🤍 Book review 🤍

The Island
by Sarah Goodwin

The Island by Sarah Goodwin starts with an intriguing premise—three friends win tickets to a glamorous music festival on a private Greek island, only to find themselves in a situation more reminiscent of the disastrous Fyre Festival. The buildup is slow, with too much time spent on foreshadowing and setting the scene. While the story picks up once the festival begins, the twists are predictable, and the “shocking” reveal falls flat.
The concept of a locked-island mystery had potential, but the execution was underwhelming. Jody’s unreliable narration adds some tension, yet the plot is bogged down by unnecessary details, making the book feel longer than it needed to be. Although the eerie atmosphere and sense of isolation were well-crafted, the overall experience didn’t live up to its promise. It’s a decent read if you’re into thrillers, but not one that will leave a lasting impression.

Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

The story follows Jody and her flatmates, Ari and Clara, who win tickets to a festival in Greece—a perfect getaway to help Jody bounce back after a tough breakup. Her friends are sure that some sun, music, and fun will lift her spirits. But from the moment they arrive, the festival falls far short of the glamorous experience they were promised. Despite Jody's urge to return home, her friends convince her to stay. As the festival progresses, things take a strange turn—her passport vanishes, and she’s sure she spots her ex in the crowd. Suddenly, she’s not so sure she can trust anyone, including her closest friends.

I found it difficult to connect with Jody, and the story felt like it took a while to gain momentum. The action only really picks up in the second half, when the festival chaos is in full swing, but even then, it didn’t quite feel believable to me. While this book wasn’t a hit for me, it might be a good pick for those who enjoy lighter thrillers or are new to the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books and author Sarah Goodwin for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.

After fleeing from her violent ex-boyfriend, Jody is staying with Ari & Carla who she knows from a houseshare situation at university a couple of years ago. After a run-in with her ex, Jody has been letting her coursework & attendance slide & generally feeling down, so when they win tickets to a music festival on a private Greek island, it seems like the perfect antidote.

When they arrive though, things are not as advertised - instead of the luxury they were expecting, the beach is covered in broken concrete blocks & rubbish, the food & drink is low standard, & the whole venue smells of rotting food. Jody wants to go home although she is persuaded to stay by her friends, but as time passes, she begins to wonder if she can trust them, especially when her passport disappears & she's sure she glimpses her ex in the crowd.

Reviews seem quite split on this one but my rating sort of falls in the middle. It definitely wasn't quite as thrilling as the synopsis made it sound, in fact Jody's continuous doormat ways were a little irritating, but there was enough to keep me interested in reading on. It turned out to be a just- above-average thriller, with some good twists & turns, but the ending was a little unrealistic (& believe me, I'm underselling it here). There were good points though & as I have some of the author's other books, I will be giving them a read at some point. 3.5 stars (rounded up).

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Avon Books UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for the chance to read this ARC book for my review.

I haven’t read this author before so was looking forward to it. The story is based around the character Jody and her flatmates Ari and Clara and the winning of tickets to a festival called Lethe in Greece. Fab idea to set the scene at what should be a festival of a Glastonbury feel just with wall to wall sunshine however all is not what it seems.

The story line was slightly slow for me as the reader with Jody story taking time to unravel. With the action taking part in the second half of the book when the festival is in full swing. This is where the action comes through but it would have been good to have a few more points throughout the book. This book would definitely be highlighted with a few trigger warnings and at times the story was too long to be pulled out. Yes it got gripping near the end when the plot opens up but also predictable however I don’t know this authors style within their other books which others may love.

I do see this book by the pool and for those who don’t want a heavy thriller type book.

Not one of her best in my opinion. It seemed to read like a teen book and I found the story garbled and silly. The characters were very lame and silly and the story just meandered along. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

5 stars - engaging and well written, this fast-paced story really ramped up the tension throughout. Sure there were times when you face-palm because the MC may be a little bit dumb, but overall it was a believable and unputdownable book. I read this over two days and I just kept finding excuses and time to pick it back up again. I loved it

I found this quite a slow and repetitive read .I wondered if it was aimed at the teen audience ?I found Jody quite annoying, I spent most of the book waiting for something to happen .I think it should have been called The Festival .The ending was pretty far fetched .Sorry just not for me .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this one! i was super excited for this one as i love Sarah's books! This book was very messy but i really loved the main character Jody, i really felt for her and her journey. I just felt the rest of the book was a bit all over the place.

The Island
Sarah Goodwin

‘I couldn’t tell anymore what was paranoia and what was reasonable suspicion.’

The start was slow and laborious, setting the tone but nothing that exciting. But then Roisin goes missing after the first night at Lethe Festival, the night when Jody glimpses sight of Nick. Roisin looks similar to Jody, is that a coincidence or something more sinister?

‘It all felt very precarious suddenly. Like we were just waiting for some trigger to turn everything on its head.’

It very soon becomes evident that something about the festival is wrong. Lack of security, no phone signal, people going missing. And plenty of other dodgy stuff underfoot. But once you’re in, there’s simply no way out, giving us a kind of locked room mystery.

‘A way out. I felt like a moth battering against a window, powerless to escape.’

The premise is good and the build up solid but for me it wasn’t as thrilling as I anticipated. Still a very solid read but not one to rave about.

‘It felt like feeling too ugly to be catcalled - I knew it was really screwed up to feel invalidated by it, but I was hurt just the same.’

The Island is released August 15th, 2024.

“Come on, you can’t just blame him for everything that goes wrong. Even if he deserves it. You’ll drive yourself nuts.”

(REVIEW POSTED 13th AUGUST 2014)

The premise of this book sounded interesting. Three roommates won a trip to a festival that was supposed to be music and fun but when they got there the conditions were not what they expected. They compared it to the Fyre Festival.

I thought that the book started out pretty slow and they spent a lot of time trying to foreshadow situations. I struggled to get into it but once they actually got to the festival it picked up for me. I saw the big reveal coming so I wouldn’t say I was shocked by anything but the story behind it was a little unbelievable.

The book was just okay to me and it probably could have been quite a bit shorter. Cutting some of the story out would not have affected the book as a who ruin my opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This novel covers so much, it’s a locked in type read as most of the ‘action’ takes place on a Greek Island at a music festival, and it’s also a very accurate look at the symptoms of overthinking and anxiety.
While very different from what I expected from the blurb and the cover this is a worthwhile read dealing with some very serious subjects.

Jody and her two friends have won tickets to the Greek music festival everyone is talking about, which promises luxury and immersive experiences. Once there they are disappointed to find it is nothing like promised. Soon shocking events occur. Will they make it away from the festival?

I was intrigued to read this as it seemed a similar plot to real events which I found fascinating at the time and also trope I usually enjoy. I have read most of this author’s previous books, some I have liked more than others, but I especially loved Stranded. Although this was a (sort of) similar concept to Stranded, I didn’t find it as entertaining, likely because the sub plot seemed to take centre stage. The writing style wasn’t bad but I feel like it took quite a while for the plot to go anywhere and was slightly repetitive.

I enjoyed the setting and found the atmosphere described well. There was a sense of mystery, however due to the pace my interest wasn’t held. The ending was quite unbelievable and I’m not sure if it worked fully. I would definitely pick up another by this author as I know she can write fantastic thrillers. This would suit those looking for an easy holiday read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

This book is more about domestic violence and toxic masculinity than the promised fun summer read about a festival going horribly wrong. Jody just left her abusive boyfriend when one of her friends wins ticket to a festival on a Greek island. Jody is still afraid of her ex but her friends convince her to join them. But as soon as they arrive, they learn that this glamorous festival is ill organized and not at all glamorous.



The blurb rises unfulfilled expectations. This story is all about Jody and her anxiety after her horrible experience with her boyfriend. The book is slow and repetitive. It sounded like a fun idea for a story but you get something completely different. It is still an important story but the execution is not very good, and I think the mixture with this ill-fated festival does not work. The story about the festival is bizarre and weird and not well crafted. This was my fourth book from the author and it seems that my rating is rapidly declining from 5 stars for her first book to 4 and then 3 and now only 2 stars. This book just did not work for me.

I really enjoyed this book. Jody, Ari and Carla win free tickets to a music festival on a Greek island. Jody has recently escaped an abusive relationship and is still very fragile. When the girls arrive at the festival they discover it's not all it was cracked up to be, but they are determined to make the best of it. Then Jody meets Andrei who seems to be the complete opposite to her evil ex. But is he really to be trusted? All sorts of nasty things start to happen from then on. This is a real page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end! It will certainly put you off the idea of music festivals!!!
Thanks to Netgalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A thriller book set at a festival is all I needed to dive headfirst into this book, the setting, the characters and the intensity was so well done.

A locked island thriller of sorts with an unreliable narrator in Jody who along with her friends Ari and Carla is stuck on a Greek island that isn't what they thought it would be. They won the tickets to the festival and expected a joyous lush place but it's not-it's hot, it's decrepit, and there's a creepy problem. And hovering over it all is Jody's toxic relationship with her controlled ex Nick. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It wasn't what I thought it would be but it made for a good read.

I've always enjoyed Sarah Goodwin's books. She excels in creating difficult and sometimes dangerous situations for her characters and leaving the reader wondering how it will all play out. In The Island begins in the future, where Jodie, attending a music festival in Greece, is trying to escape from someone. She is pushing through crowds of people and then the unthinkable happens. A shout goes up that someone has been stabbed, creating havoc among the festival-goers, and knocking her to the ground.
On the surface, it seems Jodie is someone who wants to fit in. She’s quiet and introverted, seems unable to break away from her mother’s ‘wise warnings’, and tends to be bullied or put upon by others. Currently living with her old student friends Ari and Carla, she has just escaped from a relationship with her controlling and vicious boyfriend Nick. When Carla wins tickets for a festival on a Greek island, at first she is reluctant to go, but on further consideration feels putting a thousand miles between her and Nick might not be a bad thing.
Sadly, Lethe, the island where the festival is taking place, is not exactly the Mediterranean paradise they anticipated. The girls arrive with positive expectations but are soon faced with the fact that despite the music and party atmosphere, the island itself is full of broken concrete, yellow dust, and rotting rubbish. It will prove a testing time for Jodie, with some edge of the seat scenarios.
The Island is an entertaining read, although I have to say I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of her previous books - Stranded being my all time favourite.
I would like to thank Avon, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of The Island in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was slow & repetitive, it only became exciting towards the end. I didn't connect with the characters and personally didn't enjoy it, but I can see how others might unfortunately a miss for me.

★½ ROUNDED UP ⭐️⬆️
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I want to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to review this book.

This destination thriller sounded like a perfect summer read. Based on the ill-fated Fyre Festival, we meet Jody, Carla and Ari, roommates who have won tickets to a new and exclusive festival on a Greek Island. Eager to get away from reality for a long weekend, they jump at the opportunity to go but what they face when they get there is a mile away from what they had been expecting.

As always with this style of thriller there's the promise of a lush and exclusive setting, of glamour and celebrity and a whole heap of drama. I will openly admit that I read this style of book for a thrill fest that's enjoyable fluff and whips by at a fast pace and based on the premise that's what I was expecting, unfortunately it wasn't what I got.

There is a little bit of that but it was overall pretty slow and much more at front and centre was a domestic violence/abuse and coercive control storyline with a character (Jody) traumatised by her previously relationship and haunted by her narcissistic ex (Nick).

It's an important storyline, don't get me wrong, and should and must be talked about, but it was out of place in this type of book and if I'd known I probably wouldn't have picked it up to read. There is a note at that start mentioning the potential for triggers and the author's afterword is an important insight into the book (with potential spoilers) and I wish I'd read it first so that I was in the right mind set of what to expect.

I also felt let down by the ending which was pretty ridiculous and most of the action of the book takes place in the last 20% but by that point I was tired of Jody who had been an unreliable narrator throughout (a trope that didn't work for me this time) and there had been a lot of repetition and running around in circles.

Overall, this was a miss for me unfortunately.

2.25*

Thank you to Avon Books UK | Avon and Netgalley for an eArc of "The Island" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.