"Welcome to Unknown Island. You have been invited here because you are all murderers."

Ten social media influencers are invited to an all expenses paid vacation on Unknown Island, a highly selective, invitation-only luxury resort. Only once they begin to see the problems do they realize they never talked to a real person, read the contract or paid attention beyond free luxury and increased follower counts. Each of them has a secret, a deadly one. Unknown Island is looking to settle the score. Reminiscent of the Fyre Festival, they discover Unknown Island is all social media gloss no actual luxury. Then someone begins killing them. Is the killer one of them? Or is someone else on the island with them?

Originally, there were a lot of characters. But, I liked how the narration passed among the characters providing insight and perspective. I liked the hook of social media influencer and delivery of evaluation of superficial nature of social media and conversation about authenticity. This is a fun summer read, fast paced and set in the sun on a tropical island. Perfect for readers who loved Gretchen McNeil’s Ten and Claire Kann’s The Marvelous. Readers who enjoy the “Locked room” mystery trope will enjoy this Agatha Christie reinvention.
Content Warning: death, drug use

“The guests are here, let’s have some fun, counting backward ten to one. Their futures are bright, their pasts untold, three cheers for never growing old.”

This book is like the social influencer version of Agatha Christie's <i>And Then There Were none</i>. Except it falls flat. It's a quick read and definitely a who-dunnit for the Gen-Z polulation of today, but wasn't super original and felt a little played out.

A refreshing Agatha Christie classic retelling.

Riveting and exciting, this updated version of ATTWN was a fun read with twists I didn’t see coming.

I loved this thriller. It was well-paced, interesting and unlike a lot of thrillers I was not able to guess the outcome, which I really enjoyed. If you are looking for a good summer thriller or interested in the dangerous nature of social media, this is for you. This is Fyre Island meets And Then There Were None and it's great.

I misread the approval preferences on Random House's page and did not know that I was supposed to wait until two weeks prior to the publication date of this novel to post my review. I apologize for this error and will not repeat it! I posted this review to Goodreads and Barnes & Noble on April 27th, 2022 and promoted the book on my Instagram stories on April 30, 2022. Please email me if I should take my review down and repost it on June 7, 2022. I plan on posting my review to Amazon on this novel's publication date, June 21st, 2022.

Thank you so much to Kate Williams, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader's copy of this book!

I want to start by saying that Kate Williams has been a refreshing voice in the young adult genre since her debut, The Babysitters Coven. She consistently writes compelling novels with fun plots and unique characters, and Never Coming Home is equally as engaging and well-crafted as her previous work.

For a novel that is inspired by And Then There Were None, Never Coming Home is earth-shatteringly original. Kate Williams subverts just about every trope in the mystery genre, from the final girl to the villain monologue, while still leaving me satisfied at the end of the story. The ending of this book doesn't follow the classic ending-of-a-mystery structure, and that made me love it even more. As a teen reader, I have read so many lackluster YA mysteries, and this novel is a rare gem within the genre. This is the new, exciting, wholly original YA mystery that the genre so desperately needs right now.

Another highlight of this novel is its dialogue - I would feel compelled to contradict a character or respond to what they were saying out loud, and then I would read on and find that another character was saying the exact same thing I had said! It is so difficult to write dialogue, especially teen dialogue, realistically, but it's safe to say that Kate Williams has mastered the art of capturing the way real teens talk.

Additionally, the nonverbal character interactions in this novel are as rife with tension as its dialogue. I felt like I was watching a movie play out before my eyes with how closely I was noting every character's facial expressions and moments of eye contact with others.

What amplified my feeling of watching/being inside a movie while reading this book is that the plot is so captivating. I am in awe of how flawlessly plotted this novel is. Each character has a major secret, and their secrets are detailed and shocking while still being believable and well thought out. The way the murders occur is interesting as well. It feels weird to say that I enjoyed reading about a bunch of people dying, but I love how the victims are each killed in different ways. The murders are far more gruesome than I expected (I mean, I went into this novel not knowing if anyone was actually going to die) but I found the individual causes of the victims' deaths to be fascinating. Plus, the killings are so coordinated that I kind of respect the killer. The plot of this novel might be too complicated for some writers to pull off, but Kate Williams executes it brilliantly.

And, moving on to talk about the killer, while I did have an inkling of who it would be while I was reading, there is a twist about how the killer did it that I am still thinking about days after finishing this novel. Like, wow, the killer is a manipulative genius. On top of that, the way the killer is revealed gave me full body chills while I was reading. My jaw hit the floor and I just stared at the wall blankly, because oh my goodness, talk about an ending. The ending scene of this book puts a spin on the typical "this is how I did it" villain monologue, and it is very creepy. I loved every second of it.

Since the plot of this novel is intense and there are a lot of moving parts, one might think that means the characters will not be as developed. This is not the case. Each character is given a label at the beginning of the book (the athlete, the chef, etc.) and this helps to make the characters distinct and memorable. Kate Williams also makes sure that each character has more depth than just their label, and the choices the characters make throughout the story remain grounded in their established personalities.

Overall, if you enjoy mysteries and you're looking for a book that will snatch your attention and leave you wanting more, this is the perfect summer read for you.

I have seen a lot of comparisons between this book and Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." I have never read that book but if it is anything like this I need to quickly add it to my TBR. I enjoyed this page-turner. I didn't want to stop reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. It was super entertaining and full of character that I didn't know if I should root for or if I should hate. Perfect for lovers of thrillers. It will draw in YA readers because many can identify with the characters and their love/hate relationship with social media.

I really enjoyed this book! It hooked me from the first chapter and kept me glued to my seat to find out what happened next!

I loved this book so much! It was complicated and well written and mysterious! However, it was also fast-faced, and I thought all of these things were so well balanced! It gave me all the And There Were None feels, which is my favorite Agatha Christie, and I think she would've loved this adaptation! I will be recommending this for sure!

#BeingInfluentialCanBeDeadly. Ten young social media "influencers" have been invited to be the first guests at Unknown Island, an exclusive luxury resort on a secluded island where no guests over 21 are allowed. The ten young men and women know of each other, but only two of them -- Frankie and Celia -- were acquainted beforehand. Anyone looking at the lists of invitees would be somewhat puzzled by the choice of the "First Ten", as they do not seem to have anything in common, and their levels of popularity vary widely -- the young politician has 121K followers and the environmentalist has 236K followers, while the rich girl has over 6 million, the athlete over 8 million, and the superstar over 46 million. Of the ten, Frankie, the superstar, is the only one who questions the invite, but she has her reasons for accepting it. The other nine are focused on how they can use the experience to enhance their reputations.

As the first guests at the exclusive resort and having been told this was a "soft opening", the influencers would not be surprised if everything did not go smoothly. However, Unknown Island is not at all what they expected. There is no "welcoming committee" or even any representative from Unknown Island's mysterious ownership group. The two apparent staff members leave the island shortly after the ten guests arrive. The private bungalows are sparsely furnished and would not look out of place in a cheap roadside motel. The food selection is heavy on snacks/junk food. The wireless internet connection does not work -- a nightmare for an "influencer."

The only "connection" to the outside world is a monitor that broadcasts the Unknown Island profile, on which appears the group photo taken upon arrival, as well as cryptic messages. Graham, the "politician", had been tasked as the liaison between the Unknown Island marketing staff and the guests, and had been instructed to pass out envelopes addressed to everyone at a designated time. The message inside is rather disturbing -- although two of the influencers admit the information about them is true, albeit lacking context. If the situation was not bad enough already, it becomes much worse when one of the influencers dies, and it quickly becomes apparent that it was not an accident, and it will not be the last death. Is one of the remaining influencers a killer? Is someone else on the island? Was the invitation a set-up, and if so, by who and why? Lots of secrets will be revealed, but will anyone still be alive for it to matter? And, by the way, how will it impact the follower numbers for the influencers?

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

As a big fan of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, I was excited to read this one. The setup and the setting for the modern update worked really well. It definitely kept me turning pages and guessing at what was going on, and the ending was intriguing and satisfying.

Whew this one is gruesome and gory and of course fabulous! A kinda of 21st century rift of And Then There Were None, this book literally takes no prisoners and has the reader turning pages as fast as possible! 10 influencers are invited to a beautiful, exotic, remote island in the vacation of a lifetime. However when they get there they realize all is not as it seemed online and that there are some very dark secrets working in their past, and on the island. What follows is a fast paced story of regret, consequences and ultimately revenge. I don’t want to give too much away but the ending will certainly still leave you guessing!

I totally loved this book! We have 10 influencers, mostly strangers to each other, who all get to go on this amazing trip to Unkown Island. It struck me right from the beginning that this was a too good to be true situation. When they all arrive, they realize that right off the bat Unkown Island isn't at all what it was promised to be, and it becomes clear that they weren't chosen for how many followers they have or what they chose to do with that influence, but by the secrets that they are carrying. All these secrets have one thing in common.

That's when they realize why they were chosen and they have to figure out if this is one big joke, or something infinitely more serious, and they can't leave... There is no way off the island, and it's more and more likely that no one will be coming for them either.

This was a super entertaining YA Thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, you never knew what was going to happen next, or who it was happening to. And that ending!! I definitely didn't expect it, and it made you pause and rethink and analyze everything we previously read.

I will be reading her other books and can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

There are lots of things I like here, including the fictional peek into the minds of young adult influencers--the good and the bad. I like the locked room mystery aspect of them being trapped together on an island. It definitely feels suspenseful, and even though each of the characters has committed sins, they are mostly drawn as more complicated characters. The fast-paced rate of killings definitely propels the story forward, and it feels like a quick read.

In fact, I was enjoying this book a fair amount until we got to the end. It's not that I don't find the ending plausible (within the totally implausible situation created here), it's that I don't find it satisfying. I don't care for the way it's presented, the slight ambiguity, and the kind of "so what" I feel with the final words.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Received ARC from NetGalley

Goes well with: Killer Content by Kiley Roache; They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall; Swedish tv series Black Lake season 2; the film You're Next if you are into savvy characters in a slasher

The Gist: Ten influencers, all falling nicely into an archetype ie the athlete, the gamer, the rich girl, etc., get invited to the grand opening of an exclusive island retreat. But when faced with no wifi, no publicists and no amenities things quickly fall apart. The influencers are on their own and one of them is set to take them out.

I love a "trap some strangers in a remote place and let them lost it" premise. Heck, my favorite movie is "Clue." This one puts them on an island making this a lovely homage to "And Then There Were None."

I appreciated its message of actions have consequences online and to the books credit it never felt preachy. The characters were a nice mix of love and love to hate. I desperately want to hear Manny's comedown album and I really want a whole series focused on Emma Jean where she uses her money, her true crime knowledge and everyone underestimating her to solving mysteries. We never actually saw a body so please bring her back as a nouveau Nick Charles or Nancy Drew #JusticeforEmmaJean.

One drawback is the main culprit is pretty easy to figure out. However the who and the how are harder to discern which makes it a compelling read. Also the characters play smart...they catch on quickly and make smart plays in bad situations. For instance, how they went about checking one another's phone or singing when going to the bathroom so no one is left alone. They were savvy and there is nothing better than savvy characters in a slasher.

Never Coming Home is a super original YA thriller. It is difficult for me to find thrillers that don't feel like they've never been done before, this did that. It's a very modern book, the characters and ten different influencers, one of which is a twitch streamer. Some of the deaths felt a bit stupid, like even I could have survived way farther in this book than most of those characters, but it does keep you turning the pages and rooting for the characters you like. Also couldn't tell if I liked the ending explanation or not, but it was a very different way of telling it. The characters are also diverse which I always love to see. Defiantly would recommend if you like thrillers!

Never Coming Home is a young adult mystery that will keep you up all night trying to guess whodunit! This book comes out on June 21, 2022.

Ten young influencers get sent to a mysterious island thinking they are getting an all expenses paid vacation, but what they really get is a huge reality check when they realize they are trapped with a killer. Each person shares something that would make any one of them a target for revenge; they were each supposed to have murdered someone.

Normally I am not a fan of third person POV, but each character was still highlighted in a way that I felt like I was able to get into their heads. I wouldn't say that any of the characters were super redeemable but I didn't hate them or their stories. I think that the author did a good job of slowly revealing the backstories of each character as the story progressed, and it also added a level of suspense to the story as well.

I want to say that I solved the mystery early on, but I also changed my mind about a million times in between. The coolest part of the story was at the end. Just when you think everything is just over and that there will not be any kind of closure, the addition of a "tell-all" interview and the chat history really kept the story interesting. Like I said, just when I thought I had figured it out then I realized there were so many other layers to the story.

I loved the addition of the Gen-Z elements and that this story feels like it could happen in real life and that you don't want it to at the same time. This book was a super quick read, and I think that the audience for this novel will be young adults and readers of young adult literature alike. Definitely an enjoyable addition to the genre!

I love, love, love Kate Williams! The Babysitters Coven series is one of my favorites so I was so excited to read this new book by her! It didn't disappoint! It was full of summer, creepy, beach vibes and I was totally here for it!

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. Every page had me guessing. It is very reminiscent of Ten Little Indians or a very dark Clue. The author led me through the story with absolute mastery.

When 10 teenage influencers get invited to an all-expenses paid vacation to a fancy remote island, they’re ready for anything…anything but murder.

NEVER COMING HOME by Kate M. Williams had a lot of things I absolutely love in a thriller - multiple POVS, an exotic destination, extremely snooty characters, and ones you can’t help but root for!

This one is an exceptionally fun and gory time and I think most readers who love locked room mysteries will get a real kick out of it.

I was a bit let down by the ending and the reveal, hence the 4 stars, but, overall, NEVER COMING HOME was a book I was NEVER PUTTING DOWN (😂 sorry, I had to)

Huge thanks to Kate Williams, Random House, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this one!!

Publication Date: June 21, 2022

4.5 rounded up
A clever reinvention of And then There Were None. This grabbed me and never let up. I read it in a day. First time reading this author but won't be the last. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book