This book was one wild ride. A blended family sees a vacation to the Australian outback as a great bonding opportunity. The kids are eager to see some real wildlife and talk their way onto a ferry to a remote island (does any of this sound like a good idea to you?) This is where the vacation goes terribly wrong. There is an unfortunate accident, an extended family of criminal hillbillies and an unexpected heroine. There were for me some believability issues here and there - the characters kept doing one really dumb thing after another, but I persevered and was paid off by a high-adrenaline thrill ride with lots of twists and turns that was overall very enjoyable.
Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for a galley of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is definitely different.
I liked that the premise isn’t your normal thriller. However, I didn’t love the family drama

Fun, fast, and different! This was a fast paced and wickedly entertaining read. I didn’t love the easy fixes that fell into their laps literally every time a problem came at our protagonists but as long as you don’t go into this book expecting a real/gritty Bear Grylls style survival story I recommend this..

This book was WILD. A family ends up stranded on an island and must escape after making some not so smart decisions. They end up on a family owned island that the only way in and out is by boat that the family owns.

Very gory. Very detailed. I kind of pictured an Australian version of Chainsaw Massacre mixed with Castaway. Very intense and not for the faint of heart. I would describe this as a dark thriller for sure. But very fast paced and full of action. Very vivid details and descriptions which works a little too well at some points.

I got about halfway through this book and was never entertained. I quit it at that point because I was expecting a lot more excitement and a lot less petty family drama.

This book is full of high energy! The reader is taken for an exhilarating ride on this backwoods jungle island inhabited by a family of scary people. They made me feel uncomfortable and I had flashbacks to "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" family vibes and inbreeding. They weren't, but it felt kind of creepy like that. And then the innocent family is caught up in the middle of these psycho's trying to escape this island that they know nothing about. The land is treacherous and survival is almost non-existent. The ride is fun! But I will say, there were a few times where I had to suspend my disbelief in order to get through the scene. And it just seemed a little unbelievable. But I still loved the book, plot and speed of action.

Another edge of your seat read. What starts out as a work / family vacation, turns into a fight of their lives. Tom and Heather, newly married and him newly widowed, take his two children to the Australian outback to try to build their relationship. While exploring a remote private island a tragic and horrific accident happens which plunges the family into a fight for their lives. Fast paced and impossible to put down.

FANTASTIC!! Read this book! That about covers it all for this book, but let me give a bit more detail. I have been a fan of Adrian McKinty since I read The Chain. I love a thriller that also can be real. Something just far fetched enough to take you out of the real world but one that can also be just real enough to make you wonder what would you do in this situation. And this is another one of those books.
I loved our main character Heather and her strong personality. Her persistence and tenacity was perfectly characterized. I loved the isolation and the family dynamic and just how much the story and the author put into it to make you uncomfortable but still wanting more.
Adrian McKinty is an author I will pick up time and again.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I enjoyed Adrian's previous book. I will continue to try Adrian McKinty's books in the future.

I struggled with this one and ultimately DNFed. The family was just obnoxious and not likable at all so I didn't really care about the situation they found themselves in. A shame because I really enjoyed The Chain by this author.

I’m not sure if I would label this a thriller, maybe suspense? The plot and movement was great, I enjoyed it. It definitely could have been written differently to add some more horror/thriller aspects. I didn’t get that scared feeling due to being hunted.

Being set in Australia, I really was expecting more when it came to the wildlife that the family would have seen. There really wasn’t much considering they were trying to survive in the wilderness for several days. The main character being more than what she seemed, hunting etc., was a plus though.

I did really enjoy the novel, it’s fast paced so you won’t be bored. It is a bit predictable, but the content makes up for it.

This book was a wild ride! It had a slow start but I was gripped from about 25% in to see how it all turned out. A suspense novel, it follows 24 year old Heather on a vacation/work trip with her new husband Tom, a widower with two teen kids. They decide to visit a private island in Australia to see wildlife and what was intended to be a quick photo expedition turned into an adventure. I especially enjoyed the audiobook and the accents and sound effects.

This is another enjoyable book from Adrian McKinty! Just when I thought I had some things figured out, another shock came. I really liked this one!

This book wasn’t captivating for me. I was half way in when it seemed like the same things kept on happening. Maybe it was progressing too slowly but it wasn’t for me.

Okay. Wow. I was NOT expecting for how quickly The Island would become wild and fast! I started this expecting to just slowly read it and then suddenly I binged it all in one sitting!

The Island follows newly married Heather, whose still attempting to acclimate herself into her husbands kids lives, as they go to the Australian outback. Hearing rumors of an island with exciting wildlife, they set off and quickly discover that things are not as they seem. Stuck on the Island, they are forced to survive and find a way off.

This does what Reckless Girls wanted to do! It's quick, gruesome, and engaging! I was obsessed with Heather and her survival skills. I could easily see this becoming a popcorn thriller movie.

Maybe it was because I did binge read it, but I do wish it had been a little shorter. There was a chunk towards the end where the action really starts to feel like it drags on a bit too long.

I think if you are looking for a super fun and gore-y read, and you can suspend disbelief and just enjoy the action, then this would probably be PERFECT for you!

Biggest issue was I really didn’t like or sympathize with any of the characters. Fast read but fell flat for me. Enjoyed The Chain a lot more. Thank you for the early copy!

The Island is a fast-paced, action packed, run for your life story.

Heather Baxter (24 yo) marries widower Tom (40ish), a doctor, who has 2 children with his decreased wife. His children, Olivia (14) and Owen (12), aren’t fond of their dad’s new young wife.

Tom is invited to be a keynote speaker at an orthopedics conference in Australia. He takes his family with for a little vacation. They visit an island off Australia for some true Australian animal encounters. Chaos ensues immediately as soon as they reach this island.

The first half of the book is very on the edge of your seat, but then the second half is more of a running for your life. It was a fine thriller? Makes me never want to visit Australia! 🤣 I think it would be a better show/movie (Hulu bought the rights to this book).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a great thriller! You’ve got a strong female protagonist who triumphs over evil. She uses her survivalist skills to protect her step children and uses her brain, over her heart, in an effort to keep them all alive.

This was my first Adrian McKinty book, but it will not be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed the wild ride that is "The Island". It is a psychological thriller about consequences, revenge, and the fight for survival. While most of the story is unbelievable and the characters make poor decisions throughout the whole story, I still found it very entertaining. I couldn't put it down!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

📍 Read if you like:
• Survival Thrillers
• Isolated Locations
• Quick-Paced Reads
• Intense Stories

I gave The Chain the exact same rating. I loved the premise of that book but didn’t love part 2. In this one, I went into it with high expectations after hearing everyone rave about how good it was. Ultimately I have mixed feelings about it.

It is best to go into the book not knowing much. If you read the book blindly then you’ll have the best experience reading it, therefore it’s hard to talk about this book so it’ll be vague.

I decided to try out the audiobook with the e-book as someone recommended it to me and I’m glad I did. The audiobook had sound effects and music that kept me invested. There were rain sounds that were soothing and added to the overall reading experience. It was also super quick to read!

The book was action-packed and suspenseful, but it was such a weird story. There were some violent scenes and it was disturbing at times.

The Australian setting was so interesting. It added so much to the effects the audiobook had.

Overall, it was such a strange read. I don’t know how I feel about the book overall, but I feel like a three-star is where I’m at. The audiobook was great, but the story was ridiculous. I’m conflicted, but I know many enjoyed this one more than I did!