I struggled with this book for a little while. I was super excited to read it but it just fell flat for me. There were a few parts that really kept me interested but then I just found my concentration wandering.

I think this is through no fault of the author. Maybe this book just wasn’t for me.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on September 15th, 2025. Links provided.

In a not-so-distant future, Lily wakes up to find herself on the set of a wildly popular reality show, one that’s more survival experiment than vacation getaway. She’s one of twenty contestants brought to a secluded desert "Compound" where their every move is filmed and broadcast to a hungry public. The premise is simple: stay inside the Compound longer than anyone else, win challenges, earn luxury items and essential goods, and avoid elimination.

As the show progresses, the rules shift and the challenges become more demanding, mentally, emotionally, and physically. While contestants form alliances, rivalries, and romantic connections, the safety of the Compound begins to feel more uncertain. The outside world remains a distant shadow where rumors of war, ecological disaster, and societal collapse swirl, but nothing is fully revealed. All that matters is what happens within the walls of the Compound, at least, for now.

What begins as a glossy competition show soon morphs into something more sinister, where the boundaries between reality and performance, game and survival, become increasingly hard to define.

While The Compound starts strong with its chilling premise and sharp satire on consumerism and reality TV, the story eventually loses its edge. The pacing slows significantly as the plot focuses on the contestants' mundane interactions and day-to-day survival in the Compound. As a result, it became less gripping and more of a slow burn, which didn’t quite deliver the high-stakes tension I was expecting from a mystery/thriller.

The ending, too, felt unsatisfying. While the outside world is hinted at with war, climate disaster, and societal collapse, it’s never explored in enough detail, leaving me with more questions than answers. Lily’s character arc didn’t evolve much either, and I wanted to see her grow more throughout the story.

Despite these drawbacks, the book still offers plenty to think about, especially around our obsession with fame and materialism. It’s a unique read that will resonate with fans of reality TV and social commentary, but it didn’t hit as hard as I’d hoped. For me, it’s a solid 3 stars.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of The Compound in return for my honest review.

My gosh, what a book!!! The description of Love Island meets Black Mirror and Survivor (but with higher stakes) certainly comes to mind when I think about this book. Lily, our main character, wakes up in a house and the reader learns that she is involved in a reality TV show.  There are very few rules, but one is that the girls cannot wake up in bed alone or they will be banished. There are also tasks that can be done as a whole and individual tasks as well to win rewards. While the timeline isn't every properly described, it seems to be an a dystopian, near-future setting where there is a lot of exteral conflicts going on including a war the reader isn't entirely privvy to. We follow Lily's journey as the stakes in the games get higher are more people get banished. 

Truly, this was a mindblowing book for me. I thought it was such an interesting examination of consumerism and how far some people will go to get whatever rewards or luxury items that their hearts desire, as well as the price of "fame". It feels a big on the nose for the state of the world right now, honestly, which makes it probably a difficult read for some. That being said, i was certainly enthralled from the jump. The author does such a fantastic job of immersing the reader in this world of the compound. I felt like i was watching/participating in the show myself. While some might think that we don't get enough characterization, I found it very grounding being in Lily's head. I thought that she did have a great character arc from the beginning, and I grew to appreciate her, but this entire case of character's will really just not be for everybody. I think the ending was perfectly ambiguous as well, which certainly fits this entire book. I loved it, it is a book that I think that will stick with me for a long time, and it is one of my favorites of this year!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book.

Read this if: you enjoyed The Divorcees and/or you enjoy reality tv.

Skip this if: you prefer a book with a propulsive plot.

Lily is a contestant on a reality show that takes place at a compound in the desert at some point in the not-too-distant future. The 19 contestants must complete tasks, as a group and individually, to earn the things they need to survive plus the luxury goods that they all covet. In order to remain, each contestant must share a bed each night with a member of the opposite sex. The uneven number of contestants (plus some banishment tasks) ensure that the contestants never really trust one another. The stakes feel unusually high as the world outside the compound is alluded to as being more dangerous than it is during our present time.

The premise of this book sounded so gripping (Lord of the Flies plus reality tv? Count me in!) but it never quite came together as well as I hoped. The slow, atmospheric writing reminded me of The Divorcees or The Girls, and while it worked well in the latter book here it just felt too slow. I couldn’t really connect to Lily; her emotions and affect were so muted that it was hard to care about her progress.

On a positive note, the author was very skilled at descriptive writing which made it easy to envision the compound and imagine the action that was happening there. And as the story progressed it did pick up speed, so by the end I was invested in the outcome. This would make an excellent book club pick, as the way she mirrored dystopian fictional elements with the true-to-life elements of reality tv gives the reader plenty to ponder.

𐙚⋆˚✿˖° when a book promises Love Island x dystopia but delivers wet cardboard
⭐️⭐️ (and honestly… generous)

──★ ˙🧷 ̟ !!

Huge thanks to Random House Publishing Group for the e-arc via NetGalley 💌

Okay but… what even was this book supposed to be? Like it’s marketed as a thriller but there’s nothing remotely thrilling happening. It’s labeled dystopia but the “outside world” is just tossed in with vague mentions of “wars” and “political unrest” like filler dialogue in a bad TV pilot. We’re told the world is crumbling, but never shown anything beyond a few lazy lines. Literally vibes only, no actual world-building.

And the so-called characters? Insufferable. Paper-thin. No backstories. No development. No actual reason for existing other than filling out a twenty-person cast list. I kept waiting for depth, scheming, something to make them feel like real people, but nope—they’re just wandering stereotypes playing dress-up in a reality show that doesn’t even feel real. How do you write a novel about a dystopian Love Island/Survivor mashup and forget the actual horniness, backstabbing, manipulation, drama—you know, the good stuff?? Instead, we get conversations that feel like diary entries written during detention.

The pacing? Don’t get me started. First half: fine, I’ll admit, kinda addicting in a trashy, can’t-look-away way. Second half: dry, anticlimactic, and utterly pointless. I thought we were building toward some huge reveal—about the producers, the compound, the outside world—anything. But it fizzles into absolutely nothing. By the last page I was sitting there like… wait, that’s it? I wasted hours for THIS?

Also, the “commentary”? Clunky as hell. Capitalism bad. Consumerism bad. Gender roles bad. Cool, thanks for the TED Talk, I already knew. Nothing fresh, nothing cutting, nothing that sticks. It’s like the book thinks it’s doing The Hunger Games level satire when really it’s just recycling the same points you could get off a Pinterest quote board.

The wildest part? This is being pitched as a “Good Morning America Book Club Pick” with blurbs calling it “addictive” and “provocative.” Honestly… provocative WHERE? Addictive HOW?? This was bland, predictable, and so dry I wanted to skip entire chapters. If I wanted to watch twenty hot people cry about nothing, I’d turn on actual Love Island—it at least has accents, memes, and messy hookups.

Final verdict: The idea? Solid. The execution? A trainwreck. This book wanted to be edgy, thought-provoking, and addictive. Instead, it was boring, shallow, and empty. 2 stars. Generous ones.

calling it now, rawle is the next rooney. this debut follows a vain young girl through her journey on a love island meets squid games reality tv show with eerie consequences. it’s dystopian without being too specific, yet the detached worldbuilding perfectly emphasizes the self-centeredness behind shows like this. i’ll read anything she writes from here on out.

This was a very fast read, however, in the end I felt as though I never truly got to know the characters fully and I wanted to know more about what was going on in the world (though I suppose that didn't truly affect the story). I would absolutely recommend this to someone looking for a plot driven, page turner or to a reality TV fan. A solid beach read that I don't regret reading!

his one will stick with me. It wasn’t just the suspense or the plot it was the way it made me feel. Every chapter had something that tugged me deeper in. It’s the kind of story that makes you fall in love with reading all over again.

Kind of twisted to make us invested, and therefore complicit, in the fucked-up nature of The Compound’s games. But that’s reality TV for you, baby: escapism that makes it impossible to look away.

On the surface, it’s frothy and suspenseful: hot singles pairing up, competing for comfort and survival. But beneath that, it’s a razor-sharp portrait of our own world: climate collapse, hyper-individualism, and the hollowness of consumerism, refracted through the lens of reality TV.

And as readers, we get to experience this from inside the mind of a contestant in a way we never do watching on the screen. With Lily (beautiful, bored, and aimless) we see the hyperawareness of being perceived by an unseeing audience and her fellow contestants, teetering between real desire and performance. In her, the book nails the Faustian bargain of reality TV: what do you give up (your privacy, your humanity, your lines in the sand) in exchange for desire, worth, survival?

Juicy, unsettling, and smarter than it has any right to be. I was hooked — and I think you will be too.

This book had a very interesting premise to me, very Love Island feel to it. It was a quick read but I will say I did not like the main character, Lily, at all. I do wonder if this was the point of the book. Aisling does a great job at really making the story creepy and showing how "reality" TV is very scripted in the way of production doing things to move it along and push characters into doing certain things. This book is very hard to describe, I enjoyed her writing style and the story did capture my attention just unsure of if it is something I would definitely recommend to people.

I think this book was compared to a collaboration between Lord of the Flies and Love Island. If that is true, I need to start watching Love Island. Either way, this is my kind of book. Dystopian setting topped with capitalism and violence.
Maybe because of the world we are living in but I knew at the beginning that as soon as the men showed up, there would be violence, I just wasn't sure how bad it would be. I did expect the violence to be worse that I couldn't handle it. Like the ending but over and over. I think the violence and eeriness of the house played off each other. I could read every season of this show. Well written, great plot and dialogue. Really got me thinking about climate change and of course, relationships between humans under strained conditions.

This was a surprisingly good but very odd book. The opening quote from Animal Farm was very fitting. I’m still not sure which character was the more threatening - Tom or Andrew, but they were both extremely creepy at the end. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.

This book could’ve been an episode of Black Mirror. Vague ominous tones throughout every character interaction — I really had no idea where this was going at any turn.

The author did a great job creating a big cast of characters and building a dystopian world without really diving into the dystopia. It wasn’t really scary but it was deeply unsettling. I’d love to read a reunion version to see where everyone ended up.

This book just wasn't for me. I'm still exploring and finding what I enjoy reading and it's not the book or authors fault. Thank you for giving me an advance copy to read. I chose 3 stars as I feel that is a neutral rating.

A smarter than the cover lets on book, about consumerism and the dangers of being too available.
I couldn’t put this down. I look forward to the next book by this author!

Loved this story. In a near-distant future, contestants compete in an unknown location for prizes (from food to diamonds) and a chance to live a cozy life outside the compound. Lots of twists and turns throughout - will highly recommend!

Honestly cannot believe this is a debut?

Excuse my language but I felt this was a really fucked up book in the best way. Using reality TV as a sound board to discuss themes like capitalism, the pursuit of fame and consumerism was very well done. The things these people do to keep their spot on the show & stay in the house, to win, ultimately useless, but expensive and highly coveted prizes says a lot about our current society (just look at the amount of reality tv shows we consume and how many of those same contestants end up with highly lucrative influencing careers and brand deals). This would make a great book club pick for discussion!

TL;DR: when it comes to the most popular content on JBC, it’s not even up for debate: y’all love when I post about the books that “broke my brain and f*cked me up in all the best ways”. What can I say…I’ve found my people!! You like dark and twisty and mind-meltingly cool books. And I have one to add to the collection. It’s Aisling Rawle’s THE COMPOUND, a seemingly straightforward book about a group of reality show contestants picked to live together and compete for a pot of money while being filmed doing debaucherous things. Think REAL WORLD meets BIG BROTHER meets LOVE ISLAND meets…THE WORLD GIVES WAY. That’s right. Sh*t gets real weird: the men are forced to hike thru a dangerous desert to get to the house (one of the men doesn’t make it); the house is basically unfinished and the contestants have to compete for necessities like…a front door, while also competing for luxury personal items like makeup and flatscreen TVs; it’s clear some type of apocalyptic event has occurred in the real world, but no one talks about it; the contestants must couple up, with single people voted out. It’s clear the producers are putting the contestants in increasingly dangerous situations. It’s ridiculous fun, but also super bizarre and not once did I know where this thing was going. Rawle explores themes of identity and privilege, but also keeps readers on the edge of their seats by ramping up tension and stakes as contestants are whittled down and consequences ramps up, becoming more dire and dangerous. It’s a book that knocked me off my axis, and is probably one of the bigger surprises of the year for me.

To say that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. Having not watched reality tv for some time, I was expecting this to just not be my cup of tea. But, it had me pulled in, just like a reality show, from the moment the boys arrived at the compound. By the time it was down to the final 5 I couldn’t out the book down and was on the edge of my seat in anticipation.

Lily - what a character. She’s written in such a way that you don’t like her, but you also can’t dislike her. She knows her faults and never hides that from the reader.

I was left wanting to know more about what is going on outside the compound. But the level of detail provided also makes this book so adaptable to different times and scenarios. A smart choice to help this book stand up to time.

I'm torn on how I feel about this book. My initial thought upon finishing it was "that's it? What is the point?" I was hoping for a little bit more growth on the part of the main character or at least SOMETHING more... I also found the main character a little bland and boring and unremarkable. Giving it a little more time, I'm beginning to think that's the point. The beginning was an interesting look into social dynamics and how groups must work together for a common goal. But the pacing was kind of all over the place. Sometimes it was VERY slow when the housemates were going through their normal day to day stuff. It got a bit bogged down in details for me at times. Then other times, the action ramped up and I was racing through the pages to see what was going to happen. Overall, I didn't really care much about any of the characters, especially the narrator. I think the point is about commercialism and that we never really learn our lesson about that in the end... If you like reality TV, this might be a good book for you.