Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advance e-copy of The Island by Adrian McKinty in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Wow! For all of my fellow literary adrenaline junkies out there, The Island does NOT disappoint!! I now regret to say I haven't read the authors previous super popular title, The Chain, but believe that it's now a top priority for me. The Island is an adrenaline filled, heart pounding thriller full of twists and turns you won't see coming! Heather and her new husband Tom, along with Tom's two snotty, jaded teenagers are traveling in the Australia for an Orthopedic Surgeons convention, in which Tom will be presenting the Keynote address. Heather and the teens, Owen and Olivia, have come along with the intention of bonding as a new family and to fit in a side trip of an authentic Australian Outback adventure. At the very least the teens are hoping to see some local wildlife, a koala, maybe a kangaroo. After the trip starts off as a bit of a bust, by chance the family meets a couple of locals, Matt and Jackie who reside on a wild and mysterious private island known as Dutch Island, full of koalas, wallabies, wombats, even penguins! Only accessible by their private ferry, as Jacko expresses to them, " it's like Jurassic Bloody Park, mate". Intrigue! The family is dying to get on that island to get the authentic experience they were hoping for. Tom strikes a deal with the men and they're officially on their way to the experience of a lifetime. Once there, a tragic accident and a split second bad decision causes this family vacation to take a DARK turn and things go VERY VERY WRONG. I don't want to spoil anything further, just be ready for a twisted, gory, horrifying adventure. The chase is on and it is survival of the fittest. At times, this was almost a bit too gritty and gory for my taste, but still a total page turner that kept my attention and overall a fun, fast summer read!

I generally post a review regardless of how I feel about a book. I can usually find a way to critique without being an ass. Adrian McKinty has been one of my favorite authors over the years, and his Troubles work is fantastic. To say I was disappointed in The Chain is an understatement, though I thought it showed promise while being written in the "made for movie" set. I decided to take a chance on The Island and won't be taking another.

I don't require common sense in my characters, but they should at least be consistent. These were not only paper-thin, but they were not consistent. At times they were written one way in order to set a scene, then changed for another. The whole Porsche set-up was ridiculous. Make Tom an arrogant prick, which he was, but keep him in character. Why Heather married him was very unclear. The kids hated her, but she called them "baby" and "honey?'

There were more fart references in this book than moments of enjoyment. I'm sorry, Adrian, I just have nothing nice to say so I'm not going to publish anything at all. Which I don't like to do, but I have too much old respect for you to do otherwise in this circumstance.

this is a good thriller. It took me on quite the unexpected journey and i like that they flashed forward at the beginning and then told the story. i am unsure why the author didnt continue the flash forward scenes so that was kind of odd.
I will say <spoiler> the concept of going with two wierdos to a secret island with your whole family.. is fishy </spoiler> so once you get over that initial "who would even make that call" you start getting into a real story.
lets get past the cheesyness.
you have a woman whos step children are horrid humans, a husband who is so out of reality and a woman who is struggling to even figure out who she is and where she is meant to be in this world. What happens is a story for the decades so much ups and downs. You really felt you were there. I wish the first 10% of the book was chopped off because this would be a 5 star read because of how cheesy and unneeded some of it was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for allowing me to read a digital copy of Adrian McKinty's novel, "The Island." The story begins with Heather lost, driving in the Outback, and meeting an aborigine who helped her, invited the family to relax, gave directions to the airport, and provided a trusty souvenir to commemorate their meeting. This chance meeting between the two foreshadows the impending doom that will befall the family. This tale was action-packed and fast-paced. Tom, his two kids, and his new wife, Heather, take a working vacation to Australia. In Australia, the family goes on a sight-seeing excursion so the kids can see some of the natural wildlife up close via ferry to a remote island called Dutch Island. Things quickly go awry after an accident, and a poor decision has the family fighting for their survival upon their arrival on the island. Their nefarious guides show their true colors, and the race to survive the island is on. Will the family survive the ordeal intact? Or not? I wondered if this novel would turn out to be the Aussie version of Deliverance, but it had tones of Rambo. So, I kept reading this tortuous tale, which left my head spinning, to find the answers. The action was non-stop and kept me on the edge of my seat. There is graphic violence in The Island, but once you start reading the book, you get caught up in the story and want to finish it. I loved Heather!

“The Island” is the second novel I have read by Mr. McKinty, and I recommend that you read this book.

Review Rating-3.5/5 stars

Heather is a badass!

I truly wanted to LOVE this one but just found myself waiting for the climax or ending I knew was coming. I don’t like to be harsh because it was a good book, but that’s what arc and reviews are for. It made sense, all the loose ends were tied up and There were some good twists but I saw them coming from milessss away. There are big scenes that will be muchhhh better for on camera, since this is an upcoming Hulu show!

🌟SPOILERS 👇
BUT it just had unnecessary parts:
-the friend back home that I thought would eventually send the cops. Did nothing. Her whole character was unnecessary since she didn’t play any part in their survival.
-the excessive rattling about birds and aboriginal people etc also didn’t help their survival at all and just felt random and confusing. The peninsula was told to them from the Pamphlet from the random prison?
-heather was such a badass that the few times she “almost gave up or could just fade away” didn’t make sense for her.
-Ma was lame! I would have taken her out first and seen what happened to all the others coming to their senses that there was another way out of this craziness.

I did love the bond the kids and heather created and I’m happy they came together as a family❤️

I believe this author is going to be consistently on the bestseller lists. We use that every day at work. I also get to help pick what books we have in, so this one has been ordered, I believe it will be very popular!

4 stars for Rambo
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for an e ARC of The Island by Adrian McKinty. This book absolutely defined vacation gone horribly wrong!! The story was action-packed and never stopped. It was a fast read which left me with some whiplash!. The family in this novel made a terrible choice regarding the place to go sightseeing for koalas and kangaroos -- on a Deliverance Island with a cruelty level at 1000+!! Honestly, some of the violence was just too much for my taste. And when the main character, Heather, turned into Rambo, the novel took a side-ways turn for me. There is believable and then... a 24 year old Rambo killing machine. I applaud her survival skills and heroism in protecting the children, but, there was a point where I just wanted the story to wrap up. And I think ending was rushed and way too tidy. After all that viciousness and danger, it was just a Good Night Moon ending? I think the story also showed the very dark side of humanity,if there was any humanity at all, and I was not a fan.
#NetGalley

A few bad choices and this family ends up being stalked on a remote Australian island by a psychotic family. And there survival becomes a bloody endeavor.
I struggled a bit with the first half of this book, as the characters felt unbelievable. Even the actions didn’t ring true. I found my pacing better towards the end of the book, where the action ramped up, and the twist became interesting. I would have liked a more complete fleshed out ending too.
Overall , I enjoyed the book, but could only give it three stars.
~Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher~

"It was just supposed to be a family vacation.
A terrible accident changed everything.
You don't know what you're capable of until they come for your family."

Are you in a reading rut? Read this book.
Do you love fast-paced and action-packed thrillers? Read this book.
Looking for a book to keep you on the edge of your seat? Read this book.

This book is incredible! It pulled me in at the prologue and I didn't want to put it down. The story kept my heart pounding, wondering what would happen next. The characters were well written and I love a main character that everyone underestimates.
Please. Read. This. Book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this ARC.
Release Date scheduled for May 17, 2022.

I'm a bit torn posting this review. I really liked the plot and the parts where the action really happens, but I felt like the story dragged in other parts. Since I read an unpublished copy, I am hoping the editing would be tighter in the actual release. Overall, I would rate it a 3.5.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley, Adrian McKinty, and Little Brown & Co for a copy.

As someone who took a family vacation to Australia as a child, complete with deserted island excursions, this was on my “To Read” list already! I was delightfully surprised to have been chosen for an ARC!

There were a few moments where I just had to shake my head at some of the characters’ actions (Heather sneaking up on Jacko and sits down to deal with glass in her foot right behind him….ugh).

I despised Tom, and how flippant people were about his first wife suffering from MS and dying tragically. Heather annoyed me throughout most of the story, and the kids’ attitudes drove me bananas.

Despite this, most of the characters (except for Tom) grew on me, and grew as characters. I was definitely invested in the story and couldn’t put it down once i started.

Pick this one up if you like thrillers, adventures, and survival stories!

Reading Between the Wines book review #45/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 📱: The Island
Author: Adrian McKinty
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: This one fell a little short for me. I enjoyed The Chain but there were just not enough mind-blowing surprises for me. I do think people will enjoy this one, especially if you like a James Bond/Jason Bourne movie but with a female lead. I really liked Heather and how she played no games when it came to keeping her and her family safe. Just because I didn’t love this book does not mean you shouldn’t try it for yourself.

Cheers and thank you to @LittleBrownAndCompany and @NetGalley for an advanced copy of @TheIsland.

#TheIsland #AdrianMcKinty #LittleBrownAndCompany #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This is one intense, heart throbbing, thrilling read! This will keep you on the edge of your seat for sure!!

Wow did I love this book so much. This book reminded me of one of my favorite movies You're Next and I loved this story of survival with a badass lead. I loved how McKinty took the time to ramp up the dread and get us into the setting before we ramp up the story and get to just a tale of families, violence, and survival, I loved Heather so much. I love a mysterious woman with a hidden backstory and seeing her take charge and kick ass was just amazing.

Thanks to Little, Brown, and Company and NetGalley for this ARC for an honest review.

I flew through this fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller. No slow burn here- this book hurls the reader straight into the action- gripping and visceral. I finished the book in 3 days and could have easily finished it even faster than that without life getting in the way. I had to know what was going to happen next. Not a typical survival story, this book also includes a few sneaky plot twists in all the right places to keep the reader guessing. I loved this roller-coaster ride of a story- can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

If you like KICK-ASS main characters, YOU SHOULD READ THIS. If you enjoy edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting page turners, YOU MUST READ THIS. If you haven’t yet tried any of Adrian McKinty’s work, YOU WILL BE HOOKED AFTER THIS ONE!

A family excursion on a small, private island while on a trip to the Australian Outback leads to a shocking accident and, consequently, a struggle to survive the depravity of the island’s inhabitants.

Wow! The Island by Adrian McKinty had my heart racing and my nerves on full attention for the entire read. This novel definitely proved to be one of my top un-put-downables.

The characters that were supposed to be likable were awe-inspiring and the characters that weren’t supposed to be likable were utterly disturbing. The storyline was intense and kept me on edge. 5 perfect stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book will make you rethink your plans for a family vacation! I thought the plot was original and a fresh take on a survival plot. I was engaged in the action and couldn’t wait to see the next step in the plan!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC copy of The Island by Adrian McKinty! This was a fast paced thriller and fun for Summertime!

{4.5 stars}

Dear lord, what did I just read?! There is barely a second of this book that is not pulse pounding action. Probably more horror than your typical thriller, I really loved the survival aspects of this one. It is rife with violence and gory scenes, there are probably 20 trigger warnings so definitely beware if you’re a sensitive person.

We start off with a scene right in the middle of the action, a writing strategy I totally love. Then we get a few calm chapters to set the scene of this family visiting Australia for a conference. Tom is a well to do doctor, married to his younger second wife, Heather. His two children are not fans of their new stepmother and are spoiled little brats, medicated to the hilt. Just befor the conference, the family wants to do a little exploring to see some koalas. The bribe their way onto a private island, a decision they will come to regret.

The family who owns the island are insular and ruthless. When an accident forces Tom and Heather to face the family head on, they’re quickly outmatched. They spend half the time running from the family and half the time trying to survive the harsh Australian island.

The pages really flew for me on this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

Wow what a ride. This book had me on the edge of my seat, terrified for what was going to happen next. Couldn’t read fast enough! Awesome story.