Hmmmm. Well, this was certainly entertaining, but I’m not sure how well it hung together. Maybe a 2.5 rounded up to 3. I liked the way it was set up with each chapter being an episode of the show, but I couldn’t tell if it was like we were actually supposed to be watching the episode. Because there were the cutaways to the confessionals/talking heads, but then there were also moments where the characters are specifically thinking/talking about doing stuff out of view/range of the cameras/microphones, and idk if the omniscient narrator POV worked for me.

All the characters were kinda shitty in a believably reality TV way, and infuriating in the same vein. And I liked that casually most of them, even the detectives, were queer. The ending was just kinda meh though. Honestly pretty predictable, not a huge twist, and it also felt pretty abrupt. On here it says the book is over 400 pages and my ebook was only 255, so I wondered if I was missing parts of it, but maybe it’s that the text was super small, because it didn’t seem like I missed anything, but idk.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Six lonely, egotistical people. Thinking they are a vision of themselves that if only others could see, would like them. Reality TV? Or the reality that these are not necessarily nice people put on an island to win a prize of money…..or is it more the fame that will come being named the most “Iconic?” Each of them has secrets, all of them will lie and all will hate each other. Then they will all hate one, more than the others.
This was not a favorite for me. Shallow people trying hard to be someone they are not became tedious. I could not like any of them, nor did I like all the swearing. Perhaps this book will appeal to other readers, but it was just not for me. Thank you Netgalley and sourcebooks Landmark for an early copy. This review is my honest opinion,

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the synopsis of this book, I was immediately interested. The plot follows six influential contestants on a desert island competing for the title of "Icon." During the 17 episodes, we follow the contestants as they navigate competitions and each other, which ultimately leads to the murder of a participant (not a spoiler).

In principle, I was really intrigued with the reality-show / murder plot but unfortunately, the book fell flat for me. Each chapter includes a 3rd person narrator, first-person confessional, social media posts and investigation. It was just too much to follow, and I found myself mostly bored. The characters were terrible people, and their relationships - including a much too quick/intense romance - were not believable and developed much too fast. I didn't think the investigation pieces added any value to the narrative, and I would have much preferred more development between the contestants and/or social media posts.

If it wasn't for the ARC, I would have DNF'd this book, but I wanted to give it a fair shot. I am glad I did that because the ending was actually quite well done. I didn't see that coming and it was clever.

If you're a fan of messy drama, you may enjoy this book. If you're a fan of reality TV, it may leave you wanting more. If you enjoy a good murder mystery with a twist, this book will deliver.

Thank for NetGalley for letting me read the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars! | was really drawn in at the beginning and loved the plot of the reality show. There really weren't any characters I was fond of, and I think that was the point. It was an exciting read, but the ending felt anticlimactic for me. And I didn't get that satisfying feeling I normally get when reading mysteries/thrillers where everything clicks at the end.

I struggled to get through this read. I had high hopes for it based on the description. However, I found it was hard for this read to hold my intrest.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC of Then Things Went Dark.

DNF @ 41%

I tried. I really tried. But at 41% I should care somewhat about what is happening but unfortunately I just didn't get the point of this entire book. What is the point of this show? What about the "points" and "challenges"? This is an isolated island reality show with a side of murder. It should be right down my alley. But man the execution was bad. The characters had no redeeming qualities. The show itself made no sense. The conflicts and arguments were pointless. Just....no.

6 contestants are tasked with staying on a remote island for a month. The object is to win the game by collecting points and be the most Iconic. The opening scene reveals one of the contestants has been found dead. A death millions of people experienced in real time via live stream. But no one really knows what happened? There are detectives involved and they are unsure if this is accidental or murder, so everyone is an automatic suspect. Each “chapter” is an episode/day of the show, followed by 3-4 social media posts by viewers as they watch the livestream and/or aired episodes, followed by present day interrogations.

No one in this contest is “iconic” (or close to it) and I couldn’t suspend enough belief to pretend. Everyone is basically a bland stuck up rich caricature. I struggled to follow the point of the contest. I didn’t understand/care about the point system or the ultimate goal. The challenges were very quick and superficial. The overall flow of the book was poorly executed. It was like the episodes were supposed to play out as if you were watching as a viewer, but the reader gets glimpses into all the players minds (sometimes I wasn’t even sure who was being narrated about until further into a paragraph). And then the end of each chapter had bits of a very brief investigation storyline, including random subplot drama with the detectives that I had no connection with. Even with the main characters I failed to connect with any of them or really care what happened. I read about tension and drama, but I didn’t feel any of it.

And O.M.G. the instant dramatic roller coaster of a romantic relationship 😬 They sounded like teenagers. It’s a game show/competition-who would believe anyone, let alone legit express true love after a few days?? Blabbering about spending the rest of their lives together after the show ends, when both of these characters are introduced to be notorious for a string of flings, never anything more. It would have been more believable if it was just hooking up and lust. It didn’t make sense for them to be in a full blown dating relationship. (They even had the “are we dating?” conversation!! I can’t understand this part at all.) At one point one of them thinks “what else is there possibly left for me to learn about them?” Umm literally everything about this person. Everything.

Ugh, I was determined to finish the book but it came at the cost of hate reading the majority of it. This was either my 4th or 5th “reality tv game show” book I’ve read this year. They seem to be on one end of the spectrum or the other for me.

I suggest reading this if you are looking for light reading packed full of superficial drama.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Pub Date Aug 27 2024

DNF. I gave it about 30% and I just couldn’t get I to it. It felt all over the place and the characters were confusing.

I was so excited to read this book. Anything to do with influencers, social media or reality shows, they are my favorite. I really liked that each chapter is the episode of the reality show. I also thought the cast of the show, the influencer, musician, actor, etc were a nice touch. I would recommend to anyone who likes mystery or thriller books with a modern twist.

I really liked the premise of this book of contestants on a reality show and one of them dies. However, it did not keep my interest and I could not finish the book.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I found it to be too derivative to books I've read recently -- not every influencer group should have a thriller written about them and this book unfortunately was no exception. The characters were not well developed and the execution on the premise was disappointing. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. This one was a miss for me. I was so excited about the premise but honestly it was kinda boring! I didn't like the writing and just too many characters to keep track of.

Things I liked:

* The cover is pretty and matches the title
*Great concept, thirsty reality stars in a thriller? Sign me up!
* I liked the social media posts and the confessional moments.
*The author does a great job of alternating between all the characters in one chapter. They did it in a way that wasn’t confusing.

Other than that, this book was slow and not interesting. It reminds me of a mix of Love Island and Big Brother, which is an awesome concept but I failed to connect with any of the characters. I think the biggest barrier in enjoying the book was that the characters weren’t well developed. Also, the dialogue and interactions between team felt clunky and strange. People don’t talk like that.

Another issue was that the games, especially the initial game with the cards wasn’t engaging. It was hard to understand the game and why I should care. The reveals felt low stakes.

Sorry that this book wasn’t for me but thanks for the opportunity to read it and review.

The premise, of a reality show set on an island, sounded like a lot of fun but something about the writing style never seemed to draw me fully into the story. None of the characters were particularly likeable but, being jaded celebrities, I'm thinking that they were deliberately written that way. I enjoyed this book but I was just hoping for a bit more. I'd like to read more from Bea Fitzgerald though.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

A tantalizing popcorn read, this reality show-themed novel is a perfect blend of mystery and intrigue. The narrative captivates from the first page, weaving a compelling story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. With its cleverly constructed plot twists and steamy undertones, this book delivers both suspense and entertainment. It’s an irresistible page-turner that fans of reality TV and thrillers alike will find hard to put down. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a gripping, enjoyable read.

🎬 The actor
♻️ the activist
🤳 the influencer
🍳 the chef
📲 the entrepreneur and
🎤 the musician
are all stranded on an island in Portugal competing to win 250k and, more importantly, the title of Iconic, on a 24-7 live streamed reality show. They’re to spend 4 weeks in this gorgeous house participating in challenges while the viewers decide who they like best.

During a live stream, one of the contestants winds up dead. How did he die? Was he murdered while everyone watched?

This book is a page turner!!

I really enjoyed getting to know, like and then ultimately hate each of the characters.  The chapters read as episodes which I thought was fun and unique and then ending with social media updates and detective interviews. i didn’t like the situation with the detectives, felt that kind of out of place. Overall, though, this was an entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book

Bea knocked the ball out of the park with this book!!!!! absolutely killed it! i would recommend this to anyone without hesitation!!!

I was sold by the synopsis, but this book unfortunately was not a favorite of mine. The characters are all sorts of awful people a d I found the length of the book too long and dragged out.

I thought the premise of this book was so exciting! Overall it was a good read, but I used for more of a pallet cleanser as it peaked early and didn’t wow me at the end.

The idea behind this was interesting, but I wasn't quite sold on the writing style. Six young, well-known (or semi-well-known) persons compete in a reality program on a far-off island in hopes of winning a prize. Although it's kind of interesting to see behind the scenes of a reality program like that, none of the six characters are really likeable. Since we are aware from the start that one of them dies, the narrative alternates between the social media posts, the on-screen action, and the police investigation into the murder. The narrative jumps between these three locations without any breaks, which can be startling and a little annoying at times.