I started off not liking this book and its cast of repulsive, backwoods antagonists, but I kept reading because I had nothing else to read, and about 1/4 way through I started getting more interested in the story. It reminded me a little of And Then There Were None and other isolated island survival tales, and I did finish it, but I started to lose interest again towards the end.

The Island by Adrian McKinty

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for a complimentary e-ARC for my honest review.

When the Baxters think they're going for a normal family vacation to Australia, they end up in a very grave situation. All they wanted to do was see some Koalas and they ended up on Dutch Island, which was off limits to tourists. When they have an accident, their life changes dramatically. Will they all get off the Island?!?
This was a very suspenseful thriller and kept me at the edge of my seat.

#NetGalley #TheIsland

Not a thriller.
Overly ridiculous, farfetched, and completely uncompelling.

What a ride! Heather recently married Tom, a widower with two kids, Owen and Olivia. Tom has a conference in Australia, and the family begs to tag along. Before the conference, the family drives around Australia to see the sights. The kids whine that they haven’t seen any koalas or kangaroos. The family stops to rest and eat, but meet two men who show the kids a koala in the back of their vehicle. After an agreement is made, the family takes a ferry to a private island, where they can drive around for a short time to see the wildlife. However, there is an accident, and the O’Neil family who owns the island won’t let them leave the island. The O’Neil family is well-armed and kidnap the family. The family has to figure out how to get off the island together, before time runs out. This was a fast-paced, action thriller that kept my interest the whole time. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. I was able to also listen to the audiobook that I got from the library. The book is great, but the audiobook made it even better with the sound effects.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing the ebook for review.

Enjoyed this book.
It didnt hook me as fast as The Chain, but i did enjoy it. and would reccomend it.

A vacation gone wrong - McKinty strikes again with a tale that just grips you from beginning to end!

3.5 stars
Trapped on a remote island with no ability to contact the outside world while running for your life is definitely my cup of tea. I thought it was a fast paced and entertaining read. I read some reviews that indicated things were unbelievable so I went into knowing I would suspend belief and go with it. I do disagree with those reviews but honestly it didn't effect my overall enjoyment of the book. I would definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free ebook with no obligation to review it.

Trigger warning: animals are killed

An enjoyable suspense novel with a great setting. Some parts are farfetched but suspension of disbelief is why we read fiction! This story definitely kept an atmosphere of dread throughout, with a satisfying conclusion.

Brutal but strangely believable, in the event that you ended up in this really really unfortunate position.
Seeing how everyone adapts, as the trappings and habits of civilised life are stripped away, is actually quite life affirming.
The author walks a fine line in fleshing out a traditional cat-and-mouse storyline without resorting to clichés.
Dramatic incidents happen but there are no dramatics; it visceral and nasty but also thoughtful and dream-like.
It’s a very lean text with no weakly drawn characters and no dead wood. And it’s very cinematic; you can almost feel the dry dusty soil and thistles.
The brief chapters away from the island are less convincing, or maybe just less interesting.
My only real regret is that it ended rather abruptly and, perhaps, that everyone was so amazingly well-adjusted and pragmatic.

"all you had to do was wait.
Patience was a weapon."

Another worst nightmare read that was so good, I could hardly read it! While out vacationing, a family veers off the normal path of the vacation spots and finds themselves on a remote island looking for wildlife in Australia. They don't know the land, the heat or how it all works. To everyone's horror, an accident happens, one that can't be undone. And it puts this whole family at risk and on the run for their lives.

This book is like watching a really scary movie where you are on the edge of your seat and holding your breath, running right along with this group. This family has layers and they are slowly unraveled as they survive and push and try to live out each night on the island on the run. I loved the growth of each one and how you begin to understand them. The horror of it all was so well done, the tension consantly high. Heather was a strong character and one you loved to root for. This would make a great movie and I loved it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I don't know. This one just didn't feel... feasible. Feasible at any rate. I didn't really have any feelings toward the characters at all, much unlike how I felt when reading The Chain. I know Adrian McKinty does well with a plot developing in one location, but this one wasn't as strong for me. Once getting to the plot point about Owen and the reasoning for his mental wall, it felt a little disjointed from what else was happening and had happened prior to that moment.

definitely not an island you want to visit....

Tom, his kids, and new wife Heather go to Australia for Tom's work conference... a little getaway they all thought...

this book was SO entertaining & such a WILD ride. i couldn't put it down! literally the hair on the back of my neck was standing up ever since they arrived on the island. i was so stressed the entire time, but i loved every second of it. not every book can make me feel that type of way, and Adrian McKinty - you did it!

i'd absolutely love to see this turn into a movie/mini series. i can picture it now!
5 stars all around.

This was an exciting book to read. I liked the action! I enjoyed the pace. It was very outlandish and rough at times. It was extremely painful to read about the dog. I think I would have enjoyed it much better without that part. But overall it was a fun book. Deliverance in the outback.

Another great thriller by the author of The Chain. This book had so many twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was such a good thriller! It kept me guessing and intrigued the whole time! The characters were likable and well developed. I would definitely recommend this to everyone!

I had really High Hopes for this one because I LOVED The Chain. And it started off strong for me but dropped off pretty early. I might go back and read it again to see if I enjoyed it better but for now it is just 3 stars. Good but not Great.

Update: came back and did the audiobook. The audiobook def got my attention! The narrator was great and the added sound effects in parts just made ot come alive!! 4 Stars

Read if you like
🔪 Horror Movies
🔪 Being scared
🔪 Thrillers & Mysteries

This one was such a great and scary read! I am definitely someone that jumps and screams during scary movies and this one had me on the edge of my seat while reading just like a horror movie.

The characters in this one are written to be unlikable and I love that in a thriller. I feel like with most thrillers the more I dislike the characters, the better the thriller.

McKinty writes another action packed, adrenaline, heart pounding psychological thriller. I couldn’t put this book down and actually felt like I was in the story.!

One family of four, including a woman named Heather who had recently married a man with two kids. The kids aren’t particularly fond of her, and they all take a trip down under, when an accident happens—their lives are turned upside down.

Wow! What a crazy nail biter, stayed up until 1 am just to see the ending! Crazy fast paced, and heartfelt family story develops throughout it between Heather, our lead & the two kids. It was definitely one of those “Lost” meets “the hunt” vibes for me! Heather was incredibly witty, and definitely knew how to handle such pressure.


I was not honestly a fan of the consistent change of POV- it was aggravatingly confusing for me when Heather was the majority perspective. The pace was also slow moving at first- and felt winded. But I’m satisfied nonetheless!


Thanks to Little, Brown & Company as well as Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5/5 A family is taken hostage on an island off the coast of Australia. This book kept me on the edge of my seat because the action is ongoing. I wanted the kids to die until about 70% because they were that annoying. There are cheesy lines and unbelievable action events but I was still enjoying the ride.