I read this book in one sitting, and refused to sleep until I finished!

I really enjoyed the imagery the author gave so much that I felt like I was on the Island with them for the most part. The flashback scenes bringing everything together was so well thought out, and one of my favorite things about this book.

Seeing how this book played out, I can say that I never knew what was going to happen next at any given moment. I would come up with a theory and then have it debunked in the next chapter which I love. I found Eliza, Jake, Nico, Brittany, Amma, and Lux (I absolutely fell in love with this name) all compelling characters and as I said previously couldn't get enough of the chapters telling how they all ended up there.

Overall I would say this book is a fantastic read if you like twists and turns you don't see coming. It keeps your mind at work and you itching to find out what comes next.

Reckless Girls was a gripping locked room type mystery, but set on a deserted island. It is definitely a page turner and keeps you guessing and misled right up until the very end. I could see this one day becoming a movie. It has summer thriller vibes for sure.

Boat✓
Beautiful weather✓
Hot boyfriend✓
Stunning beaches✓
A boatload (forgive the pun, I couldn't help myself) of money✓
Your own private paradise✓

What more could a girl ask for ?
Lux thinks that's going on an island adventure with her boyfriend and the two women that have hired them to charter the trip will be easy money and a solution to fund their own vacation dreams. Turns out though that everything is not as it seems and paradise becomes something much darker and more sinister as people start to mysteriously die.
I have heard about this book for a while as it has been a hot ticket book title that has been discussed and requested frequently amongst my many book clubs and book swap groups. Everyone is dying to get this book. Basically, to get anyone to part with their arc of Reckless Girls I would have needed to give up my first born child. Needless to say when St. Martin's Press and NetGalley were beyond gracious enough to provide me with an advanced copy of Reckless Girls I about fell out my chair from pure shock as I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to get my hands on this book.
I could not put this book down. With a solid beginning and thrills that just kept coming I was hooked and genuinely sad I finished this book so quickly.
One tiny critique; as much as I adored this book I can honestly say that I did find it very hard to actually like any of the characters. They weren't the nicest people and were absolutely pretentious even at times our protagonist. Although I'm pretty sure that's what Rachel Hawkins is trying to do. All in all this is a great book and a definite beach read for sure.
Again many thank yous to St. Martin's press and NetGalley for advanced copy of this title for review.

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc!

I cannot get over this book. There are books full of twists and turns... and then there is this book which didn't even give me time to guess what was going to happen because all I could do was simply keep up!

Lux is down on her luck. She's living in Maui with her gorgeous boyfriend but she's the one working at hotels and dives trying to pull in the money to keep them afloat. Nico, her boyfriend, is great to look at and has a charming personality making him easy to love but, at the same time, he's a bit too laid back. Luck seems to show itself when two girls, Britney and Amma, offer Nico 50,000 dollars to sail them to Monroe Island... and, of course, Lux is invited. There are many rumors about this island and none of them are good. Lux has no idea what she is getting herself into and neither does the reader until the last page.

Definitely recommend as a thriller! Reckless Girls is fast-paced and non-stop surprises. I absolutely loved this book!

Rachel Hawkins writes fun books. Sometimes all you're looking for an engaging read that isn't overly complicated or grisly, horrific thriller. This is exactly what I've come to expect from Rachel and Reckless Girls delivered in spades. While I generally prefer books that have some redeeming characters this story still kept me interested all the way till the end, and I definitely will not be sailing anytime soon HA!

Thank you so much for an advanced copy and a chance to read this fun ride!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

This was the book I needed right now! I recently read The Wife Upstairs by this author and absolutely loved it. So I was excited to be approved for Hawkins' next thriller on Netgalley.

I would not read the full synopsis for this book because I feel it gives too much away. The basic premise is two girls hire a man to take him to a deserted island for a couple of weeks away from the hustle and bustle of tourists. The man refuses to go unless his girlfriend tags along. She reluctantly agrees and the two sets of strangers take off to the island together.

I absolutely love the author's writing style. It is so easy to read and the story flows so nicely even though you are switching between past and present time. The way the twists were slowly revealed through the past POVs kept me intrigued and interested because I needed to see how things were going to play out for this group of people on the island.

If you love a locked room/isolated setting mystery, then I encourage you to check this one out. It is a fast paced, easy read. I read most of it in one day because I couldn't stop!

Deserted island. All the wine you can drink. A pile of books. Warm waters to swim in and a boat to sleep on. Sounds like bliss doesn't it?

But wait, the island has a bad history. The people you're with have deep dark secrets. Things are hidden in the jungle. Someone comes along to ruin the dynamics of the group.

I kept waiting for something to happen to one or more of the people on the island. Seems all they did was swim and drink. The chapters about the past of these people were more interesting; they gave you perspectives on who might want to gain revenge.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book.

One island. Six visitors. Countless secrets. Meroe is a deserted island with a dark history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and rumors of murder. Six people embark on what was supposed to be a tropical adventure filled with sunny days and intoxicating nights. But when they realize how cut off they are from civilization, the island begins closing in.

HOLY COW. This book absolutely wrecked me. I’m honestly reeling as I sit here writing this review. I devoured this book in two days, if you read it you’ll understand why. I constantly had this sinister feeling in the back of my mind while reading and the suspense was perfect. I loved how the author included flashbacks of the characters’ past because you learned so much about who they are and how they’re all connected. And I loved the deserted island setting! So spooky. Huge thank you to NetGalley + St. Martin’s Press for the E-ARC!

Waited a while to review this because I am torn but it’s like a 3.5 stars rounded up. I really enjoyed Hawkins’ The Wife Upstairs and this cover is beautiful, so I was very excited to start reading this.

The setting was my favorite part - by far. This remote and hauntingly beautiful island was a dream. The inclusion of “historical” documents and writings on the island was genius and added to the eeriness of the setting.

The characters, however, annoyed me tremendously, and honestly, I didn’t care even a little bit if any of them survived. I didn’t find their backstories, even the sob stories, very interesting and their actions never made sense. I really like the title, but calling them reckless may be making those girls sound cooler than they are.

The well-written atmosphere of dread, knowing that something bad was going to happen - but not being able to decide on what that bad thing was going to be - kept me engaged in the plot. Also, during parts of the story, we don’t know if the actions we are reading about are real or imagined by the characters, adding to the thrill of it.

The ending was cheesy. Like eye roll level cheesy. I feel like it was a completely missed opportunity to bring the creepy and mysterious elements back at the end to further confuse the reader. I found it boring that everything got tied up in a (nonsensical) bow at the end.

Nonetheless, this was a binge worthy page turner and I recommend it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to review this ARC!

Well there goes my lust for sailing 🤣. This was one where the plot was more intriguing than the actual story. I had a lot of high hopes going into this story, but I felt like it fell short for me. It felt that the suspense and mystery in the beginning were more interesting than the reveal of the “huge finale”. I did feel disappointed when everything was revealed because I felt the intensity of the story leading up to it didn’t match.

When it comes to mysteries, I love it when it’s a dual time frame. I enjoy reading and piecing together the past and present and how they interlock with one another. The multiple POV was an interesting touch too because it brought the story to a new level. Being able to include every character's history and path to this island added to the heart of the story. Though I did enjoy the layout and the multiple POV, I think all in all the book was so-so for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC

I loved this island thriller! It starts out in Maui but then moves to a creepy island called Mereo, that is steeped in tragic backstories dating back to 1800 shipwrecks and WWII. There are 7 people on the only but who will come out alive?

The story line goes back and forth between the now and before. The now is from Lux’s POV (first person) while the before parts are third person about the various characters with a few letters/emails thrown in about other minor characters.

The setting is brilliant and creepy; however, the characters are all horrible people. I didn’t *like* any of them but I felt varying degrees of sympathy for each. Overall, I devoured this book and thought it was well done. It had me guessing and sitting on the edge of my seat through the whole thing!

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martins press for an advanced copy.

*A detailed review will be up on social media and the blog the week of release. Social media will be posted on release day.*

This was a good, action-packed thriller set on a unique location! This was the story of Lux, a 20-something living in Hawaii with her boyfriend of one year, when she gets fired from her job at a resort. Her boyfriend Nico, rejected his rich family to work on ships in Hawaii, gets the opportunity to sail two tourists to a remote island and enlists Lux to go with him. The island has a sordid history and is essentially abandoned. When they land they discover another couple also checking out the secluded island and then the story takes off.

This kept me interested from the first page. I really enjoyed the journey. However, the ending wasn't for me. This author did a great job with setting the location, dialogue and the plot so I really enjoyed it, but the ending wasn't for me. There were some twists and turns that I predicted but also some that were unexpected. It was a good thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Meroe Island is beautiful, but has a dark past. When six travelers arrive to enjoy paradise, they know the island’s history… but they don’t know each other’s.

I love thrillers with wealthy elite characters just after a fun time, add in an abandoned island and some secrets… even better! I liked the glimpses at the past, even though they didn’t make much sense until it all tied together but that made for a great aha moment. This was a hard book to put down and it would be pretty difficult to predict the ending.

“The world takes a lot from us, doesn’t it? Women like us. Women who don’t get things handed to them. Women without a lot of options. So sometimes, you have to take back. You have to create your own options.”

Reckless Girls comes out 1/4

An interesting read - neither life-altering or can’t-put-downable… might follow the author for backlist & future reads.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Since Lux McAllister lost her mom years earlier she has been trying to find her place in the world. When she meets Nico and he invites her to sail with him to Maui, she is thrilled. Later, Lux and Nico are hired to sail two young women, Brittany and Amma, to Meroe Island. They learn that the remote island is rumored to have a creepy history. When they arrive, they are surprised that they are not the only ones there. On a fancy catamaran, they meet Eliza and Jake. The six of them become quick friends over expensive food and wine shared by the uber rich couple. When they start exploring the island and getting to know each other, things get disturbing fast.
First, I loved the remote island setting and how the characters haunted pasts intertwined with each other. Unfortunately, after all the twists and suspense, the ending wrap up was just meh. Still worth a read if you are looking for a quick, page turner. I did read most of it in a day. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a early digital copy of this book.

This was a snooze fest for me, it was pretty slow. I couldn’t connect with the characters, nor found one I liked. There’s parts where it picks up and gets interesting but then it falls flat or there’s a flash back.

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan publishers
I received a free ARC of Reckless Girls from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review

I really liked this book. Gave me Lord of the flies vibes with the planning and secrets and death in the beautiful tropics. The urban legend part of the story was played up well and added to the drama, to the fears of the islands visitors and let's just say that the saying about a woman scorned takes on a whole new meaning in this book.

A new to me author. Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins.
Not what I expected. Started out enjoying it but later on turned for me.
Glad I read it but only a okay book for me.

Read this if you like:
▪️ yachts ▪️ deserted islands ▪️ motley crews ▪️ books that don’t leave you anyone to root for ▪️ sunburns ▪️ expensive wine ▪️ hot rich boys ▪️ cheating ▪️ traveling ▪️ unlikely companions ▪️ getting mad at someone for shitty behavior, then doing the same exact thing to someone else ▪️frenemies

[Thank you to @stmartinspress for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]

This isolation thriller follows Lux and her boyfriend Nico when they are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific. At first, Lux is excited as she's been waiting for her and Nico to start sailing around the world in his boat. However, when they pull up to the island and find a second boat already anchored there. Luckily, the couple from this new boat are also looking to relax and explore this remote island and the group of six quickly become friends. They spend days swimming in the clear waters, exploring the thick jungle, and drinking on the beach. But when a third boat sails up and the owner is off-putting and creeping Lux out, the resulting tension in the group forces cracks to open up and secrets are revealed. When people start disappearing or turning up dead, the cheery tropical island starts feeling more like a death sentence.

TW/CW: alcohol use, drug use, infidelity

For me, this was one of those reads where I really loved the reading experience but when I think just a bit about some of the plot points, I find it falls apart a bit. I think this would be a really great summer beach thriller read where you just want to have a good time. I also think the ending (really, last 25%) is going to be polarizing but it really worked for me.

I really loved the premise and set up in this book. Isolation thriller set in a beautiful tropical setting instead of a snowy location - perfect. The characters all choosing to go somewhere very remote and not necessarily being 'stuck' there - great. Natural tension in the group because the people involved are basically strangers - fantastic. Our characters get to the island at about the 10% mark which is exactly the timing I like in isolation thrillers. We do see Lux and Nico in that first 10% and we can see the cracks starting to form in their relationship, the little resentments that are going to start to build This really allowed me to get sucked into the premise of being on this island with basically strangers and just waiting for things to start going wrong. In the Author's Note at the end, Hawkins said she's always wanted to write a "boat murder" book and I think a lot of people are similarly interested in stories of shipwrecked or otherwise isolated island stories (Lord of the Flies, Swiss Family Robinson, Gilligan's Island, Castaway, etc).

The setting was fantastic and I think Hawkins did a great job at weaving in the sordid history of the island throughout the book. Our characters are visiting Meroe Island, an island with a dark past (which based on my googling, is the name of a real island off the coast of Thailand but the one in the book is a 3-day sail off the coast of Hawaii so it is fictional). Multiple ships had been shipwrecked on the coral surrounding the island which led to rumors of cannibalism. Also, it was used as an airstrip during WWII and there had been people attempting to live on the island on and off ever sense. We get snippets of articles, letters, and other discussions about the history of the island at the ends of some chapters which further builds the reputation of this island. I love the setting of a tropical island for an isolation thriller because the dangers are so different than we normally see with more snowy-settings. We're told about some of the threats on the island and we see a few of them, but I really wished Hawkins would have leaned into those elements a little harder. I felt like there was a bit of a discrepancy between the threats that were introduced to the reader and the threats that the characters ran into. Another specific threat that kept being mentioned to the reader is that people have gone mad on the island because it seems so perfect but is actually very hard to survive there. There were a few places that it felt like Hawkins was trying to inject some of that into the plot thread with the characters but it didn't really work for me. I wanted the island to be more of an antagonist during the story and while we do get little pieces of that, it never went as far as I was hoping.

I was pleasantly surprised that this ended up being multi-POV/multi-timeline. We're only getting Lux's POV in the 'now' timeline but we do get flashbacks that follow Lux as well as other flashbacks that show us the pasts of the other characters. I did find it a little strange to read because the present day plot was in first person (Lux) but all the flashbacks (including Lux's) were in third person so brain took a page to adjust every time there was a change. I'll admit that at the beginning, I found the flashbacks to be pretty boring but they slowly started to build some unease and tension in my reading experience. When I got to the ending, I do think the flashbacks were essential in helping the ending make sense. That being said, I feel like we got a few too many of these flashbacks that covered very similar information. I would have preferred a couple fewer flashbacks and more present-day tension. I did like how the flashbacks eventually tied into the current plot line in an unexpected way. I was making all sorts of guesses to figure out how everything would be connected but I wasn't able to figure it out before the reveal.

The ending 25% goes pretty much from 0 to 100 and while I do appreciate an over-the-top ending to a thriller, I think the tension hadn't been built up enough to really earn that ending. I felt like there was a disconnect between the first 75% and the last 25% in terms of tension and darkness. The majority of the book felt very light and fun with just an undertone of unease and then in the last 25% bodies start dropping and it really felt like we missed a day or two of escalation. I've read a few reviews that mentioned readers are either going to love or hate where the ending goes and I agree with that sentiment (personally, I really liked where it went). I do think the ending reveal worked well since I was already onboard with everything hitting the fan once it got going. It was a satisfying reveal because we know from the flashbacks that there was some unresolved plot threads and the ending wrapped all those up together. There was one particular point that I felt was a little too convenient but overall I liked it and I think the over-the-top-ness of the ending fit the vibe of the rest of the book as sort of this extreme and opulent vacation that goes horribly awry.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and had a fun time but at the end, I do think it was a little light on the tension for me. The setting and premise were great but I know the ending is going to be hit or miss. This really feels, to me, like the book you pick up on your way to your beach vacation. I think this same premise could have taken a really dark bordering on horror turn but Hawkins keeps it pretty light (although there are pretty consistent rumbles of tension below the surface).

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Expected publication date: January 4, 2022