Thanks NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy.

The narrator did a fantastic job. The sorry itself was just ok.

4.5 rounded up
Grabbed me from the start. Good characters and story. Great narration. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

2.5 stars

I don’t think I really liked this… I haven’t read any other books by Rachel Hawkins, so maybe this is just how her books are. I didn’t hate it, there were just a few things that didn’t work for me, and I guessed quite a bit of what was happening, which is always disappointing.
Some things I liked:
•The setting. I love the South Pacific and would love to do more travelling there (it’s one of the few areas of the world that I actually have done a bit of travelling in). I liked that it was set on a possibly cursed atoll (I liked that they specified that it was an atoll and not an island).
•That the chapters set in the past are only told from the POV of the female characters. I like how this helped to develop their backstories while leaving the male characters fairly one dimensional (because the story really wasn’t about them).
Some things I didn’t like:
•That the start of the book is set on Maui. This location didn’t seem very believable to me. Okay, maybe things have changed, but when I visited Maui it was almost solely old retired folks who owned timeshares, not one of the islands where the cool, young folks were. Also, the narrator pronounced the resort Lux worked at incorrectly.
•The fucking around. This has nothing to do with being sex-negative or being horrified by cheating or anything, it just felt like it didn’t need to be there, it didn’t really add anything to the story. The ends could have been achieved via other means. Plus, beach sex? Wouldn’t that be rather gritty?
•The loose ends. Maybe not exactly loose ends. But, there were lots of comments about characters not acting like themselves and it was just kind of never explained or expanded on? Plus, we don’t really know enough about any of the characters to know if they actually were acting out of character.
•The ending. I just didn’t really get it. It seemed excessive and not overly satisfying to me.

I’m surprised I didn’t see the twist coming. After realizing FINALLY what was happening, I felt like I missed some key signs. And that’s fairly rare for me. I found myself completely involved in this book, and it went fairly quick so that was nice too. Never felt like it was dragging and there was always something going on. A solid 4.

Twisted and great story! 4.5☆
Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. I enjoyed the plot with not knowing what was coming next.i did not anticipate the ending .... at all!

LOVED THIS BOOK! The characters, the scenery, the drama, the plot - it was all done beautifully. I loved the ending and how it tied back to where the main character ended up

Thank you NetGalley for the advance audio book in exchange for an honest review!

I have never read this author before. Shame on me! I have seen her name and heard good things, but I just hadn't picked up anything by her. Well, I really enjoyed this one! I definitely want to read more by Rachel Hawkins!

Things I Liked:
I had literal GOOSEBUMPS at one point! This is definitely a thriller, with lots of suspense and plenty of twists and turns. It took a while for the first body to turn up, but the characters were well developed and the stage was set for suspense so it was worth the wait. The characters had real personality and the reader will understand their motives. Aside from Lux, I didn't really like any of the other characters. But that was because there was a lot of detail and info about them making bad choices and being terrible people in general. Sometimes it's more interesting to read about people I dislike! The tension between the way I think they should act versus the actions they take adds
the unease and sense of darkness.
I liked the narrator. That can make or break the audio book for me, and I enjoyed this one.

And THE ENDING! OMG! I will leave it at that.

Things I Disliked:
Like I said above, I disliked some of the characters, but that was due to the author's skilled writing so it's not a bad thing. The point of view and the timeline shifted at point, and I'm old - it's hard for me to keep up! That gets kind of confusing to me and I end up missing major details. For this audio book specifically, though, it made sense, and did add to the overall plot and experience.

Overall, I definitely recommend if you like suspense, thrillers or getting goosebumps! Happy reading!

An adventure gone wrong. 6 people, 2 boats and a remote island with some bad juju.

Lux and Nico are hired by two girls to sail to a remote island near Hawaii called Meroe Island. Once they get there they learn that they aren't they only one’s on the Island. Lux's soon discovers everyone isn't exactly who they say they are and everyone is keeping secrets.

I found it to be extremely slow paced. I would say that things only began to happen around the 70% mark. With all of that build up, I was expecting something more at the end. I also honestly didn’t really care for the characters.

Even though this one didn't work for me, I absolutely loved the audiobook. I think that Barrie Kreinik did an amazing job. I honestly kept pushing through with this on because of her. Each of her voices for the six characters who are different genders and have different accents was fantastic.
(My rating below is for the audiobook)

Thank you to Netgalley, McMillian Audio and St. Martin's Press for the advanced ebook/audiobook.

I really enjoyed The Wife Upstairs and I wanted to enjoy this one too. It just didn't have the twists or suspense I was craving from Rachel Hawkins. This one was incredibly slow at the beginning and then moved super fast at the end, so the pacing could have been more even. If it was another author I may not have picked it up again in after not getting into it at the beginning. It wasn't realistic enough either. It could have been better executed.

I mostly listened to this one on audiobook and the narrator was fantastic.

Let’s get reckless and do a math review, shall we?

+15 points = That cover! You’re going to pick this up with the expectation that it’ll be a page-turning beach read, right? Well good news! What you see is what you get.

+15 points = The setting. Reckless Girls is a “locked island” thriller that plops seven 20-something characters on a remote South Pacific island where some creepy things have happened in the past. It’s like “Bachelor in Paradise” meets “The Island of Doctor Moreau” (minus Marlon Brando in pancake makeup and a mumu, praise jeebus).

+70 points = Length + suspense. This book can, and easily might be, binged all in one go. I had a hard time putting it down after I started and finished it in a day.

-5 points = The colorful-yet-uncreative language. So many F-bombs are dropped it’s a wonder the entire island doesn’t explode. 206 of them to be exact.

-5 points = The title. Fine, I guess the girls here are reckless, but the men sure aren’t any better. It just as easily could have been called D-Bag Guys. Not a good one in the bunch.

-10 points = The ending. After a very twisty and complicated plot, readers are left with a final act that wraps things up The Lamest Way Possible. (See my Goodreads bio for hint/spoiler.) Seriously??? Sigh.

Extra credit = The audiobook. Narrator Barrie Kreinik is new to me, but I will most definitely be looking up what else she’s done. Her skill taking on the voices of multiple characters with varying accents and genders is worth a round of applause. I highly recommend this format, though you’ll miss out on the Acknowledgements at the end of the print/ebook version where Hawkins shares that Reckless Girls was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to write a “boat murder” book.

3.5 stars

I loved it! This was another one of those books where I was sucked in and intrigued by Lux and Nico that I did not want to stop reading it! The "Reckless Girls" title is spot and describes all four of the girls on the island. Each character comes with secrets, and I enjoyed how the author slowly releases their pasts throughout the entire book. The end fell a little flat for me, but I would still recommend this book! Had the end had a bit more substance and explanation, this would have been a five star from me! I also enjoyed the narrator of this book - easy to listen to and follow along!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Very captivating with amazing character development. Two girls show up to Hawaii and ask a island couple to take them to a remote island. However the island has some other unexpected guests and some unexpected events start to happen. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was a fun thriller! I did a combination of listening and reading this book because I couldn't get through it quick enough. This book is out January 4th 2022 and you should add it to your TBR! The audiobook narrator was fantastic. There weren't any characters I liked and was rooting for, but that was exactly what made it fun. The island location was also well described without being over done. Of course I figured nothing out, and I loved how it worked out! This is a book I don't want to give too much away, but the back story fills in a few blanks while the island situation is unfolding.
Thank you to Netgalley, McMillian Audio and St. Martin's Press for the advanced ebook/audiobook so I could fly through this great book!

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martins Press for the advance copy of this book.
I haven’t read Rachel Hawkins other thriller but the premise of this one sounded interesting so I figured why not give this one a try. Honestly I didn’t end up liking it very much. I didn’t like it but I also didn’t hate it. The whole time I just kept imagining the movie The Perfect Getaway. It’s not the same but I mean some couples on an island and murder. My real complaint is that I just never got into the characters. Lux maybe but the rest weren’t that deep for me. I did appreciate who the one behind the murders ended up being. If thrillers are your thing and a tropical Murder sounds fun check this out. The release date is January 4th!

I didn't love this. It just seemed implausible and yet also predictable.


Review copy provided by publisher.

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book early!!! Releases 1/4/22.

Lux lives in Hawaii with her boyfriend Nico. It's paradise! Nico is fixing up his boat, The Susannah, so they can sail the world.

One day after losing her job, Lux finds out that two girls, Brittany & Amma, are paying her & Nico to sail them to a deserted island. Adventure of a lifetime?? Maybe??

The group arrives at Meroe and meets Jake & Eliza. They all become fast friends and enjoy island life together.

Soon, Lux starts to feel uneasy & that things aren't quite....okay. Someone goes missing, a dead body is found in the jungle - will Lux get off this island alive?

I was expecting a few more twists or something a little more surprising, but truthfully it was a tad underwhelming. The writing was fantastic though, Rachel Hawkins is great at showing instead of telling, and that really works well when the setting/environment is such a huge part of the story.

Well this was a delightful thriller! Lux and her boyfriend Nico end up chartering two girls to a deserted island for 2 weeks. When they get there, there meet a couple that is also visiting. The group becomes friends just enjoys partying and hanging out. Then things start to go sideways when another visitor comes to the island and people start dying.

Lux was a great MC. She was smart, and while she didn't know what was going on, she was a suspicious of things. I liked her story, and I wanted to see her survive. The plot moved along super fast, and I flew this one! I enjoyed the twists, and while I didn't feel super surprised by them, I liked them!

The audio of this book was great. The author did a great job, and she brought the characters to life!

Readers that enjoy a locked-in mystery will enjoy this secluded island setting!

A tropical paradise away from the struggles of life. There's nothing to do but drink alcohol and tan on the white sandy beaches. Sounds like a paradise, a dream come true, right? Well, this becomes reality for Lux and five others, four of whom are practically strangers, when they sail to a secluded island. Everything is great until things take a turn. Secrets are revealed, and the sketchy history of the island changes this paradise in heaven into hell.

I read this author's other book The Wife Upstairs. I loved it because of its originality and engaging characters with complex and secret backgrounds. in this book, Rachel continues this theme by including many characters that have a sketchy history. This is the one good part of the book and truly what the entire book is about. You slowly learn about the main character's past but also you get flashbacks to get some insight about these people who are with them on this secluded island.

I like the worldbuilding in this novel and it was easy to picture what was happening with a secluded tropical island in the middle of the ocean with hardly anybody around. This setting for the story is one that you don't see a lot in thriller novels so it was a nice change.

But I do have to say I did not like this book as much as The Wife Upstairs. I didn't feel as engaged in the story and the mystery trying to be uncovered. I like to feel shocked by the ending but the reveal in this book left no effect on me. I also wasn't too thrilled with any of the characters I don't like the personality of any of the characters and there was way too much cursing in this book. it was thrown in anywhere the author could put it and it took away from my enjoyment of the book.

The ending was truly a disappointment for me. In thrillers, I expect more but this ending was too close to real life for me. The hidden secret really wasn't that secretive. The only good part that came out of the ending was not the big reveal but how one particular character acts on this new knowledge.

Overall it was just kind of slow to me and maybe a little bit boring because I was just waiting for something to happen. I know feeling the character's feelings is a good thing but in this case, it isn't because Lux is bored sometimes with nothing to do on this island and I felt the same way. I hope that the author's next book lives up to her first one and stays clear of this semi let down.

I listened to the audiobook in 24 hours because I couldn't stop thinking about it and I needed to know what was happening! I loved The Wife Upstairs so I was really excited for the opportunity to preview Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins.

Lux and her boyfriend Nico have big plans to embark on a sailing adventure together. The only delay is their boat, The Susannah, is broken and they have to make the money to get it fixed. Enter Brittany and Amma, two friends from college, who are looking for a boat and captain to take them on an off the beaten path escape and have money to spend. They sail off together to the infamous Meroe Island, which looks just like the paradise they envisioned...but is it? Once they get to the island they find they are not alone, Eliza and Jake, a gorgeous, wealthy couple off on an adventure of their own, have beat them there. The party of 6 takes it all in stride and things are off to a great start. There is swimming, drinking, dancing and exploring until a 7th person turns up on the island and everything changes.

The biggest standout in the book was the imagery of the island and jungle life. Hawkins' was able to make the setting feels like it's own character and it was clear that Meroe Island is a troubled place with a storied past. There were a few times throughout the book that I thought I had guessed what would happen next and I was almost always wrong, which is fun when reading a thriller.

I really enjoyed the format of the book - Lux was the primary narrator but we also got flashbacks that slowly revealed the backstory of the rest of the characters sharing the island. I liked how the pieces slowly started to come together and there were definitely some aha! moments as each layer was pulled back. There are a few loose ends that I feel like were never tied up, though, and I wanted more context into some of the decisions that were made on the island.

I thought the performance by Barrie Kreinik was excellent - she did a great job differentiating each section and each character. There was a lot of constantly changing direction for one person to take on and she did it flawlessly.

Reckless Girls is out 1/4/22. My ratings is 3.5 stars rounded up! Would recommend this one to the thriller seekers - the twists and turns are fun but you will have to suspend a little bit of belief to be bought in.

Reckless Girls is a total binge read! The fast-paced, suspenseful, and creepy vibes of this story had me staying up late to finish it.

I loved Hawkins’s writing style. Her creative and atmospheric writing made me wish I, too, was vacationing on a tropical island—just not Meroe Island…

The chapters alternate between the past and present, which added to the suspense and helped shape the characters. It was fun to slowly unravel all their secrets.

I appreciated that the author introduced new characters slowly. Even with a cast of 7 characters, it was easy to follow and remember storylines.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, and it was flawless! The narrator did a great job portraying the different voices of the characters and ramping up her tone of voice during suspenseful moments.

I highly recommend picking this one up and settling in for a thrilling ride.