This slow burn story is one that I enjoyed but do not think that I would read again. I think that if you don't mind slower stories this one might be for you. It felt like reading about a reality tv show. The characters were kind of one sided as well. I think that on the surface they were ok but deep down I just didn't connect with them at all. Overall, I wish this one would have gone deeper with the plot and the characters.

I love the premise of this book! The thought of teens in a survival-type reality show sounded really exciting to me. The beginning part of this book was just that and I truly enjoyed it. Then...things go awry. I would have loved for this to be a wilderness survival story, but it becomes a science fiction novel, which I found odd. Even so, the book is very entertaining and I believe teens will like this novel.

Suspenseful, intriguing and mysterious. This novel will have you hooked as you read and follow along with the young adults in this novel. We are introduced to very interesting and vastly different characters - Trip, Brandon, River, Cam and Liza. They all have their own different personalities and I enjoyed seeing their different personalities and sarcastic wits come out in the novel. They were brave when they needed to be, their survival instincts kicked in when it had to, and I enjoyed reading about their strange time on this mysterious island as part of the TV show they were cast upon.

I enjoyed the mystery and suspense around this book and trying to figure out what exactly was going on while they were on the island. The mystery around why everyone on the island seemed to have disappeared and they were seemingly the only ones on the island. Then when strange things begin to happen on the island, it intrigued me to find out what was causing these strange events to happen.

A novel that I would recommend.

Cut Off! Is a reality TV show in which contestants rough it out in the wilderness for the grand prize for surviving the longest. It's meant to be like Survivor, where skills come in handy, but should never come down to life or death. 📺

But the contestants soon find themselves in just that situation; with no help coming when they call, they will have to learn to work with others, fight to survive (FOR REAL this time), and figure out what happened to the TV crew that has seemed to mysteriously disappear...along with everyone else in the world. 🍃

I rate this book a ⭐⭐⭐.5/5 stars. I liked the sci-fi concepts of the book and the screenwriting was a unique idea for the overall story. I also liked that the idea that the idea of embracing the unknowns of life was such a big topic.

However, it took awhile for me to get into the book, which then led to a really awesome climax, but then was difficult for me to finish as well. I wasn't completely invested in the characters although I liked their relationship as friends. It felt a little like the story could have been shorter as well. Overall, it has very unique plot concepts, and the switch in character perspectives was refreshing.

I wanted so desperately to like this book, survivor shows are my not-so-guilty pleasure. The premise is sort of Lost meets Black Mirror, which is awesome. However, it's like the author had ideas for several different stories but decided to save the energy and cram them into one book.

The first two parts of this book are solid. Interesting characters and good pacing. I found it was fairly easy to guess what was going on with the fear influence and VR, the foreshadowing rather in your face. I liked the characters but felt no investment in them. The romantic relationship between Cam and River, in particular, felt like pointless filler. It felt awkwardly developed and forced. And even then I didn't mind because the book was well-written and it drew me in. But by the third act, The Mainland, I couldn't wait for it to be over.

The plot goes completely off the rails. Started as a survival show and ended up a terrible take of Sliders. Ignoring how the science of it makes absolutely no sense, the ending managed to feel both rushed and too long all at once.

I think what this book suffers from its over-complication of a great concept. The idea was cool, the characters were meh, and the ending the equivalent of a confused shrug.

What I Loved: This YA sci-fi thriller follows four different people who have all ended up a survivalist game show (think Survivor without the challenges). When some thing goes horribly wrong and the contestants are cut off from the rest of the world even more than they already were, all hell breaks lose and the contestants encounter their deepest fears. I absolutely loved all of the characters and thought Finlay did a fantastic job

What I Didn’t Love: I don’t have too many qualms about this book except that things got weird the last 1/4th of the book and some turning points that were clearly framed in the narrative as “shoucking twists” were rather predictable. I do find that science fiction is either really enjoyable or just becomes so complex and inaccessible that it takes away from the story. Cut Off, at least sections of it, were the latter for me. I cannot go too much more in depth without spoiling key plot points.

In the end, even thought the plot lost me towards the end, I found the characters quite compelling the mashup of a survival story with a reality show refreshing and unique. Overall, I gave Cut Off 4/5 stars.

I enjoyed this enough to finish it in a few days. Easy read with lots of action. Technology mixed with teens trapped in the woods competing for some much needed prize money via reality TV. The technology twist was a great addition to the typical reality show. I actually hate reality shows, but love trapped in the wild / survival stories.

I was given this book for review purposes.

Based on the blurb, readers would become hooked if they loved Warcross or Lost. Finlay created a horrifically thrilling world that tests what’s real and what isn’t. If you’re a typical thriller fan like myself and love elements of sci-fi, romance, and intrigue, it’d take you no time to finish such a book.

Plots like these are becoming very popular in the sci-fi genre, Finlay made a good choice to get right into the action! Written in third person, readers grasp each of the main contestants’ backgrounds from past interviews. I admit, I would’ve liked if we met the other contestants, but these few served justice. The worldbuilding itself had similar features to The Hunger Games as the story continued and that tension throughout when the contestants would face an obstacle felt really nostalgic! They’re recorded through cameras called Skyms, which follow their every move. Yet the virtual reality comes in for the viewers watching at home and they can receive the same experience (sounds and sensations) that the contests go through.

The characters are very distinct and the further they’re evaluated, the more readers realise why they have been chosen amongst so many who signed up to be on the show. It’s the typical stereotypes of the experienced one, tech one, independent one and etc. However, I couldn’t quite make a connection to any of them personally.

We have River who’s the experienced one that lost both parents and is very caring toward others. Cameron is closed up at first, yet she changed drastically in the second half of the book. I don’t know if I missed something, but I couldn’t see her character development. As past reviews have said, she all of a sudden became the main cause and solution. It would’ve worked better if they all were partially important. There’s also Trip who’s the rich tech dude. Somehow, the friendship he created with River and Cameron were my favourite parts. There are other characters I could mention but they all surround spoilers, so you’d have to read the book to hear about Brandon, Liza, and Jacob.

The romance in this book, like many others mentioned, didn’t capture me. It was cute at times through everything that they went through, but I don’t think it would’ve mattered if it happened or not. An emotion that Finlay represented well was fear. Most of their obstacles are based on fear and it’s such a state of delirium that they go through, they’re so trapped by fear to even consider what’s real or not. This type of scenes would leave readers sitting back and taking a breather.

Overall, this book was fun to read and I’d imagine it on the big screen in a few years. It’s written so visually that it’s hard not to picture the entire story in your head. The ending, without giving any spoilers, was kind of melodramatic for me. So much happened in such a short amount of time and the characters went through all that just for a vague time skip and a reunion at the end? However, Finlay nonchalantly leaves an opportunity for a sequel. That’s smart. I’d still read it because through everything that these characters went through, I don’t believe their story is finished.

Lost meets Hunger Games, which for me equaled "Why Read?" This book added nothing. I found it compelling because I wanted to know what was going on, but like Lost, it disappoints. It's very predictable. The characters are not very multidimensional. Nor are they very diverse, in race or gender, which is odd for YA.

I sadly just wasn't into this. The idea of it and the synopsis sounded so great but the story fell way flat. The characters while interesting enough with their secrets and fears just couldn't carry the story on their own. I never felt a connection with any of them which made me disinterested in what was happening even on the occasions when something actually did. Things just moved so slow, too slow.

I also really hated the insertion of the interviews thru out the story. They interrupted my train of thought more than anything else and were just plain annoying, The information they contained should have been presented in a different way somehow because clearly this was not it! I felt kinda cheated with the conclusion after I had to make myself continue on to the end.

I flippin love YA scifi. Throw in a reality angle and I am SO in. I also need a movie of this, please and thank you. Will purchase and recommend!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Cut Off

Author: Adrianne Finlay

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 1/5

Recommended For...: sci-fi, ya, reality show

Publication Date: August 11, 2020

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Pages: 384

Synopsis: Each contestant has their own reasons—and their own secrets—for joining the new virtual reality show CUT/OFF that places a group of teenagers alone in the wilderness. It’s a simple premise: whoever lasts the longest without “tapping out” wins a cash prize. Not only that, new software creates a totally unprecedented television experience, allowing viewers to touch, see, and live everything along with the contestants. But what happens when “tapping out” doesn’t work and no one comes to save you? What happens when the whole world seemingly disappears while you’re stranded in the wild? Four teenagers must confront their greatest fears, their deepest secrets, and one another when they discover they are truly cut off from reality. Sci-fi, mystery, and romance converge in this high-stakes, fast-paced read that will leave you guessing to the very last moment.

Review: I had to DNF this book at about 32%. The book didn’t draw me in and it’s entirely too slow of a pace for what I would want in this type of book.

Verdict: Not for me, but maybe for you.

When I saw that this books was for fans of Warcross (LOVED!!) and Lost (also LOVED!!), I was hooked. The survivalist part of the book was good, and when we added in the virtual reality part I so very much loved in Warcross, I was thrilled. I loved reading from different characters' perspectives. Up until the last 25% of the book or so, I loved almost everything about the book.

However, I felt that the last 25% of the book just happened too quickly. There was so many things happening, and new twists being added, that it was just too hard for me to follow. Without going into spoilers, I felt that the sci-fi aspect went just a step too far for me.

Cut Off is about a group of teens who are cast in a virtual reality TV show set in the wilderness. However, something goes awry and the teens are now forced to fight for their lives.

This story starts off with a lot of action, but as the story progresses it goes into a more sci-fi direction. Some might enjoy the twist, others may not. I did feel that the ending was off, almost as if the author was unsure at how to end it.

Adrianne Finlay has a talent for sucking the reader in and that talent really shines in this book. I loved the characters and their development. I will admit that the plot seemed to drag in places but when the action picked back up, it was worth it.

More like 2.5 stars! The overall story was interesting but the writing tripped me up at times. I also found myself a bit bored at times too which kinda sucked. Just a nope

Cut Off is about a group of teens chosen to be part of a brand new, cutting edge reality tv show about survival in the wilderness. They must live as long as possible on their own, with only a few supplies and their own intelligence, courage, and know-how. The last teen standing wins. Each of them is followed by a state-of-the-art drone, which captures their experiences in real time first-person view, so that people watching at home can experience it through virtual reality as if they were there themselves. The competitors also have access to a panic button that they can use at any time when they are ready to quit or if they are in danger, and if they push it, they will be removed from the game immediately. The problem is that those panic buttons have stopped working, and everyone left in the game begins to realize that the dangers are real and no help is coming.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book, because it had a very Hunger Games feel (minus the killing each other part). As the story progressed, it went off into a whole different direction than I expected, and I found myself losing interest the longer I read. I'm sure some people will really enjoy the twist, but for me it just kind of fell flat.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Netgalley in return for my honest critique and review.

First things to know about me: Lost is my favorite TV show and Warcross is one of my favorite books of all time. If you tell me that a book is going to appeal to fans of that show and book, you know for a fact I am going to read it. Here is my dilemma with Cut Off, I think the idea behind it is really cool. You have the Lost vibes, I can see why they compare it to Warcross and at some points I even got The Hunger Games vibes from it. It has that thrill and mystery factor to it that had me wanting to keep reading. But the bad points outweighed the good ones with Cut Off. I had no interest in the characters at all and I could form no connection with any of them. I mention it in tons of my reviews, if I can't connect with any characters, I am going to struggle with the book. Second, I DNFed Cut Off at 35%, that far in and nothing had enticing happened that pulled me into the story more. I was ready for all of the science fiction aspects and the mind bending I was promised and just nothing. I am sad I had to DNF this one because I was really excited for it, but sadly it just wasn't for me.

Here we are dropped in a virtual reality game show for the world to see. This book really pushes the limits to VR, fear, and reality. I was getting Hunger Games vibes literally from page 1, although this is certainly not the Hunger Games, in fact, I think I liked it more. This is the perfect kind of sci-fi to me. I’m Not a fan of sci-fi in space and this story really focused on the tech side of sci-fi. We’re talking things you would find in the tv show Fringe. The characters were amazing and well placed together. The action was non stop, exciting, creepy, and intense. The way the story evolved was deep and interesting.

I think this story is going to be big.

I disliked the way that this book ended. I felt like the author said when how the heck am I going to finish this. It didn't seem to fit with the whole rest of the book. I gave it 3 stars because I was enjoying it up until the final 1/4 of the book.