Loved. Loved. Loved. Holy crap what a wild ride. I was a fan of the first novel The Chain, so I expected to love this one as well. Just 100 times yes. If you want a thriller that is outside of the norm, welcome to your new fave. Great new and different ideas, away from the dumb, alcoholic, female protagonist, I could not have loved this more.

Adrian, I will read and listen to whatever you write. So keep writing these out of the norm thrillers.

5 stars from me. First book was 5 stars as well.

Also, I listened to parts of this as well. Fantastic narrator and the atmosphere was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Great job!

I was such a fan of The Chain that I jumped at a chance to read this one. And it seems night and day to it, I did really like it. Something about it gave me No Exit vibes. Maybe it is the description of violence and the take no prisoners attitude. This is not for the weak of heart as it is intense. It lulls you into a family vacation and turns deadly.

I really liked Mela Lee’s narration but was a little put off by sound effects in very small places in the audiobook. Personally I’m not a fan of these effects, but they were in a very small part of the book and it threw me when they’d happen.

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦!

I loved The Chain so when I saw this new tittle I knew I had to read it, and it was just what I was expecting, wild and unpredictable from start to finish. I loved the chase, the setting and that it kept me at the edge of my seat.

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for this gifted copy.

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
If you’re in the mood for some quick paced/heart pulsing action, this is it. Straight into the deep, I could not get enough. The pace was high and just kept going. Alternating between the ebook and audio was thrilling. The audio added even more to the story. Heather is such a strong woman and I hope I will be acting just like her if I would ever be put in such a position. It’s such a quick read and with the short chapters, I couldn’t stop reading this one.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Short Chapters
Quick read 🤓
Heart pulsing action
Character built

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦, 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘢𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘮, 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘈 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘦𝘵-𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘮.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘋𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘰𝘧𝘧-𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Hold on to your Akubra's - this is one Island that you will not want to visit. When I heard that this book was set in Australia I was excited to read it. You know I love a book set in my home country. Let me reassure everyone, not all Aussies are like the ones on Dutch Island!!

A holiday for this Seattle family turns deadly when they visit Dutch Island, off the coast of Victoria. Desperate to see some native wildlife, father Tom pays their way over to the private island, normally closed to tourists. An accident spells danger and starts the wild ride. The locals want revenge and Heather, Tom, Olivia and Owen have to fight for their lives.

You will have to remember to breathe whilst reading this one. It is intense and violent. The island is harsh and brutal, the summer heat not helping things. I will give a content warning, there is some animal violence that made me rather upset and ill whist reading it. The story is slightly over the top, but if you have read and enjoyed The Chain you will enjoy it. The narrator was fantastic and I loved the added sound effects.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette audio for my advanced listening copy.

This book was well-written and entertaining enough. But it really stressed me out and some of the parts were just too unbelievable. Heather, the protagonist, was great and even her step kids became tolerable. But Tom was a toolbox from the beginning.
Anyway, the story starts off nice enough and slow enough to wonder where in the world it’s going. But once it gets going and the family becomes trapped on the island it escalates quickly and you just want the whole thing over with. I wish I had had a physical copy of the book instead of listening just so that I could cheat and make sure everyone turns out okay. I was just too aggravated to enjoy it.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an mp3 of this novel.*

Thanks, Netgalley for the advanced copy.

This was not what I was expecting. It almost felt like The Hills Have Eyes minus the cannibalism. All I can say was I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. I read another one of Adrian McKinty's novels and had to read this one. He is creative and as the story unravels I'm constantly surprised because I can usually guess the twists and turns in thriller novels. In this one, I was unable to get anything right which is what I look for in a good book. I highly recommend this book and his other novel, The Chain. I am looking forward to his next too!

After moving from a small country town to Seattle, Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. A working vacation to Australia seems like the perfect way to bring the new family together.

When they discover remote Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry, taking a chance on an adventure far from the reach of iPhones and Instagram.

But as soon as they set foot on the island, which is run by a tightly knit clan of locals, everything feels wrong. Then a shocking accident propels the Baxters from an unsettling situation into an absolute nightmare.

This was such a tense and propulsive thriller! It’s action packed, fast paced, and will get your adrenalin pumping immediately!

With such an intriguing concept of being trapped and hunted on an island, you can’t really go wrong! It was definitely highly entertaining and addictive!

Having been to Australia and several of its islands, I could totally envision this while I was reading and was fully immersed. Let’s just say this one will have me thinking long and hard about my next vacation choices!

This one was also optioned to be adapted by Hulu before it even published, so kudos to McKinty, I can’t wait to see it come to life!

A family vacation - what could go wrong?

Heather, her husband Tom and his two children, Olivia and Owen traveled to Australia where Tom had a conference. A quest to see Koalas, takes them to Dutch Island, a private island off limits to visitors but when Tom greases some palms, the family is off in search of the marsupials. What could be a wonderful family bonding adventure turns into a nightmare.

When separated from Tom, Heather, Olivia, Owen, and a Danish couple are left to fend for themselves in an unforgiving terrain with the O'Neil family hot on their tracks!

This felt like a mash up of Survivor, G.I. Jane, Rambo, and Deliverance. Heather is one tough cookie and is willing to do what it takes to survive. Heck, this book could also be a drinking game. Every time Heather is told "you are not my mom" take a drink. You will be soused by the time the book ends!

This was a fast-paced gritty novel. It's odd, it's gritty, it's raw, it's tense, it's brutal, and it's oddly satisfying all at the same time. There are some rough scenes and some pulse pounding ones as well.

I really enjoyed this one and the narrator.


Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little, Brown & Company and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Adrian McKinty does it again!
The Island is a captivating, chilling and tense and will have you on the edge of your seat.
McKinty is such a damn good writer! He can suck a reader in, in a matter of minutes.
This is an incredibly well-told story that hooked me.
I was captivated from the first page. The story telling is something amazing and the audio version was phenomenal. Never once did I feel.bored or lose interest.
The story is told in a way that kept my interest piqued.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Hachette Audio|Little, Brown & Company,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

"The Island" was a suspenseful and tense book. It was a great read, and I could hardly put it down. The narrator of the audio edition wasn't the best, however. Her Australian accent was not that great, and she kept mispronouncing the name "Niamh," which was irritating. I ended up switching to the book edition to finish reading the novel.

After enjoying my time with his previous thriller The Chain, I simply couldn't resist requesting an audio ARC of The Island; the Australian outback setting with an remote island only made me more excited to read it. And I definitely ended up having a fantastic time with this audiobook! Part psychological thriller and part survival story, The Island turned out to be an excellent listen.

I know that I'm basically still an audiobook newbie, but The Island has once again proven to me that I can really enjoy an audiobook when the timing is right. This book has multiple POVs, but is told by one narrator: Mela Lee. While having multiple narrators could have made it even easier to keep the POVs apart, the narrator did alter her voice/accent depending on the character and it was quite easy to follow who was in the spotlight. Her voice was easy to listen to and there were even a few 'special effect' sounds like for example gun shots included to add even more suspense. As a whole this audiobook is a great option if you want to get the full The Island experience!

The Island is without doubt a highly suspenseful, action-packed and entertaining thriller. It's not a story that is easy to fit neatly inside a genre box though. There are parts that feel mostly psychological thriller and are more family focused, while other parts are pure action and survival thriller with even a dash of horror thrown in. The remote Dutch Island makes for the perfect backdrop for this story, and it truly feels like the island from your worst nightmare (or at least it seems that way thanks to its inhabitants). The survival part of the story might be a bit over the top and too shocking for some readers (trigger warnings for violence, graphic scenes and animal death), but I personally thought it was what took the story to the next level for me. Why? Well, not only do the Baxter's have to survive the harsh climate of the Austrialian island, but they are also in constant danger as they are being hunted... Talk about plot twist potential!

As for the characters... The Baxter family is easy enough to like and it was interesting to see them react to the situation once they are trapped on Dutch island. Especially Heather made for a great main character; her character growth and resilience is part of the reason this story works. Her evolving relationship with her stepkids was interesting to follow as well. Having some chapters from the POV of the locals was great to give the story more dept as well as learning more about what is going on at different parts of the island. We also have some flashbacks to the past as well as short chapters involving Heather's friend back in the US. The Dutch couple added their own little something too; I do have to say that I was annoyed that they were wrongly referred to as 'Krauts', because German is NOT the same as Dutch. I couldn't hear the few Dutch lines included in the story clearly enough to verify if they were actually in Dutch though.

That said, this is definitely a story where it's best to go in blind and just let the whole plot roll over you and put you under a spell. Just make sure you are up for some graphic scenes with plenty of violence, gun fire and killed animals... I know that some will be put off by this. If you can think you can stomach this, The Island is a great choice though. It is a highly engaging, gripping and simply addictive psychological slash survival thriller, and the Australian setting is the perfect backdrop. The audiobook is well narrated and the special effects only add to the ominous vibe!

This is the first book in a LONG time where I actually had a physical reaction-- I was nervous in my stomach, It was really exciting and full of building tension and a great heroine in Heather. This book felt original, which is challenging, and visceral. The historical research that went into it was apparent and it was very enjoyable, definitely an author I would read again!
Narration was fantastic.

4.5 action packed stars for The Island!

I loved this book! I definitely enjoyed it more than the other McKinty book I've read - 'The Chain'. This one played out just like an action packed film and I already cannot wait for the Hulu TV series to come out because I think it will be absolutely excellent!

Being stuck on a stranded island with people trying to hunt you and your family down, eek! 'The Island' is intense, fierce, extremely violent at times and utterly action filled. You'll definitely get your dose of adrenaline in this one!

I loved the characters, their development was perfection, and the plot twists hit the spot just right! This is definitely one I recommend for thriller / mild horror lovers!

The narration was fantastic and you get the full audio experience as there are background sounds too. You get to hear the gun shots, the pitter patter of rain pouring, heavy breathing. It was such a great and immersive experience!

I went into this book with low expectations since I wasn’t a fan of McKinty’s The Chain. But I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It moved along at a good pace, had snappy dialogue, was gritty, and full of intense action by the end. I didn’t love some of the elements of the big reveal but the book didn’t ask me to suspend as much belief as The Chain did so I’ll allow it.

**I received an advanced reader’s copy of the audio version from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The narrator added a lot to the experience for me. She really captured the suspense and urgency of the novel.**

Wow! This book on audio is amazing! They went above and beyond in the cast and sound effects! You can hear wind blowing, dogs barking, bullets shot etc! I enjoyed the storyline and it fully kept my attention. I was rooting for the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen every step of the journey. They characters are bad ass and really know how to survive. The bad guys are just as equally bad! There are twists and turns as the characters use their survival skills on the island to survive and plan their escape. Really and enjoyable and entertaining listen! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audio book!

In the beginning of this novel, Heather mentions horror movies set in Australia such as Wolf Creek, and this is what this novel felt like to me - more of a horror/survival tale than your typical thriller. I was not invested for most of the book, but it got REALLY good in the final quarter and redeemed itself! There was one super obvious hint to their outcome where it's like "DUH WHY ARE THEY NOT CATCHING ONTO THAT CLUE?!" And there was also a pretty good (small) twist. The audio was decent - I liked the narrator except when she did Heather's voice, but I really was not a fan of the gunshots and other sound effects.

This book has a very interesting premise and it starts strong. I really enjoyed the whole setup and the island setting. I liked Heather as a main character and her character growth with the kids.

It has a few small twists but it's mostly straight forward a cat-mouse situation. Yet, I found it suspenseful and I kept wanting to know what was gonna be of Heather and the kids and if they'd manage to escape the island.

The only bad point I can think of is there's animal cruelty, but given it's a survival story, I can't not expect it. I know it may trigger some people though, so beware of it before reading.

It's compelling, tense, and fast paced. A solid survival thriller read! The narration was wonderful as well. Will definitely read more of the author.

Author Adrian McKinty used their writing to not only explore the history of native lands but took on the complexities of step parent relationships. The Island is a novel set nearly entirely on one small island, as event after event propels this thriller deeper and deeper.

I finished this book in a day, the narrator is TERRIFIC. From the accents to even the background rain and gun shots, this is an immersive listen. The writing was engrossing, the scenery was captivating and the mystery and history of Australia was phenomenal.

My only hesitations were two things. First, the necessity and set up of one of the opening scenes when they are driving late at night to the airport. While I COMPLETELY understood the need for what this scene set out to accomplish and set up for the rest of the book it felt forced and awkwardly placed in. Secondly, Heather's background seemed entirely too convenient. It was so wildly unique and perfectly fitting.

However, that obviously did not hold me back from loving this book! A family vacation gone wildly astray, a remote island off a popular tourist destination, it so perfectly sets readers up for thrills and chills.