Reminiscent of Hide by Kiersten White crossed with Never Coming Home by Kate Williams, this novel of young influencers visiting an exclusive amusement park and resort on a private island kept me on the edge of my seat every moment. I had no idea which character would turn out to be the murderer. As each event revealed more information about the Gothic, scary park and its owner, my guesses got wilder and more wrong. The writing is excellent and I now plan to read the author's backlist as well.

There are so many literary islands out there, and this may be one of my favorites! The small group of influencers invited to a theme park have the island all to themselves and it should be one of the best trips of their lives! But it may be the last! The first third of this book flies by! The imagery is so vivid and I want to go to this park! The characters are believable (if not relatable) and everyone is there for a good time. Until someone turns up missing. From there, the writing gets a little muddy, the flow between action and conversation and drama and speculation a bit choppy. The characters are a little lost, trying idea after idea, hoping something will finally work. The ending comes up quick, back with a lot of action. The very end did leave me with a lot of questions. Overall, I love this for the YA audience and will recommend it to my students!

Okay well that is one way to end a book. I am a bit angry mostly because I think this is a stand alone book, so I am angry. All good books though should leave someone feeling something, yet I don’t know that I would say this is a good book. I loved the idea. Sending a bunch of influencers to an island and then picking them off one by one. However, the book did not read as smoothly as I would have liked it. Sometimes the action was coming at you so fast that my brain skipped what was going on so I had to go back a couple times to figure out what actually had happened. Most of to the time the item I missed was like one sentence which made the world of a difference. I loved the potential that this book had I just don’t know that it delivered. I do think teens will be drawn to the concept though.
Thank you so much to Random House Children and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I received this arc, thanks to NetGalley. This book follows a group of teens as they are stuck on a secluded island with a killer. This book was great fun. It contained mystery, thriller, and horror. The read was fast pace and filled with great twists.

4.5/5

"Stopping is death."

Do you want to read a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat - that makes your whole body tense while you're reading it? Then I suggest any and all of Natasha Preston's YA thrillers. The Island didn't disappoint and it quickly rose to one of my favorites of Preston's. One to rival The Cellar.

The story follows six social media influencers as they are invited to tour an island resort built for the rich. They are there to snap pics, take videos and blog all about how amazing the private amusement park is. What they weren't in store for - trying to stay alive and getting off of the island.

When I read the synopsis of this one, I was counting down the days until I could get my hands on a copy. While I loved everything about this book, I do wish the characters were fleshed out a little more. I couldn't pull an emotional connection to some of them, which made me care less if something happened to them.

The overall plot was great and I couldn't read it fast enough. My held my breath a few times waiting to see what happened. Preston does such a good job writing suspense. While there were a few plot holes, overall it was a great YA thriller. The ending of the book was expected, Natasha is the 1ueen of ending a thriller that leaves you wanting more!

I knew Natasha Preston could write awesome thrillers, but this one was amazing. I love seeing different types of influencers interact with each other and try to get off of the island together. I related a lot to Harper since she is a reader. I had a couple of suspects as to who the killer could be, but the ending had me gasping out loud with shock! I did not see that part coming and I could not believe it! The atmosphere had some spooky vibes and the characters were created very well. I will be picking up more of her books in the near future.

This was a fun, twisty read, like Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None/Ten Little Indians" with influencers. The main character Paisley, a true crime vlogger, is invited along with several other influencers to an island amusement park by the island's wealthy owner, Malcolm. When her fellow guests and staff start getting murdered, she must search for (and avoid) the killer and try to get the attention of the mainland when the cell signal is jammed.

I mostly enjoyed the book but I found excessive dialogue (especially in the middle part of the book) took me out of the story a bit and seemed tedious. Things picked up at the end of the book, and I did not see the ending coming. Overall I would recommend this title to anyone who likes mysteries or true crime.

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

I did liked this book. It was a fun read from the beginning to end. Thanks so much for letting me review it. I'm such a sucker for thriller/mystery reads. This was tense and full of crazy twists which I enjoyed. Also I do love the creepy cover of this book.

Let me start off by saying I have loved every Preston title I have read so far, and there are several! This one was no exception, gripping from the start, and the twists kept on coming! Great dynamic between the characters, and I really felt like I was IN the drama.

I will never turn down a book with influencers which is what drew me to this YA thriller. It started strong and I was enjoying the remote atmosphere and variety of influencers who were invited. Ultimately, this one didn't work for me. The majority of the decisions the characters made were asinine - running towards the killer instead of away. While the ending was a bit unconventional, I think I enjoyed it? It's hard for me to decide if I did or not - if you read this one you will see why!

Whereas I feel most of what I have read of Natasha Preston’s books are YA thrillers, this one may be more YA horror. It is well written and captivating, and takes off from the first chapter. To be fair if possible I would have given it 3.5 stars due to the fact I am just not a fan of the way she ends her books, this one included.
Six teen influencers are invited to a new theme park on a private island that is everything Disney is not when things begin going horribly wrong.

Does anyone else have a hard time deciding “what’s next”?

After reading some kick butt books these past couple of weeks I feel like I am in sensory overload . I want to continue this streak that I am on . Since January 1st I have not read anything less than a 4 star read and not even one “DNF” .

So in order to keep my streak going I need to go with a sure thing, so here we are . Depending on Natasha Preston, to knock my socks off .

The Island

Having read The Twin, The Cellar and The Lake, I knew this book would be a sure thing .

I wasn’t wrong …

Natasha Preston is a New York Times bestselling author . This is not a label to be taken lightly but instead a huge honor and it does not go without recognition.

The Island, was creepy, intense and kept my “streak” alive with another book that blew my mind and kept me on the edge of my seat.

This was a quick and easy read that flowed and allowed me to read without pause from cover to cover .

I was already a huge fan of Preston but The Island instantly became a favorite .

I am eager to see what comes next!

Teaser :

They said goodbye to their friends and family for the weekend. They weren’t counting on forever.

Jagged Island: a private amusement park for the very rich—or the very influential. Liam, James, Will, Ava, Harper, and Paisley—social media influencers with millions of followers—have been invited for an exclusive weekend before the park opens. They’ll make posts and videos for their channels and report every second of their VIP treatment.

When the teens arrive, they're stunned: the resort is even better than they’d imagined. Their hotel rooms are unreal, the park’s themed rides are incredible, and the island is hauntingly beautiful. They’re given a jam-packed itinerary for the weekend.

But soon they'll discover that something's missing from their schedule: getting off the island alive.

Paisley and 5 other teenage influencers are invited to spend the weekend on an island with a brand new theme park. The exclusive invitation is too much to pass up: the teens are given an opportunity to post about the park and stay in the island's fancy new hotel for free. But of course, bad things start happening after their ideal first day (and after they've posted online about what a great time they're having). The internet goes out, and the power too. And then people start dying. But who is killing the influencers and why? A thriller that will have you guessing every step of the way.

Thank you so much for letting me read this before publish date! I love Natasha Preston and this does not disappoint! It has twists that kept me guessing and turns when I thought I might have figured something out. The ending was another WTF that I hate but love even more 😂

Wow. This was intense. Absolutely solid thriller. Gory (more than many I've read recently), but a perfect amount of gore for the situation. I was completely on edge the entire time I was reading, and had to put it down a couple of times to chill out. (Note, reading at night in the dark? Not a particularly good plan with this one).

I loved the concept of a super wealthy dude buying an expensive island...only to build an exclusive amusement park and luxury hotel on it. Literally a perfect setting for a thriller. And a perfect way to stroke his ego...if everyone loved it. Then add social media influencers, and I only wish we had been able to see more of what they were posting/sharing with their followers before people started dying. Identifying who everyone thought the killer was at such an early stage in the book seemed risky--and I was impressed all the characters went along with it--but the twist at the end made me want to re-read the book knowing about it to see if I missed anything!

I just loved this book, and hope it's a raging success. Read alone in the dark at your own risk (and peril)! I think this would be an amazing movie...fingers crossed!

I've seen Natasha Preston's books and wanted to give one a try, and the premise of this sounded quite interesting. I love classic Agatha Christie and I was intrigued by the inclusion of social media influencers in this in particular.

The Island is about six social media influencers who are invited to an elite private island amusement park: Liam (gaming), James (movie buff), Will (beauty vlogger), Ava (beauty vlogger), Harper (Bookstagram), and Paisley (Crime vlogs and our main character/narrator). They each have millions of followers and are expected to hype up the island's attractions and luxury. The island has a small crew of four people catering to them: Camille, Reeve, Gibson, and Kenna. And the trip is hosted by the mysterious billionaire owner of the island, Malcolm. Minus Malcolm, who remains mysterious throughout the book, a little counting should reveal that we've got ten potential victims who are about to be murdered on an island, so you can see the And Then There Were None vibes just radiating off the page.

The action picks up pretty quick in The Island and then doesn't let go. Everything is very fast paced and a lot of the book is finding bodies, freaking out, and running around. While this wasn't exactly my cup of tea, I do think this will bit a hit with my students. The characters are easy to keep straight because they are all fairly two-dimensional and the story foregoes a lot of exposition by immediately dumping our victims on the island to start upping the creepy factor. Students will enjoy the influencers references, the premise of the luxury island itself, and the budding romance Paisley finds with some cute boys. They'll even enjoy ranting or raving about the ending, which I will even admit was not what I expected. It's certainly memorable.

For my library, this is a perfect updated addition to my Christoper Pike and Fear Street novels that kids consume like candy. We've already added all of Natasha Preston's books to our next book order and I know I'll be able to hook kids with these -- especially because they LOVE Wattpad stuff, and Preston's books originate from Wattpad.

On a personal note, though, this wasn't the kind of thing I enjoy. It was too fast-paced, two-dimensional, and Wattpad-y for me. And I didn't care for the ending or the twisty reveals (I've consumed too much mystery thriller content at this point in my life, I think, to be surprised much anymore). This has it's place in my school library, but not on my personal bookshelf (though I already preordered a copy before I finished it, so I guess that's not true!)

I LOVE Natasha Preston, and I honestly did love this book! I wouldn’t suggest it for a book club or list, because there are others of hers that I think are far better. That’s mostly because the ending. It left me totally mad! I wish she could’ve just given us a few more sentences than that LOL. But overall, I loved the story and was surprised by The Who! Amusement parks creep me out as well so it was a great setting.

This is the first book by Natasha Preston, and it won't be the last.
When Paisley is picked to be one of six influencers invited to a new Island resort with an amusement park attached she knows this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and she has to be there. The first day goes pretty well, everyone meets each other and breaks off into groups, they ride the rides and have delicious food, and get to retire to amazingly spacious hotel rooms. However the next morning it seems one of their own has gone missing, and when they find that the only way off the island is also missing they don't know what to think. Did the missing person decide to leave, in the middle of the night, leaving all of their things behind? Paisley doesn't think so, and soon enough the others don't either, as they set off to look for him, they have no idea what they are about to find, or how they are going to survive until help comes... if help comes..

The Island sucked me in from the beginning, I loved the spooky vibes from the island and the amusement park. I thought this was a really good ya thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I had no idea who was behind it all until it was revealed. It was full of twists and turns with an ending that was thrilling and had the biggest twist of them all! And at the same time frustrating! It just kind of ended after this big thing happens and I really wanted more! What happened? Did they survive? I need answers...
I will definitely be adding Natasha Preston's books to my TBR and look forward to reading them all!

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This book had some strong I Still Know What You Did Last Summer vibes to it. Teens are lured to an island on false pretenses to be murdered. But the reason they were invited to the island makes sense with the current social (media) landscape. You want to draw crowds to an island amusement park, you gotta' get the word out about it somehow, and it's teens that are going to be begging their parents to take them, right? And how do you influence teenagers now? TikTok of course (I think, I'm pretty sure TikTok is the big one right now).

I felt like the mystery of the killer was a little disappointing. At 22% in, I'd picked two people that I very strongly suspected, and one of them was right, and the other was the reason. And I wish I could say that further events made me doubt myself, but that would be a lie. Some of them did make go "well maybe" for about a nano-second before I dismissed it. But I'm usually pretty good at figuring things like this out, or knowing who is going to survive (because you have to have survivors to have a story!)

There was one twist towards the end that I did NOT see coming. It caught me off guard because it felt like it came out of nowhere. But it made a certain amount of sense.

I could absolutely see this book being turned into a teen horror flick in the vein of I Know What You Did Last Summer, probably by Netflix. If that does happen, I'm totally going to take credit for giving them the idea too.

Overall I give this book 3.97 out of 5 stars.

The Island has a wonderful premise and would probably make a great show. Six teen influencers are invited by a mysterious billionaire to "test out" his new amusement park that is set on a remote island. I was expecting shades of Agatha Christie and "And Then There Were None." Unfortunately, that was not to be. This is definitely a YA book. I thought the characters were a bit two dimensional and there wasn't enough plot development. I do think the target audience will really enjoy this book.