I enjoyed this book. There were a few things about it that were just kind of "meh" but overall it was an enjoyable read. This was definitely a slow start for me. It took me a bit to really get into the story. Normally, I don't mind books where each chapter is a different character, but for some reason, I had a hard time keeping up with these characters in the beginning. I couldn't get a feel for who they were and what their story was. It took about a third of the book for me to finally keep up with who was who and what was what. Right at the 50% mark was where I felt like the book really picked up and I couldn't stop reading.

Another part where this book fell a bit short for me, was character development. I thought the world building was actually pretty decent. You get a good sense of the breakdown of the ship and how things are run. Esther leaves a little to be desired. In the beginning, she's just a good girl, doing what she needs to do to get by and escape the ship life. When her world gets turned upside down, it's like she just goes blank. She has no concept of what's going on around her. Then at some point after halfway, she flips a switch and tries to be more of a bad ass. It was a drastic personality switch that I wasn't sure was believable. After that big time death, Nik just gets angry and hateful. He had seemed playful and kind of jovial before, but then that death happens and he suddenly wants to like, hurt everyone and be mean.

And then there was Alex. I just straight up did not like that character. I especially did not like that bit at the end with him. He claimed to have been in love with Esther, but the way he treated her! Nope. Not buying it. You do NOT treat someone you claim to love the way that he did.. I almost wished Nik had killed him at one point. He was shady as hell, and it just didn't seem to fit the kind of person that Esther would have been with. I know that she had her doubts about him and marrying him, but man... he was just a douchebag.

In general, I thought the story flowed well. Even with the slow, rather confusing start, the movement of the plot worked in the end. I felt like maybe the end of the book was a bit rushed. Maybe I'm just used to long books too, and this could have used a few more pages. Once it got moving though, it moved! There was no stopping it after the incident with May.

I'll definitely be picking up book 2 when it comes out. There was nothing that would prevent me from letting my 11 year old read this and it'd be something I'd recommend for a quick read or for people that like a good dystopian world. I'll be excited to see what happens in book 2 and we aren't on the ship anymore. The idea of the US being split into 2 countries was interesting and I want to see how she develops that concept.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Stranded was a fun dystopian book to jump into. Now I've never been on a cruise ship before, or any boat really, so I have absolutely no idea how I would feel if I was trapped on one for years. Years people. Forty years to be exact but still, I have no idea what I would do if I was in that situation. So, it was definitely interesting to see what everyone would be like and how they would possibly escape.

Throughout the book, we get a fair amount of action which left me on the edge of my seat at times. There was definitely plenty of tension to go around as well. Whether it was between the soldiers and the rebels or with something else going on. All I really wanted to know is if Esther and Nik would make it off the ship or not. Seriously, it was constantly on my mind.

Besides that, I think the villain was okay. I can't really complain about Hadley. He was just okay in my eyes. Then again, I feel like the rebels weren't being very rebellious either. Like things felt too simple and I'm not exactly sure why. Still, it was entertaining to a point.

In the end, it did feel a bit rushed and kind of chaotic too. Somehow, I enjoyed it all and I'm very happy that I got the chance to jump into this. Will definitely be on the lookout for another book by Sarah!

I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down. Definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys young adult dystopian.

An interesting idea but questionable direction.

“The Stranded” takes place 40 years after disaster where the only hope for survival is on former cruise ships as they navigate strict order and rebellion all the while keeping their eyes on the shore ahead.

There’s an even amount of strengths and weakness in this story and unfortunately I feel the scales tip to the latter in my over all feelings towards the book as a whole.

The characters are fine but fall into roles that once recognized make them somewhat predictable as the story unravels and while I was at first surprised at making the main character the sister outside of the rebellion it quickly became clear what was being set up to ruin that surprise and making it par for the course for what was to come.

I think the plot was different but I wish more info was given as to the why they ended up there, we get bits and pieces of expiation but without that the stakes involved in these plans and changing loyalties are somewhat muted because I’m not sure what they are truly fight for? Yes living under the thumb of corruption is awful but throwing in the shops and the fear of the land itself is still iffy to me making it all rather meh.

An okay read for a summer afternoon but not something I wish to pursue further.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

This is a Young Adult novel set in a dystopian future where people fled land for a ship when a deadly virus hit the world 40 years ago. Sounds a bit too close for comfort ay? It's hard to imagine at this age (I'm 36) that a couple of teenagers could lead a revolution even though I readily ate that sort of plot up when I was younger (Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc). This was a bit slower paced than I was expecting, and I felt the details of the world building/setting the scene were lacking a little, but not a bad debut.

"The Stranded" is a dystopian read that follows the passengers of the Arcadia, an ocean liner that has been sheltering refugees who sought safety after a biological war broke out forty years ago, one that killed millions in the first week. Border walls were erected, the union was fractured, and those who were on the ship were never allowed to leave. For the last few years, a resistance has been brewing and they are ready to execute their plan, no matter the cost.

Wow! This is truly a unique book to freshen up the dystopian genre, which seems oversaturated with the same storylines. The author delivers a fantastic, action packed plot. Told from multiple points of view, with well developed and strong characters, it was very easy to get lost in the pages and become fully immersed in the danger and adventure. This book encapsulates everything one would expect from a story set in 2094, including a changed landscape, futuristic dialect, fancy gadgets and amazing technology. Without a doubt, this is my favorite dystopian read of 2022! Please tell me there is a sequel planned!

I would like to thank Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for providing me an advance copy ahead of its January 3, 2023 publication date in exchange for an objective review.

I enjoyed the use of multiple POVs, the pacing and how the story both wrapped up nicely while allowing for the possibility of a future adventure.

I don't even know where to start with this book! I love YA dystopian novels and this one did not disappoint! The premise was so good and so original! Esther, May, and Nik are stuck on a boat, and have been since their grandparents boarded the ship 40 years ago. This novel was a quick read with lots of twists and turns. I loved that it switched between the main characters. I couldn't stop reading this book and I am dying for the sequel!

This book was so good! There are multiple perspectives told from four teens throughout the book about people who had been stranded on a cruise ship forty years before and not allowed to disembark due to a horrible virus.
After bio-weapons create a pandemic, thousands of refugees are stranded on cruise ships and not allowed back on to land. Forty years later, a group of rebels works to gain their freedom from the life they know. There was a high level of suspense and dystopian feel and would recommend this to anyone!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This is my favorite read to date from NetGalley!!! The story follows four teens in a post-apocalyptic world surviving on z cruise ship decades after a pandemic has torn apart the United States. The balance of young love and riveting action that keeps you on the edge of your seat is perfection. You won't want to put it down! I got to the very last page and all I wanted was more, another book to see what happens next.

The events of The Stranded take place in a dystopian future. After bio-weapons create a pandemic, thousands of refugees are stranded on cruise ships and not allowed back on to land. Forty years later, a group of rebels works to gain their freedom. Esther was born on the ship Arcadia, and her one chance to escape to land is to be at the top of the class to become a medic. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse before she can do so. She's always been loyal to the Federated States, but after meeting rebel Nik, she realizes that things aren't what they seem. The intriguing premise of this novel pulled me in right from the beginning. Lots of action, set in a creepy dystopian world-- it's right up my alley. I greatly enjoyed this journey, and am excited to see what happens next.

I rarely find that I can’t finish a book and this was one of those rare cases. The setup was too slow.

What a unique & adventurous read! Amazing what can happen all on a cruise ship.

Dystopian adventure where generations of people are stranded on cruise ships begging the government to allow them to land. Trapped, enslaved, starved ...and no closer to being allowed on land, what would you do?

This book was excellent! Full of a wide variety of characters and heart-pounding action.

My only problems: lack of LGBTQ rep, a few typos and some slow bits.

Will definitely read the next book.

When I first started reading this book I did not know it was going to be a duology. So currently kind of sad that I finished the book, and now have to wait for the second book 😅.

I absolutely loved this book, and it was something I wasn't expecting. In the past few years I have found that I love any book that happens on a ship. It is just a different atmosphere that I'm not used too.

Right from the beginning I loved this book. It just threw you in from the start, and absolutely captivates you. I can't wait for this bookto come out and for more people to read it.

The Arcadia, a cruise ship turned refugee camp, has been floating in the Atlantic for 40 years after it escaped an apocalyptic bio-war in Europe. The Federated States (a fraction of what once was the USA) has been keeping the passengers of the ship quarantined and under Martial Law for fear of spreading the deadly virus, but what they don’t know is there is a rebel cause brewing to free all the citizens of the Arcadia once and for all.

This book had such an interesting concept. I love dystopian novels and this one did not disappoint!

I also very much appreciated that the author was inspired by events during the pandemic, but created their own world and story from that inspiration. I’ve read too many books this past year or so that feel like I’m reading a play by play of exactly what happened in real life. So thank you for the creativity!

The world building was phenomenal. I truly felt like I was on The Arcadia from the first chapter and I understood how this future world worked.

I also very much appreciated the three different perspectives. We got to see everything from the rebel, law enforcement, and normal citizen’s point of view, which added so many wonderful layers to the story. All of these characters felt so real and fleshed out. I could related to each and everyone one of them.

I did struggle near the end when all the action was happening and it was flipping back and forth from Ester’s and Nik’s perspective. I had trouble being able to tell who’s point of view we were in. Yes, each chapter was labeled with a name, but for some reason during that part I would find myself getting lost in the middle of the chapters.

I also, wish there would have been more backstory about what happened to get the world to where it is now. There was some, but I feel like it would have made the story so much stronger if we knew more about the past. I’m always a sucker for backstory, though, so that might just be me.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel (at least there better be a sequel, because it left us on a huge cliffhanger!). I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA sci-fi/fantasy, YA dystopian fantasy, or YA action/suspense. It really reminded me of the “Legend” series by Marie Lu, the “Matched” trilogy by Ally Condie, and it had a similar vibe to “The Maze Runner” series by James Dashner. So if you enjoyed any of those series I think you would enjoy this book as well!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels is the first novel by this author. It's about the Arcadia, a once luxurious cruise ship that became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. When events throw Esther and Nik (the two main characters) together, their lives, and the lives of everyone on the ship, change forever.

I think it is a good debut dystopian novel. The story contained good action and a very interesting premise. The story had satisfying twists, and it was scary to think this could happen in our future. There are some parallels to today and the virus and laws trying to stifle people's civil liberties.

I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 and would recommend this story to other dystopian readers.

#NetGalley @SourcebooksFire

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this galley.

When I first saw the cover of this novel, I was getting “Ghost Ship” kind of vibes. What it turned out to be, instead, was a fantastically fast-paced and action-packed near future dystopian, with well thought of characters and a fantastic story.

The Arcadia is a massive ship that traveled 40 years ago from Europe to become stationed and helped by then America, now the Federated States, when a virus broke out. The Federated States do not allow the citizens of Arcadia onto the mainland, unless for certain work opportunities. The atmosphere on the ship is grim, with various class discrepancies, and citizens of the ship are subject to many inequities and frustration.

The story is told from three perspectives. Most will speak of Esther and Nik, but to me the most interesting perspective of our villain Hadley. Hadley is the anti-rebel out to seek and eliminate any forms of rebellion on the ship. I’ve said it time and time again, a good villain is the main element in bringing together the protagonists of a story, and Hadley is an excellently sinister and well written villain. Then there’s teenaged Nik whose mother is a pioneer of the rebellion, and also teenaged Esther who is the rule abiding citizen studying hard to become a medic. When Esther, always on the straight and narrow, is kidnapped by the rebellion to help save a certain prominent rebellion member’s life (no spoilers!), she finds herself inadvertently engaged in the rebellion.

The story had great twists and turns, and it kept me turning the pages. I loved that the book clearly ended in an open-ended sort of manner, leaving the door open for a part 2 (and eventually more, I would hope, as a fan!). Highly recommend this YA dystopian!!!

I can see why people love this, don't get me wrong. I, however, did not like this, hah. This book is pretty fast paced, which I appreciated as it was one of the few things keeping me going. The characters are all pretty irritating, and the world just felt under baked--I really needed more world-building or lore, because I found myself asking a lot of questions/being confused and the answer could have just been world-building. I felt like the characters sort of lost me once it felt like every interaction was just bickering. And their plan to save the ship/get off of it was...not great. I wanted to love this, this was one of my most anticipated upcoming reads, but while the book had a strong start it nearly immediately lost me. I would love to check out more from this author, though, because their ideas are great and hopefully are just executed a little better going forward.

I don't typically read YA, but this cover had me RUNNING to the summary. Nothing like a great cover to pique interest. Once I saw that The Stranded is a near-future dystopian thriller, I just had to give it a read and it did not disappoint.

The Arcadia cruise ship turned refugee camp during an apocalyptic war, floats off the coast of what once was the USA. Residents of the Arcadia have spent forty years longing to make landfall, but are forced to remain trapped on the ship, fighting every day just to survive. A plan of liberation from a secret group of rebels is about to change the lives of everyone aboard.

This book was action-packed with some very unexpected twists. An absolute home run debut about a world so terrifying and intense that I can't wait to read the next books in this planned trilogy!

Expected Publication: January 2023
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Based on the Diamond Princess at the start of the Covid pandemic, this story explores what might have happened had the passengers not been allowed to leave - for decades. I was expecting a fast paced read, racing through ship's corridors and taking on the oppressive regime the ship was under, but what I got was a very slow paced, frustrating story.

I found myself wondering about family, and culture, because on this ship that had been afloat for approximately 40 years, there was no mention of Grandparents, or where their family that had got on the ship had come from - the ship was said to be from Liverpool, but I saw no mention of differing accents, or British culture.

The characters are all annoying, sorry. They spend most of the time arguing with each other, the plan to save the ship and get the people off of it is absolutely ridiculous and this did not need to be nearly 400 pages long. I was so bored, and I can't see myself picking up the sequel.