"The Island" is a family vacation gone wrong. Tom and his preteen son and teen daughter take his new wife to Australia on a work trip and try to get in some fun. The kids are not so nuts about Heather, the new wife, since their mother has only been dead a year but they are hoping to see some koala bears. When they do not see any on their excursion they decide to book a trip to an island where wildlife is promised. The situation seemed sketchy to me but they jump it and another older couple joins them. Once on the island all talk of koala bears is forgotten as they deal with one crazy thing after another and try to escape with their lives.
This book was a page turner (I read it all in one session) and with the first chapter being a glimpse into what is going on after they get on the island you know immediately you are in for a gripping thriller.
Some things seem a bit outlandish or obvious to us but not to the characters, but this is a good read!

McKinty has done it again. He has managed to make my skin crawl, turn my stomach, make me yell, make me pissed off, make me feel elated and most of all highly entertained me with his new book. After reading, The Chain, I was excited and hopeful about this book. I was definitely not disappointed! This is a must read if you like constant action, rollercoaster emotions, suspense and some horror peppered in. Great book!

A real pageturner of a book. The turns (not exactly twisty enough to be twists) could be seen coming. A diverting read but in retrospect it doesn’t stick with you.

Thank you to Netgalley & Little, Brown and Company for the eBook ARC!

This book lives up to all the hype. Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. We find them starting their vacation in Australia, where Tom is to be attending a conference. Hoping to see some real Australian kangaroos and koalas, the kids convince their father and Heather to venture out and explore! That does not end well for them. They wind up on remote Dutch Island, where things start to go downhill very fast. Like, incredibly fast.

My favorite thing about this book is the "full speed ahead" of the plot line. We get several short chapters leading up to their arrival on Dutch Island and once they're there... It's all about survival. We get into the nitty gritty of the story. Getting separated from Tom, Heather is now in charge of keeping two kids alive, who seem to be extremely over their new "stepmom" but must trust her in order to survive.

I definitely didn't see the ending coming and that's the best part of a good thriller book. The twists and turns of the storyline and the character development was perfect. I honestly felt like I could picture it all like a movie... which is why I'm so excited this is going to be a Hulu original series!

110ish pages into this book and am DNFing it. This simply is not my kind of book. I think I would potentially be more interested if we found out more about the “bad guys” in the first 1/3 of the book, but as of this far into it the motives just don’t make sense to me and I’m not invested at all.

I received. Free arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an okay read. There was a lot of action. Some of it believable and some a little far fetched. Some of it was very predictable but it flowed pretty well.

One mistake can have devastating consequences...

Small-town Heather marries Tom, a doctor in Seattle with two children. Still mourning the loss of their mother, the kids are not fond of Heather at all and want absolutely nothing to do with her. But when a tragic accident on vacation leaves the family in danger, Heather and the kids are separated from Tom, and she is the only hope they have for survival. Hunted by a group of locals on the remote Dutch Island, Heather is forced to do whatever it takes to protect the children. She won't let anyone hurt her family, even if she has to go to unimaginable lengths to keep them safe.
This novel pulled me in from the very beginning and didn't let me go. I love survival thrillers, especially when most of the story takes place in real time, making everything so much more intense. I read the eARC and listened to the audiobook, and the use of sound effects made the story even more immersive and thrilling. I hope to experience sound effects in other audiobooks in the future as I loved them in The Island! The narrator was also wonderful at setting the scene with her tone and creating distinguishable voices for each character, even down to their accents. I highly recommend The Island to anyone who is looking for a fast-paced, engaging survival thriller!

This was such a good book! I loved how fast paced it was. A family takes a vacation to Australia and while there decided to go to Dutch Island where an old prison is located. Shortly after they get there something tragic happens which kicks off a series of deadly events. What would you do to survive? This story explores how to survive on a island with everything against you! I received a free ebook copy for my honest opinion from Netgalley.

The Island is a horror novel about transgressions, punishment, and redemption. I haven't enjoyed getting to know a main character as much as I've enjoyed getting to know Heather, and I was engaged with her revelations, and the revelations of her family as they went through their...experience. I read this straight through and loved it.

I'd recommend this to anyone with this caveat: This is a VERY violent book, and there are some close r*pey moments in it early on, but while I find those moments difficult (and came close to DNF'ing this one), I pushed through and was glad that I did.

Fighting for your life, the life of your stepchildren, and wondering who you can trust - this book was packed with action. I had no idea what to expect when I started reading, but was pleasantly surprised! The descriptions of the sweltering summer heat and remote setting conjured a very uncomfortable atmosphere - right in time for a steamy summer. If you are looking for a heart pounding, action filled survival story, you will enjoy this book. Just maybe don’t read it right before bed.

I really liked the book The Chain by Adrian McKinty so I was excited to read his new one, The Island. I had both the ebook and the audio and went with the audio, which was quite an experience, as sound effects were included! This was an exciting thriller that made me feel like I was on the hot and dry island along with the family. The amount of violence in this book reminded me of Taylor Adams's books. While I sometimes wondered if there was a point to the the locals acting the way they did, I enjoyed the action and the story and it kept me interested throughout!

The Island was exactly what I needed an isolated survival thriller/horror to be. This was a masterpiece. Those who loved No Exit by Taylor Adams will probably also love The Island.

Go read this one now!

Heather is everything I wanted and needed from a heroine. The story was believable and the stakes were high. The tone was immaculate, it was so easy to read and such a fun time. I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you Little Brown & co and Netgalley for giving me an ebook early for an honest review.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars
"Be not afraid; the Isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not."
Willam Shakespeare, The Tempest 1611

Well this book was certainly a wild ride. I was hesitant to read this one because when I read The Chain by Adrian McKinley, it wasn't my favorite... but everyone deserves a second chance, so I took the leap. This book is told in the third person and kinda hops around between POVs, but mainly focuses on Heather and the Kids, Owen and Olivia. I really loved the character development with Heather and her relationship with not only the kids but herself as well... the experience made her believe in herself again and it was good to read about.

The writing style was very different in this one., and sometimes confusing following along. I did really love though how the author described in detail how being stranded on an island with native people would be like... made you feel like you were there with them. I also really loved reading about Australia and the indigenous people who lived on the island (Bunurong) on which he took inspiration from.

Overall this book was ok. I liked the plot and the characters, but the writing style and the pace kinda threw me off a little. Great of fans of stranded island mysteries.

Thank you to Little Brown and Company, Hachette Audio, Netgalley and Adrian McKinty of an arc of this book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review !

I loved The Chain, so I was extremely excited to check out this new book from Adrian McKinty. I went in blind based on the author, and assumed I knew what the story would be about based on the title. While I was correct on the plot, it did not diminish my enjoyment of this book at all. I was glued to the edge of my seat and devoured this book in just one day (which is unusual for me). There were some slow points that caused me to skim the details a bit, but overall this book was pretty fast-paced and gripping. Another winner from this author, and I can't wait to read what he puts out in the future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Little, Brown and Company for this ARC.

Review of The Island by Adrian McKinty

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Whew. My heart finally slowed down a day or two after I finished this one. Talk about anxiety while reading a book! And I loved it. Any book that can make me feel that way is amazing. This author is one amazing writer and I will read anything he writes. This is going to make a great mini series and I will say it again it gives me all the Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibes. It’s out now so you definitely need to get it and read it.

Quick synopsis: Heather and Tom are visiting Australia along with Tom’s children from his first marriage. They run into two men at a local shop who promise them an authentic experience seeing animals and other local interests on the private island owned by their family for a fee. Once they are there an accident occurs and Heather and the kids find themselves on their own. They have to fight every inch for survival.

PS: Heather is one bad amazing character

Thank you to the publisher for the finished copy!

3.5 Survivor meets Deliverance on a Australian island. So much can change in a year.For Heather it is a big change as she is now married to a man 20 years her senior, has two sullen stepchildren, which is why she is hoping this trip to Australia might bring the family together. They are all little prepared for the terror that follows.

Word to the wise. Might not be a good idea to give into children when they demand a side trip to an island that visitors are warned to avoid. Also, one never knows when skills from the past will prove integral in times of danger.

Fast paced and chilling.

ARC from Netgalley.

✨ A family vacation turns into a terrifying experience.

💜 Heather travels with her new family to Australia for her husband’s conference. During a sightseeing trip to a remote island, something unexpected occurs, launching them into a high stakes hunt to keep them alive.

💥The biggest thing that made me want to read this book is the synopsis, very creepy and high paced. While this is a very solid thriller, there were some parts where I felt the family should have been portrayed more deeply, especially through the middle. I did love the connections made between Heather and her stepkids.

My face at the end: ☠️

🍪 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from @Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company.

💯 For more details on the books we read, be sure to follow me on TikTok (@zaineylaney). I will give you a list of reasons to read! Or join us on Youtube (@zaineylaney) for our monthly wrapups and snap book decisions.

The Island by Adrian McKinty is a humdinger of a fast-paced novel that will have you glued to the edge of your seat as you devour the pages. A newly married doctor and his young wife travel with his two children to Australia for a fun-filled vacation. while there they decide to visit a tiny island that houses some unfriendly inhabitants. An accident occurs that leaves them all fighting for their lives. Lots of action keep this novel moving along quickly. You'll want to save this one for a day when you can read it all in one sitting. Read and enjoy!

I wanted to love this book because the concept is so badass. Almost lord of the flies meets ozark. But at about the 50% mark things got a little too unbelievable. Punching sharks, killing snakes with rocks, and repressed memories suddenly coming to light. Felt a bit jumbled in my opinion. The bits about indigenous land also felt so forced from the author.

But if you’re looking for a breakneck piece of pure entertainment then this may be for you. Nonstop pacing, twists at every turn, and characters you’ll love (and hate).

The Island by Adrian McKinty was my second novel by this author and it certainly did not disappoint. I would struggle to decide whether to call the book at horror novel or a thriller. Maybe I will settle on a horrifying thriller.

Heather is an American on an Australian vacation with her new husband and his children. We learn early on that there is some hostility from the kids toward their dad's young bride. Meanwhile in or der to facilitate forging bonds between Heather and his kids, Tom gives the kids what they are begging for by talking the family's way onto a private island they should not be on. An accident happens early during their visit to the island, This sends the family on a nightmarish journey to try to escape the wrath of the locals and get back to the mainland.

There should be plenty of trigger warnings with The Island. It is graphic at time. Rape is a constant threat against Heather AND the teenaged stepdaughter. There is some harm to animals. Between the family's arrival on the island to the nailbiter finish, I was HOOKED. I really liked The Chain, but The Island is even better. If a reader doesn't mind a bit (or a lot) of grittiness, this book will not disappoint.