This was an intense thrill ride from start to finish!! Newly wed Heather travels with her successful doctor husband Tom and his children to Australia for a medical conference. Olivia is 14 and Owen is 12–both are not fans of their new 24 year old step mom. Needless to say Heather puts a smile on her face and tries her best to keep everyone happy. In an effort to pacify the kids they head over to a small island to see cute koalas and more. While on the island they are warned to stay away from the farm and just stay along the coast. A terrible accident happens leaving the family stranded on the island with a family that is not too happy to find them on their island. This is an action packed story that just never stops This becomes a battle for survival , a kill or be killed situation. .

I listened to the audio book that had subtle sound effects like gunshots and rain. It was a nice touch!! I highly recommend this story it was so addicting!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio copy in exchange for an honest review
#TheIslandAudio #NetGalley #AdrianMcKinty

The Island by Adrian McKinty

Courtesy of NetGalley (e-ARC and audiobook) and the publisher

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Pub Date: 5/17/22

Book Review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

WHOA. I don’t usually read action-packed or adventure-type novels, but I really enjoyed the only other book I’ve read from this author, The Chain, so I requested this from NetGalley and lo and behold, I was granted access!!

Heather Baxter’s husband Tom agrees to fly the family out to a conference in Australia for big time surgeons. A getaway for the whole family! How nice!! Once there, Heather and the kids are all but bored to tears, with nothing to do but wait for Tom’s conference to end. Heather’s step kiddos, Olivia and Owen, just wanted to see a couple of koalas and maybe a kangaroo on their trip to the other side of the world. So, when their dad made it possible to do that, they all hopped a ferry to Dutch Island, leaving the safety and security of Melbourne behind.

This is where the story takes off and gets super intense!! NO SPOILERS.

First off, mad props for character development with this one!! Heather’s character blew me away by the end of the story!! Loved all the details given about the scenery in Australia as well! Made me feel like I was on the run with the Baxter family myself! The audio narration was excellent, except for some parts that sounded a *little* tinny. The additional sound effects of gun shots, explosions, etc. added to the atmospheric feel of the book and made me really glad I requested the audio on this one!!

I definitely recommend The Island if you’re into:



*Badass female MCs
*Chase scenes with narrow escapes
*Twists and turns that shock you until the end

Many thanks to @netgalley and the publisher, @littlebrown, for access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

I liked The Chain & this story too!

A wild ride.

Tom’s New wife is significantly younger and disliked by his 10 & 14 year old kids.

Working vacation across the globe, maybe the family will come together.

Last minute visit to a private island where a horrific accident turns a possible moment in paradise into a nightmare, a hostage situation then a chase that escalates from there.

Great thriller with horror aspects.

Wonderful entertainment!
Satisfying ending.

Thank you NetGalley & Little, Brown & Company. I look forward to Adrian McKinty’s next book.

Narrator 3 stars
This narrator was ok but when she played Heather I absolutely hated her. The characters voice was so sickly sweet, she sounded like a young teen not a grown ass women. Also the Australian accents were TERRIBLE!!

Story 2 stars
Sorry but I really could not get into this story. It just wasn't gripping.

Very immersive Audio book. It felt like I was in the story and included sound effects. It was a different experience than I have ever had before with an audiobook. This is an action packed story about a new step-mom trying to protect her family on an isolated island with very little hope of escape! This is a touching story of a relationship between a step-parent trying to bond with her step-children after the tragic loss of their mother. I really enjoyed the character development of the children and the step mother. There were moments I was holding my breath due to the tension of the book. I don't usually like action packed stories but this one was AMAZING!

A family trip to Australia and a chance encounter with another couple and two men who swear their island is packed with koalas and kangaroos. What could go wrong? The Island is a book about all that can go wrong and is quite a ride! I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty, creepy story and think that Heather was a fantastic heroine, though readers should know that small parts are a bit graphic. Thank you to Hachette and NetGalley for the preview of this perfect beach read on audio!

EDGE OF YOUR SEAT!
McKinty knows how to guide you to a place of no return. You are not going to be able to put this down. If you need some action and suspense look no further.

This book scared me! I scare easily so I am not sure what I was expecting, but wow! Several good twists. It was very well written and I loved the narration.

I made it about half way through this before setting it aside. It just . . . seemed too predictable and yet too odd at the same time.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Audio, Netgalley and Adrian McKinty for allowing me to listen to the audio book of The Island early. It's due out on May 17th and I highly recommend this be added to your TBR.

I'm not sure it's even actually a word, but in the book community "unputdownable" is often overused, especially when printed on dust jackets or used by publishers in their marketing campaign. I am stingy in use of that descriptor myself, but can honestly say I found The Island to be unputdownable. Over two days I found excuses to do a chore, fold laundry and take a walk around the neighborhood in order to listen. Besides having a cleaner house and empty laundry baskets, I traveled to the outback of Australia and enjoyed every minute of a trip gone bad.

Without giving away too many details, a family of four with two kids healing from the recent death of mom and adjusting to the addition of a new, younger stepmom venture to Australia for a medical conference Dad is attending. Trying to find wildlife for the kids, they accept an offer they should have refused. I'm 100% certain my natural anxiety and need to overthink everything would have prevented this scenario if I were the Mom, but then there would have been no story to devour.

Narrator Mela Lee deserves a pay raise for her performance. I had to confirm this was a single narrator because her range of voices, speaking as either man, woman or child and the number of accents required could not possibly have been done with only one reader. I was wrong. Her range is incredible and she has extraordinary talent.

My only suggestion to improve the audio experience is a personal one regarding production - on several occasions sound effects are used. For example, a gun shot in the book results in the listener hearing a muffled gunshot. Dogs barking on the page meant dogs barking in our ears. I found this to be more distracting than beneficial and it interrupted the flow of the story. McKinty's writing doesn't need special effects. This is a well crafted book, interesting premise and worthy of a read, or a listen.

Growing up on Goose Island watching the lights of Seattle, Heather knew she wanted more from life. And so, she moved to Seattle.

Working as a massage therapist, she falls in love with one of her clients. Tom, a widower, is everything she has ever dreamed of in a partner and they get married.

Tom has two children from his deceased wife and they want nothing to do with their Dad's new wife. However, despite their feelings, they decide to accompany their Dad and Heather on a trip to Australia where their Dad is the keynote speaker at a medical conference.

That trip changes the lives of every single one of them.

Heather never really wanted kids, at least not at the age of 24. She is too close to the kids' ages for them to view her as an authority figure.

But, when an accident happens and the family finds itself in a situation none of them were prepared for, it is Heather who steps up. It is Heather to whom the kids must trust to keep them alive.

This action packed audiobook is freaking fantastic!!! Narrator Mela Lee brings the characters to life with exceptional skill. It is evident that Mela is an experienced and professional voice actress. She makes narration seem easy which it certainly is not. Her pacing is sheer perfection and draws the listener deeper into the story. I rate Mela Lee's narration as 5 out of 5 Stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

It is hard to believe, but this is my first time reading a book written by Irish Author Adrian McKinty, it will NOT be the last.

The author does a commendable job of creating a believable teenage girl, as well as a snarky, twelve-year-old boy. It makes me wonder if he, like myself, has had first-hand experience of the cutting wit of a boy of this age. If so, I feel for him.

Deliverance meets The Fugitive mixed with Bear Gryls Man vs. Wild.

THE ISLAND is a high octane thrill ride filled with non-stop action.

I rate THE ISLAND audiobook as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

***Thank you to #NetGalley and #HachetteAudio for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook ***

This is a thriller from Adrian McKinty set on an Island off the Victorian coast of Australia (not a real island). Heather and her husband Tom, take Tom’s children to see some koalas on a day off from his orthopaedic conference. They receive an eery warning not to visit the island but think what can it hurt? Needless to say it’s not one of Tom and Heather’s best decisions. On the island they have an accident that places them in a situation of life and death, facing off against the locals of the island who aren’t beholden to anyone except themselves.

This book is a mile and minute, action packed and if I’m honest, totally far fetched. It’s also violent and gruesome, stripping human nature back to the basics. Heather is in her mid 20s and way out her depth with Tom’s children so there’s an interplay between these relationships throughout the book. Heather turns out to be a bit of a badass really, having picked up a few skills from parents who were in the military. If you can suspend your disbelief this might be the bingeworthy thriller for you. It’s definitely movie material and gave me The Hunted vibes.

If I have a complaint it’s about the audio version which leaves a lot to be desired with the terrible attempts at English, Irish and Australian accents. As an Australian I have to say, we don’t sound anything like that, not even close. They were so bad it made a reasonable book almost a DNF.

An aside - I think the book refers to Walmarts in Australia - Where in fact we have none. And for close to a chapter Heather searches for water around a corrections facility with a residence. Another fact - we have taps at the front and back of all residential buildings (outside).

A great book to follow The Chain nonetheless.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a fantastic book! I was thrilling and suspenseful. It had me on the edge of my seat quite a few times and I managed to finish it within a day. I couldn't stop listening. It reminded me of the movies, Deliverance, Don't Breathe, I Spit on your Grave and No Escape. I've never read a book quite like this. It was fascinating. Definitely a page turner and highly recommended.

The plot was good, but sometimes I think it moved a little fast and I had a hard time understanding what was happening. There were some things at the end that got a little muddled and I'm going to have to have a second go-around with this one. Some of the characters actions didn't make sense and I think it's because I missed something with all the action. However, those complaints are minor and this was still an amazing book.

This book made me think. It actually made me second guess myself and who was a reliable character and that was great. I loved the unreliable narrator aspect. As far as the audio goes, it was fantastic. The narrator nailed the different accents (American, Australian and Dutch). 4.25 stars!

Wow Wow Wow. After reading The Chain, I had to get McKinty’s newest release and it did not disappoint! It was such a wild ride, that I did not see coming! I binged the audiobook in just over 24 hours, unable to stop listening, and finding any excuse to put my headphones in and listen. My heart was pounding in parts, waiting to see what would happen! There were twists, that I did not anticipate, and some that I kinda suspected. I would definitely recommend and the audiobook is fantastic. The narrator provides perfect accents and voices for different characters and sound effects that made the experience all that much better!

While I had previously read and enjoyed this book, the audio version left me cold. The narrator’s whispery little girl lisp was impossible to listen to. I had to give up an hour in because I just couldn’t listen anymore

Audiobook Review

The Island by Adrian McKinty
Read by Mela Lee
Pub date: May 17th, 2022
Duration: 8H 56M
5 stars

I want to preface this review by saying I listened to this non-stop in the space of one day. I dropped everything - and whenever someone spoke to me, I pointed to my headphones like ‘dudes, now is not the time & I am not the one” like the tiktok dude! I’m talking high octane, edge of your seat, suspenseful MF’ing story here. Part psychological thriller/ part survival horror, it is tense, action packed and gripping and I mean, GRIPPING!

The Baxter family is in Australia for the trip of a lifetime – Dad, Tom, is an orthopedic surgeon, recently widowed and remarried to the much younger Heather, and two teenagers, Owen and Olivia. Tom is there for a conference but takes a day off to daytrip when the kids complain they aren’t seeing enough wildlife. This takes them to an island that is off limits to outsiders but greed gets in the way and a tragic accident has the family battling for their lives. That’s all you get – but trust me when I say read/listen to this!

Narration: Mela Lee narrates and what a talent she is! The various dialects and accents are done beautifully, making this feel like a full cast audio, she’s a joy to listen to!

I can’t recommend this enough and I know it’s only April but this is going on my top three favorites this year, without a doubt. For all my friends that love a wild ride kind of book, this was written for you!

My thanks to @HachetteAudio and the author for this gifted ALC.

Thank you HachetteAudio and Netgalley for this opportunity.

The story was not for me but I have to say it was nice written but I could not get into it to be intetested. Many action for a stupid visit to an Island to sea Coalas. The describtions we all good, I was glad to read about Australia that I love so much. It make me remember my fears of wild animals there but want to think about the courage that someone has to have to survive what happened here.

4.5 ⭐️ If you loved The Chain, don’t miss The Island! It’s just as crazy & over-the-top but so damn entertaining! Tom, his 2 kids and his new wife are all in Australia for a family vacation. They end up paying someone to take them to a private island that’s supposed to be brimming with wildlife. Once they arrive, problems begin almost immediately and before they know it, the family is fighting to survive. I had a few minor issues with the writing but nothing I couldn’t overlook. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a page turner!

I stayed up all night reading it and than I was up all night because of it.

Holy crap. Psychological thriller... bending into survival type horror.... it induced nausea, panic, pulse racing and a whole load of loud cursing. The narrator... BRILLIANT.

OH! And the characters? The arcs were as twisty as the plot, in ways I never saw coming. Some of the characters were so aggravating I half hoped they would die but by the end? WELL. McKinty is a maste