Thank you to @NetGalley and The Book Guild for my gifted copy of 'Star Survivor"!

I absolutely LOVED this exciting and entertaining mystery thriller! It's sooooo good! UNPUTDOWNABLE!

Four celebrities: a famous author, a very well known and sought after young actress, a TV host and an instagram mom-fluencer get stranded on a deserted tropical island instead of their destination, Star Survivor UK. The four celebrities learn how to truly survive -- forage for food, fish, build shelter and chop wood for weeks upon weeks waiting to be rescued. They are starving, weak and at the end of their ropes when all hope is found.

Back to civilization, the famous author's ghost writer comes forward and ruins his professional career. The actress continues to be highly sought, The TV host has been replaced by a younger host but completely revamps her life and Emily, the influencer now has 20 million followers and a best-selling book.

Their lives have been completely changed, then interesting facts start to surface. Were they intentionally abandoned on that island to die? Why or who could do such a thing?

“You scroll, you click, you find other people like you, having the same awful day or week or month or year and you say ‘yes, that’s me, I’m having the same time as you. Thank god it’s not just me. Thank god I’m not doing it all wrong.”

Major thanks to the author & NetGalley for this ARC 🫶🏼

Where do I start? The beginning. I loved the writing style and that you jump right into the set up for the initial “disaster”. Was done well, but I did struggle to find myself fully engaged with this part of the book. It seemed to me, like being stranded on an island has been done so many times and for that reason I struggled.

By chapter 6, the 58% part I was sucked in and didn’t put it down until I was done. Reason being, everything seemed so realistic. This could very much happen to any current celebs/influencers on a brand trip. As much as how they survive is interesting, it was the recovery of each character and their relationships that I truly loved. The reveal of who Toby ended up kissing that night, Emily being able to chase her true dream after being forced to monetize her return, June coming out to herself and her want to direct. This book ended up an easy 4 star for all these reasons.

I'm sorry to say that this just wasn't the book for me. It wasn't bad at all, I just couldn't find myself getting invested in the story or the characters.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book. There were some good parts, but overall it wasn't my favorite.

Keenly Observed..
As celebrities prepare themselves for a stint on the world renowned reality show Star Survivor, the last thing they expect is for things to go badly awry…from the get go. Being dropped in an unexpected fashion on the island is bad enough- but when they realise that it is the wrong island and that they are entirely cut off, how on earth will they survive? More to the point, will they begin to realise the important things in life? With a deftly drawn and keenly observed cast of characters, a well imagined setting and plenty of unexpected moments and surprising turns, this is both enjoyable and entertaining.

I was really excited to read this book. The plot sounded interesting - celebrities are chosen for a Survivor-style TV show with the caveat that the show is rigged - the "winner" has already been chosen, and the celebrities need only film during the day and will be staying at a resort between tapings. The first bump in the road comes when four of those celebrities are transported via helicopter and told to jump onto the island because due to bad weather, the copter can't land. It doesn't take long for the celebrities to realize they've been dropped off and stranded on the wrong island. Sounds like a great hook. However, this part of the story was resolved within the first half of the book, leaving me thinking, what now?

The middle of the book was extremely boring, and then it picked up a bit towards the end when the book became more of a mystery. This part fell flat for me. It felt like an afterthought and didn't mesh well with the rest of the story.

Star Survivor by Lisa Brace should've been my jam. I *love* books where characters are stranded on an island and have to survive, and I was definitely sold on Brace's premise of celebrity cast away. However, the book didn't live up to my expectations. When their helicopter drops them off on the wrong tropical island, four celebrities must use whatever wits, means, or abilities they have to survive and get along. That's the plot premise of the first half of the book, which I did mostly enjoy. The commentary on celebrity, media perception, and the public went over fairly well and I like the variety in 'celebrity' that we had, and all their various reasons for joining the show. However, once the celebrities were rescued, I lost most of my interest in the book and, after the major twist, I barely finished. I wanted more time to get to know the characters as they were at the beginning, but the pacing moved so quickly through everything that I had to roll with what was happening or get lost. I actually think if this had been kind of a 'locked room' mystery on an island then the twist could've worked, but I wasn't that invested. Additionally, as others have mentioned, some parts of the island survival felt too 'clean' or easy for me to buy in. I do think there's a readership for this book, as it was still entertaining and had enjoyable characters. It was an easy read overall and not a bad way to spend the day.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild for the advanced copy.

Thank you to Lisa as well as NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book! It was such a fun and engaging read and I am so beyond in love with the plot. I’m one of those people who love the idea of someone being stranded and just having to survive! This is the story of the four protagonists who are lost at sea following a tv show they were supposed to be on, now listen these four could not be more different. I loved Toby more than anything I think his character was such a cool and unique character who was really dragged through the mud, I did want to protect him as well as all of the other characters. This is the story of them having to adjust to their new lives on this island and having to work together, again did I mention these people are so different and I couldn’t see their paths crossing if this event had not have happened.

I really think that for Lisa’s debut novel oh my gosh this was a great, fun and engaging read and I truly recommend it if you’re a fan of “shipwrecked” or just like the idea of seeing these characters having to come together in order to survive!

digital arc was kindly provided by Netgalley and Book Guild Publishing

I didn't realise that I was gonna be this invested with the lives of four people this week. Wew.

Synopsis<
An actress, a mommy-blogger, a children book author, and a talkshow host were stranded in an uninhibited island. Initially, they were about to join a celebrity survival show, but instead, must try to stay alive for real.

What I like
The plot led me to believe that this could be a mystery, but, boy I was wrong. Yes, there was a mystery subplot there, but mostly, it was about how the four protagonists (Zoe, Emily, June, and Toby) navigated themselves with their newfound lost lives and after.
Half of the book they were gone, the whole world thought they were dead already, so then when they were found, the world, of course, also imploded. With joy. For some, I reckon, not so.
I was so intrigued with them, especially Toby as the only guy out of the four, and the (arguably) had his name smeared so much. I didn't mind the subtle (maybe) romance subplot or even the I-found-myself subplots for all characters.
Everyone found that what they wanted didn't always what they needed, and the courage inside of them to do what's right for themselves, not what is expected of them.
Although I could do with the mystery subplot more, I think the ending was best left as it is.

What I dislike
I need more time for them to get stranded, you get me? The whole time they were missing for weeks/months, but it didn't really felt like that. Could be the time skip.

Final thoughts
Partly funny, very much engaging, it's a great read overall.

Thanks, Net Galley!
After a reality show twist, celebrities are forced to survive on a deserted island. After the show, all of the characters return to their lives while facing consequences around what was revealed during their reality debut. This story unravels the how and why behind their truths and actions.
I enjoyed the premise of this book and thought there were some really great plot twists. However, some scenes were not well thought out and were straight up awkward (i.e. the sex scene). The character development also lacked, and I didn't feel a connection with any particular person.
This is a fun vacation read if you need something quick and entertaining.

An unexpected 4.5 stars (this book was sent to me in exchange for my honest review.) Sooo… when I started reading Star Survivor, I was expecting a light, fluffy book about 4 celebrities who thought they were traveling to play survivors on a show, but were accidentally dropped off on an actual deserted island. As I got further into the book, I was surprised to find, not a story about whiny, privileged celebrities stumbling around with the runs from drinking unfiltered water, but, instead - real people working together actually surviving. The characters were well thought out, likable, and relatable. The story was very well written and I really enjoyed how new information was introduced and how the characters grew from their experiences. This book was not what I expected - in the best way.

The concept of this book was good, celebrity survivor, however, it failed to deliver. While the four celebrities are on their way to take part in a survivor-esque tv show, their helicopter crashes, and they need to work together to survive for real until they can be rescued.

For me, I found the characters to lack any real depth, none of them were fleshed out enough. The dialogue was forced and the pacing all wrong.

That said, if you like the TV show “I’m a celebrity get me out of here”, you might enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in return for my honest review.

With thanks to Netgalley, for the review copy - I loved this book!

The book focuses on what, at first, appears to be a celebrity survival programme set on a luxurious island. But it quickly becomes clear that something has gone horribly wrong.

Much of the storyline focuses on the lives of Zoe, Emily, June and Toby - the four self-obsessed celebrities - as they learn to survive, with some vivid and honest description; and also as they change their perceptions of themselves and of each other.

If you enjoy a tense thriller, you'll enjoy this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and The Book Guild for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

Star Survivor tells the story of four unlikely celebrities who find themselves in an unusual shared predicament! They have all agreed to participate in a "survivor-esque" type reality show for various personal reasons. However, not long into their journey it becomes clear that something has gone terribly wrong. These unlikely friends will have to band together to survive and will learn a lot about each other and themselves along the way!

Just once things seem to be somewhat resolved, the four main characters are left with more questions than answers. Will they be able to figure out the truth of what happened to them?

This book was a lot of fun and would make a great beach read! I loved the concept and the characters. However, sometimes I found myself getting a bit lost in the conversations between the characters as they jumped around in the first half. This could partly be due to adapting to some of the UK slang and language. While I enjoyed the second half, it did seem to jump around the timeline a good bit and maybe didn't flesh out some of the different story arcs of the characters as well as it could have. However, this is overall a quick fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I really enjoyed Star Survivor which brings a mix of intrigue and a great premise. Four celebrities, one of which, Zoe, far outpaces the rest find themselves stranded on the wrong island while en route to a reality show. After quickly reconciling that they aren’t going to be whisked away to luxury digs after pretending to be roughing it on the island, the foursome finds commonalities in that they are all running from something.

They eventually piece together that their accident may not have been a true accident, and while this portion of the book went by quickly it was my favorite part. I love survivor novels and mystery, and this brought the perfect blend of both. While some character studies and some of the plot that could have been expanded on, I enjoyed this quick read that pulled me in and wouldn’t easily let go!

Loved the idea- the book itself not so much. It is so poorly written that it was a chore to finish it. Do yourself a favor and save your money!

This wild ride was not what they signed up for. I still don’t know how I feel about it. I didn’t love it I didn’t hate it. It was interesting how once they realized this wasn’t part of the show they banded together to survive. I liked how they kept in touch when getting back to their new normal lives. Thank you to netgalley for this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion

This was fun but the ending felt very rushed and kinda anticlimactic.
Good premise though - liked how the opinion of the characters could be seen to change in the paper depending on how long they’d be lost! depending

⚠ contains spoilers

Zoe Stenson, June Sharp, Toby Masters, and Emily Chase are set to star in the reality TV show Star Survivor, pretending to survive for cameras. However, they are accidentally left on a deserted South Pacific island, forcing them to switch spotlights for spearfishing and beach finds.

A debut novel (I believe) this good? SIGN ME UP! 🤩Finished this in 24 hours because its THAT fast paced. I enjoyed this book, although I couldn't figure out who was talking to who at times 😅 I'm not a fan of a third person POV but I ATE THIS BOOK. That's one thing about a human eh? You only get to say YOLO if you are in a brink of death and if you're lucky to get out alive, you do things differently after and if not? You live with regrets. I enjoyed the friendship formed in this book especially that they are in a different age group with different personalities. One is putting on a facade because she doesn't want to taint her popularity, one is a mother losing her shit because of potty training, one who is famous with girls and one who entered because she recently broke up with her ex husband. I liked how strong their characters are. The way they do a living in unique ways.

It is true that you will not see what you are capable of unless its from another human watching you. Like Zoe who questions her capability because she is usually dictated on what to do but her personality really shows when she was chosen to decide on what to do next.

I did not see the plot twist tho 😅 I was not expecting that. Toby ending with *toot* really made my jaw drop.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

The premise of this was juicy and the opening scene (reality stars jumping out of a helicopter in a storm!) was the appetizer for what I hoped was a fun read. But the details of the opening scene felt so incongruent that I couldn't really continue. The group is standing in the middle of a storm so strong that a helicopter can't land on the island they're meant to be on, but the characters have regular conversations with each other, with no sense of the weather. And another character finds that he's covered in ants and is being bitten by mosquitoes? The details were so unrealistic that I couldn't continue.