This was one of the best books I have read this year! The Island is a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller! Very descriptive....to where I felt like I was there experiencing The Island with all of the characters. I can not wait to read another book by Adrian I love his style so much!

Heather and Tom recently got married and Heather just became the step mom to Tom's 2 children. They are in their teen years and are pretty difficult especially because they miss their mother whom has passed away only over a year ago. Tom decides to take the family with him on his business trip to Australia to "reconnect " make them happy and spend time together. They get to Australia and it isn't quite what the kids expected. They hadn't seen a koala a kangaroo or any of the animals you would expect to see visiting Australia from Washington USA. So of course the kids are whiney and want to see more of what Australia has to offer. A man over hears the kids complaining and tells them about this private island that he lives on just across the fairy. But again mention it is private to him and his family only and closed off to the public. Tom ends up offering a decent amount of cash to be taken to the island with his family and take a few pictures and make a few life long memories. Then a terrible accident happens as they are heading back to the fairy and it may have cut those "lifelong memories" short because now the whole family is in serious danger. Tom and Heather try to hide what had happend and it only made circumstances worse for them and their family. Now who makes it off the island alive? If you like thrillers like I do... this book is a must read!

The Island scared me to pieces and I enjoyed every minute of this exciting, unpredictable ride. i enjoyed the author's previous book "The Chain" and this one is different but written with the same intense pacing and interesting characters. Tom and Heather are a married couple traveling in Australia with Tom's two children, Olivia and Owen. Heather is Tom's much younger wife who is not liked well by his two children since their beloved mother died only a year previously. Heather is trying to prove herself to the kids and the whole family wants to enjoy their visit to Australia. On one of Tom's free days the kids complain they haven't seen any typical animals like Koala Bears or Kangaroos and they are overheard by a man on a ferryboat headed for a private island. The man tells them that Dutch Island is privately owned but for a fee they can drive around and see animals if they don't stay too long. The family is joined by a tourist couple ,Hans and Petra.

Once they get to the island, an accident happens and the family must be on the run for their very lives. The island is populated with a large family run by "Ma" a very crazy and original character. I won't say much else but the family members have to find strengths and resources they never thought they had. At times I was holding my breath at the possibility that some danger would befall this group, Fun book, quick pacing and original concept. Some of it might be a bit unbelievable but that is the fun in this kind of book. Thank you Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Wow…this one was intense! I loved The Chain so I was excited for this. This is one of the most fast-paced books I have read. The scenes literally leap off the page. Its atmospheric, creepy and gave me Hills Have Eyes vibes but set in Australia. I can see why Hulu optioned this for a series. It is going to be so good!

There are so many twists and turns I have whiplash. It also has quite a bit of different themes mixed in for a thriller. The book is full of man vs. nature scenarios which really amped up the suspense. It has a sprinkle of domestic suspense and some gore too. I also really enjoyed our main character, Heather. She was brave, intuitive and a fighter. She felt realistic to me and her thoughts were understandable. I could not even imagine how I would be in this situation.

I will point out that there is some animal violence in the novel, which I never like and I know, can be triggering for readers. If you are like me and have any phobias of creepy crawly things (anthills, beehives and things in mass quantities) this might give you the heebie jeebies.

All in all this was pretty freaking epic and I can’t wait to see the series! Thank you to @netgalley for my advance copy!

Well hmm. I don’t know really how to explain this book. In my mind I pictured the bad guys from the Goonies (maybe mixed with some hillbillies) chasing down people in a The Most Dangerous Game/Hunger Games style. That is literally what I can come up with. 🤷‍♀️

Heather, and her new husband Tom, take his kids to Australia where they end up getting onto a private island. After commiting a crime, the inhabitants of this island (the Goonies bad guys) are determined to kill the family. The family must try to escape even though there is no way off the island.

I will say this book was filled with intense action. The whole book was tense and I was in a state of flipping pages to see how it would turn out. I do not know if I totally buy the plot or notice any deep developement among the characters, but the book was entertaining. Add in some pirates and you’ve got the makings of a great movie.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this action packed thriller! Very fast paced! This thriller was keeping me keyed in the whole time! I could not turn the pages fast enough and didn’t want to put it down. I love books that are set on an island where the characters are having to try and survive from maniacs! So thrilling! I loved The Chain by this author as well.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

After LOVING The Chain by McKinty, I had high hopes for The Island. Sadly, I DNFed. It was too far fetched and unbelievable, and the writing was surprisingly juvenile. I am walking away feeling pretty disappointed :(

Tom and his new wife, Heather, head to Australia with his 2 kids for a conference. While out exploring they end up on a remote island, where a sequence of events leads them into a hellish nightmare.

I honestly think it's best going into this not knowing too much. I did and I was constantly surprised and on edge. It really was a tense and wild ride and I really enjoyed it. The author did a good job of having you feel connected to the characters and giving you some background on them without spending too much time doing so. I would have liked a bit more background on the inhabitants of the island and maybe a little more on Heather (I just found her to be such an interesting character).

At first, I was really put off by the kids, the conversation flow and attitudes felt kind of stereotypical and forced but once I got into the book and started learning more about them, it all felt more natural. There were also times when you had to suspend reality and just go with it but overall it was a really fun read! I was surprised that it didn't feel repetitive since most of it took place on a tiny island, but the author found a way to keep it interesting and fresh.

TW- there are some pages I had to skim because there are a couple dogs that don't make it to the end :( But I will note it wasn't too graphic or dwelled upon.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 action packed stars for The Island!

I loved this book! I definitely enjoyed it more than the other McKinty book I've read - 'The Chain'. This one played out just like an action packed film and I already cannot wait for the Hulu TV series to come out because I think it will be absolutely excellent!

Being stuck on a stranded island with people trying to hunt you and your family down, eek! 'The Island' is intense, fierce, extremely violent at times and utterly action filled. You'll definitely get your dose of adrenaline in this one!

I loved the characters, their development was perfection, and the plot twists hit the spot just right! This is definitely one I recommend for thriller / mild horror lovers!

Thank you so much Little, Brown and Company for the e-book in exchange for an honest review! Hits shelves May 17th, 2022!

While this book was a super fast read, that was about all it had going for me. I thought the concept was great and very unique!
I struggled with connecting to any of the characters. None of them seemed very redeemable, they were just bad humans. I couldn’t get past how everyone wanted to just give the O’Neills the benefit of the doubt all the time! It just felt a bit too crazy at times and had me rolling my eyes. I love crazy but it needs to be somewhat believable and i just couldn’t get past it. However, thank you so much for the chance to read this book for my honest review.

This was my first book by Adrian McKinty and it did not disappoint!

The Island is an adrenaline pumping, unputdownable ride with a twist at the end that I never saw coming. Good vs evil, survivalism, and a young female heroine who thought her teenaged step-kids were going to be the most challenging part of her vacation to Australia. Ha! Heather digs deep to survive and become a bad ass mama bear of epic proportion.

I would love to see this as a movie with Jennifer Lawrence as Heather and Margo Martindale as Ma.

Off to track down my next Adrian McKinty thriller....

The Island by Adrian McKinty takes off at warp speed and does not let up. This is a propulsive read that had me on tenterhooks throughout. Having read multiple rave reviews for McKinty's The Chain, I was anxious to get my hands on this one, and I was not disappointed.

A family holiday in Australia takes the Baxter family to a remote island that is very much off the tourist track. A day of exploration quickly turns to terror as the family find themselves fighting for their very survival in the most hostile of environments.

This novel delivers a fast-paced, pulse-pounding thrill ride that will leave you breathless.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an ARC.

The Island is an action packed story of a woman who has stumbled into something that is going to end well for some.
She ends up on an island that is full of a culture of hostile people. And now she's on the run. She's got her hands full trying to get her family out safely but these people will stop at nothing to see them gone.
The story is good but I had a hard time getting into.

Thank you #NetGalley #LittleBrownAndCompany for this ARC

3.5 stars rounded up because it's Adrian McKinty. This one got off to a bit of slow start for me but it quickly picked up speed until the ending left me out of breath! I wasn't much a fan of the main characters: widower Tom, his new and much younger wife, Heather, and his children, Olivia and Owen. The not-so-happy little family heads to Australia with Tom for a work trip. The kids are bummed because the trip is almost over and they've yet to see any typical Australian wildlife so in a moment of exasperation and frustration they follow some locals in a ferry over to their private island which was their first of many mistakes. It's almost like you can hear Dueling Banjos coming from between the pages. The island is inhabited by a large extended family that is not fond of strangers and that's on a good day. This is not a good day. Soon the family is running for their lives with no way off the island.

This was a really quick read, or maybe it was just because I by the end I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. The ending is clearly telegraphed but it didn't stop me from charging forward. It did get pretty gory and violent and there were animals killed- which is never fun. But if you're game, this book will thrill you. Apparently this has already been opted for a Hulu original series - that could be fun!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for providing me with an advanced copy of The Island in exchange for my honest opinion.

24-year-old Heather Baxter marries widower Dr. Tom Baxter who is in his 40s and the father of two children, 14-year-old Olivia and 12-year-old Owen, by his first wife. When Tom is invited to be a keynote speaker at an Orthopedics conference in Melbourne, Australia they decide to make a family vacation out of it. Owen and Olivia are not too fond of Heather and often openly hostile in the face of her efforts to befriend them. On a day out, at the kids’ insistence on checking out the wildlife in the vicinity, the family finds themselves touring Dutch Island, which is a private island normally closed off for visitors. They are ferried across by members of the O’Neill family who ”own” and reside on the island. A car accident on the island triggers a series of events that has the family fighting for their own lives and desperately looking for a way off the island as their day trip turns into a survivalist’s nightmare.

The Island by Adrian McKinty is a fast-paced, edge of your seat thriller that is hard to put down. I enjoyed the atmospheric setting and the intense and vivid imagery of Dutch Island. Needless to say, I finished it in less than a day. Some scenes are violent and disturbing and animals are harmed, so you might need to pace yourself before attempting to read this. The main characters aren’t particularly likable, which was a bit of a problem for me and the writing was choppy in some of the scenes. However, despite a few OTT moments (which are not uncommon in most thrillers), this is a gripping read that does not disappoint as far as thrills go! Suspend your disbelief, don’t overthink it and enjoy the ride!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due for release on May 17, 2022.

I absolutely LOVE a pulse-pounding thriller, and The Island was exactly that! This book took off like a shot and didn't let up until the very end. I spent the entire day doing nothing but reading this because I had to know how it was going to end! It also made me highly skeptical of traveling to another country--and not just because of the enormous bugs and creepy animals! This really needs to be read without too much knowledge or info ahead of time to get the full effect of just how creepy and unnerving it really is! If you go on a trip, do not trust anyone you don't know! Loved this book so much!

This is the second book that I've read by Adrian McKinty, and similar to The Chain, this one did not disappoint! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time while reading this, and couldn't put it down because I needed to know what was going to happen next.

Regarding the characters, I did think Heather was a bit jarring/complex because, in the beginning, she came off (to me) as a bit naive, timid, and impulsive, but as the book progressed it seemed as though she turned into Katniss Everdeen in the blink of an eye! Which, again, was jarring, but I did find myself becoming invested in her and her well-being and rooting for her every step of the way. I loved how she handled herself, considered every possible situation/outcome, and tried her hardest to stay ten steps ahead of Ma and co. As for Owen and Olivia, I couldn't stand them at first but loved how their relationship with Heather evolved and you could tell that they looked out for one another. Also, I just have to say that I adored Petra (😭)! Lol.

As for the thrilling/horror aspects of this book, I thought it was truly gruesome but I think it worked well within the story! My stomach was rolling and my heart was pumping when McKinty went into graphic detail about the torture tactics Ma and co. put 'outsiders' through.

One other piece that I enjoyed was how McKinty included commentary on humankind and how we are actually the real-life monsters. I'm always fascinated and compelled whenever authors force the reader to take a step back and look in the mirror to get us to understand that humans and the horrific acts committed by us are much scarier than any ghosts, ghouls, or creatures.

The only minor thing about the story that wasn't my favorite was some of the writing; I felt like it could be a bit cringe/questionable at times.

I will say that you will have to suspend any and ALL disbelief and just enjoy the wild ride that is this story! Overall though, I thought this was a fun, anxiety-inducing, and fast-paced/action-packed book! It felt like I was watching a movie while reading this one. The premise is terrifying (definitely will steer clear of any remote islands!) and this solidified that I am a fan of McKinty, his books, and the philosophical elements he includes throughout.

Thanks so much, Little, Brown & Company, and NetGalley for a copy of The Island in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

✨Book Review✨
The Island by Andrian McKinty
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First, I was so excited to read this one and entered a GR’s giveaway to try and win a copy. But was even more stoked when I realized @netgalley had early request for this read too! (So of course ya girl requested it!) 💁🏽‍♀️

So a huge thank you to @netgalleyand @littlebrown for my eARC copy for an honest review!

The blurb of the read alone had me intrigued! And wow! What a weird, wild ride this was! And the chase! Just like my figurine in the photo my mind was all over the place! I was at the edge of my seat the entire time reading.

I felt as though I was watching a a thriller flick. So I was even more thrilled to know it’s soon becoming a Hulu series! Hopefully it turns out good! And I will definitely be watching just to see how it all unfolds on screen! Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint

I recommend this read to those of my reader friends who like an edge of your seat type thriller or a vacation gone wrong!

Be on the lookout for this read hitting shelves May 17th, 2022! And also keep a lookout for the show!

Happy Reading lovelies! 💕

Omg! Favorite book of the year so far.

It was a wild ride and nine of it felt like a cliche and there was the repetitiveness you get from a survival book

I loved loved loved The Chain so I was ecstatic to get approved for this. It was everything I wanted and more! It was fun, scary and also intense. It also had a lot of action.

Finally a gripping thriller!

After quite a few mediocre thrillers in a row, I really enjoyed my trip to The Island. I liked, but didn't love The Chain, I thought that book was intriguing, but got bogged down and tedious midway through. This one for me avoided that pitfall by propelling the storyline forward. I generally dislike books with long periods of chasing and hiding and more chasing (I mean, the original title for this one was The Chase), but this novel had enough action and intensity to keep me involved rather than bored.

I didn't read the back cover blurb or any reviews too closely before reading this novel, and I do think it's best to go in somewhat blind. I liked the characters for the most part and I felt like the author did a great job of giving them interesting backstories and characteristics that weren't what I was expecting. The action makes this story an intense page turner as I was anxious to know which characters (if any) would come out alive in the end. I stayed up very late into the night in order to finish this, and that's the sign of a captivating book.

Fair warning, some dogs do come to an ugly end, but for whatever reason it didn't really bug me too much. However, sensitive readers may want to skip a couple of pages when you read that it's coming.

Is this a perfect book? No. There are some things that require some suspension of disbelief, but if you just go with it you will definitely be entertained with something a bit out of the ordinary, and that's exactly what I have been looking for lately.