Wow, Hawkins definitely did not disappoint with this amazing story full of exciting elements that not only kept my attention but intrigued me with the adventurous chaos that ensued! There are many twists and turns throughout and, honestly, I did not see them coming. It was with much delight that I experienced the feeling of yet again not knowing where the story would turn next. The characters are the ones that drive the action in the novel and they are very interesting with their admirable qualities as well as their definite flaws. I cannot imagine some production company not jumping at the chance to make this into a movie because, if done well, it would be a huge hit! I definitely recommend this to the highest and cannot wait to share it with many friends!

Reckless Girls had me hooked from the beginning. Lux has had a rough life. And she is ready to just get out and start living an adventure. When her unsatisfactory job falls apart just as her boyfriend accepts a job taking 2 lovely friends to a paradise island, it seems perfect. Yes, of course she’ll ride along! What could go wrong!?!
The descriptions of the beach, the sat water, the humidity of the island… I felt like I was there. I can feel the grit and sand on my skin. The layer of dried salt water, leaving a chalky residue. This book will grab you and keep you until the end. Just like the island.

Through a series of events, a group of people all end up on a creepy deserted island. Some of them are dating each other, some are friends, and some are strangers. Eventually things take a turn for the worse in the isolated environment as tensions rise and secrets are revealed.
This was a really quick and fun read that kept me in suspense most of the time. I enjoyed the flashbacks to learn more about each character's background and how it was impacting the present situation. The writing was descriptive and easy to read. The main reason I didn't give this book 5 stars was the pacing. It moved slowly for a lot of the middle and then most of the key events happened very quickly towards the end. I also had a hard time connecting with any of the characters and found most of them dislikable, but that is to be expected with a thriller.
I'd definitely recommend this book for thriller fans looking for a engaging and entertaining novel. Thank you for the advance copy and the opportunity to review this book!

I picked this book up after a recommendation from another reader, and I was not disappointed. As the blurb says, Nico and Lux are hired to sail two women, Brittany and Amma, to Meroe, a remote deserted island, for an adventure on Nico’s boat, The Susannah.

But when they arrive in paradise, they find they are not alone. There is a luxury catamaran already anchored with two occupants, Jake and Eliza.

At first, things are wonderful. The six people get along great and are soon best of friends, sharing the beauty of the island, extravagant meals courtesy of Jake and Eliza, and hours of swimming, drinking, sunning, and exploring.

The island, once used as a staging area during World War II, has a dark history. A ship’s crew trapped there had to resort to eating the bodies of the dead in order to survive. When the men were finally rescued, out of 32, there were only 8 still alive.

This is the first hint of foreboding in the story. But that part of the island’s history was so long ago, none of the characters pay much attention to the legend that the island is haunted, even though they discover the abandoned airstrip, along with a human skull.

Each character in the story has baggage, which the author does a great job of revealing in bits and pieces throughout the story. Nico and Jake have one thing in common. They both come from extremely wealthy families. Brittany and Amma appear to have grief in common. And Lux is dealing with her own grief after the death of her mother from cancer. The biggest mystery is Eliza who is the epitome of perfection.

However, the arrival of another man, Robbie, starts the decline of all the relationships. There is something sinister about him and Lux has a confrontation that leaves her rattled and shaken. It isn’t until he disappears that Nico and Jake find their radios smashed and the group now cut off from any communication with the outside world. Boundaries are crossed and trust destroyed.

And that’s just the beginning of the mounting tension.

I like how the author shifts between timelines throughout the story, giving the reader glimpses into each character’s past. These are done in snippets, so there is never info dump and never so much told that the reader has the whole picture.

It isn’t until the end of the story that everything becomes crystal clear with a string of dead bodies left behind. The book comes to a satisfying, if somewhat jaw-dropping conclusion, and is a quick entertaining read.

This is an intricately woven psychological thriller that will be released in January 2022. If you love a story that transports you to a beautiful dream location, standing out in stark contrast to deadly motives, you will devour this story as I did.

This book was a hot mess and I devoured every minute of it. Loved this "boat murder" as the author referred to it as. You can't root for any of these "reckless girls". But you will spend the entire book wishing you could.

I was highly anticipating this novel- and was a bit disappointed. Though I was still engaged and read through this novel quickly, I felt that there was no character that I was drawn towards. I don't feel that I was able to connect and follow one characters story. There were a few good twists and turns, but definitely didn't meet a 5/5 mark. After reading "The Wife Upstairs" I was expecting a bit more.

This is a yummy fun book with a juicy plot and is the quintessential beach read. Lots of surf, sand and sailing. There are also beautiful people who may or may not be who they say they are. All of this, combined with an island that has a very bad reputation, and you know bad things are going to happen. And they do happen, eventually. For this group it’s all fun and games until it’s not. This lazy beach read finally turns into a bit of a thriller at the very end. All in all, an enjoyable book perfect for the beach, travel or just a good escape.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Oh my goodness, this was such a treat! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lux lives in Hawaii with her boyfriend Nico. They meet two girls, who hire them to take them to a deserted island in the South Pacific. Once there, they meet another couple vacationing on the island. At first things are idyllic, and then when a mysterious stranger visits the island, things start going downhill.

I read this book in one sitting! It had all the requisite twists, turns and surprises, along with characters who had interesting backstories, all to the backdrop of a gorgeous island, boats, and a creepy jungle!

I recommend this book to thriller/suspense lovers everywhere!

First, I always say read what sparks an interest! It seems I am in the minority here with this one. So, if it sounds like your cuppa then I suggest reading!

I was highly anticipating this novel and I was a bit disappointed. The pace of this novel was agonizingly slow. It took me quite a while to finish it. I do believe a turtle could run faster than this plot unfolded.

The reason I give this one 3 and not 2 stars is simply because the outcome, which I won't spoil, satisfied me. I definitely had my dislikes with the characters and their non-growth. I wish I could have connected with at least one of them, yet they all felt incredibly flat with a lack of depth and absolutely NO growth.

The idea here of the deserted island was pretty great, though I was unsure what the 'curse' of the island truly had to do with anything. Overall, while it took a long time to get through, I'm glad I finished it for the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy to review.

"I am a survivor!" turns out to be an important theme in this book. The author did an amazing job of taking you to the island with her writing. Makes you love and hate the characters. The twist and turns in the end of the story took me by surprise. I love an ending I can't figure out. I just reviewed Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins. #NetGalley

I was so excited to read this after the great reviews of The Wife Upstairs! This was a good mystery that I didn’t want to put down. The writing was engaging and made it so easy to read. The inclusion of the island as a part of the overall story was unique. I enjoyed the characters and their backstories. I liked how it went between the before and after. I enjoyed the clues throughout that helped figure out the twist.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for access to this ARC.

I understand the Rachel Hawkins hype. This is the perfect summer book and I too have always wanted to write a boat/beach type murder story.

This has me drawn in right away. I loved the main character, Lux. I felt like her background was woven well into the story without feeling redundant or suffocating. I feel like sometimes this happens when trauma occurs before the actual story starts but this was perfect.

It got to the point where I would have the e-reader on so I could listen to what happened next.

Definitely keep an eye out for this one!

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins is a fast paced thriller. Six travelers visit a deserted island for the experience of a lifetime. It’s a dream vacation turned nightmare! The story bounces from present to past which I enjoy. This would be a great movie, and I think the ending especially would translate better on film. All in all, it was a great read! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

Lux is working at a luxury hotel in Hawaii, cleaning up after rude, entitled guests and trying to put her grief behind her...until one day two beautiful, young tourists show up and put her and her boyfriend Nico on the path to paradise...what could go wrong??

This one gave me some Midsommer vibes if you're familiar with that movie...awful things happening in a beautiful place; however the pacing felt off to me. There was nothing much happening, then a tailspin at the end. The lore of the island didn't really contribute much to the story, and there wasn't enough definition between the characters. They all kind of blurred together for me (a group of traumatized women and a handful of entitled, rich men). I was however, curious to see how things turned out, and I think you will be too. I think thriller junkies will find something here and it would make a cool mini-series.

Thank you to Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. Exp. publication date: Jan 2022

@kentuckyreadsbooks

3.75

I couldn't wait to read this book after The Wife Upstairs and it did not disappoint! Reckless Girls is a wild ride, in a beautiful setting, with crazy characters. I can't say I liked any of them, but I was intrigued by them all. The story has so many twists and turns, it was hard to keep up and just when I thought I knew how it would go, I was wrong! If you're looking for a suspenseful, thriller, and a mental escape to a beautiful island, this is the book for you!

Thank you netgalley, author Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an eARC of the book Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins in exchange for an honest review.

Who could refuse the offer of $50,000 to sail to Meroe Island, an atoll in the Pacific, and spend a few days lounging on the deserted island? I know it sounds like a perfectly idyllic vacation to me, as it does to Nico and Lux, who never imagined how twisted this trip will be.

Reckless Girls is well-paced, with interesting characters whose background is revealed to the reader in pieces through peeks into the "Before". In the "Now," the characters begin to show cracks within a few days of arriving at the island, and the sense of suspense builds until the twisty end. I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going to happen, along with a growing sense of unease about who might not be as good a person as I originally thought. The book kept me guessing until the very end, with a satisfying ending.

BOAT MURDER. BOAT MURDER. BOAT MURDER.

Okay, I’ve loved Rachel Hawkins forever, so it was little surprise to me that the book was great. But the pacing?! Howwwwww is it that good?

I devoured this book in an evening and even though I knew what was going to happen, I still didn’t see it coming. I’m here for this. Fickle friends and wicked women with tricks up their sleeves?? More thrillers from Ms. Hawkins, please.

Please pick this up when it releases in January!!

(Thanks to St. Martins Press for this ARC through NetGalley)

Lux was drifting through life before meeting Nico. Trying to move on from a personal tragedy, she allowed Nico to whisk her away to Hawaii, where they were supposed to begin their adventures, traveling the world together. Unfortunately, they have to start working to fix the boat they wanted to sail on, and when two girls offer to pay $50k for Nico and Lux to take them to a small, remote island with a dark history, they simply can't say no. When they arrive, they realize that there's another couple already on the island, but it isn't until the 7th person shows up that things truly turn ominous. Everyone has secrets they want to protect and as Lux finds out, some are even willing to kill in their name.

Hawkins's new book (it comes out in January, 2022) is a true page-turner. I was immediately pulled in and it's such a quick read that I got through the whole book in less than 2 days. The story is told mainly from Lux's point of view, although we also get glimpses of the other characters' pasts, and let me tell you, none of them are who you think they are. The remote island setting was perfect for a thriller like this one, adding a slightly claustrophobic element to the story. The ending is satisfying and the plot twists that lead to it are foreshadowed in a way that makes total sense and while noticeable in hindsight, aren't too obvious or glaring. Some of the twists were a little more predictable but for me personally, that didn't take away from the fun. The characters are well fleshed out, with the exception of Robbie, who I found to be a little cartoonish. Overall, this is a really solid, entertaining thriller and its tropical setting will be perfect for cold, winter evenings!

A deserted island with a creepy history and a cast of characters who are slightly strange and more than a little suspicious. The synopsis might as well have just read “this is your kind of book Heather!” Plus, I enjoyed The Wife Upstairs, also by this author.
Like I already mentioned, the characters were suspicious but also just…odd. The timeline alternates between the present events on the island and the backstories of the characters.
I felt that the story unfolded a bit too slowly. There were a few times I found myself just wanting something to happen. But at the same time, I mostly enjoyed the suspense. There were a couple of twists but nothing earth shattering.
Overall, this was an engaging story that I enjoyed and it made me want to rewatch LOST.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book I would describe to my friends as "fine" or a "beach read."

Lux, our narrator, has followed a man to Maui. She and her boyfriend, Nico, meet two (beautiful) young women and sail them to a remote island that is known to have a devastating history. Insert some tragic backstories, a few more random characters, and then the deaths begin.

Overall, I found this book to be rather predictable, and unfortunately, the ending was weak and rushed. The first 25% could have been edited down to make room for more details in the last 25%. It also didn't do any favors for portraying strong women.