Happy Pub Day to The Island! And my thanks to @netgalley & @littlebrown for this ARC.

It’s taken me a while to digest how I felt about this book. It’s definitely suspenseful and very fast-paced, which always always get points in my book.

That being said, it was also just…quite weird? The backstory for the island inhabitants was never really fleshed out, leaving me feeling confused and the plot feeling a bit random given that we didn’t really know their motivations.

Overall it was a great idea and an easy read but lacking in its execution. I hesitate to give it 2.5 stars as I certainly didn’t *not* enjoy myself, but I can’t say I’d wholeheartedly recommend it either.

Link to my review post on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CdqqVXWrDDe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

What’s it about?
Heather comes from a small place, moving to the big city and falls in love with widower, Tom, who comes along with two teenage kids. Heather, barely an adult herself, tries to settle into the family as best she can and when a business trip to Australia for Tom comes around, it seems a grand idea for the family to connect.

When they discover Dutch Island from some locals—a place off limits—they find the remoteness appealing, on top of the promised koalas. On the island, a ferry ride away from the mainland, something feels wrong and when an accident happens, the situation turns into a complete nightmare. It’s becomes up to Heather to keep everyone safe and make it off the island alive.

What I liked:
First, it was hard to put down—everything happened so fast! The tension from the get-go was extremely palpable! The writing was clipped and the dialogue believable with almost stream of consciousness thoughts throughout as if we were experiencing the exact same thing as the characters. While in third person, mostly from Heather’s perspective, we got various other POVs from both the protagonists and the antagonists—giving a sense of their motivations behind some of the horrible choices they make. Here again, as seems to be my theme of the year, we have another kickass, female MC who will most definitely surprise you.

Wow, this is definitely a wild read. I will not forget this one for a while.

I liked his previous book, The Chain, more but for those that like action packed thrillers where you're being chased by crazy people, this is still one intense ride.

Thank you NetGalley, and Little, Brown and Company for my advanced copy to read and review!

I was such a fan of The Chain that I jumped at a chance to read this one. And it seems night and day to it, I did really like it. Something about it gave me No Exit vibes. Maybe it is the description of violence and the take no prisoners attitude. This is not for the weak of heart as it is intense. It lulls you into a family vacation and turns deadly.

Wow wow wow! I absolutely loved this book. I could not put it down and ignored most of my responsibilities over a couple of days in favor of reading this.

The story follows Heather, who is newly married to Tom, a much older man with two children who don't really like Heather all that much. The family travels to Australia so Tom can present at a conference. While there, they make their way to a remote island to try to spot some wildlife, and while on the island, something terrible happens. Now the family is trapped on the island and is being hunted by the island's only inhabitants--one large extended family with their own set of laws.

Talk about a thrill ride! The action and intensity starts very early on in the book and holds throughout. What I loved about this was it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading, but it didn't rely on excessive gore to keep the intensity. The story is told mostly from Heather's point of view, but also brings in a few chapters from the perspectives of the other characters. This, I felt, gave the reader some additional insight into certain characters' motivations, but wasn't overly confusing. The characters aren't even all that likeable, but they do have some nice arcs that made you root for them.

I seriously loved every minute of this book and will probably be recommending it to anyone who will listen for a long time. Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Stars: a very enthusiastic 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company, Adrian McKinty, and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Island is a dark psychological thriller with elements of horror. Newlyweds Heather and Tom Baxter along with Tom's children Owen and Olivia are taking a much needed family vacation in Australia. One day while out sightseeing, they visit a small, isolated private island when an accident occurs. The family that lives on the island decides to take justice into their own hands and decide the Baxter's fate.

Knowing their situation is now dire, the Baxters attempt to flee. But how can you escape when you're trapped on a remote island being hunted by a family of vigilantes who will stop at nothing until they have their revenge?

I have nothing but good things to say about The Island. This book blew me away. I was filled with a sense of dread the entire time and I swear I didn't breathe once. It was fantastic. This is the definition of what a fast paced, action packed book should be. It grabs on to you with two hands and never lets go; the adrenaline rush never lets up. It's a grisly tale of a family's fight for survival. Just when you think there can't be any more, wham! Mckinty throws in another whopper of a twist. I will be surprised if this doesn't top the success McKinty achieved with The Chain. To me the scariest thing about this book is that (although remote) it's possible. I can't wait to see what Adrian McKinty comes up with next.

4½ stars rounded up to 5 stars
Recommended for fans of: thrillers, action adventure, suspense, general fiction, horror, true crime

A family vacation turns into a nightmare for a newly formed family of 4. This is like texas chainsaw massacre set on a deserted island with so many unseen flips and turns your head will spin!

I have seen so many good reviews on this book and I have to say while I personally didn't like this book, obviously others have and the reason I didn't was because of the writing. I hated it. There was something about it that didn't work for me. But it will work for so many other people.

Nope. Not for me.

Idk what it is about this author, but clearly his books are not for me. Something about them just disturbs me. I struggggggggled to finish this one, & I only did because I don’t like to DNF books.

The storyline was terrifying. The characters were awful. Tom was a dumb idiot. The kids were rude & ungrateful. Don’t even get me started with the O’Neils. I will say, I did like Heather though but that’s about it.

OMG what a ride! My heart was pounding the
whole time and I was on the edge of my seat and I could not stop turning the page. This was an adrenaline packed, heart racing book that I could not get enough of. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy.

QUICK TAKE: An American couple with young kids, on vacation in Australia, pays a couple of locals to ferry them to a remote island off the coast in hopes of encountering local wildlife. While on the island, the family are involved in a hit-and-run, and in trying to cover it up, are caught. On an island with zero government oversight, local justice prevails…and that system of justice is…revenge.⁣
⁣
To give much more away about Adrian McKinty’s THE ISLAND would spoil the fun, but if you read McKinty’s previous book, THE CHAIN (about a woman who can only rescue her kidnapped daughter if she kidnaps someone else’s kid), you probably know what to expect here…propulsive action, over-the-top villains and regular everyday people put into unexpected, dangerous situations. It’s DIE HARD meets DELIVERANCE, and I personally had a lot of fun with it (who doesn’t love people being eaten by fire ants and giant Australian snakes!?).

The Island is about a family who travels to Australia and end up on a small island that is not the tourist attraction that they hoped it would be. Instead of kangaroos and koala bears it ends up being an Island full of angry people who want to hunt them down and kill them after they make a big mistake while visiting. There aren’t any cops, no way off of the island without the assistance of the family inhabiting it, and all they have is each other and their desire to survive.

I read this in about a day and a half and I could not put it down. It had my heart pounding the entire time and my anxiety was through the roof. The characters weren’t super likable, but the main character Heather was definitely a badass. She made some decisions that honestly infuriated me, but I don’t think even if she had made better decisions that things would have ended up any better for them.

This book gave me 2001 Maniacs, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a Perfect Getaway vibes. This felt like watching a horror movie. I was completely unsettled, but also totally engrossed and addicted to it as well. I will definitely be reading more of this authors books.

TW: Gory, themes of s3xual assault, animal death, grief & loss, and more. Those are just some off of the top of my head. It’s a dark read, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have easily been. Thank you to the author for not absolutely traumatizing me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown and Company, and Adrian McKinty for providing me with this ARC in change for my honest opinion!

One day while working, Heather meets her soulmate. Tom is good-looking, a doctor, and rich. There is one hitch. He is a widower with two children, a boy and a girl. Although only about ten years older than the kids, Heather feels confident she can win them over.
Shortly after their marriage, Tom announces he has a conference coming up in Australia. After much arguing, Tom decides to let the kids go along provided Heather will also go to keep an eye on them. The kids want to explore the outback and see some Roos and Koalas. At first reticent, Heather finally agrees it could be fun.
Snagging some free time, Tom takes them into the outback. They’ve been driving for hours and haven’t seen a thing, just more dust and sand. At a gas station, Tom strikes up a conversation with some locals who tell him they have lots of wild life over on their island. A deal is struck and the locals lead Tom and another couple to the ferry which will take them over to the island. One stipulation, they must catch the ferry back to the mainland before dark.
Once again, they are disappointed in the wild life. All they have seen are some birds. Noting that it is getting late, Tom steps on the gas to make it back to the ferry in time. Suddenly a woman on a bike appears in front of them and they run her over. She is definitely dead. What should they do now?
Wow! The pacing of this book is incredible. It reminds me of the movie Deliverance. It is fraught with horror, violence, and disbelief. The human mind is just not meant to under-stand something as twisted as the behavior of the islanders. I read McKinty’s first book which was wonderful and believe this book is even better. Readers of Lucy Foley will love this book.

Robyn Heil, Buyer for Brodart Co.

Do not read this book!! Unless you want to desperately struggle to stay awake because you can't bear the thought of putting it down. It has been a minute since I have encountered a page turner of this magnitude. Action packed and impossible to stop reading! I will definitely be watching for more from this author!!

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again - do not go places with strangers! Why do (fictional and sometimes real) people do this?! This was a gripping and suspenseful book that had me hooked the whole time. The flash forward to kick off the story was well used and I loved how it played out in the plot. There is almost a horror quality to this story - it’s a bit bizarre but it worked for me. Hulu already had the adaptation in the works and I’ll definitely be watching!

This is the first book in a LONG time where I actually had a physical reaction-- I was nervous in my stomach, It was really exciting and full of building tension and a great heroine in Heather. This book felt original, which is challenging, and visceral. The historical research that went into it was apparent and it was very enjoyable, definitely an author I would read again! I am looking forward to talking to the author and reading his earlier book, THE CHAIN.

This was a very good book it had me hooked from the beginning, I was cheering for my namesake, Heather, and the two kids. Heather and her newish husband Tom and his two kids, Olive and Owen are in Australia, Tom is a doctor specializing in knee surgeries and is there to attend a conference. Heather and the kids hope to bond during this time, the kids refer to her as "Heather' and are still grieving for their mother, Tom married Heather not long after his wife had passed. While at a rest stop, a couple of guys show the kids a koala they have in the back of their vehicle and tell them there are lots more animals on an island not far away. They decide to go over to the island and take a quick look around (they guys tell them the island is private and visitors are not normally welcome), a dutch couple also join and and they are off. While driving around the island, Tom gets lost and while trying to get back on the road he hits a woman on a bicycle, killing her. That is the start of their issues, Tom tries to work out a deal where he will pay their captures money to let them go, the boyfriend of the woman killed doesn't agree to that a brawl ensues, at the end Tom is injured, Heather and the kids are locked up in a barn. Heather though is a very tough and resilient person, she manages to escape with the kids and they lead the bad guys on a chase around the island, managing to narrowly elude them several times. I would recommend this book, especially if you like a strong female lead. Thank you to #Netgalley and #Little, Brown and Company for the ARC

What a crazy ride. This is the kind of book you cannot put down, as it is running so fast you just want to keep up.
Heather,Tom, and Tom’s children are on vacation in Australia. A day of sightseeing leads to horrors nobody could have predicted.
A sort of take on the movie Deliverance, The Island is a fast paced thriller that you can’t wait to finish, because you need to know what happens!

Have you ever been on vacation and someone in your group decides to make a deal in a parking lot? Or agrees to take your group into a stranger’s basement for tea? Or in the case of The Island, brings you over to an island to see koalas and wallabies? What could possibly go wrong?
What a great thrill ride this book took me on. I didn't know what would happen from one chapter to the next. It is so easy to imagine finding yourself on this island adventure in real life.
If you enjoyed The Chain by this author, you won't be disappointed in The Island

"The game was different now. Now it was the oldest game ever invented. Kill or be killed."

The Island is written in the third person narrative and follows an American family's trip to Australia: Tom, father and a Doctor, Heather, his new 24-year-old wife, and Tom's two kids, Owen and Olivia, who are still reeling from the loss of their birth mother a year ago, What begins as a vacation with the typical family tension and annoyances quickly spirals into a nightmare that has the family doing anything they can to survive.

Thoughts: First things first, Heather has impeccable taste in music! I really loved the vibe that was added whenever she mentioned what song she was hearing in her head, and it was such a small detail that added so much to the story. I really enjoyed this one! Totally action-packed, fast-paced, and the writing felt so cinematic. McKinty did a great job setting the scene (even though this book gave me the exact opposite of wanderlust). I really loved the character development because I literally couldn't care less about any of the characters in the beginning of the book, but they really grew on me by the end. Another detail I loved was how it was explained how each character knew something or why they had a particular skill when it propelled the story, my biggest gripe in this genre is when a character has miraculous talents that completely and inexplicably work in their favor (God forbid I'm ever in a situation where I need to hunt for my survival or pick up a rifle). I think the violence and horror was written very well and in a way that can appeal to most readers. Highly recommend for those seeking a fun and fast-paced thriller centered around a family's survival.