Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed McKinty's thriller The Chain and so I was excited to get an ARC of his newest release. This book is a wild ride from start to finish--I don't think I unclenched for most of the book. It is incredibly fast paced and I flew through it in two sittings, getting me out a reading slump.

I will say as far as thrillers goes, I've read a lot and this one was pretty gruesome (CW: discussion of rape, death of animals, death of people) so I would be cautious if thrillers aren't typically your jam. The action starts early and doesn't really let up-- while this made for a quick read, I do wish we had gotten a little more context and development for our characters in the beginning. I thought the writing was a little cringey/stilted in parts and some of the chase scenes got a little redundant.

You have to suspend disbelief for a lot of this book in order to enjoy it. There are some creative liberties taken with the characters backgrounds and storylines. The story is mostly told through Heather's POV but there were some weird intermittent shifts to other characters. I liked both the kids as characters and seeing their relationship with Heather change throughout.

I think I prefer The Chain to The Island, but I did still mostly enjoy this. I think it will translate really well to the screen so excited to see the Hulu adaptation!

The Island is like Deliverance but set on an island in Australia! A family from Seattle is in Australia for a work conference for Tom who is a doctor.. Along for the "ride" is his new younger wife Heather and his two children Olivia and Owen. The kids were complaining about not seeing any wildlife on the trip - not a kangaroo or koala in sight. So when a couple of men they meet tell them about the wildlife on Dutch Island, Tom pays them to ferry them over to the island. When an unexpected tragedy occurs everything goes wrong. This will keep you reading well into the night and might lead you to have some very upsetting dreams but it's worth it!

After reading “The Chain” by Adrian Mckinty, I sought out more of his books to read. The characters in “The Island” are utterly engaging and pull you into the story. The plot is wonderful and keeps you guessing, even when you think you’ve figured it out. There could have been a bit more resolution to some of the character’s stories, but I would highly recommend this book to anybody seeking a thriller.

Once again, a solidly properly thrilling thriller amid the sea of mediocrities. Bravo, author. A worthy follow-up to the previous one, The Chain. All you need is a one-word title, one idea, and the skill to make it sing. Or - as is the case in this scenario – scream.
Screaming won’t help – Australia (outside of the main coastal cities) is that desolate of a place. Now crank it up, make it an island. A place where the locals are all one extended family and they live off-grid and off-world, following their own rules and regulations. Laid out by the terrifying matriarch, referred to, appropriately enough, as Ma.
Into this backward backwoods insularity stumbles a family of American tourists. Not the population contingent one might normally associate with paying much respect to local customs, but crank it up…make them kill a local. Inadvertently. But still.
Ma and hers don’t take too kindly to it. Cue in an epic battle of wills.
Crank it up again, make the protagonist a twenty-four-year-old newlywed, but not a cliché. One who marries into money but also for love and ends up being stuck with two challenging stepkids to deal with. Kids she is much too young to mother.
Survival skills, though, that she has plenty of, being raised in a sort of a commune on an island of their own, by former military parents. These skills didn’t do much for her out in the real world of Seattle, but here, they are going to save her life.
So yeah, a really fun thriller through and through. Long but reads very quickly. I didn’t want to put it down. In fact, I read most of it in one long sitting. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Published by Little, Brown and Company on May 17, 2022

The Island is an uncomplicated mix of thriller and horror elements. A widower named Tom has traveled to Australia for a medical conference. He’s taken his new wife and his two kids. The kids don’t like their stepmom, who is half their dad’s age, but they’re more upset that they haven’t seen any cool animals. Tom spends a few hundred bucks to buy a few hours of time on a private island, ignoring obvious warnings that invading the island’s privacy will be a bad idea. After another couple joins the tour, a ferry brings the six people and their two cars to Dutch Island.

Adrian McKinty signals that Dr. Tom is a disagreeable character when Tom complains that the car rental company gave him a lesser Porsche SUV than the one he reserved. McKinty signals that the reader should have sympathy for Tom’s wife, Heather, when she struggles to do her best in her unfamiliar parental role. Those signals alert the reader to the likelihood that things will not go well for Tom but that Heather will show her mettle. Just to make sure the reader doesn’t dwell on Tom’s unpleasant encounter with the island's residents, McKinty provides more tidbits about Tom’s past to suggest that that his eventual fate is only the product of karma.

Tom does something stupid that gets Tom and his family in trouble with the island’s inhabitants, a family of misfits named O’Neill, led by a woman they call Ma. The O’Neill family decides that vengeance requires them to kill Tom’s family, apart from the 14-year-old girl who will become a replacement wife for one of the O’Neills. For good measure, the O’Neill family tortures the tag-along couple so that the reader will have no doubt that the O’Neills are evil. This sets an action story in motion, as Heather and the kids use a combination of wits and luck to turn themselves from prey to hunter.

The story makes interesting use of Australia’s history of oppressing Aboriginal people. The plot is otherwise predictable, but the story moves quickly and generates the excitement that McKinty intended. The traditional season of beach reads is approaching. The Island falls neatly into that category — entertaining but no great loss if the reader leaves it buried in the sand.

RECOMMENDED

Having read Adrian McKinty before I knew what I was getting myself into and this didn’t disappoint. Edge of my seat, keeps me guessing and twists galore. Not for those with weak stomachs. 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this story.
If you like fast paced, nail biting, life or death, all or nothing, survival thrillers, this is for you.

While on vacation with her new husband and two step children, Heather and family decide to go on a small island to see kolas in Australia. After an unfortunate incident, and things turn from bad to worse, Heather has to use her knowledge from growing up with two war vets as parents, to help her get her family to safety.

I could not put this down. I can’t wait to go out and buy a physical copy.

It took me a minute to get into this book. I actually thought about giving up on it and trying to read it later. I decided to just push through, and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the book. The story itself was interesting. I can't even imagine being stuck on an island and having a crazy family trying to hunt you down. 

I thought Heather was such a strong, kick ass female. She had a lot of fight in her. The Island family though, they were crazy. I could just picture them cooped up in their home. They drove me nuts but I liked getting their take on the story. They were such awful characters. For some reason I sometimes found myself liking Matt and I'd get mad at myself for it. 

I saw it is going to be a Hulu series. I am looking forward to that! I can't wait to see if the characters match what I was thinking. Special thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'll update and share my link to bookstagram when I post.

The first few chapters are slow, but after that the action really picks up and keeps going!
I thought it was exciting and action packed and would make a great movie. Heather was a surprising character as she really steps up and takes charge of the situation on Dutch Island. The O'Neill family lives on the island and, after an unfortunate accident, want revenge in an eye for an eye sort of way. They are a creepy and barbaric family, to say the least.
This is a good, suspenseful novel that will keep you intrigued!

▪️REVIEW▪️

The Island ~ Adrian McKinty

READ IF:
* You have dreams of traveling to the Australian outback.
* You’re curious how a Porsche snorkel works.
* Family vacations are where some of your favorite memories are from.

SUMMARY: Tom Baxter and new wife Heather head to Australia, his kids in tow, for a medical conference and while keen on making this an amazing family vacation, not everyone is feeling the vibes.

A trip to Dutch Island is just what this family needs to get into vacation mode but a horrible accident sends them into survival mode instead. Heather is left to save herself and the kids and her only solution is to find a way to get them off the island.

REVIEW: Saddle up folks because you will need a lot of suspension of disbelief to get through this one. The characters take on full Bear Grylls survival tactics to handle the mishaps on this island which good for them but I couldn’t help but repeatedly shake my head, like huh? Heather is a massage therapist - target practice in between massages? I think not.

Points for a cool setting and short chapters to keep the story moving along but it wasn’t enough for me to buy this as even remotely believable. This is getting rave reviews so be sure to check others out before passing this one up. Might be for total win for you but left a bit to be desired for me.

This has the potential to be a great read with a little more work. I really liked the storyline but feel the characters fell a little flat.

The story was intriguing, action packed and definitely a page turner. Character development could've been a little better. It well wrote. Not a whole of twists. Kinda scary and heart pounding. Loved the ending.

Widowed Dr. Baxter marries a much younger woman, Heather. He decides to take Heather and his 2 children on a working vacation in Australia. Heather is very aware that her stepchildren, a 14 year old daughter and 12 year old son. The kids are restless and desperately want to see koalas and have an adventure. They meet a couple questionable men that tell them there are koalas on the island they live on, Dutch Island. Along with another couple they set out excited to explore the island. Given strict orders on where they should go and be back on time to take the barge back over. A tragic accident occurs and the vacation turns into a nightmare. Fearing for their lives, 6 people must work together to get off Dutch Island alive.

Told from Heather's point of view, this book was full of action after the first few chapters. There is alot of violence in this book. Is it believable, no but it did hold my interest.

Trigger warnings: animal killings and attempted sexual assault.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was FANTASTIC! I'm talking edge of your seat, stress at an all time high, couldn't flip the pages fast enough, unputdownable fantastic!

Heather is only 24 years old, but when she marries an older man, she is instantly thrown into motherhood as he has two adolescent children from his first marriage. The family decides to accompany Tom on a work trip to Australia so they can take in the sights and spend some quality time together. When they persuade a local to bring them to a secluded island to check out the wildlife, the family is in for much more than they bargained for when they accidentally hit and kill one of the locals. The family quickly realizes the island's inhabitants are now out for revenge and don't intend to allow them to leave.

This book gave me so much anxiety and I say that in the best way. I didn't find it super predictable which I loved and there were some twists I definitely didn't see coming. Heather, though nothing like me at all, felt relatable and it was easy to connect to her character. I loved the relationship she built with the kids and the transformation they made throughout the book from being spoiled brats to becoming more kind, self-sufficient and respectful.

McKinty's writing was superb in this novel. I could envision the island perfectly and the book played out like a movie in my mind. It was an intense, quick read and would definitely translate well to the big screen.

I did find the first 15% or so a bit slow but once the family went to the island, the pace quickened and didn't let up!

If you enjoyed The Chain, you cannot miss this one!

Thank you to Little Brown and NetGalley for a copy of this excellent novel.

This was not the book for me. I found the dialog to be painful, the storyline too preposterous, and the characters actions were so uncomfortable and unfathomable. I truly wanted to love it since I saw all the great reviews, but I just couldn't get there. I have no doubt that this would make a great adaptation for a movie/television...but I just hope the dialog and interactions between the characters becomes more genuine.

4 stars. Read this in 24 hours. Fast paced with some suspense and kept me on the edge of my seat. Would definitely read more by this author!

Copied in my feature I put on my Instagram. Due to animal cruelty mentions I decided not to read sorry. I am trying to avoid reading about that at this time due to mental health. If I knew it was a trigger I wouldn't have requested. My apologies again.

Ugh what a Monday. I’m exhausted, but not too busy to thank @novelsuspects and @littlebrown for this amazing book!

Synopsis: After moving from a small country town to Seattle, Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. A working vacation overseas seems like the perfect way to bring the new family together, but once they’re deep in the Australian outback, the jet-lagged and exhausted kids are so over their new mom.

When they discover remote Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry, taking a chance on an adventure far from the reach of iPhones and Instagram.

But as soon as they set foot on the island, which is run by a tightly knit clan of locals, everything feels wrong. Then a shocking accident propels the Baxters from an unsettling situation into an absolute nightmare.

When Heather and the kids are separated from Tom, they are forced to escape alone, seconds ahead of their pursuers.

Now it’s up to Heather to save herself and the kids, even though they don’t trust her, the harsh bushland is filled with danger, and the locals want her dead.

Heather has been underestimated her entire life, but she knows that only she can bring her family home again and become the mother the children desperately need, even if it means doing the unthinkable to keep them all alive.

Sounds good right? This one publishes tomorrow!

3.5 ⭐️ Rounded to 4

I enjoyed the overall idea of the book and the thriller/mystery involved in The Island (originally titled The Chase for the ARC).

The story is interesting and fast paced. I just struggled with a bit of the story line. I wanted to know more about the family on the island, why they choose to kill people and the monster that is mentioned. I also felt that Heather, the main character wasn’t completely developed and we found things out about her as the book went along that we should have learned about earlier.

Overall the book was good. I just felt the story could have been developed a bit better!

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

Tom, Heather and their two children are visiting Australia as a part of a business trip. Desperate to see some native wildlife, the family of four decide to take an off-the-beaten-path tour of an island off the coast. Upon arrival, things quickly go pear-shaped as the foursome find themselves on the run from the island’s armed inhabitants.

I feel like I am taking crazy pills. People are absolutely raving about this one and I just found it.. OK? I mean, this is average stuff bordering on the completely ridiculous – like a computer algorithm wrote a screenplay after having been fed a dozen Liam Neeson action movies. That isn’t to say that it doesn’t succeed in its goal of being a balls-to-the-wall thriller, but this stuff just isn’t for me. I found much of the action too over-the-top, the characters aggressively stupid and annoying with a plot that is certainly predictable to an extent.

I found the novel’s main character of Heather often grated on me. She seemed to constantly jump to conclusions and discover things that I found completely unreasonable based on what she knew and when she knew it. There is a subplot that is revealed later in the novel that has her performing mental gymnastics to justify the reasoning behind her thoughts and actions to the point where I threw up my hands and just said “screw it.”

There is nothing wrong with consuming popcorn fiction whether it is in a book or on the big screen, but I couldn’t really find anything in this one to justify a positive review. This is my second experience with McKinty, and while I thought The Chain was a bit better, I did notice a pattern to his plot pacing in both books. I do not think he is a bad writer in the least, just isn’t putting out work that fits within my wheelhouse.

*It was just suppose 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.*

I read this book in just a couple sitting! If you’re looking for an intense, edge of your seat story that will have you turning the pages so fast, needing to know what’s going to happen next-than this books for you!
I went into this one pretty much blind so I was pleasantly surprised with the quick pace and bad ass main character.

Definitely recommend you pick this one up!