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.

I loved the premise and was excited to read the book. I found parts of it to be a bit confusing, especially towards the end. The pacing was a good. I liked the plot twists. Overall, I enjoyed the story and writing.

This book was okay, it didn't hold me thrills and chills wise. I would classify it as a popcorn thriller for me. I would recommend it for new to thrillers or ones who are just looking for a good fast paced read. If you love a good mystery give this one a try it would be a great fall book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I loved the idea of the book but the plot fell flat for me and felt a bit anticlimactic.

Love a good thriller! This one kept me on the edge of my seat and did not see the plot twist coming.

Bea Fitzgerald has delivered a witty and wonderful thriller. A reality show, an island, and murder… the perfect mix of a great novel.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book early, it’s always appreciated! I unfortunately did not finish this book - it just wasn’t for me so I chose to end reading it before I finished.

I was a bit confused throughout reading with the transitions from character's perspective. The ending was a bit disappointing for me. I was hoping for a bit more of a thrill.

2.75/5 Stars! (Round up to 3) Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC of Then Things Went Dark by Bea Fitzgerald.

The description of this book got my interest and I was so happy when I got the chance to read it. However, this was really just another reality TV show thriller. There was some potential here but it just did not hit the spot for me, I felt like there were parts in the story that dragged out and just didn't do so much for me. The characters were also seen as spoiled celebrities and I just didn't click with it. Some parts picked up but then just dragged. It took me a while to get back into the book several times. This is my first novel by this author and I'd like to see what else she has written. Great cover and description of the book, again - this was just not for me.

I started this book with high hopes. It sounded so good. What could be better than a murder on a reality show set on a secluded island? Turns out, a lot of things. Sure, there were good things about this book, but there could have been more. This should have been an amazing book. The premise was great. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t live up to the expectations.

To begin with, the game was a very important part of the story; the reason why the characters were on the island. But it was not well developed and, frankly, rather uninspired. It didn’t really keep the characters, or the readers, interested. The contestants were just there, not really doing anything. I think people would soon get bored watching these six personalities doing nothing but drinking and arguing day after day with only mostly insipid little challenges to break the monotony.

The characters seemed one-dimensional. All they did was drink and argue. I’m all for unlikeable characters but these characters were not only unlikeable but also rather boring. I was expecting them to have known each other, or at least all to have known the victim, previously. There needed to be something more to explain their conflict; a more dynamic game that kept them busy or prior relationships, a hidden danger on the island, something.

There were some things about the book I did like. The first was the use of social media posts at the end of each chapter. It helped the reader have a sense of what was going on back in the real world while the contestants’ lives were falling apart on the island. The second was the police investigation of the murder. That was actually more interesting than the story on the island and I really wish more time had been devoted to it.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

It was a quick read! Loved the twists and stayed up way to late to finish it! I have not read anything from this author before and can't wait to read more!

It was a good read but I’m kind of done with the reality tv show , remote island trope . I felt it was well written but just didn’t car for the shallow characters.

Then Things Went Dark, by Be a Fitzgerald, is a locked-door mystery set on a desert island with six contestants of a reality show. Police interviews are mixed in with flashbacks from the episodes. I loved the snappy dialogue, it made for fast reading and plenty of snort laughs as I whipped through the pages. Highly recommend for all those of us who love reading books with unlikeable characters!