OH MY GOSH if you love Darcy Coates, cults, blood, gore and really twisty books, get this one asap! This book is pretty graphic with the gory bits (which I love of course!!)so proceed with caution. Ruth is the only survivor of a horrific cult (think: “Drink the Kool Aid” kind of cult!), and has kept her identity a secret since. She is invited by an influencer to an island to play a series of games. It’s meant to be a fun few days of sun, sand and socialising, but there turns out to be a creepy connection between the island and the cult she escaped from.
Honestly I enjoyed this so much. It absolutely sucked me in and I couldn’t stop reading it. This might be my favourite book by this author, I’m a happy girl if you give me a book with cult vibes. Absolutely loved it.
Thankyou to Darcy Coates (for being an absolute legend!), the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How good can this book get? This is what I was thinking while reading How Bad Things Can Get. Ruth and her friends win a drawing to spend 5 days on a tropical island competing with hundreds of influencers in crazy games for huge cash prizes. However, Ruth was the only survivor of a death cult as a child and this festival is reminding her a bit too much of the old days.

I’ve heard great things about this author and have read one of her previous books so I was intrigued. I was not prepared for how much this book would suck me in. There is never a dull moment, the whole book filled me with unease and longing to know more. The creepy images this put in my head were fantastically unnerving. The last 40% of the book was unputdownable for me and I stayed up late to finish it.

If you are squeamish, skip this book. Otherwise, if you like thrillers or horror this book is for you.

What did I just read!?!? This book was a definite horror book and it was almost too much for me to read but it was also fantastic! Made my heart race and feel queasy while reading but that makes it a good horror book! Fast pace and def a diff style than the ghost story style that made me become a fan of Darcy Coates and this doesn’t change my feelings at all! Well done!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for the chance to read an early release!

This thriller kept me hooked from start to finish with its relentless suspense and clever twists. The story moves at a breakneck pace, making it impossible to put down. The characters are well-drawn, with motives that keep you guessing until the very end. The writing is sharp and immersive, painting vivid scenes that heighten the tension. Overall, it’s a thrilling ride that fans of the genre will love.

An online influencer sets up a huge festival on a secluded island, complete elaborate games and prizes. What started off as a fun and relaxing trip quickly turned into everyone's worst nightmare. The main character Ruth has a crazy connection to a former cult, and being on the island begins to show Ruth that her past may not be too far away and the cult she thought was dead is still alive. The question is, does the festival host know Ruth's dark past, and is using that to his advantage? One by one people go missing or are found dead on the island, but there was nothing they could do to stop outside forces from killing them all.

No joke, this book genuinely kept me up last night! It was extremely graphic, and I could physically see in my mind what the author was writing. I have never read a horror book before so I was not prepared for all the gore! But if you like bloody mass murders, creepy rituals, and cults, you will really enjoy this novel.

This was creepy, dark and unsettling.

I will say I didn't enjoy the first few chapters, it took me a little while to get into the book but once things started to kick off I was hooked - the games screamed something you'd see in a movie. It starts as Eton’s game show to win money by completing a range of tasks but soon takes a turn when people begin to disappear, then we start to take told about the mystery that's unfolding.

Great thriller with huge suspense - the twist was pretty good too.

Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Kirsten White and Ruth Ware.

This book was absolutely incredible! So disturbing, but I couldn't put it down!! The twists were absolutely shocking, only one was predictable for me. The author really made me feel like I was there, witnessing the events first hand. The stress and anxiety I felt for the characters was so real. If you like horror novels, definitely check this one out! (I rated it 4.5 stars, but can't use half star ratings here.

Ruth and friends attend a “mr beast” style exclusive event on a private island. What begins as Eton’s game show to win money by completing tasks takes a turn when people begin to disappear and quickly descends into a slasher fest.

And poor Ruth has been through something similar before…

Thoroughly enjoyable thriller/slasher story with good characters and plenty of gore.

I made the mistake of eating while reading towards the end of this book. Don't make my mistake, haha. I almost lost my appetite. I find reading horror is 1000x more graphic than watching it, IMO. With that said, this book is quite violent. You've been warned!

A festival on a deserted Caribbean island with a mysterious past, put on by an social media influencer who kind of reminded me of Mr. Beast. A suicide cult lone survivor and her boyfriend and friends win tickets to attend this festival, which just happens to fall on the 20th anniversary of Ruth escaping the cult. What plays out is a twisted and thrilling story of survival.

Darcy Coates writes great horror. 100% disturbing.

This book should be a movie or TV series immediately!

In short: The Hunger Games meets Lucy Foley - The Hunting Party and Guest List. For fans of those, this should be your next read.

A book definitely not for the faint-hearted, it combines an idyllic destination, game show competitions with a twist of sickening cults, horrific deaths and disturbing beliefs.

I was hooked on this from the start. Great pacing to build suspense and mystery, whilst revealing just enough to keep saying 'one more chapter'.

Even when I thought I could pick holes in parts of the plot or characters, it would be tied up later on.

A highly recommended read for it's release in August 2025.

I thought this was going to be a thriller, and good god I was wrong. It was an amazing horror and slasher story, full of action, drama, and tense moments. I could picture this like a movie.
I could not stop reading, this was my best book in a long time. I'm going to keep reading Darcy Coates for sure.

I’m not sure what I was expecting but I was hoping for something scarier? This was like a reality tv show. Part surviver and part love island. It kept my attention but since I was expecting something scarier it fizzled a bit and didn’t hit the mark.

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
I read the official synopsis three or four times before writing this because I was not entirely sure about what was known from the beginning, so, with no spoilers… picture this: on the one hand, a very famous influencer throws a several days party / game tournament in a deserted island where a lot of troubled things happened in the past; on the other, we find out that our main character is the only survivor of a death cult, and she has gotten an invite to this party after entering a raffle.
Do I really need to say anything else?
How Bad Things Can Get is definitely not the most original novel of 2025, but it might really be one of the most thrilling. It does start slowly, introducing the different characters, the games and the general vibes of the party, but it never stops showing that something is not going as it should. Shily, at first, but faster and more graphic with each scene until it reaches its gory and extremely violent climax.
The story of Ruth, our protagonist, can sometimes feel kind of repetitive, but mainly it is due to the claustrophobic nature of what is hidden in her past. Similarly, the characters around her can also be difficult to differentiate at first, but in a way, it reminded me of the first episodes of a season-long reality show: you will know more about each person along the way.
In fact, the most nitpicky thing I could complain about is that there are a couple of times where the story seemed to go in another, maybe not more original but different, direction, and in the end, when all the pieces clicked, this alternate story felt like it could have been more delightful.
To sum up, it is a very entertaining story with a very steady rhythm that knows when to accelerate, some loose ends, and a final stretch full of blood and guts. Perfect for horror fans who want some action-packed novel with some scares.

Have you ever seen a fat person do a cartwheel? Well, you missed your opportunity to, after I read the email that Netgallery approved me for this book!

I usually try to read my ARC books in the respectable order of when I receive them. But for Darcy?! I threw everything else out the window at about 90mph.. & I'm not even the least bit sorry about it. I LOVEEEEE Darcy Coates!!!!!! She has never disappointed me

I can't lie, I didn't even read the synopsis for this 🫣.. I didn't have to. I just saw the name & smashed the "request" button like someone had asked me if I wanted to win the lottery

Reading a Darcy Coates book is like going to a mental literary horse racing.. it's just go, go, go, from right out of the gate! You're instantly cheering, cheering more & more as it goes on, & be for you can even realize you're on your feet and pumping your arms in the air all the way to the finish.

of course this book was no exception!

This book has everything that's hot right now!
High stakes games
Cults! .. with Jim Jones vibes
A canabulistic witch legend !
A cursed island
& A boat full of young people who think a high social media following means you're successful

& I know what some of you might be thinking.. " I don't know , girl, that seems like such a random variety of things. There's no way all of that works together"

But that's the pure magic of Darcy Coates. IT DOES!! .. She's just built different. She could turn a Mad Libs page into a New York Times best seller.

I don't get actually " scared" unfortunately when I read horror books. But she's one of the VERY few authors who can make me feel the next closest thing.

Needless to say I absolutely loved this, completely devoured it in 1 sitting, & I will be getting my hardcopy book trophy

How Bad Things Can Get was one dark, culty and gory read. The first half of the book is a bit slow but still kept me on my toes and the other half was very fast paved. I read this book in one day! I will say it was so gory and dark and so very violent and graphic and that's not my cup of tea in a horror book. There's a lot of twists and turns and some I wasn't expecting. I think readers that love gory horror and culty reads will devour this one!

I received a complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are mine.

I did not expect to be scared like I was. If you are a fan of horror you will enjoy it. The book is perfect for fans of books set around influencers and remote island as it follows Ruth a cult survivor trapped on a island with an influencer and several of his fans. Sometimes you cannot outrun your past and it surely catches up. Very engrossing and eerie but you have to stick with it as it starts slow.

Out August 26th, 2025
As a longtime fan of Darcy Coates, How Bad Things Can Get delivers exactly what I crave—claustrophobic dread, haunted secrets, and characters who feel achingly real even as the world around them unravels. Coates knows how to build tension like no one else, and this latest offering is no exception. The pacing is relentless, the atmosphere thick with unease, and the horror creeps in slowly until it’s wrapped around your spine. It’s not just scary—it’s emotionally gripping, with stakes that feel personal and raw.

While it doesn’t reinvent her formula, it refines it. The twists are sharp, the setting is deliciously eerie, and the emotional payoff hits hard. There were a few moments where I wished for deeper character backstory, but the suspense more than made up for it. Coates proves again why she’s a staple on my horror shelf—this book is a reminder of how terrifyingly good she can be when she leans into the darkness. Highly recommended for fans who love their horror with heart and teeth.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!

How Bad Things Can Get is a horror thriller novel that centers around a woman named Ruth who attends this exclusive private island festival hosted by a mega influencer known for staging intense challenges and games with money as the reward. It promises to be a relaxing vacation until Ruth starts getting this awful feeling that something bad is bound to happen, especially when she approaches the island and has flashbacks to a cult in which she harrowingly escaped twenty years ago. I can't even begin to describe how intense this book was. I was genuinely grossed out and terrified by what was happening, even up to the final climactic moments. I couldn't really figure out what was going on and the last few pages of the novel got me so scared and queasy, which means the author did a great job. One thing I was hoping for more of was the mention of Eton's scandal. Because of how it was revealed, I thought it may play a bigger part in the novel but it ended up mostly being a throwaway mention. I absolutely loved the detail Darcy Coates writes her books with, which makes the story all the more intense and vivid. I was hoping/ expecting for Eton to have more an involvement given that there was some hinting that he had some sinister plans up his sleeve. I would definitely read a part two if it is published. 5/5 for sure.

Clocking in at just over 400 pages this book started off kind of slow for me. Luckily, Coates’s work reads easy and fast in nature. The story itself is solid. I enjoyed this a lot

Huge thanks to Darcy Coates and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy of How Bad Things Can Get! This was the best early birthday present I could have asked for!

I am a huge fan of Coates and it’s no surprise that I loved this read from start to finish. I’ve come to expect a fantastic ghost story in every novel, but this one introduces a thrilling twist: something not based in the paranormal, but rather how terrifying reality can be. If you’re intrigued by the concepts of cults and religious psychosis, this is the book for you.

Grotesque and jarring, with twists and turns that keep you on your toes, I hope every horror fan gets the chance to pick up this novel. Darcy Coates is one of those authors who has never let me down and this one is no exception!