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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
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun one! I flew through this short and exciting read—what begins as a Love Island-style drama fest quickly becomes an exposé on the human psyche (so… Love Island). I loved the concept of the show, and I loved how Lily was your classic, selfish contestant, not the one who pretends to be otherwise. This would have been five stars if not for the ending—I felt it wrapped up way too quickly. We were gearing up for a deeper ending than what we got. Still, I would recommend this to anyone who consumes reality TV.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Infidelity, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Torture
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is just a very weird and creepy book, and I mean that in the best way possible. I guess I would categorize it as reality show dystopia?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Self harm, War
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a page turner for me! Since I'm not really a fan of reality TV, I wasn't sure if I would appreciate this one but kept hearing about it, so I gave it a try. I got hooked fast and mostly flew through it- except for a bit in the middle where I got tired of their daily life. I did not like the abrupt ending, but I know it had to be that way to keep the focus on what happens at the compound.
The characters themselves varied greatly, and though I often got irritated with Lily's voice, her passivity allowed us to see the other contestants more clearly. Lily herself is unapologetically there for the prizes. She is materialism and influencer life. She has no other depth to her, and though she sometimes get uncomfortable when her goal is revealed, she otherwise doesn't care.
I was worried about the dystopia/sci-fi feels, but they are so low key with small mentions of a "war" and references to "what's the point" of long term thoughts, that I didn't really notice it at all. It really is kept to life on the compound not the "real world."
I would suggest this as a book club book. There are many parts I wanted to discuss as I was reading.
Overall, this is a great summer read that leaves you with a lot to mull over. It won't be a favorite of the year for me, but I don't think I'll forget it any time soon.
There are some trigger warnings for confinement, blood, violence, vomit, physical abuse, cursing, etc.
There is also LGBT+ representation.
The characters themselves varied greatly, and though I often got irritated with Lily's voice, her passivity allowed us to see the other contestants more clearly. Lily herself is unapologetically there for the prizes. She is materialism and influencer life. She has no other depth to her, and though she sometimes get uncomfortable when her goal is revealed, she otherwise doesn't care.
I was worried about the dystopia/sci-fi feels, but they are so low key with small mentions of a "war" and references to "what's the point" of long term thoughts, that I didn't really notice it at all. It really is kept to life on the compound not the "real world."
I would suggest this as a book club book. There are many parts I wanted to discuss as I was reading.
Overall, this is a great summer read that leaves you with a lot to mull over. It won't be a favorite of the year for me, but I don't think I'll forget it any time soon.
There are some trigger warnings for confinement, blood, violence, vomit, physical abuse, cursing, etc.
There is also LGBT+ representation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Alcohol
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content
Minor: Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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
I was first drawn to this book for its comparison to Love Island meets Lord of the Flies. The book is set on a reality tv compound where 10 people compete to be the last one standing, completing tasks and earning rewards along the way (all while being watched by viewers at home). I ultimately felt like it was more like Big Brother with a hint of Hunger Games. It honestly didn’t get as dark and twisted as I was expecting, but I was fascinated by its comments on consumerism, greed, and backstabbing. How far would you go to win branded rewards? It seems to take place in a world slightly beyond our own, but it doesn’t seem all that far away.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Vomit, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Violence, Grief
I received an ARC from the publisher, Random House. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book hooked me right away!
THE RULES
1. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO DISCUSS THE SHOW.
2. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO DISCUSS LIFE OUTSIDE THE COMPOUND, UNLESS INSTRUCTED TO DO SO.
3. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO DISCLOSE YOUR PERSONAL TASKS.
4. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO HARM ANOTHER RESIDENT.
Lily finds herself in a compound far from civilization with 19 other contestants competing in a popular tv show. To win, you have to outlast every other contestant to stay at the Compound the longest. The contestants compete in challenges for house necessities and have personal side quests to get luxury items. Not only do you have to avoid getting voted out, but each night you face the risk of elimination if you aren’t partnered up— if you are not sharing a bed with someone of the opposite sex by sunrise you are gone.
Love begins to bloom between some of the players— but it’s hard to know inside the Compound who is genuine and who is just wanting their next prize. As the number of players dwindles down, the stakes begin to get higher. The players find themselves in increasingly terrifying situations—the producers surely wouldn’t let them die, right?
I really enjoyed this book and I did not want to put it down. Parts of the book felt like it dragged on, but overall I loved the pacing. The book ends very open ended which I really enjoy (as much as I dislike not knowing).
Overall, a great debut read!
This book hooked me right away!
THE RULES
1. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO DISCUSS THE SHOW.
2. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO DISCUSS LIFE OUTSIDE THE COMPOUND, UNLESS INSTRUCTED TO DO SO.
3. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO DISCLOSE YOUR PERSONAL TASKS.
4. IT IS FORBIDDEN TO HARM ANOTHER RESIDENT.
Lily finds herself in a compound far from civilization with 19 other contestants competing in a popular tv show. To win, you have to outlast every other contestant to stay at the Compound the longest. The contestants compete in challenges for house necessities and have personal side quests to get luxury items. Not only do you have to avoid getting voted out, but each night you face the risk of elimination if you aren’t partnered up— if you are not sharing a bed with someone of the opposite sex by sunrise you are gone.
Love begins to bloom between some of the players— but it’s hard to know inside the Compound who is genuine and who is just wanting their next prize. As the number of players dwindles down, the stakes begin to get higher. The players find themselves in increasingly terrifying situations—the producers surely wouldn’t let them die, right?
I really enjoyed this book and I did not want to put it down. Parts of the book felt like it dragged on, but overall I loved the pacing. The book ends very open ended which I really enjoy (as much as I dislike not knowing).
Overall, a great debut read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Infidelity, Blood
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
OMG what a book! This was such a unique story! I read the majority of it in one day.
Following the contestants of this dystopian-esque Love Island-meets-Lord-of-the-Flies reality show through the narrator, Lily’s, POV is incredibly gripping. The author keeps you guessing with what is happening next, and the tension between the characters builds so quickly and only made me read faster. The lengths some of them go to in order to win were horrifying and I could not look away. My only complaint is that the ending felt rushed, and somewhat anticlimactic. Really solid sci-fi horror novel!
Following the contestants of this dystopian-esque Love Island-meets-Lord-of-the-Flies reality show through the narrator, Lily’s, POV is incredibly gripping. The author keeps you guessing with what is happening next, and the tension between the characters builds so quickly and only made me read faster. The lengths some of them go to in order to win were horrifying and I could not look away. My only complaint is that the ending felt rushed, and somewhat anticlimactic. Really solid sci-fi horror novel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse
Minor: Infidelity