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Reckless Girls
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.
Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.
But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.
When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.
When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.
Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.
But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.
When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 4, 2022
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June 14, 2024
I'm super confused. I thought Reckless Girls was a mystery/thriller. But in that case, what book did I just read?
I thought I was promised a story about six people on an island, cut off from all civilization and help. At first, everything is perfect and they all think it's paradise. But slowly, strange things start to happen and of course, there is no escape. So you mean a locked-room mystery on an island? Say no more!
Except, I honestly couldn't find the mystery or anything resembling a thriller in here. Where is the tension and suspense? Or the crime? Or even a victim?
Instead, for the vast majority of this book, we follow a bunch of shallow twenty-somethings as they preen, try to get in each other's pants, swear a lot while saying the blandest things (which cannot possibly meet the bar for dialogue worthy of being in a book), and stir up drama out of nothing. It was so dull and petty. It's like reality TV, but not one I would actually watch because the people are boring and nothing is going on.
Then, in the last 50 pages, a frenzy of action happens, as if the book suddenly realizes it's time to wrap up. So it throws out one crazy development after another, with such rapid speed that I was afraid I would blink and miss it all. I definitely didn't see them coming, I'll give you that, but that's because the whole thing is ridiculous and doesn't make any sense.
After I was done with the book, I read the official blurb more carefully, and it makes a reference to Agatha Christie. Ah, all of a sudden, it makes more sense, at least what Rachel Hawkins was trying to do. But unfortunately, I fear the great dame would have rolled over in her grave had she seen this misappropriation of one of her classics.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
The Wife Upstairs
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
I thought I was promised a story about six people on an island, cut off from all civilization and help. At first, everything is perfect and they all think it's paradise. But slowly, strange things start to happen and of course, there is no escape. So you mean a locked-room mystery on an island? Say no more!
Except, I honestly couldn't find the mystery or anything resembling a thriller in here. Where is the tension and suspense? Or the crime? Or even a victim?
Instead, for the vast majority of this book, we follow a bunch of shallow twenty-somethings as they preen, try to get in each other's pants, swear a lot while saying the blandest things (which cannot possibly meet the bar for dialogue worthy of being in a book), and stir up drama out of nothing. It was so dull and petty. It's like reality TV, but not one I would actually watch because the people are boring and nothing is going on.
Then, in the last 50 pages, a frenzy of action happens, as if the book suddenly realizes it's time to wrap up. So it throws out one crazy development after another, with such rapid speed that I was afraid I would blink and miss it all. I definitely didn't see them coming, I'll give you that, but that's because the whole thing is ridiculous and doesn't make any sense.
After I was done with the book, I read the official blurb more carefully, and it makes a reference to Agatha Christie. Ah, all of a sudden, it makes more sense, at least what Rachel Hawkins was trying to do. But unfortunately, I fear the great dame would have rolled over in her grave had she seen this misappropriation of one of her classics.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
The Wife Upstairs
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
January 4, 2024
Stayed up until 4 am - Could not put this down!
Lux McAllister is drifting. Working a waitress job in San Diego, she jumps at the chance when handsome Nico asks her to come with him on a worldwide adventure. She follows him to Hawaii and finds herself cleaning hotel rooms for crazy tourists as money has run tight. Then, two women waltz into Nico and Lux's life, Amma and Brittany, and want to hire them to take them to a remote island for a truly unique vacation experience. Getting paid to sail? Going to a perfect island away from all of the hustle and bustle of the world? Too good to pass up, the four of them head out to Meroe Island. But the island has some secrets and so do the visitors. Who will escape from Meroe Island?
Rachel Hawkins, the author of The Wife Upstairs, does it again! Reckless Girls is highly addictive and is the definition of a page turner. The first 10% of the book was incredibly strong, a great opening. Then, between 10% to 50%, there is a bit of a ramp-up period (it takes a bit of time for the book to hit its stride), but after the 50% mark, WOW, I constantly wanted to know how each new surprise would turn out. Reckless Girl was highly entertaining which reigns supreme for me.
Overall, if you want a highly entertaining, addictive story, pick this book up! Be sure to clear your schedule first.
*Thank you, NetGalley, for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
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Lux McAllister is drifting. Working a waitress job in San Diego, she jumps at the chance when handsome Nico asks her to come with him on a worldwide adventure. She follows him to Hawaii and finds herself cleaning hotel rooms for crazy tourists as money has run tight. Then, two women waltz into Nico and Lux's life, Amma and Brittany, and want to hire them to take them to a remote island for a truly unique vacation experience. Getting paid to sail? Going to a perfect island away from all of the hustle and bustle of the world? Too good to pass up, the four of them head out to Meroe Island. But the island has some secrets and so do the visitors. Who will escape from Meroe Island?
Rachel Hawkins, the author of The Wife Upstairs, does it again! Reckless Girls is highly addictive and is the definition of a page turner. The first 10% of the book was incredibly strong, a great opening. Then, between 10% to 50%, there is a bit of a ramp-up period (it takes a bit of time for the book to hit its stride), but after the 50% mark, WOW, I constantly wanted to know how each new surprise would turn out. Reckless Girl was highly entertaining which reigns supreme for me.
Overall, if you want a highly entertaining, addictive story, pick this book up! Be sure to clear your schedule first.
*Thank you, NetGalley, for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
January 5, 2022
Let’s get reckless and do a math review, shall we?
+15 points = That cover! You’re going to pick this up with the expectation that it’ll be a page-turning beach read, right? Well good news! What you see is what you get.
+15 points = The setting. Reckless Girls is a “locked island” thriller that plops seven 20-something characters on a remote South Pacific island where some creepy things have happened in the past. It’s like “Bachelor in Paradise” meets “The Island of Doctor Moreau” (minus Marlon Brando in pancake makeup and a mumu, praise jeebus).
+70 points = Length + suspense. This book can, and easily might be, binged all in one go. I had a hard time putting it down after I started and finished it in a day.
-5 points = The colorful-yet-uncreative language. So many F-bombs are dropped it’s a wonder the entire island doesn’t explode. 206 of them to be exact.
-5 points = The title. Fine, I guess the girls here are reckless, but the men sure aren’t any better. It just as easily could have been called D-Bag Guys. Not a good one in the bunch.
-10 points = The ending. After a very twisty and complicated plot, readers are left with a final act that wraps things up The Lamest Way Possible. (See my Goodreads bio for hint/spoiler.) Seriously??? Sigh.
Extra credit = The audiobook. Narrator Barrie Kreinik is new to me, but I will most definitely be looking up what else she’s done. Her skill taking on the voices of multiple characters with varying accents and genders is worth a round of applause. I highly recommend this format, though you’ll miss out on the Acknowledgements at the end of the print/ebook version where Hawkins shares that Reckless Girls was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to write a “boat murder” book.
3.5 stars rounded up
My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted review copies.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
+15 points = That cover! You’re going to pick this up with the expectation that it’ll be a page-turning beach read, right? Well good news! What you see is what you get.
+15 points = The setting. Reckless Girls is a “locked island” thriller that plops seven 20-something characters on a remote South Pacific island where some creepy things have happened in the past. It’s like “Bachelor in Paradise” meets “The Island of Doctor Moreau” (minus Marlon Brando in pancake makeup and a mumu, praise jeebus).
+70 points = Length + suspense. This book can, and easily might be, binged all in one go. I had a hard time putting it down after I started and finished it in a day.
-5 points = The colorful-yet-uncreative language. So many F-bombs are dropped it’s a wonder the entire island doesn’t explode. 206 of them to be exact.
-5 points = The title. Fine, I guess the girls here are reckless, but the men sure aren’t any better. It just as easily could have been called D-Bag Guys. Not a good one in the bunch.
-10 points = The ending. After a very twisty and complicated plot, readers are left with a final act that wraps things up The Lamest Way Possible. (See my Goodreads bio for hint/spoiler.) Seriously??? Sigh.
Extra credit = The audiobook. Narrator Barrie Kreinik is new to me, but I will most definitely be looking up what else she’s done. Her skill taking on the voices of multiple characters with varying accents and genders is worth a round of applause. I highly recommend this format, though you’ll miss out on the Acknowledgements at the end of the print/ebook version where Hawkins shares that Reckless Girls was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to write a “boat murder” book.
3.5 stars rounded up
My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted review copies.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
August 7, 2024
**4.5-stars**
🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛
After Lux follows her new love, Nico, to Maui, things don't necessarily go as the couple had initially intended.
Their dreams of sailing the world on Nico's boat, The Susannah, get derailed after a minor accident damages the hull.
Without money to do the repairs, Lux ends up at a dead end job cleaning luxury hotels, while Nico slowly works at getting Susannah sea-worthy again.
At the boat yard one day, Nico is approached by two college-aged women, Amma and Brittany, whose charter boat had fallen through. They want to go to the deserted island of Meroe for a two-week, off the grid adventure.
They offer Nico a huge sum of money to take them there and back. He agrees, but only if Lux can come along as well. The more the merrier they claim, so a plan is developed.
The girls are able to pay, which is half the battle, so Nico has no problems repairing what he needs to in order for them to embark on their journey.
Before they know it, they are reaching Meroe, an island with a very dark past. Unfortunately, they aren't the only people who wanted to unwind there, as there is a very attractive, obviously wealthy couple already anchored in the harbor.
Eliza and Jake, the wealthy couple, welcome the newcomers with open arms, even throwing a first night party. Their yacht, the Azure Sky, is obviously fully stocked for weeks of entertainment.
As the days pass, the group spends all of their time together and bond quickly. What an experience to share, am I right?
But when a creepy stranger arrives, the island becomes too crowded and tensions rise.
With this new tension, the original six begin to crack. As their extreme isolation becomes more evident, and secrets start to be revealed, it becomes clear that their island oasis is not the paradise they thought it was.
Reckless Girls is a slow burn. One I would argue is 100% worth it. Reflecting back on the story as a whole, I actually think it is perfectly paced.
After our traveling group gets to Meroe, meets up with Jake and Eliza, and the six begin to get to know one another, you sort of get lulled into a sense of relaxation.
There wasn't much tension, or drama, at that point. Around the 40% mark, I thought, where is this going? It just felt like vacation.
Once one element was changed though, an additional person showing up at Meroe, things rapidly escalated from that point.
The tension continued to build, until the island felt extremely claustrophobic. I could feel it closing in around me and on the characters I had unknowingly become attached to. Things get crazy.
The way people were acting, it was almost like the island itself was driving people to the brink of madness. They were so separated from the real world, it was like rules no longer existed.
This was a wild ride. Once it started cranking, I couldn't put it down. The twists, betrayals and shocking revelations kept me glued to the pages. I never would have guessed the ultimate conclusion and I had a lot of fun with it.
I think this is the perfect book to read while you dream of a tropical getaway. After this one, you may realize, your life isn't so bad after all.
Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a blast with this one.
I can't stop thinking about it!!
🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛🌺💛
After Lux follows her new love, Nico, to Maui, things don't necessarily go as the couple had initially intended.
Their dreams of sailing the world on Nico's boat, The Susannah, get derailed after a minor accident damages the hull.
Without money to do the repairs, Lux ends up at a dead end job cleaning luxury hotels, while Nico slowly works at getting Susannah sea-worthy again.
At the boat yard one day, Nico is approached by two college-aged women, Amma and Brittany, whose charter boat had fallen through. They want to go to the deserted island of Meroe for a two-week, off the grid adventure.
They offer Nico a huge sum of money to take them there and back. He agrees, but only if Lux can come along as well. The more the merrier they claim, so a plan is developed.
The girls are able to pay, which is half the battle, so Nico has no problems repairing what he needs to in order for them to embark on their journey.
Before they know it, they are reaching Meroe, an island with a very dark past. Unfortunately, they aren't the only people who wanted to unwind there, as there is a very attractive, obviously wealthy couple already anchored in the harbor.
Eliza and Jake, the wealthy couple, welcome the newcomers with open arms, even throwing a first night party. Their yacht, the Azure Sky, is obviously fully stocked for weeks of entertainment.
As the days pass, the group spends all of their time together and bond quickly. What an experience to share, am I right?
But when a creepy stranger arrives, the island becomes too crowded and tensions rise.
With this new tension, the original six begin to crack. As their extreme isolation becomes more evident, and secrets start to be revealed, it becomes clear that their island oasis is not the paradise they thought it was.
Reckless Girls is a slow burn. One I would argue is 100% worth it. Reflecting back on the story as a whole, I actually think it is perfectly paced.
After our traveling group gets to Meroe, meets up with Jake and Eliza, and the six begin to get to know one another, you sort of get lulled into a sense of relaxation.
There wasn't much tension, or drama, at that point. Around the 40% mark, I thought, where is this going? It just felt like vacation.
Once one element was changed though, an additional person showing up at Meroe, things rapidly escalated from that point.
The tension continued to build, until the island felt extremely claustrophobic. I could feel it closing in around me and on the characters I had unknowingly become attached to. Things get crazy.
The way people were acting, it was almost like the island itself was driving people to the brink of madness. They were so separated from the real world, it was like rules no longer existed.
This was a wild ride. Once it started cranking, I couldn't put it down. The twists, betrayals and shocking revelations kept me glued to the pages. I never would have guessed the ultimate conclusion and I had a lot of fun with it.
I think this is the perfect book to read while you dream of a tropical getaway. After this one, you may realize, your life isn't so bad after all.
Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a blast with this one.
I can't stop thinking about it!!
August 11, 2021
“What am I when you strip everything else away? I’m a motherfucking survivor.”
3.5 stars
Reckless Girls is a tension-packed read about a group of mostly entitled 20 somethings who stumble upon each other during a trip to a remote island. What starts off as a fun journey filled with alcohol and beautiful people becomes a dangerous and sinister stay that leads to murder.
After Lux meets Nico while waitressing at a restaurant in San Diego, she follows him to Hawaii with the idea that they will sail around the world. However, due to some setbacks, she finds herself a hotel maid at an elite resort. When Nico is offered the opportunity to charter two friends Brittany and Amma, to a mysterious and remote island, both he and Lux jump at the chance. When the foursome arrives at Meroe Island, they find a luxury boat docked and occupied by Eliza and Jack. The six bond quickly, but what starts off as fun turns chaotic and deathly dangerous.
This book sucked me in from the start, but it lags in the middle and then takes a crazy and unexpected turn.
I was drawn to Lux’s voice; she makes a compelling narrator. Additional POVs are shared through flashbacks that took place a few years before the island adventure. The reader sees not only how Lux met Nico but also how their charter guests, Brittany and Amma, met. Through old diaries, letters, and emails, the reader learns the dark history of Meroe Island.
The strongest part of this book is the atmospheric island setting. The island stokes the tension between characters and adds an additional layer of suspense to the events. I felt the eerie creepiness through the pages. It is clear that something is off about Meroe Island, and Hawkins captures that feeling.
I am still not sure how I feel about the ending. Part of it is because I wasn’t expecting it, and I was reading this book the wrong way; the other part is because it reeks of plot holes and implausibility. It goes off the rails and gets messy! At the same time, I admire it because this book took me somewhere unexpected. To fully buy it and embrace the change, I think I would need more of Lux and Eliza’s backstories.
As a jaded thriller reader, I am rarely surprised about how things play out, and this book did surprise me, which was a win. At the same time, it didn’t quite work. Pay attention to the title--it holds a lot of meaning!
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
Reckless Girls is a tension-packed read about a group of mostly entitled 20 somethings who stumble upon each other during a trip to a remote island. What starts off as a fun journey filled with alcohol and beautiful people becomes a dangerous and sinister stay that leads to murder.
After Lux meets Nico while waitressing at a restaurant in San Diego, she follows him to Hawaii with the idea that they will sail around the world. However, due to some setbacks, she finds herself a hotel maid at an elite resort. When Nico is offered the opportunity to charter two friends Brittany and Amma, to a mysterious and remote island, both he and Lux jump at the chance. When the foursome arrives at Meroe Island, they find a luxury boat docked and occupied by Eliza and Jack. The six bond quickly, but what starts off as fun turns chaotic and deathly dangerous.
This book sucked me in from the start, but it lags in the middle and then takes a crazy and unexpected turn.
I was drawn to Lux’s voice; she makes a compelling narrator. Additional POVs are shared through flashbacks that took place a few years before the island adventure. The reader sees not only how Lux met Nico but also how their charter guests, Brittany and Amma, met. Through old diaries, letters, and emails, the reader learns the dark history of Meroe Island.
The strongest part of this book is the atmospheric island setting. The island stokes the tension between characters and adds an additional layer of suspense to the events. I felt the eerie creepiness through the pages. It is clear that something is off about Meroe Island, and Hawkins captures that feeling.
I am still not sure how I feel about the ending. Part of it is because I wasn’t expecting it, and I was reading this book the wrong way; the other part is because it reeks of plot holes and implausibility. It goes off the rails and gets messy! At the same time, I admire it because this book took me somewhere unexpected. To fully buy it and embrace the change, I think I would need more of Lux and Eliza’s backstories.
As a jaded thriller reader, I am rarely surprised about how things play out, and this book did surprise me, which was a win. At the same time, it didn’t quite work. Pay attention to the title--it holds a lot of meaning!
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2023
Okay, a little semi unpopular review is about to come up!
Firstly, I want to talk about things I truly enjoyed about my reading. Then I will explain why I got disappointed and fell out of love with this book!!!
It is delicious combination Di Caprio’s Beach meets Lost Tv series ( a.k.a worst ending series in the TV history) with Lord of Flies, And Then There Were None and a little Dead to Me vibes ) Amma and Brittany’s story)
Claustrophobic island theme is always a big winner for me: think about a haunted place called Meroe Island which is best known for the shipwreck that gave it is name. Up until World War II, sailors of HMS Meroe were marooned on this place and eventually some of them turned into cannibals to massacre the rest of sailors to survive. Only 8 of them survived, convicted and hanged.Did you get hooked? I was definitely sold as soon as I read this info!
Our story takes place in the same place. 6 people’s paths crossed on the island. They seem like vacationers, adventurers whose ages range from 22 to 30! All of them are running from something: their past mistakes, grief, losses, redemption etc.
Let’s introduce the characters one by one and tell who they chose to gather at the weirdest place to have their life changing journeys.
Lux, 25 years old, dropped out of college to take of her sick mother who lost her battle to the big C, working at waitressing jobs to make ends meet because her a.hole father remarried and he did nothing to support his child.
When she meets golden boy Nico, charming, reckless, adventurous boy, who is coming from wealthy family, having recent quarrel with his parents, planning to sail to Hawaii, Lux’s life completely changes. She follows him to Hawaii. As he is having time of his life, she works as maid at a hotel to save the money to repair their boat.
The day she is sagged, Nico gives her brilliant news( actually this is argumentative) He got an offer from two college besties: Amma and Brittany to sail them to Mereo Island (actually it is not an island, it is an atoll. )
They offered him fifty grand. The plan is simple: instead of taking fifty, the girls will pay for repairs of their boat Susannah and after they leave the girls on the island, they can go anywhere they want. They don’t need to stuck in Maui.
Brittany gives friendly, social Golden Retriever vibes from the beginning, as Amma is more introvert, observant, cold and she seems like getting too friendly with Nico. ( sneaky bi*ch alert! )
Well, at least when they arrive to the island, they will never have to see them again. But their plans change as soon as they realize they are not alone at this place. A rich and charming Aussie man and his gorgeous boyfriend already started their own party. Jake and Eliza seem like nice and loaded. They also like to share their goodies and lots of booze. So they both stay and join them.
But when a stranger joins their party: their perfect friendship starts crumbling. The lies they told, the secret they kept start to come out! The island brings out their inner demons and when all hell breaks loose, their exciting adventure turns into a vicious massacre that only one of them could survive!
Well:
Pros:
Claustrophobic island theme, heart throbbing pace, intriguing before-now time lines
Tragic back stories of three characters
Riveting mystery keeping you in your toes
Cons:
I was so close to give five stars to this book but the entire last third of the story was wobbling, bumpy road. The big revelation of the story was a little bit nonsense for me. I screamed to my ereader in the middle of the night ( the book was so intriguing and I stayed up all night and went to bad while I was still cursing to the ending! )
“What whattttt! Is this it! No it can’t! I want better explanation! It needs alternative twist! “
I think the author pushed too hard to create that big scheme. The message behind the characters’ motive was powerful but the execution was not good enough. There were still so many loop holes.
I still devoured this book in one sit. Its ending was not as bad as Lost TV series but I think this brilliant author whose entire books were devoured by me can wrap up the entire story with more satisfying conclusion.
I was expecting more! Especially the promising beginning and riveting pacing gave me so much hope. So I stick with my solid three stars.
I’m looking forward to read next work of the author. I’m sure the next one will be better!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Firstly, I want to talk about things I truly enjoyed about my reading. Then I will explain why I got disappointed and fell out of love with this book!!!
It is delicious combination Di Caprio’s Beach meets Lost Tv series ( a.k.a worst ending series in the TV history) with Lord of Flies, And Then There Were None and a little Dead to Me vibes ) Amma and Brittany’s story)
Claustrophobic island theme is always a big winner for me: think about a haunted place called Meroe Island which is best known for the shipwreck that gave it is name. Up until World War II, sailors of HMS Meroe were marooned on this place and eventually some of them turned into cannibals to massacre the rest of sailors to survive. Only 8 of them survived, convicted and hanged.Did you get hooked? I was definitely sold as soon as I read this info!
Our story takes place in the same place. 6 people’s paths crossed on the island. They seem like vacationers, adventurers whose ages range from 22 to 30! All of them are running from something: their past mistakes, grief, losses, redemption etc.
Let’s introduce the characters one by one and tell who they chose to gather at the weirdest place to have their life changing journeys.
Lux, 25 years old, dropped out of college to take of her sick mother who lost her battle to the big C, working at waitressing jobs to make ends meet because her a.hole father remarried and he did nothing to support his child.
When she meets golden boy Nico, charming, reckless, adventurous boy, who is coming from wealthy family, having recent quarrel with his parents, planning to sail to Hawaii, Lux’s life completely changes. She follows him to Hawaii. As he is having time of his life, she works as maid at a hotel to save the money to repair their boat.
The day she is sagged, Nico gives her brilliant news( actually this is argumentative) He got an offer from two college besties: Amma and Brittany to sail them to Mereo Island (actually it is not an island, it is an atoll. )
They offered him fifty grand. The plan is simple: instead of taking fifty, the girls will pay for repairs of their boat Susannah and after they leave the girls on the island, they can go anywhere they want. They don’t need to stuck in Maui.
Brittany gives friendly, social Golden Retriever vibes from the beginning, as Amma is more introvert, observant, cold and she seems like getting too friendly with Nico. ( sneaky bi*ch alert! )
Well, at least when they arrive to the island, they will never have to see them again. But their plans change as soon as they realize they are not alone at this place. A rich and charming Aussie man and his gorgeous boyfriend already started their own party. Jake and Eliza seem like nice and loaded. They also like to share their goodies and lots of booze. So they both stay and join them.
But when a stranger joins their party: their perfect friendship starts crumbling. The lies they told, the secret they kept start to come out! The island brings out their inner demons and when all hell breaks loose, their exciting adventure turns into a vicious massacre that only one of them could survive!
Well:
Pros:
Claustrophobic island theme, heart throbbing pace, intriguing before-now time lines
Tragic back stories of three characters
Riveting mystery keeping you in your toes
Cons:
I was so close to give five stars to this book but the entire last third of the story was wobbling, bumpy road. The big revelation of the story was a little bit nonsense for me. I screamed to my ereader in the middle of the night ( the book was so intriguing and I stayed up all night and went to bad while I was still cursing to the ending! )
“What whattttt! Is this it! No it can’t! I want better explanation! It needs alternative twist! “
I think the author pushed too hard to create that big scheme. The message behind the characters’ motive was powerful but the execution was not good enough. There were still so many loop holes.
I still devoured this book in one sit. Its ending was not as bad as Lost TV series but I think this brilliant author whose entire books were devoured by me can wrap up the entire story with more satisfying conclusion.
I was expecting more! Especially the promising beginning and riveting pacing gave me so much hope. So I stick with my solid three stars.
I’m looking forward to read next work of the author. I’m sure the next one will be better!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
November 10, 2022
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
Usually I don't enjoy stories where I feel like the characters make a lot of unwise decisions. But, with the title of Reckless Girls, what did I expect? In this case, I enjoyed this story of several 20-something women living life on the wild-ish side. It was towards the very end of the novel that the story really goes lopsided, far fetched, and over the top.
Lux's life has been difficult since she had to drop out of college to care for her dying mother. Once her mother died she drifted until she met Nico, a rich guy with his own boat. Lux has always wanted to travel the world and Nico gives her a glimpse of a better life. It's only a year later, when two young women hire Nico to take them to a Meroe Island, that Lux and Nico finally start their adventure, with paying passengers.
Brittany and Amma give Lux a chance of having girlfriends again, even if it's just for the duration of the trip. Lux misses the camaraderie of girlfriends from her college days, girlfriends who all fell to the wayside when Lux had to quit college and care for her mother. But once at the island, there is already an anchored boat. And then days later a very skeevy guy shows up in a another boat. Dynamics go from casual partying to something else, with a boatload of secrets among the group, threatening to erupt.
This story is full of atmosphere, from a couple of days at sea, a dangerous storm, the claustrophobia of four people on a small boat, and then the beauty of an unpopulated atoll, away from jobs, phones, and responsibilities. But into this blissfulness we have bits and pieces of back story of most of the characters and it's obvious that one or more of these people are wearing masks, hiding their true selves. I was so interested in watching where things were going, rushing through the pages entranced, and then things go bonkers, leaving me a bit stunned and wishing I could fill some plot holes with answers. Still, my overall enjoyment of the story left me mostly satisfied but landlocked forever.
Pub January 4, 2022
Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Publishers Reading Insiders Club and NetGalley for this ARC.
Usually I don't enjoy stories where I feel like the characters make a lot of unwise decisions. But, with the title of Reckless Girls, what did I expect? In this case, I enjoyed this story of several 20-something women living life on the wild-ish side. It was towards the very end of the novel that the story really goes lopsided, far fetched, and over the top.
Lux's life has been difficult since she had to drop out of college to care for her dying mother. Once her mother died she drifted until she met Nico, a rich guy with his own boat. Lux has always wanted to travel the world and Nico gives her a glimpse of a better life. It's only a year later, when two young women hire Nico to take them to a Meroe Island, that Lux and Nico finally start their adventure, with paying passengers.
Brittany and Amma give Lux a chance of having girlfriends again, even if it's just for the duration of the trip. Lux misses the camaraderie of girlfriends from her college days, girlfriends who all fell to the wayside when Lux had to quit college and care for her mother. But once at the island, there is already an anchored boat. And then days later a very skeevy guy shows up in a another boat. Dynamics go from casual partying to something else, with a boatload of secrets among the group, threatening to erupt.
This story is full of atmosphere, from a couple of days at sea, a dangerous storm, the claustrophobia of four people on a small boat, and then the beauty of an unpopulated atoll, away from jobs, phones, and responsibilities. But into this blissfulness we have bits and pieces of back story of most of the characters and it's obvious that one or more of these people are wearing masks, hiding their true selves. I was so interested in watching where things were going, rushing through the pages entranced, and then things go bonkers, leaving me a bit stunned and wishing I could fill some plot holes with answers. Still, my overall enjoyment of the story left me mostly satisfied but landlocked forever.
Pub January 4, 2022
Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Publishers Reading Insiders Club and NetGalley for this ARC.
January 4, 2022
***HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY***
First let me clarify that a 3* from me means the book was good, just not a great read for me!!
This was one of my most anticipated novels, and well, I was disappointed!!! Here’s a summary and my thoughts.
Meet our first RECKLESS GIRL! Lux is our narrator; she and her mom had moved to San Diego after her parents divorced. Her dad has a new job and a new family.
She took a year off from college to care for her ailing mom. After her mother died she has no money and is working a waitressing job now just to get by. She meets charismatic Nico. Nico is sailing to Maui and invites Lux to join him there and they will explore the world together.
Things don’t work out quite that way and Lux is now cleaning hotel rooms to pay for boat repairs while Nico spends a lot of time with his boat and whatever he feels like doing!! She has exchanged one horrid job situation for another, but she loves Nico, right?????
Just when Lux has been fired from her job, enter our next RECKLESS GIRLS!!!
Brittany and Amma, besties since college, have been doing a lot of traveling. Now they want to hire Nico for $50,000 to take them to an isolated island in the Pacific, they want an ADVENTURE, which they will have!!
They pay for the repairs to Nico’s boat and also bond with Lux, so she’s along for the ride as well.
Once they arrive on Mereo they are quickly joined by another couple of adventurers!
Enter our next RECKLESS girl, Elisa. Elisa and her boyfriend Jake, have a beautiful catamaran with lots of booze and food. These six are having a good time on the island until a stranger in an old sailboat arrives.
Robbie just wants to have fun, eat their food and drink their beer. He’s a basic moocher and they will have to do something about him.
Now you have everyone here on this beautiful island which quickly becomes what I’d call a “locked room” mystery. You know how these usually go right????
My expectations were high for this one as I loved the author’s previous book “The Wife Upstairs”. I couldn’t find one character in this book that I cared about, NOT ONE!! I had no one to root for!!!!!!!
This book definitely had me turning the pages and there were some good twists but it wasn’t enough to really get me excited. The ending didn’t improve my feelings about this one!!
If you like locked room mysteries and just want a quick read with some thrills, you will enjoy this novel.
The novel is set to publish on January 4, 2022.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin’s, through Edelweiss.
First let me clarify that a 3* from me means the book was good, just not a great read for me!!
This was one of my most anticipated novels, and well, I was disappointed!!! Here’s a summary and my thoughts.
Meet our first RECKLESS GIRL! Lux is our narrator; she and her mom had moved to San Diego after her parents divorced. Her dad has a new job and a new family.
She took a year off from college to care for her ailing mom. After her mother died she has no money and is working a waitressing job now just to get by. She meets charismatic Nico. Nico is sailing to Maui and invites Lux to join him there and they will explore the world together.
Things don’t work out quite that way and Lux is now cleaning hotel rooms to pay for boat repairs while Nico spends a lot of time with his boat and whatever he feels like doing!! She has exchanged one horrid job situation for another, but she loves Nico, right?????
Just when Lux has been fired from her job, enter our next RECKLESS GIRLS!!!
Brittany and Amma, besties since college, have been doing a lot of traveling. Now they want to hire Nico for $50,000 to take them to an isolated island in the Pacific, they want an ADVENTURE, which they will have!!
They pay for the repairs to Nico’s boat and also bond with Lux, so she’s along for the ride as well.
Once they arrive on Mereo they are quickly joined by another couple of adventurers!
Enter our next RECKLESS girl, Elisa. Elisa and her boyfriend Jake, have a beautiful catamaran with lots of booze and food. These six are having a good time on the island until a stranger in an old sailboat arrives.
Robbie just wants to have fun, eat their food and drink their beer. He’s a basic moocher and they will have to do something about him.
Now you have everyone here on this beautiful island which quickly becomes what I’d call a “locked room” mystery. You know how these usually go right????
My expectations were high for this one as I loved the author’s previous book “The Wife Upstairs”. I couldn’t find one character in this book that I cared about, NOT ONE!! I had no one to root for!!!!!!!
This book definitely had me turning the pages and there were some good twists but it wasn’t enough to really get me excited. The ending didn’t improve my feelings about this one!!
If you like locked room mysteries and just want a quick read with some thrills, you will enjoy this novel.
The novel is set to publish on January 4, 2022.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin’s, through Edelweiss.
January 4, 2022
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
Lux and her boyfriend, Nico, aren’t exactly living the life of luxury in Hawaii. In fact, when Lux followed him there from California, she thought they were going to be cruising on his boat, traveling the world via the Pacific and just enjoying each other’s company. Things don’t go according to plan.
Then, one day Nico meets two young women, besties Brittany and Amma, who offer to pay him $50,000 to take them (via boat) to a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific so they can continue their whirlwind vacation. Lux meets the women and immediately bonds with them. She’s going to go on the trip as well, and looks forward to a couple weeks off-grid on the island.
Unfortunately, this group of folks aren’t the only ones who have the idea of inhabiting the island, and they find another couple with a boat already anchored on arrival. Eliza and Jake are an attractive, rich couple. Luckily, the six of them quickly become friends and enjoy wine, delicious food, and plenty of sun and fun.
Everything is groovy until a mysterious and ill-mannered stranger sails to the island...and things start to unravel.
My anticipation for this one was high after reading and loving author Rachel Hawkins’s The Wife Upstairs. This book is very different in tone, but still so good for the most part. There’s an underlying sense of suspense, and it’s hard to pinpoint the sense of unease in the air, but you’ll detect it just as you can feel the suffocating heat of the sun that these characters endure while exploring the island.
The atmospheric and rich writing made this a hard one to put down. I couldn’t wait to see where it was going. Unfortunately, where it was going was when the book fell apart in my opinion. I didn’t buy the direction the plot (and some characters) went in, and I wasn’t thrilled with the ending. It felt a bit silly and lackluster to me. But, maybe it’s just me. Others may enjoy the denouement. 🤷
Overall, this is another solid read from the author, and I savored it for the most part. In the acknowledgements section, Hawkins explains that she has been wanting to write a “boat murder” book since she was 12 years old. I’m thrilled she finally got her wish.
This would be the perfect beach read, and would pair well with a mixed drink and plenty of sunscreen. Expected publication date: 1/4/22 (definitely not beach weather where I live).
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
Lux and her boyfriend, Nico, aren’t exactly living the life of luxury in Hawaii. In fact, when Lux followed him there from California, she thought they were going to be cruising on his boat, traveling the world via the Pacific and just enjoying each other’s company. Things don’t go according to plan.
Then, one day Nico meets two young women, besties Brittany and Amma, who offer to pay him $50,000 to take them (via boat) to a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific so they can continue their whirlwind vacation. Lux meets the women and immediately bonds with them. She’s going to go on the trip as well, and looks forward to a couple weeks off-grid on the island.
Unfortunately, this group of folks aren’t the only ones who have the idea of inhabiting the island, and they find another couple with a boat already anchored on arrival. Eliza and Jake are an attractive, rich couple. Luckily, the six of them quickly become friends and enjoy wine, delicious food, and plenty of sun and fun.
Everything is groovy until a mysterious and ill-mannered stranger sails to the island...and things start to unravel.
My anticipation for this one was high after reading and loving author Rachel Hawkins’s The Wife Upstairs. This book is very different in tone, but still so good for the most part. There’s an underlying sense of suspense, and it’s hard to pinpoint the sense of unease in the air, but you’ll detect it just as you can feel the suffocating heat of the sun that these characters endure while exploring the island.
The atmospheric and rich writing made this a hard one to put down. I couldn’t wait to see where it was going. Unfortunately, where it was going was when the book fell apart in my opinion. I didn’t buy the direction the plot (and some characters) went in, and I wasn’t thrilled with the ending. It felt a bit silly and lackluster to me. But, maybe it’s just me. Others may enjoy the denouement. 🤷
Overall, this is another solid read from the author, and I savored it for the most part. In the acknowledgements section, Hawkins explains that she has been wanting to write a “boat murder” book since she was 12 years old. I’m thrilled she finally got her wish.
This would be the perfect beach read, and would pair well with a mixed drink and plenty of sunscreen. Expected publication date: 1/4/22 (definitely not beach weather where I live).
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
December 24, 2021
Did you ever want to escape it all by spending time on an idyllic South Pacific island, with the gentle breezes, the warm sun, and your toes in the sand? Yeah, well, don't read this book, then. It will ruin your dream.
Lux’s boyfriend, Nico, is offered a load of cash to ferry Brittany and Amma to the island of Meroe in the South Pacific, an island with a creepy past. Lux agrees to go along. This was mistake #2, the first mistake was choosing Nico as a boyfriend. So off they go, and when they arrive, they unexpectedly meet a couple on the island who has a well-stocked liquor supply and plenty of food. FYI: This is NOT a survivalist story.
You know things won't go well, and they don't. Everyone has a secret but their liquor-fueled days are a slog to wade through. No one is likable, which isn’t a deal breaker for me, but reading pages and pages of angst and drama from a group of drunk twenty-somethings whose idea of intelligent conversation is filled with f-bombs (184 according to my kindle search), was boring.
Despite the “locked-room” island setting, I felt no creepy vibes or suspense and could not have cared less what happened to any of them. They were all stupid and obnoxious and I would have been glad to see all of them die. The entire book was filled with implausibility, plot holes and unanswered questions. The ending was preposterous. I can sometimes excuse these things if I’m having fun with a book. This was not one of those times.
The goodreads blurb: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
Don’t believe it! Gothic suspense? Hardly. Deliciously wicked? Nope! They did, however, get the setting right.
This was a buddy read with Marialyce, and sorry to say, a miss for both of us. I wish I had followed my instincts to dnf. 1 star for my lack of enjoyment, but in the spirit of Christmas I'm adding a star.
I loved the author’s first book, The Wife Upstairs, and will read her next book, but this was a complete miss. Many readers enjoyed it so do please read their reviews. This is probably a case of me being the wrong reader for this book. Not every book is for every reader.
*I received a digital copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own
* Publication date January 4, 2022 by St. Martin's Press
Lux’s boyfriend, Nico, is offered a load of cash to ferry Brittany and Amma to the island of Meroe in the South Pacific, an island with a creepy past. Lux agrees to go along. This was mistake #2, the first mistake was choosing Nico as a boyfriend. So off they go, and when they arrive, they unexpectedly meet a couple on the island who has a well-stocked liquor supply and plenty of food. FYI: This is NOT a survivalist story.
You know things won't go well, and they don't. Everyone has a secret but their liquor-fueled days are a slog to wade through. No one is likable, which isn’t a deal breaker for me, but reading pages and pages of angst and drama from a group of drunk twenty-somethings whose idea of intelligent conversation is filled with f-bombs (184 according to my kindle search), was boring.
Despite the “locked-room” island setting, I felt no creepy vibes or suspense and could not have cared less what happened to any of them. They were all stupid and obnoxious and I would have been glad to see all of them die. The entire book was filled with implausibility, plot holes and unanswered questions. The ending was preposterous. I can sometimes excuse these things if I’m having fun with a book. This was not one of those times.
The goodreads blurb: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
Don’t believe it! Gothic suspense? Hardly. Deliciously wicked? Nope! They did, however, get the setting right.
This was a buddy read with Marialyce, and sorry to say, a miss for both of us. I wish I had followed my instincts to dnf. 1 star for my lack of enjoyment, but in the spirit of Christmas I'm adding a star.
I loved the author’s first book, The Wife Upstairs, and will read her next book, but this was a complete miss. Many readers enjoyed it so do please read their reviews. This is probably a case of me being the wrong reader for this book. Not every book is for every reader.
*I received a digital copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own
* Publication date January 4, 2022 by St. Martin's Press
November 15, 2022
Rachel Hawkins is the author who surprised us by showing her brilliance and courage to set the Gothic classic Jane Eyre as a domestic thriller (The wife upstairs) in modern Alabama. So the expectations were really high when this book was first published.
Rachel tells us the story of Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, who are sailing to a remote island in the South Pacific. They are hired by two women, Brittany and Amma.
They are traveling to Meroe Island, a beautiful island with a shady history of shipwrecks and cannibalism. But that is all in the past, and the four people have been having an amazing time on the island. They meet another couple, Jake and Eliza, on the island. But when a seventh stranger comes to the island sailing alone, the peaceful atmosphere gets shattered. The shady side and secrets of the people slowly start to get revealed, which scares everyone. What will happen to all the seven people? What are all the secrets they are trying to hide? Rachel Hawkins will tell us through this book.
What I learned from this book
1) What is an atoll?
An atoll is a ring-shaped island, reef, or chain of islands formed of coral. It surrounds a body of water called a lagoon. Atolls develop with underwater volcanoes, called seamounts. The coral reef surrounding the island is called a fringing reef.
As ocean waves often hide atolls, thousands of ships have been stranded and wrecked on atolls. The Maldives, a popular vacation destination for many people, lies near the equator in two rows of atolls in the Indian Ocean. It has 1,190 coral islands formed around 26 natural ring-like atolls.
"An atoll is an island," Nico says, leaning over my shoulder to look at the map. "Made of coral. They're all over the place in this part of the world."
2) How does nature positively influence our wellbeing?
Nature is something that has almost all the remedies to our problems. If we know how to relax and focus our attention and energy on nature, it will calm our minds and reduce the stress and anxiety associated with our daily life.
“I realize again just how quiet it is here. Last night, I'd lain on our cushioned table and listened to the surf crashing against the shore in the distance. That sound, that constant murmur in the background, had been there in Hawaii, too, of course, but never this close. Besides—out here, there are no other sounds vying for your attention. No traffic, no voices, no music. Just the wind and the surf, the call of birds, the gentle creaking of the palm trees.
The sky is as blue as it was yesterday, with only a few fat, puffy clouds lazily moving across it. Peace begins settling over me in a way I haven't experienced for a long time. I can just float right here, literally, in the perfect present."
3) What is the relationship between sailors and nature?
Sailors are the people who are the most dependent on nature and weather in their daily life. The author perfectly describes it with the help of a famous saying in this book.
“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.
It was one of the first things Nico taught me when he was teaching me about sailing. Looking at this bloodred sky right now, it's hard to imagine a storm heading our way, but I can almost smell it on the air, a hint of a cold, metallic tinge."
4) Will loneliness alter human behavior?
When there is no one to monitor you, some people will lose all their inhibitions and behave in an uncivilized manner. This novel is also discussing the vital topic of how being away from people on a solitary island alters human behavior.
“I swear to god, it’s this place. Being on the edge of civilization, away from everything and everyone. I think it makes people insane."
5) How can mistakes affect our life?
It is an accepted fact that mistakes can happen in everyone's life, even if you are leading a life that is perfect in every sense. We should be more careful about correcting the mistakes and making sure that we don't repeat them in our life. But that doesn't give us the license to commit mistakes deliberately. One deliberate mistake or one act of adultery might give you a promotion or opportunity or even millions of dollars, but it might eventually cause more pain than gain.
In this novel, the author discusses how one mistake can change the life of a person.
“How can one mistake—yes, one big mistake, but still just that, an accident, a single bad moment of judgment in a lifetime of good choices—end everything?”
My favourite three lines from this book
"There will always be a before and an after, and you have to learn to live
in the after.
That was the one Brittany liked the most. "In the After" is tattooed in
curling script on the inside of her wrist now, slightly hidden by the beaded bracelets she's currently wearing.red”
"In friendships or relationships, usually one person is the cat—guarded, a little standoffish—someone where you have to work for it. And then the other person is the golden retriever. Loves immediately and completely."
"Alright, now here's a thought for you—is the place where things like Instagram and Twitter exist more or less civilized than this, God's own masterpiece of nature, hmm?"
"Ohhh," Brittany says, coming around from behind me to flop onto the deck. "You're one of those types. Too good for a well-chosen filter."
What could have been better?
Compared to the courage the author showed in her earlier book, we can easily say that the author tried to go through easier territories of writing in this book. The plot was a good one, and the setting was great. Still, the wow factor that makes it exceptional was somehow missing. It might be because this book overall reminds us of some of the thrillers we read before, and some of the twists are easily predictable.
Rating
3/5 If you are looking for an enjoyable thriller to read casually in the summer without many mind-bending twists and depressing characters, this book will be a good choice.
January 4, 2022
Life in Hawaii isn’t quite living up to the dream that Lux and her boyfriend Nico imagined when they set sail for Maui. She has had to take a job as a maid at a high end hotel, and he seems content enough to let her clean rooms and pay the bills while he works on the docks.
Their boat-“The Susannah” is in need of repairs they can’t afford-the adventures they planned are on hold.
Until, college friends Brittany and Amma, arrive and offer Nico $50,000 to be their Captain. They want to travel to Meroe Island-named for a shipwreck where 32 sailors lived-but only 8 survived. It’s beautiful, and off the beaten path but some say it’s cursed- which makes it seem just dangerous enough to be alluring…..
But, when they get there-they aren’t alone.
A beautiful Catamaran, “The Azure Sky” is anchored offshore and now, with Jake and Eliza, they become a party of six on the exotic Island.
How many will survive this time?
I don’t know why the synopsis calls this “gothic suspense “-I don’t think it fits that description at all.
It reminded me of Samantha Downing’s “He Started It” in style. That one was a road trip-this one a sailing adventure and both were a “may the best man win” kind of book. If that is appealing to you-grab a life vest and set sail with this bunch..I could practically smell the suntan oil, and feel the heat of the sun.
I was engaged from start to finish, and even though I may not have loved how this one ended, I did enjoy it enough to be looking forward to reading whatever Rachel Hawkins dreams up for us next! After all, “The Wife Upstairs”, made my 2020 FAVORITES list and made her an auto request author for me!
3.75 ⭐️ rounded up!
***AVAILABLE NOW***
A buddy read with DeAnn-be sure to check out her wonderful review as well!
Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for inviting me to read an EARLY copy of this title, provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!
Their boat-“The Susannah” is in need of repairs they can’t afford-the adventures they planned are on hold.
Until, college friends Brittany and Amma, arrive and offer Nico $50,000 to be their Captain. They want to travel to Meroe Island-named for a shipwreck where 32 sailors lived-but only 8 survived. It’s beautiful, and off the beaten path but some say it’s cursed- which makes it seem just dangerous enough to be alluring…..
But, when they get there-they aren’t alone.
A beautiful Catamaran, “The Azure Sky” is anchored offshore and now, with Jake and Eliza, they become a party of six on the exotic Island.
How many will survive this time?
I don’t know why the synopsis calls this “gothic suspense “-I don’t think it fits that description at all.
It reminded me of Samantha Downing’s “He Started It” in style. That one was a road trip-this one a sailing adventure and both were a “may the best man win” kind of book. If that is appealing to you-grab a life vest and set sail with this bunch..I could practically smell the suntan oil, and feel the heat of the sun.
I was engaged from start to finish, and even though I may not have loved how this one ended, I did enjoy it enough to be looking forward to reading whatever Rachel Hawkins dreams up for us next! After all, “The Wife Upstairs”, made my 2020 FAVORITES list and made her an auto request author for me!
3.75 ⭐️ rounded up!
***AVAILABLE NOW***
A buddy read with DeAnn-be sure to check out her wonderful review as well!
Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for inviting me to read an EARLY copy of this title, provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!
November 25, 2022
3.5 STARS
A lifetime movie on steroids if I do say so. Reckless Girls is my second read from Rachel Hawkins, and I enjoyed this one even more than The Wife Upstairs! While you will need to suspend your disbelief to enjoy this one, the drama, twists, and rapid changes in POV and tense make this a compulsive book that is nearly impossible to put down. A fun, popcorn thriller that made for the perfect winter time read while wanting to escape to a tropical environment. I can't wait to see where the author takes us in her next book.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
A lifetime movie on steroids if I do say so. Reckless Girls is my second read from Rachel Hawkins, and I enjoyed this one even more than The Wife Upstairs! While you will need to suspend your disbelief to enjoy this one, the drama, twists, and rapid changes in POV and tense make this a compulsive book that is nearly impossible to put down. A fun, popcorn thriller that made for the perfect winter time read while wanting to escape to a tropical environment. I can't wait to see where the author takes us in her next book.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
January 11, 2022
3.5 stars, rounded up for pure bizarre escapist enjoyment.
Is this book full of plot holes and incredible coincidences? Yes.
Is it laughably implausible? Also yes.
But still...I was thoroughly engaged with the audiobook throughout and was very interested to see how everything would play out in the end.
This is the story of a couple, Lux and Nico, who live in Maui and have dreams of sailing around the world. When two young women, Amma and Brittany, offer them a huge amount of money to take them out to the remote Meroe Atoll, they quickly jump at the chance. When they arrive, the isle is as amazing as they had imagined, yet it is also eerie and has a creepy and troubled past. There is another boat there when they arrive, carrying Jake and Eliza from Australia. The two groups of people spend their time drinking and sunning and relaxing. When another boat arrives carrying a frightening man, the foreboding increases. As secrets and backstories are revealed, Lux starts to wonder whether or not they will actually make it off the island alive.
There is a great deal of tension and a sense of unease and anxiety created throughout the course of this book. What originally seems to be a light, fun time gradually and yet all at once it becomes a nightmare. The narrator of the audiobook is fantastic. Barrie Kreinik does a stellar job with the varying accents, giving each character a personality.
There are a couple of drawbacks, not the least of which are the sheer implausibility of the plot and the way things turn out in the end. There are so many things that are brought up and then forgotten about (like why did Nico transfer the boat to Lux's name?) and also things that could and would never happen in real life. They drink like 6-10 bottles of wine per day for weeks on end, plus have cold beer and other drinks at the ready constantly. You cannot tell me that Nico was going to make Lux leave her meager belongings behind (a photo?) and Jake and Eliza had endless room on their boat for 100+ bottles of wine. Not buying it. This book is rife with f-bombs, the language might not have been as distracting had I read it on the page (however, maybe it would have been) but listening to the audio made it really glaring.
Overall if you can just suspend your logical brain and treat this book like the soapy piece of entertainment it is, you might enjoy this wild ride to a deserted island.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
Is this book full of plot holes and incredible coincidences? Yes.
Is it laughably implausible? Also yes.
But still...I was thoroughly engaged with the audiobook throughout and was very interested to see how everything would play out in the end.
This is the story of a couple, Lux and Nico, who live in Maui and have dreams of sailing around the world. When two young women, Amma and Brittany, offer them a huge amount of money to take them out to the remote Meroe Atoll, they quickly jump at the chance. When they arrive, the isle is as amazing as they had imagined, yet it is also eerie and has a creepy and troubled past. There is another boat there when they arrive, carrying Jake and Eliza from Australia. The two groups of people spend their time drinking and sunning and relaxing. When another boat arrives carrying a frightening man, the foreboding increases. As secrets and backstories are revealed, Lux starts to wonder whether or not they will actually make it off the island alive.
There is a great deal of tension and a sense of unease and anxiety created throughout the course of this book. What originally seems to be a light, fun time gradually and yet all at once it becomes a nightmare. The narrator of the audiobook is fantastic. Barrie Kreinik does a stellar job with the varying accents, giving each character a personality.
There are a couple of drawbacks, not the least of which are the sheer implausibility of the plot and the way things turn out in the end. There are so many things that are brought up and then forgotten about (like why did Nico transfer the boat to Lux's name?) and also things that could and would never happen in real life. They drink like 6-10 bottles of wine per day for weeks on end, plus have cold beer and other drinks at the ready constantly. You cannot tell me that Nico was going to make Lux leave her meager belongings behind (a photo?) and Jake and Eliza had endless room on their boat for 100+ bottles of wine. Not buying it. This book is rife with f-bombs, the language might not have been as distracting had I read it on the page (however, maybe it would have been) but listening to the audio made it really glaring.
Overall if you can just suspend your logical brain and treat this book like the soapy piece of entertainment it is, you might enjoy this wild ride to a deserted island.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
January 4, 2022
This was fun, not as fun as The Wife Upstairs, but still fun. I loved the island vibes, and this reminded me why the idea of being on a little boat in the middle of open water is absolutely TERRIFYING. I love the name Lux so much, and I thought she was a pretty interesting protagonist. I feel like nothing really happens in this book until the last 30%, and then it was a little hard to follow the action? It all happened so quick and I think the ending fell apart a little for me. But otherwise, I think this is a super fun, fast-paced island vibe thriller which is exactly what I signed up for!
August 16, 2021
Livin the dream?
Well, not exactly.
A girl, Lux and her boyfriend, Nic decide to take up an offer to sail two women they meet to a remote island in the Pacific. Meroe Island was my favorite aspect of the story. It was picture perfect and gave off some eerie vibes of being off the grid.
Lux is the narrator and she could have used a call a friend life line more than once! The F word was Nic's favorite and I think he used it in every other sentence. I guess he had a limited vocabulary.
They encounter some other travelers and what happens on the island is predictable and preposterous. I'm not sure what the author was going for? Fantasy Island or Horror in Paradise.
A beach read perhaps? Just don't go sailing away without a care or a back up plan. Recommend if your looking for a quick read that won't require too much musing.
Thanks to NG and the publisher for my review copy. OUT January 4, 2022
Well, not exactly.
A girl, Lux and her boyfriend, Nic decide to take up an offer to sail two women they meet to a remote island in the Pacific. Meroe Island was my favorite aspect of the story. It was picture perfect and gave off some eerie vibes of being off the grid.
Lux is the narrator and she could have used a call a friend life line more than once! The F word was Nic's favorite and I think he used it in every other sentence. I guess he had a limited vocabulary.
They encounter some other travelers and what happens on the island is predictable and preposterous. I'm not sure what the author was going for? Fantasy Island or Horror in Paradise.
A beach read perhaps? Just don't go sailing away without a care or a back up plan. Recommend if your looking for a quick read that won't require too much musing.
Thanks to NG and the publisher for my review copy. OUT January 4, 2022
October 10, 2021
Doesn’t sailing off to a secluded, private island in the South Pacific sound amazing right about now? Not another single person in sight. Ah yes…just you, the sand and the sea.🏖
Lux has followed her boyfriend Nico from California to Hawaii. Their grand plan was to set sail to their heart’s content, island hopping with no agenda whatsoever.⛵️
Not so fast, Captain! Just an itty-bitty issue or two to iron out first. Problems with the boat and lack of money left them dry-docked in Hawaii indefinitely.
In the meantime, Nico was just hired by two young women wanting to sail to a remote island with a haunting history. Of course, he jumps at the chance. It will bankroll the necessary funds to repair the boat. And the two gals are quick to invite Lux along for the sail. Interesting, right?! (I thought so!)🤣
Only paradise turns out to be far less tranquil than anyone may have expected!
This was a quick read that hooked me from the start. It was nearly impossible to put down. I kept wondering what goodies Rachel Hawkins had in store for us, knowing there would be a delightfully twisty ending! And yes…there it was!
My second read by this author, and enjoyed this one even more than her previous book, The Wife Upstairs.
More, please! Thank you.
A buddy read with Susanne.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press.
Lux has followed her boyfriend Nico from California to Hawaii. Their grand plan was to set sail to their heart’s content, island hopping with no agenda whatsoever.⛵️
Not so fast, Captain! Just an itty-bitty issue or two to iron out first. Problems with the boat and lack of money left them dry-docked in Hawaii indefinitely.
In the meantime, Nico was just hired by two young women wanting to sail to a remote island with a haunting history. Of course, he jumps at the chance. It will bankroll the necessary funds to repair the boat. And the two gals are quick to invite Lux along for the sail. Interesting, right?! (I thought so!)🤣
Only paradise turns out to be far less tranquil than anyone may have expected!
This was a quick read that hooked me from the start. It was nearly impossible to put down. I kept wondering what goodies Rachel Hawkins had in store for us, knowing there would be a delightfully twisty ending! And yes…there it was!
My second read by this author, and enjoyed this one even more than her previous book, The Wife Upstairs.
More, please! Thank you.
A buddy read with Susanne.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press.
March 3, 2023
This is a Suspense Mystery. This is not one of those books that pulled me in from the beginning, but I did find the beginning so funny at times. The two main characters had to grow on me for a little bit before I got pulled into the storyline. I love that this mystery takes place mostly on an Island that the characters sailed to. I liked and did not liked some of the characters, but they where written to be liked that. I did not see the twisted coming, and they where really good. I have to say if you do not love sailing or Island books then you will not love this book. I think the setting may this book so great from me. The suspense builds up through out this book before the twists is revealed at the end. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) or author (Rachel Hawkins) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
This is a January 2022 Book Of The Month Pick
https://www.mybotm.com/zr12wnytgc8?sh...
This is a January 2022 Book Of The Month Pick
https://www.mybotm.com/zr12wnytgc8?sh...
January 4, 2022
**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Rachel Hawkins for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 1.4!**
Sail away, sail away, sail away.... 🎵
(If that didn't get you singing Enya's Orinoco Flow, I don't know what will!)
Lux and Nico have the ultimate dream trip in mind...if they could JUST get their boat, The Susannah, up and running. Lux is making day-to-day living happen with her job as a maid in Hawaii (again, not a bad gig in some respects since she is still IN Hawaii!) but is longing for more. Luckily for these two, friends Amma and Britney just so happen to be in need of transport to a mysterious and lovely island in the South Pacific, Meroe, and are willing to foot the bill to get Nico's boat ship-shape in exchange for passage on the vessel. Once the group disembarks, they find Meroe has a checkered past from murders to mayhem, and the group encounters the glamorous duo of Jack and Eliza.
These fellow islanders enchant Lux, giving her a sense of wonder she only had dreamed of prior, and she starts to believe Meroe has the secret sauce to make her life feel complete...until HE arrives. The creepy stranger who throws a proverbial monkey wrench into their delicate group harmony and brings to light that perhaps NONE of these islanders know each other as well as they thought. Has their idyllic tiny slice of paradise with no interruptions, no distractions and no easy outlet to the mainland also given them no safety...from the island, the unforgiving ocean....and one another?
Hawkins' Wife Upstairs was easily one of my favorite reads last year and I absolutely devoured that book. I was nothing short of thrilled to hear she had another thriller of sorts coming out next year, and the tropical cover of this one lured me in right away. The novel started off with some sass reminiscent of Jane in the Wife Upstairs, and I was very excited for Lux and Nico to reach their tropical destination. Once they got there, however, things began to fall apart a bit for me, and there were a few reasons why:
*Timeline: This book is split into before and now, but it was done in such a way that didn't feel like it actually benefitted the plot. The segments in the past were all backstory for our cast of characters, but there were also tiny bits of emails/news stories/interviews etc. referencing some of the dark moments in Meroe's past which were sort of placed arbitrarily throughout the narrative. Many of them were interesting, but there was never enough time spent dissecting any of the island's past in a more thorough way. I would have enjoyed some of that detail more than the details we got.
*Characters: I didn't really care for any of the characters in this one, since none of them really seemed redeemable in any way. At best I felt sorry for Lux, but at worst, I felt she was unbelievably naieve. Which brings me to my main issue with this read....
* IMPLAUSABILITY. In spades. Suspending disbelief can be fun, LOTS of fun even. I couldn't really believe, however, that Lux was so quick to welcome a bunch of perfect strangers into her inner circle and never question them whatsoever.
Summed up?
"These people are basically all strangers to me, and I am alone with them in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."
Which led me to ask myself...why WOULDN'T you question every single thing...about all of them? Particularly since you know you are headed to a remote location you've never been before without any sort of fallback plan.
On top of this hard-to-believe character interaction was a plot that began as a bit out there and quickly spiraled into over-the-top territory for me. I didn't feel like anything in this book actually would have or could have happened and I didn't particularly enjoy the ending either. I think Hawkins was trying to make a point about women's empowerment, but it didn't work for me. Although I didn't predict the ending, which I always appreciate in a thriller, it didn't have that one-two punch feeling I normally get when I'm surprised by how a series of events turns out, so again, I was left wishing perhaps all of these people got swallowed up by the island instead.
Although my favorite aspect of this book was the eye-catching and GORGEOUS cover and the mental trip to Hawaii (since I haven't gotten a REAL trip there just yet!), I have every confidence Rachel Hawkins will continue to put out stories that will catch my attention and urge me to enjoy the suspension of disbelief...and the brief break from reality (although I'm never going to turn down an ACTUAL trip to Hawaii, if anyone has an inside line!)
3.5 stars
Sail away, sail away, sail away.... 🎵
(If that didn't get you singing Enya's Orinoco Flow, I don't know what will!)
Lux and Nico have the ultimate dream trip in mind...if they could JUST get their boat, The Susannah, up and running. Lux is making day-to-day living happen with her job as a maid in Hawaii (again, not a bad gig in some respects since she is still IN Hawaii!) but is longing for more. Luckily for these two, friends Amma and Britney just so happen to be in need of transport to a mysterious and lovely island in the South Pacific, Meroe, and are willing to foot the bill to get Nico's boat ship-shape in exchange for passage on the vessel. Once the group disembarks, they find Meroe has a checkered past from murders to mayhem, and the group encounters the glamorous duo of Jack and Eliza.
These fellow islanders enchant Lux, giving her a sense of wonder she only had dreamed of prior, and she starts to believe Meroe has the secret sauce to make her life feel complete...until HE arrives. The creepy stranger who throws a proverbial monkey wrench into their delicate group harmony and brings to light that perhaps NONE of these islanders know each other as well as they thought. Has their idyllic tiny slice of paradise with no interruptions, no distractions and no easy outlet to the mainland also given them no safety...from the island, the unforgiving ocean....and one another?
Hawkins' Wife Upstairs was easily one of my favorite reads last year and I absolutely devoured that book. I was nothing short of thrilled to hear she had another thriller of sorts coming out next year, and the tropical cover of this one lured me in right away. The novel started off with some sass reminiscent of Jane in the Wife Upstairs, and I was very excited for Lux and Nico to reach their tropical destination. Once they got there, however, things began to fall apart a bit for me, and there were a few reasons why:
*Timeline: This book is split into before and now, but it was done in such a way that didn't feel like it actually benefitted the plot. The segments in the past were all backstory for our cast of characters, but there were also tiny bits of emails/news stories/interviews etc. referencing some of the dark moments in Meroe's past which were sort of placed arbitrarily throughout the narrative. Many of them were interesting, but there was never enough time spent dissecting any of the island's past in a more thorough way. I would have enjoyed some of that detail more than the details we got.
*Characters: I didn't really care for any of the characters in this one, since none of them really seemed redeemable in any way. At best I felt sorry for Lux, but at worst, I felt she was unbelievably naieve. Which brings me to my main issue with this read....
* IMPLAUSABILITY. In spades. Suspending disbelief can be fun, LOTS of fun even. I couldn't really believe, however, that Lux was so quick to welcome a bunch of perfect strangers into her inner circle and never question them whatsoever.
Summed up?
"These people are basically all strangers to me, and I am alone with them in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."
Which led me to ask myself...why WOULDN'T you question every single thing...about all of them? Particularly since you know you are headed to a remote location you've never been before without any sort of fallback plan.
On top of this hard-to-believe character interaction was a plot that began as a bit out there and quickly spiraled into over-the-top territory for me. I didn't feel like anything in this book actually would have or could have happened and I didn't particularly enjoy the ending either. I think Hawkins was trying to make a point about women's empowerment, but it didn't work for me. Although I didn't predict the ending, which I always appreciate in a thriller, it didn't have that one-two punch feeling I normally get when I'm surprised by how a series of events turns out, so again, I was left wishing perhaps all of these people got swallowed up by the island instead.
Although my favorite aspect of this book was the eye-catching and GORGEOUS cover and the mental trip to Hawaii (since I haven't gotten a REAL trip there just yet!), I have every confidence Rachel Hawkins will continue to put out stories that will catch my attention and urge me to enjoy the suspension of disbelief...and the brief break from reality (although I'm never going to turn down an ACTUAL trip to Hawaii, if anyone has an inside line!)
3.5 stars
January 26, 2022
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins is a 2022 St. Martin’s Press publication.
Lux is ready to break free and travel the world with her boyfriend, Nico. The trouble is they are stuck in Hawaii, trying to save enough money to fix Nico’s boat. When two women, Amma and Brittany, approach Nico with a job offer to guide them to a remote island in the South Pacific it’s an opportunity they can’t pass up.
Meroe Island is beautiful to be sure… but the island is also notorious, with rumors of cannibalism and murder attached to it. When Lux, Nico, and their two passengers arrive, they are surprised to find someone else already anchored.
Enter Jake and Eliza- a couple who appears to be quite comfortable financially. Their presence is not really a problem, though, as everyone seems to get along fine…
Until another boat shows up and tensions begin to rise as secrets, revelations, and dubious intentions rise to the surface, making the island’s superstitious reputation a reality…
I really enjoyed this novel. The sinister atmosphere is off the charts. The story is edgy, and no one is trustworthy. Anytime there is a premise where people are off grid, unable to get traditional help, with limited technology available, the suspense notches up really fast, when things start to go awry. While going off grid sounds heavenly, the reality might not be as charming as we imagine if it turns out we are stuck with people who have been less than forthcoming about their pasts, or have dark secrets…
The whole time I was reading this book, though, there was something about it that felt familiar to me, but I just couldn’t place what it was. After reading the author’s note at the end, I had an Aha! Moment. I won’t say what it was, because I don’t want to give too much away, but I will tell you it was a true crime case I was fascinated by decades ago. I may have to re-read the true crime book about that case again sometime soon.
Overall, this book was unsettling and had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This is a 2 for 2 for me from this author. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!!
* PERSONAl NOTE: Okay, I do have one quibble- about the blurb. This book is marketed as 'Gothic'. It's not. Psychological thriller- all the way- and no elements that fit in the Gothic category. Sorry- that's a big pet peeve of mine, especially when a misleading blurb promises something it can't deliver! I'm glad the book's success did not appear to suffer much from the gaff- but it could have...
Lux is ready to break free and travel the world with her boyfriend, Nico. The trouble is they are stuck in Hawaii, trying to save enough money to fix Nico’s boat. When two women, Amma and Brittany, approach Nico with a job offer to guide them to a remote island in the South Pacific it’s an opportunity they can’t pass up.
Meroe Island is beautiful to be sure… but the island is also notorious, with rumors of cannibalism and murder attached to it. When Lux, Nico, and their two passengers arrive, they are surprised to find someone else already anchored.
Enter Jake and Eliza- a couple who appears to be quite comfortable financially. Their presence is not really a problem, though, as everyone seems to get along fine…
Until another boat shows up and tensions begin to rise as secrets, revelations, and dubious intentions rise to the surface, making the island’s superstitious reputation a reality…
I really enjoyed this novel. The sinister atmosphere is off the charts. The story is edgy, and no one is trustworthy. Anytime there is a premise where people are off grid, unable to get traditional help, with limited technology available, the suspense notches up really fast, when things start to go awry. While going off grid sounds heavenly, the reality might not be as charming as we imagine if it turns out we are stuck with people who have been less than forthcoming about their pasts, or have dark secrets…
The whole time I was reading this book, though, there was something about it that felt familiar to me, but I just couldn’t place what it was. After reading the author’s note at the end, I had an Aha! Moment. I won’t say what it was, because I don’t want to give too much away, but I will tell you it was a true crime case I was fascinated by decades ago. I may have to re-read the true crime book about that case again sometime soon.
Overall, this book was unsettling and had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This is a 2 for 2 for me from this author. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!!
* PERSONAl NOTE: Okay, I do have one quibble- about the blurb. This book is marketed as 'Gothic'. It's not. Psychological thriller- all the way- and no elements that fit in the Gothic category. Sorry- that's a big pet peeve of mine, especially when a misleading blurb promises something it can't deliver! I'm glad the book's success did not appear to suffer much from the gaff- but it could have...
January 28, 2022
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of isolated/remote island mystery novels.
Six months ago, Lux decided she wanted to travel the world with her boyfriend, Nico. They agree to begin their grand travel plans in Hawaii.
Fast forward to now, and the couple have been working in Hawaii for several months with no further plans to travel. On top of that, Lux has just been fired from her job.
Nico sees an opportunity to earn some quick cash when two adventure seekers offer him a hefty sum to take them to Meroe Island. The remote island is known for its beautiful beaches but also its gruesome history. Lux feels some hesitation, but ultimately agrees to join them.
And so, the adventure begins.
What could go wrong on a deserted island occupied by entitled, young, beautiful, and mostly wealthy travellers?
This fun book pulled me out of a reading slump and presented some wicked twists that I would never have guessed.
Rachel Hawkins has crafted an atmosphere that bristles with tension, oppressive heat and feels simultaneously claustrophobic and completely isolated.
Reckless Girls is told mainly from Lux’s perspective, with a few others thrown in as well. The beginning was a bit slow, but once the island shenanigans started, I could not put this down.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Six months ago, Lux decided she wanted to travel the world with her boyfriend, Nico. They agree to begin their grand travel plans in Hawaii.
Fast forward to now, and the couple have been working in Hawaii for several months with no further plans to travel. On top of that, Lux has just been fired from her job.
Nico sees an opportunity to earn some quick cash when two adventure seekers offer him a hefty sum to take them to Meroe Island. The remote island is known for its beautiful beaches but also its gruesome history. Lux feels some hesitation, but ultimately agrees to join them.
And so, the adventure begins.
What could go wrong on a deserted island occupied by entitled, young, beautiful, and mostly wealthy travellers?
This fun book pulled me out of a reading slump and presented some wicked twists that I would never have guessed.
Rachel Hawkins has crafted an atmosphere that bristles with tension, oppressive heat and feels simultaneously claustrophobic and completely isolated.
Reckless Girls is told mainly from Lux’s perspective, with a few others thrown in as well. The beginning was a bit slow, but once the island shenanigans started, I could not put this down.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 5, 2022
2.5 stars rounded to 3. Reckless Girls was a letdown for me. It was not quite what I was hoping for or expecting. I enjoyed The Wife Upstairs, so I went into this one thinking I was going to like it a lot, too. My biggest downfall of the book for me personally, is I did not like any of characters at all. They all were just blah, and I didn’t care about any of them. I did enjoy some parts and felt the suspense turning the pages. There was plot twists I honestly didn’t see coming, which I enjoyed, too. However, this one just turned out okay at best. I honestly wouldn’t recommend it.
February 4, 2022
Who said this was an And Then There Were None retelling? They lied.
December 10, 2021
I am thrilled to tell you all that I loved this one! Talk about unputdownable!
Lux has met the man of her dreams in Nico and Nico has just been offered $50,000 to sail two college girls to Meroe Island. Nico, unable to say no to an adventure, asks Lux to join them. Not only that but this money they can use to finally fix their boat, The Susannah, which means after this trip they can set sail just the two of them.
Meroe Island is steeped in myth after a shipwreck happened on its shores during WWII and only 8 of the 32 people on board actually survived. Since then many believe the island to be cursed.
Once they arrive to the picturesque island they realize they aren't alone at all. The Azure Sky is anchored there. On deck are Jake and Eliza who seem to welcome them with open arms.
For the next two weeks they luxuriate in the sea and sand all while drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Life couldn't be better. A trip of a lifetime. Or is it?
I'm not sure if it's the frigid temperatures and the fresh snowfall here in Massachusetts that allowed for Rachel Hawkins to transport me so effortlessly to Meroe Island but this baby worked for me 100%. I could almost feel the salty air and sand between my toes. There were so many secrets and lies that I was nearly hanging on every word. I wouldn't say there are any big twists or reveals. The one twist at the end I kind of suspected earlier and I'm thinking others might too but even in saying that I was not at all disappointed in the direction this book went. Others have not enjoyed the ending but I actually loved it and thought it was pretty darn perfect. Needless to say, having enjoyed two books by Hawkins now, I am eagerly awaiting her next book. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my complimentary copy.
Lux has met the man of her dreams in Nico and Nico has just been offered $50,000 to sail two college girls to Meroe Island. Nico, unable to say no to an adventure, asks Lux to join them. Not only that but this money they can use to finally fix their boat, The Susannah, which means after this trip they can set sail just the two of them.
Meroe Island is steeped in myth after a shipwreck happened on its shores during WWII and only 8 of the 32 people on board actually survived. Since then many believe the island to be cursed.
Once they arrive to the picturesque island they realize they aren't alone at all. The Azure Sky is anchored there. On deck are Jake and Eliza who seem to welcome them with open arms.
For the next two weeks they luxuriate in the sea and sand all while drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Life couldn't be better. A trip of a lifetime. Or is it?
I'm not sure if it's the frigid temperatures and the fresh snowfall here in Massachusetts that allowed for Rachel Hawkins to transport me so effortlessly to Meroe Island but this baby worked for me 100%. I could almost feel the salty air and sand between my toes. There were so many secrets and lies that I was nearly hanging on every word. I wouldn't say there are any big twists or reveals. The one twist at the end I kind of suspected earlier and I'm thinking others might too but even in saying that I was not at all disappointed in the direction this book went. Others have not enjoyed the ending but I actually loved it and thought it was pretty darn perfect. Needless to say, having enjoyed two books by Hawkins now, I am eagerly awaiting her next book. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my complimentary copy.
January 3, 2024
My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Rachel Hawkins and Netgalley. I absolutely adored the crap outta this book! First of all, who sets sail on the Pacific ocean in a 26 foot boat? That's madness! My parents had the damn near exact boat "maybe 2 feet longer." And it was a lake and river boat. I felt safe in it. Had it gone into and over an ocean! No way! But, getting past the horror of that... From the beginning, this story had my full attention, and I was engaged. Towards the end I did have one very messed up night of actual scare me silly, nightmares. Hawkins is not someone I've read before, but if she keeps this up? I'll be reading all her odd stuff! Seriously. I will admit that I did know almost from when the people converged, what was going on. I still enjoyed every bit of the ride! I was essentially thrown by the ending, but in reflection? I get it, and like it. This was originally a 4 star review. But, I've not been able to stop thinking about it! All the stars!
January 6, 2022
3.5⭐
I loved this book from the beginning. I was hooked and felt the suspense creeping up on me once the characters arrived on a deserted Meroe Island in the south Pacific; blue sky and clear water.... paradise! Locked room paradise. 🌊🌴
There's And Then There Were None vibe to it. Six "pretty" people with secrets, ulterior motives, and none are who they appear to be. When the seventh arrived on the island, things went from bad to worse.
I don't like any characters, but it was fun to see how it'll all play out! What made me drop the rating to three stars is the last few chapters. "Something" doesn't add up! 😉
The audio narrated by Barrie Kreinik was excellent!
Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an audio ARC.
Available 04 Jan 2022!
I loved this book from the beginning. I was hooked and felt the suspense creeping up on me once the characters arrived on a deserted Meroe Island in the south Pacific; blue sky and clear water.... paradise! Locked room paradise. 🌊🌴
There's And Then There Were None vibe to it. Six "pretty" people with secrets, ulterior motives, and none are who they appear to be. When the seventh arrived on the island, things went from bad to worse.
I don't like any characters, but it was fun to see how it'll all play out! What made me drop the rating to three stars is the last few chapters. "Something" doesn't add up! 😉
The audio narrated by Barrie Kreinik was excellent!
Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an audio ARC.
Available 04 Jan 2022!
September 28, 2021
Lux doesn’t have much tying her down: She’s working a dead-end job and her mother recently passed away. So when she meets a gorgeous, charming guy, she decides to follow him to Hawaii with grand plans to sail to far and exotic places with him on his boat. Once she gets there however, the boat is dry-docked in need of repairs and Nico seems to be in no rush to fix it. Her luck is about to change though when two women, Brittany and Amma, want to hire Nico to sail them to a remote island, and are willing to let Lux come along with them on their adventure. Unfortunately for Lux, her lucky day may turn into a nightmare…
Turns out I am super into island books this year. I seem to be an outlier in that I enjoyed this *more* than Hawkins' debut, The Wife Upstairs. Maybe the creepy isolated island setting was just more intriguing to this wanderlust filled gal than a rich Southern suburb. Speaking of the setting, Hawkins did a fantastic job here. I felt like I was on the lush island myself, and the foreboding sense of unease kept creeping up and up as the book went on. There are also a lot of books I describe as page turners that I don’t want to put down, but for me this one was even more than that. It wasn’t just that I wanted to flip the pages to find out what happened; I was actively looking forward to getting back to the island with Lux every time I got to sneak in another chapter or two.
I still had some problems though. I did have some early hunches that turned out to be correct (which meant I was less surprised than I assume I was meant to be later), and I just didn’t love how this ended. Compared to the very slow build of tension earlier, the ending felt rushed. It got a bit convoluted and crazy for me, and while I know it’s more realistic to write flawed characters, I really wish one of them didn’t make a certain choice. It felt off to me.
3.5 stars rounded up, though this would have been sitting at a comfortable 4 stars for me if the end had taken a different direction. I’m looking forward to Rachel Hawkins’ next, since she seems to be getting better and better for me.
Expected publishing date: January 4, 2022.
Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this title for review.
Turns out I am super into island books this year. I seem to be an outlier in that I enjoyed this *more* than Hawkins' debut, The Wife Upstairs. Maybe the creepy isolated island setting was just more intriguing to this wanderlust filled gal than a rich Southern suburb. Speaking of the setting, Hawkins did a fantastic job here. I felt like I was on the lush island myself, and the foreboding sense of unease kept creeping up and up as the book went on. There are also a lot of books I describe as page turners that I don’t want to put down, but for me this one was even more than that. It wasn’t just that I wanted to flip the pages to find out what happened; I was actively looking forward to getting back to the island with Lux every time I got to sneak in another chapter or two.
I still had some problems though. I did have some early hunches that turned out to be correct (which meant I was less surprised than I assume I was meant to be later), and I just didn’t love how this ended. Compared to the very slow build of tension earlier, the ending felt rushed. It got a bit convoluted and crazy for me, and while I know it’s more realistic to write flawed characters, I really wish one of them didn’t make a certain choice. It felt off to me.
3.5 stars rounded up, though this would have been sitting at a comfortable 4 stars for me if the end had taken a different direction. I’m looking forward to Rachel Hawkins’ next, since she seems to be getting better and better for me.
Expected publishing date: January 4, 2022.
Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this title for review.
February 22, 2022
Well, I'm in the team that liked this one.
Was it unbelievable at the end? You bet it was. Nevertheless, I enjoyed its craziness.
Lux is a young woman who has lost a lot in life already. Her father married again and started a new family without her. She and her mom moved to San Diego after their divorce. Then, her mother gets sick and Lux quits college to take care of her, losing her after a battle with cancer. Lux decides she doesn't want to go back to college and starts working as a waitress. Here is where she meets Nico, a gorgeous guy who comes from money. He has his own boat, the Susannah, and he offers to take her sailing around the world. The first stop is Hawaii but once they get there, unfortunately, the boat needs repairs so Lux works as a maid while Nico is happy working at the marina.
Then, two college girls, Brittany and Amma, offer Nico 50 K to take them to Meroe Island for a couple of weeks to enjoy life unplugged. Nevermind, that the island is thought to be cursed due to its dark past. Nico accepts the proposal in a second and Lux is welcome to come with them too.
When they arrive at Meroe Island, a Catamaran, The Azure Sky, is already there. Elisa and her boyfriend Jake are the owners and they are welcoming and glad to share their own supplies of amazing food and alcohol.
Then, one more person arrives in a sailboat, Robbie. He doesn't seem to click with the rest and shortly he seems menacing.
Lux doesn't know what to think about Robbie. She is worried about him but then she also starts realizing that no one on the island is exactly truthful about who they really are and their motives to be there too.
Reckless Girls is a welcome locker room type of book, atmospheric and enticing. The audio was fantastic. Kudos to Barrie Kreinik for bringing it all to life. She was awesome in The Good Sister so I knew I was going to love her in this one too.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Was it unbelievable at the end? You bet it was. Nevertheless, I enjoyed its craziness.
Lux is a young woman who has lost a lot in life already. Her father married again and started a new family without her. She and her mom moved to San Diego after their divorce. Then, her mother gets sick and Lux quits college to take care of her, losing her after a battle with cancer. Lux decides she doesn't want to go back to college and starts working as a waitress. Here is where she meets Nico, a gorgeous guy who comes from money. He has his own boat, the Susannah, and he offers to take her sailing around the world. The first stop is Hawaii but once they get there, unfortunately, the boat needs repairs so Lux works as a maid while Nico is happy working at the marina.
Then, two college girls, Brittany and Amma, offer Nico 50 K to take them to Meroe Island for a couple of weeks to enjoy life unplugged. Nevermind, that the island is thought to be cursed due to its dark past. Nico accepts the proposal in a second and Lux is welcome to come with them too.
When they arrive at Meroe Island, a Catamaran, The Azure Sky, is already there. Elisa and her boyfriend Jake are the owners and they are welcoming and glad to share their own supplies of amazing food and alcohol.
Then, one more person arrives in a sailboat, Robbie. He doesn't seem to click with the rest and shortly he seems menacing.
Lux doesn't know what to think about Robbie. She is worried about him but then she also starts realizing that no one on the island is exactly truthful about who they really are and their motives to be there too.
Reckless Girls is a welcome locker room type of book, atmospheric and enticing. The audio was fantastic. Kudos to Barrie Kreinik for bringing it all to life. She was awesome in The Good Sister so I knew I was going to love her in this one too.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
December 6, 2022
There may be a deserted island in this story, but Gilligan's Island it is not. I know I am dating myself by bringing up that iconic TV series, but I can't help comparing the two. Meroe Island is a real place and has a grim history. The notes on that history add a sinister note to this escape from civilization. Once our travelers leave the grid, their sense of freedom can turn on a dime into a feeling of entrapment. Our narrators are the girls in the story, principally Lux. All of them behave recklessly as the title states. This is Survivor on steroids without Jeff Probst to keep the craziness in check. The plot starts out as a slow burn and then picks up speed with many a twist and turn. Rachel Hawkins does an admirable job at keeping the whole thing from spinning out of control. I found it to be an entertaining read. My one complaint is the overabundance of F-bombs throughout. Call me old-fashioned (I know I am), but that is just not representative of the conversations that I experience. It may be that Rachel Hawkins is not for me, but I applaud her creativity. Definitely comparable to Ruth Ware.
This one gets pretty crazy. If you enjoy this title, check out the upcoming title from Rachel Hawkins: The Villa
This one gets pretty crazy. If you enjoy this title, check out the upcoming title from Rachel Hawkins: The Villa
January 4, 2022
Update 1/4/22: Reposting my review to celebrate that today is publication day!
Lux McAllister followed her new boyfriend Nico to Hawaii. Six months into their relationship, things seem good between them but not with other facets of her life. So Lux tags along when Nico is hired by two college besties, Brittany and Amma, to sail them to Meroe Island, a beautiful-but-dangerous (and fictional) remote island in the South Pacific. When they arrive, there’s already another boat in the cove, owned by a third couple, Jake and Eliza. At first, everything is great. Lux is happy, and bonds quickly with these new friends, even as she senses small problems between various people. But when a seventh person arrives on the island, the entire vibe changes, and soon events begin spiraling out of control….
The events in the present in Reckless Girls are told from Lux’s first-person perspective, which focuses the reader on her perceptions and feelings about the other characters. And as she begins to question those around her, there are occasional flashback chapters that fill in the backstory of other characters. The framework works nicely, keeping the reader one step ahead of Lux, at least for a while, as we learn the other characters’ secrets and how they will impact the present. And the pacing is very good, slowly building to an explosive, unexpected conclusion.
Because everyone has secrets, and the characters in Reckless Girls are no exception. Some small and others large. Some that would bring you closer to a friend if shared, and others that would tear that friendship apart. So how do you trust new friends—new love interests—when you know you’re only seeing a version of the other person? There are shades of Lord of the Flies here, and Hamlet too, but that question of who and how to trust others is the one that runs the deepest through this fun story of young, pretty people colliding in a secluded paradise. Recommended.
P.S. When I first read the description of Reckless Girls, it reminded me of And The Sea Will Tell, a non-fiction book about a criminal court trial written by Vincent Bugliosi (the prosecutor who convicted Charles Manson). I read that book in law school—it’s really good and also recommended—but I’d only ever met one other person who’d read it, and that was the person who loaned it to me. So imagine my delight when I got to the end of this novel, and the author’s note began: “This is the book I’ve been wanting to write since I was twelve years old and first came across a copy of And the Sea Will Tell in my local library.” 😄
“The world takes a lot from us, doesn’t it? Women like us. Women who don’t get things handed to them. Women without a lot of options. So sometimes, you have to take back. You have to create your own options.”Do you trust me, reader of my reviews? Then simply stop here, go get a copy of Reckless Girls, and enjoy. But should you trust me? I mean, how well do you know me? Or anyone, for that matter? Well, now we’re getting to what Reckless Girls is all about.
Lux McAllister followed her new boyfriend Nico to Hawaii. Six months into their relationship, things seem good between them but not with other facets of her life. So Lux tags along when Nico is hired by two college besties, Brittany and Amma, to sail them to Meroe Island, a beautiful-but-dangerous (and fictional) remote island in the South Pacific. When they arrive, there’s already another boat in the cove, owned by a third couple, Jake and Eliza. At first, everything is great. Lux is happy, and bonds quickly with these new friends, even as she senses small problems between various people. But when a seventh person arrives on the island, the entire vibe changes, and soon events begin spiraling out of control….
The events in the present in Reckless Girls are told from Lux’s first-person perspective, which focuses the reader on her perceptions and feelings about the other characters. And as she begins to question those around her, there are occasional flashback chapters that fill in the backstory of other characters. The framework works nicely, keeping the reader one step ahead of Lux, at least for a while, as we learn the other characters’ secrets and how they will impact the present. And the pacing is very good, slowly building to an explosive, unexpected conclusion.
Because everyone has secrets, and the characters in Reckless Girls are no exception. Some small and others large. Some that would bring you closer to a friend if shared, and others that would tear that friendship apart. So how do you trust new friends—new love interests—when you know you’re only seeing a version of the other person? There are shades of Lord of the Flies here, and Hamlet too, but that question of who and how to trust others is the one that runs the deepest through this fun story of young, pretty people colliding in a secluded paradise. Recommended.
P.S. When I first read the description of Reckless Girls, it reminded me of And The Sea Will Tell, a non-fiction book about a criminal court trial written by Vincent Bugliosi (the prosecutor who convicted Charles Manson). I read that book in law school—it’s really good and also recommended—but I’d only ever met one other person who’d read it, and that was the person who loaned it to me. So imagine my delight when I got to the end of this novel, and the author’s note began: “This is the book I’ve been wanting to write since I was twelve years old and first came across a copy of And the Sea Will Tell in my local library.” 😄
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