Stranded

The challenge is clear, find a way to survive on Buidseach Island for one year. Eight people have accepted the challenge. But it’s not until a year and a half later that one of those eight people turns in a fishing village. Mandy is ready to explain what happened on the island, how the group became divided, how friends turned against each other and how of the eight participants, only three actually left the island. Forget about those ridiculous TV survival shows about alliances and petty disagreements, this is some scary stuff

Amazing story with twist and turns that will grip you in and keep you guessing turning the pages wondering, i really love this authors style of writing as i have once mentioned it before. The character development was really well written. So very well written, kept me engrossed and have the feeling which i love like i'm sitting on the edge of my seat. I would highly recommend, great work. I am writing my honest review and this book will be added to my now favourite books, so very well done and i can't wait to see what the author brings out next.

Highly recommend thank you 5*

I haven't read anything by this author before, but in Stranded, Sarah Goodwin tells a heck of a tale. It's dark, atmospheric, and compulsively readable. Once I got into the story, I found it really hard to put it down.

Eight people arrive on Buidseach Island to participate in a reality tv-style program: they'll live there alone except for each other for an entire year as a type of social experiment. It's sort of like Survivor, but with no host or camera crew (with the exception of two stationed away from them in case of emergency). They are responsible for everything, right down to wearing solar-powered cameras everywhere they go.

The book starts at the end, with a haggard woman clutching a gun asking for the police. She's desperate to tell her story: how she arrived on the island eighteen months ago and how it all started to go wrong. How strangers became friends and then enemies. And how nearly everyone ended up dead.

At times, sure, things strained at the very boundaries of believability, but it never seemed to matter much to me. I was really curious as to how the whole thing wrapped up. As you vaguely know the ending from the beginning, you're left desperate for the details. This was a satisfying thriller that I'd definitely recommend for fans of the genre.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for a review.

Lord of the Flies for adults!

A really tense novel, full of shocks, violence, hatred, and humans' dark natures.

I couldn't put this down. Sometimes it felt so claustrophobic and real, I had to take a breath. The cave scenes are particularly indicative of this.

There are many books centered around groups being stranded. This book has an edge. It delves deep into psyches, looking at what makes us become uncivilised or were we savages already waiting to show our true colours?

A great read. Thoroughly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Author for this amazing ebook copy!

Give me a group of people on a remote island to do a challenge, add some creepy stuff.... I'm there for it!!

This book was fabulous. Sarah Goodwin outdid herself with this novel Stranded.
I was totally hooked from the first few pages and that right there is worth a star rating to me!
The story was totally intense and intriguing. Which I just devour books similar to this.
Anyway this story held my attention, the characters were so well written and very well developed.
The writing it feels like you're there with them. Amazing.... Right! Yeah because it was!
This was such an awesome book. And I can't wait to share it with my family and friends!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review Stranded it was the bomb!

Eight people move to the remote Buidseach Island, taking part in a challenge to survive there for a year. Eighteen months later, one of the women is found in a little fishing village, desperate to tell her story. What happened on the island? Where are the rest of them? Where did it all go wrong between them? A tense and thrilling story with an interesting variety of characters. Gets you thinking what it would be like to have to live with a bunch of strangers on a remote island for so long, surviving on what they can forage from around them. Shows how secrets and the need to survive can tear people apart and threaten your life. A gripping book that I recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

This is an amazing read! The story jumps back and forth between the main character Maddie being interviewed in present day and her recalling the story of what happened while she was on the island filming a reality tv show. I really felt for Maddie and was drawn into the story from page 1. I loved how the author would drop a bomb on you during the present day interview and you’d be like “what! How’d that happen!” It made me not want to put this book down!

‘Let’s talk about the end of the world.’

This book is incredibly infuriating. But it is also insanely good.

When I read stranded on an island reality tv style I was expecting Survivor to be honest. And it is that but it’s also Lord of the Flies dumped in for a heady mix.

Our protagonist isn’t perfect and it’s so endearing to see in because in a world of Mary Sues, it’s refreshing Maddy, our main character, is awkward, meek, and sheltered.
She’s eventually outcasted by the rest of the group she’s with on this island and although I was literally screaming at her the entire time, I like her. I like Maddy. She reminds me so much of myself. Timid and seemingly weak to others but never hesitates to stand her ground on where she stands. Sometimes she can be just a bit too nice and it is absolutely maddening…but she’s flawed. We all are. I love characters I can relate to and also cheer for even though they’re annoying the hell out of me with every action. Maddy is great. We stan her.

The other characters? Not so much. They’re awful and their gaslighting is so intense that I didn’t think I would be able to finish but it’s worth it in the end.

Sarah Goodwin writes well and weaves a story that reminds me of Survivor, Lord of the Flies, and The Blair Witch project. Her writing is effective and beautifully simple. She holds nothing back and keeps you mesmerized until the last word. In fact I’m still replaying the events in the book in my head. A sign of a really intoxicating read.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy of Stranded by Sarah Goodwin. All thoughts = mine.

Just plain brilliant. I really liked the fact that the main character was trying to be likeable and gain sympathy but not always succeeding. Even when all the others were being a horrible, it was kind of enjoyable. Just the kind of thing you'd expect from a reality tv show.

Wow so tense so chilling a book I picked up and could not put down.Maddie the lead character was a compelling figure couldn’t decide whether to like her or despise her.The author has written an amazing story of a group of people whose behavior will shock you.Grab this book and prepare for a wild ride.#netgalley #avonbooksuk

Wow what a great book with a fabulous ending. I was kept on edge from the beginning. Maddy was an excellent main character because she was not entirely likeable and there were times when you just did not want to root for her but then she would do something to keep you on her side. There was a lot of grey area covered in the book keeping with the realistic idea of right and wrong and what would you need to do to survive that kind of situation.

I fell straight into this book, devouring the pages and I found the writing style was perfect for me, I immediately gelled with it, and when you find a book like this it feels like coming home. Don’t get me wrong Some parts were really hard to deal with, and I found myself very emotionally bound to Maddy, our main protagonist from whose POV the story is told. I hate bullies, and reading about how one person was picked out and exiled in such hostile and unjust circumstances from the group was difficult. I found I was rooting for Maddy who was very self sufficient and calm in the face of adversity and was the only truthful and genuine member of the survival shows lineup. However is she as reliable as she seems? I love an unreliable narrator.

However I’m running away with myself, I have so much love for this book I’m word vomiting in my excitement …

This is a fast paced survivalist thriller and it really gave me Modern day Lord of the flies vibe, the camp splits into factions with a supposed leader who is actually a bully and his sycophants and then we have our ‘victim’ Maddy who basically has to go it alone. There are deep moral dilemmas at the heart of this story- We see how mob mentality plays out , and the dichotomy between civilisation and savagery. But Maddy is far from the victim she is a pocket rocket and has strong survival tendencies , if you were to be stranded I think you should want to be Maddies best friend as she knows her stuff and is a strong female lead! Go Maddy 🙌🏻🙌🏻

I loved how a potential adventure and the setting for fly on the wall documentary revealed so much, how a group of strangers can first bond and then form friendships and allegiances. It was intriguing to see how the ideals and expectations of the group when they first arrive play out and change with their circumstances. How the reality sees initial highs hopes for building accommodation on the island, and planting and growing food end up descending into chaos as the contestants descend into desperate, starving castaways who are willing to whatever they could find from rats to mouldy jam to keep their starvation at bay and how their standard of living diminishes with their hope of rescue. Themes include the tension between the group and individuality, between rational and emotional reactions, and between morality and immorality. Absolutely fascinating!!

So many questions as I raced through this book… what has happened? Why doesn’t the boat arrive to take them home? I enjoyed the build up of tension and the questions that left me grasping at various theories of what happened….

One of my favourites parts is where Maddy having been isolate and alone for a long period of time returns to the abandoned camp, the descriptions of the state it had been abandoned in and the possible circumstances surrounding it were thrilling. I loved the world building the author created, which was intense and vivid, I was there living life on the island.

The characters were so, so real and their interactions played out in front of me as if I was watching a technicolour film- so real and believable. The hierarchy of the characters was so realistic and her portrayal of how they change with the increasingly dire situation was a joy.

The authors ability to write is incredible, and when I started this book I literally disappeared into it and didn’t emerge until I had finished. It’s so compelling and I was so absorbed I literally read this in one sitting. Fast paced, dark and intense, the storyline is taut and perfectly plotted and I loved the sense of claustrophobia and paranoia. It’s eerie and beautifully written- believe me when I say this is a debut you. DO. NOT want to miss!!!

I adored this book and honestly fellow thriller readers get this title preordered and thank me later, it’s utterly unputdownable ( yes that is a even a word!!) and you’re going to love every single twisty page!!

Huge Thankyou to Avon books and Netgalley for my copy, I will still be preordering as I need to own all my favourite thrillers physically to adorn my bookcase, and Stranded is 100% up there with the best!!

Is it weird that I don't have any feelings good or bad toward this book? I loved the premise of the Survivor type theme. The book was entertaining and you definitely get sucked in during the last half of the book. The characters are good, the storyline is fully formed and doesn't drop off unexpectedly. All in all it was a satisfying read overall. The only part that bothered me was the very very end where Maddy is supposedly friends with the "witch" of the island; I felt the witch wasn't even part of the story so why add that addition.

Thank you Avon Books, Sarah Goodwin and Netgalley for this arc!

Absolutely compelling! Definitely a five star read. I couldn't put this one down. It never failed to keep me on the edge of my seat. I loved the premise, the plot and most of the characters were suitably horrible. Maddy, the protagonist is an incredible character. She is one of eight people who agree to participate in an experimental TV show. They are taken to a remote Scottish island and left to their own devices for a year of survival in the wilderness. Maddy is unbearably depressed with her life, her own personal development, or lack of, and the subsequent loneliness and loss she feels after her parents die in a car accident. She is flawed which makes her very realistic. This story is told from Maddy's point of view so we get all her emotional fallout as she struggles to cope with what is happening around her. Goodwin is an intelligent writer and seems to have a real handle on the pace and intensity needed for this type of thriller. Maddy's situation is described so well that her fear is very palpable. Yes this was terrifying in places. I felt I was right there with her. One of the best books I've read all year and such a great ending too!!
Thank you to Avon books and Netgalley for allowing me to read this eARC publication date: 16 September

Maddy has signed up for a reality TV Show: What would happen if the world had ended and 8 strangers were sent to a remote, deserted island, with little to no assistance in the way of food, shelter and other basic necessities, for a year. 

Eight people means eight different skills sets and eight different personalities. And some of those personalities are going to clash. As Maddy and the others struggle to survive the island, some of those clashes turn into battles, creating dangerous enemies, until the lack of necessities may not be the most deadly thing on this trip. 

This book was INTENSE. Absolutely heart stopping. My heart was pounding with anger at what went on and I was terrified most of the way through - in the best possible way. There were so many characters I wanted to jump through the page and strangle but I was so gripped by the mystery and desperation of their situation, I just couldn’t put it down!

The story is told in alternating timelines - on the island and in a TV interview with Maddy after the event. The interview sections weren’t anywhere near as interesting as the rest, but by the end I saw why they were necessary. 

With a grown up Lord of the Flies feel, Stranded should definitely be on your list of you enjoy intense, Lost style mysteries!

I love a good social experiment, man. Think Survivor but no host or camera crew. Strangers becoming friends. Friends becoming enemies. Now almost everyone is dead? How? Why? IT WAS SO GOOD.

Saw this book on NetGalley, thought it sounded right up my street - and how right I was!

Maddy is looking for an escape from her lonely life and what could be better than an isolated island with a few strangers for a year as part of a reality TV show? The story begins at the end of her isolation, holding a rifle and departing a boat on the mainland in need of help….

I started this book today and finished it in one sitting. I literally could nor put it down. One not to miss.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Goodwin knows what shes doing when it comes to twist and unexpected turns. This book was very hard to put down, I couldn't walk away for even a minute.

I've read so many books about being stranded on a island but never quite like this. Being stranded with strangers with a mission to survive for one whole year. This book shows just how dark human nature can be and Sarah Goodwin captured it into words perfectly.

If you enjoyed Lord of the Flies growing up you will love this book.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Now that’s a nice story. Not at all what I was expecting, but a pleasant surprise. Great ending. Truly twisted.

5 misanthropic stars.

This book! I devoured it. The first half slowly builds the tension, which had me tearing through the pages, desperate to discover what happened. I'm a big fan of 'love to hate' characters, and I love it even more when the protagonist is unlikeable and unreliable. The clever writing style reminded me of Sarah A Denzil, with a tight plot and perfect pacing.

Utterly immersive and unbearably tense, Stranded is a gripping debut you won't want to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC.

Stranded has an interesting premise, but I was weary initially, as the execution rarely lives up to the expectations of a thrilling premise. This book, however, was a splendid read, an homage to the Agatha Christie locked-room mystery, updated for the 21st century as a reality show premise careens into catastrophe.

The plot was a balanced blend of characterization, slow-burn tension between the characters, survivalist techniques on the island, and an interview from the present teasing us with the ultimate consequences (which, to be honest, I found to be a bit hokey, used a crutch to get us through the slower moments in the beginning). The other characters were largely unlikeable, but rounded enough to make their motivations believable. Given the trajectory of the plot, there was no need for bland, "likeable," characters, and you shouldn't expect ice breakers or sentimental fantasies about "what meal you miss the most from back home." They displayed qualities that, to be honest, can be found in any office around the world: backbiting, white lies, rumor mongering, clicks, old-fashioned greed, and naked self-preservation.

A common refrain orbiting this book may be, "well, do people really turn on each other this fast?" I certainly had moments were I projected cool, rational thoughts onto the characters while I sat reading on my comfortable couch, in a temperature controlled room, eating a medley of snacks in the afternoon. Unfortunately, yes, people are savages, and all it takes is getting cut off in traffic or being mocked by a coworker for some people to turn borderline homicidal. We all like to think we would survive the zombie apocalypse, but most of us would panic, freeze up, and either become food for the zombies or rob our neighbor's house.

Goodwin's real skill is isolating her narrator while generating sympathy from the reader. The protagonist is bookish, a touch socially awkward, and an introvert, an archetype that we typically tend to dismiss for leadership positions, often at our own peril. These qualities, however, can be quite helpful for surviving on an island, especially combined with her resourcefulness and attention to detail. I found her to be a unique heroine for a thriller, equally fascinated and disturbed by her character development, and ultimately willing to hole up with her no matter how many insects were in her hair.

Yet another book I couldn’t put down and ended up reading in a day!

Stranded is best described as Lord of the Flies meets Survivor, the tv show. Eight strangers sign up to live on Buidseach island, off the coast of Scotland.
They’ll be there for just under a year, wearing solar-power-charged individual cameras to give the viewers at home an up close and personal look at a social experiment to see how humankind would survive post apocalypse.
Our protagonist is Maddy, a socially awkward woman alone in the world after the death of her parents, looking to make friends and improve her life. Unfortunately she’s singled out by the rest of the group as different and has to learn how to survive on her own when their mini society breaks down.

Things devolve further after the boat fails to pick them up on the agreed day.
In the end only three out of eight will leave the island alive, but which three, and what happened to everyone else?

This was a tense read with a good sense of atmosphere and a constant feeling of threat, which caused me some anxiety as I read it!

None of the characters are particularly likeable, including Maddy, but I appreciated that about her. She was very much unapologetically herself, not pandering to anyone.

My only quibble with this book is before it becomes completely obvious that democracy within the group has broken down, Maddy has a thought at the end of every chapter along the lines of “if I had known what was to come I would have tried harder” etc. Slightly too much foreshadowing for me when we already knew from the start of the book that disaster was on the way, but that’s probably just me being picky!
Overall I’d recommend this one! It’s a quick and gripping thriller. Out on September 16th but you can preorder on kindle now for £1.08!

With thanks to @netgalley and @avonbooksuk for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of Stranded in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

This is a rapid-paced, compelling story with masterful execution. The constant action means there is never a dull moment
I love a good thriller. Something to get the mind working, heart racing and having you on the edge of your seat. Great writing, great characters and a great storyline.

I was excited when I read the premise of the book, anything written about survival is right up my street. I was a bit nervous too as I find sometimes stories of this nature can be a bit disappointing.

I was pleasantly surprised though. The first half of the book builds tension well, building the story and giving us a chance to get to know the characters. Then it starts to get dark and truly gripping. The main character, Maddy, isn't overly likable but that worked well with the storyline.

Definitely worth a read, especially if this type of genre intrigues you.

A survivor like thriller with a frightening twist! Can you even imagine being on an isolated island with strangers for a whole year even for a reality tv show? The people that were dropped off on the island were ready for adventure but they soon discovered that their adventure would take a rather dark turn. I actually felt like I was part of this story and felt the tense and fearful emotions the main character felt I love intense thrillers like this and it was definitely had a riveting, unique plot .

This is a strange book to review, I went from hating it and thinking I'd give it one star, to thinking I was being biased - just because I didn't enjoy it, didn't mean it was badly written... I stuck it out, and I have to say wow. That ending. I never saw it coming.

I'll start by explaining why I didn't like it initially. Most of the characters are truly awful, and the hidden savage nature of the average human (note I said average, I don't mean everyone, but if we are honest, most fit the bill), which tends to rear its ugly head when the going gets tough, was especially prevalent here. I really, really cannot fathom why anyone would ever sign up for something like this, but then Come Dine With Me is in its gazillionth season, so go figure.

It didn't take long for things to deteriorate, and then it all went to pot. Maddy, one of the crazies who signed up, became a pariah and was forced to fend for herself, which really would have been fine (better than sticking around with the others) if things hadn't taken a turn for the worse.

This book takes turns in suffocating, shocking, and frightening you. I didn't like the references to the rabbits and the casual way they are spoken of as if they were no more than clods of earth, it was a bit sickening and in many ways a bit too graphic. But then I suspect that was the point. It shocks me sometimes, what people are capable of, but then deep down we all know. The trick is to be clever and get them back. And if you have a witch on your side, well, all the better. Enough said.

Many thanks to Sarah Goodwin, Avon Books and Net Galley for my ARC.

I am a huge survivor fan as was excited to review this book! Sarah Goodwin did not disappoint.

Did you enjoy Lord Of the Flies? Then this is a book for you! Maddy is a sheltered homeschooled unhappy young adult who has applied to be part of a game/reality show that strands 8 adults on an uninhabited island. She hopes to make a new life and new friends and start over during the year spent on an island without any support.

Foreshadowed in the description, things go wrong fairly quickly. Maddy has trouble fitting into the group. As the description reveals, only Maddy is available to tell the story of what went wrong on the island and where are the other survivors.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I felt like the characters could have been drawn out a bit more. It was hard to emphasize with anyone really, even Maddy was a bit unlikeable. A broader backstory would have made a more interesting and thrilling novel.

There was a lot of foreshadowing to the end which I think could have been left out. I think it would been a bit more suspenseful if some of the future events were not included. I did want to know so badly how it would turn out though and I read this novel in 24 hours. Recommend!

This was really good, I wasnt sure to start with and then it got better. I loved the way you never really knew who was on trial and just loved the ending and the production notes.

Fully do recommend reading.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own

Thank you very much to Avon for sending me a copy of Stranded, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This is the type of book where you pick up the book and not realise that hours have passed!
I absolutely loved the premise of this story where eight contestants are challenged to live on Buidseach island and are told it will be a experiment about what people would do if it was the end of the world. . The main character 'Maddy' is a complex character who is currently grieving the loss of both of her parents, when she is offered the chance to join 7 other contestants on Buidseach island for a reality show which was trying to be passed off as a social experiment, Maddy could see no better opportunity to escape from her life. The story begins slowly, it is building up to an atmospheric and incredible series of events. Sarah did an amazing job of fleshing out all of the characters and you have a real sense on the types of people they are and what roles they will take within the group. Maddy is used to be an outsider, however, she hopes that she can find friendship within this dynamic group. When events on the island cause tension, it is nerve wracking and I found myself eager to find out how it all ends.

This definitely gave me 'Lord of the Flies' vibes and I thoroughly enjoyed the turns and twists that this book takes you on. Sarah is a talented writer and knows how to really set the scene, build up both likable and dislikeable characters within the group. The ending to this story really lets you come to your own conclusion whether you are rooting for Maddy or not, and I was definitely rooting for her!

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a thriller. I was intrigued by the premise of it and it did not disappoint. I liked the flip between present (the interview) and past. It gave little hints without giving anything away, which just made me want to keep reading.

The characters were very well written. The ones that were unlikeable were very unlikeable. The main character was easy to like, although she could be frustrating at times.

Overall, fantastic book. I’m a sucker for a good survival story. I will be looking for more of Sarah Goodwin’s books.

I really enjoyed this. I love a book set on an deserted island and this one with its reality tv show twist was great fun. I liked how it dropped hints throughout about what was *really* going on. I was a bit disappointed with the (slightly strange!) ending but I really enjoyed it overall

Maddy is having a tough time with the recent loss of her parents. She is offered a strange opportunity to be part of a social experiment where 8 strangers will have to survive together on a remote island for one year. The participants will be on their own for food, shelter and other necessities. Maddy quickly signs on, as she sees this as an opportunity to escape from her normal life and start a new chapter. Will the participants support each other or will this small society fall apart? Will Maddy make it off the island alive?

A brilliant five star read from author Sarah Goodwin. This is a gripping story about survival and it shows just how quickly that this small group’s moral behavior goes out the window. It definitely reminded me of the TV series Survivor but taken to the ultimate extreme. I loved it and would highly recommend STRANDED!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Stranded by Sarah Goodwin is a very tense and twisty book. Sarah Goodwin does an excellent job writing complex characters and a storyline and plot that dives deep into the human psyche.

The story was tense and heart-pounding. Sometimes I would catch myself holding my breath when reading as the scenes were scary and some quite claustrophobic. Stranded is a very gripping story.

This book had me gripped from page 1! U loved the writing style and it was so easy to get completely absorbed in the plot. This is a must read for anyone who likes the thriller/ domestic noir type genre. It is the perfect antidote to a certain island based romance TV show that is currently being broadcast on TV lol

I admit that I was hooked as soon as I read the blurb of Stranded. I love a good survival thriller and the mystery around eight people arriving and only three surviving made me want to read this story instantly. I've been looking forward to read it, and I can now say that I definitely liked what I found. Stranded is a true survival thriller that also offers its very own little locked room mystery to boot. The story is strangely infuriating while also being highly entertaining, and it's definitely one that will have you in its claws until the very end.

The setting on the remote Scottish island Buidseach Isle is without doubt a perfect backdrop for the story. The eight contestants have to survive during a whole year on the island, relying mostly on what they can find on Buidseach to keep themselves alive. The many descriptions of the island, its fauna and everything related to the survival element in general where thorough and vivid, and I really felt like I was there right next to Maddy seeing everything unfold. The setting and the survival element of the story were both reasons I ended up enjoying this story considerably, and it made the story stand out for me too.

As for the characters... Some can be quite infuriating, and most are quite unlikeable, but somehow I wasn't too bothered by it as they make the story strangely entertaining. Maddy herself was an interesting character, and while I wanted to slap her at times for not standing up for herself, I can't say I'm surprised by her initial reactions due to her past and it was interesting to see her character evolve over time. The character development as the eight contestants spend more time on the island is intriguing in general, and especially when things start to escalate.

Like I mentioned before, this story also has that locked room mystery vibe, which is an element I always love. It was interesting to see this part of the story develop, and Stranded will definitely have more than one surprise for you in store before you reach the end. It turned out to be a highly engaging, addictive, frustrating and suspenseful read and I will definitely be looking out for any future Sarah Goodwin books.

Any book featuring an individual or group stranded somewhere inaccessible is right up my alley, and this offering by Sarah Goodwin is definitely a top pick for me. The mis-matched group of eight - four men, four women - are selected from applicants for a 'reality' type tv show to survive for a year on a remote Scottish island, and have to learn how to fend for themselves once their starter rations (about a month's worth of food and supplies) have been used up. They are expected to build a shelter, latrine, shower, furniture and to grow and forage food, catch wildlife and fish. They are told to wear body cameras at all times and there are also cameras placed strategically around the island in trees. There is also an 'out of bounds' area where the two cameramen / technicians are stationed in a portacabin.

At first the group co-operate, establish rotas and assign tasks by skillset, but it doesn't take long for the cracks to appear and the group to splinter due to greed, laziness and selfish behaviour.

The book is entirely written from Maddie's point of view. She has plenty of character flaws (being solitary, socially awkward, introverted) but also resourceful, hard-working, sensible and aware of the bullying and manipulation going on. Some characters were easily led and we get to see how power is grabbed and the majority go along with it. It's a microcosm of an office environment, a cult or even a whole society.

The writing is fabulously immersive. We feel Maddie's growing isolation, anger and fear of the danger posed by certain other characters. We know from the beginning that some people make it off the island and that there is a trial but don't know who died, who escaped and who was found out until almost the end.

A definite 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy in return for an honest review.

A group of 8 people land on a remote island to begin their year long adventure on a reality show survival experiment. None of them was expecting what was in store for them.
All characters in this story were very unlikeable most of the time, even Maddie, the narrator at times gave reason to question her behaviour. Which makes you ask yourself, how would I act in that situation? I’d like to think I would be a whole lot nicer but I guess none of us truly know unless we’re put in said position?
I knew that I’d love this book from the off, I’m a reality tv lover, with survivor being my all time favourite so it was right up my street. I was truly hooked and bored my family giving them regular updates on what was happening next.
I would love to give this the 5 star rating it deserves but there are 2 factors that really disappointed me. Firstly, I really didn’t like the “witch” aspect and felt it unnecessary and secondly without giving away any spoilers I felt that the reason given to Maddie etc. for the production companies failure seemed very unrealistic, I honestly don’t think in the real world it would’ve played out that way. Despite this, a very exciting read and I will definitely be looking out for this author in the future. #NetGalley

Eight people are made to live the wild life in an island for a reality show for a year. The author has done a marvellous work with character building, changing group dynamics, altering mindset, suspicions that come with being cut off from the outside world. The emotions are all authentic. I don’t think I would be able to appreciate this book adequately. It has to be read to feel it.

Wow wow wow! The suspense!!

OK so I really really enjoyed this book. I loved the writing style, the suspense. It was absolutely fantastic. I feel like everything was neatly tied up at the end and all unanswered questions were answered. Loved seeing how it all panned out.
The only thing that let this book down for me was that I felt like it really didn't get exciting until about 40% in. I found the second part of the book fantastic but the first half let it down a little for me. That said I still really enjoyed the book!!

Stranded by Sarah Goodwin was not what I expected. It was much better in fact..

The novel is told from the point of view of Maddy, a twentysomething who has recently lost her parents in an accident. Maddy signs up for a Survivor-type adventure on a remote Scottish island where the chosen participants will have to survive for a year with minimal assistance from the show's production team. As we learn, Maddy has been excessively sheltered by her parents over the years - she hasn't gone to grade school or learned how to socialize and make friends or live independently in the world. This has resulted in her being socially awkward and struggling to read people and social cues the rest of us would pick up on easily.

The chosen participant group is a motley, assorted group of individuals who appear to have been selected to produce "dramatic television" through dissent and controversy. Unfortunately, working relationships deteriorate quickly and what appeared as a challenging adventure soon descends into a Lord of the Flies competition for survival.

I enjoyed this novel - especially the way Maddy uses her botanical knowledge to survive a threadbare existence on the island. Some of the characters are drawn a little one-dimensional and I would have enjoyed seeing a little more nuance in their personalities. However it was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a dash of outdoor adventure in their suspense reading. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing me a copy to review.

Eight strangers accept the challenge to survive on an island for a year. Cameras constantly film them for reality TV. A social experiment to establish infrastructure, govern themselves and build a future from flotsam and the natural resources available to them.
After a while, friends become enemies and only the fittest survive. One of them becomes the prey, almost non-human for the others. When cornered, we are animals.

Blame, stigmatisation, fear, delusion that somehow they are all still civilised people at heart, that they try to protect themselves when they hunt the others.

Gripping, intense, dark, fast paced and with well developed characters, while reading it feels as a reader is on an island himself.

Unputdownable!

I wish there was more backstory to the characters as they weren’t all the unique to me but it was definitely a heart throbbing suspense that I needed to know the ending to. A little harsher than my usual writing style preference but fitting for the story. Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for this pre-release in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book.

A gripping fight for survival ★★★★☆

When Maddy signs up to be stranded on a Scottish island for a year as part of a “social experiment” TV show little does she know that it will become a brutal game of survival of the fittest.

When the group realises that they really are stranded, festering divisions and desperation spill over into theft, violence, and even murder.

With the group against her and dwindling supplies can Maddy survive? Will a rescue ever come? Or will the others get her first?

A disturbing and gripping read which asks what we would do to survive and how dangerous desperation and isolation really are. Will anybody make it off the island alive?

For fans of Lord of the Flies by William Golding and The Castaways by Lucy Clarke.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about a reality show set on an island. I got very invested in the character Maddy who I was backing all the way. The way her fellow islanders turned against her made me feel angry, upset and awkward that adults can turn back and dominate others with their childish and unfair ways. A great ready, thank you for sharing with me.

“I have learned that there is no justice…there is only survival and the victor tells the story…if it was to be survival of the fittest, I would play to win…”

If the world was ending, how would you survive? How do you picture the end? How do you resolve conflict? These are questions posed to contestants vying for a spot on a reality show where 8 strangers are left on Buidsearch Island for a year. The contestants are allowed to bring items they feel could be useful, and are provided a few cache boxes of supplies. There are no hosts or camera crews following them around filming their exploits. They each wear a solar powered camera, and the only other occupants on the island are 2 employees of the show to be contacted only for life-or-death emergency situations. So, what happens when food rations run low and tempers run high? Do you have what it takes to survive when the most dangerous element on the island is your fellow man?

WOW! This story is absolutely impossible to put down once you start! Dark and disturbing as we are told the story of a woman forced to match wits against the other occupants on the island in an ultimate game of survival. By the last page, you’ll be left wondering if you could live to tell the tale of being Stranded…

One of my fav reads of the year! Loved and highly recommend!




**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I’ve been so lucky getting to read really good books lately and Stranded by Sarah Goodwin is one of those books I absolutely enjoyed reading. It has a very simple premise: A reality show/ social experiment type of thing with eight contestants that are to live on a secluded island and try to survive for a year, pretending that the world is ending and they are the only remaining survivors. I mean, what a very interesting scenario!

I’m absolutely hooked from the very beginning. Maddy is the protagonist of the story. She had a unique upbringing and lost her parents prior to joining the show. I loved her voice and characterization because she’s very relatable and she’s not your usual Katniss, Bella or Hazel Grace; and she’s basically just a socially awkward adult who grew up without any friends at all. I know it may sound weird for me to say that I loved that she is all that prior to meeting the other seven contestants but it’s just fun to see how she’d overcome all of those things and see her in group dynamics. There were times in the book that I got frustrated and annoyed by her; but looking back, her whole demeanor kinda worked with the whole set-up of the ‘game.’

It has a “Lord of the Flies” feel, with the whole power grabbing and we see here how wicked people are with the things they’re willing to do in order to survive. See, after their initial rations runs out, it became clear that this whole thing was very serious – and it really did turn graphic, I’m telling you. It’s very fascinating in a sickening way and I think this is what makes this book worth reading. I got really into it midway and I just couldn’t put it down. It’s very engaging, compelling, exciting, frightening and just a whole lot entertaining.

I’d definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for an exciting and a delicious thriller. Absolutely worth your time and dime!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this advanced copy of Stranded, an unbearably tense story of a descent into cruelty and madness. It is a breathtaking, dark, haunting, and claustrophobic story.

As a fan of intense survival shows on TV in hostile environments, such as Alone and Naked and Afraid XL showing danger, hunger, sickness, injury, and group tensions, I thought I would find Stranded a book to keep me riveted to its pages, and I was not disappointed. This book carries the premise of these TV shows to its extreme limit.

Eight participants are dropped off at a remote, uninhabited island off the coast of Scotland to participate in a year-long reality show. They must build a shelter, hunt, fish, and forage for food. There are also 2 cameramen situated at a distance to be approached only in an emergency. Each contestant has a solar-powered camera, and cameras are placed at strategic positions in trees for the 'entertainment' of the viewing public. The four men and four women participants start by dividing up the tasks. This begins to fail due to a self-appointed group leader, selfishness, greed, laziness, and conflicts over how to proceed. They experience violence, shocks, and human behaviour reduced to its darkest element. Rumours and lies abound. It shows how a bully group evolves and chooses its target. Their need to survive causes a breakdown in morality and turns them into savages. When the return boat fails to return at the end of the year, they are stranded. The human drama becomes sinister and terrifying.

Eighteen months later, a dishevelled, haggard woman shows up on a mainland settlement with a gun and asks a homeowner to call the police. The story switches back and forth in time from events on the island to Maddie in the present. She is being interviewed for her TV account of what happened. Is she a reliable narrator? We are told early that of the ten on the island, only three survived, and there is going to be a trial. Who died, and by what means?

Maddie is the story's predominant character. She is introverted, socially awkward, and was home-schooled by her overly protective parents, who discouraged her socializing. She has no friends, and her parents recently died. She is depressed by her lack of personal development and hopes the year's experiences will lead to self-improvement and friends. When she challenges some of the leader's plans, she is considered disruptive, and when not speaking up, she is regarded as timid and weak. Maddie becomes the target of the group's scorn, is bullied, and eventually unjustly exiled. There is a desire of the others to conform to the leader's lies and hostile intent. Maddie is the object of blame for wrongs for which she had no part. Her expertise in identifying edible and poisonous plants is a loss for the group.

Her situation, while exiled by herself, is mainly in a gross, suffocating hiding place. She remains the target of theft and violence by the group. Her suffering and determination to survive are disturbing but mesmerizing.
Recommended to anyone who likes gripping and disturbing survival stories. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This book follows our main character Maddy as she sets off to a remote island for a reality TV show. The show is described as what would happen if the world ended and people were forced to survive on their own instincts, forming alliances and working together for their own benefit. At first, things are going fine, soon the group starts to divide and outsiders are quickly separated. What was a reality TV show starts to turn into a fight for survival.

Our main character Maddy is a 29 year old pharmacological botanist, and is surprisingly unlikable for a main character. She’s a social outcast trying to fit in while also dealing with the horrors of her personal life outside of the show. However, as she fights to survive her resilience and drive is admirable. While I can’t say I ever liked Maddy as a person, she’s an interesting main character, a refreshing take from the many perfect heroines often seen in novels. She had flaws, and that’s what makes her so interesting to read about.

This novel kept me on the edge of my seat. While it was a bit slow to start, things started picking up about a quarter of the way through the book and I couldn’t put it down. It switches from the past, where Maddy is on the island, to the present, where she is undergoing an interview about what went on there. I think this was a really smart way of maintaining the reader’s interest. I wanted to know both what Maddy was going to say in the interview and how she survived on the island. It was like two mysteries unfolding at once. Another mark of a good thriller, I never saw what was coming next in the book, whenever more information was reveled I was shocked. In books like this I often can guess what is going to happen next and the motives of the characters, but every time I thoughts I knew what was coming around the corner in this book I was wrong.

The other characters in this book were interesting, though their personalities could be a bit shallow. Other than one character aside from Maddy, don’t go into this book expecting major character development or complex backstories. The author’s style of writing was enjoyable. It was detailed and descriptive without going overboard. This made for an enjoyable read without any unnecessary flowery language.

Overall, this was a thrilling read with an unpredictable plot. I couldn’t put it down.

I would recommend this to: Anyone looking for a good survivalist thriller.

This book was Survivor, Castaway and Lord of the Flies all wrapped in one book. Maddy is looking for an escape after a tragic loss makes her feel there is nothing left for her. Luckily, she will be one of eight contestants to live and make a new community on a remote island while being filmed for a reality television show. While everyone is happy and excited at the beginning, tensions and divisions soon appear and Maddy is exiled from the group. While scared, Maddy knows she can survive on her own since she knows the boat will be by soon to pick them up. As the pick up day comes and goes tensions are at an all time high and paranoia is rampant especially after two dead bodies are found. As supplies dwindle hope for rescue gets smaller and smaller. Who will survive?

This is like an upmarket aggressive Love Island. Without the love but with fear and a fight with tooth and nail. I really enjoyed it and the story raced along. I did read it into the night and talked about it to friends and I recommend it as a good read!

Eight strangers get dropped to a remote island for a survival television show. Eighteen months later a woman turns up on the mainland disheveled. What exactly happened on that island?
The writing had me hooked from the very first pages, intriguing and exciting, I finished this in just a day. even though you know the lead character Maddy survives, you are still totally taken into the story and gripped wanting to find out exactly what happened to the other contestants and how Maddy escaped.
Written from Maddy's point of view you really get to know her and get a real feel for her character. and I became really fond of her, both because of her background and her sheer determination to survive.
The story was really well researched and felt so real! This added to the atmosphere and and tension and you really felt like you were on a deserted island and made it all totally believable.
The pace was perfect, slowly building the background to begin , with changing timelines to hint at the action to come, making this a real page turner.
One of my favorite reads of the year so far, atmospheric and exciting, the setting was perfect and the characters so well written that they made this feel like such a menacing situation. I loved the hint at the supernatural this just brought an extra magic, mythical and creepy edge. It truly was a thrilling read.
Thank you to Netgalley, Sarah Goodwin and Avon for the copy, I look forward to exploring more by this author.

What an amazing story of survival. Touting the harrowing tale of an ostracized and misunderstand woman and the groups herd mentality that ultimately fell them. The concept was interesting and the setting was easy to imagine as it was rich in detail. The emotion was palatable coming off the pages. Couldn’t get enough. Well done!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Compelling Suspense…
What happened on the beautiful, remotely situated Buidseach Island? From the very first page the reader is drawn into this chilling, atmospheric and completely compelling suspense and will absolutely need to know. Well constructed read with a solid sense of place and well drawn characters, tense and intriguing.

What happens when strangers embark on a reality television survival experience? This book dives deep into the daily realities of living on a deserted island, as well as the mental challenges of a group of strangers forced to rely on one another. I’d recommend this book to fans of reality shows, survival books, and thrillers. The writing is atmospheric and packed with escalating tension from beginning to end.

Stranded by Sarah Goodwin

A group of people take part in a social experiment for a TV show . They get taken by boat to a remote Scottish island and have to exist on a few items brought with them and their wits.
Wow ! I cannot say just how much I loved this book. I've read lots of books this year , and this has to be up there with the best of them.
It centres on slight misfit Maddie , but she has the determination to survive.everything that comes her way , and the people who are out to harm her.
I can imagine this book as a film , or even better a TV series.
Excellent does not give it the credit it deserves. READ IT .

Loved this terrifying, pacy thriller set on an isolated island off the coast of scotland. Like a cross between Love Island and Lord of the Flies with a dash of The Beach and Blair Witch, this is a perfect autumn read - but definitely not one for when you're home alone!!!!

Stranded has such a unique plot! The book is dark and twisty from the start and I had to keep reading to see what was going to happen!

Wow ! Wow ! Wow! I definitely lucked out when I was approved for this instant favorite ! Stranded is a thrilling psychological thriller that will pull you in from the first chapter !

Sarah Goodwin is a creative genius and I have become a super fan !

I would highly recommend this book to all thrill/mystery book lovers

I actually enjoyed reading this book! Liked the fact there was a timeline and we read different exerts from the past to the present of the telling of the story. It’s makes want to read to the end to find out what happens at the end.

Maddy is a young woman who has signed up for a survival reality TV show. She, and seven other participants, must survive on a deserted Scottish island. However, it is only eighteen months later that Maddy is found. Now she wants to tell her truth about what really happened on this island.

I had a little trouble getting into the story, but once the protagonists were on the island, I was hooked. I wanted to know what really happened to Maddy and the others.

As I read this book, I had an uneasy feeling growing inside me but only because the characters were detestable and unfortunately so close to reality. I can imagine real human beings behaving like that in similar conditions and that’s where the uneasy feeling came from.

This is Sarah Goodwin’s talent: you read this book as if you were on the island, but from an omniscient point of view, even though Maddy is the narrator.

Most of the time, I can tell how a book is going to end. I couldn’t with this one and I liked it.

Stranded is a really good thriller.

I give it 4/5.

I recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Sarah Goodwin for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my gosh! What a brilliant book! I was hooked from the start and found myself unable to put it down. I read it in one afternoon! The characters, the setting and the storyline were all believeable and you quickly find yourself immersed into the story. Thank you for letting me read this.

This is a gripping, twisty page-turner you won’t want to put down.

Eight people arrive on remote Buidseach Island off the coast of Scotland to participate in a realty style TV program. They’ll live there alone for an entire year with only a two-man camera crew who remain in an ‘out of bounds’ area solely in case of emergency. The participants are responsible for everything: food, shelter, latrine—even charging the solar-powered camera they’re supposed to wear everywhere.

It’s billed as a social experiment: How will a few strangers survive if the world as we know it ends?

Eight people means different skill set and different personalities, and some of those personalities are going to clash.

Working relationships deteriorate quickly. Is anyone surprised? In normal life, all it takes is getting cut off in traffic, or being belittled by a coworker for some people to turn savage. In no time, this challenging adventure descends into a Lord of the Flies fight for survival.

Eighteen months later, one single woman shows up in an isolated fishing village, desperate to explain what happened and why so many died on the island.

The author’s skill is in isolating Maddie, her narrator, and generating sympathy for this bookish, home-schooled, socially awkward introvert, while, at the same time, making us distrust her. Maddie is resourceful and has bush foraging skills to admire. The many descriptions of the island is fauna botany were vivid and authentic. I really felt like I was there with Maddy seeing her struggles.

But she also harbors a disturbing paranoia that hints strongly of an unreliable narrator, and that part of the tale keeps us guessing. We feel her growing isolation, anger and fear of the other participants on the island.

Stranded is a gripping debut that kept me on the edge the entire time. Great book with a surprise ending. You’re going to want to read it in one sitting. Look for the release next month.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the opportunity to review it in advance.

I had never read a book by this author but read the blurb and thought it sounded right up my street. I was not disappointed! There was the perfect blend between flashbacks and current day without being too confusing and the relationship between the different characters was interesting and tension was built up as we got to know the characters more and their motives! I absolutely loved it and it kept me turning the pages. I struggled to put it down.

I will most definitely be looking out for more books by Sarah Goodwin in the future and would recommend this book wholeheartedly.

I loved this book and really couldn’t put it down. I didn’t really love any of the characters, though I could identify with Maddy when she was bullied and everyone sided with the bully. At this point my heart went out to her. There were some characters I truly despised.

I stayed up to the early hours of the morning reading this book and was desperate to find out how Maddie got off the island. A real change from what I normally read and I loved it

It seemed like a good way to get away from her past and the heartbreak of losing her parents, the bitter sweet feeling of losing those who whilst living you also suffocated you with their caring - a year on an uninhabited island, with 7 other strangers. With no contact with the outside world - a social experiment. How wrong could you be?

Unfortunately people are not always their best selves when not surrounded by society and without structure. Personalities clash, a pecking order becomes literal and those that have no moral compass can take control. Instilling their own version of law and order.

I really enjoyed the dark twists and turns of this book. And felt that I was almost stranded on the island with Maddy. Her character is well written, you can’t say you definitely like her as a person, or how she reacts to situations but you don’t like how she is treated and how she has to fight back to stay alive. In a time where television shows not that dissimilar to this are popular it is interesting to see how easily things could go wrong.

4.5 Stars!!!
This book doesn’t have the most original idea, as I have read several books that surround just a group of people who are strangers who come together to do a reality show, then everything goes wrong. although I’ve seen and read this plot before, this is the first one that I’ve read that has been executed really well! It has the perfect amount of mystery and thrilling elements, dropping hints from the present day before jumping back to the island, never revealing too much where you are spoiled and can easily guess the ending...

If you were asked to live alone in an island with eight more people for one whole year, with no connection to the outside world, would you do it? This is what this story is about.

Maddy gets an opportunity to be a part of a show, where she along with seven other people--Zoe, Gill, Maxine, Duncan, Andrew, Frank and Shaun along with two camera men to spend one whole year in a remote island. But soon, while on the island, things take a sour turn with friends becoming enemies and one would do anything to survive in the remote island...even if it involves killing them...

The plot sounded interesting and intriguing and sounds so much like I am watching an episode of Lost! Maddy's character actually grew into me--Maddy is socially awkward, introverted and into plants and botany with fair knowledge about the plants in the island and recently lost her parents who were very overprotective towards her. What was supposed to be a team work and developing friendships soon turned into sour and bitter enmity between the group, particularly towards Maddy who was soon casted out of the camp in the island. The descriptions and how the team members survive through eating plants, catching rabbits and eating fish all too well describe the life in an island so far from the outside world. There were twists and turns, with small portions dividing between the time spent on island and the interviewer doing a piece on how Maddy survived. Maddy certainly is an unreliable narrator with flaws so that makes this thriller more interesting and intriguing, I stayed up all night finishing the book, wondering what is going to happen next--quiet unputdownable and you would not be disappointed with the ending!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading thriller--an unputdownable twisty thriller and quiet an emotional one as well that will make you stay up all night!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I'm a highly picky reader, but I really enjoyed Stranded. It felt refreshingly real, with none of that compulsive quirkiness or reliance on plot twists to disguise utter lack of substance that plague so much of current fiction (although to be fair there are some last-minute "revelations" of the not-too-surprising kind). At first I was afraid I'd be getting a 400 page play-by-play of every little thing that went into Life on the Island ("and then we built a hut... and then we built a latrine... and then we dug a fire pit..."), which would have been tedious as hell, but thankfully things speed up a lot after the first hut-building effort. To my unending gratitude, the author also skips the romance. The novel is really all about survival and group dynamics, so if you're looking for a nice fluffy escapist read, keep looking. Life on this island is decidedly unromantic, gross and rough, and the company isn't too nice either.

While I didn't actually *like* any of the characters (they all stayed a little bit shadowy, except for Maddy, who was too whiny, passive and too full of self-pity for my liking), life on the island was so intense that it sucked me in completely -- even though I found the psychology a bit simplistic and the premise itself well on the road to ridiculous. Dump eight individuals on a remote island and leave them to their own devices without any means of contacting the mainland, or supplies, or any kind of medical supervision? For a whole year? For a TV SHOW? Or rather, a *proposed* TV show? Huh.
Also, no-one ever mentions Lord of the Flies?? I mean, if I were stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere with a host of questionable characters, that would literally be my first point of reference.

Still, logic notwithstanding, this was a pretty great read. There were two or three instances where I thought things dragged a bit, with redundant description and explanation and lots of rather lengthy assumption, and the whole business with the witch sadly felt a bit tacked on IMO, but that's just me being me again. The book is so absorbing that it doesn't really matter.

Oh my goodness. Such an easy addictive read.

Take 8 strangers and place them on an island for eleven months for a reality TV show.

It’s not long before the characters show their true colours, the isolation of Mandy arises. And she needs to do everything g she can to survive in the island not only alone, but from the other 7 in the group who have become vindictive towards here.

Without a doubt a page Turner. Just as you think it can’t get any better, you are on the edge of your seat holding your breath!

For a long time, I was fascinated with the premise of reality TV shows like Survivor, until I found that they were more about bitching, backstabbing and forming alliances than actual survival skills and team work. Apparently this is what viewers like to see – go figure! If you are like me, and those things bring back all the bad memories about high school and some workplaces, then you may find this book super stressful to read. If you were one of the popular group who ruled the courtyard and inspired fear in the lesser mortals, you may also find it stressful – eventually.

I love how Sarah Goodwin has run with the theme and explored it all in depth. And be assured, bitching, backstabbing and forming alliances aside, there is plenty of survival to be had in STRANDED. It’s all that reality TV promised but never delivered (perhaps because no ethics committee would ever approve it), and despite biting my nails to the quick I appreciated the mounting tension and breath-holding levels of anxiety some of the scenes induced.

In a nutshell, STRANDED explores what happens when you put eight strangers together on a secluded island and let them sort out their own pecking order. If it’s one thing that the TV version of Survivor has shown us, it may not necessarily be the cleverest who win points, but the ones who can get the majority votes, even if they rule with bullying and threats. Maddy, with her history of a sheltered childhood, overprotective parents and home schooling, was never going to be well equipped for this type of power game, so as soon as she calls out the head bully, her fate is sealed. And if you think that someone in the group would stick up for the underdog, then think again – because suddenly Maddy finds herself out in the cold, fighting for survival. And the wilderness is the least of her problems ...

STRANDED was one of those books that totally took me by surprise. I was lured by the wilderness setting and found myself with a gripping, adrenalin-fuelled and tense read that was hard to put down. At times, it was also immensely frustrating as the voice of reason was overruled, time and time again. Even though Maddy was perhaps ill equipped for negotiation and getting her point across, it was easy to see how anyone could easily end up in her position. And once the die was cast, there was no going back. “Wow, that escalated fast”, I kept thinking, not realising that much worse was yet to come.

STRANDED is a book that speaks to both our inner survival instinct as well as addressing the question: “If the world as we knew it ended tomorrow, how well equipped would you be to survive?” It also confronts the theme of herd mentality and how easily we fall for power rather than reason. It’s a LORD OF THE FLIES, adult version, and just as brutal. For those easily triggered, some scenes may turn your stomach and give you nightmares, but then the end-of-the-world scenario isn’t ever going to be pretty either, is it? I loved the background information about all those skills necessary for survival our ancestors knew but most of us have long un-learned: foraging, how to grow a crop in the wilderness, how to build a basic shelter and most of all, how to be part of the natural environment and work with it. It’s a clever, original and heart-pounding story that will keep me mulling over some of its themes for a long time to come.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Eight people are taken to a remote Scottish island to live for a year for a reality TV show. A great premise for an exciting story! The narrator is Maddy, who wants to escape from her unsatisfactory life after the death of her parents. Relationships quickly become fractured and Maddy finds herself an outsider, banished from the group. When the boat that is supposed to return them to the mainland fails to arrive, things get a whole lot worse! This is a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

This is a book where the premise is very familiar to me. Strangers marooned somewhere and left to survive. There are numerous tv shows, and books, of the same genre out there. But this one did not seem so familiar once it really got going.

The question here is what would happen if you were left to survive after an apocalypse? Would everyone get on with each other, would they manage to forage enough to keep themselves alive, and would they all make it through to the end?

All of those questions are answered in a brilliant way as you continue through the pages. I recommend this to anyone who loves survival shows or books.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

A captivating and addictive book to read. I literally couldn't put this book down and was hooked right until the last minute. Amazing idea for a reality tv show and although not the first time someone has written about one going wrong, this was really well executed and written. Look forward to reading more by Sarah Goodwin.

I love a locked room mystery so when I came across Stranded I was intrigued. Eight strangers are chosen for a new reality TV show to live and survive on a remote island with limited resources. What could possible go wrong? Eighteen months later a woman turns up in a fishing village asking for help. She’s one of the original eight, where are the others?

This was a pretty interesting book that ticked a lot of boxes for me. An isolated setting, an air of mystery as well as the added bonus of social interactions and human conflicts. A bit like Lord of the Flies. This was a slow burn with mounting tension throughout the book that I really enjoyed. One of those books where you can’t help but picture yourself in a particular scenario and ask “What would I do?” 3.5⭐️

Lord of the Flies - Reality TV Edition. Eight strangers are chosen to survive on an island for one year, but what started out a a co-operative community turns into a nightmare as personalities clash and supplies begin to run out.

This book was impossible for me to put down. I stayed up until the wee hours of the night engrossed in the story. I watched as our group of contestants slowly devolved from civilized people to selfish factions. Goodwin managed to make the story wild but also believable.

A great read, especially if you like survival stories and reality TV drama!

SURVIVOR meets LORD OF THE FLIES in STRANDED. That is undoubtedly how STRANDED will be described. But that is way too simplistic a description of the book. Goodwin is amazing at creating a sense of time and place. And at first I thought her characters to be too stereotypical, but those ideas were banished about halfway through. As we follow the "reliable" narrator through her tale, we wonder "are her perceptions correct"? Or is she truly a person with character traits that justify at least some of the other characters' actions (not going to go further - it would be a spoiler). I ended up totally fascinated.

Suspenseful and addictive once the story gets going. Read it in a single sitting. Excellent use of characters and plot to keep the reader hooked.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

Brilliant read. Very Lord of the Flies.

Thank you to the publisher, Sarah Goodwin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Previous published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/stranded/


“I think most people would be disappointed if the apocalypse came and it didn’t somehow feature zombies.”
–Maddie Holinstead

Every once in a while you come across a book from an author you don’t know and it is so insanely good, you end up stalking the rest of the author’s bibliography to see what else she has. This book is one of those. I picked it up at 5pm and was reading until I finished it at 1am.

Madeline Holinstead had an interesting childhood. Homeschooled by very protective parents, she never had friends or any social activities. Her Mother encouraged her to stay home and bake and do activities that don’t require leaving the house. After her parents die in a car accident, it left Maddie without a purpose. When she is chosen to appear in a reality TV show, where she is stranded on a remote island for a year with two cameramen and seven other contestants, she hesitantly agrees. And so begins Survivor meets Lord of the Flies.

While Madeline is socially awkward and quite meek, the other seven also have serious flaws. In fact, most of them are awful. Duncan, who made himself the leader from the start, has it out for Maddy and within a few months has turned all the other “survivors” against her. She is immediately banished from the camp, and that is when Stranded begins. While Maddie is timid, she is not afraid to stand her ground and you root for her to survive on her own, away from this tribe who is mocking her. She does survive and, more, she comes very close to thriving. She builds her own shelter and finds food. Once Duncan and his cronies start stealing things from her, she finds a place to hide her things, which only makes them angrier.

When, after a year of being on the island, the boat never arrives to bring them back to the mainland, Maddie realizes they may be stuck there a lot longer. Unfortunately, the tribe is relentless in stalking her and she is constantly fighting for her survival.

The book is told in two time frames, when Maddie is on the island and also the interview she gives to a reporter once she has been rescued. Sarah Goodwin has crafted an amazing novel of survival, determination and spirit. While Madeline Holinstead might seem like the anti-hero, she is very much a hero. Goodwin’s writing is simple but suspenseful. She does a great job telling the story but holding back details which makes the reader want more. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

A heartfelt thanks to Avon Books for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I am a huge fan of Survivor and I have toyed with the idea of actually applying for the show (a girl can wish) and this book tapped into my Survivor loving self. The book was so good..

The book follows eight strangers (four men and four women) who are dropped on a remote island where they must build shelter ,hunt and survive .I pretty much reckon that this is not a spoiler because there are two camera men on the island as well although they have cameras everywhere really for those cringe worthy moments we just love on TV. We watch them or rather read their attempts to survive any means necessary and what happens when a human's willpower to live breaks down moral codes? If that gives you shivers , then this will ruin your day. The return boat fails to return at the end of the year,leaving them stranded and did they all survive? If only three are alive what happened to the rest? I don't want to gibe any spoilers but what a ride! If you love survivor then this book will be a fav. Recommend it!

This has to be one of the most intense, disturbing, chilling books I think I’ve ever read. I rarely dream, or at least I don’t remember them anyway, but with this book I dreamt about it one night, and found myself waking every morning with thoughts immediately turning to Maddy and wondering what will happen to her next. It is that compelling, all consuming.

The setting for the story is a remote, deserted Island off the coast of Scotland. A TV company want to run a year long reality TV show featuring a set of 8 strangers, 4 women, 4 men who must survive life on the Island, being self sufficient and living off the land and sea surrounding the island. They are allowed to bring with them a small amount of personal belongings but must build their own shelter and find their own food once they are dropped off.

The story is told in the first person by Maddy, one of the group, and it is Maddy who the reader spends the whole of the book with, living her experience, living her isolation, and eventually living her terror. And you will live it, to such an extent you will almost feel like you are there on the island with her, such is the intensity of the narrative.

At times, it will seem a little slow as Maddy goes into great detail of her foraging, her vast knowledge of mushrooms, vegetation and wild plants, and the lay of the land but none of this is irrelevant, you as the reader will need to listen and to live every detail with Maddy. It’s something of a slow burner, but the tension is always there simmering in the background, waiting to shock! The participants in this ‘human study’ have been carefully picked, and they don’t get on too well.

The research that must have gone into this book is huge. The botanical knowledge, the psychology of group dynamics, persuasion and influence. It’s a story of the darker side of human behaviour in desperate circumstances. I found it all very believable right the way through.

For a debut novel this is an amazing, dark thriller that will keep you wanting to read on, even if you’d rather turn away. I thought there were some really shocking things happened in it, leaving the reader in a state of dread and high alert for a good part of the book. I can’t recommend it highly enough, though to be honest I’m quite glad I’ve finished it as I’ll at least be able to sleep in peace. I certainly won’t be taking part in any reality TV shows that’s for sure.

*Will post to my blog on publication day*

Wow! What a story. Let's just say I won't be going to any islands anytime soon.
After the death of her parents and feeling lost in her life, Maddy signs up to be in an experiment on a deserted island with 7 other strangers for a year.
There isn't really a lot I could say that won't give it away. By around 50% I was completely hooked and couldn't wait to get to the end to see what transpires.
A story of alliances, betrayal, danger, spite and so much more. I Loved this one!

Thanks to netgalley and Avon Books UK for the arc

Maddie is a woman on her late 20s. She's unhappy with herself and the dreary, secluded, lonely life she's kinda always lived. Her parents have recently passed away and she just needs a reason, any reason, to escape. To get away for a while. Cue *The Last Refuge*, a reality TV type show where 4 men and 4 women are left stranded on a remote Scottish island, without much of anything. Their only mission? Survive for a whole year.

"So, what are you most looking forward to, should you get chosen to take part in *The Last Refuge*?"
This time, my answer was genuine, unconsidered. "The escape."
From my life, my grief, from myself.
I just had to get away.

Now, isn't that quote wildly intriguing?

I'll admit, thrillers are not a genre I pick up very often. I'm not sure why, really, since I love a good mystery. The way it keeps me on my toes and turning page after page to find the answers and slowly piece the story together. And the feeling of accomplishment when the whole puzzle is finally revealed. I always end up loving those types of books, but dodge them like my life depends on it when the time comes to pick something new to read.

First of all, let me just say, I don't think the blurb does the novel justice. Based on it, I thought this would be the story of a survivor recounting the horrors that befell her and her fellow islanders; like a look into the past. It's not. As readers, we live the horrors in real time, and every once in a while there's a jump into the future, to where the protagonist is being interview in a TV show about what she went through. We don't even see much of the future, much of "The After". We don't even see all that much of "The Before" either. It's all about the island. About all the gruesome, grim stuff that can happen when people revert to their most basic instincts. When being civilized gets thrown out the window and survival of the fittest takes center stage.

And survive they did. Throughout the first half of the book, there was this very strong feeling of foreboding. They'd been left on the island, only a few weeks had passed, and already things were getting tense. A heavy uneasiness permeated everything. Like, things seemed to be going ok, but I was constantly on edge. Constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Constantly waiting for one of them to snap and get violent. I was anxious. And unsettled. And low key scared. It was both awful and amazing. With every new page my dread grew and grew.

I loved the blend of easy going and poetic of the writing style. It wasn't flowery, or overly complex, but it had such poignant and effective analogies and descriptions. It was so evocative and raw. The British slang I was mostly unfamiliar with and at times had to rely on context to get the general gist, but nothing too bad. If I were to have one complaint about this book, it would be the use of single quotation marks instead of the standard double quotation on the dialogues. I had a hard time rolling with that, my attention got snagged every time anyone said anything. But I didn't have any other issues with the writing besides that.

In any case, spoiling a thriller is basically sacrilegious, so I'll leave you to experience the horror and disquiet for yourself. It's totally worth it.

**I received an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity**

When 8 strangers are making a reality tv show about the end of the world, what could go wrong? They are left on a remote island for 12 months to survive.
Maddy is grieving and feels this could help her process her thoughts but the ‘odd girl’ faces pain, humiliation and anger from her camo mates. Will all 8 make it home?
This was a very dark read and was so well described you could visualise the settings and what the campers were going through.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love locked room mysteries and thought that this sounded interesting, if a little different. I've never watched Survivor or any of the other survivalist shows, or had any interest in them, but this book was a fascinating & gripping read. Maddy is one of three survivors of a reality show where eight participants & two crew members are stranded on a remote island for 12 months. This is a dark & claustrophobic thriller that I could not put down!

Eight strangers have signed up to survive together on Buidseach Island, a remote Scottish island, for one year. Like ‘Survivor’, they are constantly on film for reality TV. Each contestant in this challenge is outfitted with a solar powered camera. An additional two-person camera crew is simply stationed on the island for emergency precautions and are unobtrusive and hidden. A social experiment of sorts focusing on group dynamics, they must work together to find their own food, shelter and necessities. Eighteen months later, one of the women shows up in a fishing village desperate to tell what transpired.

Told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator and 7 other fairly unlikeable contestants, this dark and disturbing experiment has major ‘Lord Of The Flies’ vibes… except with adult characters. Set aside a chunk of time as you’ll want to read this one in one go. Once you relax again after a tense read, you’ll come to the conclusion that we’re all animalistic, savages really, if put in the right situation and will stop at NOTHING to survive.

Highlighting human instinct, greed, manipulation, and herd mentality, this debut thriller comes alive for readers due to the author’s superb writing skills which capably place readers in the middle of the action. Eight arrived. Three left. What happened? If you are looking for a heart pumping, nail biting read, this is it!

To be published September 16, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Sarah Goodwin, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I always find myself drawn to books where people are stranded in various situations and this book did not let me down. The premise was really interesting and although dubious that the TV production company would be so blatantly shifty, I found myself fully enthralled by the Islander's experience.

The first half of the book moved at a steady pace and I liked reading about how the characters started to build a home and work with the natural surroundings. To start with, the book lured you into a false sense of security, perfect for when the second half hit and the tension upped considerably and it truly became a thriller and a story of survival. I raced through the last parts of the book, keen to find out what would happen.

One of the only somewhat likeable characters in the book (and at times she frustrated me too) I generally felt for Maddy and really rooted for her. I liked that the book was told only from Maddy's POV and we got to jump through three timelines with her and it was nice to see her character evolve over time. That said, I don't think the amount of foreshadowing was necessary and actually, it sort of ruined parts of the plot.

I thought the botanist element was a really fascinating (and yes, admittedly necessary for the story) and it was interesting to learn more through the book. It also hammered home how rubbish I would be if in her position!

The author is a fantastic writer and it was thanks to her skills that I was able to imagine the plot so vividly. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to other readers,

Best book I have read in ages,after the first few chapters I couldn't put it down, full of suspense and twists and turns. I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through!

What happens when eight people decide to take on the challenge of a lifetime: living alone on a remote island for a year, fending for themselves as if the rest of the world has ended. How long will it take before the group falls apart? Who will be trustworthy and who will be out for blood? And what will happen when the simplest of conflicts turn life-threatiningly dangerous. Eight people, one island, tons of secrets and one goal uniting them all: survival.

"Maybe I'd been worried about nothing; I was starting to fit in after all...
What a fool I was."

The premise of this book thrilled me, as I do love a good locked-room mystery! This one especially sparked my interest because I studied psychology so to me it's always fascinating to see how easy people can turn on each other when push comes to shove. And even though this is "just a book" there's been plenty of experiments done in the past that confirm that stories like this are pretty realistic. The book did take me by surprise a little in the sense that I didn't expect to feel such adrenaline and tension while reading. That was definitely a good thing, though, because I enjoyed every second of this book and finished it in one afternoon.

I loved the way the author describes the island, and general surroundings and weather phenomenons. It really added a lot to the reading experience for me, cause it made it very easy to picture what Maddy was going through in my head.
Now, a bit about the characters. The protagonist, Maddy, is a bit of a socially awkward introvert but she is very resourceful and has an amazing survival instinct. I couldn't help but love her, even though at times I wanted to slap her and scream at her to stand up for herself more. The other characters all made me feel a variation of things: furious, exhausted, sympathetic, annoyed, ... and the gaslighting throughout the book was a bit of a trigger to me sometimes, so it was definitely a wild ride (but worth it). Another thing I always appreciate is character development, and thankfully there's a lot of it in this one. Not just in Maddy, but in all of the characters, which is a very intriguing (and a bit disturbing at times) thing to watch unfold.

"Bullies. You grow up thinking that's just playground stuff, but people never grow out of it. They like throwing their weight around, having control over people."

This was a thrilling, immersive and tense read that you won't be able to put down! If you like locked-room thrillers and/or survival stories: this is the one for you! And it really makes you think: what would you be willing to do to survive?
I would like to thank Avon Books UK, Sarah Goodwin and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Forgive, but don't forget. I always try to remember that. Because if someone can hurt you once, they can do it again.”

Overall rating: ★★★★

4.5⭐️
Gore score 2/5

It looks like it might be a debut. It’s a cracking read. I loved it, fast paced with lots going on. It is dark and gritty.

A reality tv programme with a group of 8 people living on an isolated uninhabited island off the coast of Scotland for a year. It reminded me of the tv program Castaway many moons ago, that involves many more people on a remote island Taransay.

From the prologue we already know that something has gone badly wrong.

We hear from the narrator a ‘survivor’ Maddy who relays the events.

Everything starts out ok, but as food supplies dwindle tempers fray and arguments break out with the camp sub dividing.

Although everything should have been filmed some team members have been able to switch off the cameras allowing their actions to go without judgement.

Niggling at the back of my mind is the question is Maddy the victim or the aggressor? The reader knows that she is a life long social mis fit and has mental health issues.

Even with those niggling doubts it’s easy from following Maddy’s narration to like her, to be behind her urging her on in such difficult circumstances. Maddy’s version of the truth made her look like a Saint, and I think some of her responses to her tormentors and the guilt that she felt was unrealistic. I would have liked a less sanitised Maddy to be honest.
It’s a really engrossing read and I highly recommend it.

This book is amazing- its such a great ride!
I thoroughly recommend it and really enjoyed it.

Maddy is a great narrator....her perspective is so different and caustic that it is hard to know whether to trust her or not and the fact that she is an unreliable narrator but at the same time very likeable and real is the heart of this story.

The writing is very vibrant and real...I can see that island...I can imagine the people...we have all met them in some form or another....it is very honest and genuine even with unimaginable events happening.

There is very little that can be said about it without spoilers and I think this book is best to go into knowing as little about it as possible but definitely read this - I could not put it down.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting premise, I immediately thought this sounded like Survivor meets Agatha Christie. eight people accept the challenge to live alone for a year,. Then something clearly goes very wrong. I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I was glued to my couch frantically turning the pages needing to know what happened next! I loved it! Its all about secrets, lies, and the art of survival. Thank you so much!

This is an entertaining read - the story cracks along at a great pace and even though the premise is quite far-fetched, the author makes the main character and the twists and turns of the plot interesting enough to make it a real page-turner.
Definitely a book for a long train journey or the beach, it’ll keep you gripped right to the end.

Amazing book I absolutely could not wait to the last page to find out what was going to happen. This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read all year.

When I first started this book, I was convinced I wasn't going to like it. It was a little slow to start but wow was it worth it. The slow building tension through the first 50%, the unreliable narrator and the callbacks throughhout made this so much fun to read. Maddy was a frustrating character to read but then again most thriller protaganists are. The premise of knowing that it was all going to go wrong but not knowig how or why kept me racing through the whole book in one sitting. The twist at the end I did not see coming at all and it was so worth it.

This was an incredibly solid debut and I would not hesitate to pick up another book by this author. when released.

A new author for me, but the blurb and description had me hooked - I was not disappointed! Well written, using time slips of past and present, with interesting relationships between the characters. As the story progressed, it became more tense and I was unable to stop reading.

Stranded by Sarah Goodwin.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 out of 5 stars).

“𝑌𝑜𝑢’𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦, 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛’𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒.”

Stranded follows a group of eight who are to be left to survive for a full year on Buidseach island for a reality television show.

We see events unfold from the perspective of Maddy, one of the only two survivors.

I definitely felt the tension between alpha male Duncan and the protagonist Maddy. Nevertheless, I was shocked at the groups decision (primarily lead by Duncan) to remove Maddy from the camp. Upon realising that the boat would not come and pick the islanders up on the set date, I knew that they wouldn’t be getting off the island any time soon. However I had at least hoped that the others would welcome Maddy back; especially after discovering the two camera men dead. It was at this point, where Maddy was shunted again as an outsider and left to survive on barely a scrap of seaweed, that I realised Duncan and the others were deadly, and even more so, that things would turn violent. I was saddened deeply by Zoe’s death and although I believe Shaun was more than likely going along with Duncan’s wishes, part of me feels as though he would have tried to help Maddy, and his death also left something stirring inside of me too. I have to admit that I was grateful Maddy was able to revenge two of the islanders, who had forced death even closer than was already near.

Maddy’s character development is probably one of the strongest parts of the book. Maddy begins as a quiet and reserved young woman, and in the end we see a completely different person; a woman forced to survive through starvation, hypothermia, hallucinations, injury and the thing which cuts deepest; betrayal. I felt myself bleed into Maddy whilst reading and I so desperately wanted her to carry on, to fight against the others and let the world know what happened; the torture she had endured.

I personally would have liked to have seen a bit more of the ‘reality TV show’ atmosphere in the beginning of the book, to make the discovery of the boat never arriving more shocking, however I did enjoy the in between parts of the interviews before and after the events of the island.

Overall, Sarah Godwin’s protagonist Maddy really enveloped me into the survival of the fittest narrative. Her writing is captivating, motivating and suspenseful. I would love to read perhaps another book in this series with a similar story surrounding the island and the witch. Even better, I would love to see this as a TV series or a film!

This book deserves all of the stars, well done Sarah!

This was, the best i can describe it, Lord of the Flies for adults! Some really tense moments, which i loved! Overall, I loved those!

A woman who is unhappy with her life decides to take part in a social experiment - along with seven strangers, she is sent to a remote island, whereupon they must attempt to form a society from scratch. They are armed with a small amount of bare essentials, and a camera to document their year. Things start out okay, then get worse, and then... well, it gets bad.

Wow, what a book! I recently had a long journey, and I read Stranded in that one sitting. I missed traffic jams, the beautiful views of the North Yorkshire hills, and who knows what else, because I was absorbed with this novel. It surprised me. I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't think I'd be sitting with my blood boiling at certain points, or my heart racing at others.

I have rarely felt so frustrated with fictional characters the way I did with some of the castaways, one in particular. He is so well-written, and believable as a self-entitled, angry, nasty man.

Goodwin really knows how to write a story. There are elements of death, gaslighting and mortal peril here, so tread carefully if that isn't for you. Otherwise, I would recommend this book to anyone..

The term "page-turner" is overused; I'm guilty of it myself, but in this case, I really couldn't put Stranded down.

Many thanks to Sarah Goodwin, NetGalley, and Avon Books for this copy.

'Stranded' is Sarah Goodwin's debut novel, and I had never previously heard of her. Actually, I can't remember requesting it from Netgalley. I can only assume that I came across it whilst looking for something else, read the blurb and felt I was going to like it.

Which is great. Because it means that, unlike some of my favourite authors who I have gone on to follow on social media, have conversations with and begun to know, I need have no worries about being impartial or unbiased. I can, without hesitation or guilt, honestly say what I think. And when I say I felt I was going to like it, I had no idea how much.

The story is told in the first person by Madeleine (Maddy) Holinshead, who is one of eight people selected to spend a year on an uninhabited Scottish island for a new reality TV show. Each contestant will be equipped with a solar powered personal camera. They will have to build their own accommodation, grow or forage for their own food, govern themselves and effectively start their own civilisation over again. It's a sort of 'Survivor' meets 'Castaway' meets Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None'.

Sarah Goodwin has done an absolutely stunning job of characterising Maddy. She was home-schooled by her mother, and for most of her childhood was told she was 'sensitive'. Certainly she's introverted, and a bit of a social outcast. She's not someone to go looking for trouble. But if it finds her, she's not afraid to stand up for herself. And as things on the island went from bad to worse, as the group turned in on each other to the extent that Maddy was asked to leave the camp and fend for herself, I didn't just feel for her, or even empathise with her. In my mind, I almost became her. I felt the cold, the damp, the fear, the desperation that slowly turned to insanity as she endured a winter of solitude and near-starvation. And when I learned how she was finally able to make her escape - the fact that she escaped isn't a spoiler, because it's clear from the blurb and the very first chapter - well, I was glad that I was in bed when I read that bit of the book. Because had I been sitting upright, I might just have collapsed with sheer relief.

In comparison to Maddy, most of the other characters seem oddly one-dimensional. Duncan is a bully, who initially singles Maddy out as a scapegoat but before long almost all of his actions towards her seem to stem from personal hatred. All Frank seems to want, and be allowed to have, is an easy life. Zoe is fickle, but that's really about all we learn of her. This, though, is fine. Because it means that, even though the reader is made to bond with Maddy so strongly, there's always that little doubt remaining: just how reliable is the story she's telling?

I only really have two criticisms of this book. First, the foreshadowing is a bit overdone. It seems that quite a lot of the early chapters end on lines like "if I had known then what would follow ...". The very fact that the book is a psychological thriller means that we know things are going to go wrong. We don't need this many reminders.

And second, I felt that the plot didn't quite live up to the characterisation. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's still very, very good. It's dark, gripping, compelling and in some cases terrifying. But it has the odd weak point. We get quite a vivid description of two bodies that have been dead for months, leaving behind putrefying flesh. And yet later in the book, a third body that has supposedly been dead for a shorter time is practically down to bone. I don't know which of these is more likely in the conditions, but I can't see how they can both be right. And we're expected to believe that even though all of the contestants have turned their personal cameras off and the 'official' emergency channels to the mainland aren't working, nobody sends a boat out to check even when one is due. That couldn't happen on something arranged for a TV show ... could it?

However, points such as these are ones that Sarah should be able to improve on as she gains more experience as a writer. For a debut novel, this is astonishing. I absolutely look forward to reading more. And in the event that I have to review another of her books that I didn't like as much as this one ... well, let's not worry about that before it happens.

My thanks to the author, Avon Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book, which I have reviewed voluntarily and honestly. I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

(4.5 stars)

I thought this was a brilliant read, I'll be recommending it to everyone I know and it'll be my next book club choice. Eight people have to spend a year on a deserted island, and survive each other, or not maybe It was like Lord of the Flies, for adults. Very dark and sinister at times. The characters were all very well developed, but the story was told from the perspective of Maddie, one of the eight, who is being interviewed after she leaves the island. The story flicks between the interview, and back to when Maddie is on the island. So many twists and turns, but I actually found it quite believable, the lengths people could go to, to survive.

Excellent book. I'll be reading more by Sarah Goodwin. If I could, I'd give it more than 5 stars!

Thrilling.
I really enjoyed Stranded. It painted the picture of an isolated, cold, unwelcoming island so well, and Goodwin wrote unloveable characters so grippingly that I still cared about them despite their many many foibles!
Great premise and well written.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

I completely fell in love with this book. From the first chapter, I was hooked by the mystery and couldn't wait to find out how it all ended. Though it dragged a little right at the very end, it was perfection.

Maddy wants to leave her world behind and agrees to live on a deserted island with seven strangers for one year. Why anyone would abandon civilization to sleep on the ground, forage for their own food and wipe themselves with leaves instead of toilet paper baffles me. It's a phenomenon I will never understand. And there wasn't even a cash prize at the end! But Maddy decides it will be her fresh start, a new life after her recent tragedy.

The group must become self sufficient but things quickly descend into chaos. First, there is bickering and resentment, understandable as food becomes scarce and they fight the weather. Then the lies, stealing of food, clear violations of trust. Then things turned violent. Maddy is sure she can push through, until the boat arrives to take them home. Only, the boat never comes...

Like I said, perfection. And you will never guess the ending.

**Huge thanks to Avon Books UK for my advance readers copy.

First, a big thank you to the publishers at Avon Books UK and Netgalley for this e-ARC of Stranded!

Wow! What an incredible adrenaline rush of a book! I’m still shaking after reading that! My heartbeat is wild and crazy and my hands are all sweaty. Absolutely amazing!

Stranded is a single person POV featuring Maddy, a lone recluse who has just recently lost her parents and decides to audition for a survivor type show about 8 people left on a deserted island after something causes the “end of the world.” All alone off the coast of Scotland for the next year, all they’ll have is each other, their body cameras, and two cameramen that’ll be staying in a nearby portacabin. When people begin to turn on one another after 6 months, Maddy will have to find the will and means to survive, because they are, after all, Stranded.

The alternating timeline from present to past makes for an intriguing storyline, because right out of the gate, we know that something has gone terribly wrong for Maddy. The entire time I was reading Stranded, I really felt for Maddy’s character. I felt like I had stepped into her shoes, and was able to feel everything she was feeling. The author does an amazing job of painting the island for us, and the emotions that Maddy feels jumped right off the page for me. I’ve never felt so much empathy for a fictional character before. Sarah Goodwin is definitely going onto my auto read list for authors!

Stranded is an absolute must read and releases September 16th!

What a fantastic novel. This book is so good.
Think Bear Grylls meets I'm a Celeb, meets Castaway and SAS Who Dares Wins.
4 men and 4 women are taking part in a 'social experiment ' for a year, left on an island off the Scottish coast with only 2 people in the production team( in their own cabin who they never see). They have to use all their resources and knowledge to build a shelter, forage for food and generally survive for just under 12 months. With cameras recording their every move cracks soon begin to show with the more dominant characters soon coming to the forefront. The story is told from the perspective of Maddy, both whilst on the island and after.
The writing is so engrossing I felt as though I was there, I felt all of maddy's emotions and frustration
Grateful thanks to Netgalley and Avon publishers for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

4 stars
Stranded
By Sarah Goodwin
Wow, what an incredible tale. I was barely able to put this book down. Stranded is dark, delicious and oh so devious. This is the first book that I have read by Sarah Goodwin but it will not be the last! Goodwin has written an incredible story of deception, greed and strength of character.
Stranded is “Survivor” on steroids. The characters within these pages are people we all know and either hate/love in our own lives, which in strong part makes Stranded so wonderfully good.

I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

What a page-turner! This was an atmospheric read that kept me on the edge of my seat and dying (lol) to know what would happen next. I thought this would be a locked room whodunit, but it's actually more of a survival thriller that turned out to be quite refreshing and unique.

The author did an excellent job in portraying the characters' moral decline as they spend more and more time on the island, become increasingly frantic and start forming cliques. You can feel the tension, fear and desperation of the characters oozing from the page.

What I remember most distinctly about this book was all the anger I felt while reading it! But in a good way because that's how realistic the characters were. Same for the decisions they made.

There are some plotholes and this book does require suspension of disbelief to some degree, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

✨ "Sometimes survival comes at the cost of pain — to you or someone else."

I love a story like this with unsuspecting people are at a location where something inevitably goes wrong…like murder. Take a look at the synopsis for Stranded by Sarah Goodwin:



When eight people arrive on the beautiful but remote Buidseach Island, they are ready for the challenge of a lifetime: to live alone for one year.

Eighteen months later, a woman is found in an isolated fishing village. She’s desperate to explain what happened to her. How the group fractured and friends became enemies. How they did what they must to survive until the boat came to collect them; how things turned deadly when the boat didn’t come.

But first, she must come to terms with the devastating secret that left them stranded, and her own role in the events that saw eight arrive and only three leave…

Out on September 16

In “Stranded” by Sarah Goodwin we see eight strangers left on a deserted island as part of a reality show – they are to live alone on the island for a year. But when no boat shows up after their twelve months are up, the already fractured group loses its grip on reality. Six months later one survivor is found in a remote fishing village with a devastating secret. What really happened on that island, what did they have to do to survive and how did she end up there?

I received an advanced copy of this book, and this is my honest review.

This story is like a modern adaption on lord of the flies, the story is wild yet is definitely believable with you feeling like you are there with them on the island,

Loved this! The characters are truly horrible, which made for an exciting read! The pacing is fast and I couldn't put this book down.

Survivor (and the far superior Alone) meets Lord of the Flies in this unputdownable take on groupthink and the chaos that ensues when the social contract breaks down.

Maddy is one of four women and four men chosen for a reality show that involves them being dropped off on a remote island for a year and expected to use their combined skills and ingenuity to survive. They are allowed to bring some survival items and rations, and they are each given cameras to be worn at all times, but other than that, there is no interference. No host, no silly games, no rewards to be won (outside of a few hidden “caches” randomly scattered around the island). Each of the eight has their own reason for being there, and Maddy’s is that she needs an escape. She’s always been a bit of a loner and having just lost the only two people she truly feels any human connection to, her parents, she feels lost and without a purpose. Unfortunately for her, her lack of social skills comes back to bite her nearly immediately once she’s on the island. She’s often objectively correct, but lacks the finesse to get others on her side, leaving people bristling with defensiveness or slowly taking sides against her to avoid their own ostracization. Tensions build, tempers flare, and soon outright hostility has Maddy fearing for her life. We know from the prologue that something has gone truly and terribly awry on the island, but just exactly what happened, and what lengths did Maddy have to go to in order to survive?

I’m not going to say it’s absolutely necessary to have an interest in the outdoors to enjoy this, but you should know going in that a very large portion of the book is dedicated to the minutiae (and inherent squalor) of survivalism. I don’t “do” camping, but I find things like Alone fascinating to watch from afar. If you don’t, I think this is going to be a tough read for you, as it will feel like a slog to get to the thriller “good stuff”.

But man oh man, was there good stuff. This was a slow build, but after about the halfway mark I could not put this down. My stomach was rumbling with hunger (though of course not nearly as bad as the starving islanders’ stomachs I’m sure…), and yet I found I wanted to finish this more than I needed dinner. I was so angry on Maddy’s behalf that I’m sure my heart rate was spiked. And I couldn’t even content myself with thoughts that I knew she survived because what’s to say this wasn’t all her dying fever dream? (I’m curious if I’m the only one who wondered about this?) I had to get to the end and know!

My biggest criticism was a fairly obnoxious overuse of foreshadowing. We start the book knowing something has gone very, very wrong and the events themselves provided a nice slow build of foreboding atmosphere. So every time there was an “If only I’d known what was to come…” stuck in there, it felt unnecessary and only served to take me out of the reading experience.

I also felt this was slightly too lopsided. Maddy is our protagonist and storyteller, so of course there is going to be a heavy bias in favor of her, but there was just very little to like about most of the other people on the island, and nearly all of them had failings much more glaring than “doesn’t play nice with others”. It made it somewhat unbelievable to me that they would turn on her with quite such ferocity (especially when she provides a huge source of food for them) and it gave a bit of a cartoon villain vibe versus a realistic feel to the whole thing.

4.5 stars that I ended up choosing to round down because of the above issues, but still highly recommended especially if the nature aspect is already appealing to the reader.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy of this title for review.

To steal from The Real World...."This is the story of eight strangers, picked to live on an isolated island, and have their lives taped, to find out what happens when people stop being polite, and start getting real....."

Stranded is ....wow. It is hard to read because people.are.the.WORST. Honestly. Duncan, Gill....just....they got what they deserved, to be honest. What awful people.

Maddy is a loner and has been all her life. After a tragedy, she signs up and is selected for a television show to live on an island with 7 other people for a year - to live and survive with little to nothing. While everything seems to start somewhat okay, it quickly dissolves into seven against one and Maddy is cast out of the community.

It's frightening, the aloneness of it all. The terror of Maddy having to sleep on the cold beach by herself, scared that she's being watched....because she is. Not knowing if she would have food for the next day.

The last 1/3 of the book kind of speeds by in a flash. So much happens in a rapid fire way that I ended up reading it twice. It's excellent thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was fantastic. A really descriptive and atmospheric story. And I'm Scottish so can relate well to the unpredictable weather 😊brilliant and nail biting story x

Really, really good! A modern Lord of the Flies. Eight people come to an island as participants in a reality TV show. This is a beautifully written account of the descent of the eight, into violence hatred and savagery. A very engrossing and well thought through novel that will chill you

It is excellent. I am currently gripped and right now whilst I’m eager to find out what happens to Maddy.

Such assured writing; hard to believe it’s a debut. Oh, but what a debut, eh?
As I said I am currently in the midst of a book so enrapturing I’m leaving my review now in order so that I can process it properly.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sarah Goodwin’s publishers for allowing me to read this prior to publication.

Oh my goodness - this was one book I just couldn't tear myself away from. Have I slept in 2 days - a wink, only.. Why? The story! I kept imagining how I would respond if I was in a reality show like Stranded / Survivor. How much money would entice me?

The book however has nothing to do with the loot possible in the end, but the unraveling of humanity. Few words that come to my mind to describe the experience of reading this book would be insane, brutal and roller-coaster!

Maddy and 7 others are stranded by choice of an island. People, as usual in the beginning, try to be their best version till of course their minds unspool. I wish they'd meditated on their actions / words before they turned on each other. I don't watch a lot of reality TV or TV per se - so maybe for such people this was an expected outcome.

Can't believe this was a debut novel... You hit out of the park, girl! Kudos.

4.5 stars

This book contains most of the elements that I look for in this type of thriller/suspense story. The first chunk has a few too many “if only I knew then what horrible things would be coming next for me” statements, but once I moved past those lines, I really enjoyed the story. Some of the characters were interesting, the plot was good, and some of the twists were well-crafted. I started the book and then put it down when I got busy with a few other things, but I actually read most of it over the course of 24 hours or so because it really pulled me in; I needed to see how it would turn out. All in all, I really enjoyed this one.

This story. THIS. STORY.

I am still thinking about it long after I put the book down. It is one of those crazy Survival, meets Alone story that keeps you eagerly turning the pages and wondering what horrific thing this group of seemingly normal turning Lord of the Flies people can do next.
It was nail biting, terrifying, and down right heart pounding at times and I just completely ate up all the unexpected twisty turns the author threw at me next. I absolutely loved this story and couldn't put it down. This author is definitely on my radar now and I will eagerly be awaiting their next release.

A great thriller. The story is engaging and the characters will hold your interest. The plot is well done and this book is a quick read that you will not want to put down.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was intense. It was hard to put down once the story started to unfold. A cast of characters that were unlikable, but a couple that you cared about and one or two that you wavered back and forth on.

I read most of this in one sitting and never saw any of the twists coming.

Would definitely recommend this to others.

Ooh such a great book. Intrigue, Murder and secrets. What more could you ask.for.
Drew me right in until the end. Great story and mix of characters.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

I want to extend thanks to thank Netgalley and Avon books UK for allowing me to read this ARC of Stranded a tale of hardship, cruelty, and decent into madness.
***spoilers present in review***
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, stayed up all night reading it because I couldn't put it down!
Stranded started off slow so it did take me a couple chapters to get into it. I really liked the the plot, 8 strangers, the last of humanity finding refuge on a an island and trying to rebuild all for a 11 month reality TV show about the world ending. These 8 must come together to build a shelter, hunt, fish, forage, and garden to survive. Each participant must wear a solar powered body cam, there are game cameras hung around in the trees, and 2 camera men in a portacabin. The 4 men 4 women quickly take inventory of what skills they all have and divide up the labor. The 2 strong willed men are quick to self apoint themselves leaders since they have the important skill set of knowing how to build. Quickly its seen that some pull their weight and others are off swimming, stealing food, off drinking instead of working but the leaders are fast to blame others for any issues. All of this quickly devolves and 1 woman is sent to live alone in a sea shack where her food is stolen, she is bullied, the leaders have convinced the community that she is the problem. We see the nasty side of humanity come out in the greed, selfishness, laziness, and gossiping.
On the day they are to be picked up no boat shows up, the camera men are also missing. Unbeknownst to the survives these men are dead and the boat was always going to come a month late. Another woman is quick to blame the outcast for the cameramens death which of course everyone goes along with.
The story follows introverted, socially awkward Maddie, she was very sheltered by her parents who homeschooled her. She joined after the loss of her parents and to escape reality. She gave her all to surviving on the island, foraging food for everyone to get much needed nutrients. As the story progresses we see her fighting for her life and protecting herself from the other participants. While trapped in a cave by the others they are rescued and abandon her on the island. Once she emerges starved and hallucinating she is able to forage food and survive additional months, only escaping when Duncan and Andrew come back to destroy the evidence of their crimes at the camera men's cabin. Maddie is able to get to the mainland and gets help.
I highly recommend this harrowing tale!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for the ARC! This book was such a wild ride. I love reading books with a story that I’ve never thought of or read anything like before. It was a GREAT thriller with constant twists and turns. The imagery and writing was top notch, there were times when I felt so anxious and claustrophobic because I felt like I was in the cave with Maddy. Really really enjoyed it!

Sarah Goodwin is an author that I found on NetGalley. There is a twist in every novel and it's always shocking. I can't wait to read every single one of her books.

I can hardly catch my breath! What a heart-pounding, claustrophobic, relentlessly chilling book this is. I loved it!

Maddy is a botanist that is selected to be one of eight contestants to live on an uninhabited island off the coast of Scotland for one year. From here they will need to forage for food, build shelters, ultimately building their own community now that the supposed world itself has come to an end.

It all starts off well and people are chipping in doing anything they can to help but as the months progress, food starts to dwindle, and winter weather begins to set in the tempers start to flare. Maddie finds herself ostracized from the group. Everything she does and says fuels the fire of their group hatred.

Things really go bananas though when their boat doesn't arrive to pick them up at the one year mark like they were told. Days turn to weeks and then turns to months. Where is everyone? Why has no one come to rescue them? Maddie realizes just how dire her situation is when she is sure that any one of the other contestants would not hesitate to kill her.

"The things that started happening to us after Christmas ... I thought it was all just random tragedy; accidents, mistakes. If I 'd known then that there was some reason for it, some intent, I don't know if I could have held on like I did.

You might have given up hope?

I almost smile. 'I'd lost hope by then. No, I might have given up holding on to my delusion that somehow we were all still civilized people at heart. I might have tried to get them before they came for me."

I really don't want to say anything more about the plot. 🤐 I have been a fan of the show Survivor since it began over 20 years ago but nothing prepared me for this book. This makes Survivor look like child's play. It was as if the author new exactly what I would want from this kind of story. Do I have any survival instinct? HA! I'd be in the fetal position weeping like a baby so maybe that's why I find these stories so fascinating. They are just so beyond me and my abilities. Maddy was a character that I really came to care for and the misery they put her through had me ripping my hair out in utter frustration. I'm not a violent person but I would have loved to punch a few characters in the face on behalf of Maddie and I was wishing Maddie would do just that. My only small niggle may be that all the foraging of wild weeds and mushrooms went a little over my head - also the reason I will probably die if left in the wild. As for the ending, I loved it, and I closed the book with a satisfied smile on my face.

Super fun and highly entertaining, what more can I ask for? 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my complimentary copy.

An incredible, terrifying, tense and gripping thriller. I could not put it down. This is a must read!

HOLY CATS WHAT A RIDE THIS WAS!!!!!!!!! You always hear about the books you "can't put down" and "psychological thriller" and the book you think about when you do have to put it down and when can you pick it up again to find out what happens?! This is that book.

Maddie has spent her whole life rather sheltered from the world, with no friends to speak of other than her overprotective parents. Suddenly, they are gone from her life in a split second and she is beside herself. When the opportunity presents itself to apply for a TV show that mocks the world has ended and left 8 "survivors" on an island for a year, Maddie decides this is just what she needs to get away. Except it is much more than she bargained for when the group turns on her.

This book reminded me of every group project I have ever had to participate in where I do all the work and other people take the credit and/or the lazy one attempts to take charge just to turn the group against you. I fully understood Maddie's character for exactly this reason. This book infuriated me, literally. These jerks she is put on the island with are really pieces of work in themselves.

This is the third book this year I have read about a group on an isolated island where things turn terrible. This is the first one that scared me good and that I've given five stars. Sometimes what you can see, feel, hear and touch is much scarier than what you can't. Highly effective writing, I would look for other works by this author. WOW.

Debut from this author and it’s on the whole good
8 strangers are plonked on a remote Scottish Island and have to ‘start a new life’ for 1 year for a reality TV show, Maddie ( 1 of the 8 ) is our main narrator with cut in’s from a TV interview and also interviews to ‘get on’ the show
Of course friction soon appears and for some inexplicable reason Maddie is castigated and made to be the villain of the island and what follows is her determination to survive what turns out to be far more than a TV show
Maddie is a very strong book character and I liked her, her narration, thoughts and realism, the other 7 were far more easy to dislike, intently!
Very tense, at times claustrophobic and also at times I felt unsure why the whole thing had happened but that didn’t deter from what was a good modern day survival story, dubious ending to raise an eyebrow that still didn’t take away from an enjoyable and well documented account of being Stranded with literally no way out

7/10
4 Stars

Stranded is a real rollercoaster of a story. It has twists, turns and shocks galore. It was a book I could not put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my ARC.

Lord of the Flies meets Survivor and reality TV in Stranded, an impossible to put down first novel by Sarah Goodwin. Atmospheric, suspenseful, creative, it’s hard to forget.

This will be a TV show about strangers building a community. Eight people, four men and four women, are chosen to spend a year on remote, uninhabited Buidseach Island. Buidseach means witch and yes, there are legends. At first, all goes well. There are some supplies and everyone has brought personal necessary items. The first argument happens after five weeks. Maddy, a botanist and forager with some knowledge of herbal medicine, is the narrator. She is also a true loner who finds social contact and bonding exercises difficult. She’s not the only one. As food supplies dwindle, frustration and anger bubble to the surface. Difficult personalities are revealed and Maddy realizes she can only rely on herself to survive.

Stranded is an imaginative, terrifying 5 star read. Sarah Goodwin uses foreshadowing in the early chapters to make sure you know things will get worse. The slow buildup in the first half of the book leads to a rollercoaster ride of tension, cruelty, hallucinations and death. This is an amazing debut. I look forward to seeing what Goodwin does next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Sarah Goodwin for this ARC.

Stranded by Sarah Goodwin. Thanks to @avonbooks and @netgalley for the gifted e-Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maddy has lived a sheltered, isolated, but cared for life. When her parents die, she applied for a reality show to help bring her out of her shell. The contestants are dropped on an island for a year, to simulate and survive the end of the world.

Wow this was an exciting read. It was almost TOO exciting. Several times I had to put it down because my heart was racing. There were some unexpected turns that surprised me as well. Besides the anxiety, there was also character growth. A lot of the book was about survival and learning to live in the wilderness, which I especially enjoy reading. If you’re looking for a heart-pounding, page turner, this is it.

“We are all animals when cornered.”

“If it was to be survival of the fittest, I would okay to win.”

Stranded comes out 9/16.

It started off a little slow, but once the action actually started the novel was super thrilling. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.


4.5/5

Thanks to Sarah Goodwin, Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Stranded.

What a gripping read. A cross between lord of the Flies, Castaway and TV Series Survivor, this book had my heart in my mouth and completely engrossed, compelling me to keep reading late into the night.

Maddie has just lost her parents and is in need of escape, so as crazy as it may seem, when the opportunity to go on a survival based reality TV show appears, she grabs it with both hands. Living for 1 year on a remote island off the coast of Scotland - 8 strangers from all walks of life need to work together to build a community and survive whatever the island throws at them.

Told from Maddie's perspective of time before the island, on the island and the aftermath, we learn about the 8 characters on Buidseach Island, and how relationships turned sour and became divided before taking a dark and sinister turn.

The scene setting by Sarah is so strong, that at times you can almost feel it- the tension, the claustrophobia, the fear. Maddie and Zoe in particular were really strong characters who I could picture really clearly.

I loved this book and completely devoured it in 24 hours - for me personally it managed to fill the gap that The Castaways didn't quite reach for me.

My only negative, and the reason for only 4 stars not 5, is that the ending did seem a teeny bit rushed and paced up pretty rapidly and as such it felt quite abrupt after such a build up.

Overall though, A fab read from Sarah Goodwin and definitely one to add to your list!

A great story with plenty of twists and turns that will keep you glued to the page. Reminded me a bit of "the Beach". It can sometimes get shocking and dark but isn't that what good storytelling is about. I'd definitely recommend this book.

Maddie lost everything when her parents died in a car crash. In her grief, she is unable to see a way forward. When an opportunity to leave civilization and live on a remote island suddenly crops up, she is determined to be chosen to participate.

Now she is one of a group of eight people chosen to live off the land on Buidseach Island as part of a reality show. They will be simulating the rebuilding society after an imaginary apocalypse. Each participant brings along a set of skills and a few tools, with the intent that they will work cooperatively to survive on the island for one year with no help from the outside. Each contestant is equipped with a body camera to record everything that happens and footage collected over the course of the year will be edited to create the show. Two members of the production company will be housed on the far end of the island with the understanding that the contestants will only make contact in the case of a grave emergency.

As the days progress into weeks, one of the other contestants, Duncan, takes on a leadership role in the group. As cliques begin to form, tension builds within the group until tempers flare, accusations are made and one member of the group is cast out.

Beginning eighteen months after the group arrives on the island, a haggard woman appears in an isolated fishing village asking for the police. From here, the book jumps back and forth between the groups experiences on the island and the aftermath.

Stranded had me hooked from the opening line and kept me engrossed until the end. The author did a great job of building tension and suspense. The characters are well-developed and the island is so well described that you can almost see it. Esme Sears was fantastic with the narration.

Too many psychological thrillers have naive female lead characters that behave in an unrealistic manner and move through the story doing one stupid thing after another. I love the fact that Sarah Goodwin gives us such a strong, smart female protagonist in Maddie.

An outlandish tale of reality TV/social experiment going to the extreme. 8 people have been selected to spend a year alone on an island for TV. Maddy has just lost both her parents and is looking for escape so signs up.

Little does she know how bad a decision this will turn out to be!

The story is far-fetched but kept my interest. The characters are believable and the dynamics between them are what keep you reading; trying to work out everyone’s motives.

A good read that kept the suspense. I think I would rate this 3.5 out of 5 but will round up to 4.

A tv reality show gone awry, I listened too this audio book and it made compulsive listening! Maddie is one of eight strangers who are dropped on a remote Scottish island for one year to see how they can live and work together cooperatively to survive. They begin to work together but Maddie feels alienated, others in the group gradually show their true colours, and their trust in each other becomes compromised. The atmosphere of remoteness and isolation is brilliantly portrayed, as is Maddie's fear. A chilling, tense and compulsive read. I thought the narration was brilliant. Thank you to Sarah Goodwin, Net Galley and Harper Collins Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A debut thriller, a Lord Of The Flies for the reality TV age.

Told from the perspective of Maddy, one of eight participants selected to spend almost a year on a remote Scottish island. If you seen any of those TV shows you know it doesn't take long for tensions to rise, arguments, factions forming and for things to go wrong.

The characterisation, especially of the socially awkward Maddy, is really good. She struggles to try and fit in and work as a team with more selfish and dominant personalities.

I thought the book really excelled after the island society has fractured and the plot keeps moving is unexpected directions and the tension keep rising throughout the book.

A few aspects, particularly in regard to the TV company's handling of events didn't ring true, but overall this is a great book, accessible, immediate, twisting and full of tension, and it all wraps up in a very satisfying manner.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books

Wow what a book what a story it's kind of reminded me of the TV show lost or the TV show Survivor which was a reality based TV show based on surviving in the middle of nowhere. And it also kind of reminded me of Lord of the flies except it wasn't children

I must have a sick and twisted mind because I actually enjoyed the characters decline as they spent more time on the island and like one of the flies and lost they formed clicks. I feel bad for these characters as all they wanted to do was go home.

This story was definitely a page Turner I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and this is one I completely recommend. I enjoy books like this. Call me twisted but I do

Thank you to Avon UK books and to net galley for allowing me to read this arc for an honest review.

All thoughts and opinions are completely mine and mine alone.

If you liked the show survivor, you will like this! It was quite a thriller and kept you wondering where it was going, but almost to a fault. It felt like sometimes there holes and then some of them would be answered as you read on. It was a good read and it was a dark read, which was heavy at times.

A compulsive, taut thriller which kept me reading into the small hours! The story of the eight people on the island, plus two camera crew, is all told from Maddy's point of view and I just had to know how she fared. There was such an underlying air of menace once the group fractured, I felt like I needed to know how she was coping with whatever came next. There was lots of detail about surviving in this kind of remote island environment which really gave depth to the story. Less depth with the characters, aside from our protagonist, who all became largely unlikeable as time went on. It was chilling and thrilling and very compelling, if you like a good thriller, this is highly recommended!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. The plot involves what happens when a group of strangers are intentionally stranded on a deserted island for a year. The tensions that arise are reminiscent of Lord of the Flies but the characters have their own distinctive personalities and hang ups which drive the plot. The narrator's version of events puts us right into the centre of events and allows us to empathise with her situation and the decisions she is forced to make to survive. This novel is a real page turner which I would highly recommend as something a bit different.

It’s like Big Brother but the contestants are on an island for 12 months with none of the luxuries or conveniences of modern life.
And there’s always one who doesn’t fit in with the rest, the one who’s a scapegoat for things that go wrong.
I really enjoyed this book, the deprivation felt real, the hunger was palpable.
Really good ending.
Looking forward to reading more by this author.
Very much recommend this book.

I think that this book will be one which you will either love or just abandon out of the fear of the chase. I read it in a couple of days but there were times when I was almost too scared to read on. I had to go and do something distracting but then I was desperate to get back to find out how the main character, and narrator of the story, Maddy, was coping.
Others have explained the plot already but basically its about 8 adults left as a social experiment on a remote island. One girl, Maddy is telling us what happens and its scary stuff!
It's a book I'll remember for sometime and if you like a good psychological thriller and to be a bit scared then this is for you. I can see it as a great film too. However please change the title. 'Stranded' does not really describe the circumstances and I'm sure a more thrilling title could be thought up.

Survivor: Scotland. Lord of the Flies in Scotland, with adults.

This is an amazing page turner. The descriptions are breathtaking and I was quickly immersed into the setting. Sarah Goodwin has an uncanny ability to create settings and characters that are totally authentic and credible - if not always likeable. Consequently, it is very easy to find yourself being drawn into the scenario that she paints...she absolutely nails it in "Stranded" and enhances it with her own individual and seemingly effortless style of storytelling.

With a fascinating and chilling setting, a twisty plot with surprises I never saw coming and a dash of tragedy in the main character’s history, Sarah Goodwin has written a classic castaway thriller. The end is a shocker and some of the reveals on the way will haunt me for quite a while (the crew ewwwww). I loved every bit of this book. Lots of tension and suspense, with the story never dragging for even a moment. Very well written. I couldn't put it down...All. The. Stars.

I really enjoyed this story of a group of individuals who are intentionally located on a uninhabited island off of the coast of Scotland. The are there to film a reality show based on the premise of surviving and apocalyptic event. Our main character is a woman who struggles with social skills and has chosen to deal with the death of her parents by running away from her life. She struggles to connect with the other participants and someone on the island may be a killer. When bodies start turning up things go from awkward to deadly serious. A really good read.

Wow! I absolutely loved this book! Such an amazing story with many twists and turns that will keep you gripped and turning the pages. It is dark and atmospheric and keeps you interested throughout the whole book. I found it hard to put down.
Eight people go to Buidseach Island to participate in a reality-tv survivor programme. But things don't really go to plan and the group start to divide and things become hostile. Things keep going from bad to worse, especially when they don't get picked up from the island when they are meant to, and they end up having to stay there! Tensions rise in the group and it becomes a real fight for survival!
I loved the concept of the book and found it a different and really interesting read. I would definitely read more books by this author.

She wanted to get away from her life, not fight for it...

Eight strangers are selected to participate in an exciting social experiment- live on a deserted island for one year and build a community. They start out by working as a team, pooling their food and resources, and taking on responsibilities related to their personal skills. But as food and resources become scarce, tensions mount and disagreements spiral out of control. Hungry, exhausted, and facing environmental hardships, the islanders try their best to keep it together until their boat arrives. When the boat never shows, desperation and aggression boil over, and survival seems less likely with each day that goes by...
I feel like I have been saying this a lot, and maybe I have just been lucky, but I could NOT put this book down! There were so many times that I found myself wondering why anyone would want to do this. I enjoyed exploring the darker side of human nature in a survival setting. I am also reflecting on whether the characters were changed by the nature of their situation, or if they were being their true, primal selves. I cannot wait to read more of Sarah Goodwin's work in the future after reading this incredible debut!

This book was an easy five stars! It was so hard to put down! I was so invested in this one from the very first page! It kept my heart pounding and pages turning throughout it all!

This gripping novel has everything you want from a thriller! I found it to be a slow build until about halfway, but that doesn't stop you from wanting to read it. The whole survival mode had me so intrigued, and the characters felt so real. It honestly felt like you were stuck on that island with them (which would be a nightmare)

At times I felt so claustrophobic while reading, the details are very realistic and described so well. I really enjoyed the main character Maddy. She was smart, strong, and very independent. I connected with her the whole time. This was my first book by Sarah Goodwin, and l I can't wait to read more of her books!

I had so much fun read Sarah Goodwin's Stranded. Thank you to Avon book and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this new thriller. The story focuses on Maddy and other reality show contestants who must live together on a remote island for a year using mostly their survival skills and little else. A lot goes wrong and Maddy finds herself wondering who to trust, will she be rescued, and who will survive.

This was a fast paced and darker than expected read and I stayed up late to finish it! I really appreciated that the plot kept moving along, that I was not sure exactly what was going on, and that the end held true to the rest of the book. The book poses a lot of questions about human behavior, trust, and the ethics of a reality show that brings together strangers to live and survive together but is also looking for ratings... what responsibility do reality show creators have to the contestants and how much footage do they hide?

I definitely recommend this for suspense fans and mystery/suspense book clubs.

Once I started I could not put this incredible book down. I ignored everything else, even hunger pains, as I avidly kept reading until I finished. Wow! How is it that this read hasn’t been put on the best seller list? This is by far the best thriller I have read in several years.
The plot thickens immediately as 8 strangers agree to be brought to a deserted island for 11 months, living off the land and what they can find on the island while being filmed for a reality show. Maddy is the focus of this gripping thriller. Your heart will be in your throat and your eyes will be widening as you race through this read wanting to know what happens next.
Sarah Goodwin certainly has clearly mastered making characters come to life through dialogue, description, and taut non stop action. Enough of some character’s backgrounds is shared to help fill in the questions that pop up, further ratcheting up the tension created between characters. Her writing style immediately places you in the middle of the action, as if you are right there observing with your own eyes. My feelings towards the characters were so very real, as my heart raced along with Maddy’s.
I plan to do my very best to promote this amazing read to everyone I know.
My sincere gratitude to Sarah Goodwin for providing me with about six hours of heart in my throat tension. You are truly gifted. Many thanks also to Avon and NetGalley for providing me the amazing opportunity to read an arc of this just published book. This is a must read book for everyone!

Maddy spent her early years being homeschooled by her mother. When she went to university, it was freeing for her but she still had problems with not being accepted by her peers as she was so socially backward.

Maddy has decided to interview for chance to be on the reality show called Last Refuge. After being accepted, she learns that she and 3 other women and 4 men will live on an island off the coast of Scotland for a year. There, they will build their own hut, forage for their food and cook it over an open fire. It is to see if they can essentially build their own society and get along.

They soon learn that growing and catching their own food is not an easy task which leads to hunger and anger and resentment.

When I first started reading this book, I wondered if I have gotten in over my head. Why? Because I don’t care to watch reality shows and I know I would never leave my creature comforts to do something like this. Oh, but after I got into it, I felt as though I had creepy crawlies all over me. The plot is so real and the descriptions of the tasks necessary to maintain life for them were so intricate and really very informative. But when the tension builds, tempers flare and things get dangerous. Maddy is very intelligent and while she may not be the most outgoing person, she is resented for her knowledge of the plants on the island and her determination to work hard. She has always hated bullies and she is presented with several here. It gets cold and food becomes scarce. Couple that with some greedy and lazy people and you have a recipe for disaster. This is a scary book with some really gross spots that may have readers cringing but it’s about doing everything you can to survive. This is a keeper and one you won’t soon forget.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love these types of thrillers, with a locked type area and bad people, but not sure whom! This one was definitely another love for me! Kept me on the edge of my seat, full of suspense, and shocked me! Well written, fun plot, with lots of great thrills and chilling chills! I highly, highly recommend this one, my favorite type done superbly!

What a fun read!

Maddy had an overprotective upbringing and the untimely deaths of her parents have left her reeling. She needs a change and signs up for a reality Survivor-type show where 8 contestants (four men, four women) are left on an island off the coast of Scotland, where they will live for one year. It’s an experiment to see how they will survive, and no one is voted off. But alliances are soon drawn, and Maddy, having few social skills, becomes the scapegoat for everything that goes wrong. If you wonder what would happen if society breaks down and it's survival of the fittest, this is a prime example of mob mentality.

The book opens with Maddy sitting for an interview for a tv show. She’s painfully thin and bedraggled, after unspecified criminal charges and time in prison. Things obviously have gone terribly awry, and not everyone made it back from the island. Maddy tells her story, and what a story it is!

Please note I hate camping or rustic anything. My idea of roughing it is making reservations at a luxury resort where I will just have to make do without my Tempur-pedic mattress. But, still, I loved the setting and the descriptions of how the group uses their skills to forage and provide shelter and food for themselves. The second half of the book was riveting and unputdownable, and the ending...well, I needed to talk about it!

As an aside, you do not have to be a fan of camping or roughing it in order to enjoy this book. My husband and I were huge fans of the show Survivor in its early days, and he would always joke (not really joking...) that had I been on the show I'd be the first voted off the island. My fellow survivors would hate me and couldn’t get rid of me fast enough.

However, I do like living vicariously, and there was the Survivor nostalgic factor. Plus, this story was unique, which I appreciate. So many books are a variation of the same theme but this was different and I will likely remember it for that alone.

At the 50% mark, winter is setting in and conditions deteriorate rapidly after a surprising discovery. The tension ramps up, and I simply could not put the book down. I was glued to the page to find out what would happen and who would survive. I was at 95% at the end of a very long car trip where I would ordinarily be ready to get out of the car, but I found myself urging my husband to run an errand so I could finish the book. He wasn't buying it. It’s been a long time since a book has affected me this way.

Is it perfect? No. Told in the 1st person POV, we only hear Maddy’s story with no input from the others. It left me wondering why she was ostracized and if she was an unreliable narrator. But that also works in the plus column because it left me as a reader uncertain. Secondly, foreshadowing annoys me, and there was too much “if only I’d known how much worse it would get…”. To be fair, it DID get much, much worse, but I didn’t need to hear it repeatedly. So, this isn’t a book for book clubs! Just read it, accept it as a purely entertaining read, and move on.

Eight strangers.
One island.
A secret you'd kill to keep.

Talk about a book that would make a great movie! Seriously, this book played out like a movie in my mind while reading this. But I digress...

Eight people, equipped with cameras on their chest are left on the remote island of Buidseach Island. Local fishermen tell tales of the island being haunted by a witch. It's hard to get to but makes the perfect stage for a reality survival series. WE have all see that show right? Survivor this is NOT!! But the eight people must survive because they have been stranded! They will live off the land for one year with a care package thrown in here and there. What could go wrong?????

Well, things do go wrong. People being people form alliances, they develop a group mental mentality, they will do whatever they need to do to survive, until the boat comes to get them off the island. But what if the boat doesn't come?????

I loved this book. It sucked me in and had me reeling with how events played out. The synopsis was not fooling around when it described this book as "A gripping, twisty page-turner about secrets, lies and survival at all costs.” This book had an underdog character that I rooted for and felt appalled at how she was treated. Bullies and those who would go along with the majority lest they become bullied as well.

This was so good! If this is not on your radar, it needs to be. This book is a chilling, gripping, and emotion evoking page turner. There is a sense of tension throughout. My pulse was pounding a couple of times (woohoo I love this!) and the pace was spot on. BTW -If you have a rabbit, you will want to give it a hug after reading this book. Plus, you might think twice before agreeing to be on a "survivor" type reality show. Just sayin.... that will never be me!

Quite the clever tale.

A MUST Read!

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I started this book, I didn't think it was much good. The foreshadowing "If only I knew what was to come..." at the end of every chapter grated, and the main character Maddy's martyred attitude got on my nerves.

But somewhere about a third of the way in, it completely hooked me and I literally could not put it down. I read almost the whole thing in one evening. The unfair treatment of Maddy went a bit too far to be believable at times - but then I suppose Maddy could be an unreliable narrator herself - but as the stakes were raised and everything got a bit Lord of the Flies, I just had to know what happened next.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Wow! That was intense. I hardly read a more claustrophobic and chilling book in my life.

Right from the beginning the story captured me with its dark and sinister vibes. Maddy is an odd person. She had an overprotective mother who hardly let her step away from her side when she was a child. Still as an adult she urges her to move back home where she can take care of her. Maddy never learned properly to socialize and be comfortable with other people. She hates her life and she hates herself. So she decides to leave her comfort zone and apply for a TV show about a social experiment. Eight people are going to live on an uninhabited island in Scotland and are totally left alone. Maddy gets a place and she meets the other seven people on the day they are shipped off to Buidseach Island. At first Maddy thinks that she made a few new friends. But soon things get worse and she finds herself alone and fighting for survival.

I found this book absolutely nail-biting. Eight people who did not know each other are going to stay on an Island without contact to other people. They have to organize themselves and built a shelter and have to find their food. Every one of them has a special skill. There is a carpenter, a butcher, a fisherman and Maddy herself is a kind of botanist. She knows a lot about plants and which one you can eat and better not. Maddy thinks that everything will be fine but things are getting south pretty soon. Suddenly she is on the outside and has to fight for herself. The group is meant to stay for eleven months on the Island. But when the time is finally over nobody comes to get them. And then things get really ugly.

For me this is a clear 5 star read. The book was so intense and gripping and frightening. There is maybe a bit too much detail on all the foraging that Maddy has to do. Bud I see the necessity when you suddenly realize how much work and effort it takes to produce your own food. There are also a few loose threads at the end concerning the TV production. I did not understand properly how they could let escalate the situation like this. This bothers me a bit but I don’t care enough about it because the book was just soo good. We are close to Maddy all the time and you can really feel her desperation and the unfairness and her self-doubt. She is a remarkable character. She is a weird one and obviously lacks the ability to make friends or even make people care about her. But we only see her point of view. In my experience when somebody always has problems with other people, gets cut out from groups etc. it is probably not always that all people are mean. Maybe it is you. I guess there is something odd about Maddy. But still, the dynamic on the Island turns against her in a way that is not acceptable. It is so frightening to see how extreme situations can bring out the worst in people.

I am sure this book will finds its way into my top 5 books of 2021. It was just so intense and chilling.

Are you a long-time fan of the Survivor series? Secret or not-so-secret fan of 'Naked and Afraid?' Speculated on whether you could be a contestant in 'Alone?' Then this is the book for you. Four men and four women are dropped on an island off the coast of Scotland -- for an entire year. And they all are wearing body cameras. Our narrator is Maddy -- a bit of a loner in real life. Lived a sheltered life growing up and has recently lost both of her parents in an accident. There are three timelines feeding us information: 1)After Maddy escapes from the island. 2)What happened on the island. 3)Her life and prep for the show (think, rating manipulation). Reading this book is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You can't not look. The thin veneer of civilization peels away pretty quickly when rations are short and magic mushrooms are readily available. I am so impressed by this debut. There are some spectacular details to be discovered when you read this one all the way to the end. Will be looking for more titles from Sarah Goodwin in the future.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. Available now!

Wow! I read this way to quickly, I really didn't want it to end. It's an amazing story. I was just wondering if Maddy was written in the author's image? While reading this you do tend to form your own opinion. But I came out on Maddy's side.

It does bewilder me to think that eight rather unremarkable people can crumble under the weight of uncertainty. Also, how their personalities change to the point of not only destroying themselves but those around them. How people conform to the majority in the sight of unforeseen issues. How we put our individual survival ahead of what we believe.

I guess to be realistic we never know until we are put in that position. Hardship, struggling due to starvation pushing all our own beliefs out of the window.

The book is an incredible story of survival, discrimination, paranoia, stereotypes and the breakdown of common human decency in a very stark light.

Is this who we really become once we are removed from our creature comforts.

Great book. Loved it!


*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley

Amazing novel from a debut author. Couldn’t put it it down, once I started. The group dynamics were beautifully characterised, and the lead character was compelling. Lots of twists and turns in the plot, and an excellent ending. Highly recommended. Looking forward to Sarah Goodwin’ next book.

Wow! Shocking!
Contestants are taken to a remote island - for a year. Tasked with providing their own supplies yet only allowed to bring so many items onto the island, all eight must determine what they cannot live without.
Maddy desperately wanted to be selected for this challenge - after her parents' sudden deaths, Maddy felt removed from life, wandering and aimless.
After the drop off, along with two cameramen to live in a cabin on the island for technical assistance, the hierarchy is clearly established - the leader, the lazy, the judgmental. Though Maddy spends considerable time foraging food, few see the merit. Eventually Maddy is forced to live on her own, though her food continues to be stolen.
And of course the others begin dabbling in homebrew.
This book does an amazing job answering the question - what is only a few of us survived a catastrophic event? Would the human race survive?

Thrilling, gripping and intense edge of your seat thriller!

Eight complete strangers accept the challenge to survive on an uninhabited island for an entire year as part of a reality TV series. A social experiment intended to pretend the world had ended and build a new future for themselves using the limited natural resources available to them. They knew it was just for a TV show and it wasn't real, right? So what could possibly go wrong?

This is an absolute mind blowing must read!

What an exciting atmospheric thriller. I really enjoyed listening/ reading it and found it difficult to put down. Brilliant debut from Sarah Goodwin.
The book revolves around eight strangers stranded on a remote Scottish island for a TV show. Reality TV is not my usual choice however think this book was a very good atmospheric read/listen. Enjoyable fast-paced story, great descriptions of the remoteness and wilderness that builds the atmospheric tension. The characters were not that likeable during their time on the island but you would expect to see changes living with strangers over time and personality clashes. If you are looking for a great read, thriller and a great twist at end then this is for you. It is a book of human behaviour, survival, friendship and lies.
I'll definitely be looking out for any other books by Sarah Goodwin.
Only criticism is I wouldnt read blurb before the book as it does give away some of the story however I still really enjoyed it
The audio book is narrated by Esme Sears who was brilliant at keeping the suspense and pace flowing.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Omg I want to shout about this book so much but at the same time I don't want to give away any spoilers but this was a brilliant brilliant read.

Complete Lord of the Flies vibes which drew me right into the story and I was hooked from the word go. The characters were a bunch of hugely complex people and all rather vile which made for a very intriguing group. It was really hard to predict what was going to happen next. Parts of the story really set my heart racing and when I finished it at 1am (as I couldn't put it down) I then didn't get to sleep for ages as I couldn't get thoughts of the book out of my head.

Massive five stars and highly recommended. This is a must read!

Stranded very much gave me Lord of The Flies vibes, or a survival of the fittest. My heart was pounding and some expletives may have escaped my mouth while reading this. The description in the book made death, hunger and fear palpable!

Synopsis

Eight strangers, 4 women and 4 men are chosen to live on the remote island of Buidseach, off the coast of Scotland for one year. They were allowed to bring very limited supplies. While there they had to build a shelter, and create a community that was self sustaining.. All this is for a reality TV show with the premise they are the last remaining surviving people on earth.

Our protagonist, Maddy has led a very sheltered life. Her parents were overprotective and pretty much kept her from the rest of the world for a good part of her life. They just recently died and now she has no one. Unsure what to do with her life brings her to the show. It’s not long before Maddy feels like an outsider with her new community. Her efforts at being a skilled botanist and her ability to forage for food and turn plants into medicine are only bringing resentment from the self appointed leader, Duncan. Some of the other women, Maxine and Zoe, share her concerns but are not willing to stand up in her defense.

It’s not long before Maddy finds herself alone and having to fend for herself. What’s worse is she feels threatened by the rest of them. Will she get off the island alive?

I really enjoyed the spine tingling suspense in this book. The ending was perfect! I do think it could have had a little less detail to shorten it a bit.

My favourite book of the year so far has just been knocked off the shelf and replaced by Stranded! An unapologeyically diva like debut, an outstanding work, a carefully devised plot and cleverly crafted tale.

This book carried me as far away from my reality as I crave for within stories bet have seldom found since childhood, whilst also making me incessantly aware of my presence both in a literal sense and a wider, simultaneously.

I feel I've gained so much from this novel, aside from an amazing read, also some survival knowledge, some fascinating facts about the use of materials, botany and the value in the smallest things. I feel it has caused me to be more contentious and appreciative and mindful of my life, my circumstances and my possessions.

I don't tend to review the outline as that is what blurbs are for, and plenty of other reviews offer this. Besides this book is about feeling, senses, impact, cause and effect, instincts and humanity, or often inhumanity.

This book is a great reminder as to why I prefer staycations!

Maddy signs up for a reality TV show that basically throws her and 9 other individuals (7 contestants and 2 cameramen) onto a deserted island for a year. They’re meant to rough it out and pretend like the world outside of the island has ended.

Mob mentality eventually turns everyone against Maddy (the narrator). Not all of them will survive. And NOTHING will go according to plan.

This is such an atmospheric read that’s hard to put down...but I will admit, the beginning was a struggle. It was hard remembering who was who, and took awhile to get going. Once that was settled, the scenery and dread of the situation took over. The ending felt a bit rushed though.

Whether you like to camp and be adventurous or not, you’ll find something here that raises your anxiety. Kudos to the author for letting that tension build to almost fever-pitch proportions. This is highly suspenseful, and will keep readers gripped.

TW: Poor rabbits. Granted, I should’ve known...given the plot. In this case, it fits into the storyline, and only one scene is a little more descriptive than I would’ve liked.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Now available.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Did I need to request a new book the week of publication? Why yes I did after seeing it pop up in my Instagram feed. Did I push every other book out of my way? Why, yes, I did that too! If Stranded doesn't convince you that reality TV shows are a bad idea, I don't know what will!
Eight people are chosen for a show where they will live on a remote island for a year. There will be two cameramen staying in a different location, monitoring their activities by cameras placed around the island and with each participant wearing a body cam. The rules clearly state the lucky eight are only to go to the cameramen's hut if there is a true emergency, and they will not interfere in the group dynamics.
The story is told from Maddy's point of view. She was homeschooled and has never been comfortable socializing. The deaths of her parents have truly left her alone, and this to her seems like the perfect way to escape her lonely life. Of course, she has no idea that each person was chosen based on their different personalities, and she has no idea how hard it will be to work with the others. For someone who has difficulty dealing with people, Maddy will soon learn what it means to truly be an outsider.
I almost would say it was amazing that such a group of unlikeable characters with questionable survival skills would be chosen. Then, of course, I remembered that reality TV shows thrive on controversy and drama. Who wants to turn in every night and see eight people working together and getting along? I did wonder more than once why Maddy didn't just walk away and get the cameramen to call to have her taken home. I think the fact that she had such limited life skills made her believe that things were okay. We will see though that they were not. By the time the story ends, we will know what group dynamics and adversity will do to this group.
A debut! Say what! A very enjoyable book that was difficult to put down. We have a good idea of who is the ultimate survivor in the first chapter, but it didn't lessen the tension of trying to figure out what ultimately happened on this island.

This was a good book to get me started in my fall/thriller mood. The setting (an island in Scotland) was perfect for this book. I thought the characters were a good group to watch while they live on this island for a year during a reality “survival” competition. None of the characters were really likeable, but I didn’t find that problematic for this book. I liked how in the beginning the present-day chapters showed that everything wasn’t perfect on the island, although do feel it ended up being a little too much foreshadowing than was necessary. Overall really enjoyed this.

Maddy is selected to participate in a reality show where eight people are delivered to an island off the coast of Scotland for a year to document how they subsist and develop a community without assistance from outside influences. I don't want to say too much because it would be easy to include spoilers plus the book blurb already gives a lot away. When I first read a description of the book I thought I had read it before but of course I hadn't. After much googling, I finally realized that this story reminds me a lot of a tv series called Siberia that we had watched in 2013, except this book is much better.

The book is extremely well written and very riveting, a wonderful debut novel. The cast of characters is quite varied although not really developed except for Maddy for whom I felt a great deal of empathy. There's a lot of suspense and tension and I experienced a wide range of emotions while reading it. I liked that there seemed to be a nod to Tom Hanks and Wilson from Castaway in the book! I'm really looking forward to seeing what Sarah Goodwin does next.

Many thanks to Avon Books UK via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this excellent novel. All opinions expressed are my own.

Publication Date: September 16, 2021

This book was absolutely insane! Maddy, the main character, quite literally goes to hell and back in her year on the island. She is ostracized from the other members of the group and it’s unreal what she goes through. It started out as a slow burn, but when Sarah Goodwin turns up the heat she really cranks it up! I don’t think I ever left the edge of my seat. If I had to survive on an island for a whole year, I’m not sure that I’d make it 😅 Special thanks to @netgalley and @avonbooksuk for the E-ARC!

Rating 4
As soon as I started reading this book I could tell it wasn’t going to be your typical thriller. Instead this book was filled with twists, turns, and hidden surprises that will keep you reading until the end. The author does a great job of keeping the reader engaged. This story goes from bad to worse back to bad back to worse and your morbid curiosity will be what keeps you reading. I kept reading because I had to know how and why Maddy was the only one to show up 18 months later. I also had to find out what everyone’s deal was. The side characters were so hateable! Some characters did show growth throughout the story but Maddy was the only character to truly change. Everyone reacted in a way they thought they had to in order to survive. It was interesting to see how some people kept their humanity and others immediately lost it. Not only is this a great thriller/mystery it was a great survival story. I enjoyed finding out how the characters were going to survive on their own especially after the one year was over. The author did a great job describing the dire situations the characters were in. Honestly, at certain points I felt I was on the beach right beside Maddy. She is such a relatable character. She comes from an overbearing family which has left her soft spoken, unsure of herself, and lonely. No matter where she goes she feels like an outcast because she doesn’t know how to communicate with others. Being stranded on this island was no different for her. It was hard to read everything she was forced to go through during those 18 months because at certain points I just wanted to give her a hug. Overall, this was a great book that I would definitely recommend to those who want a unique spin on a survival thriller whodunit story. My only complaint is the book would go into a sprint then back into walking. However, I do understand with books like this not every page can be as exciting because there is much to explain.

**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I really loved this book - all the way through!! It was so well written and the characters were amazing! You really felt yourself feel everything they did, especially for the main character Maddie.

I picked up my kindle every chance I got with this book, which was a nice change as I’ve had a bad run of books lately!

Highly recommend this book and the author, it’s one of my favourites of the year so far.

#NetgallyReview

A dark and somewhat creepy thriller which I read in one day as I couldn’t wait to discover what was happening!

Maddy is one of eight people selected for a reality tv show - The Last Refuge. Four males and four females are sent to a remote island for a year on the premise that the world has ended and they are the only survivors. Can eight strangers get along, work as a team and become self sufficient and survive for a year?

Eight hand picked characters, all with issues, none really likeable to be honest. Was this ever going to work?

Written in chapters from the point of view of Maddy’s journey on the island, present day and also previous to her trip to the island. It all ties in perfectly as it flows really well.

Such a compulsive read as the tension was mounting from page to page. I felt my pulse racing as the story slowly unfolded. There were times when I loathed some of the characters and felt really immersed in the storyline. This just shows how brilliant the writing was.

Absolutely blown away by this. Don’t just take my word for it, read some other reviews on netgalley too.

Many thanks to netgalley, the publishers and the author for an arc. Really happy to read this. Now I need to go and have a lie down to recover!

Note to self-- Never sign up for any survival reality T.V. shows!

I don't even enjoy camping, so this one really had me unnerved as things started to spiral downward.

Tons of tension that builds as the story progresses, many love to hate characters, and lots of backstabbing behavior. Sound like the perfect storm? It was.

If you want to bite your nails off while spending time stranded on a deserted island with a bunch of gossipy cliques, selfish, reckless mates, this is a trip you won't soon forget! The victor tells the story. "The truth is a slippery thing......"

My GR friends made me pick this one up! I'm glad they did, check out all the glowing reviews.

Wow! What a way to begin your writing career! I really begrudged the occasions I had to set this book aside to do other things. I would have read in one session had I been able to. It’s a compulsive read showing that once people are out of their structured environment, how easy it is for the thin veneer of acceptable behaviour to be stripped away. Maddy, who narrates the book has grown up with overprotective parents. In fact, her mother is very controlling. This has followed her into adult life where she appears to be the target for bullying behaviour in the workplace. This leads her to prefer temping. In that way she never quite becomes part of the team. It is more convenient. Less dangerous.
Applying to become part of a year-long reality project – four men and four women chosen to build a community on a remote Scottish island, she feels in some way this may change things for her. Although the group begin well, their camaraderie soon begins to fracture with chilling results.
I totally enjoyed this book. A powerful and compelling read showing the darker side of human nature and one woman’s determination and resourcefulness to survive.

My thanks to Avon Books and the author for an AVC copy via Netgalley.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK, Avon for the arc! This is a fantastic debut. I was hooked from the beginning and never lost interest because the momentum just kept building. The characters are not likable, but they are memorable. The writing just drew me in and made me keep wondering what was going to happen next. The story seems like it will be your typical 'locked room' story, but it ended up being so much more. I won't give any spoilers, but all I can say is WOW.

Stranded is a book that surpassed my wildest dreams…it went far beyond what I expected, and had a haunting quality that will stay with me. This is a book I expected to like, but it was so well-written that I can’t wait to recommend it to others.
The story focuses on eight very different people, cherry-picked by a team of producers to take part in a new reality show. They are to be taken to a remote island off the coast of Scotland where their every move will be recorded as they have to live in a new community for a year. As is made clear, something goes terribly wrong and not everyone survives this experience. Of course, we want to know what happens and how, but we are made to wait!
Our main character is Maddy. Something of a loner she wants to participate in the show as a way of escaping her reality after the death of her parents. Fitting in with new people doesn’t come naturally to her, so we are placed in the enviable position of watching things through Maddy’s eyes…outsiders, monitoring the interactions of the group and left to second-guess the motivations of others based on what Maddy tells us about them.
The other group members have - it’s clear - been picked as a way of generating conflict. Things begin positively enough, but it doesn’t take much to set off a deterioration in the group dynamic. All too soon we’re in a Lord of the Flies-style hell, with each of the group fighting for survival.
There was a certain tension that came from knowing that Maddy survived and was being interviewed about her experience. I feared this knowledge would mar the reading experience, but it actually heightened the tension for me since I was desperate to see exactly what had happened and how she’d managed to escape when things looked so very bleak. I also found the introduction of the supernatural at key moments a positive as it illustrated the extreme mental duress she was under.
I can’t thank the publishers and NetGalley enough for allowing me to read this before publication. A truly exciting book…