The pages just flew by in this book. The premise is brilliant -- a nebulous post-apocalyptic or dystopian world with a Bachelor/Squid Game hybrid reality show, with characters who feel absolutely real. Though the novel is quite bleak, it's undeniably entertaining. And I've never encountered such a plain heroine (not in terms of appearance, because she's apparently beautiful) who actually stayed with me after the book ended. I'm still thinking about her weeks later, and still thinking about what this novel is saying.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this novel.

Love Island x Black Mirror.
*3.5 stars*

I read this in the span of a day - fast-paced and compelling, and a fairly short read. The confined compound setting and limited information about the broader world keeps you on the edge of your seat. Don't expect explosive plot twists, but rather a measured, uneasy building of tension alongside social commentary. I loved how the themes of materialism, loneliness, escapism, and performative culture were explored. Great for anyone who enjoyed UnREAL or "Fifteen Million Merits" (Black Mirror).

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the free e-ARC! Out on June 24.

the tension is the best thing about this book. the story starts slow and the writing is very straight forward, but rawlings is good about bread-crumbing unsettling details that keep you engaged and curious.

my main qualm was the character and world building. we're introduced to 20 contestant who are all bascially carbon copies of each other. no one stands out, everyone was too polite, too reserved, so they blend together. every man is chiseled and tall with no personality. every woman is slim and anxious. i think the limitation of the contestant not being able to talk about their personal lives until almost the very end really limited the oppurtunity to see any character arcs and stilted the dialouge between the character. not knowing anyones backstory made it hard get attached to the characters at all, even the main character. i found myself not really caring when anyone was elimnated. in the end, i feel that that the relationship between tom and lily was meant to be a relationship that was fulfilling enough to make her want to live in the real world, but again, i didn't believe in the relationship because there was no depth to it.

the world is a really interesting one, both inside and outside of the compound. on the compound, there is the threat of the desert and what lies beyond the bounds or the house, and further than that, the threat of a vague war and break down in society. but we don't know much else than that.
the good thing is that the conflict inside the house almost grips you enough to not need the outside conflict, but i did find that when the war or the desert were mentioned, it cut the tension because it was underdeveloped.

the moments that really shine are the break downs in humanity, when we really slip into the LORD OF THE FLIES elements. i wish there were more of those moments, i wanted it to feel relentless. i think the book was only addicting because i was desperate to get to the next moment where the book picks up.

outside of the "no talking about your personal life" rule, i really liked the rules of the world. i love personal rewards rule. anything that added to the physcological horror elements.

this one was frustating because the concept is so promising, but i feel like the author left a lot of things unexplored. it was a wild read, but came out of the book not really knowing what the author was trying to say.

Lily wakes up at a desert compound, selected to participate in a reality show.

Definitely has thought-provoking moments, but just when you think it's getting to a great point, it backs off. Recommend for fans of reality dating shows.

I love books about reality shows set in a slightly dystopian world (thinking of "Small Game" and "The Last One") - and this one did not disappoint - I was riveted from beginning to end. The Compound is a reality show that starts off feeling like an off-kilter "Love Island" crossed with "Big Brother" crossed with "Survivor". We follow the main character Lily as she wakes up in the house known as the compound, situated in the desert, and is joined by 18 other female and male contestants. They compete for valuable rewards, aim to avoid punishments for breaking the rules, and strive to be the last one standing. This was just the book I needed - totally propulsive, fun, and different. I'm so grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance look at what is sure to be a popular book this summer!

I loved the premise of this book, Hunger Games meets Love Island, but it just didn't do it for me. My attention really flagged in the second half of the book, and I found myself skimming just to get to the end. I would have liked more information about the dystopian world they were living in outside of the compound that led them there, and there wasn't any growth or a single likeable character in the bunch.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

The Compound by Aisling Rawle had me hooked from the beginning. I love reality shows, so the premise of a POV where the FMC wakes up along with 9 other girls, in a compound where there every move is tracked? Sign me up. Lily and the others are expected to couple up with the boys. If they don’t have a “bed” partner, they will be banished from the compound. They have communal tasks as well as personal tasks that earn them rewards. It’s very much giving our everyday reality show, but also with higher stakes. I really enjoyed the characters. This is fantastically written and I’m looking forward to more from Aisling Rawle. It was a little slow paced, and I wish we learned more about the producers, but that’s not what the novel is about. All in all, a phenomenal read.

Aisling Rawle’s debut novel, The Compound, is a gripping and provocative blend of dystopian fiction and reality TV satire. Set in a desert compound where ten women and ten men participate in a high-stakes televised competition, the story follows Lily as she navigates challenges that blur the lines between game and survival. Rawle masterfully escalates the tension, crafting a narrative that is both binge-worthy and thought-provoking. While some plot elements may stretch believability, the novel's sharp commentary on consumerism, power dynamics, and media exploitation makes it a standout read. Fans of The Hunger Games and Love Island will find this a compelling and unsettling exploration of modern society's obsessions.

💭: This was a fun one! Think Bachelor in Paradise and Big Brother having a baby.

You are picked to go on a reality show. You arrive and the house is kind of in shambles and there is no furniture. You have to do group and individual challenges to earn comforts. The longer you stay on the show by not being voted off, the greater the prizes. Contestants have to couple up before nightfall or be sent home.

I was interested to see what challenges they had to do, and wondered who would win. I was curious to see who would win and what would happen after. It was somewhat of a slowburn, but still felt addicting to read. It read a little YA, but that was ok with me.

This is my favorite book of the year! I was texting all my friends to read it. I literally couldn’t put it down!

Lily wakes up in a desert compound, finding herself on a reality tv show, she must out last 19 other contestants. if you like reality tv you will love this story.

The Compound is a sharp, fast-paced debut from Aisling Rawle that pulls readers into a glittering nightmare of reality TV gone off the rails. Told through the eyes of Lily, a savvy but vulnerable 20-something lured into a desert-based dating show, the novel balances satire and suspense with impressive agility. What starts as a glossy quest for luxury and love quickly devolves into a brutal game of survival, where the imbalance of power between contestants becomes increasingly sinister.

Rawle masterfully paces the story, using daily eliminations and cutthroat competitions to build tension. Lily's evolution from passive participant to calculating competitor is compelling and believable, making her more than just another reality-show archetype. The skewed gender dynamics and commodification of the contestants feel disturbingly plausible, adding a layer of social critique beneath the drama.

While the premise flirts with the absurd, Rawle’s smart prose and tight plotting keep it grounded, even as the stakes spiral. The only thing holding it back from five stars is a slight lack of clarity in the show's broader mechanics and a few supporting characters who never quite escape their stereotypes.

Still, The Compound is an engrossing, surprisingly thoughtful thriller that fans of The Bachelor and The Hunger Games will devour. It’s glossy, grim, and impossible to put down.

I tore through this book in less than 24 hours. I would have done it faster were it not for pesky interruptions like work and sleep.

Aisling Rawle makes it look easy, and I was surprised to learn this is her first novel. Under a seemingly simple plot about a rather vicious and degrading reality show is a scathing indictment of capitalism, materialism, and escapism. You can't just put your head in the sand and pretend everything is fine, the author warns. Reality is coming for you one way or another.

I read another reviewer refer to The Compound as Love Island meets Lord of the Flies, which I absolutely agree with, but in many ways it reminded me of I Who Have Never Known Men: the liminal feel to it, the dread that is always just out of reach and never quite named, and a certain horror in how little we know.

I love Rawle's writing style. I love this book. It is weird and eerie and anticapitalist and biting and vicious and maybe even a little hopeful. What a thrill. This book won't be right for everyone, but it certainly was for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, and Aisling Rawle for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I honestly am confused about this one. not a thriller, or a mystery, or a romance or really anything that grabs you. the most boring main character and her equally boring counterparts. I kept with it the whole way for a twist, or something..
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

I am absolutely not even a little bit ashamed to say that I begged Random House for an ARC of The Compound.

My not-so-secret guilty pleasure is a trashy reality show. I fully blame my parents for introducing me to Survivor when we watched the first season many (many) years ago. The obsession started there, but very quickly spread to shows like The Amazing Race and Big Brother. Now, one of my favorite things to do is put together a little snack plate, fill my beloved water bottle, and settle in for some Love is Blind.

This book had me feeling more than a little convicted about that love.

The Compound follows Lily as she wakes up in a compound with nine other women. The compound is isolated in the middle of the desert, and, as she and the other girls find each other and explore their surroundings, they are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their male counterparts. We aren’t given many clues as to what is going on in the outside world, but what is provided alludes to a vaguely dystopian landscape filled with some kind of war. What follows is a dark critique of just how much people are willing to do to get more, and what viewers are willing to watch and label as entertainment.

Lily was such an interesting main character to me! She’ll be the first to tell you that she is beautiful, but she’ll also be the first to be the first to say that she really has nothing else going for her. There were a lot of other characters to keep track of, and honestly, some of them just did not stick in my radar at all. That holds true to a typical reality TV show, though, to be honest. Many of the side characters did hold my attention though, and I couldn’t wait to see where their journey led them.

I obviously loved the premise of this one, and the delivery did not disappoint in the slightest. It was dark, clever, and captivating. The writing style was perfect for the story, and I genuinely didn’t want to stop reading it despite the overwhelming sense of dread over what was happening and what was yet to come. It was a slow build, but that made it so much more bingeable somehow! There was so much I loved and want to say about this read, but I truly think going into it as blind as you can is the best way to go into this one.

My only complaint is that I did want just a little bit more. A little bit more of a glimpse into the outside world, a little more from the ending, and maybe even a little more of the compound. That’s just a tiny critique though, and it isn’t one that truly hindered my reading experience.

If you like social commentaries, twisty reality shows, or books that have a somewhat Black Mirror feel to them, pick this one up! The Compound will be released 6/24/2025.

Thank you so, so much to Random House, Aisling Rawle, and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you, NetGalley & Random House, for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Compound is such a sharp, addictive ride—I felt like I was binging a reality show I couldn’t tear myself away from. Aisling Rawle takes the familiar setup of cameras, competitions, and chaos, then dials it up with eerie tension and emotional complexity. I loved how the book blurred the line between performance and survival, especially as Lily’s motivations got murkier and the stakes kept rising. The commentary on our obsession with spectacle and the illusion of choice hit hard without ever feeling heavy-handed. It’s eerie, stylish, and smart, and I’m still thinking about that final act. A bold, twisty debut I’ll be recommending to friends who love their fiction a little unsettling in the best way.

3 Stars – A Weird, Frustrating, Yet Oddly Compelling Read

The Compound by Aisling Rawle is one of those books that leaves you feeling… conflicted. I didn’t hate it, but I’m not sure I enjoyed it either—and somehow, it still managed to keep me reading.

Set entirely within a reality TV show that’s part MTV’s Big Brother, part Lord of the Flies, the story explores themes of materialism, consumerism, and the darker sides of human nature. It’s supposed to take place in a near-future, post-apocalyptic world, but aside from the setup, that world is barely explored. If you’re looking for rich world-building, this isn’t it.

The portrayal of gender dynamics was frustrating. Women weren’t even referred to as women—they were “girls,” yet the male characters were also called “boys,” despite all of them being late teens or early 20s. It felt intentionally sexist, perhaps meant as social commentary, but instead of sparking thought, it mostly highlighted female weakness without much deeper exploration.

The pacing dragged through the first two-thirds, spending too much time “setting the stage” without clear purpose. Things finally picked up in the last third, but just as it got interesting, the story ended abruptly and without a satisfying conclusion. The main character was flat and lacked any real development, which made it hard to connect or care much about the outcome.

In short, this book was weird, a little maddening, but oddly hard to put down. If you’re into dystopian social experiments and don’t mind a slow burn with a less-than-fulfilling payoff, it might be worth a try. Just don’t expect to walk away feeling satisfied.

The Compound is a slow burn thriller set in a Love Island like reality show. Contestants have to couple up and complete challenges in order to not get eliminated.

I was a bit disappointed by how tame the first half of this book was. Most of my reality tv experience was with early 2000s VH1 shows, so I was expecting there to be a bit more oomph to both the challenges and the romantic drama. The action does pick up significantly in last third or so, but Lily's narration is so passive most of the time I never really felt like she was in much danger.

Overall I enjoyed this novel, even if it was a bit less fun and campy than I was anticipating.

I received an ARC from Random House in exchange for an honest review.

3⭐️ – Interesting concept, but didn’t fully land for me.
I was really intrigued by the premise—dark, reality TV satire with survivalist vibes—but I struggled to connect with the characters. There were moments that felt sharp and well observed, especially around media obsession, but overall it didn’t hit as hard emotionally as I hoped. I wanted more depth, more grit. Still, an ambitious debut with some memorable moments.

I could not put The Compound down and devoured this in the span of a weekend. This was a fascinating character study, centered on Lily, one of a group of twenty twenty-somethings, who are competing on a reality show to see who can stay the longest in The Compound. The women wake up at the compound after the previous group has left, and slowly begin putting the house in order. The men show up after having to find their way through the surrounding desert, glad to see the women. As the group pairs off, the games begin.

I went in knowing very little about this book, and holy cow it just absolutely grabbed me and I could not look away. This is such an interesting piece of speculative fiction - we slowly get to know each of the remaining characters through the lens of Lily's experience, but in the background it's clear that the world is on fire and there are references to an ongoing war and how the characters don't want to return to their lives.

There were so many facets that I'm still thinking about. The challenges the characters complete - both personal and a group - were a different sort of head game. The characters never knew if people were interacting with them because of a personal challenge or out of genuine human interaction. And then when you think about the producers behind all of this - who are these people trying to torture these twenty somethings and why are they letting things get so completely out of hand?

Definitely get this book and read it mostly so I can discuss it at length with you because I still have so many thoughts. Thank you so much to Random House and to NetGalley for the advanced copy.