In a new type of story Darcy Coates dials up the dread. I love this new direction!

In How Bad Can Things Get, she swaps haunted houses for influencer culture, dropping us into the beautiful Prosperity Island, a remote, location supposedly infamous for shipwrecks, cannibalism, and a long legacy of unexplained deaths.

When a content creator millionaire invites hundreds of fans to the island for five days of games and glamor, the vibe quickly shifts from paradise to panic. Guests begin to vanish. The games turn sinister. And the whole event starts to feel like a trap.

Thank you to poisoned pen press and NetGalley for this arc!

This is a different direction for Darcy Coates and I personally loved it. It still had an eerie vibe, but focused less on paranormal type stuff and switched to thriller and horror and cult stuff. I do believe this is also the first time she dives into influencer culture as well!

I really loved How Bad Things Can Get!

4-Star Review – How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates

Darcy Coates delivers another chilling, atmospheric tale in How Bad Things Can Get. As an ARC reader, I was drawn in immediately by her signature blend of eerie suspense and creeping dread. The story builds slowly but effectively, drawing the reader deeper into its haunting mystery with each page.

While it didn’t quite reach the top tier of her best works for me, it was still a strong, well-written book. The setting was claustrophobic and unsettling in all the right ways, and the psychological tension was palpable throughout. I especially appreciated the layers of emotional depth woven into the characters’ experiences.

Overall, this is a solid gothic thriller that fans of Darcy Coates will enjoy. It’s not her scariest or most shocking, but it’s definitely worth reading if you love slow-burn suspense with a dark, emotional core.

Thank you for the opportunity on reading an early copy for a review. First off, Darcy coates will always be an auto-buy for me. All of her books are full of suspense, twists, amazing characters that stick with you. This one was a little different from her usual books, but it’s still JUST AS GOOD! I devoured this in under 24 hours, it’s such a page turner I couldn’t put this book down.

This book threw me into a survival horror setup where a group of people find themselves stranded on an island with secrets lurking beneath the surface. The atmosphere was tense and claustrophobic, which I liked, and Coates does a solid job building that slow-burning dread.

What held me back a bit was how much the story focused on surface-level drama and suspense without really digging into the characters’ inner lives. The emotional depth I usually look for in literary fiction was missing here, but the pacing kept me turning the pages.

If you want a thriller that leans hard into scares and survival tension, this will probably satisfy. But if you’re after a story that stays with you for its complexity or insight into human nature, it might feel a bit light.

Still, I appreciated the eerie vibe and the way the island setting almost becomes a character itself. It’s not perfect, but it’s a decent read if you like dark, suspenseful horror with an edge of mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I had so much fun reading this book! This dark, gruesome thriller elicited such a pulse-pounding intensity that I couldn't sit still. My nerves were on fire! The story was like a twisted combination of an 80's slasher film and The Purge. It was bloody and gory, and I loved it! The pacing was moderate, but it really picked up around the 75% mark. The ending was sufficient, but I would have liked it more if there was one more epilogue that told Ruth's story. I'm guessing the author left it out purposely to insinuate that most media handles only care about shock value and not the truth. However, as a reader who was fully invested in her character, I needed more closure. I would definitely recommend this to horror fans! It had all the makings of a cult classic!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

In a new type of story Darcy Coates dials up the dread. I love this new direction!

In How Bad Can Things Get, she swaps haunted houses for influencer culture, dropping us into the beautiful Prosperity Island, a remote, location supposedly infamous for shipwrecks, cannibalism, and a long legacy of unexplained deaths.

When a content creator millionaire invites hundreds of fans to the island for five days of games and glamor, the vibe quickly shifts from paradise to panic. Guests begin to vanish. The games turn sinister. And the whole event starts to feel like a trap.

With a cast that includes a young woman hiding a bloody past and a journalist chasing scandal, this story is part horror, part thriller, and 100% addictive. I was hooked by the layered characters—and honestly sad to lose a few along the way. Nothing thrills me more than contemporary horror with teeth.

#DarcyCoates #HowBadCanThingsGet #ProsperityIsland #HorrorReads #Thriller #PoisonedPenPress #Sourcebooks#poisonedpenpress

Received this as an ARC and loved it!!! A private island, games, murder and cults. This book was very graphic but that doesn’t bother me. It had such a good ending. I could not put it down.

A quiet, haunting descent into isolation, control, and survival.

I don’t usually gravitate toward cult stories, but this one hooked me. How Bad Things Can Get is quietly chilling, with a heavy, creeping dread that lingers. Ruth’s story is heartbreaking and tense, and I couldn’t look away. The pacing dipped a bit in the middle, but the eerie atmosphere and emotional depth made it worth the read. Darcy Coates knows how to pull you in!

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my copy in exchange for my thoughts.

I love Darcy Coates so be able to read this arc made my day. I do enjoy a good cult book and this one was great. The story was well written and it hooked me in from the beginning. I read this in a day because I couldn’t put it down

I devoured this book in one sitting, I absolutely loved it!

I have read all of Coates previous books so i had an idea what going into this new book would be like and that's the thing i love about her work is each book is totally different but gives the WOW shock factor as you never know what is going to happen until it happens.

How bad can things focuses on a group of friends that have been picked alongside 600+ partygoers to an famous influencers island called Prosperity island where they can play games to win money. What should of been a few crazy fun days partying on the island takes a turn when guests start going missing and the games become dangerous as they later learn about the cult that resided on the island and is to be haunted to this very day. Soon they'll be wishing they never stepped foot on the island as darkness resides over the island in worse ways you could ever of imagined.

I really enjoyed the main characters POV as we go back and forth to her past and how she is dealing with the situation she is in trying to stay anonymous but she feels like somebody knows who she really is. Everybody has their own pasts and we learn about secrets, gossip and past scandals that some of them were apart of. No character was the same, each and everybody were uniquely portrayed which i really enjoyed.

How bad things can get will have you feeling squeamish and on the edge of your seat. There is graphic description of violence but this is normal if you have read any of Coate's previous works which i never mind. Full of secrets, twists and turns and overall a good amount of suspense that will keep you captured and reading on to the very last page you will not be dissapointed. I finished this book in a matter of hours, i was hooked from the get go, it is a definite must read and i would recommend to everyone to pick up.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers Poisoned Pen Press for the copy of this arc in exchange of my full honest review.

5*

This book had an 80’s horror movie vibe with a modern day influencer twist. If gore is not your thing, you may want to pass. Otherwise, this read was entertaining enough (during certain passages) that it kept me turning the page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I felt like this book was very unbelievable.. And even though a bunch of stuff happened it so kind of felt like nothing happened. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. I did like how it was different POVs and easy to keep track of who was who.

Things really can get bad… and they definitely did. In more ways than one.

This was my first Darcy Coates book, and I felt about it sort of how I feel about honeydew. I mean, honeydew is fine and all, but does anyone really crave it? It’s probably the most middling fruit in existence.

This had a b-movie vibe to it, but without the campy charm that makes b-movies fun. I didn’t click with any of the characters, and my only joy from them stemmed from the grisliness of their death. So that’s something I guess.

I wish more had been done to show us the Petition cult experience. It was like we got a few flashbacks, and then the author forgot to return to that storyline altogether. That was more interesting than anything going on with the FYRE island party.

Anyway, this book was fine. Now, let’s get serious about honeydew. Is this anyone’s favorite fruit? If so, are you ok? And let me know why.

I am an avid reader of Coate's books so was very excited to get the chance to read this. This book is a thriller rather than the horror and supernatural books I have read from this author before.
I thought this book was fantastic, it really flowed well for me and was incredibly well written. This book needs to be a movie it is just that good!
There is no slow burn with this story, it throws you right into the action from the first chapter, great for anyone inpatient. The characters are all very interesting the way in which they are written keeps you on your toes you'll never know who you trust.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a gripping thriller.
5🌟

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Darcy Coates and Poisoned Pen Press📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

Ok wow I don’t know what I was expecting but it was not that this was creepy, intense, scary, horrifying i totally loved it !!
I stayed up till 2 am as I couldn’t put it down when it got going it really got going!!
I’m just casually getting to know the characters and boom 🤯
Was amazing definitely kept me on my toes my heart rate was up and I was so nervous
Fantastic read!

Fyrefest meets the movie 'Blink Twice' meets Mr Beasts games in this absolute thrilling read 😍 This was SO much fun, and so much gore! So buckle in for a wild ride!

I love how the FMC was portrayed and written, from her past to her present and how interwoven it was and integral to the story! Although we got alot of characters small stories, hers was the one that pieced the puzzle together!

This is the first book I've read from this author, and I devoured it in one sitting, and I cannot wait to read more from them!

It's giving White Lotus meets Fyre Fest...if ya know what I mean (this place is a hot mess, minute the hot).

I was really excited to read this because I loved Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates so much!

I did not find this to be as captivating and entertainingly twisty as Dead of Winter was. The cult aspect of this book was fun, but it didn't get nearly as dramatic and spooky as it could've been.

I think another problem I had with this book was the characterization. I felt like these characters were quite flat at times, they needed more depth and backstory for me to get truly committed. It felt like their lives began when this book began, I want to feel as if these are real people with real lives that I am reading about. And that's an interesting critique because we do get a tiny bit of flashbacks, but they felt more like explanations. I don't really know how to explain that much better.

Personally, I was disappointed with this book, but I know a lot of people will absolutely love it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Darcy Coates has built a reputation for delivering fast-paced, creepy reads—and while readers can be divided on her formulaic approach, I’ve always found her books to be perfect palate cleansers. Sometimes you just want a fun, spooky escape, and How Bad Things Can Get really delivers on that front. In fact, I’d say this is one of her stronger titles in recent years.

This book mashes up the eerie dread of The Blair Witch Project with the chaotic excess of Fyre Fest, set on an idyllic island with a bloody past. What begins as an influencer’s dream getaway quickly descends into a nightmare. Ruth, the lone survivor of a notorious cult, thought she’d escaped her past—but when the island’s disturbing history is unearthed, everything she’s tried to forget comes rushing back.

As the games turn from entertaining to lethal and the guests begin to disappear, the tension ramps up quickly. Coates does a great job of mixing psychological unease with outright horror. While it does follow her usual structure—an isolated location, a mysterious past, and a heroine with hidden trauma—the execution is tight, suspenseful, and fun in that popcorn-horror kind of way.

If you're already a Darcy Coates fan, this one is worth bumping to the top of your TBR. And if you’re new to her work, this is a great introduction to her particular brand of atmospheric, twisty thrillers.

Not her most groundbreaking novel, but undeniably entertaining. Sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.

Book Review: How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates: Cult Luggage, Body Bags, & Influencers With God Complexes 🏝️🩸📸
Because paradise is just another word for “we’re all going to die in matching wristbands.”

🌟 Rating: 5/5 Coconut Corpses
Because nothing says “self-care” like watching influencers get picked off one by one by an island with murder issues and a seriously bad vibe.

Darcy Coates said, “You want horror? Fine. Let’s go full cannibal cult PTSD meets Instagram thirst trap apocalypse,” and honestly? She delivered. This is not your usual ghost-in-a-Victorian-house Coates story. This one’s fast, brutal, and absolutely dripping in tension—and not the sexy kind.

🚨 Trigger Warnings
- Cult trauma (yep, the real nightmare fuel)
- Childhood abuse (past)
- Cannibalism (yes, actual)
- Psychological horror & anxiety
- Violence and murder galore
- Social media influencer energy (arguably the scariest)

✨ Spoiler-Free Synopsis
Welcome to Prosperity Island—an idyllic slice of sand, sun, and social collapse. A mega influencer decides to host a luxury festival for his followers. Think: Fyre Fest with more blood and fewer refunds.

Enter Ruth—quiet, scarred, surviving. She’s the last living survivor of a cult that would make Netflix cry and has been avoiding attention like it’s on fire. All she wanted was some quiet sand and a drink with a tiny umbrella. What she gets is a front-row seat to death, disappearance, and a history that won’t stay buried.

Paradise? More like PTSD-palooza.

🎨 Cover Art Review
Dark. Stormy. Sexy. That neon yellow font screams “bad decisions ahead,” while the silhouette of palm trees dares you to take a closer look—right before it clubs you over the head and drags you into the undergrowth. Honestly? A+ for visual vibes. You know something unholy is waiting in those trees.

💬 Favorite Quote
“She wasn't sure if they could even hear her. There was no flicker of reaction in their faces. They didn't even blink.”— How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates

Peak “nope” energy. This line crawled under my skin and stayed there rent-free. The dread? Palpable. The silence? Deafening.

🩸 What to Expect
⚔️ A main character with big “I’m just here to survive, not make friends” energy🧠 Trauma flashbacks that cut sharper than a machete📲 Influencer chaos that reads like satire but is somehow real life🌴 Survival horror with a hint of “what if the island hates us all?”🕷️ Suspense that builds until you want to scream into the jungle🎬 A story that plays like a film in your brain (casting suggestions welcome)

🌀 Final Thoughts
If you thought Darcy Coates was only capable of haunted attics and tragic ladies in old-timey gowns—think again. How Bad Things Can Get is a full-throttle, blood-soaked descent into cult horror and identity trauma, wrapped in influencer hell and psychological unraveling. It’s fast, freaky, and deeply satisfying.

Ruth is a quiet hurricane of a character—resilient, broken, and so compelling I wanted to hug her and also beg her for survival tips. This is the kind of book you read in one sitting and then stare at the wall afterward because yikes.

🥥 Rating
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Five stars. One coconut-scented existential crisis. Would recommend. Bring snacks—just maybe not the kind that scream.

📅 Release Date
How Bad Things Can Get is set to be released on August 26, 2025. Mark your calendars and prepare for a tropical nightmare you won't forget.

📢 CALL TO ACTION (aka GIVE ME VALIDATION)
Hey, if this review made you laugh, wince, or add the book to your cart like a gremlin at midnight, do me a solid:

📸 Instagram: @TreksManiacally (Yes, it’s under construction. No, I’m not okay.)
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Follow me or risk getting stranded on an island with no Wi-Fi and nothing but cult memories and sunscreen that’s SPF “bad decisions.”