Never Coming Home was creepy and tense! With the action coming so quickly, I was on the edge of my seat every moment, and I never knew for sure who was behind it all. Each character was a unique personality with a tragedy in their past. I appreciated that there were boys, girls, a transgender character, and later, a character still figuring out their sexuality. Not all were portrayed sympathetically either. I also appreciated that characters I initially liked were slowly revealed to be less than stellar individuals, and those I originally thought less of turned out to be better people. That kept me changing my opinion as to who was manipulating everything behind the scenes.

The island setting gave me a bit of a “Lord of the Flies” vibe as the story went on. The changeable weather increased the tension, too, making possible rescue a dim hope in the characters’ minds. And as I was never 100% sure the place was devoid of others, I was never wholly confident one of the guests was the murderer, so I was always a little off-balance.

I particularly enjoyed the social media foundation connecting all the characters – in their real lives, their “real” lives online, and in the public eye. That one character had a manager to help guide her content, spin events in her life to her advantage, and make lucrative financial deals for specialized content or “collabs” was fascinating. The continual need for the characters to adjust their content to control their narrative and brand rang true and was mind-boggling.

With its engaging characters, remote and creepy setting, and updated “And Then There Were None” plot, I honestly didn’t want to put this book down. I recommend NEVER COMING HOME to readers who enjoy suspenseful YA fiction featuring intelligent, savvy characters, diverse backstories, and remote tropical island settings.

Any time I see a book hailed as a retelling or remix of "And Then There Were None" I am instantly suspicious. Agatha Christie was the queen of the murder mystery, how could anyone compete with one of the defining books of the genre? I am thrilled to report that Kate M. Williams gives us an intricately crafted, wholly original take on a classic with her new novel, "Never Coming Home." I read this novel with a notebook, carefully taking notes on each character and each death, determined to work out who the mastermind behind Unknown Island was, and I was still shocked at the "big reveal." Williams has definitely penned one of the hottest titles of the summer, and everyone will be pouring over clues by the pool as they try to solve the mystery before time runs out for our rag-tag bunch of influencers.

Unknown Island is the hottest new resort with the most unbelivable tagline. An all expenses paid weeklong vacation in the tropics. All you have to do is agree to go with a carefully selected group of 9 strangers whom the PR firm promises will share something in common with you that will make the trip worthwhile. After receiving the guest list the night before leaving, our first group of ten assume that they've all been selected for their role as influencers, to hype up the experience and drum up more publicity for the groups to follow. After arriving to find a less than hospitable resort, they soon realize that what they share isn't their number of followers, but rather a deadly secret their livelihoods (and freedoms) depend on concealing. Someone knows more about the "Original Ten" than they know even about themselves, and it soon becomes clear this person has set up so intricate of a trap that they may never be going home again.

A young adult suspense thriller that is partly related to their current obsession with all of those viral sensations.

Ten social media personalities are invited to Unknown Island for a free tropical vacation. The island has been advertised and promoted on all the usual online sites -- it's exclusive and by invitation only. Each guest received the honor by email and the details were exciting -- especially the part about all of them being under age 21. The chosen are 6 girls and 4 boys and their social passions run the gamut: a young CEO, a DJ, a politician, an athlete, the rich girl, a beauty blogger, a superstar influencer, a chef, an environmentalist and, the youngest is an online gamer. All told, they have millions of followers and hope to strike that elusive top rank raising their numbers.

They arrive on the island by boat and helicopter only to find that they are basically untended without any resort staff or welcome committee. Their luxurious bungalows are shacks and barely furnished. The kitchen cupboards are almost empty except for junk food. There is no internet and no air conditioning. There's only one way in and no way off the island as they have no transport. It's hot and their shock and dismay mount quickly. What is going on? The answer comes with the first death. Are they to be picked off one by one by someone hiding on the island with some type of revenge motive? Or has one of their number lured them there with murder on their mind?

I thought I would like this a lot more than I did. I was reminded of the scam that was the basis for the Netflix documentary Fyre as well as several well known books where people die one by one. It was hard to keep each character straight, but helped by the list in the front of the book. Didn't matter, nobody was around too long. I didn't really like any of the personalities and they, as expected, did some pretty dumb things as events spiraled out of control. The conclusion definitely was a bit lame and unsatisfying. Found it all just way too out there to be a believable scenario, but I figure the target audience will eat it up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this e-book ARC to read and review.

An influencer take on And Then There were None, this story was a lot of fun and a perfect beach read. Each influencer has secrets and I loved reading on to see how they unwind their secrets as the others die around them. Some are pretty straightforward, but to see them lie to save face and then reveal the truth was just so good. The mystery is set up almost immediately, with no one knowing what is going on, and continues, as the influencers find out just how isolated they are. No one is innocent, everyone is a suspect, and is everything I wanted in a teen murder mystery.

Unknown Island is the newest, hottest, and most exclusive luxury resort in the world—and the best kept secret. With a viral marketing campaign drawing attention to the descriptions of natural beauty, luxurious accommodations, and world-class service everyone wants their chance to go. But the highly exclusive new resort is open by invitation only for the most influential 21-and-under crowd. Ten elite influencers have been selected as the first guests and the internet is buzzing with anticipation about who they are and why they were chosen. Among them are a beauty blogger, an heiress, an athlete, famous chef, a DJ, an environmental activist, an up-and-coming politician, a CEO, and a superstar. But they weren’t invited to the island for their social media presence—only for the secrets each of them harbors.
As the guests arrive on Unknown Island, they find that everything they thought about their destination was false. There are no luxury accommodations or staff, only danger lurking every step of the way. One by one the guests begin to die, and they slowly begin to unravel how they are all connected just as they each begin to suspect each other as being the killer. It's soon clear that they may not make it off the island and that was someone’s plan all along.
Never Coming Home is a fast-paced thriller that draws you into the action quickly and holds your attention throughout. My mind tumbled the entire time trying to figure out who was the threat and who was going to be next. I love the setting and how this remote island was complicit in everything that was happening to the characters (trapping them and preventing them from contact with the outside world). Kate Williams has done a fantastic job of making the reader feel the increasing and impending doom of their situation right along with the characters. Never Coming Home is very reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, but with a unique modern twist. I highly recommend it for your summer reading list.

*I received a copy of Never Coming Home from Netgalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review*

Time for some YA fiction reading in the hammock! What book came with me?Kate Williams' new novel, Never Coming Home.

Never Coming Home takes a bit of inspiration from Christie's 'And Then There Were None.' Ten teen influencers are invited to be the inaugural guests of a super secret resort on Unknown Island. Upon landing on the island, each guest feels like something is off with the vibe, the accommodations aren't as luxurious as the photos promised and where are all the staff?

The ten are a diverse group that don't really know each other, but they've checked out each other online. Who has the most followers? Why this group of ten? What's the connection? Well, the connection is a dark one as each guest has a similar secret. And those secrets are about to see the light of day.

This premise lends itself to so many ways the book could play out. I loved the social media component. Nothing is ever as it appears on a screen, is it? There is a screen in the lounge on Unknown Island.....and someone is posting.

And then there were nine.
And the methods of dispatch? Decidedly devious!

I enjoyed trying to figure out who the culprit was, changing my choice quite often. Williams puts a nice spin on the final whodunit with a surprise twist. I did feel the epilogue was a bit too detailed. Shorter and snappier would have matched the pace of what came before.

Never Coming Home was a fun, escapist read that was hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy of Never Coming Home in exchange for my honest review!

I saw someone market this book as a gen z version of "And Then There Were None" and I knew I had to get my hands on a copy! I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this!

I loved that Kate Williams made the characters so real and raw. They are influencers, but she made sure that we saw just how real they really were. They were flawed and broken behind their perfect personas online. I really enjoyed seeing the gritty discussions of social media in the novel as well.

This was the perfect summer read that kept me flipping the pages! I would highly recommend this book!

This book answers the question of what if we mixed Fyre Festival and murder!

Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

Never Coming Home Came out on the 21st of June, and was published by Delacorte Press. This young adult thriller is definitely not Kate Williams first book; she's the author of The Babysitters Cover series.

"promises of heaven unpacked in hell"

Never coming home starts out pretty slow! At the start I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like it because we went through a few POVs and it seemed like it would be kinda boring. BUT WHEN IT PICKED UP IT PICKED UP! I read it in one night!

Basically 20% in I was hooked! Each character is pretty well crafted, really interesting and you’re really waiting to see what happens, who survives, and who was the killer. I was rooting for Manny throughout the book though!

You genuinely did not see the killer coming. It was odd to see that they engaged in the same sort of behaviour that allowed the others to get caught for their own crimes. Of course, the characters did engage in behaviour that we would imagine is typical of an influencer, and very few, except for Manny were capable of admitting it and possibly growing from it. It's also interesting to see what can be traced back to us online.

I don't think my actions have ever resulted in anything huge, but part of me does want to start cleaning up my stuff online just because of this book and all that happens!

Long story short, because I don’t want to spoil this, is that this is a 5 star book and I want more by Kate Williams!

But if you read the book, please reach out to me and let me know who you were rooting for!

#NeverComingHome #NetGalley #KateWilliams

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, NetGalley, and the author, Kate Williams, for providing me with a free digital copy to read. This has not affected my thoughts on the book. You can check out the other posts on the tour here: https://wp.me/pc9jxI-2ce

Check out my full review of Never Coming Home here: https://wp.me/pdKxOX-hu
I also made a mood board for this book: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFEJc-x...

Rating of NCH: ★★★★☆ (4.5 stars✨)

I had the eARC of this book for over a month and I DID NOT read it at all until June 16th (just 3 days before the tour) [#genius #certifiedprocrastinator]– perhaps lingering for some kind of angel to come into my dreams, make it a deadly nightmare and torture me into reading this book. And um, that may have actually happened!!! Recall, I said MAY. So…long story short, I eventually opened NetGalley Shelf on my tablet and began devouring this book. AND HELL ITS SO GOOD. LIKE???!!! It didn’t take me that long to devour it (i think the one and only brain cell i have left after reading this book thinks it took me 3 days). The plot didn’t take much time to hook me in. Though, it took me a while to remember all the characters perfectly since there were 10 MCs in total. This book literally had me weeping at the end. It’s damn good. It’s kind of like a locked-room mystery but it’s island instead of room. With the descriptions Kate wrote, I could very well experience the creepy summer-y aura of this book. I love the “strangers-brought-together-under-mysterious-circumstances-and-bumped-off-one-by-one” trope. This book had my one brain cell guessing the upcoming twists and then being betrayed because the guesses turned out to be wrong. It WASN’T predictable at all. And this book also had the “murder of influencers” trope which I CAN’T GET ENOUGH of. OH. M. GEE. How do you write a review without giving spoilers???!! Some character deaths felt stupid– I would have survived more than these characters if I were on this island. I became so addicted to ‘one more chapter’ while reading NEVER COMING HOME. I’M OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK IS MY CHILD, MY GEM,– MY EVERYTHING. The characters varied in their likability, which makes it harder to figure out the true murderer because they’re all fishy. There’s plenty of focus on the pressures of being in the public eye, putting up facades, the privileges and consequences that come with being a social media influencer, etc. The story is told from multiple perspectives, the cast of characters is diverse, the tensions are high, and the ending….😭😭🔪🩸🦴✨. The ending explanation was a bit confusing but intriguing and it’s explained in a very different way which isn’t a bad thing. Though the ending felt a little ridiculous, it was still good and rather unexpected. I was also confused at one point. I hate how the character I cared most about turned out to be the murderer. LIKE WUT??!!! I’ve decided chapter 9 is my favorite. It’s so aesthetically pleasing to picture. This book convinced me to read Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None! I’m not into classics but I might pick it up sometime soon. I FREAKIN’ hope there’s a sequel!! Because there is potential.

Listen, nothing good ever came of dumping a bunch of influencer teens unsupervised on a remote island, and that's what makes this book really engaging. Very quickly these teens realize nothing is as they were promised about this free trip, and the first death among them happens pretty quickly into the story. Trying to figure out what's going to happen next is part of the fun.

Absolutely wow! What an absorbing, compelling, convoluted, YA Suspense Thriller! Yes, the main characters are all YA, as are some of the secondary characters, and some of the backstory characters. Yes, the target audience is YA, but this novel is exciting entertainment even for us older adults. I've been an aficionado of "locked-room" mysteries since I first read Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE in childhood, and the best "locked-room" stories, I think, involve isolated locales, a carefully chosen group of individuals, and an act of Nature which prevents quick and easy escape. Be it an isolated mountain retreat during a blizzard, or a desert outpost, or a far-distant island isolated by dangerous wave conditions, as is the case in NEVER COMING HOME, that specifically "Hotel California" vibe ["you can check out, but you can never leave"] is resoundingly present and ultimately terrifying for the confused "guests."


Author Kate M. Williams successfully plays contemporary Internet riffs here, from "influencers" to podcasts to discussion forums in which those who know nothing of the subject proclaim their strongly held opinions. But she also cleverly delves into the psychology of the characters, as well as ratcheting the suspense throughout and playing on the themes of illusion and hype. Remember, on the Internet, no one can hear you scream.


Set aside a block of time, lock your doors, turn off your phone (Big Tech is watching you), and dive into NEVER COMING HOME. I predict you're going to love it.

A fast-paced YA thriller for fans of Agatha Christie and her infamous locked room mysteries.

Ten influencers, an exclusive selection, are invited to the opening of Unknown Island - an exclusive, invitation-only island for the who's who of 18 and under. After arriving to their all expense paid vacation, the guests quickly grow suspicious that it all was too good to be true. One by one, they begin to wonder if they will be the next who is never coming home.

I am a huge fan of this trope, and therefore find it hard to be surprised by the reveal most of the time. This book, however, totally surprised me. I appreciated the execution and the ending was well done - I genuinely did not see it coming and appreciate how it was all wrapped up. Although geared toward YA readers, this was still enjoyable as an adult. I found it to be a quick and enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley, TBR and Beyond Tours, and Delacorte Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. To be shared on my IG: @manis.and.manuscripts on pub day, 6/21.

Oh wow this book was just awesome! I swear this must be made into a movie or something, it was just so well done. Unknown Island, all expenses paid, bring in some influencers, it reminds me of that Fire Festival documentary on Netflix, and we all know how it started what happened in between and how it ended, well what happened to these kids when they got there is similar. I was already hooked, there was so much mystery to, who is running the show, why are these kids all here, and why the heck there is no WIFI!!!! Besides all of that I loved how the author went straight to the point, why are they all here? I WAS SHOOKETH!!!!! I couldn’t stop reading. Everyone in this island had secrets and no one is innocent, even towards the end when everything already gets revealed to us, it ends in a way I never expected, and I was left with my mouth open. This book was awesome! Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The Quick Cut: Ten social media influencers are welcomed to an exclusive island resort. It goes south when it turns out to not be what it appears to be.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Delacorte Press for providing the ARC for an honest review.

Many people imagine an island paradise when they think of the perfect vacation. Beaches, aqua ocean water, and plenty of time to relax. What could go wrong? In this horror story, the answer is plenty.

Everyone has heard about Unknown Island for months now. It's an exclusive island resort for people under 21 with luxury accommodations and no costs. The trick? You have to be invited to be able to go. Ten influencers are invited for the opening and excited to relax. However, it quickly goes wrong when it turns out the accommodations are anything but luxurious. Will they survive? Or end up stranded instead?

For how much gore is in this story, I'm surprised it still got a young adult rating. How some of these characters end up is as dark as it gets. That being said, I love a good scare and this book certainly got my blood pumping while reading.

This book is written to follow multiple characters rather than get you connected to one in particular. Its smart considering you get to know everyone without giving away who is going to survive or who may be behind the plot. I found myself wondering what the big picture was all the way to the end and even now, I still get chills.

If you enjoy a good scare, you will love this island resort gone awry tale!

My rating: 5 out of 5

Huge thank you to Turn the Page Tours & Delacorte Press for sending an e-ARC of Never Coming Home my way so I can participate in their blog tour! ♥

I have never read an Agatha Christie book but holy wow, I need to remedy that asap. Especially after reading Never Coming Home, a retelling of And Then There Were None. I adore the idea of murder mysteries & this one has a Gen Z twist; our characters are influencers on TikTok & other social networking and there’s a bit of commentary on social media.

When I first started Never Coming Home, I was a bit nervous as a lot of characters are introduced. Okay.. 10, but all at once, it’s a bit overwhelming. But as soon as the first murder happens, it’s game on and no one is safe. Never Coming Home is pretty fast-paced once it gets going & will have you turning pages trying to figure out who will be next and who is behind what’s going on on Unknown Island.

This YA thriller ended up giving me teen slasher vibes & I loved it. Although we don’t have Ghostface or someone similar running around the island, I would still say that the vibes of Never Coming Home can be comparable to that of Scream. For me, that’s bonus points right there. At some point, all of the characters seem suspicious — which, again, Scream, anyone?

I really enjoyed my time reading Never Coming Home; it’s the perfect beach read and I am very confident recommending this one to fans of thrillers.

This was an intense and juicy thriller filled with twists and turns. You never really know what is going on and who is responsible for the bodies that keep piling up!

When a group of teenage influencers are invited to Unknown Island for a all expenses paid luxury trip, they jump at the chance. Although, upon arrival, it’s quickly clear that this is not the trip they were imagining at all.

None of them are safe and it is evident they were all invited to the island for a very specific reason… someone wants to make sure that they never return home.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing was strong and the characters were all so different. I love the influencer trope. Everyone is harboring secrets and regrets. This was one of those rare whodunnits where I didn’t cobble together an accurate idea of how it was going to end.

This was seriously so good!

This book has a lot of potential but I feel like it needed another round or two of editing and revising. There were quite a few grammatical errors and the writing was choppy at points. I also disliked the long chapters and the ending felt abrupt and left me unsatisfied.

With these changes, this book could’ve easily been a 4 or 5-star read for me. It was a fast-paced murder mystery-style plot that reminded me a lot of the movie Fantasy Island. And it could be made into its own great slasher film one day!

Thank you so much to Kate Williams, NetGalley, and Random House Children’s for an ARC of Never Coming Home.

A slasher, Gen Z version of And Then There We’re None? Yes, please!

Ten young influencers are invited to an exclusive resort, and not everyone makes it out alive.

This is such great, campy summer slasher that will appeal not only to teens, but to fans of the Christie classic. A fast summer read with huge appeal.

**Many thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseChildrens for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.**

Thank you to the author, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the free copy!

R E V I E W:
I came across this book randomly and when i read the synopsis, i knew i wanted to read it. It’s the millennial version of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. 10 influencers invited to the most exclusive island for free without realizing they were handpicked because of their secrets.

Like any other book with multiple characters, it can be confusing if thriller is not your main genre. There’s also a lot of context given which is understandable for this book, but can’t say i was a fan of. I did, however, enjoy the story line of this one. Once i got passed the introductions, i found myself hooked to the story to figure out whodunnit. It gave off great sketchy vibes that will keep you turning the pages.

Never Coming Home brings ten “under 21” influencers to Unknown Island for a retreat at a new isolated resort in an homage to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Doubts arise as they arrive to find no staff to dote on them, and continue to grow into red flags as they discover they have limited supplies, no way off the island, and no internet or cell service except for one panel device which only displays updates on Unknown Island’s Instagram page. As secrets are revealed, the group’s efforts to bond are hampered by their suspicions of each other.

Highlights for me as a reader were the descriptions of the character interactions and the few moments of meaningful revelations to each other. The overall plot line was intriguing, but gaps in details needed for believability (though seemingly deliberate as they were explored through internet chatter at the end) left me frustrated. The author included some themes that are on target for teens and should lead to some strong discussions with their peers. The cast is diverse, but ethnicity and gender are mostly irrelevant.

I recommend this for a quick YA read, but be forewarned it is missing important elements of a mystery novel that may leave you feeling less than satisfied.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, Netgalley, and the author, Kate M. Williams, for early access to this novel.