Wow! Think Love Island meets Survivor and Big Brother but way darker and more disturbing. This isn’t just reality TV chaos; it’s a sinister, dystopian spiral with Lord of the Flies energy. If you have strong feelings (love or hate) about reality shows and enjoy unsettling social experiments, this one will get under your skin in the best way. This book twisted, addictive and scarily plausible. I’d love to get a second season, oops I mean a sequel, of The Conpound!!!
4.5 stars if Good Reads gave half stars.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I had a hard time staying focused on who was who or where the story was going. There just wasn't enough to keep my interest. I was not the right audience for this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am not into watching reality shows. Like at all. The idea of being “stuck” in a house with a bunch of people sounds like hell to me. It gives me so much anxiety to think about being in those confrontational situations. And this book exactly that. This was horrifyingly addicting. And I screamed at the ending. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting at then end but it was nicely done. I paired the ebook with the audiobook and I’m glad I did. This book did not loose my attention once. I am definitely getting a physical copy for my shelf.

Wow! As I was reading this book, I felt like I was experiencing what the characters were going through. I can't even begin to imagine how much I would be willing to do in order to survive on a reality TV show where surviving means everything.

I really enjoyed The Compound by Aisling Rawle, and I hope it finds a wide audience among fans of shows like Love Island. Essentially, it is a dating show set within a warring world.

The story diverges from traditional Love Island formats, as the contestants must earn basic furniture and food for the house by completing tasks. These tasks can be innocuous or salacious, often designed to further a character arc.

What I appreciated most about this book was the main character’s self-awareness as she continually assessed her position within the game and in the eyes of the audience. She considered how attractive she appeared, how useful she was, and how her actions might impact her chances. It demonstrated strong gameplay strategy.

This book is incredibly readable, and I definitely recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and random house for the arc!

Love Island X Hunger Games? Imagine that.

This was such a cool concept. I really enjoyed it! However, I will say, if you watched this past season of Love Island USA, you’re going to think this is very PG. 🤣

Already published, so go read!

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest review!

#booksonaburger #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #arc #TheCompound

The Compound was a gripping read from start to finish! As someone who doesn't typically watch reality tv, I found this to be incredibly entertaining and had trouble putting it down. Mixing the romance and challenge aspects of reality tv with our late-capitalism desires for heavy consumerism was so unique and had me thinking quite a bit about my own consumer habits while reading. What a brilliant and timely first novel from Aisling Rawle; this would be a super fun recommendation for my book club, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing for the arc.

I’m always a sucker for books about reality TV shows, but THE COMPOUND didn’t deliver for me, unfortunately. About halfway through I realized that this book wasn’t for me, so I skimmed the last half to see how it wrapped up.

The problem, I think, is that I’ve read quite a few books in this little niche, and I liked them better. There wasn’t a ton of character development, and I didn’t like the main character, Lily. I saw a lot of promise in the different challenges, but I was looking for a bit of a lighter read, and this was pretty dark. I guess the comparison with Lord of the Flies should have clued me in, because that book scarred me.

I do think this book will appeal to those who are in the mood for something a little disturbing that brings up a few topics to ponder about consumerism and human nature. It made me wonder when the book is supposed to be set, and the clues about the outside world were few. Maybe more of that would have helped me enjoy the story more.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for the chance to read an early digital copy of THE COMPOUND in exchange for my honest feedback.

A reality show set at a desert compound in a post-apocalyptic world. I was expecting more thrill here, but it's definitely more of a slow burn with social commentary. My biggest problem was the writing style. I just find it really simplistic in a bad way. Maybe it would have been more enjoyable if I didn't expect it to be more of a thriller.

The Compound is essentially Love Island mixed with the Lord of the Flies- or so they tell me. I haven't watched Love Island. I haven't read the Lord of the Flies. But don't come at me= I've read lots of other things and watched plenty of trash tv at the gym, so I certainly get the references for both. What this really is - is not quite that. It's an imagining of what it would take for someone to hate the real world enough to disappear into a fictional televised "house" where every moment is shown to the avid viewers in search of literal physical possessions. Things turn a bit more twisted when the producers create conflict not just emotionally, but physically- nobody is allowed to die, but there is hunger, thirst, introduction of some really horrible people, and of course the underlying threat of violence. What makes this book work is that the narrator is, frankly, not all that bright. She really is a consumerist who wants to escape it all and earn pretty diamond earrings to take back home with her to her dead-end job. Her very blankness is what allows us to see the structure of the compound for what it is - the evils of capitalism, played large. There's even an Orwell quote at the start to put the reader in the right frame of mind. I didn't love this, but I'm definitely going to be thinking about it for a while. Four stars.

As a recovering Bachelor Nation fan, this book hit on all points for me. I found it highly entertaining and satirical.

We follow dating/reality show contestants as they try to be the last man/woman standing, while surviving in a compound in the desert. Rewards are distributed based on challenges completed, so definitely different than traditional dating and reality shows, which added an edge.

I found Rawle's writing humorous and devilish. Completely enjoyed this bizarre novel!

*The Compound* hooks readers with its reality show premise, then smartly pivots to deliver sharp commentary on gender dynamics and consumer culture. It’s gripping and provocative, especially for fans of shows like *Love Island*, offering the same voyeuristic thrill with more substance. While Lily, the protagonist, initially draws sympathy, her lack of growth and the flat ending left the story feeling unfinished. Still, it’s a compelling read with plenty to unpack. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC which I read in exchange for my honest review.

I love reality shows, and I love post-apocalyptic reads, so this Love Island meets Hunger Games (Lite) novel was just my style. The story is engaging and a fun twist on the dating show format we know so well. There wasn't a ton of character development, but I enjoyed the main character, Lily, anyway. I thought the ending wrapped really nicely, and my only hope is The Compound isn't made into a trilogy. We have enough of those—and I like when a story can live on its own.

It was as bingeable as actual reality TV and it was a fun and messy time. I wanted the ending to be a bit more pointed and gorier, but I had a lovely time getting there.

The second I heard this premise I was in and it did not disappoint. What a unique premise! Big Brother meets Bachelor in Paradise meets dystopia.

I was uncomfortable pretty much the whole time. Zero part of this would have been entertaining to me in a tv show but man was I engaged in this book. From the very first chapter I was zoned in! The setting is the insides of a reality tv show but also the setting is a very vague desert in a very vague time period. The reader is thrust into the middle of the drama and I think I held my breathe the entire last half.

You'll like this if like:
Dystopian
Reality TV

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced digital copy for my feedback.

Lord of the Flies meets Survivor in the reality tv show The Compound. Narrated by Lily, one of the nineteen contestants sequestered in a mysterious desert compound, this thriller follows their shifting relationships as each tries to become the sole winner. Cameras follow their every move. Personal challenges yield prizes that range from simple to luxurious as more contestants are eliminated. The group prizes mostly consist of items needed for survival. As the competition grows more intense, the remaining contestants begin to discover just how far they are willing to go to win.

Robert Burns’ phrase “man's inhumanity to man” describes The Compound. From friendship to a raging desire to maim or kill, each contestant’s behavior slowly devolves, driven by greed and ambition. Several of the contestants volunteer to leave, tired of the camera, challenges and infighting. I was disappointed by the ending because (no spoiler) I wanted to know more. The Compound may be “one of the books of summer” but I found it dark and disturbing, especially the relationship between Lily and Tom. That said, Im looking forward to whatever Aisling Rawle writes next. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Aisling Rawle for this ARC.

3 ⭐️

In her debut novel, Aisling Rawle has combined Bachelor in Paradise with Big Brother. It’s basically trash tv but in book form, and it honestly hit the spot.

While most of the characters were surface level and fairly difficult to connect with, the tasks and drama in the house did keep me invested. I wish there was more character development, but maybe that was the point?

I enjoyed the romance aspect, and I did genuinely enjoy reading about Sam, Andrew and Jacintha. The other characters REALLY got on my nerves.

Overall, if you like Big Brother and shows based off of eliminating contestants for a big prize, this is worth reading! Thank you @netgalley for my eARC.

This was such an interesting reading experience. Honestly I am not even sure what to share. Part dystopian, part game show reality, part sci fi, part thriller. I can see why this would work for some and why it wouldn’t work for others. It worked for me. I was really engrossed with a cast of super awful characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC.

Here's something to devour when this season of Love Island just ain't hitting like it should (looking at you, USA).
This book is easily digestible and binge-able, though it's missing some literary finesse to push it out of the "beach read" realm for me.
I was well and truly locked in for the first half, but then some odd plot and character choices started to be made, and the glimpses into the world outside of the compound remained frustratingly vague and generic. The story just didn't build to what I feel like the author was aiming for. That said, as a debut novel, The Compound has enough craft and uniqueness for me to be on the lookout for what this author does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book is so good!! The reality TV show aspect is very much reminiscent of Love Island but it also has the dystopian uneasiness of something like The Hunger Games. It’s such a unique story and really had me hooked the entire time!