What did I just read?

The Island, is absolutely mind blowing! Thrilling, suspenseful, scary, twisted..... is that enough adjectives for you?

The Island fed my dark soul. Its beyond disturbing and I will most likely have nightmares for a week This will be my go to book for one of the most traumatic books I have ever read. This is one of those books that will have you peering over your shoulder long after concluding.

I know a lot of you say how much you love thrillers and the darker the better.... proceed with caution on this one and don't say I didn't warn you.

I am completely and totally obsessed with Adrian McKinty, and I can not wait to see what the future holds for this fan-freaking-tastic author.

Adrian McKinty has a style that keeps the reader on the edge of your toes, and most recently, The Chain was a read straight through in one sitting. Again, once I picked up The Island, I couldn’t put it down. There’s so much real dialogue you can relate to, thoughts the characters have that you may never admit to thinking yourself but have. Adrian has taken his latest two books straight into thriller territory. His novels take you beyond the story and into directions I’ve never read in a book before, and it’s what keeps me picking his books up and reading them over and over. After reading The Chain and The Island, I can’t wait to read what he comes up with next.

I just finished this book and boy what a ride this was! The action started pretty quickly and didn’t let up. The whole time I couldn’t help but think what would I do in Heather’s situation. I really enjoyed the location (an isolated island in Australia). The O’Neill clan creeped me out.

If you are looking for an edge of your seat, disturbing at times thriller, then this is it! Some parts towards the end got a little far fetched, but as long as you can suspend your disbelief just buckle in for the ride and enjoy!

This book is being adapted for the screen by Hulu and I’m really looking forward to it. I think it will make a great series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was quite the adventure! I have heard great things about this author so I jumped at the chance to read this book. I had hoped that this would be an exciting read and it most certainly was. It did take just a bit for things to really start happening but once the action started, it didn’t slow down until the very end. I am so glad that I decided to pick up this entertaining story.

Tom, Heather, Olivia, and Owen are in Australia so that Tom can attend a conference and the family can have a bit of a vacation. Tom and Heather were only recently married after Tom’s first wife died. The family decides to go to a private island in hopes of seeing some native wildlife. They have an accident while there and things get out of hand quickly. Soon, Heather is running from the group that runs the island and trying to keep her two stepchildren safe.

It did take me a little while to warm up to Heather, Owen, and Olivia but once I did, I was completely hooked. I wanted things to work out for them but I didn’t see how that could happen. It was actually great seeing Owen and Olivia come out of their shell and start working as a team along with Heather. There were plenty of twists and turns in the story to keep things very interesting. I was amazed by how resourceful Heather, Owen, and Olivia were and I enjoyed seeing them trying to figure out how to outsmart the people out to get them.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I found this to be an incredibly exciting story that was next to impossible to set aside. I cannot wait to read more of Adrian McKinty’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Little, Brown and Company via NetGalley.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: TODAY! May 17, 2022
I was blown away by Adrian McKinty’s, “The Chain”, and it still has left its impression months later. His new novel, “The Island”, had impressive shoes to fill, and although it was entertaining, it didn’t stick to my skin the way “The Chain” did.
Heather Baxter grew up in an isolated commune on a small island near Seattle. When she meets and marries Tom, a widowed doctor twenty years her senior, she finally sees the possibility of a new life. Even if that new life includes Tom’s preteen son and daughter, Owen and Olivia. In hopes of cementing the family relationship, Tom takes Heather and his children to the Australian countryside, hoping that some international animals and scenery will help build some familial bonds. But the family gets more than they bargained for when they end up stranded on a secluded island, an island maintained by the dangerous O’Neill family. When Tom is killed, Heather must prove to the children (and to herself) that she is strong enough to save them all.
“The Island” is reminiscent of “Old” (the M. Night Shyamalan movie), and there are definitely a few horror movie throwbacks (“Wolf Creek”, “The Hills Have Eyes” to name a few) that this book pays homage to. The secluded island, the inbred and almost feral family left to maintain the nearly abandoned outback- it’s all something that’s been the stuff of Hollywood for years. Good thing for McKinty, this kind of stuff is right up my alley.
I found the writing in this novel a little strange. There were some odd phrases in conversation that just sounded ‘off’, and the deliberately short sentences at the beginning of most of the paragraphs were very descriptive but tended to err on the side of confusion for me. The story was told in the third person, from the perspective mostly of Heather, but when others took over, it was not always immediately relevant, and it took me a few sentences to realize the narrator had flipped. Heather started the novel off as a gold-digging trophy wife, but ended up as a respectable and likable character, and I was eager to root for her and the children.
Some of the actions Heather took throughout the novel were ridiculously unbelievable (again, Hollywood-ready) but I loved every minute of the action. From the dry, gritty Australian outback to the backwoods, inbred O’Neil family, McKinty doesn’t let up. “The Island” is a completely different ball game than “The Chain”, but it definitely deserves a chance at bat.

Finally, finally, FINALLY I have found a super gripping thriller!

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading THE ISLAND! I was hooked from page one and I read all but the last hour in a day. This one is totally unputdownable.

I loved Heather and her growth as a character. At first I wasn’t sure about her because she often talked about how she was too young to be a stepmother, she wasn’t ready for kids, etc, but when it came down to it, her number one priority was making sure Olivia and Owen got off Dutch Island safely. She was smart and savvy and became someone the kids could rely on.

The family that lived on the island was super creepy and I can’t wait to see them on the big screen as this has been adapted for a Hulu series. They were some messed up Texas Chainsaw Massacre weirdos for real.

100% recommend this one for thriller lovers and be prepared to binge read it in one sitting!

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.⁣
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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!!