I really enjoyed this book! I loved the setting of the abandoned island and trying to figure out what secrets some of these characters were keeping. The book was full of suspense and had some great twists and turns. While I was reading this book, I kept thinking that it would make a great made-for-TV movie! I was not fully satisfied with the ending, but overall, I would highly recommend this one if you enjoy locked room thrillers!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced e-copy of this book.

A vacation to a deserted island goes wrong in this stunning thriller. What was supposed to be peaceful and refreshing turns out to be nothing but secrets and lies, and maybe dead body or two along the way. Did I mention this island island is cursed?

Lux’s boyfriend Nico is hired to charter a boat by two college girls who aren’t what they seem. They think they are alone, but they aren’t. They meet another couple on the island who also aren’t who they seem. Every day brings more questions than answers. Who are these people really? Why are there dead bodies turning up? Is this island really cursed as legend says, or is it something worse? Lux is determined to get off this island and is going to fight to survive should she need to. She’s survived before and she will again. You’ll never see this ending coming!

This book was amazing and kept me on my toes the entire I read. I finished this in less than 12 hours, because I could NOT put it down! I felt excited and on edge the whole time, this is truly a pulse pounding thriller. This is Rachel Hawkins at her absolute best.

I would like to thank Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be published on Barnes & Nobel, Books-A-Million, as well as Netgalley.

Publication date: 01/04/2022

#RecklessGirls #RachelHawkins #StMartinsPress

I’ve read Rachel Hawkins books before. So of course, as it goes, it wasn’t a shock to me that I ended up enjoying this, maybe more then I intended to. It’s true, I do pick up domestic thrillers more then the average thriller that focuses on other aspects, but this was great. Rachel Hawkins has a way with words, it’s very impressive how quickly I’m sucked in and emerged into a story that focuses on everything that I want. I loved this and will continue to pick up from this author in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Rachel Hawkins for the digital ARC of Reckless Girls, a thriller releasing in January of 2022. I offer this review freely.

Through a series of events, a group of people - some friends, some strangers - find themselves on a deserted island with a dark past.

What promised to be a beautiful getaway soon becomes the stuff of nightmares. The characters find out that the island, and their companions, are not exactly what they seem.

This was a fairly solid thriller, with a strong beginning and a strong ending. The middle lags a little bit, although I think some people might like it that way. I enjoyed the multiple flashbacks that lets us learn about our characters a bit more. It slowly built up tension and was really well done. I was not a fan of the epilogue; I felt it was a little bit too on-the-nose. Overall however, I enjoyed this.

Reckless Girls is the first novel I've read of Rachel Hawkins novel but I am glad I did. I felt this was a fast read with interesting characters, beautiful setting and a troubled past.

Lux comes from a upsetting past with her mom passing away, her dad not being there for her, working in dead end jobs until Nico walks into her life and sweeps her off her feet. When they are trying to figure out how to continue their travels, an opportunity of a lifetime comes around with Lux and Nico leaving Hawaii behind. Lux bonds with new friends with dark secrets that will soon come to light.

I did find that the middle of this novel was a little slower than the beginning and end but overall I was intrigued to find out how the novel ends. I do think there were some confusing parts about the character development with many holes but I did enjoy the characters.

I gave this novel a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ review. While this was not a perfect book, I did enjoy the pace, setting and characters. I would definitely another novel from this author.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review 💛

This is the first book I've read by Rachel Hawkins, and wow! Her writing really draws you in, and makes you feel like you're on the island right along with all the characters!

Great story with some great twists!

This is a fast paced thriller about a couple who agrees to sail two strangers to a remote island in the South Pacific that's infamous for having a dark history - shipwrecks, (alleged) murder, cannibalism, poisonous wildlife, all the fun stuff - and meet a charming, wealthy couple already anchored on the island upon arrival.

It's absorbing with a likeable, personable heroine and a messy cast of characters. There's alternating timelines that jump from first person in the present to third person in each of the three couples' pasts. I don't like alternating timelines, but it works well here - every chapter is a few pages long to give just enough information and character development so the reader won't be lost on what's happening in which timeline.

The first chapter had me hooked and the rest of the book flew by fast. The writing in the last third was entering struggle city - plot holes popped up, the narrative wandered without accomplishing much but backstory, it felt rushed. The writing was over-explanatory and a tad cringy at times, but overall it's easy to read. It doesn't have the vibe of a stuffy thriller but of a friend retelling a crazy story over dinner.

Regardless, I really enjoyed this! It's a great thriller that can be devoured in one or two sittings, it's SO hard to put down!

3.5, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Pub date: January 18, 2022

🌿Quick hits: alternating timelines, first / third person POV; fast paced, single setting thriller; summer-y, tropical vacation with an unsettling undertone; lighter end of thrillers, not too dark; super absorbing read. 🌿

This was a good mystery with lots of twists and character intrigue! I read it on the beach, but I can also see it being a very escape-y book to curl up with in front of a fire on a cold winter night.

Who doesn’t dream of the perfect island getaway. You know, that one where you’re all alone with water that’s so perfectly clear, sun on your skin, beverage in your hand, peace and relaxation everywhere around you …

Toss in drugs, money, tons of secrets and hidden agendas as well as murder and Rachel Hawkins is once again off to the races with this deserted island thriller!

Taking girls out to an island that remains abandoned, hostile (like almost everyone that goes here … dies… sounds like a dream vacay to me) … a young couple has no idea just how much mind twisting craziness they are about to be immersed in. 6 people on an island. Each with their own secret to hide. An island with its own history of death… what’s not to look forward to?!

This book took so many turns, so many “bad” characters that all were suspect, and just enough “OH NO!!!” factor to it to keep a thriller reader pleasantly surprised. This is a fantastic follow up to Rachel Hawkins first novel <i>The Wife Upstairs.</i> I highly recommend this twisted castaway gem as a treat to start your new year off right - as it’s release date is set for Jan 4, 2022. This is one that you won’t be stressed to spend your money on! A definite 4 out of 5 star read for me and one I’m already alluding to the release of and recommending to people as a win in the reading world.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, the publishers, and the author Rachel Hawkins for sending me an electronic ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I enjoyed this book, I rec'd a free ARC from NetGalley and a 3* is a good review. It was suspenseful, engaging and I didn't see the twist coming until about 75% in, which is sign of a captivating book. I was slightly disappointed in the secret that bonded the girls together, it seemed rather obvious early on, although the author tried to make it seem more dramatic than it was overall? That part felt a little anticlimactic, and the ending was a tad disappointing in terms of Lux's character..... Overall it was a quick, fun read.... I would recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of Reckless Girls from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.i

Holy crap! This. Was. The. Best Book. I. Have. Read. In. A. Long. Time!!

Romance on a deserted island? Sounds wonderful! For good measure, add in a little money, some drugs, and a healthy dose of deception and plot twists and…Voila! The result is a fantastic novel that I will reread as soon as I have time to do it. (I could not make any accurate predictions, which I found extremely tantalizing!). Very well written. Rachel Hawkins may be my new favorite author.

a mysterious island, a dream adventure with the love of your life or is it? There is an island with many secrets as well as two groups of travelers, told in the before, the present and the after. This was a well written, easy to read thriller. I enjoyed it, the only thing that feel short for me was the ultimate motivation of the main character, it just didn't ring true that she would go that far. If i suspend my expectation the story works 4.5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I LOVED this book! LOVED! 🙌
It’s been a while since I’ve had a 5 star.

If you loved her last book, THE WIFE UPSTAIRS, like I did, definitely give this one a try! It’s very different, but just as good!
_________________________________

Lux had plans to travel the world with her boyfriend Nico. But, their boat is now broken, so they are stuck living in Hawaii until they can make enough money to repair it.

One day, two young, rich girls offer them 50K to sail them to a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The money is enough to repair the boat, with plenty of profit, so they accept the job.

When they arrive to the island, it’s the most beautiful thing that Lux has ever seen. They prepare for two weeks in paradise 🏝

But… then another ship arrives and things start to take a turn…. 👀

This is my second book by Rachel Hawkins and I really enjoyed it. She has such a wonderful imagination, creating out there and unexpected characters and plot twists. I’ve read a few reviews from readers about her books saying they are too unbelievable or far-fetched, but for me I love to read and get sucked into a story without the need to overthink it. Yes, if I dissected it, I would probably find things that felt unrealistic, but I read for an escape and Reckless Girls is a wonderful escape to a picturesque tropical island in the middle of nowhere.

I was sucked in right away, enjoying the characters and relationships that were forming. Things did slow down a bit in the middle but then it ramped right back up and left my head spinning. I kept wondering where the title of this book came from as I read the story and then without fail Hawkins wraps it up shockingly and clearly. A great summer, or hoping for days of summer, read.

4.5/5, I'm convinced Hawkins writes for me personally. Every single one of her books has the pacing, the vibe, and the grim bite that I am looking for in a thriller. I LOVED the Wife Upstairs, and Reckless Girls is an excellent follow-up standalone.


Reckless Girls is a very quiet book. Not a lot happens it in. It's a gothic thriller set on a deserted island where we find 6 relative strangers who have all found their way to its shores. The group's members all have little secrets, and as time goes on in their camp, these strangers' secrets start to bubble up to the surface, threatening the peace and harmony of their newfound isolation.

The book is told through the perspective of Lux, who has spent the last year following her boyfriend as he's traveled. It also goes into the background of a few other characters in second-person past chapters. This can be a little jarring but adds valuable context for the book to move forward.

Slowly learning the stories of the island's inhabitants, and watching tensions rise requires some patience, Again, this is a slow book. On the positive end of things, it's also a very charming book with excellent characters that you genuinely want to get to know. The slowness is made up for by charming, mysterious characters and Hawkin's excellently paced writing style.

I do not regret staying up til 1:30 in the morning to finish this book. It was TOTALLY worth it.

What would you do if you found yourself on a deserted island with your boyfriend and 4 complete strangers? That’s where Lux finds herself. After her boyfriend Nico is hired to sail two college girls to an island in the middle of the pacific, Lux is so excited for an adventure. Just her, her boyfriend and the open sea, and obviously these two girls she’s never met but seem nice enough.

After a few days at sea, they finally arrive to Meroe Island and find that someone else is already there. Slightly disappointed, they decide to meet these people and form a family on the island. It is all about partying, drinking and having fun until it isn’t.

Days keep going and lies become uncovered and people reveal their true selves. Is anyone really who they said they were? Can they survive on this island? Who will make it back to shore and who will be left behind?

Yessss omg it was everything I needed and more! PLEASE get a copy when it comes out in January!

Gosh, I loved this book! It was so enthralling and suspenseful, before I knew it, it was over. The story twisted my brain in all different ways and when it came to end, I was left wanting to re-read to better understand. The characters are unpredictable, as is the setting, which makes this a juicy psychological thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. Bravo!

This book kept me guessing right to the end! Lux McAllister is somewhat adrift. Estranged from her father, when her mother dies she feels she's all alone in the world. That is until she meets the gorgeous Nico. Nico is from a wealthy family, but refuses to ask them for any help. Instead, he sails around in his boat, stopping where the fancy strikes him, and does odd jobs to support himself. When he and Lux become romantically involved, he asks her to sail with him to Maui, then on to other romantic-sounding destinations when they get tired of Hawaii. Lux, with no other ties, jumps at the chance. Once in Hawaii, Lux has to work to support them while Nico doesn't seem in any hurry to do anything to put their dreams into action. Eventually, two young women offer Nico a large amount of money to sail them to the deserted Meroe Island. Having nothing better to do, he agrees and Lux, who suddenly finds herself unemployed, comes along. Once they arrive at the supposedly deserted island, they are somewhat dismayed to see another boat already anchored there. It turns out the Aussie couple on board, Jake and Eliza, are friendly, welcoming, and willing to share their provisions. Soon it becomes a daily event to swim to shore, spend the days on the beach and the nights eating and drinking. When another boat with a somewhat shifty-looking man arrives, the laid-back vibe of the island turns sinister. As strange things begin to happen, everyone's secrets come out and not everyone will leave the island alive.

Oh my goodness, I absolutely loved this book! Wow, it was such a thrill and had so much suspense I couldn't put it down!! Excellent writing and the characters are definitely out there! Y'all will love this book and will not want to put it down.

Lux and Nico.

She clearly has some abandonment issues, since her dad left her behind with her mother to start a new family. Her mother dies, and she's drifting. Doesn't know what she wants to do, where she wants to be, WHO she wants to be.

In walks Nico, gorgeous rich kid who doesn't want to live off his parents. He plans to go to Hawaii on his boat, and then sail the world. And he convinces Lux to join him. There the boat gets wrecked, she ends up cleaning hotel rooms, until she ends up fired, living with Nico and some random roomies who let them crash, and wondering when the boat will be fixed and they can start their adventure.

Enter Brittany and Amma, who over Nico $50,000 to take them to a remote island, basically because they want photo ops for social media and just for the thrill. Lux joins them and they all become friends. The island is beautiful, they meet another couple there and it seems like a dream of a trip.

Until it isn't. Crazy things start to happen. Lies. Cheating. Secrets. I did figure out one of the plot twist prior to the end, but it didn't make the book any less enjoyable for me!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.