I was here for the setting & the idea & I’m here for reality tv. I mean I watch bachelor/bachelorette, love is blind, the challenge, survivor l, etc. So I’m here for the 24/7 filmed reality tv, but when reading it in a book for some reason I just couldn’t get into it. These characters were all pretty awful. Dark pasts, jealously, rage, tension and so on. It was hard to know who to believe or trust. I guess that was the point though wasn’t it.

After loving Bea Fitzgerald's debut last year, I was excited to hear the announcement of a mystery novel. I was lucky enough to receive an e-arc, and I was not disappointed.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about this book was the structure of the chapters. With a reality TV show taking centre stage in the plot, having each chapter be an episode of the show was a clever take. Though as readers we were treated to a little more insight into what was going on, this set up added a little more immersion into the story and the mystery surrounding the death of Rhys Sutton - one of the show's contestants.

Further adding to the reality TV style, snippets of the contestants commentary were interspersed throughout the chapters - the thoughts, feelings or 'performance' they were giving the viewers during their moments in the Confessional Booth.

At the end of each chapter, we see the police discussing the episodes and interviewing the surviving contestants as they investigate what really happened to Rhys. Was it really an accident, or was someone really able to get away with murder with so many people watching?

Finally, the chapters round off with some social media style commentary. With social media discussions (and discourse) being such a part of reality TV shows in real life, I found this was a really nice touch, and really helped to position the reader as one of the show's viewers.

The characters themselves, whilst not without some redeeming qualities, were largely flawed which I think was necessary for this type of story. I can't imagine the drama having worked nearly so well if they were sweet team players rather than ambitious young adults willing to blur a few lines to achieve their goals.

While this wasn't a 5 star read for me, it was definitely a solid 4 stars and I would genuinely recommend it to people.

What does it MEAN to be iconic? More importantly, what are you willing to do to BE iconic?

Then Things Went Dark is a celebrity reality TV show that puts 6 public figures on an island to fight for that title. When put to the test, we find out who is willing to lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, and even kill for that prize.

This story unfolds between the real time murder investigation and the TV show episodes in a race to solve the murder and stop the network from airing the murder as the TV shows finale. But when the contests have been isolated and pitted against each other for weeks, they all become suspects, and all have something to lose.

Araminta - the famous socialite separated from her wealthy family and living as an influencer but striving to be know as an artist.

Isko - the celebrity chef accustomed to the star studded lifestyle that slipped away from him with the criminal conviction of his employer.

Kaplana - the public activist always in search of a platform to bolster while hiding her connections that could tarnish her image.

Jerome - the tech guru that founded a large app development company that is under fire for questionable business practices.

Theo - the rockstar, the lead singer of a newly popular band fighting for his passion, identity, and image.

Rhys - the actor, the bored, jovial, flirtatious enigma that no one can really seem to figure out, which may have been what cost him his life.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. The idea of a reality TV show and the exploration into the base nature of human needs - to be desired, to be loved, to be the perfect picture of what people want us to be - and to what ends we’ll go for it. Despite my interest in the concept and desire to enjoy this book, I really struggled through it. The writing style and story line felt jumpy, often changing scenes and timelines very abruptly. Between the episode depictions, “dubbed over” confessional commentary, third party narration, online episode commentary, and flashes to the present investigation, the dialogue was difficult to follow and the flow was very choppy. With some adjustments this could have been a really great experience.

3 out of 5 ⭐️

This is a fantastic locked room murder mystery that reads like you are watching an episode of Big Brother/Survivor mixed with CSI. There are multiple points of view and the timeline fluctuates well between the time on the island and during the police investigation after the death. Sourcebooks Landmark and Bea Fitzgerald are the most Iconic for getting this story out into the world!

Good book that keeps the reader engaged the whole way through the book. I was a good read to me and I enjoyed it.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This mystery revolved around a reality tv show being filmed on a deserted island. Each individual is a public figure with their own hidden secrets playing out in weekly episodes. But there is a rush to identify who committed a crime prior to the finale being aired. How far will they go to protect their public appearance?

This was pretty good but the plot of the detectives didn’t add a whole lot.

Rhys is a ween and then some so I rooted for his downfall and I’m not ashamed.

Everyone sucks here and that’s the point!

Do you love trashy reality TV shows? Do you love trashy thrillers that don't take themselves seriously but give you everything you're after - characters you can't root for but love seeing fall, twists and gasps because you're too caught up in getting to the end to work out "whodunnit?"
Then THEN THINGS WENT DARK is exactly the book that you need, and this will definitely be THE perfect beach/lake/cabin/pool/holiday read for you!

Really enjoyed the book ! At first .. it was a bit hard to keep track of the characters but once I started reading it consistently, I was hooked. The way Araminta was gaslighted was frustrating but was also a great depiction of what is currently happening to many women. Great read !

gorgeously stunning thriller thats so well written and well ideated that it makes me so hyped. thanks so so much for the arc.

The Energy: Candid. Temperamental. Suspicious.
The Scene: 🇵🇹 Reality TV mansion on a rocky island off the coast of Portugal
The POVs: We follow six contestants of varying levels of fame in the tech, music, film, culinary, social media, and activist fields as they navigate streaming 24/7 to prove they are truly iconic. There are snippets of online comments and reactions about the show between chapters. We also get the perspective of the police officers investigating the death of a contestant ahead of the show’s finale.

🐺 Growls: Hard to keep track of everyone at first; we’re thrown in with no idea who they are, just their names and dialogue.
🐕 Howls: When the contestants were getting bored in the middle, I was getting bored.
🐩 Tail Wags: Starting at the end. The group dynamics. Capturing reality TV tropes while keeping it real.

----

🎬 Tale-Telling: Breezy third person narration that felt like binge-watching the show. The chapters are episodes, but we also see live streaming and off-camera, especially closer to the end. There is character development, but it’s mostly plot-driven.

👥 Characters: All the reality TV characters we love to hate. They started off as caricatures but over time I started to root for some of them and there was a charm to their group dynamics. The character development mirrored that of actual ‘over-the-top’ reality shows with mastermind-pawn posturing but it had some depth.

🤓 Reader Role: Part armchair detective, part streaming show audience.

🗺️ Ambiance: Decadent and chaotic. On the island I had a sense of place, and the different areas contestants can gather. It captured the garish luxury and claustrophobia with the artificial ‘off’ vibes of reality shows.

🔥 Fuel: Starting at the ending. We know who died and how(ish). The suspense is “whodunnit” and “why”? It added to the character dynamics on the show since as their alliances evolved, I was guessing at how that led to someone’s death and compiling it with the clues from the police interviews.

📖 Cred Rating: I expected ‘over the top’ suspended disbelief all the way, but this was surprisingly realistic and had depth while retaining the guilty pleasure binge-watch feels.

🚙 Journey: Page turner. Especially as I got to know more about the characters. The middle had moments spinning wheels when the focus shifted to romances and the monotony between challenges. The ending felt symbolic (ironic?) with clever reveals, but know that some character trajectories are left open to reader interpretation and I know some dislike that.

Mood Reading Match-Up:
-Contemporary fiction about reality show contestants and their pasts
-‘is it for show or is it for real’ romantic suspense
-Reverse puzzle (start at the end) whodunnit and howdunnit murder or mishap mystery
-Themes and commentary about toxic relationships, reality tv, group dynamics, ambition, arrogance, vulnerability, psyches under constant spotlight, secrets, media, followers, and fame.

Content Heads-Up: Alcohol (social, partying). Toxic relationship (gaslighting, lovebomb-devalue-discard). Death (descriptive, on page). Drug use (intentional and unintentional).

Rep: Gay. Lesbian. Bisexual. Heterosexual. Cisgender. White, Filipino, and ambiguous characters.

👀 Format: Advance reader’s copy from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley

My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined with my AI bookworm buddy ✨

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

It was okay. Not my favorite, but not the worst read. It was entertaining enough to keep me reading.

I felt it could’ve been 200 pages shorter. At times, I’d look at the page number and wonder how many pages I could skip and not miss anything related to the plot.

Then Things Went Dark is a gripping, can't-put-down thriller for those who love reality television, fierce competitors, and morally gray (to outright terrible) people. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Six self-obsessed strangers agree to live on a deserted island (in a mansion) and conquer challenges that will win them points. The person with the most points at the end of the month will become legend. Obviously, as the game progresses, secrets are revealed and betrayals become known. Then one of the competitors is killed. Who killed Rhys? And how can someone get away with murder when millions of people had been watching?

The chapters are short and fast-paced. The story is told through a dual timeline - the present at the police station and the past on the island. The reader gets to know all of the six main characters, who, while all extremely unlikable, are well-developed. There were plenty of twists and surprises, and I found the ending to be quite satisfying. I definitely will recommend Then Things Went Dark to anyone looking for an excellent thriller! I also will be reading more by Bea Fitzgerald.

I was pleasantly surprised by being pulled back into this story again and again to see what was going to happen next. This one was a little harder for me to figure out, and I changed my mind several times.

I loved the characters. I hated the characters. I enjoyed the characters.

I received an advance review copy for free; this review is 100% honest and my own opinion, and I wrote it voluntarily.

As a fan of reality TV and crime dramas, the premise of this book was intriguing to me. The story was entertaining, but I was waiting for an "OMG" moment that never really came. The writing style was difficult for me at first, but got better as the book went on.

If you like reality game shows (which I do) this is the book for you. It's told through multiple povs as well as interviews-I'm such a big fan of this style.

At times the contestants are not very likeable. And they don't all seem to like each other very much. They've got serious secrets to hide that are revealed in such fun and shocking ways. The contestants are forced to see themselves for who they truly are causing nastiness and tense moments. All the drama and secrets slowly reveal the who and the why. I had so much fun reading this book! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/143020528-jenn

A book that reads like a reality-show. Very rich, very sexy, very unlikeable characters. The setting: a luxury Island-Villa.
Rhys Sutton is dead and before the producers release the final episode, the police has to solve the case.
Chronologically we "watch" the episodes with the detectives but through the narration style we know a tad-bit more than them, we get tiny pieces of information the remaining influencers never told in front of the cameras.

I really enjoyed reading it, even though I hated the characters but I wanted to know what will happen, what disasters happen, the gossip, the affairs.
Sadly, the actual murder case fell a bit flat for me, I was constantly confused by the relationships and hierarchies between the officers, lawyers and suspects and had a hard time telling them apart. And the overall suspense wasn't there for me.
Sadly, also the ending felt a bit rushed and I had to reread pages to get what was going on.

Alltogether a solid, enjoyable book about influencers with very different characters stuck on an island, just missing that thriller-feeling.

When six contestants arrive on an island for a new reality tv show, they expect to potentially be the winner of a cash prize in the end. Instead, it ends with one of them being dead and the other five getting questioned by police. None of them are talking, but one of them must be responsible, right?…

I thought that the whole reality tv show aspect of this was really cool since I do love reality tv. However, I felt that I didn’t really understand the point of the show? And I felt that the challenges that the contestants had to do were also kind of random. The drama between the contestants did kind of make up for that though.

Aside from the fact that I didn’t really like any of the characters, I still think that the story itself was pretty entertaining. I liked that each chapter was a different episode of the show, and that at the end there were a few social media posts from fans talking about the drama.

Definitely a fun take on a murder mystery!

⭐️ 3/5 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was okay… LOVED the concept itself, but the execution didn’t really do it for me. It had a lot of potential, but kind of fell flat :(

I thought this was a solid yet modern whodunit. The characters weren't that fleshed out and the motives didn't gel for me.