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willow_axolotl376's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Kidnapping
ginnylt's review against another edition
5.0
Ahhhhh I still have so many questions (and luckily I know the author so I shall be blowing up their phone with questions now). This book was a great beach read. Creepy, smart, but easy to get hooked into and crush in a few days.
purple676's review against another edition
3.0
there where some parts I enjoyed but the book also dragged a lot. Wasn’t exactly what I expected but it turned out Ok
jen286's review
1.0
I feel like for this book to work for you you have to just inherently think that lighthouses are spooky. I went into this wanting a great, creepy, atmospheric read and it really missed the mark for me. I don't feel like the author really set up the setting, I was just told things were scary, or people were worried about this or that, or this or that was happening, but I never saw it. I never felt it. It was just a lighthouse which in and of itself is not scary...but the book treated it like it was.
This is the story of a bunch of friends who go on a long weekend trip together to a remote lighthouse on an island. Now at the beginning we are told that one of the friends was telling ghost stories on the boat ride over and scaring some of the others, but it took forever before we the reader actually got one of these ghost stories. Just telling me there were ghosts stories? Not scary. Doesn't set up a good creepy atmosphere. Having ghost stories told about the island you are going to on the way to the island? Creepy. But only if they are spooky themselves and like I said we are told them! When we did finally get one of these ghost stories? It was...not really a ghost story. Or not a good one. There was not a great setup, no anticipation, nothing that would make you scared like when you sit around a campfire and try and scare each other on a camping trip. I was expecting more of that kind of story, but instead we just got a few lines of facts and...it didn't work for me.
The story was told from various points of view, but they all felt the same. It took a while to remember who everyone was and who was with whom and so on. Really no one really seemed like they liked anyone else, but I was expecting some of the strange behavior to have a reason behind it. If it did we are never told it (and no, I don't just mean that the one lady is an ex-girlfriend of the one guy and so there is some tension there). It was...an odd group of supposed friends.
The ending was really off as well. It didn't make any sense. What happened was completely unnecessary because there was no point. But then again these characters often made decisions throughout the book that made no sense so why would the ending be any different? Overall this story did not work on any level for me. But maybe if you think lighthouses are inherently spooky it would be a better read for you?
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book
This is the story of a bunch of friends who go on a long weekend trip together to a remote lighthouse on an island. Now at the beginning we are told that one of the friends was telling ghost stories on the boat ride over and scaring some of the others, but it took forever before we the reader actually got one of these ghost stories. Just telling me there were ghosts stories? Not scary. Doesn't set up a good creepy atmosphere. Having ghost stories told about the island you are going to on the way to the island? Creepy. But only if they are spooky themselves and like I said we are told them! When we did finally get one of these ghost stories? It was...not really a ghost story. Or not a good one. There was not a great setup, no anticipation, nothing that would make you scared like when you sit around a campfire and try and scare each other on a camping trip. I was expecting more of that kind of story, but instead we just got a few lines of facts and...it didn't work for me.
The story was told from various points of view, but they all felt the same. It took a while to remember who everyone was and who was with whom and so on. Really no one really seemed like they liked anyone else, but I was expecting some of the strange behavior to have a reason behind it. If it did we are never told it (and no, I don't just mean that the one lady is an ex-girlfriend of the one guy and so there is some tension there). It was...an odd group of supposed friends.
The ending was really off as well. It didn't make any sense. What happened was completely unnecessary because there was no point. But then again these characters often made decisions throughout the book that made no sense so why would the ending be any different? Overall this story did not work on any level for me. But maybe if you think lighthouses are inherently spooky it would be a better read for you?
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book
ren33bah's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
nixbix_reads's review
3.0
The location was the star of this story - so atmospheric & creepy! Once the group arrive on the island & settle in for their holiday, we start to see frictions between them, even within the couples. For me, I found the almost constant bickering made everyone pretty unlikable, and I was never really invested in any one character. I liked the slow building creepiness - the weather, the isolation, the items going missing - it just made me want to keep turning the page to see what was going to happen next. However, I felt that this build up was let down by the conclusion.
Thanks to Avon Books & NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Avon Books & NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was an entertaining read! At first it reminded me of a book I read recently...deserted island, a group of friends, lighthouse. However, it turned out to be completely different. Very atmospheric setting. A little spooky. A touch of the paranormal. A mystery that kept me engaged throughout. That said, I had a couple of niggles. One, I could not stand Kira and really wished someone had drop kicked her off a cliff. And second, the ending was super rushed and needed a few more pages to properly flesh it out. Overall though, this was a really enjoyable read and gets two thumbs up from yours truly!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
This was an entertaining read! At first it reminded me of a book I read recently...deserted island, a group of friends, lighthouse. However, it turned out to be completely different. Very atmospheric setting. A little spooky. A touch of the paranormal. A mystery that kept me engaged throughout. That said, I had a couple of niggles. One, I could not stand Kira and really wished someone had drop kicked her off a cliff. And second, the ending was super rushed and needed a few more pages to properly flesh it out. Overall though, this was a really enjoyable read and gets two thumbs up from yours truly!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
ms3194's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the advance readers copy.
A thriller about a group of friends who go away to relax to an lighthouse island but end up developing cabin fever syndrome. Is it just simmering tensions or is there really someone out to get them? Or something?
I cannot say no to horror/thriller about people being stuck together on desert islands! It's hard to go wrong with this formula because I think being away from civilisation and being stuck with anyone for prolonged periods of time brings out the worst in humans. And things are no different in this book.
The characters annoy each other, bicker and all know that something is wrong with the very place they're staying at. I liked how all the characters and their dynamics were written. It's not easy to write 6 people who you both like and dislike at the same time. Kudos!
I also liked the suspense, action and how I didn't know whom to believe till the end.
But the writing does get repetitive sometimes and for most of the book, nothing really happens.
So, a solid 3/5 from me.
A thriller about a group of friends who go away to relax to an lighthouse island but end up developing cabin fever syndrome. Is it just simmering tensions or is there really someone out to get them? Or something?
I cannot say no to horror/thriller about people being stuck together on desert islands! It's hard to go wrong with this formula because I think being away from civilisation and being stuck with anyone for prolonged periods of time brings out the worst in humans. And things are no different in this book.
The characters annoy each other, bicker and all know that something is wrong with the very place they're staying at. I liked how all the characters and their dynamics were written. It's not easy to write 6 people who you both like and dislike at the same time. Kudos!
I also liked the suspense, action and how I didn't know whom to believe till the end.
But the writing does get repetitive sometimes and for most of the book, nothing really happens.
So, a solid 3/5 from me.
chillsdon's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0