I love thinking and talking about reality television more than almost anybody, and am constantly defending its place as one of the great psychological experiments of our time. Unfortunately, while this novel seemed right up my alley, it didn't live up to my expectations. I felt as though the interrogation into the psychological warfare inflicted upon reality tv contestants was very surface level, and there was no exploration into the aftermath of this social experiment. It was entertaining and easy enough to read, but ultimately terribly disappointing. Still, I am grateful for the e-arc!

A bingeable debut novel that most will call dystopian, but I’d argue that it’s actually an accurate reflection of modern day entertainment and consumerism. The dystopian has already arrived, friends.

The Compound opens with our main character, Lily, waking up in an isolated desert compound that houses a revolving reality show. The show name is withheld in the book and the purpose is left somewhat ambiguous, but it feels like a blend of Big Brother and Love Island. Contestants have to partner up to stay in the game but also compete in physical and psychological challenges.

The book reads like watching a no holds barred episode of Love Island so if you don’t like trashy reality tv, you probably won’t enjoy this book. There’s social commentary in there, but it’s not so overt that the book caters to an audience that wants to feel superior to the industry. I loved the dig on brand sponsorship and the commodification of sex and romance.

I do wish there had been a little more meat either in character back stories or behind the scenes of production. It felt like the author kept trying to add depth to the main character, her best friend, and her love interest but always fell short of delivering something substantial. There are parts where the book purposefully drags to show the declining mental health of the contestants, and I would have loved some flashbacks or deeper conversations there. I also wanted things to get a little mooore unhinged based on the comparisons to the Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies. Like I said in the beginning, aren’t we already here in entertainment? (Looking at you, Zeus Network.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC of The Compound.

I am absolutely NOT a reality TV fan so I wasn't sure I would enjoy this book, but the plot sucked me right in! I was upset when I had to go to bed in the middle because I could have easily read it in one sitting. Getting to know each of the "girls" and "boys" as if I was a contestant on the show was really fun, as was the evolving dynamic within the group as the story progressed. The ending was a little less gratifying than I hoped for, but it did have a good message. Overall, very binge-worthy and my first 2025 "beach read" recommendation.

4 stars

Entertaining, if not unsettling read. Always interesting to see the darker side of human nature on display and wonder, "How far would I go?"

What the absolute heck did I just read!? And why oh why did I love it so much!?

This book was so thrilling. I couldn’t stop reading it. I love reality TV, dating shows, drama- all of it. So a book from the perspective of a contestant- YES PLEASE! but this isn’t an ordinary reality TV show, it’s up to them to earn what they need- food, hair brushes, sunscreen- yes they have to earn it.

What’s off limits? NOT MUCH! Making this read so thrilling!

I just wish it had an epilogue… maybe we will get another book from this one…. Hint hint 😉

Liked The Compound a lot. It is quite the page turner and I read it in a few sittings. There is an air of mystery throughout that I enjoyed. We don’t know how the stars were picked or how they got there, and we get nuggets of the scope of the game throughout. The reviewers comparing this to Black Mirror and The Hunger Games were a bit misleading to me. I would have liked to see it veer further into twistier/darker territory. Instead it follows a similar trajectory throughout and feels a tad repetitive over time.

The concept of this book immediately grabbed my attention—it’s like a dystopian Love Island, blending a post-apocalyptic vibe with the chaos of reality TV. The factual, straightforward writing style added to the immersive experience, making me feel like a contestant myself, as we’re given minimal insight into the characters’ personal lives or the world beyond the competition. While this approach worked well for creating tension and atmosphere, I found myself wishing for more background information to deepen the plot and enrich the stakes.

I also think multiple POVs could have added an extra layer to the story, giving a fuller picture of the characters and their motivations, which felt just slightly out of reach at times. That said, it was still a highly entertaining and bingeable read—quick-paced and fun from start to finish. While I enjoyed it overall, I was left wanting just a bit more from the execution to fully deliver on the fascinating premise. That said, I did binge this book all in one sitting and am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future! .

I devoured this book. I couldn’t put it down! This book is perfectly described as a mix between Love Island and Hunger Games. It becomes more sinister as time goes on and it leaves a pit in your stomach. You’ll find yourself asking, “how far would I go?”

This novel chips down to the basic human instinct on what you’d do to survive and how far you’ll go to get what you want. Loooooved it!

this was an entertaining read! I do think that this is a perfect read for fans of love island and other reality dating tv shows! I think it was lighthearted and fun. I liked the premise and the writing

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Great, if chilling, premise, that does feel very much like watching a reality show while also seeing behind the scenes through Lily's eyes. A more modern Hunger Games, this novel asks serious questions about what we want versus what we need, and the lengths we will go to secure those things--and people.

I really loved this book, I could barely put it down after I got past the second chapter. I was a little dubious by the premise, I've never been a huge fan of reality shows, but I thought the plot did a wonderful job of drawing the reader into the world of the show. I loved the mystery as Lily slowly reveals to the reader the layers of the shows rules, both literal and subtextual. The characters were beautifully drawn and felt like real people I might have met. The dystopian nature of the world the book occupies felt both immediate and futuristic. All in all I was pleasantly surprised by The Compound and I will be thinking about it for a long time. Can't wait to pick up a physical copy when the book comes out!

Hell yeah!! From the minute I saw this described as Love Island meets Lord of the Flies I knew I had to read it!

While it’s not perfect it’s a very fun?, twisty, trashy, and dark ride. It’s reality tv meets black mirror and it totally worked for me!

If you like reality tv, love island, traitors, housewives, survivor and the like you will find something to enjoy in this book.

You meet Lily, a pretty blonde twenty something made for TV. You learn that she’s trying to escape her sad life. Job’s got her down, she isn’t close with her mom, she wants to lowkey be an influencer. She’s a contestant on this show that brings a bunch of other hot twenty-something’s together to fall in love and compete for luxurious prizes. However there’s a twist and things definitely take a turn. Some of the writing fell flat for me. I wish the author had taken it further. It felt too tame at times and then too brutal out of the blue other times. Like Tom as a character could have been so much worse.

I wish there had been more character exposition despite the rules of the game. Getting a better understanding of each character’s motivation to be on the show would have been great. However, that was never the point of the games to begin with. Why care about what makes people human when there are diamond necklaces, bottles of champagne, and fluffy robes to win? At the end of the day, I commend Rawle for writing a book that reads exactly like a produced and edited reality tv show.

Overall, I really enjoyed this despite its flaws. I can’t wait for others to read it. Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

The Compound was a fascinating and dark take on the ethics (or lack thereof) of reality television. The setting is eerie and Black Mirror-esque. The contestants offer very little information about what is going on in the outside world aside from references to a gruesome war and possibly extreme climate change, and the reader’s lack of knowledge makes me feel like I’m isolated alongside the contestants.

The story explores themes of isolation and greed, and almost reads like horror as you wait for the violence to escalate. The vibe is very unsettling, and also forces the reader to look inward and ask themself what they would do in these situations.

My only complaint isn’t much of a complaint, but I think the main character Lily lacks depth and does not feel very relatable. I’m not necessarily rooting for her, I mostly just feel sorry for her, but that may well be the point.

The Compound by Aisling Rawle is a tense and dramatic story that evokes love island and lord of the flies. The premise is built alongside the story. I thought that it was overall entertaining but I was expecting more. Maybe because it felt a little drawn out and I thought the payoff would come but felt like it somewhat didn't. That being said, I thought it was interesting and dynamic and would have been excellent had it just gone a bit further.

Readers will enjoy this one and I am eager to see what Aisling Rawle publishes next. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

The Compound is out 5/27/25.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for this eARC!

When reading the synopsis of The Compound I sounded right up my alley. A game/reality show where contestants live in a house in the middle of nowhere and compete for luxurious prizes. It was a mashup of dating shows, big brother and dystopian futures. The contestants are not allowed to talk about the outside world or who they are which makes it an even more interesting challenge. That is one of the most interesting aspects to me because you really only know as much as the main character knows as well as it leaves you questioning everything. One thing I wish is that we got more information about the outside world and what it is was like more. The mentioned the wars but didn't go into depth about it. Overall I found this book to be a interesting and thrilling and a great read for fans of high stakes and reality tv.

This was an interesting premise but the writing fell flat for me. However, I really liked the vague apocalyptic vibe that was maintained throughout.

There are some books that are incredibly addictive while reading and this is one of them. I’m not sure if it’s the cohesive writing, the plot line of the reality tv show that strokes that part of our brains, or the low key apocalyptic vibes that lie under the surface. Either way, I couldn’t put this down and stayed up way too late consuming this.

The irony of my overconsumption of this book is that overconsumption is truly the main plot line of this book. There are many books that take the reality tv plot and they’re always fun but this book has a depth that was surprisingly enjoyable. This book highlights our societies need to consume, the effects of that culturally, environmentally, sociopolitically and psychologically without overtly shoving it in our face. We need to be gently lulled into our wrongs as a society and Rawle does this impeccably.

I’m truly so excited for this book to come out and have everyone eat it up, unironically.

Tense little novel that focuses on a small compound in the desert and a reality survival show that ends up slowly unraveling as time goes on, and the super fun gender dynamics that end up playing out therein. Spooky and it's fun to watch everything slowly spiral out, and see the outside slowly encroach on the inside. Very limited in its view for obvious reasons, but a solid debut.

3.9 ⭐️ but rounding up to a 4!
Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing for this arc! I am a sucker for a good reality tv show, so combining my love for reading with something I love to watch was great! The rules made it super interesting like how they were not allowed to share personal information unless instructed to do so, such as age, occupation, and they were not allowed to discuss the fact they were on a tv show.

I really enjoyed getting to read a reality tv show from first person bc it truly set it up as if the reader was apart of the show, being just as much in the dark as the contestants are. I really liked the concept of the entire book, the setup of the scene, rules laid out, but LOVED how we only knew as much as Lily knew. There were personal tasks that can be completed for free items, which the contestants were not allowed to discuss so we were not sure what tasks were done because they wanted to, and which were done out of greed, which was also a cool aspect.

The story started off written with a very simple writing style in my opinion, which usually I do not like, but after a bit it grew on me because there were so many characters and elements to follow along, that the simple writing of it made it easier to follow and I ended up enjoying it!

The entire story had me hooked & following along with multiple “OH” moments once the character introductions were passed. There were two mentions of how life outside the compound was bleak & that people did were expected to only live for another 10-15 years. The reality tv show was also something borderline insane & would not pass in today’s world, maybe in the future it could, who knows, but overall it was giving Black Mirror vibes which I love!

Only negative thing I will say is I wish we got a little bit more information from their outside world, and I did not love how it ended. I wish we got a little bit more just to see what happened with Lily, the outside world, and the exchange between her and the producers after! But overall I truly really enjoyed the book and cannot wait to share this read in my booktok & bookstagram!! My Goodreads & Fable review is already posted! :)

I'm obsessed with this book! What a ride!

In the not-so-distant-future, THE COMPOUND follows a Love Island-esque reality TV show. The challenge? Stay as long as you can while completing challenges with your housemates as well as personal tasks, where they receive rewards for completing them. Contestants must be coupled up or else they're removed from the compound.

Sounds easy enough, right?

Lily is determined to make it to the end, using whatever means necessary. But the unseen producers are also willing to do whatever it takes to create compelling television, including withholding food, pitting contestants against each other, and literally burning things to the ground.

THE COMPOUND was pitched as Love Island meets Lord of the Flies, and it delivers on that comparison. The entire book was a page turner, and I had no idea where the whole thing was going.

A great end of the year read!