mannnn.... i REALLY wanted to like this one. the premise of six contestants being on this remote island on a "big brother"-esque reality show drew me in, but the execution wasn't great. despite the reality show being called "Iconic" and all the contestants are supposedly esteemed by the public as "iconic", they weren't really.... iconic. in my opinion, part of what makes someone or something iconic is likability, and these people were far from likable. araminta and kalpana were my most tolerable characters, but araminta pissed me off by the halfway mark with her choices.

there was a lot of drama, but not enough thrills or suspense for my taste. for the pacing, i felt the book was way too long-- it's almost 500 pages. i'm thankful i was given the audiobook copy, because i'm not sure i would have been able to get through the entirety otherwise.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC of "then things went dark"!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the Advanced Audio Copy of this book.

Six contestants are arrive on a desert island, ready to prove themselves on a reality tv show - all with their own deep dark secrets. Then, the most hated of the group dies. Was it an accident, or did one of them do it?

I loved the character development, the multiple points of view, and the duel timeline. It kept things interesting, wanting to know what happened. It started out a little slow for me personally, but once it reached a certain point and I got invested, I just wanted to keep on listening and find out what happened and what the truth was.

I have read a few books with a similar premise and this wasn't my favorite reality show/reality show adjacent thriller I've ever read, but it's a satisfying read. The characters are unique and well built out. The book had some subtle but thoughtful commentary on things like masculinity, toxic men and how women are perceived. I also enjoyed the opening, which starts with the characters being interviewed by the police after the murder happens; then you go back in time to when the characters start on the show to get to know them and see what leads to the murder. That said, I did feel like there could have been more propulsion to the plot and more thriller aspects throughout. It was a little bit more of a slow burn than I expected from the premise, with a lot of emphasis on the characters getting to know each other. Enjoyable character-forward read though.

Written in a game-show form, this book puts 6 people on an island where the compete in various competitions to determine who the winner of the money will be. Every person has their own motivation for winning, but all that goes out the window when someone gets more than they bargained for. The back and forth narrative was something I enjoyed and was able to see the viewpoints on the case from both sides. I did think the storyline of the detectives was unnecessary and did absolutely nothing for the book. Overall, it was an easy read, but it wasn’t something I’d recommend or read again.

I enjoyed this audiobook! I liked that listeners got the different characters POV. I also thought breaking it down into each of the shows episodes was a unique and fun way to tell the story. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but I liked how Fitzgerald kept me guessing. The narrator of this audiobook Zura Johnson was phenomenal! She did a great job voicing each of the characters and really brought the story to life. For me the narrator can make or break the audiobook and Zara definitely made this one! I will be keeping an eye out for other audiobooks with her as the narrator! Overall I enjoyed this fast paced, reality game thriller and think it’s a good audiobook for those new to the thriller genre to start with.

This was my first book by the author .I was intrigued by the cover .This was fast paced .There was great character flow .I enjoyed the narrator .It did keep me guessing and that is what I like about a book .I will read more by this author .

Bea Fitzgerald’s new book felt like a combination of Mary-Kate and Ashley’s The Challenge movie, Ruth Ware’s One By One book, and the reality show Love Island! (Keep in mind I’ve never actually seen Love Island but I can’t help but feel like its applicable 😝)

A reality show set on an isolated island with six fame hungry contestants and an air of mystery that all but promises drama. The back and forth format between the chaotic island scenes and the police interrogations was creative, and I felt like the whole take on fame culture was pretty spot on. But, while the book captured my attention it was a little too scandalous for my tastes, and I found it difficult to remember who was interested in who!

If you enjoy a twisted, dramatic take on reality TV, it might just be for you!

**Containes MA language and off page hook ups…

Huge thank you to #netgalley and @tantoraudio for the opportunity to listen to this advanced audiobook!

A fun romp that reality TV fans will find familiar and chilling. The mystery surrounds a "Big Brother" type reality show on an island called #Iconic. The cast of characters are quirky and narcissistic, from influencers to musicians to actors, and the show's many challenges are entertaining and help reveal the motivations of the characters - such as when the characters have to pin their biggest secrets to the wall face down. Of course, a murder happens, and the listener has to determine who among the cast of generally unappealing characters may have been responsible for the death. Entertaining and well-narrated.

Think of this novel as "Big Brother" meets "Murder Mystery".

The characters are a diverse cast chosen by producers to prove that they are "iconic". All with different backgrounds and skill sets, this group is competing for a single cash prize and the bragging rights that they are the most iconic influence out there.

Of course with all of the egos, strangers living together, hookups, and even a murder, the views on this live streaming reality TV show are huge and everybody is getting a lot of attention.

Right off the bat the reader is introduced to who is murdered and why he is considered "the most hated man on TV". The rest of the book is a mix between the interactions of the contestants, the online comments of the public, the confessional booths with candid talks from all the cast members, and the inside monologue of each of the characters.

This was one of those books that I loved because all the characters were so unlikeable. You were so invested and caught up in their drama and you didn't feel bad when bad things happened to them you were just excited to find out what happened next. Literally it was just like I was watching reality television, but with depth and insight into the psyches of the characters that we often don't see on television. I absolutely loved it.

Then Things Went Dark by Bea Fitzgerald

Thank you to @tantoraudio and @chaosonolympus for the opportunity to read this #advancedlistenercopy in exchange for my #honestbookreview. All thoughts are my own. This book is now available in digital, audiobook, and print.

This was wild! It was like Pretty Little Liars meets the game show Big Brother. I loved the dual timeline and the POV shift. This book has the addictive factor of reality TV and the suspense of a murder mystery and the pairing is delicious. I highly recommend for someone looking for a fast paced, bingeable whodunnit!

TWs: infidelity, loss of a loved one, public scandal/humiliation, dr*g use, binge drinking, g*slighting, more

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

I picked up Then Things Went Dark by Bea Fitzgerald when I needed a quick escape from reality, and this a game-show gone wrong plot gave me exactly what I needed!

This locked room thriller opens up a Pandora's box of messy characters! Simply put, this book was a shit-storm of pseudo-celebrities fighting for top spot! There was a menagerie cast of eclectic protagonist/antagonist-adjacent people with a clear, well labeled and targeted antagonist - making it easy to get sucked into the fray! Fitzgerald created a pressure cooker on this remote island, easily establishing a tumultuous love/hate relationship between the reader and each character! The plot was both cut and dry but also open to a bit of interpretation! I loved how this book answered the who-done-it question, solving it with an incredibly satisfying ending! Speaking of, this ending worked SO well for this type of book!

Another amazing audiobook! Zura Johnson manipulated her voice in amazing ways, and skyrocketed herself to one of my favourite narrators! Just listen to her reading off the social media commentary to hear what I mean! I am absolutely blown away, and this audiobook will be one I recommend again and again!

Fast-paced and full of all the drama reality TV brings with it, this book is just the perfect binge-worthy escape!

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Tantor Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

I thought this book was just okay. Two out of five stars. I really struggled with the reality tv show aspect, it sounded like a cool idea but with the layered audio it was hard to understand. I think this would have been better to read this physically. I also didn't like some of the formating with listening to the online comments. The ending was muddled and I wasn't a fan of that either. The narrator was however very good with the accidents and also inflection of this novel, I would definitely listen to more of her work but probably wouldn't pick up another book by this author.

Then Things Went Dark by Bea Fitzgerald is a mystery set on a desert island, where six contestants compete in a high-stakes reality show. When one of them, Rhys Sutton, is murdered on camera, the remaining five—his best friend, rival, girlfriend, lover, and enemy—are left under intense scrutiny. With millions of viewers and the police watching, secrets unravel as everyone tries to hide their true motives, making the hunt for the killer both dangerous and public.

I have noticed several new releases centered around reality shows, which I love. Having the murder mystery twist made this even more appealing for me. Usually in stories with multiple characters/viewpoints, it takes me a little while on audiobook to figure out who is who, and this story was no different. This is a me problem, not a fault of the author or narrator. The narrator (Zura Johnson) did a great job differentiating between characters and keeping a good pacing.

The actual plot was probably a 3 star for me, but the uniqueness of the story and the descriptions of the innerworkings of these "influencers" was very entertaining and added a star for me.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
This was a unique premise with the reality tv/game show setting.

6 well known celebrities go to an isolated island with cameras following them every bit of the way for a massive money prize.
The book turns into a "whodunit" when a murder is revealed early on, and detectives move in.
This was definitely filled with drama and appropriately so with the reality tv setting.
Overall, I found the storyline to be anticlimactic as it failed to keep my interest.
The characters were not enjoyable, they all were really terrible actually. Perhaps that was the point again with the tv setting.
Just an okay read.

I listened to the audiobook of this and thought that the narrator did fine with her narration. With the story failing to keep my attention I had a hard time enjoying the book at all.

Thank you, Bea Fitzgerald, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an influencer / reality tv type thriller that had some good points and some bad. Many of the characters were VERY over the top. I know that in "real life", these type of stars can be over the top but the book made some of them be almost a caricature instead of real people with depth. I liked the flashing forward and back, knowing who was going to die since the very beginning of the book and slowly finding out how things got to that point. I did enjoy it while sometimes rolling my eyes.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Iconic is the Reality TV show that brought six people together to a deserted tiny island.

The contestants are:
Francisco “Isko”- private chef for the rich
Rhys- a director, writer, actor
Kalpana - activist
Araminta- activist
Jerome- tech entrepreneur
Theo- lead singer & guitarist in a popular band

In Big Brother style, the camera are everywhere and on 24/7 for viewers to tune in. Each person questions each other’s motives for going on the show and spend no time cutting each other down arguing who is the most popular or who has the highest accolades and achievements. The contestants will be on the island for one month with the challenge to take their contributions to an “iconic” level. They will have weekly and daily challenges that have outside viewer influence.

While six contestants started, only five survive. The book shifts from the past time on the island and filming of the show to the present, where the remaining five are questioned after the death was seen around the world on live tv. Interpol is up against a timeline to find the cause of death because the only way the producers won’t release the final episode is if Interpol can prove that a crime was committed. The footage doesn’t show his last breath, but just before it where he is clearly drunk. But something still isn’t sitting right with the detectives. Everyone had a motive, and this story will take you through all the drama of secrets, hook ups, alliances and betrayal.

The book is told from the different character POVs and from the POV of the TV viewers watching each of the episodes. This is not a book you’ll read and be cheering for any certain character. They’re all pretty unlikeable and entitled, but still entertaining. I don’t need to love all of the characters to enjoy the book.

This medium paced thriller was a fun read- reminder me of One Perfect Couple and Every One is Watching. The narrator did an excellent job distinguishing between the different characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 8/27/24.

Way too much drama in this book. I really didn't like any of the characters so it was hard to care too much about them. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

The reality show murder trope is super popular right now and I feel like I've read a ton of them lately. This was okay. The narration was exciting enough to keep me interested. Everyone in the story appears to be harboring a dark secret and it was fun to watch them all get exposed.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was ok. The timelines switched without any pause to differentiate and the narrator started pronouncing one of the characters names 2 different ways about halfway through. The storyline was interesting but it ended abruptly. .

I recently finished Then Things Went Dark by Bea Fitzgerald. The premise - reality show drama - drew me to the book. The idea that these six contestants were playing a game on live TV, on a desert island, and everyone has a motive was enticing. However, for some reason, I could not keep the six characters straight (despite restarting the book numerous times. One time I was at the 45% mark and restarted because I could not remember which woman with an odd name was which - maybe it was the names? Also, was Theo the singer or was Reese? Usually, I do not have such a hard time keeping characters straight, but with this book I definitely did). Maybe it was the narrator? Her voice did not change despite all the characters, but also the book was not written in first person. So, who knows. I just had a hard time overall.

The premise was good. There were just too many characters (also the detectives). I think it would've been much easier reading the book. Maybe this book is not great for audio? Like I said, I relistened to parts of the book several times, and I felt like I had to really focus to actually remember anything. This was not a slam dunk for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.