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adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a page-turner! FINALLY, something that made me want to keep reading! 👏🏼 The plot was pretty unique. Kind of a Big Brother meets Hunger Games vibe. I don’t watch a ton of reality competition shows, so there may be a better fit, but you get the idea. I loved the challenges and rewards set up. I kinda thought there would’ve been more to those at times, but overall, still a great story. I would definitely read another “season” of the show. I’m already wanting to seek out similar books to read, so if anyone has some recommendations, feel free to comment! It was a nice change of pace from all the “romantasy” books I’ve been talked into reading. Definitely much needed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The group dynamics were gripping and exciting. Rawle really expertly observes undercurrents of feelings that guide our behaviour in times when valued things, be they material or abstract, are scarce.
I loved how the book explored Lily's feelings about the life she was escaping from. We generally hear so much about the evils of things like reality TV and consumerism but here we see the grinding sadness and exhaustion of being a worker bee trapped in pressure, monotony and dismissal that makes these things appealing.
I thought it would ramp up at the end but it kind of petered out.
I loved how the book explored Lily's feelings about the life she was escaping from. We generally hear so much about the evils of things like reality TV and consumerism but here we see the grinding sadness and exhaustion of being a worker bee trapped in pressure, monotony and dismissal that makes these things appealing.
I thought it would ramp up at the end but it kind of petered out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was uncomfortable and voyeuristic and claustrophobic and emotional in all the right ways. As I was listening, I felt like I was experiencing a reality TV show, cheering for couples, detesting the overbearing male contestants, etc. I was also surprised that it touched on topics like racism and consumerism.
It took me a while to get into it because I couldn't keep track of all the contestants - maybe because I was listening to the audiobook - but people get eliminated fairly quickly and everyone in the "main" group of people is fleshed out enough to distinguish them.
There are also some hints to a larger kind of dystopian setting with active wars and bush fires - we don't learn that much about the world beyond the Compound, but the hints stay vague and yet feel a bit too close to what's currently going on in our world to make this feel like a proper science fiction novel. That bit was a bit disorienting at the beginning, but I quickly accepted the Compound to be the eye of the world (just like Lily, the FMC, does).
I'm so glad I stuck through the bumps in the beginning, because the author is so good at creating an eerie and yet alluring atmosphere. The oppressive heat of the desert, the boredom that you need to pretend doesn't exist, the collateral damage of living under the conditions of the compound, the tension between contestants, the men and their entitlement and sometimes barely-restrained violence are so well described that I felt super uncomfortable during large stretches of the book and yet I couldn't stop listening.
Things that I normally don't like work in favour and even enhance the story in this case: the pacing is a bit wonky, with days or weeks that the author jumps over or just summarizes in one sentence - mirroring Lily's skewed sense of time in the compound where there are no clocks and the routine is alway the same.
I'm a bit torn about the ending - on the one hand, it didn't feel as rewarding as I would have liked, on the other hand, it kind of supports the lesson about materialism and consumerism.
It took me a while to get into it because I couldn't keep track of all the contestants - maybe because I was listening to the audiobook - but people get eliminated fairly quickly and everyone in the "main" group of people is fleshed out enough to distinguish them.
There are also some hints to a larger kind of dystopian setting with active wars and bush fires - we don't learn that much about the world beyond the Compound, but the hints stay vague and yet feel a bit too close to what's currently going on in our world to make this feel like a proper science fiction novel. That bit was a bit disorienting at the beginning, but I quickly accepted the Compound to be the eye of the world (just like Lily, the FMC, does).
I'm so glad I stuck through the bumps in the beginning, because the author is so good at creating an eerie and yet alluring atmosphere. The oppressive heat of the desert, the boredom that you need to pretend doesn't exist, the collateral damage of living under the conditions of the compound, the tension between contestants, the men and their entitlement and sometimes barely-restrained violence are so well described that I felt super uncomfortable during large stretches of the book and yet I couldn't stop listening.
Things that I normally don't like work in favour and even enhance the story in this case: the pacing is a bit wonky, with days or weeks that the author jumps over or just summarizes in one sentence - mirroring Lily's skewed sense of time in the compound where there are no clocks and the routine is alway the same.
I'm a bit torn about the ending - on the one hand, it didn't feel as rewarding as I would have liked, on the other hand, it kind of supports the lesson about materialism and consumerism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racism
The animal death/cruelty relates to wild animals, not pets.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Classism
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Excrement, Stalking, War
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My first reaction? Love Island, but make it post-apocalyptic. Basically what the next season will look like once society fully collapses. Honestly, I was into it. Two of my life goals are 1) become a reality TV icon and 2) survive the end times, so this felt like a two-for-one special.
I usually enjoy speculative reality TV stories with ambiguous endings, but this book kind of gave... entry-level. Like if I were grading it, I’d give it a C+—solid concept, some interesting themes, but the execution felt like it ran out of budget halfway through.
You can tell the author wanted to explore real issues—racism, misogyny, homophobia in reality TV—and I respect the attempt. For example, there’s a moment where the only Black woman expresses concern she’ll be paired with the only Black man just because they match skin tones. Real! Valid! And then… nothing. The moment just vanishes like someone said “racism exists” and then sat back down like it was handled.
Same with the queerness angle—there are a couple characters who express same-gender attraction, and the show’s fear of it is noted, but again… the narrative just throws a tarp over it and walks away. Like—are we confronting this or what?? If you’re gonna invite the elephant into the room, either talk to her or give her snacks. Don’t just let her hover awkwardly in the corner like a middle school substitute teacher.
It felt like watching someone go, “Look! A cockroach!” and then do nothing. Not stomp it, not spray it, not even trap it under a cup. Just letting it vibe out. And no offense to cockroach truthers, but I grew up with flying ones the size of small birds, so I do not play like that.
You get what I’m saying? The problems were pointed at, but never actually handled. It’s like if the book said, “This man is a misogynist,” and then expected me to give it a standing ovation for noticing. Like… yes?? Correct?? But now what??
Final Verdict:
This book had the bones of something great, but never really put meat on them. It felt like it wanted to be deep but got distracted by hot people making out in the apocalypse—and hey, same, but I needed a little more follow-through. Would I watch this as a Netflix show at 1 a.m. with a snack I’m ashamed of? Absolutely. Would I reread it? Probably not unless the world actually ends and I need something to barter with.
This book had the bones of something great, but never really put meat on them. It felt like it wanted to be deep but got distracted by hot people making out in the apocalypse—and hey, same, but I needed a little more follow-through. Would I watch this as a Netflix show at 1 a.m. with a snack I’m ashamed of? Absolutely. Would I reread it? Probably not unless the world actually ends and I need something to barter with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, War
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the desert, there's a compound. Ten women are there, waiting for ten men to arrive. When the men arrive (late and less one of their number), the game is afoot. Every person who is not sharing a bed with a member of the opposite sex when the sun rises is banished.
Everything is filmed, everything must be earned through tasks (communal or personal), and the contestants are punished for breaking any of the rules.
The Compound really doesn't read like a debut novel. It's assured and propulsive, and uses its premise to examine all kinds of social issues without losing any of its pace or bite.
The contestants are mostly interesting and well drawn, Lily especially so. She's hyperaware of how she looks, how she'll look on camera, the effect she's having on the men, and initially seems pretty shallow. Another blonde who lives and dies by her fashion magazines, who likes to be dolled up to the nines, and wants shiny things. She's not just that, though - people seldom really are what they seem on the surface.
Most of the contestants are morally grey and are nudged one way or another by the unseen producers. It's fun to see the manipulation, until it suddenly isn't and the tension ratchets up several gears.
The last third of the book is genuinely scary in places - it earns its comparison to Lord of the Flies.
I stayed up way too late (on a school night!) to finish this, and had trouble sleeping afterwards (complimentary). By rights, The Compound should be one of the buzziest books of the summer.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Everything is filmed, everything must be earned through tasks (communal or personal), and the contestants are punished for breaking any of the rules.
The Compound really doesn't read like a debut novel. It's assured and propulsive, and uses its premise to examine all kinds of social issues without losing any of its pace or bite.
The contestants are mostly interesting and well drawn, Lily especially so. She's hyperaware of how she looks, how she'll look on camera, the effect she's having on the men, and initially seems pretty shallow. Another blonde who lives and dies by her fashion magazines, who likes to be dolled up to the nines, and wants shiny things. She's not just that, though - people seldom really are what they seem on the surface.
Most of the contestants are morally grey and are nudged one way or another by the unseen producers. It's fun to see the manipulation, until it suddenly isn't and the tension ratchets up several gears.
The last third of the book is genuinely scary in places - it earns its comparison to Lord of the Flies.
I stayed up way too late (on a school night!) to finish this, and had trouble sleeping afterwards (complimentary). By rights, The Compound should be one of the buzziest books of the summer.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Sexual violence, Suicide, War