The Compound is a fascinating book. Perfectly billed as Love Island meets Lord of the Flies, it’s about a reality TV competition on a desert estate that requires its contestants to complete individual and group challenges to win rewards – and to pair up to sleep each night, or risk being banished from the compound. Our entry into the world of the book is Lily, who readers will recognize from reality TV dating shows as an “everygirl” – there’s nothing to make her stand out from the crowd, other than her beauty, because she is not particularly smart or interesting on the surface. But she has quite a story to tell, in the end...

We’re dropped right into the compound in the first chapter, and Aisling Rawle keeps us there for the entire book. Set in the near future, the book gives you a vague sense that all is not right in the outside world; ongoing war and escalating climate events are a constant threat, which makes the compound even more of a haven and escape for our characters – and, Rawle infers, for the viewers of the show. But it’s a cutthroat competition, too, pitting its contestants against each other, stopping just shy of torturing them – all for the entertainment of the folks at home.

And that’s where The Compound really excels, I think. It’s a compulsively readable, salacious story about reality TV, if you want to read it that way. But it can also be read more deeply, as a meditation on consumerism and materialism, modern society’s nonstop desire for MORE – whether it be more stuff or more entertainment. The world is literally burning, but in the compound, our characters are blissfully unbothered while they earn their rewards and are manipulated for ratings, while the cameras greedily soak it all up. I think the cover of the book conveys this message brilliantly.

The Compound is thought-provoking contemporary fiction, while also maintaining the beloved sensationalism of the best beach reads. It really did surprise me in the best way and is an incredibly promising debut for Aisling Rawle. Thank you to Random House for the complimentary reading opportunity.

I’ve heard a lot of buzz about this debut that the publisher describes as “Lord of the Flies meets Love Island”, so I couldn’t wait to pick it up, even despite not being someone who is super into reality television. It was an entertaining summer read with a little more depth than I expected, but the pacing and structure didn’t work as well for this reader. Regardless though, there was enough that was enjoyable that I’ll be looking forward to what this debut author does next!

This story essentially follows a suspenseful reality TV show from start to finish, told from the POV of one of the contestants that allows the readers a glimpse into the show and dynamics between the contestants that hasn’t been seen before. Our narrator is Lily, who is admittedly gorgeous physically but otherwise has a dead-end job in the outside world and not much else going for her. The show opens with a group of men and women all thrust into sharing one big living area (a.k.a., the compound) with each other, and we learn about the dynamics of the show through Lily’s point of view as things start to unfold. While competing for extravagant prizes both individually and as a team, they’re also in a sort of dating show situation, with the goal of waking up with a member of the opposite sex every morning or else reaping the consequences. One by one, the contestants are eliminated until only one winner emerges who can live in the compound with their riches for as long as they please.

Although there is a plot that moves the show along, this story is largely a character study of the MANY characters. Through Lily’s eyes, we see all of the contestants exhibit traits from jealousy, vanity, and greed to found friendship, comradery, and maybe even real love. There are big messages of the negativity of both reality TV and today’s world, such as focus on body image comparisons, overconsumption, greed and lack of diversity, all coming down to highlighting the dangers of consumerism and the lengths people will go to for fame and to have the most “things”.

What didn’t work as well for me as I’d hoped was first the pacing - it was a VERY slow burn, and with all of the characters being relatively hard to root for, I felt like I was constantly reaching out for a thread to hold onto to carry me through and become really invested in, but kept coming up short. There were also lots of characters, and just as with any reality show, since anyone can “make it to the end”, I felt more compelled to remember and get to know them all from the start. Of course we see at the end once we get down to a handful of people left in the compound that it wasn’t necessary to remember everyone, but it’s impossible to know from the start who to pay closest attention to. In terms of dislikable characters, Lily really seemed to lack personality in my eyes and seemed to only be there as a lens through which to watch the show. Overall though, it was a perfect choice for a summer read in this HOT weather lately, and would be a great addition to a beach bag for a book to dip in and out of during a vacation.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Literally ate this up in 24 hours. It's such an easy read and while I don't think it necessarily fully commits to its messaging I do think it's a very interesting look at the culture of reality TV and the separation we and the people involved have to afford ourselves to enjoy it. Overall, this was super addictive and I think it's helped me get over a pretty immense reading slump so happy happy.

The Love Island x eerie suspense crossover I had no idea I needed. The premise will feel familiar to LI viewers, but it has much deeper, sinister roots that kept me flying through the pages. Can’t believe this is a debut; Rawle will be an auto-buy author for me now.

The Compound was savage, juicy, and easy to fly through-- though unfortunately, left me wanting. Set on a reality tv show where contestants win luxury prizes and compete to be the last person standing, we experience this novel through Lily, a contestant on the show who is exceptionally beautiful but self-admittedly does not have much else going for her on the outside world. The story becomes darker and grittier as it progresses. I desperately wanted to know more about the dystopian world outside of The Compound, which is alluded to a few times, but never expounded on. This is definitely dystopian-lite. We are left with sparce information in other aspects of this novel as well. A cool premise and explores themes of materialism, fame, purpose.

Many thanks to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley.

I love the set up here—a dark twist on a familiar reality show setup: Bachelor in Paradise meets Lord of the Flies. Sign me up! Unfortunately the pitch was the best thing about the book. I wasn’t invested in the characters (not being able to have them share their backstory as a device of the show made it hard to connect as a reader) and I wanted more from the dystopian world building element (what was actually happening beyond the compound ie the wars??). The author did a good job building suspense and the ending was intense and delivered a great payoff, but the middle was so slow (again, I think this was intentional in some spots!). Overall I felt like the author had a lot of say about capitalism and attention and influencer culture but nothing was really explored and no one was really indicted for anything.

Everything about The Compound is disorienting. Where is it? When is it? Vaguely in the future, in a desert in an unnamed country, on an unnamed continent, Lily wakes up first and introduces herself to her roommate. They go to look for "the others" and observe the disarray of their living quarters. This introduction pulls you in, wanting to know more. There's chaos (war? famine? pollution?) outside and chaos inside as the "contestants" size each other up for this edition of the reality show they're now on, one they've all watched, one they've studied and are sure they can come out on top.

Ten women, ten men, on what felt to me like a fusion of The Hunger Games and whatever reality show that forces strangers to pair up.. Let the games begin!

We view this all from Lily's perspective as she schemes and plays and contributes, completing "tasks" for "rewards". There's a ruthlessness to the contestants, who's lying, who's genuine, who's going to come out on top. They're brutal. It was hard to understand why they were there. For the extravagant prizes? Escape? To find "love"? For fame?

This was deeper than a quick summer read, with an ending that felt a bit rushed. Maybe knowing more about what made Lily tick would have helped. Or maybe that was the point.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub. date 6/24/2025)

This book is a completely immersive experience that is a dystopian blend of concepts like The Hunger Games, reality dating shows, and what we value (and find entertaining!) in our society in the age of social media, influencers, and what really matters to us. Our narrator Lily wakes up on Page 1 in the compound, the setting of some sort of reality show that encourages contestants on the compound to "couple up", form alliances, and humiliate themselves for both personal and group rewards. As the numbers dwindle and contestants must choose who stays, who pairs up with who, and who is banished from the compound, the rewards become more valuable and fame is within reach. We as the readers are only privy to the experiences on the compound with Lily, and like her, we can only guess at how the producers think, pull the puppet strings, and create drama for their audience. We also learn very little about the outside world, other than that it is a time of war and great hardship. I found this book interesting, compelling, and insightful...even as the characters themselves were quite unlikable, though I suppose that was intentional commentary on what we value in today's society. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The dystopian like environment of contestants waking up to find they’re on a reality tv show away from u rest in the world is what drew me to this novel. I’m not a big romance reader so I think there was a lot more romance than I had expected, which I didn’t enjoy. It reminded me of Love Island rather than Lord of the Flies. Not for me but it definitely has its audience out there.

The Compound is a debut novel written by Aisling Rawle. Lily discovers that she is living on a desert compound and partaking in having her life filmed 24/7 as she navigates her new situation. She and her new housemates must pair up every night to continue living in the house and earning rewards that they then promote on air. The longer they stay, the richer the rewards become. Soon Lily is having to reckon with her conscience as she decides just what she'll do in order to stay on the show. This one will have you wondering what you'd do if you found yourself in this situation. Do the ends justify the means? Read and enjoy!

I couldn't put this book down so I gave it four stars. It moved along well, and had a good variety of characters. It was an interesting mix of reality dating and survival shows which I enjoyed.
I was let down when I got to the ending. It felt unfinished for the protagonist. I wanted to know more and for that, I was frustrated. Overall, I had fun reading it. Thank you for this ARC!

4.25⭐️. I’m landing on a 4.25⭐️, though I’m still processing this one. The Compound is… well, unlike anything I’ve ever read. Imagine Love Island meets The Bachelorette, Big Brother, and Survivor—all thrown into a future dystopia ravaged by war. Twenty contestants are invited to “The Compound,” an isolated location, to compete for TV ratings, prizes, and fame. You can’t tell me that doesn’t sound like a book begging to be added to your TBR!

This was a wild ride—part fascinating, part horrifying, and completely unputdownable. At times it felt like watching a train wreck in slow motion: disturbing, yet impossible to look away from. While the characters and plot were extreme, the novel cleverly critiques real-world issues like overconsumption, performative living, our obsession with instant gratification, and the growing discomfort with just being still—being present, being content.

In many ways, the story is a mirror. It forces you to reflect on your own habits, your place in society, and the broader culture of always wanting more. There’s a haunting brilliance in how the book takes on themes of distorted desire, control, love, trust, fame, and happiness. It left me questioning—and that’s the mark of a great book.

This one will stick with you long after the final page.

Content Warnings: infidelity, violence, abuse, bullying, starvation, dehydration, depression, lying, psychosis, blood, graphic violence and gore, animal death, confinement, 24/7 surveillance, manipulation, psychological distress, paranoia, sexual coercion, grief, extreme trauma, mental duress

Spice: 🌶️ (light but thematically intense)

Tropes/Genres: dystopian, suspense, psychological thriller, reality TV satire, cult dynamics, gender roles, consumerism

So you think this book would be right up my alley - a dating show with a deadly aspect! It just didn't hit for me, and I'm not entirely sure why. Some of it was that Lily, our main character, isn't super likeable... and just not a lot happened in the story I guess. And maybe there just wasn't enough love for me? Not that there often is in a dating show but I digress. I just didn't find this as page-turning and "unputdownable" as I kept hearing about. I received an advance review copy for free and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

As a huge Love Island fan UK fan, I couldn't wait to read this and I was not disappointed. While it got very dark in spots (not a problem for me) the overall tone was punchy enough to plow through.. I couldn't put it down. I had to know who would survive the compound. A true nightmare reflection of today's political climate and reality television hell, this book is well worth the read.

I could not get into this book and just slogged along for most of it. I love reality tv and this started out like that but for me it just didn’t close the deal.

The Compound by Aisling Rawle emerges the reader in a reality TV show where contestants are expected to perform group tasks to gain not only essentials need to survive on the compound, but also additional items for individual tasks. Set in a dystopian backdrop, where resources for society are scarce, the contestants after electing to leave on their own or are banished, are allowed to take with them the items they have won.

This book explores what individuals are willing to do in order to win the ultimate prize, an indefinite stay on the compound. With increasing stakes, as time goes on, contestants demonstrate how far they are willing to go in order to win. This is a great debut for Aisling Rawle, and I cannot wait to see what comes next from this author.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Jun 24 2025

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#The Compound
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Nearly everyone I work with has been talking about the latest season of Love Island — who’s kissing whom, who’s coupling and re-coupling, who’s getting dumped. And while I’m not personally keeping tabs on the villa this summer, I’ve been known to waste hours of my life binging Love Is Blind or The Bachelor.

So when I read the description of Aisling Rawle’s debut novel — “Love Island meets Lord of the Flies!” — I was like, “Hold my golden wine goblet.”

The Compound tells the story of Lily, a beautiful young woman who’s one of 20 contestants on a reality TV show. The men and women gather on a compound in the desert and immediately have to couple up to stay in the game. Anyone who’s alone in bed when the sun comes up is immediately banished. They also have to perform tasks to earn communal necessities like food and appliances, and they compete individually for luxury items like designer clothes or jewelry. Hidden cameras catch every angle of the action, and as you might guess, it doesn’t take long for the competition to go from friendly to fierce.

Then it gets weird. And then it gets dark.

Rawle’s writing is gripping and propulsive, and she hints at a dystopian hellscape just beyond the compound’s gates. When unseen producers raise the stakes, we watch Lily and her housemates go from playing the game to fighting for their lives.

With nods to The Hunger Games and even Black Mirror, The Compound offers prime poolside reading. A binge-worthy guilty pleasure.

The Compound by Aisling Rawle is a phenomenal debut!
This was a quick and entertaining read that I finished in a few hours.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.

The Compound by Aisling Rawle is best described as a cross between Love Island and Lord of the Flies with a bit of The Hunger Games feeling. It seems like a light summer read but has deeper undertones about influencer and performance culture and consumerism. It’s a really interesting examination of our obsession with reality tv and the people who compete or appear on those shows.

Fun, binge-able read about “pretty” people being psychopaths.
It gets a bit annoying after a while but this will be fine to read by the pool or on the beach or on a plane. It will help pass the time.