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.

DNF 40% No rating

I'm sorry to say I couldn't get through this book. I tried my best but I was really struggling to stay engaged. The writing is polished and I love the setting of the island, but I couldn't connect with our protagonist, her voice or the story. A nice way to describe her might be "plain"? A character described her another way, but I'd feel bad saying it.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to read this book. It wasn't for me but I'm sure other readers will enjoy it.

*Thank you to Avon books, the author and NetGalley for granting me access to a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

While his this may be a good read for others this novel isn't for me. I found the pacing slow and the plot was walking the boundary of believability . I'm not one who loves to hate characters in the book I'm reading and I found every single character in this novel unrelatable or straight up unlikeable. I think there's definitely an audience which will enjoy this novel but I just couldn't immerse myself. I got tired of reading a few chapters in, skipped ahead to skim other chapters and realized this just isn't a book that suits my taste at this time . I think I'm more picky about my reads now so maybe I'll come back to this one in a few moments.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

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.

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.

#Stranded #NetGalley
Didn't work for me.
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…
If you're comparing this book with The Castaways then you're doing very wrong. Everyone wants to make their own And Then There Were None but don't get much success like Agatha Christie. So better if you don't copy your ideas from anywhere. The Castaways, The Guest List, The Invitation, Sleep are much better novels than this one. I'm hugely disappointed.
I can't recommend this novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller.

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.

It is not easy to write a review on this book sent to me from Netgalley on Kindle. This is a dark, horrifying story. It is character driven with characters who are so menacing that they seem horrible…there are no redeeming characteristics in this book. The story is almost unbelievable, and at times, I wanted to stop reading. On the other hand, it was difficult to put down…knowing the ending almost became a necessity. I would not read the book again, but it will remain in my memory for awhile…

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!

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