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.

I really enjoyed the first 30% of this one. But then I really had to suspend belief in order to believe this family was able to survive the island and it’s inhabitants. And then I had to keep suspending belief to the point that I started to believe I was watching a sci-fi movie. It was entertaining, and pretty fast paced. But not the suspense I was hoping for. Heather went from newly appointed step mom to Rambo in only a few days.

When I began reading the book, as a parent I thought the idea of a vacation which involved a lot of driving (in Australia) with two young teens in the backseat to be a terrible idea, particularly since the couple had only been married about a year. That was only the start of their bad decisions. Aside from the bickering, things began to go south when they decided to visit a private island to see native Australian wildlife, but were warned by some residents to stay close to the shore. Well - they didn't, as another resident told them that they could see more wildlife nearer the center of the island.

Naturally they headed inland, where they were not supposed to be. They were trying to get back to the shore of the island when they had a terrible accident, and things went really south. They couldn't get off the island. The book turned from National Lampoon Vacation - without the humor - to a horror story. If you like books where ordinary people are trapped and fighting for survival, then this is the book for you. I liked the start of the book but it quickly became too violent for my tastes.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher Little, Brown and Company via NetGalley. These are my honest opinions of the book.

This was un-put-downable!! Fast paced terror of a vacation finds a family of 4 and 2 strangers in the midst of ha homicide clan.
4*** for characters
5**** for imagination of yourself in that situation
Rounding up to 5 stars, especially since I didn't enjoy The Chain at all!

I used to love books set on islands, but now I'm not so sure! No, seriously this was a great thriller that kept me reading so much longer than I'd planned. I loved The Chain so knew McKinty wouldn't disappoint but I had no idea this one would be so creepy and twisted! Tom and Heather are newly married and take his two children on vacation to Australia as Tom has a surgeon's conference and they plan on doing some "touristy" things as well. Taking the ferry to an island to see some indigenous wildlife seems like a good idea at the time...until it isn't! One small mistake cascades into terror for the entire family and had me gasping all day! I loved the characterizations and descriptions; and the tension never abated! I'm still breathing a little heavily just thinking about it! Go in blind but make sure you have someone close to hug when you are finished!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

A colleague asked me to review The Island by Adrian McKinty (May 17th.) The problem was that the book was on sale this Tuesday, which gave me three days to read and compose my coverage. Initially, I was reticent because three days is usually an insufficient time to read, absorb, and formulate an impactful review. In this instance, such was not the case. The Island is a beautifully written, horrifying, unpredictable, and terrorizing story of good versus evil.
A family on vacation stops at an Australian island to view rare and indigenous wildlife only found on this isolated strip of land. Unbeknownst, the animals are human and more dangerous than the imagination allows. What happens next is what makes The Island one of the great reads of this or any other year.
McKinty has a superior flare for the unpredictable and the rare ability to convey it in a way that will make all readers fans of this and his voluminous backlist. McKinty is a talent to watch.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was a bit of a slow start for me, but once I got a few chapters in, I couldn't put it down. The short chapters made it easy to keep going. I loved seeing the character progression as the story continued. It did not go the way I thought it was going to go and that made it all the more exciting.

Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Heather has been underestimated her whole life. She was homeschooled on a commune, never finished high school, and met her rich husband while working as a massage therapist. Oh, and he is 12 years older and has 2 kids who don't like her. When the family finds themselves stranded on a private island with a group of people who take the law into their own hands, Heather is forced to step up. Just like any book from this author, there is no telling where the story might go and what twists might await on the next page. I loved the ones in this book! I also loved how the kids each played a vital role in the story. So often the kids are just add-ons, but they are fully developed and contributing characters. Despite the page count, this was a quick read. Maybe because I couldn't put it down?

Let me start by saying that after reading other reviews, I think I am in the minority on this one. This one just didn't quite work for me. I found the character development of some of the characters to be uneven and a bit all over the place in terms of their personalities and motivations. I did enjoy the island setting in Australia, but the plot was just too far-fetched and unrealistic for me to get fully on board with. I also struggled with the writing style.....often rambling and causing me to lose attention. I also was not a fan of the short sentence style that was interspersed randomly throughout the book - it did nothing to heighten the tension for me or keep me engrossed, but rather provided and easy opportunity to skim. I think there are far better thrillers out there to pick up and read.

Talk about a gripping survival thriller filled with tension and heart-pounding moments! This book had me on the edge of my seat and there's not a dull moment.

I loved the atmospheric setting and vivid landscape (and also appreciate the author talking about the location in the acknowledgments as I was concerned that the book might paint an unfair picture of Australia). There were some gruesome scenes that I couldn't help picturing too.

Interestingly, I started out not caring about the 3 main characters at all due to their moral ambiguity. Yet somehow I ended up not only warming up to them but also rooting for them. If this isn't great writing and character development, I don't know what is.

I feel that the synopsis gives away too much so I'm glad I went in mostly blind and would recommend everyone to do the same. While this book reminded of quite a few horror movies, I haven't read that many similar books and wish there were more like it!

Overall, a gritty and unrelenting read that I really enjoyed!

Boy howdy, I needed a distraction and The Island delivered! Goodreads says this will soon be a Hulu original series. I can see it more as a Netflix or Prime made-for-TV type movie or a very limited series. Sort of a revenge flick but with a little more suspense. I was confused because my ARC said that the title of the book was The Chase, but I'm glad they changed it to The Island because that title is more fitting. I liked the shifting voices of the characters and the alternating POV from both the island's inhabitants and the main characters. Highly recommended to those who like survival stories and traveling through a book. I've been lucky to travel to a few different places in the past few books but this one makes me think Australia isn't a place I want to go except in books.

I absolutely loved Adrian McKinty's "the chain" book and was so excited when I was approved an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This book just didn't really do it for me. The first three chapters were good, then I felt like the book just went downhill from there. The way some of the characters speak is a little... cringe. Parts of the story just seemed way out there, unbelievable really.

4.5 ☆

Wow, I was not prepared to get caught up and drawn into this one by just the first chapter, but I was and this thrill ride didn't disappoint. It was like a movie and I was so emotionally invested that I was getting frustrated with the characters actions then also rejoicing with them at their victories. It was such a great, fast paced read for me. Definitely recommend!

The writing style was fluid and easy to keep up with. I feel like McKinty definitely has a way with words and knows how to get their readers invested into any book they create. 100% an autobuy author for me at this point. I loved the rollercoaster that is this book.

Wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish!

Heather goes in a vacation with her husband and his two kids and end up on a remote island. An accident happens and the native clan comes after them. It's up to heather to get her and the kiddos off the island.


There were a few weird dreamstateish scenes that were a little weird but overall I loved it all! I'm so excited to go watch the movie is going to be made into as well!

I couldn't wait to read this one as I loved The Chain and this book did not disappoint. Heather, her husband and his 2 children head to Australia for Tom's business trip/family vacation. Heather wants to use this time to try and bond with her stepchildren but what she ends up on is far from paradise. They end up going to an exclusive island filled with natives who quickly turn against them. Instead of a beautiful vacation with laughs and memories, they are quickly running for their lives. Wonderful, lush scenery and haunting situations. Thanks for Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.