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.

DNF at 40%. Was just...too much. A little too gruesome. Slightly more horror than thriller. Just not for me. Will still read other Adrian McKinty books as I like the author and the Sean Duffy series.

In the beginning of this novel, Heather mentions horror movies set in Australia such as Wolf Creek, and this is what this novel felt like to me - more of a horror/survival tale than your typical thriller. I was not invested for most of the book, but it got REALLY good in the final quarter and redeemed itself! There was one super obvious hint to their outcome where it's like "DUH WHY ARE THEY NOT CATCHING ONTO THAT CLUE?!" And there was also a pretty good (small) twist.

Thank you to Adrian McKinty, Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley for an opportunity to read on of my most anticipated novels of 2022! We as a reading community owe a great deal of gratitude to Mr. Don Winslow for helping Mr. McKinty get over a small slump and get back behind the keyboard! The result is back to back great novels full of action, and more importantly prose. I loved last years novel (how many years has it been, we have all lost track of time) “The Chain” and we now have “The Island”

The Island is set in Australia and I love the history and geography lessons that are interspersed throughout the book, that also play a large role in the plot and characters. The Island itself may also be defined as one of the characters. Speaking of characters, the development was outstanding. We find ourselves “rooting” for certain characters and pulling our hair out with others. Also see growth of the relationships built on those initial character developments. Really good writing and development.
Once the characters are established, the action really kicks off, and the book really takes off. So much intrigue as the characters, settings, and plot all come together! Awesome story with characters that will stay with you.
Thanks for reading! “The Island” comes out on May 17.

This book was SOO good! The writing was fantastic, there wasn't any part of the novel that dragged. The pacing was perfect and I felt like I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. From the start of the book, it sucked me right in. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my review.

This is the first book I've read by this author, but heard so much hype surrounding their first book, I was excited to read this one. I will immediately say I found it very graphic during certain scenes and had to put it down to give my self a minute. At most parts I enjoyed the descriptive writing and felt like I was actually there on the island with the characters.
I found this read very plot driven, fast paced, and action packed. Everytime I turned a page something shocking was happening and I had a hard time putting it down. I also really enjoyed that the chapters were in multiple points of view, but mostly Heather's.
Overall I would highly recommend this book, I'm not sure I'd I would fully qualify it as a thriller though. I would definitely add that it has horror aspects as well. I can't wait to read this author's other book, which I already bought.

I don’t even know where to start with this one. I give it all the stars. I have been a major reading slump this past month and I devoured this book in the matter of an afternoon. Isolated setting, creepy family, badass woman, what more could you ask for?

Heather, her older husband Tom, and Toms 2 kids head to Australia for a work conference/family vacation. It is all going well until they decide to follow some locals to a private island to see wildlife and a terrible accident occurs. Now they need to figure out how to get off this island, but it’s easier said then done, with a disturbing family hunting you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I cannot wait to read more from this author!