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.

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.

Truly compelling. Will reread upon publishing but very much like The Girls. Excited to read more from this debut author in the future.

Oh man, I really liked this book! It held my interest the whole time. Highly recommended for readers of suspenseful fiction and watchers of reality TV.

Love island meets Hunger Games meets Too Hot To Handle meets parody meets thriller. Did you catch that? This book is seriously an awesome adventure.

This is such a refreshing, funny, yet scary read.
This is a debut novel from Aisling Rawle. For a rebut, this is incredibly impressive!!!

This delivered so well. Also, can we talk about how gorgeous and unique the cover is? Not only does it capture the book well, but it totally caught me eye. It is very refreshing to see art like this. Love it!! I initially gave it a 4 star review, but this is a 5 star book.

What I Loved:
-The writing style - it was easy for me to follow and this made it enjoyable.
-The call outs of issues within society.
-It gets very annoying when all the humor is about the woman bringing herself down, or about blatant issues happening that just aren't addressed. I immediately gained more respect for this book for it calling those elements out properly without it seeming like the author was infusing politics of any sort. This was so well done.
-The roasting of the boys being incompetent. It was hilarious at times and truly allowed the book to be entertaining. It also felt very in line with how reality shows typically go.
-The protagonist being a strong character, both well-rounded and mentally strong really helped me root for her. I also loved that she wasn't made a ditzy blond.
-The call out of the toxic unreality that reality TV show is chef kiss.
-Some of the tasks are outright ridiculous and hilarious.
-The creativity of what happened in prior games is wonderful.
-The cover!!!!
-This book was properly formatted so I could fully enjoy it.
-The last portion of it (ending) was incredible!

What I Didn't Love:
-This book felt longer than it needed to be, there was a lot of additional detail on the same parts of the show that started to feel redundant. This combined with longer chapters and sex thrown in here and there made it feel less tense and had it feel slightly all over the place. This might have been intentional, as I feel like this is the same feeling I get when watching reality TV too.
-There are three parts to this thriller. I would have preferred three smaller reads I think? The parts didn't make a ton of sense to me as there as no label for "before" or anything so I was unsure of their exact purpose. The first half of the book totally caught me but I began to lose interest towards the end, which I think is due to length.
-The game itself didn't make sense as far as the logistics. If I didn't know how much planning goes into the renting of a mansion and the collecting of sponsorship prize money, I would likely not be annoyed by these details. It did seem to make it a partial parody though and make it a bit ridiculous, which added to my enjoyment. Initially it was annoying, but I appreciate the creativity.
-I would have preferred shorter paragraphs when possible for pace setting. Some of the chapters were really long with very long paragraphs, which I usually anticipate for fantasy books or when a lot of description is needed to describe a setting etc.

I will say, I can't stop thinking about this book.

I received a free copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you for allowing me to read this work of art! This is such a good book!

thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

urgh this book was creeeeeeepy. the entire thing felt so, so uncomfortable, even when nothing wrong was happening. the main character was genuinely one of my favorite characters from this year... there are some really heartbreaking details in her story, and the author put so much humanity and heart in a character that many other people would have treated like a joke. I do think some characters' stories ended extremely abruptly, hello Ryan, but overall I really liked this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the advanced copy of this book. I absolutely loved "The Compound". It is a story following individuals as they compete in a weird reality tv show living together in the desert. The writing felt devoid of emotion, which created a really creepy atmosphere. The interactions between contestants and the character development in this book was just chef's kiss for me. The players ranged from vain and shallow to aggressive and authoritarian to meek and intellectual. I think the sample was a good reflection to what society could be if pushed to the limits. I will definitely be thinking about this book often and recommending it to friends.

Set in the world of a reality TV show, The Compound, is described as Love Island meets The Hunger Games. While this is apt, an even more accurate description seems to be that it's reminiscent of Black Mirror. While on the surface, it seems like a standard reality dating show, there's a dark underbelly to both the show and the outside world that we only get to glance peeks of.

This book was pretty fast paced and I enjoyed all the "challenges" the contestants had to complete. The characters, outside of a few, seemed pretty surface level which is very much the point.

Great, if chilling, premise, that does feel very much like watching a reality show while also seeing behind the scenes through Lily's eyes. A more modern Hunger Games, this novel asks serious questions about what we want versus what we need, and the lengths we will go to secure those things--and people.

What’s happening in The Compound is initially a bit confusing, but we soon learn that Lily is a contestant in the umpteenth year of an ongoing reality show. She wakes up dressed similarly to another contestant Jacintha and they wander around finding other woman who are sleeping around the compound. The women know they are waiting for the men to show up so they slowly begin to tidy the living space and cook for each other. The men show up and it is revealed that the contestants have to couple up and whoever is left without a partner will be banished. The group works together on tasks to receive rewards like necessary equipment, furniture and even a door for the house.

This book was a fascinating look at character and the nature of entertainment. In many ways every contestant is a slave to the reality that he or she created. The reader quickly learns which of these individuals is a leader, which a follower and finds out what each contestant values beyond measure. The protagonist, Lily, worries that she is not intelligent enough and enjoys the idea that others think she may be an influencer in her life away from the compound. Her excitement at the thought is a clear indicator that reality television is a huge part of the future. I found the story to be an interesting exploration into the nature of competition, rewards and desire.

My mind never wandered as I was reading, I was completely engaged in the story. The plot was compelling and, while I kept guessing, I was never able to guess the next twist correctly. The Compound by Aisling Rawle is a definite recommend. Five stars for this compelling thriller.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

The description of this book "Love Island meets Lord of the Flies" is quite apt and the description is a fair warning. This book was a stretch for me, as I am a fan of Lord of the Flies (and much more The Hunger Games), but I have never seen or had interest to see Love Island. The characters seem to me to be a vapid collection of male and female hotties who are mostly one-dimensional characters (the central male character notwithstanding). The central female character is pretty and nice to begin with and pretty and calculating to end with, so that does not seem like much of a character arc. While I liked the challenges and how the characters reacted to them, the ending lacked satisfaction and resolution and there were core questions that were raised, but not answered.

All that being said, it is probably best to say that others who are more fans of Love Island than Lord of the Flies would prefer this story. Sadly, that is not me.