivating when there are locals and history involved.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for giving me an ARC of this book to read and review in exchange for my honest feedback! Kate Williams I can't wait to see what you write next!

Fun thriller that takes on the social media toktokers in a modern day who-sun it. Will keep you guessing until the end.

This is a story about bad people with good content.

If you like isolated settings & enjoy influencer culture this may be a hit for you! The author explores the differentiation between public persona and private self- and how parasocial relationships allow influencers to amass a public following based on a life that’s non existent. I didn’t feel super connected to any of the characters, so this fell a little flat for me- but I think it will work for lots of readers!

Thank you so much @netgalley @prhaudio & @randomhousechildrens @delacortepress for the gifted audio & e-arc! I really enjoyed the audio narration!

They all have a deadly secret and someone decided it's time for payback...
Unknown Island is the place to be, with white sand beaches, turquoise seas, and luxurious accommodations. Only people who are twenty-one or younger are invited to stay on the island. Ten elite influencers are asked to stay and promote the island before its official grand opening. They are well-known and have the following to make Unknown Island the most talked about destination. These ten influencers are about to find out they were invited for their secrets, rather than their following. Can they keep their secrets hidden and escape the island before it's too late?
This was a fun read that kept me on my toes. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but overall I enjoyed the story. I did find it difficult to follow at times, due to the large amount of main characters and their background stories. I'm also not a fan of long chapters, especially when so many characters are involved. The ending was a shock that I didn't see coming. The narrator did a great job voicing each character for the audiobook. I'm interested to see what Kate Williams will come up with next!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and Edelweiss+. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

At Tome Student Literacy Society, we have a list of language and content criteria for the books we select for our annual book award list, the It List. Upon a language search in this book, we discovered that it did not meet our specific criteria for language. Due to this, we elected not to finish this book for review purposes for our organization. We would like to thank the publisher for the opportunity to review an e-book of this title.

Kansas native Kate Williams is no stranger to the propulsive young adult novel. I last spoke with her in 2019 for the release of The Babysitters Coven, the first of a three book series.

Williams is back with Never Coming Home, a new standalone thriller for young adults that dives into some of the joys and terrors of social media. Inspired by Agatha Christie, Kate Williams’s newest release follows 10 social media influencers stranded on an island as they try to sort out their own “whodunnit” mystery.

I spoke with Kate Williams about Agatha Christie, her Kansas roots, and the appeal of writing for young audiences. Here’s our conversation.

https://www.kmuw.org/podcast/marginalia/2022-06-21/kate-williams-on-never-coming-home

There's just something about an island of influencers that just screams must-read, and after starting this book I couldn't put it down - I devoured it in pretty much a single sitting.

I love the concept of books like this, a group of people, stuck on an island with no way home forced to decide between working together or each for themselves. In NEVER COMING HOME, I felt like we got the added element of this group of people who are used to being catered to, getting what they want because of their status and follower count, all here with for a common reason unbeknownst to them prior to their arrival.

Each influencer gets to the island believing it will be a vacation full of lavish privilege, but quickly realize it's not what they expect. I loved this twist on a classic thriller, written with plenty of scenes that kept me invested in the intense story with equal parts horror and wanting to turn the pages to find out more.

This was so different than Williams' previous titles I had read, but I was here for it. I found NEVER COMING HOME a great, quick read that I was lucky to read an early copy of thanks to NetGalley + Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press.

Thoughts and Themes: I was a bit skeptical when starting this book because of the amount of characters that were involved in the beginning and because of the length of each chapter. I am glad that I stuck with it because I really enjoyed reading this book and ended up really enjoying each and every one of the characters.

As I was reading this book I loved that it reminded me of the show The Wilds just due to the setting but this book is a lot more sinister. I loved that the whole thing is murder mystery but that our characters aren’t all so innocent themselves. I liked that they all had something to hide and the circumstances as to why they were selected remains a mystery throughout this story. Something else that I really enjoyed about this book is that as I reached 50% of the book, I still had no clue why anyone would want them dead. I think that is the best part of a murder mystery, when even the readers can’t figure it out.

Characters: There are a lot of characters involved in this book and you may think it is hard to keep track of them but they each have distinct features that help you remember who is who. Here is the list of our influencers on this trip:

Emma Jane Ohana from LA
Justice Wilson from Kansas
Robby Wade from Atlanta
Xander Lee from Texas
Chelsea Quinn from LA
Margot Bryant from New York
Graham Hoffman from Minneapolis
Manny de La Cruz from Miami
Frankie Rushh from New York
Celia Young from California

I really enjoyed getting to meet each of the characters in this book and was a bit disappointed that time with a few of them was cut short. There are characters who I just didn’t care for but then there are others who you get to know their background and you feel for them. I liked the relationships that develop between the characters as they learn about what got them to this island.

Writing Style: This book is told in third person with our narrator following each of our different characters around. At first it was a bit frustrating to not be in the know about each of them but as I continued reading I found this more appealing. I liked that we slowly got to know each of the characters either from their interactions with each other or through what was going on in their heads.