Scan barcode
vanella's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Alcohol, Cursing, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Car accident, Infidelity, Stalking, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Cannibalism, Blood, and Drug use
Minor: Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, and Vomit
cpachet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, Cancer, Drug use, Violence, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual content, Gun violence, and Grief
Minor: Stalking
taelights's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The writing was good and it was interesting enough to listen to during work but if I had read the physical book I probably would have definitely dnf it.
Also the whole twist of the story is built on a giant plot hole so…. yikes.
Graphic: Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, and Grief
Minor: Cannibalism and Car accident
rachjellie's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Graphic: Classism, Drug use, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Death of parent, Cursing, Violence, and Confinement
Minor: Alcoholism and Cannibalism
michellemaas's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
- 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
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!
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