Vacation. Sailing around the world. Creepy deserted island. Six people. Lies. Betrayal. Murderrrrr. An easy read thriller with a twisty ending that didn’t excite me as much as I thought it was going to. It was a suspenseful journey but the ending didn’t leave an impact. I did like the writing style and the way the author set up character flashback chapters in between the present storyline chapters. Also the setting of remote supposed-to-be-paradise island with creeptastic gothic vibes, I felt like I was there.

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, Brittany and Amma. Meroe Island is every bit the paradise they expect, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. The last thing they expect is to find another boat anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are the perfect golden couple. For the first time Lux feels like she belongs with this group of people, but the arrival of a skeevy stranger disrupts the balance and soon cracks begin to emerge.

Last year I picked up Rachel Hawkins’ THE WIFE UPSTAIRS and found myself loving her writing style. Picking up RECKLESS GIRLS brought the same feelings coupled with a great island mystery that kept me guessing. I’m a huge sucker for claustrophobic, isolated stories and Hawkins created just that with Meroe Island. I loved the backstory of the island that was woven in for that creepy history vibe. While I didn’t bond with or feel connected to any of the characters, that didn’t stop me from being fully committed to what was happening. If we’re being honest, they’re all just a bit unlikable and I didn’t trust that anyone wasn’t hiding something. I found myself wanting to know all of their backstories, which Hawkins mixed throughout the present day narrative with flashback chapters. RECKLESS GIRLS is a fun, binge-worthy book that would make for a perfect beach read or an escape from the cold temperatures currently outside!

This was a fast-paced thriller that I really enjoyed. Lux and her bf, Nico, agree to take Amma and Brittany, two girls they just met, to Meroe Island, a deserted island, with a sinister reputation and past. Alternating between now and before and spotlighting the histories of multiple characters, the book does a great job of setting the stage for the ending. While I was able to figure out the ending, for the most part, about 2/3 in, I didn’t have it all correct. Definitely a good read for fans of Lisa Jewell and B.A. Paris.

“Reckless Girls” by Rachel Hawkins
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 1/18

Thank you Netgalley for this arc! I liked it, but didn’t love it. I felt like the shock value wasn’t until the very end of the book. I wanted more hints and twists throughout the book. It took me almost 40% until I was interested. That being said I thought the ending was fabulous, but because there was so many holes I couldn’t give it a higher rating. A lot of the book was unbelievable, but that generally doesn’t bother me. I don’t want to read something obvious and common all the time. It’s fun to get your mind spinning.
Dual timeline: before and now.

Lux is looking for the adventure of a lifetime. She won’t believe what this adventure turns into. When Lux meets Nico and they have an instant connection, but the fact that he has a boat wants to sail the world is exactly what Lux needs. Ever since her mom died she wants to sail and be free. They travel from California to Hawaii where they work to gain the funds to continue their journey. When two vacationers Amma and Brittany offer Nico 50k to travel to a deserted island Meroe Island they can’t pass it up. What could go wrong? When they arrive on the deserted island they find another boat anchored. Jack and Eliza are thrilled to see new faces while they are vacationing while Lux feels uneasy. After days of vacation bliss with great food and company questionable things start happening.

3.5/ 5 stars

Reckless Girls is a thriller.

The book has a NOW/BEFORE dual timeline. The main narrator is Lux (1st person POV). She is the only narrator in the present. The BEFORE timeline has a bunch of 3rd person POVs.

One thing that I really liked about this book was the setting. It starts off in Hawaii where Lux and her boyfriend Nico are living. There is sailing. And there is a remote island in the South Pacific. I liked all of this.

I also enjoyed the remote island. Six people end up there. There are secrets, lies and intriguing backstories. The book is suspenseful and creepy at times.

This is a quick read with fascinating characters. There were definitely some interesting developments towards the end. However this book is quite slow until the end (where so much is thrown at us that it is almost too much). The last chapters did not work for me at all. And I was not satisfied with the ending

think this cover is what made me want to pick it up on the snow day I had on Monday- it just screams tropical and warm. While the cover gives off tropical vibes and the island was a few days sail away from Hawaii, the setting gave a new meaning to the phrase "to die for". (Synopsis if you swipe right!)

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Lux as a main protagonist, she had some rough edges as many thriller mains do, but she was a heroine to root for, and I always find that I enjoy thriller more when that is the case. I also loved that the book jumped around in timelines and perspectives; sometimes I can find that tiring, but in this case, it really helped build up the story. I alternated between audio and physical (and digital! 🤣) with this one, and thought the narrator Barrie Kreinik did a great job narrating and differentiating all of the various female perspectives (I'm realizing as I'm writing this that we never get any of the men's perspectives, which makes sense because the title is reckless girls.. )

My only "gripe" with this one is that I made a correct guess at the twist, but wrote myself off because I thought maybe it was too obvious. I'm not someone who HAS to figure out a thriller as I'm going through; I like being able to connect the dots after the fact in my mind, but I'm also okay with that element of surprise. I also didn't fully see how things would play out, so I still had a reason to read to the end, and it didn't stop my enjoyment of pulling back additional layers of the story.

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins was another winner by this author. I liked the storyline, but I do wish there was a bit more detail of the surroundings because they seemed beautiful, I wanted even more of a picture. The characters were well developed. They grew in many ways – positive, negative, and crazy ways! This was a quick and engaging read.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

When I read the synopsis for Reckless Girls I thought this book was going to be everything I love in a suspense novel. Unfortunately that was not the case.

I did enjoy the start of the novel. Rachel Hawkins did an amazing job setting the scene and atmosphere of the island.

I feel like this novel is lacking the one thing it’s supposed to be and that is suspenseful. Up until at least the 80% mark this novel felt like fiction about girl drama and then it turned into what it was trying to be. But at that point I wasn’t even interested anyone.

Overall I wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t. I would still recommend this one to people who are new to the genre. I think that some of the twist would work well for new readers.
2.5/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Let's go on an adventure to a deserted island! This island is famous for its inhospitable environment- a shipwrecked crew resorted to cannibalism when they got stuck on this island in the past. Yep! Let's go there for a couple weeks with strangers for fun! It'll be amazing!... but of course, for the sake of the plot.... it will not be amazing at all.

The biggest issue I have with this book is the given summary of the story. The summary not only gives away too much of what happens in the book, but those events don't even take place until the second half of the story. I anticipated things happening in the story that didn't happen until the book was nearly finished. Because of that, much of the book felt like a waiting game-- yes, there are characters, yes, they are on an island... but when are people going to disappear? When are they going to DIE?

Here's a new summary: A group of six travel to a deserted island for an adventure. While on the island, their relationships develop and they realize that the secrets that they have been keeping from each other will irrevocably change their friendships.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced e-copy of this book. Reckless Girls is now available- I think that readers of Rachel Hawkins "The Wife Upstairs" will enjoy this one as well :)

Great read. Atmospheric, great characterization, and sinister undertone. The first third of the book is slower paced but picks up and delivers a great ending. Highly recommended.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #RecklessGirls which was read and reviewed voluntarily.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Going into this one, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The only thing I had previously read by Rachel Hawkins was her YA title, Prince Charming. Clearly, that means I hadn't read her previous thriller, either, but let me tell you, reading Reckless Girls certainly bumped that one up on my TBR! While I was reading, I saw some reviews saying that this one was a bit over the top. I can surely see that, but as far as I'm concerned, this was a ton of fun!! Every time I put it down, it constantly left me wanting more. Additionally, I thought the length of it was perfection. It made it perfectly delectable. I'm so thankful I got to read this one early.

Creepy Meroe Island is the intriguing setting for this story where six people go and their paths intersect along the way… I like this premise a lot.
I like the stories about the island and the expectations it sets, the vibe and mood are set by this for me.
I liked the characters backstories, they all had different reasons for wanting to get away from society/life. But, they all share that desire to run away from the past essentially.
There’s mystery that keeps it interesting, like I said I loved the mood and vibe of the story.
All the promise! The anticipation!
The environment and situation brings out the worst in the characters.
Secrets and lies start to unravel. Things get crazy!
At a point, when things are revealed I was kind of disappointed. It wasn’t a BIG twisted thing I was hoping for.
It was kind of anticlimactic, it was a bit predictable.
Overall I enjoyed, I was left wanting something different.
I will definitely try the authors other books.

Reckless Girls is a wicked gothic suspense novel set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history.

Primarily told from Lux's perspective, there are flashbacks with different narrators to flesh out the characters and their backstories. Hawkins also employs the use of letters, emails, and old diaries to give context to the island and its history.

The strengths of the story lie in the compelling narration and atmospheric setting. Meroe's remote location is the perfect choice of setting—its isolation adds another layer of tension.

RECKLESS GIRLS by Rachel Hawkins just published this week and it’s a great suspense novel! I really enjoyed her previous book The Wife Upstairs (out now in paperback!) so I was really excited to read this one. It was an enjoyable slow burn and full of suspense!
.
It’s about Lux who travels with her boyfriend to a remote island with a dark past. I liked the alternating timeline of now and before. As I read about the past it made me more curious to find out what would happen on this island. The writing was kept interesting with article excerpts, tweets and an email. I read this one really quickly in a couple days. If you liked The Wife Upstairs then I’d recommend this one too! Love how the covers coordinate!
.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy!

After not enjoying this author’s previous book, I was hesitant to try Reckless Girls. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed the…trip (pun intended).

I switched between audio and an e-galley because I really couldn’t put this one down. There weren’t any big unpredictable twists but it was still very satisfying. I enjoyed the ending and how everything played out.

The narration was great, and the before/now chapter rotation kept the plot moving at a great pace.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Don’t get discouraged from the negative reviews! Yes RECKLESS GIRLS runs little low on the mystery part, but the general fiction part of four people taking a nautical journey to an abandoned island is done very well!! I enjoyed reading through this book. I liked the vivid descriptions of the island and the things they experience these thrill seeking people experience in that island. Their reactions sometimes came off as over-hyped, but its still enjoyable. Also I believe this story would be better as an audiobook.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley for the reader’s copy! #partner

I loved Rachel Hawkins debut adult thriller, The Wife Upstairs. If you loved that will you love Reckless Girls? Maybe. Let’s discuss.

What DID I love about Reckless Girls? The worldbuilding and super creepy vibe were great! Lux and her boyfriend Nico could use some money to fix up his boat. So when couple of girls asks Nico to sail them to a deserted South Pacific atoll, they say yes. Even though the atoll could possibly be cursed. Sounds fun, right? I watch lots of Below Deck on Bravo so I went in excited for some (haunted) yacht drama! The group reaches the island and finds the yacht of another couple already there. Jake and Eliza are fun and friendly, and their boat is stocked with top-notch food and liquor. But still, something is off.

What did I like less about the book? The plot had twists, but toward the end I got confused by all the revelations in the past/present plot. People’s motivations stopped making sense and it all just started to seem a bit “huh?”

If you love twisty books with a cast of unlikeable characters and an idyllic yet creepy setting, you've got to try this!

Loved this thriller! The setting was the most intriguing part, a deserted island in the Pacific. Lots of mysterious characters. Great ending!

I really enjoyed THE WIFE UPSTAIRS and so I was eager to read Rachel Hawkins' newest book!

While I was drawn in by the premise, it took some time for me to feel pulled into the story, and as much as I wanted to get lost in the mystery and the surroundings of the island, I felt myself getting frustrated with everyone's behaviour and the interpersonal drama.

Generally this one was a fun read and I liked the ending and seeing things come together, but I just didn't feel as captivated by this one as I'd wanted to be.

6 people find themselves off the beaten path in Hawaii, seeking those perfect Instagram worthy shots away from the crowd. However, Meroe Island was known to have a dark history and when someone goes missing, a domino effect of chaos ensues.

The story is good with alternating time lines by several characters and I love finding out how they are all connected.

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read the advanced digital edition.