The Compound by Aisling Rawle is a tense and dramatic story that evokes love island and lord of the flies. The premise is built alongside the story. I thought that it was overall entertaining but I was expecting more. Maybe because it felt a little drawn out and I thought the payoff would come but felt like it somewhat didn't. That being said, I thought it was interesting and dynamic and would have been excellent had it just gone a bit further.

Readers will enjoy this one and I am eager to see what Aisling Rawle publishes next. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

The Compound is out 5/27/25.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for this eARC!

When reading the synopsis of The Compound I sounded right up my alley. A game/reality show where contestants live in a house in the middle of nowhere and compete for luxurious prizes. It was a mashup of dating shows, big brother and dystopian futures. The contestants are not allowed to talk about the outside world or who they are which makes it an even more interesting challenge. That is one of the most interesting aspects to me because you really only know as much as the main character knows as well as it leaves you questioning everything. One thing I wish is that we got more information about the outside world and what it is was like more. The mentioned the wars but didn't go into depth about it. Overall I found this book to be a interesting and thrilling and a great read for fans of high stakes and reality tv.

This was an interesting premise but the writing fell flat for me. However, I really liked the vague apocalyptic vibe that was maintained throughout.

There are some books that are incredibly addictive while reading and this is one of them. I’m not sure if it’s the cohesive writing, the plot line of the reality tv show that strokes that part of our brains, or the low key apocalyptic vibes that lie under the surface. Either way, I couldn’t put this down and stayed up way too late consuming this.

The irony of my overconsumption of this book is that overconsumption is truly the main plot line of this book. There are many books that take the reality tv plot and they’re always fun but this book has a depth that was surprisingly enjoyable. This book highlights our societies need to consume, the effects of that culturally, environmentally, sociopolitically and psychologically without overtly shoving it in our face. We need to be gently lulled into our wrongs as a society and Rawle does this impeccably.

I’m truly so excited for this book to come out and have everyone eat it up, unironically.

Tense little novel that focuses on a small compound in the desert and a reality survival show that ends up slowly unraveling as time goes on, and the super fun gender dynamics that end up playing out therein. Spooky and it's fun to watch everything slowly spiral out, and see the outside slowly encroach on the inside. Very limited in its view for obvious reasons, but a solid debut.

Wow! The story is as addictive as the best reality TV shows, but with a much darker, more unsettling twist. It will stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page, leaving you questioning not just the characters, but the world we live in and how far reality TV is willing to go to keep us hooked. I certainly enjoyed reading it.

3.9 ⭐️ but rounding up to a 4!
Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing for this arc! I am a sucker for a good reality tv show, so combining my love for reading with something I love to watch was great! The rules made it super interesting like how they were not allowed to share personal information unless instructed to do so, such as age, occupation, and they were not allowed to discuss the fact they were on a tv show.

I really enjoyed getting to read a reality tv show from first person bc it truly set it up as if the reader was apart of the show, being just as much in the dark as the contestants are. I really liked the concept of the entire book, the setup of the scene, rules laid out, but LOVED how we only knew as much as Lily knew. There were personal tasks that can be completed for free items, which the contestants were not allowed to discuss so we were not sure what tasks were done because they wanted to, and which were done out of greed, which was also a cool aspect.

The story started off written with a very simple writing style in my opinion, which usually I do not like, but after a bit it grew on me because there were so many characters and elements to follow along, that the simple writing of it made it easier to follow and I ended up enjoying it!

The entire story had me hooked & following along with multiple “OH” moments once the character introductions were passed. There were two mentions of how life outside the compound was bleak & that people did were expected to only live for another 10-15 years. The reality tv show was also something borderline insane & would not pass in today’s world, maybe in the future it could, who knows, but overall it was giving Black Mirror vibes which I love!

Only negative thing I will say is I wish we got a little bit more information from their outside world, and I did not love how it ended. I wish we got a little bit more just to see what happened with Lily, the outside world, and the exchange between her and the producers after! But overall I truly really enjoyed the book and cannot wait to share this read in my booktok & bookstagram!! My Goodreads & Fable review is already posted! :)

I'm obsessed with this book! What a ride!

In the not-so-distant-future, THE COMPOUND follows a Love Island-esque reality TV show. The challenge? Stay as long as you can while completing challenges with your housemates as well as personal tasks, where they receive rewards for completing them. Contestants must be coupled up or else they're removed from the compound.

Sounds easy enough, right?

Lily is determined to make it to the end, using whatever means necessary. But the unseen producers are also willing to do whatever it takes to create compelling television, including withholding food, pitting contestants against each other, and literally burning things to the ground.

THE COMPOUND was pitched as Love Island meets Lord of the Flies, and it delivers on that comparison. The entire book was a page turner, and I had no idea where the whole thing was going.

A great end of the year read!

This book was addicting and had me in a chokehold. I could not put this one down until I found out what happened to our FMC, Lily. She’s a contestant on a reality show, The Compound, which gives a Love Island meets Big Brother, but in a Black Mirror kind of way if that makes sense. To stay on the show and earn valuable prizes that only get better with time, contestants must find a bed to share with and complete personal and communal tasks which become increasingly challenging, taking a sinister turn.

This was not what I was expecting from this novel, but definitely in a good way. Towards the end, the suspense and mood became more tense and dark. I enjoyed some of the other characters—such as Becca and Sam—more than the main protagonist. All in all this was a page turner I could not put down and it was definitely one of my favorite reads this year.

This book was fantastic, On first reflection, it was exactly as advertised, but it goes much deeper than I expected. This book is deals with very existential issues and the protagonist is very interesting. The device used to minimize how much information you get at a time is genius - it's really quite a smart twist on the reality series trope. The characters were well-crafted and I found the ending to be perfect. Highly recommend.

In The Compound, we follow Lily as she competes in a reality show that's a cross between Love Island, the Hunger Games, and some sort of HGTV show. Her "pre-Compound" life was not glamorous, so she commits to doing whatever it takes to avoid banishment and earn endless streams of expensive prizes. The relationships between contestants get twisted, cut-throat, romantic, and dark as the tension continues to rise.

The characters aren't particularly complicated and show little to no growth, but this isn't the book I would pick up if I wanted literary fulfillment. This is the perfect choice when I want something quick and engrossing. I devoured this book in 24 hours and was eager to learn what choices Lily would make in this secluded home in the middle of the desert. I can't wait for this book to make its debut because there are so many points to discuss.

I loved this. To be fair, I'm the target audience because I love Love Island and dystopic novels, but I thought it was fascinating.

THE COMPOUND was so good, I gobbled it up!

Excellent premise, hypnotic prose, and also just immensely readable -- I really couldn't put it down.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley!

From a gorgeous cover to a propulsive story, this book was fantastic. It captivated me and entertained me from the first to the last chapter. I can't wait to see what Rawle writes next. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for the ARC. I saw the description for this book and instantly thought this was going to be the book. I enjoyed the plot and character development. The story felt original and was engaging. I will read more by the author.

Lily wakes us on a remote desert compound alongside nineteen other contestants on a popular reality show. To win she must outlast her fellow contestants, participating in challenges for rewards. Competition deepens as time goes on, and so does intimacy among the participants.

I loved this unique read that had the most wild plot for a reality show! I would totally watch this show. The game rules and themes lent a dystopian air to the novel due to the isolation and the edge of danger that had a delicate balance. I loved getting to know the contestants and main characters, and waiting for the next challenges. This was a fun one!

“Reality had become a slippery thing: how I wasn’t certain what part of my life I was an active part of, and what was a result of the machinations around me.”

The Compound comes out 5/27.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Compound had such a mysterious but intriguing premise I was excited to read it, but a little worried it might be a bit too far into left field. Rest assured it is not, the story here is amazing and I was positively glued in place wanting to see what would happen.

As a mix of any reality dating show where contestants are looking for love, The compound adds a spin with some simple rules: don’t talk about your past or anything too personal with your housemates, carry out survival style challenges that may see a competitor (and yes, these beautiful people are competitors) kicked out but which also win necessary prizes for the house when done in group and anything from a comb to diamond earrings for the individual when done personally, and make sure you couple up with someone of the opposite gender for bedtime, because if you wake up alone you’re out of the competition. And if only to up my reading pleasure, this all takes place in the future while a mysterious war is ongoing with the climate wrecked and society more obsessed with influencers than it is today. All this makes The Compound the perfect paradise for Lily and many others in the house, as it’s in the dessert in fairly luxurious surroundings. The catch here is that no real relationship can surely be entered when each person is ultimately looking to win prizes and become famous, and the house acts as an escape for too many contestants for all the wrong reasons. In addition, with so many unstable people under one roof, the show producers have an easy time manipulating through the challenges.

All of the above elements create the most suspenseful and ‘what will happen next’ ‘who is lying’ setting and I won’t lie, I just might watch a show like that. As it was I loved reading this through contestant Lily’s eyes and seeing her morph from a vapid self obsessed young woman to something far darker. The teases of what the future looks like and why we would see anyone put themselves on television in this way was equally fascinating, and I wish I could learn all about the world Aisling Rawls crafted, but as it was this particular story set itself apart.

Compelling, tense, and mysterious. We follow Lily as she competes on a reality show set in a desert compound. The competitors must compete in various collective and solo tasks and risk being banished. Lily doesn’t like her real life and is determined to win increasingly extravagant prizes and stay as long as she can. But what is she willing to risk in order to hang on until the very end?

I did not want to put this down! I made the mistake of starting this before my work day and found myself thinking of it and eager to continue reading. It is unusual and intriguing and I was never quite sure what would happen next. Recommended to anyone looking for an entertaining and exciting read.

Thank you very much to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This was an interesting one! It was both very lighthearted and very dark, which made for a fun reading experience. The blurb that its Love Island meets Lord of the Flies was pretty spot on. I think this would be a good book club title actually - would spurn a lot of discussion amongst patrons for sure.

Interesting premise, interesting presentation. Could have been better but still a good start. Not re-read worthy but at least one read worthy.