"Isolation Island" is a taut, well written debut thriller from Louise Minchin. It is however extremely unlikely that a reality survival show such as this would ever get commissioned - isn't it?? There is a good variety of characters amongst the competitors, all with their own reasons for being there, although some seem rather reluctant and most are definitely out of their comfort zones.

This is a really atmospheric novel which keeps you guessing until the end.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

There are reality tv shows to suit every taste, from baking (my personal favourite, who doesn't enjoy a tasty cake?) to celebrities completing complex challenges in a jungle setting and traitorous antics in Wales. So, it seems like a terrific premise for a novel to use the reality show idea and take ten celebrities to an isolated island near Scotland, where they compete to win their dream prize.
Of course, nothing is ever as simple as it seems and our protagonist Lauren, an investigative journalist clearly has an alternative motive as she is travelling to the island in order to 'get the truth' about one of the other potential contestants. Lauren's storyline is setting the scene for some explosions later in the novel, but when we meet all of the ten celebrities, the reader soon realises, that everyone is keeping secrets - and the question becomes, just how dangerous these secrets prove to be.
As the novel unfolds, Minchin is building up the tension nicely, and we know that we are rapidly moving towards a dramatic conclusion. There are sufficient secrets and plots surrounding each character so that the reader can never be sure of who is telling the truth and the suspicions lead to many dramatic lead and twists.
If "Isolation Island" was a tv show, then I've booked my place on the couch, and have the popcorn ready!

Ten celebrities put together on a remote Scottish island. Their only chance of winning is to survive two weeks completely alone, their every move filmed for the entertainment of those at home.
From the outset we can see a mixed cast, deliberately assembled to cause tension. Upon their arrival the production team throw surprises at them, waiting to see how they will cope. Our main viewpoint is that of Lauren, an investigative journalist whose obsession with exposing the truth about an A-list celebrity has almost cost her everything.
Things tick along relatively calmly, with one or two characters removed from events early doors to allow us to focus on a core group of contestants. Then one of the stars is found dead.
Tension immediately ramps up as people scramble to hide their secrets - and there’s plenty of them. With suspicion high, it only gets worse when another star is discovered dead. You’d expect this to be easily solved…but the production team have been knocked out of action (conveniently) by a major storm.
As with all natural events, they die down sooner or later. By the end of the book we have a pretty good understanding of what happened, and Lauren is left with a choice that suggests there could be more to come from this story.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this in advance of publication in exchange for my honest feedback.

A great read. This book had enough description to set the scene of the location without becoming boring. As usual for a reality tv setting there’s a good mixture of likeable and non-likeable characters. Unusually I didn’t predict the ending so a bonus there for me as a mark of a really good book. Highly recommended read.

I really wanted to like this book, it’s an interesting concept the idea of a reality show where death may be the reality. However the writing is quite cliched, lots of descriptions of how the lead character is desperate, fighting for breath etc which pale after a while. Also very cliched descriptions of the surroundings eg the sky is like a bruise.

The plot was ok, it was fairly obvious who the murderer was although the twist at the end was good.

Some things made no sense (spoilers)-

Lots of accidents happening to the participants. Were these carelessness of the the part of the reality tv company? Part of the murder? Who knows?

Realistically if someone who wasn’t already famous had written this it probably wouldn’t have been picked up by a publisher. Which saddens me as there is the basic of a great plot here and Louise Mitchen clearly had talent for writing - but overall it’s not as good as it could be.

The middle part of the story is pretty gripping though and it zips along at a good pace so an easy read

What a debut novel from Louise Minchin.A abandoned monastery on the Atlantic coast of Scotland was the amazing setting. The atmosphere that was created right from the beginning had me keen to carry on reading until the small hours. It was exceptionally well written with a very intriguing storyline. I hadn’t expected a murder to occur which really blindsided me, but certainly added to the menace. There were a lot of twist and turns with the odd red herring which added to the intrigue. I will certainly read and future novels.

This is my first Louise Minchin book. To be honest I usually stay well away from 'celebrities' who write but I was pleasantly surprised. Isolation Island was excellent. One of the many reality TV novels out at the moment it soon became obvious this was something special as we see the contestants fighting for their lives. I loved the characters. They were nice and not so nice. Almost identifiable but not quite! Very human in adversity. There were plenty of surprises and a great twist at the end. All in all a great read. Good enough to make me look up more of Louise's books. 5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Imagine 'Big Brother' on steroids - would you want to be part of the game? Ten celebs have signed up for a game show, set in a monastery on a deserted island off the Scottish coast, the prize - whatever the winner desires. Lauren, an investigative journalist, is there for one reason only; she is on the tail of a big story, but the story she wants is not what she gets. From the moment the group are abandoned on the island, things start to go dreadfully wrong and when they are cut off from civilisation by a storm, events only begin to spiral.
This was a cracking read from Louise Minchin, which I read in two sittings. The build up of tension was nail-biting and for once, I found it difficult to identify the culprit. I loved the ending and the dilemma Lauren found herself in.

Reality TV being my guilt secret I devoured this book. Blooming well loved it. So good. Well
Written and absorbing I hope that author writes much more. Fantastic book.

Really enjoyed this debut thriller by Louise Minchin.
Whilst not a reality tv watcher I could totally relate to this! Truly believable. 10 celebrities, a remote Scottish island, daily challenges set, fasting or feasting. Then a huge incoming storm. If course there’s. Murder… It’s a thriller.

Loved the twists and surprises.
Truly believable in the realms of reality tv! Full of vivid characters and packed with drama and suspense.
Fantastic summer read! thoroughly enjoyable.

Isolation island is Louise Minchin's debut, and it's a little cracker. I must confess that I'm not a fan of reality shows, but when I read the blurb for this book, I was intrigued. I love a good whodunnit with an atmospheric setting.
"So what's it all about?", I hear you ask. Well, if you've read the blurb you'll know that ten celebrities are sent to a remote Scottish island to take part in a new reality show. Things don't go according to plan. There are health and safety issues, punishments for breaking rules and discord amongst the celebrities. Then two of the celebrities are murdered, and the remainder find themselves cut off from the outside world thanks to a storm.
As soon as the celebrities arrive on the island, you can feel the tension. There is a sense of menace from the outset. The remoteness of the island, and the harsh conditions, help to create the atmosphere. The characters aren't particularly endearing either. I genuinely only liked two of them, but I'm not saying who.
There were enough twists and turns in the story to keep me guessing.
All in all Isolation Island was an engaging, thrilling page turner.
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the digital ARC.

This is a fast paced high octane read. A group of celebrities are signed up for a gruelling reality show called Isolation Island. Their every move will be monitored and scrutinised by the public. Each has their own motive for signing up. For Nico it is the promise to reboot his failed singing career, Hollie and Taisie it is the promise of launching their business in USA, Jude wants to launch a political career etc. Among the ten original contestants there is Lauren Brooks a renowned investigative journalist who is out to expose Nate Stirling, a big time Hollywood actor who has a habit of sleeping with women attached to his films only to destroy their careers at the end. Lauren hopes to remain in the game long enough for the public to see him for what he is and seek justice for those women restrained by NDA's.
The plots opens as the contestants arrive in the depths of a scottish winter on a remote island. Immediately there is a sense that something is not quite right with the production crew as Nate is almost killed on the first night and Kez is evicted before the challenge even begins. The hardship of the situation becomes clear when the groups belongings are burnt on the beach and they are put into robes of monks. Those caught breaking the rules are immediately labeled sinners while the others are saints and treated only marginally better.
It is during the challenge called a leap of faith that things really take a turn for the worse as Frank simply disappears leaving the islanders wondering how safe they are.
Just as Lauren believes she can expose Nate, the island's communication is shut down by a raging storm that threatens the lives of the remaining group. As bodies start to turn up it becomes evident that no one can be trusted and Lauren must use her investigative skills to uncover who is behind it.
Absolutely loved this debut and could barely put it down. Minchin has a strong writing style that totally captivates you and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Highly recommend this and thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC

Ten contestants, an isolated island in the winter and cameras rolling in a survival show, what could go wrong? Quite a lot it seems like. Oh this was fun! I love an isolated setting and in the winter makes it even better! It was high stakes, suspenseful and thrilling. I enjoyed the reality-tv aspect and the unlikeable, unreliable characters. A great thriller

I have a bit of a love of reality TV and I really enjoyed how this book was a faithful adaptation of that format (but with added murder!)

Despite the murder happening quite a way into the plot, it was a gripping read that I binged in a day as I couldn't put it down! It was well paced and full of interesting characters and a brilliant twist I didn't see coming but absolutely loved.

The premise is a cross between I’m a celebrity and Traitors, set in a Scottish monastery on a deserted island. A motley crue of celebs: reality stars, tiktok phenomena, athletes and one big Hollywood star. Lauren is there as an investigative journalist with one big story on her mind. Very quickly things are not as they should be and a storm heightens the danger cutting off communication. Then people start dying….

The problem with books written by celebrities is that they can't write......this ISN'T the case with Louise Minchin.

This book is fantastic. It's atmospheric, isolating and claustrophobic, everything you want from a book like this.

I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for any further books written by the author.

Loved it!

A massive thank you to HeadlineBooks and NetGalley for the ARC

A great debut with so many twists and turns you can't ever decide who is being truthful and who is hiding something....

My review of isolation island i was hooked from the blurb what more do you want a reality tv show a few murders loved it who will survive must read 4 stars thank you NetGalley for the arc

I very much enjoyed this fast paced thriller with plenty of suspense. Lots of dialogue. The story resembles a darker and at times a bit far fetched version of the reality TV show “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here”. It also resembles Agatha Christie’s “And then there were none”. Amazing what celebrities will do! A satisfactory ending that I didn’t guess. Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy.

Isolation Island is a thoroughly good debut by Louise Minchin. It's set on an isolated island (obviously!) off the wild west Scottish coast and features a disparate group of ten celebrities who have to make do with rudimentary conditions in a long-abandoned monastery. There's an ageing Hollywood star, some social media influencers, several sports people and our main character Lauren, who is a well-known television investigative reporter with an eidetic memory.

The production crew are entirely absent and control everything by remote control, camera, and the twice daily live broadcast. A 'big brother' voice gives the contestants instructions. Safety considerations are curiously rudimentary - one of the contestants is a trained paramedic which seems to be sufficient (I'm not convinced this would be enough in a real life situation, but never mind). We soon learn that some of the contestants have secrets, backgrounds and motivations for being there apart from the promised prize for the eventual winner.

It's a fun read, despite there being a murder and early disappearance. There is physical peril, hunger, difficult tasks to complete and the knowledge that companions are there to win by making you lose. It's a very well written and atmospheric book which does have a surprise ending (I considered the possibility and dismissed it early on; wish I could say more).

My only negative thought is that a couple of early plot points were not followed through or explained. However it is a quick and satisfying read, excellent pacing, and worthy of anyone's time.