HAPPY PUB DAY TO THIS BOMBSHELL (THE COMPOUND), WHO JUST ENTERED THE VILLA (your favorite bookstore/your local library)✨💛

I had the pleasure of reading and receiving this book and gifted PR Box from @atrandombooks a few months ago and I seriously haven’t stopped thinking about it since!!! The perfect amount of fast paced drama and slow-burn storytelling….CHEF’S KISS😘

The comparisons for this book that I heard previously were "Love Island meets Lord of the Flies" but I believe that undersells this book a little bit. I'm an avid fan of both Love Island and Lord of the Flies, but looking through the lens of a reality dating show to analyze rampant consumerism, capitalism, and our voyeuristic nature was even better than I expected.

I was completely surprised by this debut, which gripped me from the start. A group of men and women come together in a desert compound in the near future and seek to be the winner of a TV reality competition (think Big Brother and Love Island). This is the perfect summer read that you won't be able to put down. The author subtly comments on gender dynamics, consumerism, and the pressures of living in a capitalistic society. Fun and fresh!

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House and author Aisling Rawle for advanced copy for honest review.

Happy Pub Day! Think Survivor meets Big Brother. A group of strangers must survive in the desert to be the last one standing. They answer fun questions and do challenges to get perks and prizes. But there is also a chance you’ll get voted out. When most of the cast get ‘friendly’ and catch feelings, that’s when voting people out can be an easy choice or not. Fun read, liked the characters, recommend, 4 stars!

I wanted to like this book. It seemed like a great combination of locked room mystery and reality tv drama but I just couldn't connect with the characters and I really didn't care what happened to them. The atmosphere was cool and I kept thinking something would happen but ultimately I didn't understand the characters motivations or again, why I should care what happened to any of these people.

The Compound takes a familiar set-up and blends it with speculative fiction. Think Love Island x Lord of the Flies, wrapped in a dark satire of society's obsession with material goods and manufactured spectacle. 20 contestants are kept in a remote, hyper-produced compound under constant surveillance for an invisible audience. They are forced to pair up, compete in (bizarre) challenges, and turn on each other. It's an uncanny valley version of the reality shows we all watch feverishly.

The narrator / MC, Lily, is unlikable but her self-awareness makes her a good guide through the fake glamour and warped version of reality. I cared less about the characters, though, than the sharp commentary on consumerism and reality TV culture. The ending felt a little rushed and unsatisfying, but overall this was a smart, subversive summer read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLSKK2Rsqpe/The Compound by Aisling Rawle is a conundrum. There is a 5 star book trying to break free from this 3 star book. It's got a great premise, it's got perfectly unlikable characters in the best way, it's got moments of perfect execution but in the end Rawle fails to keep the train on the tracks and delivers a book that was good but is hurt by the fact that it very clearly could've been great.

from the blurb "You wake up in a compound in the middle of the desert, along with nine other women. All of you are young, all beautiful, all keen to escape the grinding poverty, political unrest and environmental catastrophe of the outside world. You realise that cameras are tracking your every move, broadcasting to millions of reality TV fans.

Soon, ten men will arrive on foot – if they all survive the journey.What will you have to do to win?"

Touted as Lord of the Flies meets Love Island - I can definitively say that the Love Island UK vibes are on full display and Rawle captures the ridiculousness and the dark underbelly perfectly. The dystopian near future setting falters and the runs into continuity issues that distract from the narrative - which honestly should've been addressed by the editor(s).

I liked the book and I will likely read Rawle's next effort because the pieces are there and the potential is so very high. I would just temper expectations a bit. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. #TheCompound #NetGalley #bookstagram

Lily wakes up in a compound in the middle of the desert along with nine other beautiful young women. Cameras are tracking their every move, broadcasting to millions of reality TV fans. Soon ten men will arrive on foot – if they all survive the journey. Residents of the compound must complete tasks, some communal and some personal, to win rewards, always with the prospect of banishment looming large.

Although I probably read the synopsis at some point, I had it in my brain that this was a story about a cult. Instead, it's a story about contestants on a reality tv show, a Survivor-like program, who are placed in a compound in the middle of the desert. I'm not a fan of this type of tv program but, after about the first 25%, I really enjoyed the book and became quite immersed in the story, wondering who was going to make it to the end. There are quite a few characters, most of them pretty superficial and the story is told solely from Lily's point of view, always with a vague sense of menace in the background. Although it's not explicitly stated, I got the feeling the story takes place in the future after a war of some type. I was expecting a more dramatic ending but it was okay. Very impressive for a debut novel and a high 4-star rating.

Thanks to Random House Publishing for inviting me to read an advance copy of this debut novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: June 24, 2025

Very interesting concept, love island meets the hunger games. I found myself getting pulled into the story right away and finished the book in one sitting. I found myself wondering why people would go on this show in the first place, and if it would work in real life, but reality television is crazy. A different and kind of intense summer read!

Ten men and ten women wake up in a compound in the middle of the desert. They have agreed to sign up for a reality show with only a few rules and no set end date. They will complete to win fantastic prizes and also basic resources that they need for their survival.

This books was a wild ride. I am a pretty big reality tv fan and this was a truly fascinating and at time harrowing take on the reality tv world. It is also incredibly difficult to describe. Our lead character Lily is not your average FMC. She is aloof and very concerned with her image. To begin with she is seriously lacking in survival skills. The pacing is all over the place and I think that is intentional. There are some very eerie and terrifying moments in the book. I found myself so curious about what was happening in the outside world if this is something people were willingly signing up for. This was my first Aisling Rawle book but it will not be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one had such a cool, creepy premise. Think of, The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games with a dystopian, reality TV twist. However, it took its time getting anywhere. There were so many characters to keep track of that I was totally lost until like half of them left the compound. Once it started to narrow in, things got more interesting, but just a heads-up: it’s a very slow burn. If you like character-heavy reads and don’t mind waiting for the payoff, this could still be your thing.

Maybe I should just skip books about reality tv shows? I spend a lot of time shaking my head wondering what the heck is going on and why the heck people would do stuff like this. I do recognize (or hope) that the shows don't go off the rails like this one did, right? And I did enjoy a good portion of the storyline. The challenges were interesting. But because of the way the show was run, it was hard to really get to know the characters. I struggled believing they fell in love, or whatever, so quickly. And why were the participants referred to as "girls" and "boys"? These are grown people. Is this another reality tv thing I don't know about. So, while I can easily see fans of reality tv shows really enjoying this book, I spent a good portion shaking my sanctimonious head.

4.5 stars. This was a fascinating novel that is hard to categorize. It has the feel of speculative fiction at the edges of its story, but there is nothing overtly different about the world Rawle has created. The Compound is the setting of a reality show in the middle of the desert, and the newest cast of characters has arrived at the start of the book - ten women who wake up at various places around the Compound, and ten men (one who ends up lost en route) who make their way through the desert to join them there. The characters have to compete in various tasks to earn rewards, including food and material to build things like missing doors on the house. The story is told completely through a character named Lily, and I found her both maddening and engaging. Rawle has created a vivid cast of characters and a compelling story that has a vague sense of menace throughout. I can't wait to see what she writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a digital review copy.

A MUST READ THIS SUMMER!

I hadn’t even heard of this one until I saw a friend share her review and I immediately went to see if it was available on Netgalley- and lucky me, I was able to get an early copy.

This one has been described as a combination of Love Island and Lord of the Flies and this description is accurate. I was immediately pulled in and invested because of the unique premise of this book. Just like Love Island, men and women come to a remote compound to be coupled up and compete in challenges. Individuals are banished from the compound and it is high stakes for everyone there. It was very realistic with how people would behave if they become desperate and committed to win. My only complaint would be I was left wanting a little more from the ending, but overall this was a 4.5 star read for me.

I just sent my sister a copy because we always watch Love Island and text each other so I know she’ll love this one. I have a feeling this will be a hit this summer.

This was a wild ride. It took some unexpected turns and ended up in a place that I think made sense. Looking forward to Rawle's next one.

This book gives new meaning to the phrase “slow burn”! Usually when people use this I feel like it means “plot/relationship that takes forever to go absolutely nowhere.” The Compound, however, truly starts out with absolutely nothing, both in universe and in terms of what we, the readers, are given: the contestants show up at a compound that has zero furnishings, not even a front door, and we get nothing but a bunch of first names for barely distinguishable characters who have no background. At this point I’m wondering how I’m possibly going to get invested in any of them, but as the contestants slowly earn prizes to build their compound into a home, so does the intensity of the story and characterization ramp up. By act iii, my jaw is dropping and my hand is flying to my mouth in shock and I’m also completely fascinated by the characters and the metaphor for consumerism.
This is not a romp or campy like most novels based on reality tv shows; I would most liken it to Alexandra Oliva’s The Last One, which I loved.

Strange and beautiful speculative fiction. The Compound is like the reality show, Big Brother, but way harsher and more mind-numbing. 10 men and 10 women live in a compound in the desert and are thoroughly filmed doing everything. They must complete communal tasks and sometimes banish their counterparts. They receive rewards and sometimes punishments. They must couple up, otherwise, they are banished by sunrise. This is a very odd novel but very riveting. Told from 20-year old Lily's POV. what really can you win by staying in the compound? And are the risks worth the rewards?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this digital e-arc.*

• The Compound has been one of my most anticipated releases of this year; it did not disappoint. As soon as I opened this book, I was hooked. Even when there were times it ran a little on the slower side, I still couldn’t put it down. It truly gave the feeling of binging your favorite reality show. The rules to the game were well thought out; as a reader I often have to suspend my disbelief, but this was all logical. The author also picked up on some of the main issues that these reality television shows have with discussions on race, sexuality, and gender roles.

• The story is told through the eyes of Lily, who I instantly didn’t like. Actually, I don’t think I liked any of the characters. They were all unlikeable, though I think that was the author’s intension. But that’s what makes this such a good book: despite not liking anyone, I was glued to my Kindle screen, watching their every moves.

• If you’re going in looking for silly, goofy vibes like Love Island tends to have, you’re not going find them here. I felt uneasy the entire time, never knowing who to trust, what punishment will be bestowed upon them if they break one of the rules, I had no idea what to expect, I was in the dark just like the contestants.

• At this point, you’re probably wondering, “Brooke, if you liked it so much, why didn’t you give it 5 stars?” Well, the scene with the ducks did it for me. I understand they were starving and it was a means of survivable, but the details of it all made my heart ache. And I know some of you are probably thinking, “Come on, Brooke. Ducks?” But I’m so sensitive when it comes to animals 🥺 I even got sad about the part where the pond dried up and all the fish died. Then in the middle of all this, Lily realized she loved Sam at that exact moment he was butchering innocent creatures. That’s a choice.

• Ok now that I think about it, I take back what I said above ⬆️ about not liking anyone. Lily grew on me. I can’t ignore the drastic character development she underwent. Gotta give credit where credit is due! She went from being a superficial, vapid girl who only cared about the fame and gifts to winning then giving it all up for love. I respect that.

• The book doesn’t come out and say what happened to the world, but some of what the author said made me believe it might’ve been global warming. The brutal heat in the day and brutal cold at night, brush fires in the distance, the masks everyone was wearing on the “outside”. I wish she would’ve told us, yet again, I think that was intentional.

❝𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑏𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔: 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒.❞

“We had built up a kind of immunity to the harshness that was necessary to live in the compound. And so, a few days later, in exchange for a Persian rug, we banished two people.”

This book is based on reality TV—Big Brother or Love Island, who knows—and starts out at a crawl with little by way of tension. Enough strikes in my book, so I can’t believe I plowed through this addictive read. Maybe it’s a case of mistaken identity. I have a mental checklist of expectations by genre and, at first, nothing was sticking. When it hit me that this story is as much about characters as plot, the light bulb clicked on. Reality TV is about fame and money, yes, but this book is also about the persons who seek it and why. Why go on television knowing their every word and facial expression will be critiqued, criticized, or mocked in the off chance that some viewer will adore them, brands will offer contracts, and money will flow. It also critiques the ways in which reality TV producers sow distrust and fear; encourage betrayal; bait contestants by targeting their weaknesses and compulsions.

“It felt like a vulgar thing, to admit to how much it thrilled me: the promise of material things, the rush you get from obtaining something new, something better than you had before. I was frequently anxious, feeling as though whenever I wasn’t requesting something I was wasting my opportunity.”

Rawle exposes the darker side of reality TV and assembles a cast worth studying. After a slow start, she quickly adds tension and mystery that will keep fans of plot-driven writing captivated.

“People did die after the show though—there was a long list now of people who’d taken their lives after they returned home—but that was a separate issue.”

Thank you to Random House Publishing—Random House and NetGalley for providing this e-galley.

This was like love island meets black mirror meets lord of the flies. I couldn’t put this one down. Highly recommend - perfect summer book!