On the surface, Lux lives a perfect life in Hawaii with her extremely handsome boyfriend, Nico and their boat, The Susannah. Of course, nothing is ever as it seems - Lux and Nico are approached by Brittany and Amma, who want to hire them to sail to Meroe Island, a patch of paradise but with a darker past.. Upon approaching the island, they come across another couple, Eliza and Jake and soon enough, paradise is not all it's chalked up to be.

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours on vacation and got some "Lost" vibes while reading (one of my favorite shows). I loved Lux as a character but Hawkins does a great job of casting doubt among each of the players in the novel; everyone seems to be so unreliable and untrustworthy. The ending was a little too far-fetched in my opinion but I still thoroughly enjoyed the rest.

Overall, I give Reckless Girls 4/5 stars. It's going to be such a great escape from the cold winter months when it's released in January 2022!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Hawkins is a must-read author for me and the premise of this book was particularly intriguing and unique. Suspenseful, thrilling and with a vivid setting on a remote island, this novel had a gothic feel that had me turning page after page after page.
Would enthusiastically recommend.

Loved it!

This was fun, suspenseful, creepy and just an easy good read.. I loved all of the characters, and got totally sucked in.

My only criticism was the end - I somehow knew that was exactly how it was going to end. It felt predictable. But would I read it again if I had the chance - heck yeah! It was pure suspenseful escapism..

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a well plotted thriller with a twist I didn't see coming. The setting was a mysterious deserted island with a dark history. Lux and her boyfriend are hired to sail two college students to the remote island for a unique vacation. Much to their surprise another couple is at the island when they arrive. They befriend them. What could possibly go wrong?

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I picked up a book affectionately referred to as "boat murder" by the author, but this definitely nailed it (and was thoroughly enjoyable!)!!! I have enjoyed Rachel Hawkins for years, and Reckless Girls has the perfect mix of suspense, shenanigans, and OMG. I loved it!

I LOVED this book! Read it in under 24 hours! The story was original and flowed so well! I was sad when it was over!

I really enjoyed the Wife Upstairs, so I was so excited to read this newest novel by Rachel Hawkins.

I was not disappointed. The book revolves around Lux, who moves to Hawaii with her boyfriend of a month, Nico. When Nico and his boat are contracted to go to a mysterious island, Lux tags along on the charter.

The book was great. Suspenseful, twisty, and well-written. The characters were interesting, and the island itself almost became a character. Mystery lovers cannot miss with this book.

A thriller with a deserted island setting?! Oh, count me in! Perfect beach read for those of us who don't always want to be picking up a light and fluffy book.

What first drew me to this book was the plot is truly like nothing I've ever seen before. Nico and Lux take a huge risk sailing 2 college age girls to Meroe Island, which is known for cannibalism, murder and other dark tales. But once they arrive and see that there are other people there, the story begins to truly unfold. This is also not a book that you can sit and read without thinking. There's a lot of jumping of perspectives, including throughout time, and that's why I found it truly intriguing.

Unfortunately I did find the ending fell a little flat, but the rest of the book had me jumping through hoops and doing endless mental gymnastics. I wish that had been different, but I'm willing to look past it for the sake of how much I enjoyed the rest.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for this ARC.

So you think you’ve heard stories about a trip to a deserted island? This one is like none before. The main character, Lux, is looking to escape her life. The story was well written, growing with suspense. And that ending - you won’t see it coming.

I liked the pacing of the book. Even though the action doesn’t ramp up until the second half of the book, the characters’ back stories were interesting and the narrator’s voice was full of personality. The “suspense” aspects of the book didn’t really have me on the edge of my seat and the twist seemed obvious by the time it was revealed, but it was still a quick read with lots of true-to-life characters.

Reckless Girls Review!

Thank you @netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free copy of Reckless Girls, in exchange for an honest review!

I just finished my first book this month by Rachel Hawkins, The Wife Upstairs. I absolutely loved it, so I was very excited to try this one! Reckless girls was a 5/5 ⭐️ for me! I loved The Wife Upstairs, but I liked this one so much more!! This one was seriously such a great summer treat! I’ve actually never read a thriller with deserted island setting and it was amazing. This book would be the most perfect beach read! This one was full of suspense, twists, and drama! I loved all of the character switches, the flash backs, and the ended wrapped up so nicely! If you like a drama filled thriller, definitely give this one a try!

Synopsis: Nico is offered 50k to sail two college girls to an deserted island with a very disturbing past of shipwrecks, murder, and cannibalism. Lux, Nico’s girlfriend tags along, excited to finally set sail with the love of her life. They plan to have the island completely to themselves, but when they arrive there is a huge yacht with a couple already there. Soon the group begins to realize that they are much more cut off from civilization then they thought.

This was my second Rachel Hawkins book, and DANG Reckless Girls delivered. Solid thriller with good twists and turns. Total LOST vibes. I couldn't put it down, and read it in a day! Would recommend.


Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy to review!

This is going to be a great beach read for next summer! Reckless Girls follows Lux as she is living in Hawaii with her boyfriend Nico until his boat is fixed so they can go off and travel the world. When the two are offered an opportunity by Brittany and Amma to charter them to a remote island in exchange for more than enough money to fix their boat and start their travels, the two jump on that opportunity. When they reach the island, the four meet Jake and Eliza and the adventure begins.

I really enjoyed the way Hawkins draws you into the character's story and keeps you guessing the whole time about the characters' stories and backgrounds. There's a lot of mixed perspectives which for me added to the mystery elements really well since you would jump back in time after events to learn more of the characters' motivations. The first half of the book was intriguing and did a great job of pulling me, I read it in two days since it was so hard to put down! I found the ending slightly disappointing but I still feel like this will be a must-read when it's released!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

Lux and her BF Nico are hanging around Hawaii trying to save up money to fix Nico's boat so they can sail around. Brittany and Amma hire Lux and Nico to take them to a remote island. They meet and befriend Jake and Eliza. After a few weeks, a lone creepy guy joins them at the island. The island has a sinister past and a creepy vibe.

I thoroughly enjoyed Reckless Girls. Rachel Hawkins did a great job pulling you into the book and wanting to know more about the characters. The story was told from multiple points of view and went back and forth in time. A LOT happened at the end of the book. There were a couple of plot holes but overall a fun quick read.

4.5 rounded up


What a wild ride!!!! A really good thriller!
A group of young people go on a deserted island to have a great vacation but things start to go sideways fast.
First of all they know little to nothing about each other.
Second of all, they all come from different backgrounds carrying a heavy luggage. They're past experiences affected and form them into being the people they are today.

Rachel Hawkins starts the book in a very claver way. As it sets the tone and, despite all the good, amazing things that are happening, you constantly wait for the other show to drop. You know that things will go terribly wrong. Therefore, throughout the entire book, there is a suspenseful, thrilling feeling. Most chapters are focusing on the present but from time to time the story goes back in time and is shedding some light on every character's background. So this is how we start to find out about the secrets that every person is harbouring.

The ending was a bit of a surprise. Not in a good way. It didn't sit well with me and it was not very believable , in my opinion.

Overall this was a good book and the fact that I keep thinking about it and I still feel in my bones the creepy atmosphere from that deserted island, that's a big plus.


A big thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this great book!

To start off, let me say that a 3 star read is a solid book and there where parts I truly was invested in! The island scenery personally carried the book for me. I found certain plot points and advancements predicable and I wasn't overly invested in any specific characters. The ending was left too loose for my taste which took some of the enjoyment out but overall I still really enjoyed it.

This story takes off in Maui, with a young, struggling couple Nico and Lux. Nico has been offered a large sum of money to sail two college age girls to a remote island two days sail away.
Nico, Lux and the two girls make their way to the island of Meroe. The island already has a dark past from a shipwreck long ago.
I wasn’t adventurous before reading this one, and I’m definitely not any closer to taking an adventure like this one!
Things get really twisted once they arrive at the island.
I will say, it wasn’t the story I had envisioned when I started it, but it was a very quick read and I found myself needing to know what happens to them.
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for this advanced reader copy!

I decided to give “The Wife Upstairs” a shot earlier this year when it was one of the book of the month club options despite never having heard of the author before. I was absolutely blown away by how much I loved it… Like a ‘read the entire book in one sitting’ kind of love! So when I saw Rachel Hawkins had another book coming out, I 100% knew I had to read it. The cover is absolutely beautiful, and so reminiscent of “the wife upstairs” cover.

This book could have easily been an entire season of the show ‘Lost’ because that’s exactly what it reminded me of! The amount of twists and turns and unexpected ending in the book gave me whiplash!

I loved seeing the story of these supposed friendships/relationships, how they all found eachother, and how quickly we realize in the book that they are all based on lies and deceit.

Overall, great plot, fast paced, and kept me locked the entire time.

5 stars across the board!! Rachel Hawkins has officially become an auto-buy author for me!

Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and St Martins Press for the arc of this great thriller book. LOVED the setting, deserted island in the middle of the Pacific with a sordid past. Perfect setup for what is to unfold in this thriller. Connected with Lux for sure, great character development. The book does go back and forth in the timeline, gives some background on all the people on the island. I could feel the humidity that was on the island and taste the salty sea while reading this book. Need to book a trip soon! Easy read with short chapters. This will be a must read thriller for 2022!

I read this book in one day and could not put it down. The setting is a fantastic choice for a locked room thriller. Reckless Girls is a perfectly plotted and paced mystery that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. This is my second 5 star Rachel Hawkins book. I already can't wait to read her next one and this one isn't even out yet.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.