⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another great book by Adrian McKinty. A whole book of just suspense! Action, action, suspense, murder, animals? The cast of characters in this book is completely insane. You get to know every vital character real well. The end is something that I didn’t see coming and was a great twist to seal the book. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy!

What happens when your family gets stranded on an island with psychopaths? This is the Australian version of Deliverance. While it was a twisty, turny read with lots of action and adventure, it is not for the squeemish.

Well, that was intense. A widowed doctor, his two kids, and new wife are in Australia on a working vacation when things go horribly wrong. As you can imagine, the new wife, Heather, is fighting an uphill battle with the kids and wants them to like her. Because of this, when the kids want to go to an island to look for wildlife, Heather is gungho. The island, only accessible by ferry, is off-limits to outsiders, has no phone or internet service but is beautiful. Almost immediately upon setting foot on the island the family realizes they've made a grave mistake.

The Island embodies one of my favorite quotes: "Where you stand determines what you see." From across the channel the island looks idyllic. Change your prospective and it is anything but. Including the people. Tom, the husband, is the perfect man for Heather back home in the US. Heather, from the kids perspective, is a moron who is trying to replace their mom. And the kids are no peaches, either. Everything changes on the island and in order to survive they will have to work together and catch a little luck.

A fast read with wild characters and plenty of tension, The Island is not for the faint of heart. The Island was really good but it could have been great. I would have liked to have more information on the mama of the clan. She's feared by the rest of the clan but McKinty offers no explanation why. Also, the ending was kind of abrupt but satisfying nonetheless. I was surprised by how much I liked the The Island when I was done.

My sincere thanks to Adam McKinty, Little, Brown & Company, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Island.

Fantastic! My pulse rate was increased for most of the book. I can see why they are turning this into a series because it was just like a movie in my mind. Twists and turns that I didn't see coming, and a few scenes that will haunt me for years to come. I absolutely loved it!! Highly recommend.

In many ways this has all of the hallmarks of what I consider to be a terrific Suspense/Thriller, though I’ll confess to having some mixed feelings about it.

The plot for this is fantastic and features two of my favorite thriller themes: survival in harsh conditions and the good old “The Most Dangerous Game” trope.

The action is exceptionally well structured and written, with some familiar elements as well as some new horrors to contend with including man eating ants and a very interesting spin on nefarious survivalists.

And Heather is a terrifically good heroine who is unusually complex for the genre and about as easy to root for as they come.

What I didn’t love: Dog executions by the protagonist, which weren’t critical to the plot, were graphically described, and included the phrase “Blue’s head exploded,” referring to an ancient, limping pet who was just tracking as instructed by its master. I knocked off two stars for this and I honestly considered knocking off more. I also don’t care for the constant threat of rape of all of the female protagonists (including a teenage girl). Male authors, please stop doing this.

Those things took enough enjoyment of the book away for me that it significantly impacted my overall feelings about it. I really liked The Chain (which included no off-putting elements like these), but without them this would have been the better story of the two.

Mostly it’s still a fun read and if you don’t care about things like this, you’ll likely find it exceptional.

Another great book by Adrian McKinty! If you want another edge of your seat thriller, this is the book for you!

Wow.

If that could be my entire review with a picture of my face with my jaw dropped, it would be. I was in an absolute reading slump and started this one and finished it within a couple of days bc I was hooked! Heather and Tom take Tom’s kids (their mother passed away and Heather is new step mom so you can imagine the conflict there at times with two teenage kids…) to Australia tagging along with Tom who is keynote at a conference. Long story short, the family goes to an island and has an accident that costs them their safety and they have to fight for survival on this island that’s inhabited by some ruthless people who want revenge. I loved the author’s writing style and short chapters and really liked Heather a lot throughout and even moreso by the end. This is a great story and had me interested from the first page to the last! EASILY 5 stars for me with this one!

The Island was quite a thrill ride! When Tom, his kids, & his new wife Heather have a tragic accident on a remote Australian island, mayhem ensues. I enjoyed the writing & had to keep turning the pages to see what happened. I kept visualizing it as a movie. Very violent & graphic but had a satisfying ending.

Wow, what a ride! First book I read by this author, but I will be buying The Chain, for sure. This storyline was action ,action,action!
Needed to suspend reality sometimes , but the book kept you wondering, and definitely a page turner.
Would recommend for sutr.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity.

The Island is Adrian McKinty's next kickass novel! For fans of The Chain, be forewarned that The Island is more graphic with violence and gore.

With the exception of the gore, I really liked this book! It's a trophy wife with some secret skills that helps her family survive. I'll admit, I did see one of the twists coming, but only because the breadcrumbs were laid fairly obviously.

The Island would make the perfect can't-put-down beach/vacation read, so long as that vacation isn't taking place on a semi-remote island.

The Island ~ Andrew McKinty
This book had me on the edge of my seat. It's about privilege and consequences. A wealthy widower and successful doctor marries a young woman from a small town and she becomes the step-mom to his young son and teenage daughter. Together the take a family/work trip, overseas, in hopes to bound. However when they discover a remote Dutch Island that is off limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry looking for some adventure. But a shocking accident pits them against the locals and that's where this pulse pounding nightmare begins. It's about choice, trust, and what you would do to protect your family and stay alive. McKinty is a master of suspense and thrill rides. He pulls you into the story and doesn't let you go. This was definitely a barnburner and I would recommend it to everyone. Top Notch

Most of the time when I'm reading a thriller, I want a who-dunnit with lots of twists and turns. A solid cast of believable characters in a bad situation. BUT sometimes you just need to read a thriller that is batshit bonkers, and this book is that.

I don't think there is a moment in this book that is believable, but who really cares? Did I have a fun time reading this, yes! Was it an absolute page-turner, also a big yes!

I went in hoping I'd get a female survivalist character like Erin from You're Next, and we don't get that in Heather who's survival seems entirely based dumb luck and chance. But, If you want a solid b-movie style plot that will keep you entertained, I'd definitely recommend this one.

A really fun, high action adventure thriller novel with a somewhat predictable ending. Overall enjoyable if not earth-shatteringly brilliant.

I could not get into this book. I did not like the writing style nor could I connect to the characters. It wasn't for me.

With a slow start, this book definitely picked up the pace once the Baxter family was on the island. What began as a family vacation turned into a disastrous side excursion to a private island and then trying to escape alive. The premise was not totally believable but it made for an exciting, edge-of-your-seat read. I felt as though I had been reading when I was suddenly plopped onto the set of “Survivor” and the cameras were rolling. The main characters are Tom, Heather, Olivia and Owen. Tom is widowed and now has a new wife Heather, a massage therapist who is not particularly liked or respected by his children. Once the family gets to the island, the clan that runs in are introduced to the scene and they are just plain evil, especially the matriarch whom everyone calls Ma. Once the unthinkable happens, it is up to Heather to escape with the children and try to get off the island. The book is intense and intriguing with a lot of surprising twists, but I will say that it did seem to drag at times as Heather built a relationship of trust with the two teens. There is some violence that occurs and more that is hinted at, so this book may not be for the squeamish. Heather is a strong female protagonist that is relatable and well-developed even though she is different from anyone that I actually know. This book is a trip into dropping off of reality and entering no-man’s land of survival no matter what you have to do. Fans of thrillers will enjoy the story and want to watch a movie about it because it would make a good one!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

*will be submitting instagram post shortly*

This book was a WILD ride! I absolutely did not expect….almost everything that happened lol. It’s set in Australia and the author does an amazing job of really setting the scene and the atmosphere, it’s really easy to feel like you’re immersed in that environment. It definitely is a fast paced page turner and has so many twists and turns, I highly recommend this one! I think it would be a really good read to get out of a reading slump also!

3.5 Rounded up. This one was definitely a wild ride. I couldn't set it down. The cast was quite insane.

An American family, pays some locals in Australia to get on a ferry to go to an ungoverned island with wild life. When they are involved in a hit and run the locals decide to take justice to their hands and a wild escape story happens. Read this if you want a high pace action packed survival novel!

Thank you Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the ARC of this crazy book!

Where to begin! Full of tense, action-packed mayhem! The Island was so much fun, but so anxiety inducing! I love love loved it! I'll read anything by Arian McKinty! You can bet I won't be taking any small island vacations anytime soon!

I love when books make you think “what the heck would I do in this situation?” It was slow at times, but also had a lot of action. I loved the strong female lead in the story and I thought the ending was sweet. Can’t wait to watch the series on Hulu!

I have had a mixed reaction to this author’s books. I really like his Michael Forsythe series, don’t care for the Sean Duffy books and thought his most popular book, “The Chain”, was pretty bad. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that “The Island” has real and enjoyable thrills.

A family on an Australian vacation visits an island inhabited by a single clan. The island is accessible only by a ferry controlled by the clan and it is not possible to communicate with anyone not on the island. After an unfortunate accident that Tom and Heather handle badly, Heather winds up on the run with her two stepchildren, 12 and 14 years old, who dislike her. Heather and the children have to use all of their resourcefulness and knowledge to outwit and outfight the entire clan of violent and sadistic pursuers. This was fun, was full of action (both human and animal deaths were involved) and had a satisfying ending. Note that the audiobook has gunshots. They are the only sound effects and they never failed to startle me. 4.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.