If you're looking for an action-packed, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat, propulsive thriller, look no further because The Island certainly fits that description!! Remind me never to visit a private island while on vacation...

Heather Baxter, her stepkids Olivia and Owen, and her husband Tom, are in Australia on vacation. Tom, an orthopedic surgeon is a keynote speaker at a conference and the kids begged to come along to see the sights of the Australian Outback. Heather has been trying desperately to get the kids to accept her after their mom's death even if that means journeying across the continent or taking a ferry to a family-owned island on the promise to see koalas or other wildlife although she feels hesitant.

The book takes a dark, galvanic turn when a tragic accident occurs that causes the Baxter family, along with another couple who joined them on the island, to be trapped and hunted by the family that lives on the island. It's a fight for survival and the story is definitely violent and gory at times, so just be prepared in case that's not your thing! Also, there has to be some suspension of belief but it's meant to entertain, be suspenseful, and allow the reader to escape for a few hours, which is exactly what it does.

I loved Adrian McKinty's The Chain and am thrilled that The Island is as good a follow-up. I'm super excited to see this will be a series on Hulu and can't wait to watch as the action of the book will translate well to the screen. Highly recommended if you're a fan of fast-paced, entertaining thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

-Review posted to Goodreads and Twitter on 5/11 and on Amazon and Barnes & Noble on publication day

I loved Adrian McKinty’s writing style from the moment I read The Chain so I knew this book was going to be intense and have me captivated in the story. It was exactly what I thought it would be and I could not be happier. I was hooked and shocked and my adrenaline was through the roof while reading it. I loved this!

I really enjoyed the author's first novel, but this one fell a bit flat for me, and the writing was bland.

What was supposed to be a fun filled Australian family holiday rapidly becomes a horror filled nightmare and a fight for survival.

Seattle orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Tom Baxter thought it would be fun to take his new wife, 24 year old Heather and his two children along with him on a work trip to Australia. The children, 14 year old Olivia and 12 year old Owen are still missing their mother who had only died a year ago and have yet to bond with their new step mother. A holiday would also help Heather get used to suddenly becoming the stepmother of two adolescents.

After a few days in Sydney and then Uluru, the family arrive in Melbourne where Heather and the kids are staying in a house at the beach while Tom is at a medical conference where he is a keynote speaker. On his day off they decide to drive down the Mornington Peninsula hoping to see some Australian animals in the wild. However, they arrive at the coast without seeing a single kangaroo or koala. When a couple of men, clearly brothers, tell them that Dutch Island, just across the bay where their family, the O’Neills live, has plenty of wild kangaroos and penguins, Tom offers them a large sum to take them across there. The men agree to ferry them over, along with a Dutch couple, Hans and Petra, who ask to come along, but only if they agree not go anywhere near the farmhouse in the middle of the island where their family lives and to be back in 45 minutes to be ferried back to the mainland.

Once on the island, the Baxters have a terrible accident and with no mobile phone reception decide to leave the island and report it to police on the mainland, but before they can leave the brothers find out and decide to hold them hostage along with Hans and Petra until Ma, the head of the O’Neill family, decides what to do about the accident. The tourists feel safe going with the brothers – this is Australia after all, what could possibly happen to them?

What happens next is a thrilling, heart pounding fight for survival. With the women and children separated from the men it’s up to Heather to step up and use all her resources and life skills to keep the kids safe and for them put their trust in her. The tension is palpable with each twist and cliffhanger pushing it higher until you need to stop to take a breath. Well written with great characters, vividly drawn Australian landscapes and a chilling, dynamo of a plot. Hold on to the edge of your seats – this is Australian noir at its best!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for a copy of The Island by Adrian McKinty.

This book was unlike any that I have ever read before and I appreciated the unique concept. I was eager to get to the end so that I could see how it all turned out.

That being said, I found it hard to care very much about any of the characters. There were so many different elements brought into the story that weren’t entirely fleshed out, and the middle of the book dragged for me.

I would gladly see a film adaptation for this story, I think the storyline may be better suited for the big screen.

The Island by Adrian McKinty
Publication Date: May 17, 2022

24 year old Heather is accompanying her new husband Tom and his children to Australia for a medical conference Tom is the keynote speaker at. With time to explore before the conference, the family heads out to see some koalas and other wildlife. It's only when they accept an invitation to a private island where they're promised to see tons of wildlife, that the true horror begins.

Heather was a character I could root for because she's smart and resourceful. However, I feel like we weren't given enough information about her to really understand her motivations for marrying Tom, becoming a stepmom, and even following him across the world. Her background provided plenty of information about how she was able to be strong for others, but it left me wondering why she wasn't that strong when it came to her own choices in life.

I liked the Australian setting, although I feel like it was a little stereotypical in its portrayal of its inhabitants. It almost reminded me of a horror movie (that Heather actually references!) but the book isn't doing much different from the movie: scary people. outback setting, wash and repeat. The author's note at the end does explain where the idea for the book comes from and he assures readers that the people of Australia were very lovely.

My biggest issue with the book is that the two children, Olivia and Owen seemed so much younger than they were. They were 14 and 12 but seemed more like 6 and 8. They weren't given much in the way of personality besides being bratty, except for when they're suddenly very smart and full of random knowledge. And the husband Tom vacillates between being the smartest man in the world and an asshole who actually refers to his wife as a millennial. Hmm...

All in all, I thought this was a decent thriller. I could see it being made into a movie and maybe I would like that more, but the book was just so-so for me. If you're looking for a bloody read that has machetes, an evil matriarch with an eye patch, and koalas, you'll like this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for my advanced copy.

Why my nose was in this book:
This book had the perfect mix of storytelling in a suspense thriller - a strong character, who developed throughout, a backstory to the island setting and its inhabitants, edge of your seat twists and turns, gotcha moments, all the while wondering how the heck they’re going to escape the island
I love a redemption character arc - I typecast Heather from the get go as a naive, young stepmother, who was in way over her head, but she evolved into one of the fiercest badass women and my perspective instantly changed into doubting her choices to rooting for her survival
The family is stuck on an island, where the people who are hunting them down have lived for years, so I was constantly anxious wondering how the heck they were going to escape
Action packed adventure that had me screaming (in my head) at the characters, each chapter was another chance for survival, for some
I will never look at a Porsche the same way again. If you know, you know
This story was fast-paced, read in a matter of hours, and it was fun

"The Island" was a suspenseful and tense book. It was a great read, and I could hardly put it down. .

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Rating: 3.5 stars

“Propulsive” may seem like a cliché way to describe a thriller, but it’s the perfect word for The Island. This book epitomizes propulsive. Its 384 pages of heart-pounding, seat-gripping, nail-biting tension.

The plot is both exactly what you think it will be and nothing like you’d expect. It takes several tropes regularly found in horror and action movies, and tweaks them to keep the reader engaged. And on top of the lightning speed plot movement, it is also pretty dark and disturbing, psychologically and with actually gory moments.

Some suspension of disbelief is required for this though. While the action parts were spectacular, I think it suffered a bit from a lack of exposition. I’m usually happy when a novel drops you right into the conflict, but this didn’t explain quite enough at the beginning. Additionally there were parts throughout the story where I felt I needed more information.

But if you are looking for a wild ride, The Island is an enjoyable, fun, and very quick read. It’s no surprise at all that @hulu snapped up the rights to this so fast!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. This will not influence my review in any way.

I loved "The Chain" by Adrian McKinty and could not wait to read this one too. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. What I liked about "The Chain" was that it felt so new and different from other things I'd read. This one just seemed like a re-tread of so many other books/movies. City folks go somewhere rural and the locals are all crazy, blood-thirsty inbreds. YUCK. This is not realistic and actually pretty insulting. The villains were all one-dimensional. I did keep reading because I wanted to see how they got to the ending although it was pretty easy to figure out what the ending would end up being. I would not recommend this one but I'll still try Adrian McKinty books because I still have hope for better.

The Island is an intense read that definitely is a thriller. There is some disturbing subject matter so be forewarned if sensitive. McKinty is quickly growing a reader fan group.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: May 17, 2022

This is the incredibly suspenseful story of a family who suddenly find themselves in a terrifying situation, and must do whatever they can to survive. Tom has recently married the very young Heather (after his first wife suddenly passed away), and she is now step mom to his teenage children Owen and Olivia. A family trip to Australia takes a very wrong turn when a sketchy pair grants them entry to a private island in order to show the kids some authentic Australian wildlife. After a tragic accident, what follows is a pulse pounding race for survival - will any of them live to tell the tale of their time on The Island?

PROS and CONS:
This is utterly saturated with action - I picked it up with a sense of dread at what might next come their way. It’s like a nightmare - you’re trapped on a remote island with an inbred, homicidal family, in the intense heat of summer in Australia, relying only on your wits to survive. I couldn’t help but think that it all could have been avoided by a quick trip to Melbourne Zoo - but hey, there wouldn’t have been a book without this lapse in judgment.

READ IT?
If you’re in the mood for pulse pounding action without much character development or lovely descriptive language - then this is the one for you!

4 Stars

The Island is a suspense thriller about a family that gets trapped on an island with a bunch of in-bred maniacs somewhere in Australia.

Sure, I’ve heard that story before, but it’s a good story, and probably that’s why I’ve heard or seen it before. It’s fine for what it is, what I like to call a popcorn book. There will be grisly deaths where you want to look away from the page. There will be smack talking. There will be explosions. Someone will die in a gunfight.

All of these things are fine. The pacing is good. The chapters are quick and short. The main character is sympathetic.

I give it three stars because at the end of the day there isn’t much to separate it out from the others. The writing is fine. The setting is fun. The villains are crazy.

And that’s it. I don’t regret reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the eARC.

Well. Not quite what I expected.

What I was expecting: a fun, fast-paced survival/on the run story with And Then There Were None vibes reminiscent of The Greatest Game.

What I did not expect: an entirely unbelievable set of circumstances, extremely sadistic characters, and threat of sexual assault of a 14 year old (and her mom). Sorry, but that’s 100% unnecessary. I DNF’d this book.

Can’t recommend.

Grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc, though!

-A

Like The Chain, this fast-paced thriller was certainly entertaining, and in the moment I found it enjoyable. However, the way McKinty focuses on the action of his stories makes me crave just a bit more explanation of characters and plot choices.

Great read for the upcoming summer months when you want something entertaining and engrossing.

4.25/5

The Island is now the second book I have read by Adrian McKinty, but he was already an autobuy for me after The Chain. This book moves at a quick pace, and once we find out what happened things get REALLY intense. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading, and once I started I legit didn't put it down. This was a total binge read for me, and I read it all in one day and basically one sitting as well. I was thinking the entire time I was reading it that it would make an amazing show or movie, and I just saw it is going to be a series on Hulu which I couldn't be more excited about. There is definitely quite a bit of violence and gore in this one, so it will be interesting to see what they do with that.

I think The Island is best to go into as blind as possible and just let the story take you for a ride. I really enjoyed the isolated location, and the tension is palpable as Heather and the kids fight for their lives. The setting of the Australian outback was brought to life quite spectacularly, and McKinty did an amazing job of making me feel like I was there. I was able to picture each scene perfectly in my head, and I could practically feel the heat and the dust in my mouth. There is nonstop action, and I would say you will have to suspend some believability here, but oh it is so worth it. I found the characters to be quite irritating at times, but this didn't affect my reading and I was happy with the turn that eventually takes. Heather turns out to be quite fierce and crafty, and I loved her backstory. I liked this a bit less than The Chain, but I will definitely be watching it when it comes out on Hulu, and I can't wait for more from McKinty!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to Little Brown Publishers for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Adrian Mckinty's "The Island" isn't a bad book. It's actually a good summer read. It's the kind of book that keeps in your beach chair until sunset.
At the same time, there's a terrific twist which takes the story in a another direction. Then Mckinty's tacks on a conventional ending that made me feel cheated.

I

Enjoyment: 5
Total rating: 4.93

Heather grew up in a small commune. Since moving to the big city, her life has gotten better and better - she found a career she likes and married her prince charming. Tom is a wealthy widow with two children and a great house. Heather works hard to keep her life; she loves Tom and is determined to be liked by her stepchildren.

When Tom is invited to be a keynote speaker at an Australian conference, they decide to make this a family vacation. On Tom's free day, the children beg him to go for a drive around the outback in hopes of seeing wildlife. While enjoying their lunch, they meet these guys who mention Dutch Island as remote and off-limits. So, of course, they bribe their way into the island.

Big mistake.

The Island is a one-sitting book. Plain and simple, it starts tense, and it only increases in intensity. I literally binged the whole book because my heart could not handle putting it down. McKinty's narrative is engrossing and addicting; his characters are very relatable. I honestly felt like I was on that island (and sometimes yelled at Heather to stop being so impulsive).

I had a fantastic reading experience; I laughed, cried, yelled, was disgusted, cheered, and nearly had a heart attack. Need I say more?


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of The Island.

Like most people, I quickly became obsessed with McCinty's "The Chain" and I have been eagerly awaiting for this next book to become available ever since it was announced, It absolutely did not disappoint. I went into it not really knowing the plot, and it seemed like they kept the description pretty vague and I'm so glad they did because I had no idea what was to come next. Similar to "The Chain", "The Island" takes a plot that could quickly become outrageous and over the top but McKinty does a really good job of keep his characters and the story grounded in reality. It was an absolute page turner and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.