I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2023 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2023/01/2023-reading-list-announced-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

I’m not a huge thriller girl lately but this one was really good! My husband read it too and loved it! Recommended it to a few friends too!

Y'all, I don't even know where to start with this review. My jaw is still on the floor after reading the last page. I have not read The Chain or any other books by this author but wow do I wanted to read every single one of them now.

This story follows Heather who after moving from a small town marries Tom, a widowed doctor with two children. Heather and the children decide to join him on a working trip to Australia and make it a family vacation. Heather doesn't have the best relationship with her new stepchildren but is trying her hardest even when they want nothing to do with her. When an opportunity to explore a remote island that is off-limits to outsiders arises, the kids are desperate to go so Heather and Tom agree. As soon as they're on the island they realize they've made a mistake, the island is ran by a very tight knit family and there's a reason outsiders aren't allowed in. Then a deadly accident occurs that will change everyone's lives and leave the family fighting for their lives.

I was not expecting to get sucked into this book so fast but it immediately starts off with a bang and just doesn't' stop. There were no slow spots in this book to be found and every second was action-packed and had me holding my breath. I can't remember the last time a thriller gripped me so tightly and had me flying through the pages. If you're looking for a book with endless twists and with a cat and mouse type feel, definitely pick this one up, you will not be disappointed. It's dark, raw, gritty, gory, but such a fantastic read.

Thanks to Little Brown and Company for the copy for my review.

Whew! McKinty once again takes readers on a nonstop thrill ride with The Island. Though I’ll admit I found the main character to be unlikeable at first, as things progressed she started to grow on me. The story’s build up is slow at first but once it starts it doesn’t let up for a second! I absolutely loved this book!

If you have to read one book, let this be it. This was an amazing thriller that had me on edge from page 1. It’s definitely a book I’ll re-read because it was that amazing.

My biggest thrilling surprise ARC of the year was from a title that sat on my unread NG shelf for 9 months before I finally dived into it.

Why The Island by Adrian McKinty was my biggest thrilling surprise

The Island is an exciting fast-paced, imaginative, purely entertaining over the top relentless suspenseful survivalist adventure that I did not expect to like. Once I started, I couldn’t escape this high-stakes/dangerous cat-and-mouse game of survival until that last page. Being surprised by how much I enjoy a story is one of the thrilling things about reading for me.

What is going on between the covers

New wife and stepmom, Heather, her husband, and his two children are on a working /family vacation in the Australian outback. With their limited time, they decided to adventure to a remote family-owned Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors and accessible only by ferry.

As soon as they set foot on the island, something doesn’t feel right about the people there, and they want off as quickly as they can, leading to a shocking incident that sets off a chain of dangerous events for Heather and her family.

My two cents

It’s all about the thrill of the gripping cat-and-mouse hunt between underestimated Heather and the over-the-top family. The hunt is brilliantly paced, speeding up and slowing down just enough to catch my breath, with something new happening to keep me glued to the pages. The tension is relentless, and the continued danger moves the story forward. While it relies on familiar tropes for this genre and stereotype characters, there is something unique, exciting, and different with every turn of the story, and it has a rewarding ending. While there is nothing to take seriously, it is pure entertainment, the action is exciting, and I was on the edge of my seat to see what Heather would do next.

I loved Heather and while her actions are not believable, her motivation, drive and fight to keep her family safe is the heart of the story.

I received a copy from the publisher through NG

After reading The Chain a few years back, I was excited to get my hands on this one and whew! it was a gripping thriller! I think it's best to go in blind for this one. Vacation turned nightmare has been a big theme with books recently and this one was just too good! I really enjoyed the characters and the pacing in this one was *just* right! There was so much action in this book that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

Strange characters...weird start...got even weirder. I definitely turned the pages quickly, and there was lots of suspense. But...it got a little TOO crazy for me. Some of these things would never happen.

The Island by Adrian McKinty seems to be a book that you either like or you don’t. Unfortunately, I fall in the latter category. As I read this book I found very little of it appealing. The characters were unpleasant and unsympathetic. The children were especially annoying although, to be fair, they had just lost their mother in the past year and were then almost immediately introduced to her replacement. What was their father, Tom, thinking? He was simply egotistical and selfish and it showed. Meanwhile, his wife, Heather, was young and rather naïve but then suddenly became the super woman. Huh?

The writing style was also unappealing. The story seemed to be made up of choppy, almost bullet point-like sentences. Meanwhile, the plot itself could have been interesting and suspenseful, but instead it consisted of violence, cruelty, and constant allusions to possible rape and murder. Enough said. When animal cruelty was added to the mix, with graphic descriptions of a dog’s execution, I was finally convinced that this was not a book for me. I wanted to enjoy it, since the reviews were so positive but it just didn’t happen.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This book would make a fantastic movie. I hope it happens one day. Part thriller, mostly adventure, part horror this story about Heather, her newish husband Tom and her two step-kids is full of twists and turns.

While in Australia the American family finds themselves in multiple dangerous situations on an island inhabited by a bizarre, violent family cult. Think Texas Chainsaw Massacre featuring a family trying to escape.

The plot was action-packed and had several jaw-dropping moments. This was something a bit different from my usual pick of thrillers. It turned into a story of survival.

I enjoyed seeing how Heather went from being the wicked stepmom to a true mom protecting her "kids."

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an e-copy of THE ISLAND to review.

I rate THE ISLAND five out of five stars.

Adrian McKinty is really a terrifying author. He takes nightmares and makes them real. He creates these characters who keep us turning page after page.

As a relatively new stepmom to older teens... this book scared the beejezus out of me in so many ways. Not only did it get my mind spinning with anxiety over the interpersonal relationships but then you throw in the actual dangerous situations to make for uncomfortable but intriguing reading.

Fast paced, thrilling, non stop action, and yet, still one that could be better without the cheesy one liners that don't really help the story (wanting the top of the line rental porsche and the fit that they didn't get it, the millennial line, too many oddly placed bad lines period). I read this late at night and couldn't put it down. I really wanted to get to the last page to see where the author ended this nightmare, and was surprised by the ending. The Baxters are an American family vacationing in the great Outback of Australia, thanks to a conference Dr Tom Baxter is the keynote speaker at. Heather, the new young wife who was swept off her feet by Tom, but didn't know how to bond with the children, finds herself in a bit of a jam. Olivia, the young fourteen year old daughter who is overly anxious and the son, Owen, who has been diagnosed with ADHD and requires medication. All four of these characters are thrust into a good day gone bad situation of going to an island to force a result of wanting to see Australia's wildlife (KOALAS!!!) and it just turns so sour. What happens next is a wild chain of events that you just have to read to believe. I will definitely look for more written by Adrian.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

This book was extremely repetitive and not very thrilling. It had a great premise and great atmosphere but I wasn’t a fan of the execution. I’ll definitely check this author out again though.

The story took place on Dutch island off coast of Australia, but this was definitely no relaxing vacation. The setting was probably my favorite part of the story, as we got to experience a lot of different Australian wildlife.

Overall, this book felt really repetitive, drawn out, and wasn’t worth getting through the first 70% to get to any sort of thrill. The concept was great, but something about the execution didn’t strike me as very thrilling at all.

Thank you to Netgalley for my advance copy of this novel to read and review!

This novel moves quickly and is packed full of action which I believe will lend well to the tv adaptation to come. The writing didn’t end up being for me but it will certainly appeal to someone seeking a high octane thriller that doesn’t hold back on the survival aspects!

The Australia facts were really interesting and the character’s dynamic at the end was sweet but overall the story was quite predictable and over the top. This all tell, no show story had a really promising plot line but seemed entirely too convenient when it came to knowledge and talents which kept taking me out of the story.

big trigger for animal violence.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Little, Brown and Company for an e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Adrian McKinty's latest novel is a quick read with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. "The Island" begins with Heather and Tom planning a trip to the remote Australian Outback with Tom's two children. Heather believes this to be the perfect opportunity to bond with her new stepchildren, away from "real world" distractions. However, things quickly take a turn for the worse shortly after the family arrives when a tragic accident propels the family into harm's way. Heather and Tom soon find themselves in the middle of a nightmare as they are forced to make a decision to protect their family. A decision with horrific consequences.

Tom and Heather soon find themselves in a terrifying game of cat and mouse with the locals, trying to escape the island with their family intact. Things only go from bad to worse when Tom is separated from Heather and the children. Now it's up to Heather to not only protect her new family, but to try and save Tom's life before it's too late.

While the story was quick, engaging, and hooked me immediately, the last 25% of the novel was a mess with jumbled details and a sloppy ending. Because of that, this book was only a 3-star read for me. While I wouldn't shy away from the read, I certainly would not put it at the top of my list.

The Island - Adrian McKinty
"It was just supposed to be a family vacation. A terrible accident changed everything. You don't know what you're capale of until they come for your family." Sounds super thrilling, right?! Well it is! What a trip this turned out to be. Tom Baxter has a conference in Melbourne and decides to brings his new wife and two children along. Desperate for some excitment, they begin some exploration and end up at a place called Dutch Island. This is where the edge of your seat excitment begins! I really enjoyed The Island. The characters were interesting as well as the storyline.

.The barbarians were coming. The only question was whether the barbarians were them or her.

This one was such a wild ride and I was there for it every step of the way! I’m not sure what took me so long to read it, but it was really action packed.

Synopsis:

Heather is on a dream vacation with her new husband,Tom and his two children, Owen and Olivia. They haven’t warmed up to Heather yet because they are still grieving the loss of their mother, but this vacation will bring them closer together faster than they ever thought possible. Their idyllic vacation in Australia, where Tom is scheduled to speak at a medical conference, is derailed when they decide to take an island excursion to see some of the native wildlife offered by a few sketchy locals. Once they are on the island events unfold that will change all of their lives and it becomes a test of survival.

My thoughts:

Adversity often brings out courage, strength, and leadership in individuals and that’s certainly the case with the main character Heather. The children who were cautious of her before learn to look to her for their survival and future. I love a book with a strong female character that saves the day! The book was very fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat.

This cat and mouse story crossed the line into ridiculousness. I didn't like much about it, but enough to see it through to the end. I definitely liked The Chain more.