Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy of Reckless Girls, by Rachel Hawkins. This exciting thriller is out now, and would be perfect for both a tropical setting, or to read during scary season!

Reckless Girls kept me captivated through the end. I loved the twists and turns it took, and how everything was never as it seemed.

I’m looking forward to Hawkins’ next book already!

This was not good and yet I finished it.

It was a struggle for me right from the start. I wasn't a fan of Lux and started reading reviews. The points made in several made me curious, so I pushed through.

The plot is non-existent. It's a lot of words for a stupid reveal. Juvenile characters, no tension, no thrillet aspect, and no actual mystery on the island (which felt like THAT should have definitely delivered for as much as the island history was thrown around.)

Overall, something kept me reading, so that's the reason for a 2 star rating. If I would have DNF'd, it would have been 1 star.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

Lux McAllister hasn’t had it easy. Her dad left her mom and started a new family. She had to quit college to care for her ailing mom until she died and left her with no money. Working as a waitress just to get by she meets the charming Nico who is sailing to Maui and invites her to join him. Of course, things don’t go well and now Lux is cleaning hotel rooms to help Nico fix his boat. But, she loves him so she sticks by him.

One night they meet two best friends, Brittany and Amma who want to hire Nico for $50,000 plus pay for his repairs to take them to Meroe Island, isolated in the Pacific because they are looking for an adventure. I was raised on the premise that if something “sounds too good to be true it probably is”, but evidently Nico and Lux didn’t get the message. Nico and Lux agree to the opportunity and off they go with no worries.

When they finally arrive at the “deserted” island there is already another boat anchored there with a very nice couple, Eliza and Jake who provide the group with lots of alcohol and food. And then another stranger, Robbie, suddenly arrives in an old sailboat. At this point, I began to feel something sinister looming. Strange things begin to happen, alliances change and I began to dislike all of the characters immensely. However, I was still captivated by the story.

I gave this book three stars which means I liked it, although I did not love it. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

An adequate take on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, with a twist. A remote and exotic island, three beautiful women, two rich boyfriends. Who will remain standing?

Unfortunately, Rachel Hawkins adult works aren't my favorite. I've tried both of her titles and they're not for me. I found them kind of boring and just not entertaining. I will continue to read her under Erin Sterling though!

This was a rompy and fun eerie book that wove the stories of six strangers together into a page turner. It was gothic and brooding while still sexy, could be a great beach read or holiday read if looking for a book you can't put down

Rachel Hawkins does it again - and this was an absolute escape of a thriller. If you're looking for something to read on vacation while sitting with a frosty drink of some sort, you'll get through this one before you even have to reapply sunscreen.

This book is so twisty and just so good! Most of the twists are predictable, but it’s still very enjoyable. The ending was a little rushed, but overall I really enjoyed this book!

Initially, this book took me a bit to get into. However, about midway through, I couldn’t put it down. It should not be marketed as a fast-paced thrillers, but the twists at the end really smack you in the face, as they’re the last thing you expect to happen! There is definitely a build-up, but this ending is WOW!

Rachel Hawkins is fastly becoming one of my favorite authors. RECKLESS GIRLS is another gothic thriller that pulled me in and didn't let go until the end. The secrets, the tension, and the effortless flow of the writing all add to the addictiveness of this book. So good!

This felt like a common "thriller". It was a quick read and the pace was good, but it definitely did not thrill me. There was nothing memorable about it and the ending was predictable. I didn't care for any of the surface characters either. (2.75/5)

The only reckless thing about this book was my choice to read it. Absolute snore fest with insufferable characters.

Ok, I have to admit that I knew/remembered NOTHING about this book. I just knew I liked The Wife Upstairs and was excited to read Hawkins’ new west adult thriller. And it did not disappoint!

What a damn good setting for a thriller, first of all. The island was balanced just enough between beautiful and creepy that I felt Lux’s moods when she was being affected by her surroundings. I also watch a lot of Survivor, so even when I was unimpressed by a character’s actions, I kind of understood how being abandoned with a specific group of people can really start to unravel your nerves/mental health and lead to problems. (Not that I approved of certain things, but they did also lend to the island’s lore of “bad things happen.”)

Lux and the other (mostly women) characters were all interesting and pretty well defined thanks to the flashbacks woven into the story. I was pretty shook when I started to realize how things were going to tie together. And that ending?? Damn Daniel. I almost slow clapped when I finished the book.

My biggest gripe is that the ending was kinda wrapped up too neatly. I don’t want to get into spoiler territory too much, but I don’t get how Lux could do what she did without being hunted down by the FBI or some shit. Maybe I read it too fast and missed some details, but wouldn’t a boat be missing? And where did Robbie’s boat go?? I have questions!!

Interesting read, enjoyed the plot twists and turns. I didn't really like the characters but then I don't think you were supposed to like them.

This book was one twisty ride! Meroe Island is a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that has a long history. A trip to the island does not end the way a group expected -- and the plot twist is one that I did not see coming!

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

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins is a twisted suspenseful who-dun-it novel that follows six twenty-something year olds as they explore a private island in a style reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. While you automatically grow to like certain characters more than others, at no point do you truly trust of them... especially when people show up dead. The book had me guessing, and second-guessing myself, throughout. I couldn't put it down!

This one had all the makings for a good book! I absolutely loved the setting, but it felt entirely too slow. I was over 60% of the way through the book, and we still hadn't gotten to the thrill or mystery of it. I read it very quickly, but wish there was more to it!

I have a love hate relationship with Rachel Hawkins books. The concept always seems good, but the endings and what is supposed to be a twist/ thriller falls flat. This book is no exception. 6 people on a deserted island, everything seems great at first, until the dead bodies start piling up and some people are not who you originally thought. Luxe and her boyfriend Nico happened into the predicament when two girls on vacation in Hawaii asked to be boated out to this island. Luxe and Nico’s relationship is complicated and arguably not much of a relationship at all. Which is interesting at first, but starts to fall flat throughout the book. I kept hoping for more suspense since this is a thriller, but no part of this book had me waiting on the edge of my seat, by the end I was just glad to be done.

I enjoyed this read. It wasn't super believable, but it was still fun to try to figure out the next moves of the characters and decide who was "good" and who was "bad".

This was a suspenseful, heart-pounding ride with a dreamy setting that exudes the aroma of coconuts and palm tree breezes with murder and intrigue! I read this book in 2 days and found the pacing consistent throughout. I liked the characters and found them to be the right blend of appealing and suspicious. Full review can be heard on podcast The Book Reporters, episode 14, released 1/10/22.