This is the first book by this author that I have read. It will not be the last. Thank you, @NetGalley and @St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this book!
I simply devoured this book, it was that great! I was reading it every chance I got, because I had to see what was going to happen to Lux next. Sometimes we want something so badly, only to find out when we get it that it was not quite what we had in mind. After that,,,we can go along with what's happening, or we can find a way to try to improve on our fate. This book was mainly about 7 different people that ended up on a deserted island together and how paradise quickly slithered away when the truth about each of them started coming out. The book is mainly told from the perspective of Lux, a girl who simply wasn't sure about who she was or the person she wanted to become. Trust me, this is one book you will not want to miss reading!

I thought this was an enjoyable thriller! I really loved the tropical island setting, especially since they set out from Maui. The isolated island was great. It gives off closed circle mystery type vibes (which I love) because they're in the middle of nowhere and if things go wrong, they're on their own. This definitely increased the tension levels, though I do think there could have been more things happening with the natural threats.

The pacing was great overall. It was quick to read, and it kept me wanting to pick it up. There are several timelines and characters to follow here. It mostly takes place in the present following Lux, but it does have some "before" chapters woven in to establish some backstory for several characters. I liked this overall, though I did find the current day timeline to be more interesting.

I liked Lux as a main character! She moved out to Maui to start a life with her boyfriend and travel the world (at least, that's what she thought). They've had some boat problems and money trouble which have prevented them from doing so, but she still dreams of getting out there. I definitely rooted for Lux and sympathized with her for some of the situations that arise here. She's first and foremost a survivor, and she finds hidden wells of strength over the book.

Lux's boyfriend, on the other hand, isn't the best. I definitely got some sketchy vibes from him because he seems to not really be the same as he portrays himself. The two girls that hire them, Amma and Britney, are both interesting. They're supposed to be great friends, but they seem to have some faults in their friendship. Both have some good moments, but they also have some that make them seem like they have more to them (and that maybe they aren't as nice as they seem).

I definitely figured out some connections between the characters early on, but I still liked reading to confirm this. I'm not necessarily sure that I loved the overall reveal with people's motivations, but I still had a really good time with this overall. I'd definitely recommend this, especially to those who want a tropical setting for a thriller or enjoy closed circle mysteries!

My video review can be seen on my booktube channel (around minutes 10:54-14:01 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKD7YP5P3f0

Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico are hired by two women to sail NIco's boat to Meroe Island - a remote island in the Pacific. It seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Lux is quick to bond with Brittany and Amma, and all seems to be going great until they get to the island and find another boat already there. Jake & Eliza it in great with their group though, and seem to be wealthy, and not afraid to show it. Soon everyone is enjoying their expensive wine and food and they are having a great time. A third boat shows up...this one with a lone skeezy guy on it, who creeps everyone out. When he finally pushes them to their breaking point and they force him to leave, he runs off into the jungle. The next day they find all of their radios smashed and no way to communicate. Then, one by one, people go missing, and Lux wonders if any of them will make it off the island alive.

This is sort of like an island version of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". The story is told in alternating parts between past and present and ends with the people on the ship that arrived at the island next and found everyone being interviewed. It is a fairly quick read, and it definitely kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next and who was going to be the last man (or woman) standing. This is a very entertaining book that anyone who enjoys a good mystery would like.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Jan. 4, 2022
Rachel Hawkins (of “The Wife Upstairs” fame), returns with her escapist, adventure-fueled suspense novel, “Reckless Girls”.
Lux and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired by Brittany and Amma, two young women traveling the world, to take them to the remote island of Meroe, in the South Pacific. Meroe is full of tragedy and mystery, and stories have been told of soldiers abandoned there after the Second World War, forced into cannibalism to survive. Desperate for the money to start their own adventure, Nico and Lux agree and soon the four of them are enjoying the breathtaking views of Meroe Island. But they aren’t alone. When wealthy young couple Jake and Eliza sail to the island, the fun only increases as the vacation turns into long nights of partying. But then someone turns up dead. And then someone else. Soon, Lux is fighting to stay alive on an island where she has no contact with the outside world. And she doesn’t know who to trust.
Meroe Island is the kind of place that is featured in Hollywood films- quiet, with no signs of life for miles, long stretches of glorious beaches and tropical waters. But of course, like in Hollywood movies, it is definitely too good to be true. Six young travelers coming together inevitably leads to a private party, which is pure escapist fiction at its finest. Hawkins can paint a beautiful and descriptive setting, and it was easy to picture myself on the sandy beaches of Meroe. Even for someone who gets seasick, the idea of traveling through the Pacific on a sailboat with the wind in my hair, well, it had me daydreaming.
Hawkins introduces us to fickle, shallow and vain characters, although they still manage to be relatively likable, their youth used as an excuse for their ridiculous behaviour. As Hawkins’ various twists and turns take the plot on a joyride, I couldn’t help but be pulled along.
The story is told from two time periods, present day (when everyone is on the island) and before (drawing attention to the tragedies and traumas that brought each couple to the island in the first place). The present is narrated by the protagonist, Lux, and the “before” periods are narrated by everyone else. The chapters are clearly labeled, which made it easy to read, and helped not only with character development, but it added an additional layer of suspense.
“Reckless Girls” is not entirely unique, but the story is well-written, and the suspenseful twists and turns brought about an enjoyable (although not entirely unexpected) conclusion.

Excited that this is a BOTM pick for January! This was perfect to read during a cold winter day... it brought me to a different world. The "twist" wasn't especially surprising to me, but I did love the ending!

Though the story made me want to get to open water and just sail away, it was just a ok read for me.
The slow pace just didn’t keep me intrigued.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved the concept of this book. A bunch of strangers, a couple of lovers, stuck on a stranded island that has a LOT of speculation of being haunted/bad vibes. But it fell flat. I guessed VERY early on the entire plot of the book which was very disappointing. While it did keep me interested, and I read in two days, it wasn't what I was hoping. I found the main woman to be very annoying constantly saying that she "knew she shouldn't do this" or her constant insecurities and apologies. You need a lot of willful ignorance throughout this book to believe almost any of it. I mean two weeks on an island with no water and these people are drinking 3 bottles of wine a night. Who the F brings 75 bottles of wine on a boat trip? It was however entertaining and a fun read.

Wowee! I devoured this book. It has been a wile since a thriller has grabbed my attention and made me not wanna to put it down. Even though I predicted what was going to happen, I still enjoyed this!!

Lux’s life isn’t perfect. Her mother, her only family, has passed and a cute guy offering to take her along on a sailing trip is something she can’t pass up. But iy doesn’t really end like she thought it would until two strange women ask Nico, the guy and her boyfriend, to charter them to an island that’s supposed to be secluded. They can’t pass up the money so they do. But when they get there there are two other people. Secrets that are deep are about to be exposed and this trip was something more than Nico and Lux had even expected.

I loved the back story of how the characters fit together. How they chanced into each other’s lives and someone made for one explosive killer story. How an island with its own secrets could make you reveal who you truly are. And Lux’s character proves to be a fighter. Survival of being thrown into an explosive adventure you didn’t see coming and than the continue on the path that was shown to you. I thought it was a well written plot. We not only meet these people but like I said get their whole backstory of how they’re connected.

I just couldn’t put it down and Rachel has a way of doing that with her intense building. Thank you to St. Martins Press for the advanced copy. I gave this a 4.5-5!

I am not sure how I feel about this one. I ended the book and went, "Huh." Let me say this, it is an interesting one. It is sort of trashy not classy. Can I say that? I say that with some affection. It is a wild read and I was never bored. The entertainment here is in full force. That all said, I am not sure I liked it? All the characters could have been eaten by sharks and I would have been fine. They are truly all terrible with a capital T. Except for one who really is an obvious victim and her treatment lowkey bothered me.

It did have some And Then There Were None vibes and I love the trapped island setting. The concept was absolutely intriguing. The character POVs were slightly confusing, however. I am not really sure what purpose some of the POVs served her. They were not necessarily enlightening with regards to character development. It was a miss for me. The drama though. All the drama! These characters definitely brought the drama.

I think this is going to be a read that you may see a lot of mixed reviews for. I think some people are absolutely going to love the entertainment value of this one. I think other people are going to hate the character development and reveals for very good reason. I find myself in a weird limbo where I can see both sides. This makes it a solid 3 star read for me. I liked it I think?... Or maybe I didn't.

**4.5-stars**

🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛

After Lux follows her new love, Nico, to Maui, things do not necessarily go as the couple had initially planned. Their dreams of sailing the world on Nico's boat, <i>The Susannah</i>, get derailed after a minor accident damages the hull. Without money to do the repairs quickly, Lux ends up at a dead end job cleaning luxury hotels, while Nico slowly works at getting <i>Susannah</i> sea-worthy again.

At the boat yard one day, Nico is approached by two college-aged women, Amma and Brittany, whose charter boat had fallen through. They want to go to the deserted island of Meroe for a two-week, off the grid adventure. They offer Nico a huge sum of money to take them there and back. He agrees, but only if Lux can come along as well. The more the merrier, they claim, so a plan is developed.

The girls are able to pay, which is half the battle, so Nico has no problems repairing what he needs to in order for them to embark on their journey. Before they know it, they are reaching Meroe, an island with a very dark past. Unfortunately, they aren't the only people who wanted to unwind there, as there is a very attractive, obviously wealthy couple already anchored in the harbor.

Eliza and Jake, the wealthy couple, welcome the newcomers with open arms, even throwing a first night party. Their yacht, the <i>Azure Sky</i>, is obviously fully stocked for weeks of entertainment. As the days pass, the group spend all of their time together and quickly bond. What an experience, am I right?

But when a creepy stranger arrives, the island becomes too crowded and tensions rise. With this new found tension, the original six begin to crack. As their extreme isolation becomes more evident, and secrets start to be revealed, it becomes clear that their island oasis is not the paradise they thought it was.

Reckless Girls is a slow burn. One I would argue is 100% worth it. Reflecting back on the story as a whole, I actually think it is perfectly paced. After our traveling group gets to Meroe, meets up with Jake and Eliza, and the six begin to get to know one another, you sort of get lulled into a sense of relaxation. There wasn't much tension, or drama, initially. Around the 40% mark, I thought, where is this going? It just felt like vacation.

Once one element was changed though, an additional person showing up at Meroe, things rapidly escalated from that point. The tension continued to build, until the island felt extremely claustrophobic. I could feel it closing in around me and on the characters I had unknowingly become attached to. Things get crazy. The way people were acting, it was almost like the island itself was driving people to the brink of madness. They were so separated from the real world, it was like rules no longer existed.

This was a wild ride. Once it started cranking, I couldn't put it down. The twists, betrayals and shocking revelations kept me glued to the pages. I never would have guessed the ultimate conclusion and I had a lot of fun with it. I think this is the perfect book to read while you dream of a tropical getaway. After this one, you may realize, your life isn't so bad after all.

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a blast with this one. I can't stop thinking about it!!

If there’s anything I love, it’s a good uninhabited tropical island story. This was exactly what I needed in the midst of winter break. I flew through this book!

I loved the strong female characters, the back story, and the drama that unfolds on the island, but my favorite was the history of the cursed island (I kind of wished it would have been history repeating itself if I’m morbidly honest, but whatever). 😂

Anyway, what starts as a girls’ trip to this remote island ends in major disaster. It starts off great, but just gets crazier and crazier as the days go on.

My only issue was that the “twist” was pretty apparent for me from the start. There was no shock factor, but I still really liked the story and how it turned out.

Being a big fan of The Wife Upstairs, I was hype for this book! It somewhat lived up to that hype.

This book was definitely atmospherical, I would have loved to read it on a beach or in the summer, but that didn’t take away from the story. It starts slow and mysterious and you’re unsure what exactly the mystery/thriller is going to be. I would have liked a few more clues dropped into the beginning to get me a little more hooked, but otherwise it was good. The ending was a wild whirlwind and “wtf just happened” like seriously, I have a lot of questions. (In a good way?)

Even though The Wife Upstairs was a bit of a let down for me, I could not wait to read Reckless Girls. The premise sounded amazing and look at that cover! It’s gorgeous! I’m glad to say that I enjoyed this one much more than the author’s previous book and I had an unease feeling from start to finish.

Lux followed her boyfriend Nico to Hawaii hoping to one day set sailing on an adventure around the world. When two women hire them to sail them to Meroe Island, they all embark on a trip to the remote island. Meroe has a history of shipwrecks, murder and curses so what they didn’t expect was to find another boat already there. But soon they all become friends and start enjoying Meroe’s beaches…until they don’t.

I loved the setting of this book. As you know, I adore a good island setting and Meroe’s history and all the strange happenings now gave it a really creepy atmosphere. The island descriptions were fantastic and I could see myself sunbathing and swimming alongside Lux and co.

The tension between the characters kept growing, especially once we start realizing several of these people are not exactly who they say they are. Reckless girls? Yes, but the boys aren’t left far behind!

Both the characters and the story managed to keep me entertained for the most part. The ending lost me a little bit. It was dark and twisted but it also require a bit too much suspension of disbelief, and it didn’t leave me completely satisfied.

If you wanna escape the cold (at least with your imagination), sail along in this quick and entertaining read that will take you to paradise and hell all in one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Rachel Hawkins and I have to say I'm delightfully surprised that I clicked with this book.
At the beginning of the book, I was a little worried that I would have a hard time getting into the story, however, after a few chapters I was hooked.

It's been a long time since I tried reading any chance I could. Kids watching a movie... reading. Kids playing in the play room together... reading. Everyone in bed... reading very late into the night.

I'm not sure how I would categorize this book. It was not a fast paced thriller nor was it a mystery. This book was more like a scary puzzle that you desperately wanted to figure out and quickly! Hawkins did an amazing job with this by providing short chapters called "Before", where we get to see little snippets of who exactly these characters were before the island.

Overall, this book was a 4.5 star read. It sucked me in and I could not turn pages fast enough. I did dock half a point because there was a lot of cussing that I felt wasn't needed.

So, who would you take to a deserted island? Make sure it's someone you truly know because you never know what may happen.

This book sails into publication on January 4, 2022!

Thank you Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was just ok for me. I really didn’t like any of the characters and as some of the (preposterous) events unfolded I didn’t have anybody to root for and simply didn’t care. Thank you for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This “mystery on a boat” kept us entertained and we stayed up a bit too late finishing it (sorry Steve!). Maybe it’s because it’s cold and snowy so tropical islands seem very far away (or because it feels like we will never be able to go on a sunny vacation again), but this was an enjoyable, fast-paced mystery!

Likes:
The tropical setting and the pacing

Slight Dislikes:
The reveal (it was a bit too complicated so it felt implausible)

Good for fans of locked-room-type mysteries. And anyone missing vacationing!

From the publisher: “ Six stunning twentysomethings are about to embark on a blissful, free-spirited journey—one filled with sun-drenched days and intoxicating nights. But as it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in, sending them on a dangerous spiral of discovery.”

A great quick thriller set on a deserted island. Totally bingeable read that if the kiddos weren't home for Christmas break i could of read in one day. Told in a dual. Timeline of now and before, you watch the story unravel as the two timelines come together as they weave the plot together.
Definitely a page turner for those who love a revenge type thriller.

Just give me a moment...I'm still reeling a bit from that ending.

This semi-slow burn thriller just ramped up and ending in fireworks and I loved it. Luckily I was in the mood for a book full of secrets, half-told stories, and the feeling of isolation. Somehow, the author was able to paint the picture of the feeling of utter isolation even on such an idyllic island and I could really feel it. I had to take a break and walk outside just to remind myself that I wasn't also stuck on this island. This book is the epitome of "if it seems too good to be true..."

There are flashbacks from present to each character's pasts as told by the "reckless women" of this story and the readers are given a small hint of what is to come from each flashback. I will say that I found most of the secrets from the past very predictable, but they way they came together in flash and fire and made for a super dramatic ending was just so entertaining. The author also somehow convinced me to like characters who should be very obviously unlikable, and the very last chapter actually had me grinning a bit. It will make you question yourself and how you choose who the good/bad guys are. This book about privilege and fate and revenge and survival. It will be such a fun start to a new year!

This is a good book. It's a gripping read. I was a big fan of The Wife Upstairs by this same author.

But the way it was described made it sound way more like an Agatha Christie-type, killer among us on a deserted island vibe. And it really didn't come across that way for me.

Hawkins did a fantastic job on slowly building suspense, but not so slowly that I lost interest. I thought the flashbacks were really effective, and definitely hooked me on trying to deduce everyone's true backstory. Lux is a great narrator because she feels real, drifting around after a terrible loss and hoping that the man she is in love with will heal her. When another character's flashback starts, they read as a completely different person to Lux, and the way relationships form on the island as their found family crashes together is really compelling.

What I wasn't as in love with was that with so much suspense, the ending felt a little rushed, and almost a little pat. I did really enjoy the twists and turns, but I was hoping for more buildup Christie style.

This was my first read by Ms. Hawkins. Reckless Girls has really been getting a lot of hype with everyone talking about how much they loved her book, The Wife Upstairs so I was excited to read this. The first thing I will say about this book is that I didn’t want to put it down. Not because I thought it was an amazing read, but because I couldn’t help it, the way people can’t help but stare when they’re going past an accident scene. That probably sounds harsh for which I apologize, but I felt like a moth to a flame, not being able to stop even though I knew I would end up getting burned.

The story concept was intriguing, and I was looking forward to reading about the journey and the scenery along with the storyline. These two characters, Lux and Nico, were interesting, but I didn’t form a tangible connection with them. I thought throughout the story they made some very questionable decisions, but they’re human, and trying to get a leg ahead in life so you can’t blame them for that. Especially Lux, who has already gone through some very trying times with putting her dreams on hold to take care of her dying mother.

I felt like I had to really suspend belief, a lot, while reading. I did enjoy the air of suspense that was woven through the story, and I enjoyed the mystery and overall atmosphere of the characters all secluded on this island – not really knowing each other but getting along well and enjoying the time, until skeevy Robbie shows up. After that, the plot kind of fell apart for me, and I was left shaking my head.

I feel confident this book will be a major hit with tons of readers loving it, it just didn’t work for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.