<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.

“Men. They worship us, but the second we do something they don’t like, we’re bitches and cunts.”

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake, and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and a well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.

But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.

When 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 on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.

I am a sucker for desolate island thrillers and this book certainly did not disappoint! I do not think I could have played it as cool as Lux did at some points in this book, however, I liked her spirit of character and the way she handled herself. She was definitely my favorite character throughout the book. Brittany could have gone either way for me, I never particularly got a good sense from her. Amma was just an absolute nightmare!

I thought this book was amazingly written and hooked me from the beginning The plot was focused and kept the reader on guard as the plot moved along. The characters were developed and creatively portrayed. There are lots of twists and turns in the story that will keep you hanging on until the very last page.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Hawkins never disappoints and her latest book holds true! Loved the murder/thriller aspect of this one! The plot twists kept me turning page after page and had me guessing until the end. Definitely recommend!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very good book. For awhile I was like, where is this going?? Then bam! Plot twist!! Will definitely recommend to friends when it comes out.

I am so thankful I got this over the summer to blow threw. It is my second by her and I read through just as fast! I was unable to just put it down.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! Reckless Girls is a wonderful and wild boat ride with a mystery/thriller twist. Lux and her boyfriend, Nic are hired to sail two young women to an isolated island. Upon arrival they meet another couple vacationing and they adapt into a fun group - until a stranger appears and everything goes wrong. Lots of beach vibes and written in multiple POV's flashing between past and present, I appreciated knowing every main characters background. The twist in the end was awesome and unexpected. The betrayal and grief that was included in the book also helped build the characters. I could not put this one down!

TW: murder, infidelity

3.5 rounded up to 4. I love a good claustrophobic read and and a story on a deserted island was just that.

This was more of a slow burn but I enjoyed the slow unravel of the characters and their secrets as well as a strong female lead

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins was a great boat murder mystery. I didn't realize how it would all come together at all from the prologue. Set on a deserted island a couple of days sailing from Hawaii, the setting is lush and ominous. Definitely a great setting with a tight and satisfying ending.

Stayed up until 4 am - Could not put this down!

Lux McAllister is drifting. Working a waitress job in San Diego, she jumps at the chance when handsome Nico asks her to come with him on a worldwide adventure. She follows him to Hawaii and finds herself cleaning hotel rooms for crazy tourists as money has run tight. Then, two women waltz into Nico and Lux's life, Amma and Brittany, and want to hire them to take them to a remote island for a truly unique vacation experience. Getting paid to sail? Going to a perfect island away from all of the hustle and bustle of the world? Too good to pass up, the four of them head out to Meroe Island. But the island has some secrets and so do the visitors. Who will escape from Meroe Island?

Rachel Hawkins, the author of The Wife Upstairs, does it again! Reckless Girls is highly addictive and is the definition of a page turner. The first 10% of the book was incredibly strong, a great opening. Then, between 10% to 50%, there is a bit of a ramp-up period (it takes a bit of time for the book to hit its stride), but after the 50% mark, WOW, I constantly wanted to know how each new surprise would turn out. Reckless Girl was highly entertaining which reigns supreme for me.

Overall, if you want a highly entertaining, addictive story, pick this book up! Be sure to clear your schedule first.

*Thank you, NetGalley, for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

Survivor meets Gilligan’s Island meets Ten Little Indians. Our story starts with Lux and Nico. They are living in Hawaii, working basic jobs. Lux wants life to move forward, but they don’t have enough money to fix Nico’s boat to sail the world. Nico’s from a rich family but refuses to ask for money. Lux is basically all alone and ready for something new to happen. She isn’t sure that Nico really wants to ever leave Hawaii. Along comes Amma and Brittney. They offer money to fix the boat if Nico will take them to Meroe Island. An abandoned island with a checkered history. The girls have offered enough money to fix the boat. A two-week trip and Lux can finally have the adventure she wants with Nico. Lux has her doubts about Amma and Brittney, as far as the real motivation behind their trip but she is willing to overlook it for now. Things really get interesting once they make it to the island. Turns out they aren’t alone, and the real mystery is just beginning! Some shocking twists and turns! You won’t see the ending coming!!! Thank you, Net-galley, for the advanced reader. voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. I am not required to leave a review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Yessss that was the thriller I’ve been begging for! It was fast paced, wickedly entertaining, and I honestly didn’t feel the twists coming until I was smack dab in the middle of them. I loved every second of this book and will be recommending it for a while! Thank you netgalley and St. Martins press for my free copy.

In the middle of the ocean is a truly deserted island, shrouded in stories of mystery, death, and fear. Does the island itself hold a horrible fate for those who visit or are the people seeking it out searching for a true escape?

When two beautiful girls show up in Hawaii seeking someone to sail them to the mysterious island of Meroe, Lux is happy for the opportunity to join her dreamy boyfriend Nico on a long awaited adventure. Following him to Hawaii with dreams of wide open boat journeys, her life has become nothing more than cleaning and picking up after the rich in a local resort. She jumps on the chance to explore a truly deserted island and embrace the beauty of the trip. Their idea of solitude is quickly ruined as they arrive and realize another couple is ashore as well. As the two groups get to know each other and learn about life in the jungle, will the island’s dark past overcome their bright dreams? Will they all survive Meroe Island? Each other?

I enjoyed the author’s novel, The Wife Upstairs and was thrilled to be approved to read another work of hers. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.

I devoured this book in one afternoon. It is an easy, fast read and what a page turner. Such efficient writing. The narration is quick paced but concise. This is the kind of thriller I like – a slow burn with lots of good narration, character development, female relationships, backstories before the thriller stuff kicks in. I’m not a fan of nonstop action thrillers so this slow build up worked for me. There is definitely a sense of dread and doom that something is going to happen, but it is as painful as it often is in this genre. I didn’t feel like I ever had to put the book down for a break from the action.

A word is necessary as regards the amazing setting. If you want to feel like you’re on a tropical island, this book is worth the read for that alone. And, as a bonus, there’s some history to it with primary documents interspersed. I really enjoyed those.

Despite being a fast read, I felt like I did bond with Lux, our main character. She is not totally likeable and becomes less so as the book progresses. I felt, however, that she was a very real example of human imperfection. The others were provided with backstories also but seemed a bit flat compared to her. She was the character I was most invested in, and I was rewarded in the resolution. Or was I?
Such a clever plot! I got Lord of the Flies vibes when Robbie first arrives on the island and well before it was alluded to. Lost was also on my mind at many times when they went into the jungle.

This book is quality entertainment and while I did predict some of the ending, there was a bit of a surprise for me. Love that!

Well...didn't expect that ending. Suspenful and surprising. Definitely more in the vein of Alice Feeney and Meg Abbot.

This was a blind read for me, I had no idea what I am getting myself into and this book had me from the very first page. I will say that I could see multiple TV show inspirations in the story, which only confirmed that I should read more of Rachel Hawkins's books.
Several groups of people came to the deserted island in the middle of the Pacific for a getaway and unique experience, will they make it out alive?
This story had just the perfect amount of creepy that won't keep you up at night, but make you turn those pages to find out what happened. I absolutely loved the settings and how the story developed. You would think that there would be not much action on a small island, well you are wrong.
My only concern was the ending, I still have questions and it felt a little too simple. That is why it is a 4-star rating for me.
Overall, awesome book. Easy on your mind and it is for sure different from anything I've read lately.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a gifted copy for my honest review.

“What am I when you strip everything else away? I’m a mother-f-ing survivor.”

Hawkins is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. I enjoyed the slow-burn suspense novel much like I did the wife upstairs. The beautiful but deadly island setting, secrets, drama, and lies all wrap up in an ending I didn't see coming.

Lux and Nico are hired to sail two girls out to a remote island near Hawaii. Quickly learning they aren't they only visitors on the Island. Lux soon discovers that everyone isn't exactly who they say the are. There is a ton of twists and turns during their stay, and in the end: Only the strong survive

Lux McAllister is a lost soul. She has no family to speak of and working a dead end job in San Diego. That is until she meets the free spirit of Nico, who is traveling to Hawaii to fix up his boat in order to sail the world. Instantly drawn together she follows Nico to HI to only end up drifting. That is until two young women ask to charter Nico's boat to the secluded island of Meroe. There they meet another couple also are looking for seclusion. Within days the 6 of them form an unlikely "family." Has Lux found the inclusion she has always craved? Nothing and no one is ever perfect, and soon the 6 become very aware of dark secrets each has hidden. Over all, an interesting premise, but for most of the book the storyline was slow and dull. It's as if the author was trying to drag out the story to make a full length novel.

If you’re looking for a dark, twisted, suspenseful novel that will have you unable to move, Reckless Girls is that book! I devoured this book in 2 days! I’m a big fan of Rachel Hawkins, and Reckless Girls is probably my favorite book of hers!

Rachel Hawkins does it again. This thriller is so creepy and sinister. It was so intense at parts and I literally had to take a break. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened and I wasn’t disappointed. I highly recommend this one.

This book dragged on. It seemed nothing really happened until the last fourth of the book. The ending was good but other than that it was just ok.