You ever wondered what would happen if you let Bear Grylls plan your team building? This entirely dysfunctional office is about to find out.

Quite the fun little romp of a psychological thriller from J. E. Rowney. I was definitely entertained even though I didn't really connect with any of the characters.

3.5! I think it was interesting but it was just a little confusing to me because the author would introduce someone with their first and last name and then would constantly switch between the two names when referring to the character. It was kind of hurting my brain a little to try to keep up with who was doing or saying what because of it. I also was a little disappointed with the actual story. I feel like there could have been a lot more to the plot. I felt like everything wrapped up pretty quickly and I wanted to see more exploration of the island! I also felt like some of the plot lines kind of just went nowhere. Other than that though, the story was pretty fun! I enjoyed the thriller aspect. I did actually feel like I was on the edge of my seat at the little cliffhangers at the end of a chapter. If you're looking for something quick and fun though, I would definitely recommend this!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!
This book follows seven coworkers forced to participate in a team building exercise due to a lost contract fuelled by workplace drama.
It takes place on an island, feels very much like an episode of lost.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This book fell very flat. Unlikable characters and a very rushed predictable storyline.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I expected a funny horror comedy. I wish the story would have progressed in a quicker, more cohesive way. I really got taken out of the story quickly, and didn't have the drive really as I went on.

"Zero Days Since Last Incident" by J.E Rowney is a novel that delves into the complexities of human emotions and the consequences of our actions. As a work that navigates through the themes of guilt, redemption, and the search for meaning in the aftermath of tragedy, Rowney presents a story that is both reflective and thought-provoking. This review aims to offer a balanced perspective on the novel's execution, merits, and areas where readers might find room for improvement.

The exploration of these themes is both a strength and a challenge within the book. On one hand, the author's willingness to tackle such profound topics is commendable and lends the story a significant depth. On the other hand, some readers may find the continual focus on guilt and redemption somewhat overwhelming, potentially overshadowing other narrative elements.

The author employs a straightforward and accessible writing style, ensuring that the novel is approachable for a wide audience. The prose is clear, and the emotional weight of the story is conveyed effectively, allowing readers to empathize with the characters' plights.

Pacing, however, varies throughout the book. At times, the story moves swiftly, engaging the reader with compelling developments and revelations. At other points, the pacing slows, particularly during introspective passages that, while important for character development, may impede the narrative's momentum.

"Zero Days Since Last Incident" by J.E Rowney presents a thoughtful examination of the human condition, particularly in relation to dealing with past mistakes and the journey towards healing. The novel's strengths lie in its character-driven approach and the earnest exploration of its central themes.

While some readers may find the narrative's pacing uneven and the focus on a multitude of characters' inner turmoil a bit exhaustive, others will appreciate the depth and realism these elements bring to the story. This book will likely resonate with readers looking for a reflective and emotionally nuanced exploration of life's complexities and the paths toward forgiveness and redemption.

2.5/5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to review.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A team of seven are on a plane on the way to a team building retreat when the plane crashes. They face challenges that none of them could have foreseen which causes tension to ride, the shift in alliances and primal instincts begin to emerge. Can the team of seven put their differences behind them and work as a team to get themselves rescued?

Interesting plot but none of the characters but likable in my opinion. What I thought was to be a quick read turned out to be dragged on.

Although I enjoyed this book and the storyline I found the ending rushed and predictable, for a fast paced short story i would recommend this to others but i would not read again

I really liked the premise of the book, and was excited to read it. Overall, it was a fun and quick read with all of the suspense of a crash-landing survival story. However, I recently watched a series that had an oddly similar storyline (but with teens instead of office co-workers), so I immediately suspected the twist. The ending kind of has a Hallmark-esque feel to it, which is slightly disappointing to my dark, cruel, thriller-loving heart.

Whilst this was well written and enjoyable to a point. I felt it was lackluster and unfortunately left a lot to be desired, there was no big real twist and nothing really comes from the story.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had soooooo much potential. But a cross between The Office and Lord Of The Flies, it is not. And whoever came up with that comparison needs a good shake.

The story and all the characters are just pathetic. The two alphas are the worst and are caught up in a "my p*nis is bigger than yours" competition from page 1. Their full names are mentioned on practically every page (spoiler - Jonathan Jackson and Mark Thompson). The author couldnt seem to decide how to refer to any of the characters so flipped between full names, just the first or just the surname, which got very annoying VERY fast.

So 7 employees are sent off on a team bonding exercise. They crash land on an island, none of them remember the crash but still no one stops to think ummm is this a set up? The whole story is completely bland with the ending being so obvious just from the promotional blurb. I'm honestly disgusted with myself for wasting time finishing it.

Great premise but it never really grabbed me. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Alrighty. So. I really really struggled to finish this book. Even though it was short, only a little over 200 pages, it felt like it dragged on and on and on.

I was confused and annoyed at the start because the author chooses to name a character Jonathan Jackson, which is a totally fine name by the way, but the author flips back and forth between using the first and last name when addressing this character. Both of which could be first names. So for the first chapter or so I honestly thought Jonathan and Jackson were two different people. The author does this frequently throughout the book, and with a cast of like 7 or so characters it gets pretty confusing.

I didn’t connect to one single character. None of the characters had any sort of back story or any information about who they were outside of the company that they work for.

And here’s the thing. I wrote it down at which percentage I made a prediction in what the ending would be. 26%. I got one quarter of the way through this book and knew EXACTLY how it was going to end. And as I approached the end I knew I was correct. It’s very very easy (in my opinion) to guess the twist. Which takes the suspense and mystery out of a “suspenseful” novel.

I was drawn to it originally because it is described as The Office meets Lord of the Flies. I love the office and love the humor in it so I was very disappointed to find out there was no humor. The only relation to the office is they work at some company (couldn’t even tell you what they actually do) and the two men dislike each other. That’s where any similarity ends.

If this were not an ARC, I would not have finished this.

Thank you NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for my review.

Intriguing author J. E. Rowney presents a fast-paced and entertaining workplace thriller that places seven dislikeable coworkers into a dangerous position, relying on each other, with Zero Days Since Last Incident.

Plot Synopsis:

“The Office” meets “Lord of the Flies” in this tense psychological thriller.

A team building exercise takes a drastic turn when the plane crashes on its way to the retreat.

Seven coworkers.

One island.

No love lost.

Surviving the island might prove easier than surviving each other.

In the toxic and cutthroat environment of a high-pressure corporate office, a group of coworkers find themselves caught in a web of power struggles and bullying. Frustrated by the lack of productivity and deteriorating relationships, their boss, Richard Thornicroft, devises a drastic plan to force them to work together.

Richard selects seven of his employees to embark on a team-building retreat, but when their plane runs into difficulties on the journey, the coworkers face challenges that none of them could have anticipated. Tensions rise, alliances shift, and primal instincts emerge.

Can they work together or will old habits die far too hard?

When I first read the plot synopsis for Zero Days Since Last Incident I had some pretty high hopes for this book. The idea of a bunch of backstabbing, ambitious, high-functioning corporate types trying to survive on a desert island and taking the opportunity to scheme and kill each other off sounded pretty damn awesome, and I was all there for a story like that. Unfortunately, Zero Days Since Last Incident really didn’t live up to its potential and proved to be somewhat disappointing for me.

Now to be fair, there are some parts of this book that I really enjoyed. The quick-paced story and short length ensured that I was constantly engaged with the book, and the premise of the deserted island and its secrets ensured that I kept reading the entire way through to see how everything came together. Rowney also succeeded in creating a good group of irritating and unlikeable central characters who you would love to see backstab and destroy each other. The author did a good job of introducing this annoying cast in the early office scene, and I liked how well Rowney set up some of the conflicts around them and the reasons why they were forced into a team building exercise.

However, the book honestly fell apart for me once the characters got to the island. Not only did the story start getting a bit rushed at this point, but the big plot twist was extremely obvious right away. Despite the author trying to obfuscate this reveal with a few mysterious inclusions and twists, none of which honestly pan out in a useful way, it’s painfully clear how everything is going to end, and the last two thirds of the book were a lot less fun for me as a result. I was also disappointed with how the characters reacted during their time on the island. If Rowney had really pushed the envelope and turned them all into maniacal manipulators, she could have turned Zero Days Since Last Incident into a zany and highly entertaining read of betrayal and intrigue. Instead, we got a bunch of whiney, self-absorbed figures and a pretty standard storyline about them overcoming their issues and starting to work together. This was all topped off with a pretty rushed ending, filled with way too-many intentional Lost parallels and references, all of which resulted in a pretty unsatisfying read for me.

Look, I can kind of see what Rowney was going for with her story, but I honestly felt that Zero Days Since Last Incident just didn’t live up to its full potential and the author could have produced something a lot more entertaining with her promising premise. Still, this ended up being a quick, easy read with some interesting character interactions and motivations thrown in, and some readers will probably have a good time with this book. Personally, I just didn’t have as much fun with it as I thought I would.

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The premise of this story was better than the actual execution. This was slow, especially toward the halfway point. I also found a lot of things required suspension of logic which can be fine to an extent--it is fiction after all--but there comes a point where it's too much, throwing all over he rules out the window. The ending was intriguing and left open.

Wow! This book left me flabbergasted! A group of employees have been chosen to go to a worker’s retreat to do some team building exercises because there is a lot of tension and downright animosity amongst the employees and the business itself is not doing very well because of it. On the way to the retreat, the plane crashes on a strange island. No one was happy about going to the retreat in the first place and now they are all downright angry. Can they keep it together and come to work together in order to survive this nightmare? I came to the conclusion about what was going on pretty early in the book and I found that it added to the suspense. A definite page turner!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc.

I always love J.E Rowney books, they always twisty and just nice easy reads.

I loved the creepy stranded plot in this book, sadly I did see the ending coming quite early on but I think that’s because I’ve read a lot of books with a similar plot.

But I overall enjoyed it, the characters were okay, I liked the messy drama they all caused