First off, I went into the book blind, choosing it solely on author after reading the Wife Upstairs. This one felt like a really slow burn, one that left you wondering when something was going to happen because you knew something was. I just didn’t know what, who, or when. When during the last few chapters the full story comes out and the twists arise it all begins to make sense. You realize that people are not always who they say they are and people often have an agenda. I liked the characters. They were perfectly placed and described to make you feel like you understood them. I liked the location, an abandoned tropical island with a dark history. I liked the character interaction. I do feel it could have gone just a little quicker to get to the twist and point but overall, well written and great plot. 3.5/5.

For me this was a good read but not a great read. I enjoyed it enough overall to want to take a look at anything else Rachael Hawkins has or will write. I was attracted by the locked room/and then there were none theme. Put it on a very remote South Pacific island with a dark history and a possible curse, count me in.
I didn't give it more stars because, honestly, I couldn't connect or really care about the characters. They were all mid twenty to early thirty and there was a serious over use of the F bomb. That didn't offend me - I saw it as a lack of linguistic imagination. The characters were so entitled that I wanted to shake them at times - they were all vying for the "reckless" award.
What did grab me was the setting with the ensuing tension. I have a weakness for locked room mysteries packed with suspense. Reckless Girls delivered on those counts. When I got to the ending I was a bit disappointed by the way things were wrapped up. Yes, I wanted more 'something' but it wasn't a deal breaker.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Griffin and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The book started off very slow for me and I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue. Then it picked up once Robbie steps on the scene. As the story went along it became predictable and I really had to suspend reality for this plot be believable. I ended up skimming the last few chapters and the way it unfolded was decent. This is the second book that I have read by this author and it was a miss for me again. Time to part ways.

Reckless Girls • Rachel Hawkins
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This is my first book by Rachel Hawkins and from reading reviews from her other books I had high expectations. Unfortunately this book missed the mark for me. Don’t get me wrong I thought the book was alright but I felt it could have been so much better!
When I first started reading the book knowing it was a thriller I was suspicious of everyone and every little thing, which I didn’t mind, but I did feel that it dragged a bit throughout, and it did pick up about halfway through but I found it really picked up a lot in the last 20-15% of the book.
I did enjoy the glimpses into all the girls backstories mixed throughout the book.
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Overall I thought it was an okay read - maybe I just had set my expectations a little too high but others may enjoy it a lot!

Thank you to @NetGalley for gifting me an early copy in exchange for an honest review
#RecklessGirls

1.5 Stars

After reading and loving The Woman Upstairs last year, I knew I'd be picking up Rachel Hawkins next Mystery/Thriller release. Reckless Girls follows a woman named Lux, who realizes she's been aimlessly wandering through life when she accompanies her boyfriend, Nico, on a trip guiding two other young women to the deserted island of Meroe in Hawaii. When they first arrive, the island is just the paradise they've been hoping for. That all changes when, as the blurb states, they start being picked off one by one with no way to call for help, and chaos ensues.

This story started off strong; Lux was finally getting a taste of her dream to travel, and even though it felt like she was tagging along, she was having the time of her life. The characters were interesting - I loved Lux's history and there was a lot of mystery surrounding Brittany and Amma. We were discovering some of their secrets with the past interspersed throughout the story, and we were also learning more as Lux did. I also liked Nico's character and found his choice to give up his family fortune to be intriguing. But this is where the good ended for me. There was a huge missed opportunity with the whole island of Meroe. We were given a few snippets of fictional book passages regarding ghost stories on the island, but that's it. There was no attempt at atmosphere building, and something comparable to the aura in Lock Every Door by Riley Sager or The Turn of the Key from Ruth Ware could have really elevated this story. There really were no thrills here, and I found parts of the story to be predictable. As for the ending, I found that lacking as well as disconcerting. SPOILERS I find this trend of women who simply cannot move on without murdering or exacting revenge to be incredibly disconcerting. There is nothing empowering about staying steeped in anger. I'm not saying people can immediately move on; it's a process. But there is strength in moving on or trying to, no matter how hard it is or how long it takes. Show me a woman who has that kind of gumption, and I'll have tremendous amounts of respect for her. Aside from that, there were a whole host of mental issues that cropped up at the end, making it seem as if all of the women in this story were unstable. It was disappointing to say the least.

Overall I found the end to be incredibly unsatisfying. It took a solid four star read down to a star and a half, and it painted women in a terrible light. I'm sad to say that I would not recommend Reckless Girls.

“What am I when you strip everything else away? I’m a motherf*cking survivor.”
This book kept me guessing throughout. It was a wild ride! The characters have interesting back stories and Lux is a survivor! I was rooting for her and even with her bad decisions she did not give up. The setting of the deserted island was beautiful and serene. Until things got sinister, then the island became an enemy. This book pulls you in with the mystery and intrigue of the past and present POV chapters. I enjoyed The Woman Upstairs last year and this one as well. What a thrill ride!

Email: DaniReadsTooMuch@comcast.net
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Seductive and super compulsive read! I read this thriller suspense in one sitting and this was a perfect read to pull me out of my reading slump!!

This book gives you that escapism from real world with the characters who are super entertaining and story plot thickening as you get further into the book! It has multiple view points with present and past woven into the premise beautifullyM

I highly recommend this desert thriller to all you suspense lover out there and I can’t wait to read The Wife Upstairs

Thank you @stmartinspress and @NetGalley for my gifted advance galley that releases tomorrow, Jan 4, 2022

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins is a slow-burning suspense story that really gets under your skin—told from numerous points of view which moves back and forth in time. That really allows us to get to know all the characters. Each page builds tension and suspense at just the right pace to keep you hooked. I can't wait to read more from the author.

Reckless Girls was such a fun read for the middle of winter! I sat by the fireplace while it was snowing outside and got lost in this tropical island thriller. I'd rate it as a 3.75 for quality, but a 4.5 when it comes to page-turning!

Things I Loved
- Most of this story takes place in the "Now", but it also bounced back to "Before" for each of the characters so we could learn more about their backgrounds. I loved when I reached a "Before" chapter and had to figure out who the chapter was about! Being able to make a connection between their past life experiences and how they were acting in the present really added to the character development.
-The tropical island setting and the description of the beach, ocean, jungle, boats, etc. Meroe Island was described in a way that I could picture the events taking place there as if it were a movie!
- I love the way Rachel Hawkins builds suspense throughout her books. It didn't feel fast-paced, yet I couldn't put it down because I had to know what was going to happen. The more I learned about the characters and events that brought them to the island, the more excited I got about putting pieces together and finding out who was going to make it off the island alive.

Things I Didn't Love
- There were a lot of swear words that I wish weren't included. I don't mind a few, but it seemed excessive.
- The ending felt rushed and it made me dislike the main character.
- Adding an epilogue was a good idea and necessary after the way the story ended, but it was a little disappointing. I had to read it twice because I was confused.

If you like bonfires on the beach, exploring deserted islands and/or thrillers that will keep you guessing until the very end, this book would be perfect! Even though a few things fell short for me, I love Rachel Hawkins' writing style and will definitely continue to pick up and recommend her books. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review it!

From my blog: Always With a Book:

Last year, I absolutely loved Rachel Hawkins’ The Wife Upstairs, so of course I jumped at the chance to get my hands on an early copy of Reckless Girls…and what a fun escape it was. I once again went the audio route and I personally think it’s the way to go if you get a chance.

I would describe this one as a slow-burning suspense story that really gets under your skin. I love that there are so many different points of view and that it moves back and forth in time. That really allows us to get to know all the players…or does it? Do we really know who we are dealing with here or just who they want us to believe they are? You really need to pay attention here because as the flashbacks are giving us the backstory, clues are being dropped, if you know what to look for.

This book, while a slow-burner, builds tension and suspense at just the right pace to keep you hooked. I really had no idea where things were headed, other than it wouldn’t end well. The twists were so well played and kept me guessing every time a new one popped up.

I’ve always loved locked-room mysteries and this one was just so clever, happening on a remote island. It definitely doesn’t make me want to head to one anytime soon, but I did enjoy this one all the same and highly recommend picking it up!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book. I feel like it gave me a good taste for her writing style. I couldn’t put the book down. Although nothing truly happened until about 65-70% into the book I still found myself enthralled. I didn’t really care for any of the characters. This book lost some stars because the characters were not relatable, there were holes in the plot and a decent amount of unanswered questions. I’ll definitely be reading more by Rachel Hawkins because I think she a good writer and her book definitely entertained me.

SPOILERS INCLUDED

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this island-getaway suspense (though not really) novel. It was nice, light reading; a great way to kick off the year, and what I call a great vacation read. But (and SPOILER AHEAD), how did Amma not recognize Chloe/Eliza on the island? This feels way too much like a major plot hole for me to *not* complain.

3/5 stars

In a book that gives me And Then There Were None VIbes, we meet Lux and her boyfriend Nico, who are scraping out a living in Hawaii working on boat repairs and dreaming of sailing around the world. When Nico is approached by two young women who want to visit a remote island and experience a vacation off the grid, they accept the offer of a job and a friendship. When they arrive on the island, they've been beaten to the location by a couple on an expensive boat. It all seems ok when they become a little "found family" and explore the primal nature of the remote island. But then another stranger shows up. This thriller was a tense and exciting journey that shows us that sometimes the people we think are strangers are not really strangers, and sometimes the people we think are friends are more than they seem. It had a very Agatha Christie feeling, and I enjoyed it. The characters were complex and interesting, and I loved their interactions with each other. They each had a past they were attempting to overcome, which made them feel more human and relatable to me. It was tense, beautiful, lovely, and scary. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a twisty thriller!

Six strangers on a remote island in the South Pacific escaping reality. Cut off from civilization and all hiding something from their past, tensions arise between the 6 when a 7th and sketchy person joins them. Then things get extra creepy when one person is found dead and another is missing.

This book sucked me in from the beginning - 6 twenty somethings on a remote island living the good life, that alone was a fascinating dynamic. Plus, they clearly all have secrets and back stories and I just needed to know what was going to go wrong. I loved the flashbacks - it kept me wondering how all of these backstories were connected, and who was really the “evil” one. This one was super binge-worthy - I read it in a day. It’s a fast, fun read and would make the perfect beach read (or if you want to just pretend you’re on a beach since its winter that works too).

I went back and forth on formats and was extra impressed by the audiobook. The narrator was able to flawlessly cover all the characters with different accents and she nailed it!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copies.

Reckless Girks by Rachel Hawkins is a highly anticipated suspense that comes out tomorrow - January 4th.

I was drawn into the setting - a remote island in the South Pacific with a dark history and in my opinion the setting is the best part of this novel.

I don't want to give too much away. Lux and her boyfriend are hired to sail two college best friends to a remote island since they want to go off the beaten path. When they arrive they find another couple there and forge a fast friendship in this paradise. When a sketchy sailor appears it throws things off balance and this paradise turns into a nightmare...

While I was engrossed in the story and couldn't put it down there was sometimes the whole time that I wasn't loving about the story. The characters were unlikable to me, though I did like the twist, I found the ending kinda meh..

This story is a SLOW burn.... keyword is slow because the majority of the action of the book happens in the last 20%. There is a lot of character building and not a ton of plot besides eating, drinking wine, and sunbathing. And then all of a sudden there is a twist, after twist and another twist almost too many twists. So much happened in so few pages that I was confused at some points and had to rewind to keep up with everything happening.

All the characters are pretty two-faced and I did not appreciate that there was not at least one character who was not morally gray. I enjoyed this book and at times I could not put it down just cause I was waiting for something significant to happen. I did enjoy the dramatic ending.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this copy in exchange for an honest review

Lux and Nico are stuck in Hawaii trying to earn money to fix his sailboat so they can travel around the world together. When they're offered $50K to sail Amma and Brittany to an honest-to-God deserted island, they jump at the chance. Upon arrival, they find that another boat is already there, and they quickly become friends with the rich and gorgeous Jake and Eliza. It's the perfect island vacation, but everyone has a secret. The arrival of another person, Robbie, changes the dynamic of the island and things turn deadly.

This is a propulsive and well-paced thriller that I binged in two days. The book alternates between present-day on the island, and scenes from our cast's histories. These glimpses into the past add to the suspense, as the reader wants to know what secrets the characters are hiding and how they might lead to murder. However, the final reveal and the last chapter are ultimately unsatisfying. There are a few gaping holes in this plot that make the ending a bit too far-fetched for me. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the free digital copy.

"I see you, Lux. I see a woman who cleaned up other people's shit, literally, so that her rich boyfriend could cosplay as a sailor. A woman whose father abandoned her, not once, but twice. I see a woman who deserves some kind of happiness, some kind of freedom in the world....The world took your family. It took mine. So, I'll say it again : we deserve to take back."

Rachel Hawkins delvers again with this hybrid Blue Lagoon/ Lord of the Flies/Thelma and Louise twisty thriller that will keep you breathless until the last page.

Lux is a survivor by circumstance, not by choice. Her mother died after a grueling battle with cancer during her college years and her father has re-married and had more children, effectively closing off a relationship with her. She's scrappy, used to figuring it all out and making her own way in the world. When she meets Nico, she's immediately intrigued. This gorgeous, wealthy free spirit promises her travel and adventure aboard his boat and Lux who has been too saddled down by care-taking and trauma, dismisses any lingering questions and eagerly embraces this opportunity for a fresh new start.

Nico and Lux land in Hawaii. After working for several months, Nico gets approached by two women, Brittany and Amma, who want him to take them to Meroe Island for an off the grid adventure. The island's dark history of cannibalism and death has a "haunted house" appeal that is irrestible to the women. Nico tempted by the huge payout they offer, agrees and brings Lux along for the adventure.

Meroe Island is a picture-perfect paradise-everything that they have been promised. The group soon encounters another boat on the island, carrying a wealthy, fun-loving couple, Eliza and Jake. Soon, their group of six is partying on the beach nightly, drinking, eating delicious food, and sharing...maybe too much.

It seems the island is closing in on them all and as tensions mount and as disaster and even death start to strike, Lux is determined to keep her sanity intact and to do what she does best: Survive.

The slow build-up of the novel might irritate some readers, but it ultimately pays off in the ending reveals. It's a clever thriller with a feminist-leaning that will challenge your thinking and give you a surprise or two.

Definitely a worthy follow-up to The Wife Upstairs, which I also enjoyed and a recommended "add" to your TBR.

A thriller that takes place on a deserted island, what could go wrong?

Six people travel to the beautiful deserted island, Meroe Island, an island known for shipwrecks and rumors of murder. At first life on the island is blissful, swimming in the blue ocean and drinking wine at night. All changes when someone goes missing and a body is found.

Reckless Girls was a fast-paced thriller told during present time and the past. I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it. My only complaint was the ending felt a little too rushed.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The first half of this book seemed sort of like fluffy chick-lit but the ominous feeling that something bad was going to happen kept me reading. Hawkins does a wonderful job of creating an atmosphere of unease and anticipation even before anything really happens. She uses the first part of the book to give the reader backstory on all the characters - making it feel like we know everything that's going to happen. Not even close! I did guess some of the ending but certainly not all of it!

A very entertaining read!