I wanted to give this a try because I thought maybe my experience reading a story about reality TV would be more entertaining than watching reality TV, but I couldn't get into this book. I didn't leave any reviews on any platforms since I didn't finish the book. What I did read was well written, but I couldn't get invested in the characters because I just didn't find anything likeable about them from the opening of the book. I feel like that's most likely because of my thoughts on reality TV in general. I really just want to make sure the author knows that there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the book she wrote; it's just not my cup of tea, but not every book is for everyone and she should be proud of herself and what she's done.

Fun beach read that follows 4 characters who are taking part in a reality show like Survivor. But when they are accidentally dropped off on a real deserted island, we follow their attempts to stay alive and be rescued. Although this book went a little dark, I really enjoyed it!

Thank you Netgalley and The Book guild for the ARC!

This cover initially drew me into this book, the further I dug into the book I noticed the cover doesn’t do the book justice at all. These four stars are meant to be on this reality show but a storm happens and they are left on the island to find their luxury hotel on their own. But weeks pass by…..

This has to be one of my favourite locked room mysteries as I flew through it in a couple of days. I’m so glad I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, The BookGuild and the author for the eARC for an honest review of the book.

I really loved the idea of this book and it did not disappointment
The characters were well rounded and each played their part of the story well. I woukd happily reccomend

I really enjoyed reading this, it had everything that I was looking for in this type of book. It had a great overall feel to it and was what I wanted based on the description. The characters felt like they were supposed to be there and I enjoyed the overall story going on. Lisa Brace has a great writing style and I’m glad I got to read this.

I kept coming back to this book trying to get through the beginning and find something that held my interest and unfortunately, it just never took. I DNF'd this book because I couldn't bring myself to care what happened next. I'm not sure if it was too wordy, too little dialogue, too little character development or too many characters introduced at once.

Star Survivor was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed the book. Star Survivor started with an engaging survival story but midway turned into a suspense book about the dark side of the entertainment industry in these social media era. A good read overall

This is a light read that's a bit of a cross between Shipwrecked/I'm a Celeb. 4 random celebs are sent to star in a new reality show that sees them trying to "live" on an island without their daily comforts but a freak storm means they are stranded and have to learn how to survive.
There's not much in the way of depth to the characters, and the end felt a bit rushed, whereas the 2nd half seemed a bit long and waffley.
Some parts didn't make sense either almost as though it hadn't already been mentioned a few chapters beforehand, and some of the spelling, punctuation, and grammar should've been checked!

All in all, it was a light read. Would be ideal for a holiday read. Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to review

As a lover of reality TV (including shows like Survivor), the premise of this book was intriguing. Four celebrities, set to star on a reality TV show are dropped on the wrong island. Toby, Zoe, June and Emily all had their reasons for doing the show, but end up being put to the test of survival in a different way than any of them anticipated. It was interesting to get to know their stories and watch them grow.

The first half of the book was fascinating as the quartet navigates island survival life, but I found the second half to be less fleshed out. The story takes an interesting turn, but I was left scratching my head and wanted more character development. The end left me scratching my head and felt a bit convoluted / contrived.

Thanks to The Book Guild and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a fun summer read! Light and fun overall. I could have done with some more depth between the characters but the story was good! Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review

Thank you to @NetGalley and The Book Guild for my gifted copy of 'Star Survivor"!

I absolutely LOVED this exciting and entertaining mystery thriller! It's sooooo good! UNPUTDOWNABLE!

Four celebrities: a famous author, a very well known and sought after young actress, a TV host and an instagram mom-fluencer get stranded on a deserted tropical island instead of their destination, Star Survivor UK. The four celebrities learn how to truly survive -- forage for food, fish, build shelter and chop wood for weeks upon weeks waiting to be rescued. They are starving, weak and at the end of their ropes when all hope is found.

Back to civilization, the famous author's ghost writer comes forward and ruins his professional career. The actress continues to be highly sought, The TV host has been replaced by a younger host but completely revamps her life and Emily, the influencer now has 20 million followers and a best-selling book.

Their lives have been completely changed, then interesting facts start to surface. Were they intentionally abandoned on that island to die? Why or who could do such a thing?

“You scroll, you click, you find other people like you, having the same awful day or week or month or year and you say ‘yes, that’s me, I’m having the same time as you. Thank god it’s not just me. Thank god I’m not doing it all wrong.”

Major thanks to the author & NetGalley for this ARC 🫶🏼

Where do I start? The beginning. I loved the writing style and that you jump right into the set up for the initial “disaster”. Was done well, but I did struggle to find myself fully engaged with this part of the book. It seemed to me, like being stranded on an island has been done so many times and for that reason I struggled.

By chapter 6, the 58% part I was sucked in and didn’t put it down until I was done. Reason being, everything seemed so realistic. This could very much happen to any current celebs/influencers on a brand trip. As much as how they survive is interesting, it was the recovery of each character and their relationships that I truly loved. The reveal of who Toby ended up kissing that night, Emily being able to chase her true dream after being forced to monetize her return, June coming out to herself and her want to direct. This book ended up an easy 4 star for all these reasons.

I'm sorry to say that this just wasn't the book for me. It wasn't bad at all, I just couldn't find myself getting invested in the story or the characters.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book. There were some good parts, but overall it wasn't my favorite.

Keenly Observed..
As celebrities prepare themselves for a stint on the world renowned reality show Star Survivor, the last thing they expect is for things to go badly awry…from the get go. Being dropped in an unexpected fashion on the island is bad enough- but when they realise that it is the wrong island and that they are entirely cut off, how on earth will they survive? More to the point, will they begin to realise the important things in life? With a deftly drawn and keenly observed cast of characters, a well imagined setting and plenty of unexpected moments and surprising turns, this is both enjoyable and entertaining.

I was really excited to read this book. The plot sounded interesting - celebrities are chosen for a Survivor-style TV show with the caveat that the show is rigged - the "winner" has already been chosen, and the celebrities need only film during the day and will be staying at a resort between tapings. The first bump in the road comes when four of those celebrities are transported via helicopter and told to jump onto the island because due to bad weather, the copter can't land. It doesn't take long for the celebrities to realize they've been dropped off and stranded on the wrong island. Sounds like a great hook. However, this part of the story was resolved within the first half of the book, leaving me thinking, what now?

The middle of the book was extremely boring, and then it picked up a bit towards the end when the book became more of a mystery. This part fell flat for me. It felt like an afterthought and didn't mesh well with the rest of the story.

Star Survivor by Lisa Brace should've been my jam. I *love* books where characters are stranded on an island and have to survive, and I was definitely sold on Brace's premise of celebrity cast away. However, the book didn't live up to my expectations. When their helicopter drops them off on the wrong tropical island, four celebrities must use whatever wits, means, or abilities they have to survive and get along. That's the plot premise of the first half of the book, which I did mostly enjoy. The commentary on celebrity, media perception, and the public went over fairly well and I like the variety in 'celebrity' that we had, and all their various reasons for joining the show. However, once the celebrities were rescued, I lost most of my interest in the book and, after the major twist, I barely finished. I wanted more time to get to know the characters as they were at the beginning, but the pacing moved so quickly through everything that I had to roll with what was happening or get lost. I actually think if this had been kind of a 'locked room' mystery on an island then the twist could've worked, but I wasn't that invested. Additionally, as others have mentioned, some parts of the island survival felt too 'clean' or easy for me to buy in. I do think there's a readership for this book, as it was still entertaining and had enjoyable characters. It was an easy read overall and not a bad way to spend the day.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild for the advanced copy.

Thank you to Lisa as well as NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book! It was such a fun and engaging read and I am so beyond in love with the plot. I’m one of those people who love the idea of someone being stranded and just having to survive! This is the story of the four protagonists who are lost at sea following a tv show they were supposed to be on, now listen these four could not be more different. I loved Toby more than anything I think his character was such a cool and unique character who was really dragged through the mud, I did want to protect him as well as all of the other characters. This is the story of them having to adjust to their new lives on this island and having to work together, again did I mention these people are so different and I couldn’t see their paths crossing if this event had not have happened.

I really think that for Lisa’s debut novel oh my gosh this was a great, fun and engaging read and I truly recommend it if you’re a fan of “shipwrecked” or just like the idea of seeing these characters having to come together in order to survive!

digital arc was kindly provided by Netgalley and Book Guild Publishing

I didn't realise that I was gonna be this invested with the lives of four people this week. Wew.

Synopsis<
An actress, a mommy-blogger, a children book author, and a talkshow host were stranded in an uninhibited island. Initially, they were about to join a celebrity survival show, but instead, must try to stay alive for real.

What I like
The plot led me to believe that this could be a mystery, but, boy I was wrong. Yes, there was a mystery subplot there, but mostly, it was about how the four protagonists (Zoe, Emily, June, and Toby) navigated themselves with their newfound lost lives and after.
Half of the book they were gone, the whole world thought they were dead already, so then when they were found, the world, of course, also imploded. With joy. For some, I reckon, not so.
I was so intrigued with them, especially Toby as the only guy out of the four, and the (arguably) had his name smeared so much. I didn't mind the subtle (maybe) romance subplot or even the I-found-myself subplots for all characters.
Everyone found that what they wanted didn't always what they needed, and the courage inside of them to do what's right for themselves, not what is expected of them.
Although I could do with the mystery subplot more, I think the ending was best left as it is.

What I dislike
I need more time for them to get stranded, you get me? The whole time they were missing for weeks/months, but it didn't really felt like that. Could be the time skip.

Final thoughts
Partly funny, very much engaging, it's a great read overall.

alright. this book was real good. i super enjoyed it. the characters are chef's kiss. the plot is mr. darcy level fantastic. the writing is tortured poets department wonderful. all the things and more for this book. read it!!!