Such a cool concept - and the cover art is such a draw. But when this one started getting super technical and techy, it lost me. Some concepts went totally over my head and I found myself losing focus as I read and having to go back to confirm what was going on. Stopped about halfway through - maybe will finish at a later time but for now, I was just too lost with this one.

This can be best summed up with 'too techy, need more emotion'.

When their friend, billionaire Ryan Cloverhill, invites his six closest friends to his private island, they all jump at the chance for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. An all-expenses-paid trip, and an opportunity to escape everyday life? Who wouldn't?!

However, Ryan has a different agenda in mind, one that he's been working on for years. He's had a problem with each of these friends....and it's finally time to let them know.

Well, this book....isn't good. It's really not suspenseful and frankly everyone is terrible. It's just.....bad.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This book was a BLAST. I do think everyone calling it a "locked room" mystery is confused about what that means....this is absolutely not that (neither a mystery of any kind, nor a locked room mystery). But it's a super fun thriller about a maniacal tech mogul who strands his friends on an island! A nice fast-paced vacation read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

The SEVEN had been almost inseparable in college from their first meeting in the honors-level dorm as freshmen. Their second year, they rented a duplex, and never really looked back. The group had produced "countless good times, two cross-country road trips, two long-term households, and an uncomfortable romantic triangle that had, for a few stupid years at least, become a wedge." But now, they have been invited to spend a long weekend at the private island of their most successful, and richest, member, the famous/infamous Ryan Cloverhill.

It has been almost 20 years since they have all been together, but the camaraderie is still there, and they easily fall back into their old familiar routines. The first rule of the weekend is that they have to turn over all their phones and laptops, so they can enjoy a "device free weekend" without distractions. Ryan assures them there will be communications available in case of emergency, but he insists they all turn in their devices. Then they have a nice evening and a great dinner and all drink too much, leading to everyone falling asleep sprawled across the couches in the great room.

But when they awaken slowly the next morning, Ryan is gone, along with his motor yacht, and the house shuts down around them, locking out the outside world. And there is a strange laptop.....

Thus starts one of the weirdest adventures of anyone's life. And when it is over, the group, and the world, will never be the same

This book is a terrific, fast-moving thriller that has strong, well-drawn, clearly defined characters and an intricately plotted story. Six middle-aged friends from college are invited by their 7th friend, Ryan, a megabillionaire, to his private island off Washington state for the weekend. Everything is great the first day, but on the second day, Ryan disappears and leaves a unique computer with cryptic messages on it for them to decode. When they do, things begin to go terribly awry. It is a fast-moving, action-filled story, especially when on the island, but slows a bit when the action moves back to the mainland. Still, it is an exciting, thrilling read. Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an ARC.

Ryan Cloverhill, self made social media billionaire, invites his six college friends out to his private island. Although the six haven’t been in the same room for years they’re all hoping this weekend is the chance to reconnect. When they first arrive it’s like no time has passed as laughter and stories flow. However when the crew wakes up the next day their eccentric host and their devices are no where to be found. All that remains is a tablet with the taunting message “Unlock me”.

First off I absolutely love the cover, it got my attention right away. Then after reading the synopsis, I was really excited because locked room/ remote island thrillers are my jam. Unfortunately this book just didn’t reach its full potential and left me feeling meh.

The synopsis and first couple of chapters gave me Glass Onion vibes. Which I loved, it was suspenseful and I could feel the drama bubbling under the surface. The initial puzzle of the tablet also got me excited for what future games may be in store. However that’s where it stops, the second half took a wrong turn. The plot got a bit too convoluted and too much detail spent on technical aspects, it really took me out of the story.

Which is a shame because the philosophical components were pretty interesting, I wish we had gotten to see them play out in closer detail. But it felt like after the initial introduction it got brushed over and played a background role so in the end when it came back up it just didn’t pay out as big as it could have. I also really wish more time had been put into the characters and their friendships and drama, that’s what I was really waiting to see play out.

It was suppose to be a long lazy device free weekend for the Stillwater Seven. Fast friends from their college days at Bardsley College, they haven’t all been together for nearly twenty years. Ryan Cloverhill has made it big with his social networking company Link Labs. A billionaire with his own Puget Sound island, he’s invited his friends for Labor Day weekend. Once ensconced on the island with its beauty and opulence, the friends are about to find out that the weekend isn’t exactly what they have been led to believe. Ryan has ulterior motives, he has left them with a Trolley Problem. One that looks like it has a lasting impression for either choice. Will they make the best choice and is there even a chance they will all come off the island alive? A fast paced thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

The weekend starts off innocuously enough--seven friends gathering together after years apart looking to catch up and have some fun. It only takes a few pages to realize that nothing will be going as expected on this trip. One man is in the final stages of life and has realized that his life's work, a Facebook-like platform, has turned into more a problem than a solution. He did not gather his friends together for a weekend of fun; rather, he gathered them together to debate a "trolly problem" and bring his life's work, and his life, to an end one way or another.

This novel was an interesting social analysis with some real-life tragedy and heartache mixed in. A couple of gaps stand out to me: there were certain characters who were not built up enough for their role in the book; and I would have liked to learn more about the history between Ryan/Emma/Stephen.

Ryan, a self-made tech mogul and billionaire, invites his 6 best friends for a weekend reunion at his remote island home. There’s just one catch: they all have to surrender their phones and devices upon entry. They enjoy their first day catching up but upon the second morning, Ryan has disappeared and left behind a tablet to communicate. At first, it seems like a game: they have to crack a code to open the tablet. But Ryan has something much crazier planned.

I’ll be straight: I did not like this book. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, and I feel like we were never told exactly why Ryan was doing what he was doing. If the point was for us to not be able to figure out his motives, then I guess it was well-achieved. And although it’s called “device free weekend”, the story was filled with various devices, just not the ones the friends brought with them. I kept reading because I wanted to see how it ended, but honestly felt like there really was no closure. Although it was action-packed, the story was jumbled in between the all the technology in my opinion. I usually love remote settings for thrillers but this just didn’t do it for me. Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the ARC. This story releases February 28th.

Glass Onion vibes, but not as well executed. I loved the first 1/3 of this book, six friends brought to a remote island by their billionaire social media-tech friend. It was intriguing angle fast paced, then it all fizzled out a bit.

I didn’t have strong feelings (good or bad) towards any of the characters leaving me wanting aiming deeper from the characters and the plot.

It is a good beach read to keep you entertained.

I was drawn to this book by the premise of it - secluded island, friends’ reunion and no devices. It started great and I was hooked but about mid point of the book, things started to fall apart for me. How is it a “device free weekend” if there’s are still devices being used and the island is basically a technology compound? What is Ryan’s problem? What’s the purpose of this “reunion”? Is this some kind of revenge? On who and why? Maybe I missed answers to these questions but I just felt like there were too many plots not really explained and tied together. This story had a potential but fell short to be great.

Thank you NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun little 5-Star read! Perfect for any fan of Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley or just locked-room stories in general. I also found it to be a nice commentary on how much we rely now on our devices. Yes, about the same as previous books of this genre as far as characterization, but who cares? That's not why I read these anyway. It is what it is....FUN, and it definitely kept me turning pages! I look forward to more from this author!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Sean Doolittle and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was such a crazy book—in the best way. Who of us hasn’t dreamed of having an insanely wealthy buddy who invites us to their private island for a long weekend of fun and relaxation? I mean, I dream about this way too much. For me, the premise alone was incredibly promising.

Then add a terminal diagnosis, and a lock-you-up-until-you-solve-some-puzzles-in-a-ridiculously-high-tech-way situation with serious consequences, and things can’t get any better. Especially when there are multiple hostage situations involved.

I would have loved to see the tower situation with a different outcome, but overall, this was an excellent read for me. It was thrilling, it was exciting, it kept my attention for the duration, it was bingeable, and I would absolutely read it again.

It was just fine, but lacking in the departament of characters and tension for me. The premise is very interesting, but my interest fizzed out somewhere around the middle mark of the novel. Still, there are thriller readers who would like this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Sean Doolittle for the advanced copy of Device Free Weekend in exchange for my honest review.

The synopsis of this book sounded wildly entertaining, and for the first 25% or so I was completely hooked. Once I found out what our illustrious billionaire is up to, however, the wheels started to fall off for me. I could not connect with the plot at all once I knew what was going on. The ending also left quite a bit to be desired for me.

Suffice to say, this one just was not my cup of tea, but I wouldn't hesitate to read this author again.

When a group of six middle-aged college friends are invited to an all-expenses paid weekend getaway on the private island owned by the seventh member of their friend group, who just so happens to be a billionaire tech entrepreneur, they can't pass up the opportunity. Everything seems to be going smoothly, until their host, and all their electronics disappear the first morning of their long weekend, leaving them stranded and facing a nightmare dilemma presented by their possibly psychopathic friend.

I don't want to say too much more about the plot because I don't want to give away the central dilemma/conflict of the storyline. But suffice it say that it wasn't really what I was expecting. The main plot is a lot more philosophical and about internal dilemmas than it is about action - and that's the only clue I'm going to give you. Though some things do go wrong - I mean it wouldn't be a mystery/thriller if things didn't, amirite? - so there is a bunch of action, don't worry.

The characters themselves, we get to know some better than others, which is understandable with a group of seven "main characters." Though I can't say I got to know any of them really well. That was a little disappointing, but we did get some good hints with some of the more focused characters, like Emma, Ryan and Stephen, which was nice. Each had their own motivations for making it to this point in their lives and their relationships were complicated, which added some nice drama to the storyline.

Overall, this book was a quick read with a nice hook, but it wasn't my favorite. I would recommend to those who are interested in moral dilemmas, philosophical debates and character-heavy stories.

Device Free Weekend by Sean Doolittle is an entertaining read but really far fetched. Seven friends from college reunite for a luxurious weekend at CEO of Linked (like Facebook) private island. Quickly we learn that the group will have to give up their devices and solve a philosophical Trolley question. Ryan Cloverfield is a billionaire with the top social media company but he wants to blow it all up (literally). Can the seven stop their friend’s devious plan?
I liked this book and was entertained but it was so far-fetched. There were no big twists and the end was lack luster.

Device Free Weekend is an unpredictable, well-written locked-room thriller. Fans of Agatha Christie will be thrilled from start to finish. A group of college friends have a reunion on a private island and soon it becomes clear it's a weekend worth killing for. The plot is unpredictable and fast-paced. The characters are well-developed. This is one that cannot be missed. Highly recommended! Be sure to check out Device Free Weekend today.

Loved the concept and originality of the plot. The Author definitely gave readers something new and fresh.

Tropical and remote island, no phones, tablets, or wi-if, or outside connection, friends gather to reconnect and reminisce with each other and a friend they haven’t seen in quite awhile - I love a premise and a story like this! When no connection or technology is involved, and there is a reunion of sort, you know things are about to go awry! And of course they do.

All seems to be well and light for the first evening as friends gather and catch up, however, the next day they realize their friend Ryan has an agenda that is far from fun. This will not be a reunion and fun vacation for any of them. After giving up all of their electronics they are instructed to solve a ‘code’ a series of puzzles, in order to be released. Unbeknownst to the group, Ryan, has been working on a plan for many years and the consequences and outcome of said plan have far reaching affects.

The beginning of this story is tension filled, complete with suspense and a taut dialogue, and then it fell off and over the edge, hard. The dialogue becomes whiny and the plot unbelievable. There is a lot of action in this story, page turning action, but after a while, you wonder if it could even really occur?

I found that about half way through the story got bogged down in technical jargon and existential musings. I’m fairly technical, but not an engineer and I was having to work to hard to follow along. Thereafter, I lost interest if truth be told. The characters, at this point who not worth caring about. I didn’t care who made it out alive.

This is a novel that pulls you in, but sadly, it lets you go to often throughout and you lose any emotional attachment to the characters or the situation and how it will play out.

I would read Sean Doolittle again because the beginning bit was great, I just need more emotional connection to my characters and less technical manual, and far fetched situations.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.