lukecuster 's review for:

Stranded by Sarah Goodwin

3.25

adventurous dark 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

---

Stranded by Sarah Goodwin was a gripping psychological thriller that pulled me in right from the start. The premise is irresistible: eight contestants agree to live on a remote Scottish island for a survival reality show, armed with only limited supplies and each other. Eighteen months later, only three remain, and one of them—Maddy—returns alone, terrified and haunted by whatever happened out there. The story unravels through her perspective, and I was completely wrapped up in it. The characters felt authentic, even if most of them were pretty unlikeable, which actually added to the tension. The book dives deep into how quickly societal norms can fall apart when there are no rules, and the group dynamics go from uneasy to truly disturbing in a way that kept me turning the pages. There were some truly unexpected twists that caught me off guard and added to the suspense.

If I have one complaint, it’s that the foreboding tone was a bit overdone—it’s a thriller, so we already know things are going to go sideways, and the heavy emphasis on that felt a little repetitive. Still, that’s a small thing compared to how riveted I was. I devoured most of the book in one sitting. The whole time, I couldn’t stop thinking about Castaway, Lord of the Flies, and even Survivor, and I weirdly had that “castaways, we are castaways” song stuck in my head. This isn’t a perfect thriller, but it’s a damn good one—fast-paced, eerie, and thought-provoking.