Strap in and get ready for Natasha Preston to take you on a roller coaster of a ride. She is the queen of thrillers and will take you on the ride of your life. Don't try to guess what she has in store for you, there are too many unexpected twists and turns just enjoy the story being unfolded. I've been a fan of her writing since the beginning and will continue to devour anything and everything she writes.

I've read that Natasha Preston is the "queen of YA thrillers." Apparently, I'm not reading enough YA thrillers and I need to fix that by reading her entire back catalog.

The premise is very "now." Teenage social media influencers, all posting to their various platforms as they travel to and settle in at the island. They are there as a an advance team of sorts, the first guests at a new and not yet open theme park resort, to do what influencers do. On an island with limited access, it's already exclusive. The fact that these 6 are the only ones (other than employees) to have seen it--well, the TikToks practically film themselves!

But one goes missing, then another. The owner's right hand girl, who they've put their trust in, is acting sketchy. The owner keeps disappearing. Agatha Christi meet something akin to "Pretty Little Liars." It even evoked some "Knives Out" feels for me. Honestly, I could see this as a movie.

Characters were honest, writing top notch. I felt like Paisley, the narrator and a true crime podcaster (at 17), was the best sort of narrator for the story. She was the one influencer who seemed least likely to be an influencer, and that made her more believalbe. I had a case of "book-somnia" one night so I could finish it in one sitting.

Six teen influencers have been invited to a private island for a preview of an exclusive amusement park for the very rich. They have millions of followers, yet each has a different niche. The plan: to make posts and videos on their platforms to work up hype about the park. The weekend starts out perfect. The rooms are better than expected, the rides are more intense, and everyone is having a blast … until the first person goes missing. Now they are trying to stay alive. Who will get off the island?

The Island is a stand-alone mystery that is a very short read and many will want to set aside time to read it in a weekend. The action moves quickly from scene to scene and the quirks of the characters are revealed just before that quirk is relevant. Readers will deduce alongside the characters, but be aware that not everything is as it seems and there are many twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. A great mystery that fans of the genre will enjoy.

This book was great until the last paragraph. It was very reminiscent of another book I read, about a group of kids brought to a supposedly luxurious resort island only to have a killer on the loose. I was a bit disappointed with some of the characters that died and really never understood the WHY behind the deaths. The other book at least ended up having a reason for each person that died, since they were in some way guilty of someone else’s death. This one was a bit confusing and the ending was just abrupt and disappointing. Not sure I would really recommend this book based on the ending.

This is the third book where the premise is based on sending social media influencers on a mysterious trip to a deserted island and then killing basically all of them. Not great. Very obvious conversation and not enough juice

I enjoyed this! I loved the idea of influencers thrown together. I got a little bogged down in the details of who Robert was, but I did enjoy the twist at the end. And the very end?! What?!

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

When Paisley, a true-crime influencer, gets invited to the opening of Jagged Island, a private amusement part for the wealthy started by a billionaire, she is so excited. The pictures don’t do the gothic-themed park justice. The hotel is magnificent, the food is amazing, and the park itself is an experience to die for. Unfortunately for some of her fellow influencers, that turns into something quite literal. As people begin disappearing, their bodies showing up in unexpected places, Paisley’s true crime background thrusts her into the center of the investigation. They need to figure out who is killing the members of their group and stop them before this weekend in a gothic paradise becomes their last on this earth.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was packed full of gothic imagery and influencer nonsense, but also had so much character-driven drama. Preston has a real talent for horror and the character building that is necessary to create the kind of realistic scenarios that drive the knife of fear into the heart of a reader. Her endings also always leave the reader wondering if the main character really survived their ordeal or are primed and pressed into a more horrific one. You feel the emotions, practically smell the gore, and come out the other side craving more.

If you’re looking for other works by Preston, The Fear is also a great tale of horror. If you’re looking for more influencer-based horror drama, I recommend Never Coming Home by Kate Williams (review on my blog). Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky is also one I have my eye on.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced e-copy in exchange for this review. It was a wild rollercoaster ride. Pun intended.

Blog Post dropping 2/14/23

Thank you to NetGalley, Natasha Preston, and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was everything I hoped it would be AND so much more!! I was super excited to be granted an advanced reader's copy for this book. I was sucked into this thriller. I mean influencers and murder mystery, come on! How awesome! It was well-paced and exciting the entire time. It didn’t take too long to get into it and for the story to really get going. This is definitely a book that would be well suited for ages 12+.

This review will be posted to my Goodreads and Amazon accounts immediately and also to my instagram account (@ginganinja333), and to my newly created bookstagram (@paulas.book.nook).

I'm sorry, what!? Okay, Let's rewind. I've been trying to read all of Natasha Preston's books, so when I was approved for this advanced copy, I was ecstatic. I mean a group of influencers trapped on a private island with a killer sounds right up my alley. So here's my thoughts.

I really liked the main character. She was brave, smart and really into true crime—relatable. The setting was awesome. A gothic looking amusement park on an island—there was even a serial killer haunted house. Nice! Now, for the mystery. I guessed the culprit but I don't think it was obvious. Definitely not a predictable story, I'm just a seasoned mystery/thriller reader. About halfway through, I remembered how scandalous Natasha's endings are so I was naturally terrified. So to repeat my earlier exclamation, WHAT!??? In true fashion, this author has once again left me with my jaw on the floor. The Island is fun, fast-paced and exactly what I wanted from a locked-room mystery/thriller. 4.5 stars!

This is a hard book to rate.

We follow a group of influencers who are invited to an amusement park on an island. Paisley is the main character and she’s into true crime.

The story is really bad when it comes to stereotypes. Paisley is supposed to be smart, so of course she doesn’t care about clothes or make up. Ava, the beauty influencer is, of course, shallow, insipid, and stupid. There’s language that’s a bit cringeworthy. Whenever books try to be “cool” and “in the know” with current slang and references it just doesn’t work.

The story was entertaining to a point and it kept me turning the page. I enjoyed the middle when the book took on a Scream quality. However, it was not at all believable. I’m okay with stories being unbelievable as long as it’s well written. However, the way the characters felt a bit flat and odd I was pulled out of the story.

The ending is what ruined it for me. If it were not for the ending I would rate this almost 4 stars for being entertaining in a cheesy/slasher movie way. However, the bad guy does something so bad and out of character that I just couldn’t buy it. Also, the twist is just horrible. When I got to the end I thought I was missing pages. But I wasn’t, sadly.

This is a fast laced read, so if your home in a stormy night and okay with endings that kinda leave you having then give this a go.

I admit, I was initially thrown off by the main character’s name (Paisley) and the seemingly stereotypical teenage influencer characters, but once the mystery got going, I was sucked in. This was a fun thriller and tweens and teens should enjoy it.

Title: The Island
Author: Natasha Preston
Genre: Thriller
Intended Audience: Young Adult

The Island is about a group of teenage social media influencers that get the exclusive opportunity to visit a private amusement park before opening day. The park’s eerie theme seems to be the perfect setting for Paisley, a true-crime podcaster. However, events quickly take a dark turn and even Paisley struggles to figure out who she can trust.

I think that this book would appeal to ages 12+, particularly those that are interested in “murder mysteries”. The gore and profanity in this book are minimal and romance is hinted at, but isn’t a main focus of the story. The action picks up quickly and clues, distractions, and surprises are abundant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the opportunity to review an eARC of this title!

#netgalley #theisland #bookstagram #booklover #schoollibrary #libraryteacher #ireadya #yalit #yabooks

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This reminded of Scream but on an island.

Six influencers are invited by billionaire Malcom Wyatt to his resort on a private island. There he has built an amusement park, hotel and restaurant for the wealthy and privileged. Three nights cost $6,000 a person. He knows inviting the six influencers to island before it opens to the general public will be amazing publicity. On his staff he has his personal assistant, Camilla, chef Kenna and two other workers, Gibson and Reeve.

Paisley, the true crime podcaster is excited for the weekend. She is joined by Liam the gamer, Ava the beauty blogger, James the movie buff, Harper the book buff, and Will another beauty blogger.

They all enjoy their accommodations and first day exploring the park. But soon, one of them goes missing. As they search for the missing person they realize the internet and phone service is down. They discover someone has cut the cables in the basement control room.

There are 11 people on the island and no way off. Who is the killer? Will they make it off the island alive?

This was a pretty fast paced read that mostly kept my attention. There were a lot of people to keep track of which was a little confusing. There were a few good twists. I did think the killers motive was far fetched. I do think teens will relate to the influencers and enjoy this book. 3.5 stars…rounded up to 4

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5203797900

Paisley is a teen social media influencer whose murder related podcast has 500,000 followers. She, along with five other influencers, has been invited to spend a weekend at the extremely posh new Jagged Island resort run by Malcolm Wyatt. It's a bit odd; decorated entirely in a dark, Gothic way, accessible only by boat, and fairly mysterious. Invitees like Ava and Will, who do a beauty blogs, are a bit apprehensive; Ava is downright rude. Paisley is willing to give it a go, especially since there are some cute guys, like influencer Liam and staff member Reeve. She also hits it off with Harper, a book blogger who reads a shocking book every single day and has her Goodreads Challenge set to 350 books. (*cough* slacker *cough). There's also movie buff James, assorted staff, and Malcom's personal assistant, Camilla Jenkins. She seems less than happy to be at the resort. When Paisley arranges to break the rules and meet Will in the middle of the night to investigate the island, she's put out when he doesn't show up. The next morning, when he doesn't come to breakfast, no one is too concerned. It's a teen boy sleeping in. The others go off to sample the rides and other delights, but keep thinking that Will should have shown up. But he can't! He's been brutally murdered! Then, the WiFi goes out! Oh, no! Soon, everyone is frantically around the island trying to figure out what's going on, making bad choices, like going into dark basements. The router wires have all been cut, there's a storm going on that makes leaving the island impossible, and Paisley has to use her crime related skills to try to solve the mystery of what shadowy figure is wandering around the island killing people. They come up with a name, Robert, and a connection to the Jagged Island management, but they aren't quick enough to stop him murdering repeatedly, and he's not a man who does things in a delicate and nuanced way. When Paisley discovers that there are other connections she has been slow to grasp, will she be able to survive?
Strengths: Well, then. Having been impressed by Preston's 2020 The Twin and it's nuanced, psychological horror, this was... a surprise. This was a very scary book with lots of blood and gore, which is something my readers ask for all the time. The characters are all teenagers, which makes sense, and many middle school students think that they can earn a living as social media influencers, so they will love the stories of how the characters became famous. Despite all of the frenetic action, there is a good underlying mystery, and Paisley does solve it. Surprisingly, there was very little bad language, which was quite nice.
Weaknesses: I was traumatized by the nonstop brutal murders. It would be hard for me to hand this book to students. I would not have given it to my own personal children before they were in high school. This is where I am conflicted. Yes, my students would read it. But do I want to spend limited funds on a book that might cause some students to have nightmares? I can't buy everything.
What I really think: If you have books like Polatin's The Devil in Ohio, Stoffel's Fright Night, Jayne's 2021 The Girl in the Headlines, or are buying the rereleased Christopher Pike titles because YOU read them when you were in 7th grade, go ahead and buy this one. I'm going to pass on this one for middle school and stick with Alexander's similar influencers-go-to-evil-theme-park book, The Escape, which didn't bludgeon my sensibilities quite so much. This is a great book for what it is. It just isn't what I want for my school library.

One of my favorite authors have left me in awe once again. I love all her work. If you love thrillers I suggest you check her out now

This was a great, fast read! Very gripping from the start. There were many twists I did not see coming. I will be checking out more by this author!

I am a huge Natasha Preston fan and this book did not disappoint. The plot and characters were very likable. It kept me interested the entire book. Would recommend to my friends

4.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded up to 5 on here)

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
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I absolutely LOVE Natasha Preston’s writing and how she just sucks the reader in from the beginning. She is such an amazing YA thriller writer and who I turn to for a fast paced book that I don’t want to put down. It definitely reminded me of And Then There Were None and I think she pays such a wonderful homage to that.

I love how she makes it more contemporary though with including influencers and having them come to the island for the weekend to promote the amusement park. It really just feels like you are watching a movie instead of reading a book, that’s just how real it feels at times. The only part I wasn’t thriller with was the ending, but I’m hoping that maybe this will lead to a second book so we know what happens? Overall, really enjoyed and will always recommend Natasha Preston’s books!
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This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

I started off enjoying this book. The characters were interesting and the premise was intriguing but it just kept going downhill. The writing felt a little choppy and could use some more editing. It felt like reading a parody of a thriller. The actions of the characters felt over the top. They kept making the dumbest decisions. We never really got an answer as to why so many were killed. The big reveal of the killer wasn’t a surprise and the end was so abrupt. It did keep me reading up to the end though and that’s why it got 3 stars and not two.

ARC Review: The Island by Natasha Preston

publication date February 28, 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars

They said goodbye to their friends and family for the weekend. They weren’t counting on forever. This story revolves around a private island that has been converted into an amusement park and inclusive hotel/escape. These influencers have been invited for a private tour in exchange for their honest reviews and exposure to help promote the island. But once on there, things go wrong. Someone begins picking off the influencers one by one, without any way off the island.

This is a fast paced thriller of cat and mouse. It reminded me of a YA version of an Agatha Christie novel. I was able to read it in one day, and I just love fast pace - can’t put down books.

The Island will be available on February 28, 2023.

Thank you Random House Children’s and Natasha Preston for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.