I’m no fan of reality shows but I would definitely watch Iconic, the fictional competition at the heart of this novel. Six celebrities go to a luxurious tropical island to win a prize and become relevant again. What starts as a silly show with vapid people living it up in the sunshine slowly turns into a bloodbath, with petty jealousies and rivalry poisoning every relationship. The characters are obnoxious and shallow, so I was surprised at how much I ended up caring about what happened to them. From the beginning we know that one of them died in an accident, but the police get involved when it turns out that it could have been murder. The way these people change, evolve (or devolve) and drop whatever semblance of civility they had, turning into monsters, is really nicely done. Zura Johnson nails the transformations in her audiobook narration. The story is told in two timelines, the Interpol investigators conducting the interviews of the suspects, and the episodes that started everything. Johnson shows how these people go from damaged to carefree and back again. The mystery is compelling, since we know what happened but, could everyone be lying or mistaken? The weak spot in my opinion was the ending, not because it wasn’t satisfying but because it was a little too sudden for my taste. Or, maybe, I just wasn’t ready to stop with all the drama. Satisfying and addictive.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Tantor Audio.

If you love Big Brother, Love is Blind or any of those other reality shows like that, you will love this book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was very good.

It starts off with a bunch of typical reality stars coming to the dessert Island and then follows them around in true reality fashion for the show Iconic. Many of them seem like despicable people and the other stars are more than happy to point out who they are. Most of the guests are not likeable and are hard to keep track of. The host like Julie Chen is constantly reading tweets or things posted to other social media. So there is a lot of @ this or that person and # this or that. I find that annoying as it totally ruins books for me. I didn't even care for the mystery part as I was already over these people by the time any of that happens.

Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC audiobook.

If you count trashy reality TV like Love is Blind among your guilty pleasures, if you like thriller chockful of despicable cat characters, then this one is for you!

Premise - a group of typical reality star types (think cast of Netflix’s The Perfect Match) gather on set of the hottest new reality competition show. As the stakes rise and the interpersonal tensions flare, one of them isn’t going to make it home alive…

I loved this! Give me more reality tv thrillers, it’s a match made in heaven! I literally could not get enough - I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Zura Johnson, and I was hanging on until the very last word. I kept meaning to pause, but I just couldn’t do it! Johnson did a beautiful job with the narration, keeping me hooked in and adding extra personality and color to Fitzgerald’s gripping story. The two made a great team!

Thanks, NetGalley and Tantor Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. What a treat!