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.

Many thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
OMG what a good thriller! I had to keep setting down The Island while reading it over this weekend on my trip to Portland, Maine, because it made me so anxious! My body could not handle the tense situation presented and I was physically feeling it!!
Heather is just 24 and the new wife of Tom, a doctor in his 40s. She and the two children from his previous wife head to Australia. Tom is to be a featured speaker, and they make a larger trip out of it, traveling to see more of the country before Tom's conference in Melbourne. But the kids complain about not having seen enough wildlife and they bribe a local to give them a ferry to a private island where the wildlife is apparently abundant. No wi-fi and no GPS on the island, and (surprise, surprise!) nothing goes right…
I'd never heard of author Adrian McKinty before I got this book, but some bookish friends spoke very highly of his previous release, The Chain. I look forward to reading that book soon, because this one was fantastic! However I have to give my heart at least a few days to get back to normal because this one really took me through the ringer! This one publishes 5/17 and it was a wonderful, wild ride!!

2.5 Stars

I keep reading thrillers in the hopes of finding one that doesn’t require me to totally suspend disbelief. Unfortunately, this Australian Deliverance isn’t it.

Twenty-four-year-old Heather recently married a widower twenty years her senior. When Tom Baxter, a doctor, attends a medical conference in Australia, he brings along Heather and his two children, Olivia and Owen, 14 and 12 respectively. One day, in hopes of seeing some Australian wildlife, they take a ferry to Dutch Island, a private island where visitors are not welcome. Once on the island, there’s an accident which causes them to come into conflict with the O’Neill family which owns the island. Separated from Tom, Heather has to save herself and her step-children.

Heather’s intelligence is dismissed by both Tom and her step-children. Tom, for instance, thinks, “Why had he listened to Heather? She was a Millennial. She didn’t know anything” and believes “she had that young person’s thing of saying everything that came into her head.” Olivia thinks, “Heather was easily impressed. She wasn’t very smart. She hadn’t even graduated high school.” Of course, she proves herself to be resourceful and to have considerable knowledge of bushcraft because of her non-traditional upbringing. In terms of strength and stamina, she becomes a female Rambo; she is pushed to the limits of human endurance and suffers several injuries but perseveres nonetheless. Her ability to recover quickly from physical trauma is almost superhuman. As expected, Olivia and Owen realize they underestimated their stepmother and come to trust her.

I have difficulty believing that two adults would take children to an island with two strange men they have just met. One of those men is described as “menacing” and possessing a “wolfish grin” whereas the other is very reluctant to allow them on the island which has no cellphone or internet service. Then after the accident, Heather and Tom make another stupid decision. I understand that an inciting incident is needed to bring characters into conflict, but I’d much prefer something more believable.

The plot has several problems. Much of it is repetitive because there’s a lot of running and hiding. Because of Heather’s amazing survival skills and cunning, she is able to escape all attempts by the O’Neills who would supposedly know the island much better than she does? The plot requires too much suspension of disbelief: the reader is expected to simply go along for the ride and overlook over-the-top implausibilities. And the author doesn’t play fair. A chapter from one character’s viewpoint ends with the line, “And then there was no ‘he’ to feel anything at all.” The fate of that character, even with the foreshadowing in the middle chapter, means the reader is tricked. Relying on such deception is not acceptable. On the other hand, much of the plot is predictable; certainly Hans and Petra can easily be identified as redshirt characters as soon as they join the Baxter family on the trip to Dutch Island. And the ending is so predictable: by Chapter 35, it is obvious what is going to happen.

Some of the dialogue is bizarre. Jenny, the conference rep, takes the family to a house for their stay in Melbourne and as she enters that house, she says, “’Anyone need the toilet? Fab toilets in here. Heather? Looks like you gambled a little on a fart and lost, no?’” An Australian would reference the Alamo, an American historical event? Heather tells Olivia and Owen to watch out for a police car on the island?

This action-packed thriller will appeal to some readers, especially if they enjoy graphic violence. The Rambo-like heroine, the totally evil stereotypical villains, and the far-fetched plot made it difficult for me to enjoy the book. Does escapist literature have to require the reader to suspend all analytical thought?

Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

INSANE, PAGE-TURNING, SURVIVAL THRILLER OF THE SUMMER!!! A family trip to Australia, a day on a remote island whose sole residers are 'Ma's' family. An accident, and now .... the family is trying to kill them. That's all you need to know.

The Island is a thriller for sure! It had an interesting premise and location and had a couple of small twists. I felt the book dragged on a bit and the ending was a little far-fetched but it kept me interested and engaged. Definitely would recommend. I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

IT WAS JUST SUPPOSED 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 flew through this book. It starts out a little slow, but quickly picks up. You can feel the terror and determination of the characters throughout the book. One of my favorite things about this one was that it was not the children's blood relative that was fighting for them, but their step-mom, who they had only known a year. It made the storyline more powerful. The author showed that parenthood is more than just biology. The story moved quickly and had lots of twists/turns throughout. The ending felt a bit rushed, but all in all this was a great book!

I am writing a short review to avoid spoilers and give readers a chance to go into this thriller without too many plot details. Full of action and adventure, this book is definitely not boring. It captures your attention throughout, with poetic breaks that are truly touching. Author Adrian McKinty writes a thrilling novel based around a motherly instinct to protect her family. Heather does everything in her power to bring her new family home safely. I loved the suspense and sacrifice of the characters to save the vulnerable and weaker members. I would have liked some of this novel to be more believable. Some scenes, twists, and character decisions were hard to believe could happen. Either way, I would love to see this brought to life on the big screen!

MY GOD. I think this may be my favorite book of the year so far. I read this whole thing in one sitting. I can't remember the last time I did that.

I kept telling myself that as soon as I found a good place to stop I would so that I could get something else done on my day off yesterday. Let me tell you- there are NO good places to stop with this one. It was so fast-paced and something was always happening. I couldn't bear the thought of putting it down.

If you want a true thriller, look no further. The thrills are on every page and the tension is through the roof. I seriously cannot recommend this book enough.

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @littlebrown for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

At first, I didn't think I was going to like this book. Once you accepted the premise, you really wanted the characters to succeed. The survivalist skills were believable and the bonding of characters understandable. I couldn't stop reading until the very last word.

Can you hear those dueling banjos? While reading this tale of island survival, I thought of the movie "Deliverance." Sure enough, when I got to the author's note at the end, that very film was mentioned by name. That moment of connection put this book in 5-star territory for me. This is a messy, complicated, bloody story. It is a gritty, grim survival tale with a massage therapist doing the unthinkable and taking on a family who has been entrenched on an island off the coast of Victoria. A family of four--Tom, stepmother Heather, Olivia (14), and Owen (12) -- take a ferry over to Dutch Island to see Australian wildlife. How many will return to the mainland? You will have to read this book to find out. McKinty has once again given us a narrative with an unthinkable crisis to overcome.

Thank you to Little, Brown Company and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read another book by this author, and I enjoyed it, but this one didn't work for me. I found it far too gruesome (and unnecessarily so). The plot was quite predictable (and the summary pretty much gives it all away). I didn't care for any of the characters. Humor was thrown in, but it felt out of place. There was no big reveal, as I expected to find.

Trigger warning: threat of rape (multiple mentions), cruelty against animals and humas

The Island by Adrian McKinty is a highly recommended survival thriller set in Australia.

After the death of his wife, surgeon Tom Baxter married 24-year-old massage therapist Heather. His two children, 14-year-old Olivia and 12-year-old Owen aren't thrilled with now having Heather taking over caring for them and view her as too young to be a real mom. Tom is the keynote speaker at a medical conference in Melbourne, Australia, and the whole family has accompanied him, making the trip a short vacation. When the kids keep demanding to go see kangaroos and koalas, Tom rents a car and they go in search of wildlife.

While taking a break and eating at a roadside stand, they meet two members of the O'Neil family who say that the private island they live on has plenty of Koalas. The kids want to go, and Tom, along with a Danish couple, end up paying a large sum of money to take their private ferry to the island. The Baxter's realize that something is wrong on the island, and after a horrible accident they are taken prisoner by the O'Neil family and brought before Ma, who will decide their fate. Suddenly circumstances leave them fighting for their lives. Both Heather and the kids must work together to use all their skills and intelligence if they want to survive and get off the island.

The first thing I though while reading was that this was Deliverance set in the outback. It is an uncivilized, frightening, harsh plot that moves at a rapid tumultuous pace with brutality at every turn. The danger can come from both human and nature. Neither the hunters nor the hunted will accept failure. McKinty includes intermingled among the attention grabbing action some earnest thoughts about human existence, spirituality and meditation.

There is no doubt that this is an intense, compelling, hard-to-put-down thriller that will hold your complete attention throughout the novel, however you also need to set aside some disbelief to fully enjoy the experience. Sometimes setting aside your incredulity and going with the action is the best way to appreciate a novel and that approach will work well with The Island.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Little, Brown and Company.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, Google Books, and Amazon.

Intense! Page Turner! Read in 2 sittings! Vivid description but without making you feel like it’s too lengthy, particularly about the area of the land and the scenery. I felt like all the characters were described well enough that I could picture them in my mind. Definitely keeps you guessing as to what’s to happen to this family next! Can’t wait to see the Hulu adaptation. I will say I definitely enjoyed the chain just a little bit more by this author but definitely worth a read!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Buckle your seatbelts because you are in for one heck of a ride!! This is my first book by Adrian McKinty (even though The Chain has been on my bookshelf forever!) and man o man did I absolutely love this book. His writing style is phenomenal and keeps you engaged throughout the entire book! I loved the pace of the book as it just kept me turning the pages the entire time. It was so hard to put the book down at times! I saw that it is coming out on Hulu and I cannot wait for that!

Additionally, I love how unique of a storyline this is. I feel like there aren’t a lot of books out there like this, so I feel like it just makes it stand out! Overall, I absolutely devoured and loved this book and would highly recommend it for anyone wanting a fast paced thriller!

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Really not for me. The beginning started off good then got to the island just lost interest
Tried to keep picking it up but DNF.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.