Someone needs to make this book into a limited tv series ASAP! It’s everything people love about tv addicted too trashy realty show, PLUS who done it type back and forth show similar to big little lies, perfect couple, basically anything with Nicole Kidman! I wonder if Nicole Kidman could play the host. Add in seriously hot ‘famous’ people netflix would chew their own arm off for this script.

Brilliant, witty, insightful commentary of fame and the industry. Also as usual with this fantastic author, amazing queer representation that is meaningful and not tokenistic.

Honestly only sad thing about this book is it’s release date being so late in august cause this should have been THE summer beach read this summer.

I was expecting to get really caught up in this book in a way you can be drawn into watching programmes like Big Brother but the flow of the action wasn’t quite right. I’m not sure if it was the police investigation bits or when the reader is expected to interrogate the participants but whichever it spoiled the overall experience.

I first met Bea through her two Greek myth retellings. This is quite a different beast; a murder mystery set during a reality show on an island, right up to date with drones and Big Brother style challenges. Viewers can watch live feeds from any camera during the day and the edited version in the evening, so - in theory - nothing is off limits. Even in areas without cameras, the microphones will still be working.

The producers have, of course, picked the most controversial people they can and supplied plenty of alcohol - seriously, everyone seems to be drinking all the time - and apart from the challenges, there's nothing to do but talk to each other. This quickly leads to bickering, manipulation and anger. But which of them killed Rhys? Despite being filmed from every angle, it's still unclear.

I liked the insertion of confession room 'footage' as things were happening; it mimics the sense of watching a show. We don't get quite as much of how producers edit and control the footage here, apart from a few comments that this or that will be dropped for various reasons. However it's incredibly clear that all the contestants are playing games - we're constantly seeing them plan how to respond to things, manipulating in the moment and on the go. They're all pretty skilled at it, in a terrifying way.

This is so different from Bea's other books that I almost felt I was reading a different author - except, when you look deeper, there are threads in those books as well about people manipulating others, trying to rise to the top. It's a funny thing for them to meet over, but it is there. This book won't necessarily have the same fans, but it definitely will have fans - and perhaps a TV adaptation? Would that be ironic?

A tense, exciting read, I think it'll do very well.

I could not put this down, if you like reality tv and can envision the set up and the premise in your imagination then you will love how this book reads and bitching galore.

Six celebrity contestants have entered a house on a remote island off the coast of Portugal for a new show called ‘Iconic’ with the aim of the show is being an icon and bagging the prize money. Four weeks, four men, two women and multiple challenges that cause uproar. The chapters are set out in episodes as the show aired, each one ending with an update on the police investigation. The story starts with the murder of one of the contestants which was filmed live on air, and then we are thrown back to the beginning to follow the breadcrumbs.

This is a storyline I will not forget, there is so many layers to it involving each contestants past, it would make a great Netflix series or movie. I really liked all the characters, each had depth, secrets and gameplay!

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my gifted eARC.

THEN THINGS WENT DARK -
BEA FITZGERALD - ARC
I thoroughly enjoyed Bea's first adult novel, it was fast paced based on that classic reality car crash tv and couldn't put it down!
Literally read it all in a couple of hours.
Six "celebs" are on an island as part of a reality tv show but when one of them ends up dead, who did it? Each of them has things to hide but at what lengths will they go to keep their secrets? Will one of them take things too far?
Kept me guessing right till the end although I did click onto things pretty quick I didn't guess the full ending!
@rachaelmcreads

Then Things Went Dark is an incredible thriller that takes a unique slant on the genre. It’s And Then There Were None meets Love Island but taken to a new extreme. Oh and everyone is queer.

This book was full of some of the most unlikeable characters I’ve ever met. They are all duplicitous and scheming, with their own secrets to hide and loaded motivations for signing up for the show in the first place. The whole concept of being iconic is interesting and you can see how it would align with a competitive game show that seems to play on the psychological aspects of the competition a lot. However, Fitzgerald gives them enough nuance that you can sometimes understand their motivations for why they’re acting in a particular way, even if you don’t agree with the action itself. They’re just incredibly messy and flawed and chaotic. This adds a sense of unpredictability to proceedings, juxtaposing the carefully curated veneers they hide behind. It is a masterclass in unpicking facades – especially around fame. We glimpse behind the glitzy curtain to reveal some incredibly dark truths.

By jumping through most of their viewpoints (but from a detached third person perspective), it is just like we are watching events unfold on our television. It is a sense of encroaching on privacy but you’re drawn to it because of the juicy drama and promise of scandal. You know from the start that this will end in death but it’s all about how and why we get there. I also loved the inclusion of the police interviews and how the investigators themselves are fleshed out characters within the narrative. Fitzgerald also includes social media reactions to each of the episodes as they unfold within our narrative, which adds such a meta layer and further twists your perceptions of what is going on. It is such a tightly plotted thriller with plenty of twists and turns in store. I was led on a merry dance but I enjoyed each moment of it. Fitzgerald has a knack for excellent characterisation and plots that really make you sit up and pay attention. I will read whatever she turns her hand to next.

Then Things Went Dark is an extraordinary whirlwind of chaos, celebrity and murder. I loved every second of this sun soaked nightmare.

6 Famous wannabes are thrown onto a brand new TV show with the hopes of becoming ICONIC.
Bea has written another genius novel where every character perfectly mimics the people we fawn over in reality TV in "real world", whilst also making us absolutely cringe and shudder at the despicable acts each person is willing to go through for their own 5 minutes of fame.

Yes, the characters are absolutely deplorable and awful, but that's the point. You're not meant to root for these people. It highlights so many issues we deal with on a daily basis such as toxic relationships, idolising shitty people and our desires to always do more and be more.


It's a bloody genius book, and I'm glad Rhys is dead.

#ThenThingsWentDark thanks to #NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC

This is a book to get absorbed in. Though it’s a mystery book, I found that I actually wasn’t that interested in the mystery. It didn’t catch me. What really caught me was the way the characters interacted on the island. The intrigue of how/ when Rhys would die but also seeing the twisting relationships between each of the characters. I almost didn’t care who actually did it.

There are a lot of dark elements to this book. Rhys is an abusive bastard and he manipulates and gaslights pretty much all the way through his relationship. It was interesting seeing it play out. It was a masterpiece in showing how a relationship can turn when manipulation tactics creep in. I honestly thought it was artfully done.

As I said, I wasn’t that into the mystery element. I’m not sure if that’s because I was just more into everything else or if it was just a little weak, but I was really satisfied by the ending. I think it’s good that this is a book that you can take different things from and would love to discuss it with someone who was more into the mystery side.

I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see more from Bea Fitzgerald.

‘And Then Things Went Dark’ by Bea Fitzgerald starts with an explosive concept… a hated reality TV contestant dying on a live stream with over 14 million viewers watching his demise and five contestants in shock! The novel promises to reveal the key happenings, alliances and conflicts leading up to the horrific event, while also following law enforcement as they race against time to prove that he was murdered before the edited finale airs live on television.

I liked the way the author created six unique (some might say “iconic”) characters and how the narrative style - peppered with extracts from filmed confessionals - really took us inside each of their heads. The challenges devised by the producers of the show were revealing and laid bare the determination and ambition of the contestants, which paved the way to delicious toxicity. In addition, the author dealt with some difficult topics in a sensitive and illuminating way.

However, I didn’t love the scenes set in the present which invited the reader to the interrogations of the characters by detectives… I found they didn’t add too much and actually broke the flow slightly, diminishing the goldfish bowl-like, claustrophobic feeling of the island.

This ultimately ended up a 3.5 star read for me. If you want to explore the dark side of reality television, give this one a read!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Michael Joseph Books via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 4*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 4*
Characters: 4*

This book was giving me Love Island and Celebrity Big Brother feels throughout, and was unlike anything I’d read before. That being said the end of chapter interviews with the police before getting back to the main story gave me serious Big Little Lies vibes and I was here for it.
The characters were all great in their own way, I’m glad there was only 6 MCs though or my head might have exploded.
If you’re clinging into the last thoughts of summer I’d get reading this, it’s a perfect pacey beach read.

I'm not a fan of reality tv - but I am definitely a fan of this novel!

Six contestants, all of whom have their own reasons for wanting to win, are living on an island surrounded by cameras, weighing up each move they make as they wonder how it makes them appear to the viewing public. Who will win in the end?

I don't watch reality programmes; in fact, I tend to mute even the trailers for them so this was a real eye-opener into just how aware the so called 'celebs' are of their image. However, I was riveted reading this! I won't be changing my mind about tv but this was a very entertaining novel. 4* from me, and definitely recommended if you're looking for something that little bit different.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This was such a fun premise, a reality TV show full of washed up celebrities living together in a villa but one of them ends up dead.

Straight off the bat the characters are all awful and just terrible people and you know from the beginning which one of them has died and then the book goes back through each episode as you piece together what happened. I enjoyed the episodes, it really did feel like watching a reality TV show but I felt like the other part of the book which focused on the police investigation was completely pointless and gave absolutely nothing to the narrative at all.

There’s also a content warning section at the front which I understand people will appreciate but for me it spoiled quite a lot of the plot.

This was a quick read which a lot of promise but i’m not sure it quite paid off.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read and review.

From reading the blurb of this I was excited to read it.

Sadly, this book didn't meet my expectations. I found the characters to be unlikable, the plot predictable and overall not an enjoyable read.

I imagine some people could get completed enthralled in this book. For me, I dislike when I can see exactly where a book is going as I like to be surprised. That could just be because I read a lot of books in this genre so often find it easy to see where a plot is going.

If you want something entertaining and not so big on being surprised then give this a try.

This is a story of 6 highly unlikeable characters thrown together on an island for the reality TV show 'Iconic'. Only 5 survive and the story alternates between episodes of the show, the police interviews of the contestants who survive and occasional tweets from the audience. I feel like I have binge read a reality TV series, while I don't like reality TV in real life I did quite enjoy reading it but found the ending disappointing.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this ARC. This was a 4.5-star read for me.

I could not put this book down. It had me hooked from the first few pages. I love the setup of the reality TV show. The way the book was written and formatted, it really felt like I was watching it, and it had me invested wondering what would happen next. Then Things Went Dark caught me with the cover and font which is gorgeous and it kept me on my toes with the interesting challenges, scandals, betrayals, and alliances. Nothing is ever as it seems. Just when you think you know who did it, another curve ball comes along. At one point, as a reader you literally suspect everyone.
The multi-POV was well-written and easy to follow.

I love how you see how the characters play the game. One of the best parts is when we discover the reason for the title in the book!
There are so many emotions you feels in this book towards the characters. You love and hate some of them chapter to chapter. I loved the confession booth which made the reality TV setup that much more fun to read.

Knowing Rhys will die from the beginning is hard because you love him for most of the book and even after you see some of his darker side. Jerome is crafty and not my favorite for most of the book. I had big soft spots for Kalpana and Isko. Amarinta, I felt for her but also was a bit frustrated at how much she changed throughout the book.

The closing chapters were extremely intense and had me speed-reading to see what happens next. This was my first Bea Fitzpatrick book but it definitely won't be my last.

Not for the posted reviews - publisher notes:
The only formatting edit I would recommend is maybe a little marker indicating the switch from the episode to the investigation.
The only reason it wasn't a 5-star was I felt like the ending needed a little more closure with regard to Kennard and Cloutier and the investigation. Did they arrest anyone? What happened to the characters after the finale was aired?

I will be posting a video review on Tiktok later this week.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was… okay. I found it really difficult to get involved with the characters as they were all just nasty people. It felt to me like the first 70% of the book went rather slowly and was dragged out, and then it ramped right up, and had a really rushed ending which finished abruptly.

No big twist at the end either that surprised me.

Overall, a decent read, but not the best I’ve read this year.

I’m struggling to find things to say about this one and I think it’s because I thought I’d like it a lot more than I did, instead I think I’ve just been left with a little bit of apathy…

The premise of the book was excellent and I love drama so I was very excited to dive in to this one and be sucked in to the scandal. I don’t really watch reality tv shows of this kind, or at all really, but I have found that I’ve enjoyed reality show element to books before. I was interested in how this was going to be formatted, if there was going to be any multimedia aspects like blog posts, interviews or tweets. What we got was a blend of a recap of the episode with interviews with the suspects that weren’t in an interview format you’d expect. It was all pretty boring and at times, with how it would switch up, confusing.

I think the best part of this was showing how abusive relationships work and how the abusers can manipulate and lie and isolate people from those around them. It was so well done. Fitzgerald had me rooting for the couple, and for him, and I feel for his game just as much as everyone — and then the true colours slowly started to appear…

The mystery was okay but nothing exciting OR enticing. It was just fine. The investigation didn’t really feel the story with any intensity and that part of the story fell flat too. It was all just very meh.

Six famous icons arrive on an island to participate in a reality tv show. With a lot of money on the line and secrets threatening to be revealed live in front of millions the stakes are high. When a controversial contestant dies on the show, the police investigate if this was suspicious or not.

The premise of this book, reality tv on an isolated island, has been a familiar trope recently, however the way this was written made this stand out and feel fresh in crowded market. I enjoyed the format of each episode being a chapter with the character’s thoughts included, although I wasn’t so keen on the police parts as I felt these offered little to the overall story.

The characters were created well and most were hugely unlikeable but very entertaining. I enjoyed exploring the extremes they would go to gain popularity and hide their secrets. The story covers dark themes, which could be hard hitting at times, however seemed authentic in showing how quickly things can escalate. Although I found these parts intriguing, I also found that it seemed some romantic scenes were thrown in for the sake of it and parts were far fetched.

I really enjoyed the majority of this story and was excited to pick the book up so I could continue to divulge the story but the ending let it down slightly for me, as it was abrupt and seemed unfinished. However, I would recommend this and pick up more by this author. This is a great book for those looking for a suspenseful, dramatic story with plenty of love to hate characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I normally devour a book that is formatted in a different than usual way, but this one lacked in something for me. I'm not sure what. I love it when we know there is a murder and we have to backtrack to figure out what happened, but this one was just a bit of a miss for me.

2.5

With shocks & drama just like a reality show, this book really draws you in. I loved the formatting with the 'live' tweets in-between episodes & police scenes.

I wish I could know more about how the world reacts when/if the truth is found out but the open-ended ending did seem fitting for the story.

The characters were complex & you could really hate some of them at times.

Would highly recommend to anyone who likes drama ✨️