I had a great time with the Compound and think it will make a delightful summer read! I did find the lord of the flies thing wasn’t as applicable as maybe it was marketed to be?? I kept waiting for a darker turn that ultimately didn’t come. That being said this book was still a banger and will be a recommendation for me!

Thank you for the advanced copy. In The Compound, Aisling Rawle tells the propulsive story of a reality show set in a dystopian world. The world outside the compound is bleak and viewers tune in daily to watch the reality show that is a combination of Love is Blind and Big Brother.
Rawle weaves in themes of gender, class and race with the overarching goal of survival. I could not put this book down and even after over a week of finishing it I find myself thinking of the storyline. This is a creative survival story and I cannot wait to see what this author does next. The only thing that would improve The Compound is an epilogue!

I didn't think I'd enjoy reading my way through a reality dating show but boy, was I wrong. The Compound by Aisling Rawle was not only as dramatic as every one of my favorite reality shows, it was also shrouded in mystery about the world beyond the compound. The unknown hung on like the heat in the desert, creating tension in every scene.

I was completely immersed in the book right up until the end. However, the ending fell really flat for me. The entire book felt like it was building to something and then... flat. I would've happily stayed in the crumbling compound just to have a better ending.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of The Compound, by Aisling Rawles, from Random House Publishing Group - Random House/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

In retrospect, it was probably ridiculous for me—as someone who doesn’t like reality TV shows—to request a book about a fictionalized reality TV show. I guess maybe I was trying to get some insight into the psyche of those who would “compete” on such? And to learn more about the inner workings?

I got about a quarter of the way through this book and almost stopped. It was just that boring. But then I decided to give it one more try, and it picked up some after that. If watching a train wreck in slow motion can be considered “picking up.”

In the end, I did feel like I’d accomplished my objective, but I was on the struggle bus most of the time. Just didn’t like any of the characters, hated the idea of such a show (even knowing what’s really “out there” in this day and time), and found everything to be just generally depressing and—if not dystopian—at least dystopian adjacent.

But, hey. That’s just me.

DESCRIPTION
Nothing to lose. Everything to gain. Winner takes all.

“I dare you not to tear through The Compound at lightning speed.”—Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl

“The Compound is a debut so gripping and propulsive that it beats reality TV at its own game.”—Torrey Peters, bestselling author of Detransition, Baby

“Impossible to put down.”—Leila Mottley, New York Times bestselling author of Nightcrawling

Lily—a bored, beautiful twenty-something—wakes up on a remote desert compound, alongside nineteen other contestants competing on a massively popular reality show. To win, she must outlast her housemates to stay in the Compound the longest, while competing in challenges for luxury rewards like champagne and lipstick, plus communal necessities to outfit their new home, like food, appliances, and a front door.

Cameras are catching all her angles, good and bad, but Lily has no desire to leave: why would she, when the world outside is falling apart? As the competition intensifies, intimacy between the players deepens, and it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between desire and desperation. When the unseen producers raise the stakes, forcing contestants into upsetting, even dangerous situations, the line between playing the game and surviving it begins to blur. If Lily makes it to the end, she’ll receive prizes beyond her wildest dreams—but what will she have to do to win?

Addictive and prescient, The Compound is an explosive debut from a major new voice in fiction and will linger in your mind long after the game ends.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group Ballantine via NetGalley. Do you enjoy watching reality television, along with extreme suspense and chaos? You will love The Compound. This story begins with a fast pace, then turns into a slow-burn towards the middle to end of the book. I would have liked to have seen more character growth from Lily. Overall entertaining, thought-provoking read despite some flaws in the plot and character development.

This is being pitched as a mash-up of the Love Island/The Hunger Games/Survivor and that could not be more accurate. I devoured this, it felt like watching an addictive reality show which was obviously what the author (Irish, born in 1998 - and it shows in the best way!) intended. In this hit show, set in a kind of war-torn, depressed "real" world, puts ten men and ten women in a compound in the middle of the desert. In order to stay in the compound, they must couple up with someone of the opposite sex, and compete in group and personal tasks to win prizes. Anything from basic necessities food and furniture to luxury clothing and jewelry, sent by corporate sponsors looking for brand ambassadors. Perfect summer read!

It’s pitched as Love Island meets Lord of the Flies and while it is very much that, it has a distinctly apocalyptic feeling boiling under the surface. Lily’s point of view is interesting, her so convinced she’s stupid all the while proving she’s not. It’s really, more about existential dread, the looming decline of the world as we know it, the fruitless rat race of daily life. I have felt and feel the same things Lily has, going day after day to a job that doesn’t pay me enough to buy a house or make a difference in any meaningful way. Why not then enjoy nice clothes, makeup, things? The world building hints at a near future when some undefined war has broken out, when the environment has grown more insurvivable, where it all just gets ever so slightly worse. It’s a strange, tense, and riveting read.

I really enjoyed this. I do not know that I would go so far as to call it a thriller, more of a literary thriller or a character study. This was engrossing and not as vapid as the description makes it out to be. I was engaged throughout the entire novel and was not entirely sure what would happen in the end. I like the slow turn up of intensity, it suited the story.

3.75 stars

Rawle is putting forth one sinister debut here, and its most disturbing feature is how clearly this imagined world could fit right into ours today.

Lily isn't really interested in much, so when she lands a coveted opportunity to go to the compound - and have her every move filmed there (and in a place that comes sans bathroom doors, I do mean every move) - she's delighted. What could be better than escaping political and social realities, working toward high-level consumption, and maybe finding love in the process? See how A LOT is supposed to happen during this experience? That has Lily and other contestants confused, too. What really IS the point of this show? No one seems to care as long as it's something different from their day-to-day lives.

This book captures so much of what is disturbing in our society at this very moment: a desire to avoid critical thinking and credible information, a reliance on others (people and bots) to do things and think for us, opportunities to consume ourselves silly, and a view of relationships that is both unrealistic and apocalyptic all at once.

This is not an uplifter, and I waited - wisely, it turned out - for a time when I was in the right headspace to devour this read (whatever that means during this current reign of terror). There's a lot of commentary here, and it's put together in a readable, if depressing, package.

This is a creative debut from a young author (Rawle's bio includes a birth year of 1998), and that youth shines through in a positive way here through cultural touch points. I'll be back for more from this writer, but I'll also be processing some of this content in various forms of therapy in the meantime.

Release Date: June 24, 2025

Love Island meets Lord of the Flies in this sci-fi dystopian novel - I had so much fun reading this debut novel from Aisling Rawle! This was so thought-provoking, engrossing, and entertaining.

I devoured this book. Compulsively readable, not unlike the way reality TV often is. The book centers around a reality TV show involving people voting each other off, forming relationships and alliances while completing challenges for rewards and living together. The outside world is vaguely dystopian and the character’s lives are kept mostly secret. Definitely worth the read - thank you NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I wasn't sure what to expect. At first, the protagonist drove me crazy, but I love how Rawle teased out her story. She had many, many layers. At the end of novels, I think about if the character got what they wanted, what they needed, one or the other, or both. I'm not so sure I can answer that question about Lily--and I'm okay with that. She's an incredibly nuanced character.

I also thought it was interesting that people I thought would be in the book until the end were not. I was surprised by the final people in The Compound. I do wish we could have learned more about how she felt about Jacintha.

Loved that it started with the Orwell quote.

Good subtle queer rep.

Super interesting premise and propulsive story, but ultimately didn't go as deep as I wanted in the areas that most interested me. I felt like we barely scratched the surface of the outside world - which, since Lily is dedicated to not thinking about, maybe makes sense (but still felt disappointing - I wanted more context!). And while I love an unlikeable protagonist, I didn't buy the core relationship between Lily and her second partner (staying vague for spoiler purposes) - they clearly had chemistry and love for one another, but no shared values, and I felt that tension was resolved a bit too tidily.

This is billed as The Bachelor meets Survivor and that’s exactly what we get. A group of strangers moves to The Compound where they have to complete tasks and challenges (holding other residents heads under water for a minute, kissing other residents, breaking something of value) in order to earn not only prizes but also the things that they literally need to survive - like food! This novel felt a bit dystopian in nature, and I truly couldn’t stop reading. The ending especially had my eyes wide and I was deeply invested in who would “win” the game. And shocked at what they’d do to get there. I highly recommend this one.

This is a good read for fans of reality TV and characters you love to hate (with a small twist of locked room, but in a fresh way). Sometimes I have a hard time with characters you are supposed to love to hate, that they are so awful you can't even enjoy the read. In this case, they were well-written and I wanted to follow the book through to the end.

I looove a book about reality TV and being stuck in a secluded place. So I was stoked to read that this takes place in the desert. I thought this book was fun and perfect for someone who likes reality TV and some competition. This book was a little slow for me but I did enjoy the story.

Wow. I don’t know what I was expecting but this book exceeded all expectations. It was like you were actually watching a reality show. Reminded me a lot of the show Big Brother but more dark and twisted. This book is all from Lily’s POV and as much as I loved the book it would’ve been awesome to get even just a glimpse from another characters POV. Overall though I would recommend this book to just about anyone. It’s got so many different layers of so many different genres that it all fits together perfectly for a great read to all the book lovers out there.
Thank you so much NetGalley for the read. And thank you Aisling Rawle for the book! I look forward to reading more from you.

The Compound by Aisling Rawle is a highly recommended literary fiction debut that takes on a dystopian reality show competition.

Lily is a beautiful young woman who joins the cast of a reality TV show. The competition begins when 10 women wait on site for 10 men to cross a desert landscape to join them on the compound. The winner is the one who stays the longest as the others are sent home along the way. The contestants are required to pair up and share a bed. For this show there is immediately a problem as only 9 men show up, which means one woman will be eliminated immediately.

The group will complete group challenges for items the whole group needs or can use. Then they also have individual challenges where they can earn luxury rewards for themselves. As the competition continues it becomes increasingly unsettling for numerous reasons, which you'll have to discover for yourself.

The Compound will immediately grab your attention for a number of reasons and then will hold that attention right to the end. It might help if you have some basic familiarity with reality TV shows, but you will be able to follow what is happening even if you don't. Honestly, it might be best to dive into this without a lot of extraneous information about it and just experience the narrative as the author intended. The themes explored will become abundantly clear along the way, as will the dangers. I will admit that I wasn't a huge fan of the ending.

The Compound is a good choice for those who appreciate literary fiction with a dystopian feeling. Thanks to Random House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

I hate to say it but I was a bit disappointed by this one. I really liked the beginning, being thrown into this situation with the narrator, and had high hopes! But as the story went on, I cared less and less about what was happening and found the main character boring. I think a little more back story about what was going on outside the compound (the wars) would have been interesting, I also think hearing some of the other characters perspectives throughout would have been nice, particularly any of the boys before they reached the compound, or Candice or Becca, who seemed potentially more interesting. The ending felt a bit abrupt.

The Compound is a gripping, high-stakes blend of Love Island and Lord of the Flies, and I devoured every page. Aisling Rawle masterfully builds tension in a setting that feels both seductive and sinister, capturing the volatility of group dynamics and the creeping unease of paradise gone wrong.

The atmosphere is immersive, the character dynamics are electric, and the pacing is pitch-perfect. I was completely hooked. Highly recommended for fans of psychological suspense, social experiments, and books that dare to get a little messy. I recommend this to any fans of reality TV! I have been blabbering about this to my friends and I won’t stop anytime soon.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.