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kimveach's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A quick-paced thriller with a couple of surprises.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Cannibalism, Sexism, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Blood, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
oflifeandstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Kind of disappointing.. there was a lot of repetition and stuff that didn’t really make sense. I also thought it was a shame that there wasn’t a single character I wanted to root for. Robby was unnecessary and the island didn’t feel creepy until the last couple of chapters because the flashbacks were kind of random
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Car accident and Terminal illness
elizabethgreads's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A fun isolated closed circle mystery set between Hawaii and a deserted island in the pacific ocean. I enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book and it was a fun ride. However I didn't feel like the ending about the last 1/4 of the book was done well. It felt a bit well and the conclusion wasn't satisfying for me personally. This is a great beach/ vacation read, or readathon read but I think its forgettable once the fun of reading is over.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Minor: Classism, Car accident, and Gun violence
michellemaas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
* Beware of minor spoilers
2.5 - ⭐⭐💫
Standalone Adult Thriller with island vibes, dual timelines, and multiple point-of-views. Also deals strongly with themes of privilege and loss.
It was a great study on human nature, but marketing it as a thriller is a bit of a stretch.
"Dreams were for people who had choices, opportunities. I didn’t believe I had any of those things."
Lux and her boyfriend, who are in dire need of some money, offer to accompany 2 college girls to a deserted island for a thrilling adventure. While things are nice, even relaxing at first, the discovery of a dead body causes them all to question whom they can trust.
"The truth is, when your world is falling apart, you stop having 'a thing.' You get so focused on just making it through each day that 'interests' or 'ambitions' kind of go out the window. You definitely don’t have time for passions."
First and foremost, I think marketing this as a "thriller" is a bit of a stretch. There were legit maybe 4 thrilling scenes in total, and even that's me being a bit generous. Now this was my first thriller so maybe I'll come to learn that that's just how it is, but I don't think so. This felt a lot more like a contemporary or speculative fiction book with a heavy emphasis on sociology.
The whole point of the book was to explore people. How they interacted, the things they did to be accepted by others, how loss affected them but also how isolation affected them. Being on a deserted island with no connection to the modern world gave everyone the freedom they needed to justify their baser human instincts. The jealousy, the possessiveness, the sexual urges, everything was dramatically heightened because there were no other people to subconsciously keep them in line with the threat of not fitting in and being accepted. It was a great study of human nature and I really enjoyed it but thrilling, it was not.
All that being said, I still think Hawkins is an amazing author. She has this way of using stylistic devices (which is not something I ever notice) to enhance the story and make the characters super realistic. Things such as her narrating past events in the third person as opposed to the first person of current events to create distance between the people our main characters were and currently are, for example. She also delivers a very slow and mundane start to the book so we can see how fast things escalate in the end. It was all just really well done.
"What am I when you strip everything else away? I’m a motherf*cking survivor."
Overall, I unexpectedly really enjoyed reading this book, especially the social commentary Hawkins made, but I wish there were more heart-pounding scenes and a bit more of a plot since things only really started happening at 65% in. The ending was pretty mind-blowing and expertly done though. Would recommend it if you are in the mood for a book that is slightly thrilling and has a cast of amazing characters.
2.5 - ⭐⭐💫
Standalone Adult Thriller with island vibes, dual timelines, and multiple point-of-views. Also deals strongly with themes of privilege and loss.
It was a great study on human nature, but marketing it as a thriller is a bit of a stretch.
"Dreams were for people who had choices, opportunities. I didn’t believe I had any of those things."
Lux and her boyfriend, who are in dire need of some money, offer to accompany 2 college girls to a deserted island for a thrilling adventure. While things are nice, even relaxing at first, the discovery of a dead body causes them all to question whom they can trust.
"The truth is, when your world is falling apart, you stop having 'a thing.' You get so focused on just making it through each day that 'interests' or 'ambitions' kind of go out the window. You definitely don’t have time for passions."
First and foremost, I think marketing this as a "thriller" is a bit of a stretch. There were legit maybe 4 thrilling scenes in total, and even that's me being a bit generous. Now this was my first thriller so maybe I'll come to learn that that's just how it is, but I don't think so. This felt a lot more like a contemporary or speculative fiction book with a heavy emphasis on sociology.
The whole point of the book was to explore people. How they interacted, the things they did to be accepted by others, how loss affected them but also how isolation affected them. Being on a deserted island with no connection to the modern world gave everyone the freedom they needed to justify their baser human instincts. The jealousy, the possessiveness, the sexual urges, everything was dramatically heightened because there were no other people to subconsciously keep them in line with the threat of not fitting in and being accepted. It was a great study of human nature and I really enjoyed it but thrilling, it was not.
All that being said, I still think Hawkins is an amazing author. She has this way of using stylistic devices (which is not something I ever notice) to enhance the story and make the characters super realistic. Things such as her narrating past events in the third person as opposed to the first person of current events to create distance between the people our main characters were and currently are, for example. She also delivers a very slow and mundane start to the book so we can see how fast things escalate in the end. It was all just really well done.
"What am I when you strip everything else away? I’m a motherf*cking survivor."
Overall, I unexpectedly really enjoyed reading this book, especially the social commentary Hawkins made, but I wish there were more heart-pounding scenes and a bit more of a plot since things only really started happening at 65% in. The ending was pretty mind-blowing and expertly done though. Would recommend it if you are in the mood for a book that is slightly thrilling and has a cast of amazing characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body horror, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Car accident, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death and Chronic illness
krdavis02's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is a 4.5 for me. I’m still very new to thrillers such as only 4 thrillers since 2020. 😅 So, please bear with me.
The island setting was spot on from the descriptions to how it sit up the atmosphere. It was a creepy setting due to being stuck on a Pacific Island, in the middle of no where, and the dark mysterious history of Meroe Island. The setting is one where will the characters will go a little bit nuts too.
The length was alright for an average reader like me, only 300+ pages. The books is easily digestible so you’ll be able too so you can read it in one setting or in a couple of days. The pace is also fast in the beginning, then, it slows down in the middle part of the hook. In the 3rd quarter-the ending of the book, it picks up again.
The language has a lot of cuss words yet can be descriptive at some points. It’s nothing special type of writing or very unique. The writing does sink you in though and keeps the book from lagging. The ending is also very messy from the plot holes to how unrealistic that twist was.
s words yet can be descriptive at some points. It’s nothing special type of writing or very unique. The writing does sink you in though and keeps the book from lagging. The ending is also very messy from the plot holes to how unrealistic that twist was.
This book is very good for starters with thrillers or if you want a fun easy read. It’s published on January 4th of 2022. This book was a good way to end my 2021 reading year too!
The island setting was spot on from the descriptions to how it sit up the atmosphere. It was a creepy setting due to being stuck on a Pacific Island, in the middle of no where, and the dark mysterious history of Meroe Island. The setting is one where will the characters will go a little bit nuts too.
The length was alright for an average reader like me, only 300+ pages. The books is easily digestible so you’ll be able too so you can read it in one setting or in a couple of days. The pace is also fast in the beginning, then, it slows down in the middle part of the hook. In the 3rd quarter-the ending of the book, it picks up again.
The language has a lot of cuss words yet can be descriptive at some points. It’s nothing special type of writing or very unique. The writing does sink you in though and keeps the book from lagging. The ending is also very messy from the plot holes to how unrealistic that twist was.
s words yet can be descriptive at some points. It’s nothing special type of writing or very unique. The writing does sink you in though and keeps the book from lagging. The ending is also very messy from the plot holes to how unrealistic that twist was.
This book is very good for starters with thrillers or if you want a fun easy read. It’s published on January 4th of 2022. This book was a good way to end my 2021 reading year too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual content
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