This one was a flop for me. I typically love Darcy's haunted house books, but I'm finding that I'm not enjoying her more "regular" horror stories.

I found this to have too many characters. None of them every felt fully fleshed out and they all sort of bled together as the story progressed. I'm still not really sure who was who. The plot also meandered in a way that was un-enjoyable. Randomly getting pages of paragraphs about the history or the island took me out of the story and made me lose the forward progression.

Overall, I feel like this might have been better as a slasher film that as a book. It just doesn't come across the page in a strong enough way to be enjoyable.

Darcy Coates excels at turning isolation into pure dread, and How Bad Things Can Get is a perfect example of that talent. The setting feels remote and inescapable, wrapping the reader in the same suffocating solitude the characters face. Every creak, shadow, and silence is heightened by the fact that there's nowhere safe to turn-and that sense of being cut off lingers through every page.
The atmosphere is so vivid it almost becomes a character itself. Coates layers in tension with careful detail, creating a mood that's equal parts claustrophobic and hauntingly beautiful. It's the kind of story that makes you glance over your shoulder, just to be sure you're not as alone as the characters are.
If you love horror that thrives on isolation, atmosphere, and the slow burn of dread creeping in from all sides, this book delivers it masterfully. It's unsettling, immersive, and guaranteed to stay with you after you've turned the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the early copy. Darcy Coates has a way of plunging you into a story and giving you the creeps in the best way!

This was my very first read by Darcy Coates, even though I have two more on the shelf I’ve been meaning to get to. I purchased this one with all of the hype around it.

It was supposed to be the party of the century. When an online influencer and several hundred of his most loyal fans land on Prosperity Island, the plan is simple: five days of elaborate games, drinking and suntanned fun.

Then the true history of the island is revealed along with its sinister connection to the MC‘s past.

Unfortunately, I think I am just over the whole cult trope. Eventually, I found myself not really caring about any of the characters and what was about to happen. This is not a bad book, I just don’t feel it was the right time for me to read it.

Please read other reviews because people are absolutely digging this one. If you love the cult trope, I’d say give this a shot!

BUT, I’m super stoked about reading her other books that I’ve got! I’ve heard really great things about this author and look forward to reading her again.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The tension! Oh my goodness. This was a wild ride. I have to buy a copy for a friend for her birthday. This is a good one to pull you in and make you feel everything the characters are going through. That leads to cringing away from things and telling a character to MOVE. The author did a great job making a disturbing horror, thriller.

I was not the target audience for this book. I picked it up on NetGalley because I have heard a lot of good news about Darcy Coates, however I had a hard time getting into the plot. I ended up checking out the audiobook at my library and that did not help. I think this story had a good potential, but just did not grab my attention.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

⛓️ ARC REVIEW ⛓️

Thank you so much @darcybooks and @poisonedpenpress for my early copy of How Bad Things Can Get!

Okay picture this. You were born into a cult, you survived that cult, and now you’re living under a secret identity and you’re just trying to keep under the radar. UNTIL!!! You and a group of fans of an online influencer head to an isolated island for a week of what’s supposed to be packed with drinking, games and sun. Identities are exposed, connections are made etc etc etc. I won’t say much more as to not ruin the story hehe 😈

If you’re looking for a disturbing, violent and gruesome read, look no further because Darcy’s gotcha.

As always, I finished a @darcybooks book and am left feeling grossed out in the absolute best way!

How Bad Things Can Get is out now and ready to be devoured by you!!

Ruth has lived with the trauma of being the sole survivor of the cult Petition. Known as the prophecy child, she has tried keeping her identity a secret so she can live a normal life. Now a young woman, she joins contest winter and boyfriend Zach and his 2 best friends in a once-in-a-lifetime trip to spend the week on Prosperity Island with his favorite influencer, Eton. It was supposed to be a time to play games, win money, and unwind, but something else has secretly been planned. Something dangerous.

This book was a great story that blended the current popularity of influencers and social media with the tragedy and fandom of cults. Ruth was someone worth cheering for. She was brave, smart, and loyal. The author also did a great job with getting in her head and providing a thorough background to Ruth’s experience in Petition. The fact that this story took place on an island was perfect for the rest of the story. The story starts off with an influencer hosting games to win money; it feels like a special vacation. But then the beach and jungle are used expertly to invoke danger and mystery.

I struggled with the gore. Some people come for it. This is a horror, so it's supposed to be scary. The author is very detailed, and that may be hard for some people. I'm surprised my stomach could handle it. The minor characters were a little weak. While the main character was so well fleshed out, her friends and other characters were not built up so well. We meet a lot of different people on this island, but we don't get to fully understand them as well.

I recommend this great book to anyone who likes
Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World,
Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games, or Battle Royale.

Wow. This was the most vividly bloody, gory, and dark Coates book so far. Different from everything she's written (at least that i know of), but still very clearly a Darcy Coates book, in my opinion.

I did enjoy this a lot. I love influencers in horror. The isolated and creepy setting. The feeling of being stuck in the worst location possible for the situation.

The islands host is sort of reminiscent of Mr. Beast. The game prizes are loads of cash. And I loved the side characters all being 'influencers' and video content creators of various fame and genres.

At this point, I think Darcy Coates can do no wrong for me. I think if someone hasn't really vibed with her books before, this might change their minds.

Thank you to netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and the author for the e-arc to review ❤️

I love Darcy Coates and I was so excited to see this new book from her. This story is very different from what she usually writes. This is not a haunted house or ghost story it's about an isolated island and a su*cide cult. I did not know what was happening for the majority of the story but that wasn't a bad thing, I was along for the ride. There are Squid Game like trails/challenges and an eerie spooky forest. I loved how different this story was from what Darcy normally writes, and I think it was a lot of fun. Would highly recommend if you like cult stories, isolated settings and trials.

If Mr. Beast made his games into Squid Game, this book is what you might end up with. A little gory if you're sensitive to that, some cult trauma if you're sensitive to that, but overall a mysterious book and an interesting ending.

Holy cow was this a crazy read! It has everything: cults, influencers, a remote island, drama, cut scenes to horrific things and then back to a seemingly "normal" situation, and so much more. I was enthralled from the beginning and could hardly put this down. The characters were so interesting and well thought out, were intertwined in ways you wouldn't expect, and had complex relationships and ways they reacted to things. Just, so so good! I have already recommended it and will to so many more of my horror/thriller folks.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC as well as GoodReads for the Giveaway win of the physical copy!

A Mr. Beast–inspired character hosts a dangerous “festival” on a private island, forcing 500 guests into brutal endurance challenges. The early chapters dragged with too much background and misdirection, but around the 30–40% mark the mystery finally hooked me.

Ruth’s backstory with a cult—constantly revisited—actually had a satisfying payoff, and while some twists surprised me, others felt slowed by the setup. The ending tied everything up neatly, but Ruth’s final choice conflicted with her earlier morals, leaving me unsure if it was true growth or a contradiction.

Overall, a mix of suspense, misdirection, and shocking reveals—but uneven pacing and an ending I’m conflicted about keep this at 3 slays out of 5.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC and for letting me give my honest review.

I am reeling after this book! my first by Darcy Coates, and I'll be adding more to my TBR. I was totally entranced by this story. It held my attention and made me wish I could just keep going until I finished. I went in pretty blindly with this one and so glad I did!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC copy.
I adore Darcy Coates writing style and this new story did not disappoint!
This is a super fast paced story with a super fun premise. 600 people including mostly celebrities and influencers travel to a super secluded island to take part in a competion style game hosted by a very popular and successful YouTuber personality. But everyone on this island is carrying secrets, and very quickly the games turn deadly.
5⭐️

This book took me on a ride. The first half is definitely a slow burn — I was wondering when the real horror would kick in — but once it did, it really did. The shift from influencer retreat to absolute nightmare was sharp and bloody - Darcy didn’t hold back!

Ruth was a standout for me. She’s fragile but not weak, and I found myself rooting for her… The island setting was spot-on too — paradise with an undercurrent of dread that just kept building.

I did find some orher characters blurred together and felt a bit flat, and the POV jumping around was sometimes irritating as I felt it pulled me out of the moment.

But they’re just minor comments as I couldn’t put this one down. Awful, tense, and unsettling in all the right ways.

Woah!! This book literally has you on the edge of your seat the entire time! I'm usually pretty good at figuring out plot twists but couldn't have guessed this one!! I love how modern this thriller/horror felt the ides of having influencers on a deserted island made me think of influencer brand trips and I was instantly invested. This is one book that will forever live in my head rent free. Influencers + a deserted (and maybe cursed) island + talks of a mysterious cult = a great book!

This book had me hooked from the start. The atmosphere was so eerie that I kept feeling like something was about to happen, and that tension carried through the whole story. I cared about the characters, which made the scary parts hit even harder because I really wanted them to be okay.
There were a few slower sections, but instead of losing interest, I felt like they actually made the suspense stronger. By the time things picked up again, I was completely on edge.
I’d give it 4 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️

How Bad Things Can Get had all the ingredients for a fast-paced, tropical horror thriller: an isolated island, a dark past, elaborate games, and a cult survivor caught in the middle. The story follows Ruth, the sole survivor of an infamous cult, who travels to Prosperity Island with hundreds of influencer followers. What’s meant to be a week of games, sun, and fun quickly unravels as the island’s bloody history emerges, guests begin to disappear, and Ruth’s past collides with the present in terrifying ways.

Up until the final third, I was leaning closer to 3.5–4 stars. Ruth’s backstory and the island’s sinister secrets were intriguing, and I really enjoyed the concept of “the games” being twisted into something deadly. But the ending lost me—dragging out with unnecessary gore and deaths that didn’t add much to the plot. The violence never felt shocking or impactful, just drawn out and hollow.

I also struggled with the believability of some elements: why the cult was called “Petition” was never explained, how they somehow invented nerve gas was baffling, and the over-the-top influencer Eton felt more like a caricature of a Paul brother than a fleshed-out character. The idea of these games working in a YouTuber setting also didn’t land for me—they were so blatantly unsafe that I couldn’t imagine anyone filming them without a hundred lawsuits waiting.

Unfortunately, the large cast meant most of the characters blurred together, and even Ruth—the most developed character—felt flat and distant. The Petition cult angle had potential, but it was underused, with a few flashbacks sprinkled in before being largely forgotten. The hide-and-seek section in particular dragged and was my least favourite part.

Overall, this had the vibe of a B-movie slasher, but without the campy fun that usually makes that kind of story shine. I think it could work better as a film than a book, but as it stands, I didn’t connect with the characters or the chaos. If you’re just here for the body count, you might enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you to Darcy Coates, Poisoned Pen Press, and Netgalley for the ARC.

I have only read a few of Darcy’s books, but I think this might be my favorite one now. The whole play on a Mr. Beast type character, mixed with a blend of horror, thriller and mystery thrown together with a dash of cult mentality was just a winner with me. So glad that the publisher and NetGalley let me read this via an ARC. I got a bit behind on reviewing other stuff, so the book is already out, but that’s just better because now you can go buy it. 4.5/5 stars for sure.