I loved the concept of this book. Very modern. A Gothic theme park on an isolated island. An eccentric owner who wants to create hype by bringing out some young social media influencers. They all have different niches…Crime, beauty, gaming, etc. Then people start dying. Who is doing it? Who can they trust? Who can help them?

Super interesting story! It kept me turning the page right up to the end! For fans of murder mysteries and whodunnit books, you’re gonna love it!

Natasha Preston does it again and never ceases to amaze me - she again writes an incredible YA thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat all night. The stories center around a variety of influencers invited to experience an island theme park before it opens. The influencer aspect was a lot of fun and added a new and interesting twist bringing the story into the current social landscape. I loved the main character and that the story made me question who I could trust but I definitely picked all the wrong people. The ending and final reveal left me completely shocked and NO WAY could I have predicted what was coming. I highly recommended this one 100%

This was a fast paced read! I loved the concept, the idea for the island! I did not see the ending and thoroughly enjoyed the whodunit. This is the first book that I’ve read by this author and it certainly won’t be the last! I highly highly recommend this book!

Another great book by Preston. Many of my students devour her books and this one will be quickly picked up and read by my students in the future. I find her books to be a bit too creepy, but again, they are a hit with my high school students. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Natasha Preston does it again! I was thrilled and chilled and adored every minute of it! THE ISLAND might be her eeriest book to date!

The synopsis of this book had me immediately drawn in; an amusement park on an island? Sign me up! But, what followed was not great. The cast of TikTok'ers/Influencers were mostly unlikable and flat, plus stating that none of the employees would be working (except a few) on a media preview weekend is just unbelievable. I only finished this because I wanted to see who the killer was and their explanation for the kills, which was extremely lazy and flat.

Now, the ending...it just made little sense and the final lines of the book were truly heinous and directly ripped from a famous 1980 slasher. If you don't mind severe tropes, unrealistic plot points, and vapid, unlikable characters, then you may enjoy this book.

Oh, and it's 2023, we don't need Harry Potter references in books.

This book was not for me! I loved the premise but the execution was a bit too young for me. I was bummed!

I would love to interview Natasha on my podcast, Raise Your Words. Natasha’s writing style pulls you in and is incredible from start to finish. The Island is no exception. I fell in love with Natasha’s writing style since her debut book- Silence and I’ve been a fan ever since. The Island is a creepier mystery book. The group of characters are all intriguing and I couldn’t help but want to know more!!

Okay come on, the premise is great. It's very "And Then There Were None" meets "One Of Us Is Lying" and I was totally here for that!

The good: I love a good influencer story, and the idea of a group of influencers gathering on an island with a really cool hotel and amusement park sounded amazing, especially given the fact that the hotel and park are themed to be very gothic. The setting was amazing, and I really enjoyed Paisley's POV and the fact that she's into true crime.

The bad: About halfway through the book I started getting bored. They kept jumping locations to get away from the killer and in the process people keep getting killed. I mean I get it, that's the point, but the story became repetitive. I also guess the killer fairly quickly into the book, although I did not guess the killer's accomplice.

Overall: This book is a fun, quick read. Don't get to into your head about it and you're bound to enjoy it.

Thank you too Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an arc in return for an honest review.

Solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had a good idea what was happening pretty early but that didn't mean there weren't curve balls. The story is fast paced and easy to read. We have a group of influencers invited to an exclusive posh amusement park located on an island. Some of them are likeable others not so much. They're there for a weekend and then they start dropping like flies, but why? The owner is acting sketch and keeps disappearing.

Running around does get a little repetitive. It's your typical pointing fingers at each other, breakfast club with murder affair.

Worth the read though I would've preferred a more solid ending. Definitely recommend

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A THRILLER!!!!!!! The Island written by Natasha Preston was such a crazy good book. I won't lie, at first it was a little boring reading about the characters bickering back and forth, but then HOLY CRAP, it just got better and so intense. I was NOT expecting the turn of events this author took with this book. The Island had breathless moments, heart pounding moments, if you like a game of cat and mouse, I can't recommend this book enough. I guess it's time to come clean, I have a fear of clowns, but this book had nothing to do with clowns, yet it still SCARED the bejeezus out of me. The ENDING left me completely shocked, like I didn't see that truth coming at all. After reading and loving this book, I will definitely check out this author's other books. I just remember holding my breath with every single turning page, to figure out I was completely wrong with all of my theories. This book had me guessing and guessing a numerous amount of times. I felt like I was in the middle of the ocean with these characters holding on to a life raft for dear life. Please please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book immediately, it definitely didn't disappoint in anyway possible. This was one hell of a crazy roller coaster ride, I was holding my breath, I was screaming, I was gripping my couch for dear life waiting for the next turn of events to take my breath away once again. Natasha Preston, well done, you now have a new reader. WOW JUST WOW, I'M SO MIND BLOWN RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN'S FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

Social media influencers Liam, James, Will, Ava, Harper, and Paisley all said goodbye to their friends and family for the weekend, but they weren't planning on saying goodbye for the last time. If you can't tell by the cover, this book is a thriller/mystery about a wack amusement park. Jagged Island, is a private amusement park for the very rich. These social media influencers have a very high following on their social media accounts, so they have all been invited for an exclusive weekend before the park opens to the public. All these teenage social media influencers will make posts and videos for whatever social media they are on and report every second of their "VIP" treatment. There is no possible way to get to this amusement park than by boat. When the teens first arrive, they are completely stunned and speechless, it turns out the resort is even better than they'd imagined. The hotel rooms are utterly unreal, the theme rides are even incredible, and the island itself is hauntingly beautiful. These teens are given a jam packed weekend, but for the weekend only, or so they thought.

The first day starts off fun, the teens get to know each other, or maybe they don't know who they truly are? The get to experience some of the fun the amusement park has to offer, but then one of the teens ends up missing and murdered. For the teens that are left, they try to piece together why one of them was murdered, and how and why if only you can get to this theme park by boat and it hasn't even been opened to the public yet. Soon, these teens will discover that something is truly missing from their schedule, getting off the island alive. As the story goes on, more teens end up missing and murdered, but the question is who is doing this and why? Some of these truths that came out shocked me to the core, I couldn't even fathom. In this one room on the island, there's a room of wax melted serial killers, WHAT AND WHY? This part scared me more than ever. As dead bodies keep turning up, there's no possible way to and from this island than by boat. Meanwhile, no one but the owner, the teens, and the ride operators are the only ones allowed on the island for the weekend.

While the hotel is obviously meant for those who prefer luxury, the amusement park has a gothic theme with gargoyles and rides meant to spook. The question is, is this just a fun free vacation as a perk of being internet famous, or is there something else at play? Goodness gracious, I did NOT see that ENDING coming at all. If you are brave enough while feeling like you are being hunter, then I can't recommend this book enough. If you can't deal with murders, blood, and all that gore then this is NOT the book for you, but if you are like me and you want to scream out loud while reading a crazy book, then pick up this book immediately. One certain character annoyed me to the max, while the others made me laugh with their crazy theories like I had. I still have so many questions swirling through my head, but a majority of them were answered. Ugh, y'all I just can't get over how twisty and crazy this roller coaster of a book was. Natasha Preston definitely had me captivated throughout the entire story. As much as I wanted to keep living these crazy twists and turns, I didn't want the story to end anytime soon, but at the same time I just wanted to reach that ending.

Six influencers get selected to be the first to try out a brand new theme park on a remote island over a long weekend. As the weekend progresses, more and more things start to go wrong and then people begin to go missing. Will they make it off alive before the weekend is up?

This was a very suspenseful and fun thriller slasher in the style of 80's horror movies. I loved the whodunnit that weaved throughout as well as the slasher serial killer tropes. It reminded me of Scream, especially with a character self aware of serial killer cliches and tropes. This is my first Natasha Preston and I am definitely going to read more by this author and recommend her for teens looking for a fun horror read.

They said goodbye to their friends and family for the weekend. They weren’t counting on forever.
Jagged Island: a private amusement park for the very rich—or the very influential. Liam, James, Will, Ava, Harper, and Paisley—social media influencers with millions of followers—have been invited for an exclusive weekend before the park opens. They’ll make posts and videos for their channels and report every second of their VIP treatment.
When the teens arrive, they're stunned: the resort is even better than they’d imagined. Their hotel rooms are unreal, the park’s themed rides are incredible, and the island is hauntingly beautiful. They’re given a jam-packed itinerary for the weekend. But soon they'll discover that something's missing from their schedule: getting off the island alive.
I've read all of Natasha Preston's other books and loved them all. This one was no exception and was a roller coaster of a story. The story was quick and easy to follow along with, and the ending was good too. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

A group of influencers planned for a weekend away, they didn't expect for it to turn into eternity...
Six chosen teenage social media influencers are invited for an exclusive weekend on Jagged Island, a private amusement park for the elite, before its grand opening. In exchange, they're expected to make posts and videos about the park and the VIP treatment for their millions of followers to see. Upon arrival, the group is stunned by the enormous size of the resort, their luxurious rooms, and the park's incredibly themed rides. Ready to explore and experience all the offerings in their jam-packed itineraries, they slowly start to realize one one thing is missing from their busy schedule: returning home.
I've been looking forward to the release of this since the day it was announced! I've been a fan of Natasha Preston's work for years and absolutely love a lot of her books. I'm sad to say her writing style and "unexpected endings" are now becoming predictable. She's well-known for having unhappy endings to her thrillers, which doesn't bother me. I actually liked that because it felt unique and original, however now it's expected. It kind of takes away from the rest of the story when you know how it's going to end because it's her MO. The narrator, Caitlin Kinnunen, did a great job voicing the characters and portraying their emotions. Overall, the story was enjoyable and I liked it enough, but I'm sad to say that it was my least favorite book of hers. Although this wasn't my favorite, I've read many others by her that I really enjoyed, so I'll definitely be reading The Haunting when it releases later this year!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and Edelweiss+. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I was entertained by this book until the end. I had guessed pretty much all the twists but I wasn't letting that ruin the book. What did ruin the book however was the ending. I literally thought my e book glitched or the ending was left out. That was the stupidest way to end a book.

I was certain I would like The Island by Natasha Preston. An island AND a theme park combo! Thrillers and theme parks just go hand in hand.

Six teenage influencers are chose to spend a weekend at a new luxury hotel and theme park, on a private island, as a way for them to promote it via their social media accounts before the park’s opening to the public. Of course, something goes wrong, & keeps going wrong. Ha.

I enjoyed this book and finished it in a couple of days. It began to get a little out there, with who to trust & who not, but it was a good read.

I was provided this book via NetGalley and Random House Children's & Delacorte Press exchange for an honest review.

great book and such great characters. I enjoyed the mystery and some romance. I also enjoyed the journey of the characters. I didn't know what to expect with this book but I enjoyed it .

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sending and allowing me to read this book.
I was so excited to see I had received this e-arc, I've read almost all of Natasha Prestons' books give or take one or two, and loved them. All her books are usually 4-5 stars for me so I was not surprised when i loved this novel as well. The premise is different from her other novels and i definitely recommend this.

Title: The Island
By: Natasha Preston

Excerpt:
“Wives and husbands, parents, families, of murderers have all claimed to know the person who turned out to be evil. Two days. Twenty years. I’m not sure we ever know anyone.”

Age Recommendations:
9th - Young Adult Thriller
15 and up

Red Flags:
Violence

Summary/Review:
A few selected social media influencers have received a special and exclusive invitation to attend a special weekend away on Jagged Island. Malcom, the famous owner, believes the Influencers will post about the new and upcoming amusement park for the rich and famous which will bring more visitors to his island. The group of young adult social media stars are blown away by the gothic elegance, yet somewhat haunting Island.

Natasha Preston creates an intense thriller filled with Influencers and Tic Toc, the craze of today’s teenagers living in a world filled with social media likes, fame, wealth, and success. All the endless possibilities of today’s world that is until…they have no possibilities left. The Island is powerfully suspenseful, my first novel by Preston, but not my last.

#netgalley #Reluctantreaderreads #natashapreston #theislandbook #

Thank you to Natasha Preston, Netgalley, and Penguin Random House for the Advanced Readers Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This fast-paced YA thriller did not disappoint. Paisley is a teenage true crime blogger who has been invited to join other teen influencers to visit a new resort and amusement park. The goal is to document their trip to raise publicity for the grand opening of the unique Jagged Island experience.

Paisley is enthralled by the Gothic architecture and overall feel of the resort the minute the group steps on the island. Creepy and dangerous is her wheelhouse, so she is determined to make the best of it. That is until those around her start turning up dead, and she realizes she can't trust anyone but herself.

This thriller kept me guessing who the killer was for a while, but then it all clicked about the 50% mark. But that didn't take away from the overall feel of the action or gory scenes. This book kept me entertained the entire way through.

There were twists and turns, action-packed, and actual situational awareness in this book, even if it was a little over the top. But, in my opinion, that's what you want in this type of book. I recommend it to mature teens and young adults. I would have eaten this up at that age!