Finally a YA dystopian book that hooked me! It’s one of my favorite genres and I was all in on this one.
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Once a luxury cruise ship, it’s now home to a refuge camp, post war. It spends its days floating near the Federated states, which were once the United States. The occupants haven’t been able to make landfall for forty years.
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May and her sister Esther have spent their entire lies on the ship, where one follows the rules and one is looking for rebellion. This has some fantastic world building and I loved the multiple POVs. Shady government dealings, hi-tech weapons, the fall of the United States and all on the water really ups the tension. I really hope there’s a book two.
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Thank you randomhouse and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so integrated with the description of this book but it felt like it fell flat. There were parts of the story that were slow and boring to me, and I skimmed parts to get to the good stuff. The action scenes were good and the character development was pretty good too. The scary thing is that the book is realistic as the premise is something that could have happened at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. I found holes in the story though - how do people survive for 15000 days at sea? I wanted to hear more about daily life and found myself curious about that instead of the drama that was unfolding with the characters. In the end, it did feel a bit rushed and kind of chaotic too. Somehow, I enjoyed it all and am happy that I got the chance to read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free ARC.

The Stranded is an original take on post-apocalyptic dystopia. With intrigue, action and suspense, it's perfect for those of us that enjoy a grittier story.

I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from SOURCEBOOKS Fire and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Wow. This story has so many layers and well drawn characters.

I feel weird saying I enjoy a dystopian read, so maybe fascinating is the better way to explain it? Either adjective, I'm always intrigued by visions of the future. This one focuses on a cruise ship. Once a luxury vacation spot, it's now a floating refugee resident due to apocalyptic virus wars. The story focuses on three different stories of three individuals with different roles and perspectives on the current reality. I will say this was a creative premise, and I found I wanted to know more. There was some stuff about how they got to this point and the world in this time, and I just wanted more of that as it was a new spin on the not so distant future. I do anticipate there'll be more in this series, so I hope I'll get it then. I did really like that this was told from different vantage points as it was interesting to see how different situations played out. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this January 2023 release!

Station Eleven meets Covid meets teens. Interesting and kept fairly realistic-feeling. Short chapters, narrated by first person characters, give different viewpoints for the reader to string together. A little hard to piece together the setting and why everyone was stranded on a ship for a while, but I worked it out about q/3 of the way through. Te climax and ending felt rushed, and it felt very unresolved in the end. Left open for a sequel, I’m guessing. I’d read the sequel.

The setting of the book was really interesting. Held under Draconian government rule the inhabitants of the Arcadia live in a nightmare. The Arcadia was once a luxurious cruise ship... until it became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. Now it floats near the coastline of the Federated States - a leftover piece of a fractured USA. For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. It is a world of extreme haves and have nots, gangs and make-shift shelters. Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. The story jumps from one character to the next. Ben is a rebel, planning something big to liberate the Arcadia once and for all. We follow Ester and Nik as they lead the forefront of the underground movement to rid the ship of their oppressors. Fast paced and well written, ending with an obvious nod to a sequel.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read this book! Unfortunately The Stranded just wasn't for me. I'm not sure if it was my attention span or if the pacing was just too slow, but I could never really get hooked into the story.

This one was not my usual style, but I am for it! This one was great and had me turning the pages! Awesome debut.

This is a great dystopian novel about a remnant of Earth's surviving population stranded on a ship for decades after a devastating outbreak on land. You have a society of different classes on the ship, as well as the ruling body of land-dwellers who control the fate of the ship dwellers. Those on the ship want to integrate with the survivors on land, but are repeatedly denied the opportunity due to the (unlikely) risk of contamination, The main characters are Nik and May (cadets of the rebellion, working behind the scenes to free those living on the Arcadia), and Esther and Alex (medics-in-training that don't want to jeopardize their educational pursuits). The characters push-and-pull on each other, and their individual choices have dramatic effects on each other and on the living situation of those on the ship. This is a great novel with a lot of moving parts, working together to reach an inevitable collision between the two sides. A fully engaging read that left me hanging because I just have to know what happens next!

Pacing in the first third was super slow and left me confused at times. Also, sorry to say, but Esther is unlikeable with her dithering and anxiety. Overall though, it is a decent book, best for those rainy days when it’s too much effort to get off the couch.

The Stranded is a crazily realistic story that transports you to a dystopian world with little hope for the future. In Stranded, we are introduced to the Arcadia - previously a large cruise from Europe. 40 years after a world war and deadly virus has decimated the Earth, the Arcadia is now packed with refugees and floating listlessly off the coast of what was previously the United States. The dwellers of the Arcadia are divided by class, with those who paid for first class seats still able to access the boats decks and what amenities are left quite easily, leaving the crew and the lower class dwellers "The 'Neaths" to scramble for food and space. The Ship has not been able to negotiate a landing for the refugees aboard and as the resources dwindle the ship dwellers are spinning toward mutiny

Esther is an Aracadian hoping to make it off the ship via her desire to study to become a doctor. She is unwittingly dragged into the ship rebellion. It's chaotic and exciting and the perfect Ya novel. If you like dystopia, new worlds and strong heroines, The Stranded is for you! . #sourcebooks

It was a full-speed ride from start to finish with almost no room to breathe. We were tossed from one POV to other POV from each characters and I enjoyed it a lot!
Reading The Stranded was a little confusing for first few chapters as I tried to figure out both the world building and the characters, but it got easier the longer I read, and before I realized I have finished it! It was intense and heartbreaking, and I like it a lot. My fav characters are probably Nikhil and May!
Overall, it was amazing suspense dystopian!

New read read this author before, but I definitely will in the future. Such a chilling book, and such a great book. I was engaged from the very beginning

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. I am always all-in for dystopias, abandoned/falling apart locations, and thriller vibes, so I was excited for this. Unfortunately, I did struggle a bit with the world building. I'm not sure if I missed something or if it wasn't communicated, but I didn't understand why certain things were happening.

In particular: why would they punish people for being near the flyer drop? Even in a world where extreme censorship exists, wouldn't the people in charge realize their own allies could unwittingly be in a bad place at a bad time?

I also struggled a bit to understand why the characters were doing what they were doing. We were tossed straight into the plot, but I didn't really know what the characters wanted or why they had chosen the sides they had (and what the background context was to those decisions and the world).

In short: I struggled to suspend my disbelief and understand some of the context of the book.

Ultimately, I started skimming the book after a few chapters, hoping to get to some answers that would anchor me to the story - and then I eventually DNFed because I still felt confused. I may circle back and try this again at another time, because I strongly believe sometimes it's not the book but the reader. But on this first attempt, I struggled.

pace was really sloww so I had to DNF but the plot was great so I will pick this up again for another try

Unfortunately this wasn't my cup of tea. The world-building was too weak for such a solid concept and the pace was also way too slow. Other readers could end up liking this, but I was disappointed.

The Arcadia was once a cruise ship, an apocalyptic war happened and now the ship contains refugees from the war. The ship houses different types of groups inside, the have and the have nots. Esther dreams of being on dry land and she wants to become a medic to help fulfill this dream. Meanwhile, Nik has other plans and his plans drags Esther into his chaos. For forty years the ship has stayed near the new Federated states and the refugees are condemned to stay on the ship. A dystopian thriller with compelling characters and plot. An imaginative pager turner.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an entertaining book, which can be recommended to readers who enjoyed The Hunger Games and Divergent. I’m assuming that a sequel is in the works? Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Since this book's publication date has been pushed back, I moved it back on my own reading pile. I look forward to sampling it soon. I have already started buzz about it through reader's advisory at my library for readers who enjoyed The Hunger Games and are anxiously awaiting the release of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes movie.

When I read this book, I will post a review on Goodreads and tag NetGalley in the review there.