Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy. The Compound follows Lily as she competes on a reality tv show similar to Love Island and Big Brother. There are ten girls and ten boys. In order to improve their living situation, they must work together as a group to complete tasks to get rewards that can range from food to jewelry. They must also couple up or risk being banished. I enjoyed the premise and wanted to know how it would end. It was a very slow burn of a book. It took me five days to read as I found myself struggling to continue in some spots. In the beginning there were too many characters to keep track of, but it was easier as the story progressed.

A reality TV competition with attractive young men and women turns dark as they compete for prizes and the chance to be the last one standing. The final competitor gets to ask for whatever they want, and they’ll get it. Unfortunately some connections are genuine while others aren’t as the contestants try to stay in the house as long as possible.

This was a very fast read for me, and it was fun but there was no big climax. Things kind of fizzle out and we’re not given a great resolution either, I wanted something exciting or crazy to happen at the end. But that never came. It was more a representation of consumer culture and how our main character cares more about nice things than genuine relationships with others.

This book is tailored toward a very niche audience who is into reality tv. The plot is straightforward but like I said no major drama or conflict.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy

Lily wakes up in the middle of a desert compound with nine other women--and eventually nine men--as a contestant on a Survivor+Big Brother type reality show where everyone must pair up each night and the house must complete tasks in order to win necessary items like food and wood to make a front door. At first Lily is excited by the prospect of being on the show and potentially winning, but as the numbers dwindle, people's true personalities come out and Lily has to decide how much she's willing to sacrifice to win.

This book left me off-kilter from page one. It's disorienting to not be situated in an exact time or place--the book seems set in a near future, but it's unclear where in the world the story is takin place. Add to that the artificial nature of the set-up (all the women are drugged and placed in the house and the men are dropped into the desert to find their way to the house), and I had no idea what was going to happen from chapter to chapter. Lily is a fascinating character to follow as she is, self-proclaimed, one of the least talented or intelligent people in the house. Her value is in her looks, though even there she isn't the most beautiful person in the house. But what she lacks in value brought to the house she makes up for in her savage desire to win the game and potentially change her life. She seems willing to do almost anything to get ahead, though she does have boundaries and it was interesting to see which lines she wouldn't cross.

This was an unsettling but engrossing read (I had the feeling up staying up late to finish "one more chapter" too often); it's not the right story for everyone but for the right person it'll stay with you.

Content Warning: violence

The Compound is out June 24, 2025.

I featured The Compound in my June 2025 new releases video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q31xhbo1tE, and though I have not read it yet, I am so excited to and expect 5 stars! I will update here when I post a follow up review or vlog.

The Compound is pegged as Love Island meets Hunger Games. That combination got my attention, but I should have paid more attention to the Love Island part. If you enjoy romance/couple-dom based reality tv, I think this is a great rec for you. There are slight dystopian vibes, but we never learn much about life off of the eponymous compound.

Lily is battling to stay on the compound for as long as she can, in fact it is her goal to win and set a record for staying the longest of anyone in past seasons of the show. The catch is, every "boy" and "girl" must be paired up in a bed at night or be eliminated. Someone doesn't want to share a bed with you? You're out. An odd number of girls or guys? Someone's out.

This book kept me reading but ultimately fell short of turning it's plot into something worth remembering or into meaningfully well shaped commentary on our materialistic society.

I was super excited to read this one based on the premise, and I was not let down by it.

My favorite part of this novel was how the reality show was set up. Throughout the book, I found myself thinking that I would probably watch the show in real life which led further thinking about how the way viewers react to a show impacts it. I think the book leans into this a lot by talking about what happened in past seasons and the expectations that it creates for the contestants, and with the prizes that are picked for the characters. I also think that putting the compound in the desert was the perfect setting for this novel. The juxtaposition between the unforgiving wilderness and the supposed paradise of the compound really lends itself to the book’s themes.

As for the characters in the book, I had mixed feelings. The main character, Lily, doesn’t do much other than observe for most of the book, unless she feels like she has to get involved (honestly, relatable). Even though there is a large cast of characters, we are limited to Lily’s perspective. I found this to be both a good thing and possibly a bad thing depending on what reading experience you want. On the plus side, Lily’s observant nature combined with the setup for the show meant you could never be quite sure whether someone did something for a personal task or not (contestants get prizes from completing personal tasks, but they can’t talk about the tasks with others). However, the limited perspective combined with Lily’s passiveness sometimes led to ‘lulls’ in the plot. Lily is satisfied to just live the easy life on the compound, she doesn’t have a larger goal than this to propel her story forward for most of the book. If you don’t like reading about passive characters, then you might not enjoy this book as much.

The other characters helped keep the book interesting, however, with their conflicting personalities and goals. And if that wasn’t enough, the producers are always nearby to bring people together and help keep things interesting ;). There are plenty of tense moments where I couldn’t put the book down!

As for the ending, I won’t say much other than it was left pretty open ended. I do think that it was a fine spot to leave off, but I didn’t find it the most enjoyable to read. This was probably the biggest thing that brought my rating down a star.

Overall, this book will give you a lot to think about. I would recommend it for its takes on capitalism, entertainment, and consumerism. Definitely keep in mind, though, that it is a heavier novel when it comes to subject matter!

Great concept and nearly flawless execution. I wish it went a couple steps darker than it did but still greatly enjoyed it. Will be recommending!

Okay so this is said to be like Love Island meets Lord of the flies. And as someone who loves some reality tv I was excited.

This is very slow burn.

It starts with a lot of contestants at the compound and they have to pair up and stayed paired to not get voted out of the house. And then have to do different challenges personal and group for different rewards until the last couple can outlast everyone and win the whole thing.
Definitely an interesting look at reality tv, consumerism and motivations.

And just like reality tv… a little hard to believe a with a few plot holes lol.

Thanks to netgalley and random house for an eARC

Reality tv in book form, but also interestingly addresses the idea of consumerism, community, and companionship. Definitely would be a great summer beach read

The Compound delivers a story that is hard to put down. I really enjoyed going into the novel with a vague understanding of what type of reality programing the characters were signing up for. I was worried for a time that the novel would read like a traditional reality TV show – not something I am a huge fan of. However, there was just enough mystery coupled to tug the book along, until it gets into a darker place which is teased in the beginning, when rules are lifted at the compound. I thought the concept was creative and unique - and just intense enough to not be every readers' cup of tea.

I personally enjoyed the satire on materialism embedded in the novel. There are hints at larger conflicts outside the compound, including some type of war, and climate-change produced devastation. I wish the author had leaned into these elements just a bit more in order to deliver a more dystopian-style story.

I can see this book being very widely read throughout the summer, it definitely has a beach read/book club feel. I was so excited to review and review this ARC sensing just how popular it will be. A huge than you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wow, I loved this novel so much! It's one of those ones where a lot happens...but also it doesn't. We have a lot of characters, but not much development, but I didn't care. I do feel the Love Island meets Lord of the Flies is 100% accurate, but that's not all it is. It's also fairly literary, but not in an intimidating way, and it has some great ruminations on society and the way things are progressing (set in near-future). It's both slow and fast paced without being frustratingly so, and I enjoyed every minute! If it at all sounds like something you'd enjoy, definitely try it!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Man how I devoured this. Pop culture and reality TV fans are going to love this one. It reads like your favorite reality show and is the epitome of “just one more chapter.”

In The Compound you’ll confront themes like consumerism, sexism, pop culture, voyeurism, relationships, survival, with a dash of “something bad is happening out there” and horror/thriller. Each chapter really feels like popping popcorn, and the premise gets more and more unsettling as the story continues.

Nice debut, highly recommend.

Conceptually I anticipated I’d like this but the writing was so awful I had to check to see if it was translated. It sounds like AI wrote it.

I'm sad to say that I didn't really enjoy The Compound that much. I didn't realize it was about a weird, dystopian reality TV show that was half Survivor and half Love Island. The characters all blurred together and weren't all that interesting (to me). I did really love One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware, but to me The Compound read like a weirder and shallower version of that book.

Thanks to Random House for the advance copy!

This was hard for me to wrap my head around, but in a great way! The first half was fun and carefree. The second half turned a bit sinister as the characters became more intense. The main character is not one that I would typically read. She is not the strong, smart, underdog. I found that to be a bit hard to swallow for me. It was refreshing in a way. I was hooked from the beginning and thoroughly enjoyed this book!

The Compound is eerie, smart, and totally absorbing. The author builds tension slowly but effectively. By the time things really start unraveling, I couldn’t put it down. I lost a lot of sleep the last few days! It’s got a quiet, dystopian vibe that kind of reminded me of Never Let Me Go. Some parts dragged a bit early on, but the payoff was worth it. Definitely recommend if you like moody, psychological stories that make you think.

Strangely addictive... thought-provoking... unique. The reality show concept drew me in, and the sinister feeling and need to know what happens kept me hooked throughout. Read this in one sitting and could NOT put it down. Aisling Rawle's de but novel is a Literary Fiction but reads a bit like a Thriller in places which I loved! I've never read something quite like it before, and days later I can't stop thinking about it. This book is released on June 24th 2025 and I've already preordered a copy for myself as well as my besties! Can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this from NetGalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.

Thank you so much @randomhouse and @netgalley for inviting me to read this book. I wasn’t sure that this would be my kind of book, but I ran to my kindle after reading @what_is_nelly_reading enthusiastic review of it.

Pub date: June 24,2025

I was absolutely consumed by this book. From the first page to the very last. On the second night I stayed up until midnight reading. Midnight isn’t very late for many, but for this mother of two young kids, it’s an absurd hour. No regrets.

I would describe this as Bachelor In Paradise meets The Hunger Games: a reality tv show that takes place in the middle of the desert, miles away from the horrors of their dystopian world. In the compound the tasks are more unhinged and the rewards more lavish and odd than anything we’re used to on our reality tv shows.

You don’t need to be familiar with or even like reality tv shows to get into this book, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. I used to watch “The Bachelor/ette” and “Bachelor in Paradise” shows, and, although I eventually quit watching these shows, I can easily admit that they were fascinating. Of course they are. They’re televised sociology experiments and we are social beings attuned to studying each other.

Rawlings doesn’t just give us a propulsive beach read (not that there’s anything wrong with a beach read) but dug a little deeper with her characters, inviting us to dissect our own society’s relationship to reality tv and social media.

Two caveats to consider: 1. Not many likable characters and 2. The horrors of life outside the compound are kept vague, which could disappoint a reader who’s *only* looking for a dystopian story. If you’re still on board, then I urge you to get yourself a copy!

I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a quick fluff read but was pleasantly surprised it turned out to be more. The premise was interesting- contestants dropped into a compound to begin a reality show. While I found the main character unlikable and somewhat pathetic at times, I found I couldn’t stop reading. If this was a reality show I’d want to watch.

Choosing not to review as it felt like this was mis-genred for me. A great story with tension and interest for the right reader, but didn't deliver on the dystopian/sci-fi/fantasy angle I'd hoped for. Giving 3 stars because I think the writing and concept are probably good but the description didn't match my reading experience.