Initially a promising book and storyline, I had assumed that this would be a psychological thriller but as the story progressed I realised I was wrong. A lot of current issues are touched upon in the book including depression and consent which is a good thing but I can’t help feeling that a lot of the story wasn’t completed and the initial part of the book set on the holiday wasn’t connected hugely to the ‘second’ part of the book. I did enjoy the characters though and I could relate to them all. A well written book but not the correct genre for me .

This was literally a story about friendship turned toxic, centering around one girl on holiday with a group of lads, one night where things go horribly wrong and the fractured relationships within the core group start to show.

On holiday, too much drink, too much sun, a loosening of inhibitions, all leads to disaster. Every one of them is hiding a secret from that night, whether they remember or not. Nicci Cloke dissects her characters with an authentic ironic eye and a brutal realism about human nature and how we don't really know people until the chips are down.

Toxic is beautifully readable even as you roll your eyes at some of the enabling behaviour and the assumptions of forgiveness. The casual way they all treat each other quite often badly is actually very true to life, within any friendship group you'll find divisions such as you find in this story.

It was a good warning against excessive intake of alcohol for sure and a very relevant theme in it's plot - overall very good indeed. Recommended.

Hope is on holiday in Crete with the boys, Dev, Nate and Zack also including Logan her ex boyfriend. When she gets rejected by wrongly trying to kiss him, she sets out to get drunk and forget.



The next day they head off on a booze cruise to an island where she meets Ness, Emily and Hayley with the boys while on board one of then dabbles in drugs but Hope hates the idea of then but not of getting drunk enough to forget anything and everything. The booze boat, sleazy guy and the girls from their hotel they bumped into again.



Then she wakes up the next morning unable to recall the whole night before as she is on the beach, dress round her waist and euro's missing from her bag.



Then Logan and Zack have a secret to keep, a criminal one...



Once back home, Logan starts digging trying to find out what really happened to Hope. As well as struggling with his guilt by sleeping a lot and sinking into depression and worrying he's not good enough for Daisy his girlfriend as they get their A level results.



Dev has a hidden true story from the night whilst JB makes an announcement to the group...



Then Logan discovers Emily went missing that night on holiday and it's on the news online...



There's also the issue of a TV show capturing them on camera partying for the world to watch...



Hope and Logan's latest ex Daisy are pushed together after they both experience similar horrifying situations while there's an attack based purely on gay phobia against one of their friends...



There's drug use alcohol abuse and sex references to throughout so this is definitely a book for older teens. The use of crude language about casual sex from a parent to their son and the son's friends was a bit much. But the story is so important about the dangers of cheap booze holidays abroad especially when friends aren't looking out for each other properly as so much danger could happen as you're so drunk and vulnerable as the teens get in this book. The boys do stick to a typical lads holiday treating Hope fully like one of them unfortunately but they're all deep into their own issues it seems like drink and drugs are the boy's way out of forgetting their life stresses and it can be similar to real life like that. Totally representative of some stereotypical teens and the dangers out there and a true test of how well we all know our friends fully.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!