Maddy, who is eerily similar to me, is all set to go live on a deserted island with seven strangers for a reality TV show. This is a great debut that follows the events of what happens on that island.

This is an amazing concept and as I already said I have so many things in common with Maddy, I couldn't help but root for her. I read this book today and was fully immersed in it. It has what I love in novels, strong characters. There is also heavy action and mystery that make it an irresistible page-turner.

The pacing slows down in the second half but I still found it to be a compelling read with enough twists to keep me hooked.

I cannot wait for more from Sarah Goodwin!

3.75/5

3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a thrilling debut novel! It kept me gripped throughout and I did not want to put it down. Full of twists and turns about survival. Main character is Maddy who takes part in a reality show where they’re dropped off to live in an island off the coast of Scotland for a year. This follows what happens during that period. Lovely enjoyable read.

Blimey .I think I need a lie down after finishing this book, not in a bad way but because it kept me up for two nights in a row, I couldn't put it down. I really had no idea how this was going to end, about halfway through the book, I wondered if all was as it seemed, and I never really knew until the last page. What a great debut ,I loved it.

Wow!!! this book was incredible but it scared the bejeezus out of me!
*SPOILERS*
I felt so awful for Maddy, socially inept she is ostracised from the island group and frankly I thought most of them were horrible and wanted to punch them for their nastiness.
The horror of the boat not arriving at the end and what on earth had gone wrong was palpable, there are hints of Lord of The Flies for me in this book and I found it disturbing and frightening.
Superb thriller, brilliantly written

Wow ! Just wow! I absolutely loved this book one of the best thrillers I have read so far this year. Could not put it down.

4.5 rounded up.

Buidseach Island off the west coast of Scotland is the location for a reality tv show ‘The Last Refuge’ in which four men and four women have to survive a year with limited resources. It’s an end of days scenario, the mainland isn't safe and they have to create a Utopia using the resources around them, all the while being filmed. Maddy is a botanist and she is our narrator of this incredible tale.

How to describe this gripping novel??? Well, I guess it’s Lord of the Flies meets (not) Love Island with elements of Castaway (no football though) and more than a soupçon of Running (very) Wild with Bear Grylls and in his ‘soupçon’ we would probably have a magic mushroom or three. You can see straight away that the group dynamics are, shall we say, interesting? Maybe explosive is a better phrase. None of the characters are very likeable but that’s all in the producers wicked plan. Good telly would definitely not be the eight chatting happily around a campfire and allocating tasks they amicably carry out, amicable is definitely not the word that springs to mind with what ensues. You even question just how reliable a narrator Maddy is because it’s all from her perspective which is maybe a minor weakness of the book. However, I do root for her.

If you can imagine that campfire again, this time with a bubbling cauldron above it, simmering to a rapid rolling boil with a number of tasty ingredients spilling over the top. Inside we have more than a dash of rejection, several tablespoons of hatred and aggression, flavoured with provocation and a teaspoon of two of contempt to name but a few! Talk about mob mentality and the survival of the fittest!! The tempo gets faster and faster as the book progresses and it’s genuinely hard to put down.

Overall, as debuts go they don’t get much better than this as Sarah Goodwin sure can write! Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Avon Books UK for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Wow! That is how you write a thriller!

I honestly had extreme difficulty putting this one down until I was finished. It was the first thing I grabbed this morning after reading until I fell asleep last night. Don't be tempted to skip on by because of the cover that looks like every other cover in this genre, and the synopsis is very misleading, so skip reading that too and just get yourself a copy of this book.

What you need to know about it:
Maddy has a very unfulfilled life and has been floundering since her parents died. She signs up for and is selected to appear on a reality show where a group of eight people are living on a remote Scottish island for a year with no interference from the outside world. They wear cameras 24/7 and will be picked up after a year has passed.

This book is like Survivor meets Castaway meets Lord of the Flies. It is tense throughout, and although the reader knows from the first page that Maddy makes it off the island, the sense of fear and trepidation for her life and her survival comes off the pages in waves. I'm not sure I could have continued reading without the knowledge of her survival because the tension would have done me in. The not knowing who would survive and what exactly happened to them kept me totally glued to the pages until the end.

For me, the wrap-up is a bit abrupt, especially as the story alternates between the time on the island and an interview with Maddy, and the interviewer alludes to a trial, prison, etc. and those facts are just tied together very quickly at the end without the satisfaction of being able to take a breath in the knowledge before it's all over. That said, this is a uniquely plotted, well-written thriller that should definitely go on every thriller-lover's fall reading list.

Thank you Avon Books for allowing me to read/listen to this thoroughly exciting unputdownable book.

Stranded is a mixture of Bear Grylls survival TV shows/Hunger Games/Lord of the Flies/The Castaways by Lucy Clarke and The Island by CL Taylor, so if you like any of these, you should thoroughly enjoy this read, though there's a lot more to it than that and was only disappointed when it reached the end.

Th audio book is narrated by Esme Sears and I cannot fault her at all. She was a brilliant narrator and had the exact voice I would have imagined for the main character - Maddy, and kept the pace of the book and excitement flowing perfectly. A real spine tingling chiller.

The premise sounded great, and I loved the fact they were going to the island for a whole year, not just the 12 weeks they often do on the Survivor shows. This is a real test for 8 strangers to live together on an island in Scotland for a TV show/experiment. However I can imagine this being made into a very entertaining movie.

My only negative point is that I think the blurb gives away a bit too much of this book. If you're new to it, don't read the whole blurb. Stop at the first two paragraphs as is much more exciting if you don't know how many leave. Luckily I only read the first two paragraphs and there's a lot more tension if you don't know in advance how many leave.

I'll definitely be looking out for any other books by Sarah Goodwin, as if her writing and descriptive text is as good as this, I'll be in for a treat.

I was so excited to read Stranded just based on the Summary alone. True to it’s promise, this ‘locked-door’ type mystery was fantastic!

I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I stayed up way too late and was dog-tired at work on. Do you think I learned my lesson? Absolutely not! Day 2 I stayed up until 3 am so that I could finish it! I had to know what happened, and I was not disappointed!

If you like suspense mystery/ slow-burn thrillers, add this one to your list pronto! The setting was so unique, interesting and scary all at once. I constantly tried to imagine myself in Maddy’s shoes and while I would just do horribly in this type of atmosphere, Maddy was such a great heroine, she made me believe that I could be right there with her, trying to survive on this island.

I’d also like to add that the characters Goodwin came up with for this story were awesomely frustrating! I mean – total J.E.R.K.S! The conflict that they added to the story was amazing.

This one had me totally wrapped up like a pretzel trying to figure out how it was going to end and deserves every one of the 5 stars. Now I feel like I need to go learn some Botany!


Thank you to #AvonBooks and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Did I really want such a close look at the ugliness of humanity, at what life might be like after a disaster? After the last, infamous US presidency and the shitshow of the pandemic I would ordinarily say “Absolutely not”, but some of my favorite reviewers were buzzing about this one and I couldn’t help but have my curiosity piqued.

Full disclosure - I despise reality television and I never watch it.

That said, this book had me riveted from the first chapter. I read it in a day and got a nice book hangover for my efforts, complete with a headache. Worth it.

Well written and wildly engaging, this story grabbed my attention and held on tight until the last page. I highly recommend this one.


My thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an eARC of this title.

A thoroughly enjoyable book that will keep you reading long into the night. The tale of a reality show taking place on deserted island and the way the contestants turn feral is very interesting.
The study of human nature is there for all to see. How people react to stress and what happens when civilisation is left behind.
Very very well written and thoroughly absorbing. I look forward to more by Sarah Goodwin.

Eight strangers are ‘stranded’ on a remote beach off the coast of Scotland. They’ve agreed to spend a year there by themselves for a reality tv program. However eighteen months later, a lone woman is found in a remote fishing village. Desperate to explain what happened to her and what happened to the rest of the group. Where eight arrive but only three leave. I found this book to be an enjoyable read. It’s a novel full of secrets, lies and survival that will keep you turning the page. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and the author for the chance to review.

Wow! Just spent the past couple of days in a complete contradiction... Wanting to know what happens but not wanting the book to end.

This is a unique, extremely gripping, well written thriller. The storyline is completely original, and I could totally see this book being turned into Netflix next great series.

It really explores some of humanity's most unexplored areas as the backdrop is a group in the most natural and basic situation and how tribes and communities work.

There were probably a few unanswered questions left at the end but I'm completely blown away and can't wait to read more by this author.

What a fantastic book , full of tension . I couldn’t wait to get to the end to find out what was happening. It was extremely well written . I will be looking out for this author in the future. Definitely recommend this , 5 star read

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the advanced copy!

Eight strangers, 4 women and 4 men, sign up to take part in a new reality TV show where they will be stranded on a remote island for one year. On the day their ship is supposed to show up to take them home, no one comes. Several months go by, and still no boat shows up to rescue them. Though eight people arrive, only three leave the island. And main character Maddy is insistent on telling her side of the story.

This was SUPER thrilling and fast-paced, and often downright creepy. Author Sarah Goodwin writes so strongly you feel as though you’re on the island with the group. Several times while I was reading I found myself holding my breath.

I tore through this book to uncover the truth about the ultimate mystery: why didn’t the boat come? Ultimately I found myself wanting just a little bit more from the big twist. Definitely goes in the unputdownable category.

Stranded is on bookshelves near you September 16!

Maddie wants to flee from the ghosts that haunt her life after her parents‘ death. Together with seven others, she takes part in a TV experiment in which they have to stay isolated from the world on an island off the Scottish coast for a year. Equipped with cameras and just the most necessary items, the group has to survive in the unfriendly environment. It does not take too long for them until the first conflicts arise. Who does not contribute enough to the community, who is working harder, how can daytime be used in the most useful way? The issues for quarrelling are manifold and Maddie soon finds herself the main target of the male participants. She has always been an outsider, is she just unable of integrating into or group? She tries hard but with lowering food supplies, tension grows and annoyance ultimately turns into blind rage which sets free basic instincts of survival.

Even though Sarah Goodwin’s thriller “Stranded” follows quite a classic scheme, I was totally gripped by the story and hardly could put down the book. The reader follows the first person narrator Maddie thus sharing not only her insecurities and thoughts but also wondering if you can trust her assessment of the situation and feeling hesitant about the other characters’ behaviour and actions behind Maddie’s back. You know from the prologue that things will turn out nasty and that not everybody will survive, thus tension is set high from the start and does not lower at any point keeping you spellbound.

Even though I personally would never take part in such a challenge, I found the setting enthralling. It is well documented what atrocious surroundings in which a bunch of people are threatened by starvation and lose hope of rescue can make of human beings. They turn into animals, it is just a question of when and degree of how horrible the situation becomes. The author does not wait too long for the first small escalations; the characters are well chosen to quickly provide enough room for conflict.

Despite her isolated and overprotective upbringing, Maddie is fairly well equipped for survival. This she needs to be as all kinds of aggressions are addressed to her by her fellows. Her survival instinct kicks in and she is willing to fight back – not matter what it takes. Yet, the other characters are not drawn one-dimensionally either, especially Zoe shows that at times, you are in conflicting situations where you are forced to take sides even though you do not want to and you have to choose maybe the wrong one just because it is the one with the upper hand.

There is no human abyss left out and thus, you only wait for the next escalation level until you reach the ultimate one. Full of suspense, a thriller which definitely deserves this label.

Absolutely brilliant twisty and atmospheric psychological thriller. Very accomplished and hard to believe this is a debut novel. A must read.

Going into it, I thought this would be a typical whodunit, which is one of my favorite tropes. It turned out to be something totally different, but I loved it, nonetheless. We accompany a young woman who just lost her parents to a secluded island, where she is part of a TV-Show. The show is about 8 stranger who challenge themselves to live alone for a year on said island.

We get to meet our MC, Maddy, first. We learn about her struggles now, that her parents are dead. How isolated she always felt and still feels. Maddy always was an outcast and just seeks an escape from her life. This all caused me to feel for her and when everything on the island turned sour for Maddy, I was on her side.
The group reaches the island early in the story and we see them trying to build fire and shelter and forming bonds. With time going on we can see the first cracks in their solitary and team-spirit under the pressure they are under. One aspect that made this book so great, was that It felt realistic how the different characters acted and even when it was unfair towards Maddy, I think this could be something that happens in real life. This made the story feel genuine.

After the initial getting to know the characters, the situation, and the island it got super exciting and unputdownable. It was terrifying and I flew through the pages to get some resolutions. At times I felt very anxious, and I haven’t had that in a long time with a book.

The book was action-packed, fast paced and everything you want in a mystery thriller. I enjoyed the ride and I want more.

Well that was exciting! Eight strangers sign up for a social experiment (to be filmed for reality TV of course) to live in isolation on a deserted island for a year. Survivor is not a patch on this!

They get dropped at the remote Scottish island of Buidseach. They have all brought along some tools and emergency rations. There are caches of supplies buried around the place but mostly they will have to fend for themselves. The group comprises women Maddy, Gill, Maxine and Zoe. The four men are Shaun, Duncan, Andrew and Frank. Maddy has applied for the show as, after the recent deaths of her parents, she is truly alone. She has led a rather sheltered life and wants to discover herself and connect better with others. But it is not so easy.

The first imperative is to build a shelter. Duncan soon becomes the self-appointed leader of the group and it is not long before things get a little heated and tempers start to fray. Maddy doesn’t have quite the polished social skills of some of the others so, while she may be in the right at times, she isn’t able to convey this very tactfully and she soon finds herself the target of much of the group’s angst and vitriol. It becomes quite uncomfortable for a while until, after about 4 months, she is banished from the group completely.

From the start you are aware that things have not gone well and that not everybody made it back from the island. But it is not until you actually read about what happened that it really sinks in. I don’t remember much about Lord of the Flies which was on the high school curriculum but I imagine this was quite similar. Maddy was happy enough doing her own thing as she knew she wasn’t popular. But when the group started actively working against her it became very menacing. There was a pervasive sense of impending doom.

There has been quite a spate of locked room mysteries and deserted island stories lately but this really is one of the better ones. I stayed up late to finish reading it as I just couldn’t put it down. It’s very telling how quickly the thin veneer of civilisation can be stripped away when lives are on the line and survival is at stake. I found it quite confronting at times how vicious the group became. The characters were all very different and, of course, that was done on purpose by the producers of the show. They do always like to foment a bit of drama. Unfortunately, in this case it all went too far! Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

4.5 stars rounded down.

I was not sure I was really going to like this book. Seems like there have been a lot of books lately about stranded people in trouble in remote places. However, after getting into this book, it turned out to be like an episode of Survivor. Maddy who is struggling with the loss of her parents, decides to sign up for a reality TV show being stranded on an island with others. What turns into a group effort soon becomes anything but. Maddy was always an outcast throughout many phases of her life, and this turns out to be no different. She gets ousted from the camp and has to survive on her own. There are so many things happening in this book, you just don’t know who to trust. How many make it off this island alive? And what happens to the ones who don’t? I found this to be a really good book. I definitely would read another one by this author in the future. Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of this book! #stranded #sarahgoodwin