Plenty of punch, with disparate characters to lend stimulation and content. An intriguing unravelling, with a distasteful celebrity getting his comeuppance – but who was the culprit? I struggled a teensy-weensy bit over the premise for the investigative journalist to be on the island but enjoyed the read overall. The descriptions of the abandoned Scottish monastery on a wild and unwelcoming island were terrific.

Isolation Island has such an exciting concept which intrigued me and pulled me in straight away. Ten celebrities have arrived to take part in a gruelling reality survival show: two weeks completely alone on a remote Scottish island, in the depths of winter. I love books set in a secluded location where the characters are all trapped together when things start to take a turn for the worst so this was automatically a positive for me.

The story sets off with a fair bit of scene setting and introductions to the characters. Having 10 characters introduced at once was a little difficult to keep up with at first and it took some time to remember who was who, and what each of them was famous for.

The book follows a typical thriller structure where you become suspicious of different characters at different times and are trying to work out who could be responsible when things start going wrong. It was pretty mind blowing though how a high-profile reality TV show in a prime time slot could be so badly planned!

This was a gripping thriller and a brilliant debut for Louise Minchin.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher (Headline) for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

A tale of the most brutal TV reality show ever conceived! A diverse and interesting group of celebrities dumped on a remote Scottish island, plus a creepy, atmospheric setting and a huge storm that cuts them off from civilisation; result, a deeply unsettling story beginning to unfold. A must-read for fans of reality television – and I sincerely hope this show is never actually made! Recommended.

We'll get ten celebraties, a remote Scottish island and two weeks of them trying to survive and win a I'm A Celebrity-esque competetion. I was hooked from the get-go and couldn't put it down. A brilliant debut novel from Louise Minchin filled with suspense, tension and secrets.

When I read the blurb for this one, I was so intrigued by the reality TV/murder angle that I immediately wanted to read it.
Who doesn't love a bit of celebrity reality TV to pass the time? I sure do!

I think the idea behind this would actually make a pretty cool TV show. However, for me, this book just missed the mark.

The actual TV show itself is poorly planned and badly produced, which I believe is supposed to be part of the plot, but it just made no sense to me how all of these things could possibly be the way they were, especially as supposedly a prime time slot etc etc.

The heat of the action for me took way too long to begin with more than half the book having been read before it really started to delve into the real drama, which for me also missed that wow factor for the big reveal.

I did, however, like the setting and the premise was a must-read, but overall, for me, this was a disappointing read.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via Netgalley

I loved the element of a reality show coupled with danger and suspense this made it such a thrilling and gripping read for me overall.

This is your classic isolated location murder mystery (the clue is in the title). It is another book in what seems to be a fashion for the reality tv game show genre although in this case it seems to be a very vague set up, just providing an excuse for why 10 random strangers are holed up on an island on their own.

There is plenty to enjoy. A varied group of (to different degrees) dislikeable characters, numerous opportunities and motives sending the reader down blind alleys. It does have moments where the pace is a bit slow but ultimately a well-controlled and satisfying ending.

I decided to read this book after seeing on the blurb that it had some of my favourite thriller tropes. A group of people stranded somewhere? And then add in a reality TV element? Sign me up!
But unfortunately this one didn't quite hit the spot for me.
This book really started out strong for me, I loved the setting of Eilean Manach aka Monk Island a medieval derelict abbey in Scotland and throughout the book this setting really did add to the story.
Another thing I did like about this one was the atmosphere. It positively drips with the autumnal/wintery gothic abbey vibes.
But after a while it began to feel like that was all there was to it.
It is written in the third person, which I have never been a fan of. I think that I would have enjoyed this more if it was written in the first person with multiple POV's.
The reality TV aspect of the plot didn't really play a big part to the story at all in my opinion and I feel like this could have played a much bigger part than it did.
For me after a while the was a complete lack of tension. I think this was because I didn't connect to the characters at all. I wasn't invested in them so I didn't care what would happen.
This book overall fell a bit flat for me. So much so that by the 70% mark I did lose interest and just wanted to finish it.
It doesn't really add anything new or fresh to the thriller genre and there are better books like this that have already been written.
At the end I felt disappointed because when this started I was enjoying it and had high hopes that it would be at least a 4 star read.
However if you are looking for a thriller that is full of atmospheric vibes to read this autumn/winter you might like this more than I did.

What a great read! This is a highly entertaining, fast paced and exciting thriller, well written and with a finely drawn group of characters. Although it has a number of the typical tropes of the contemporary thriller, it is original, engrossing and surprising. The basic premise is a reality show on a remote island, peopled by so-called celebrities who all have their own particular reasons for wanting to win. And then the deaths start....

I love this fast paced debut thriller. It such a fun read.
10 celebrities spend 2 weeks on a remote Scottish island. Things start to go wrong, people start to go missing.
If you love programmes like the Traitors then this is for you. It was so addictive and gripping, I couldn’t put it down.

At the start of the book it took be a few chapters to get into the book. But once I got into the book I am finding it interesting. It reminds me of Iam a celebrity get me out of here but these contestants are totally in their own.

I am liking reading the book from Lauren’s perspective and her having a different agenda to why she is there. Let’s see if she finds the evidence she needs about Nate.

Contestants have already started to disappear but you don’t have a clue where or why. You think it’s not part of the show but is it?

In my opinion the first 1/2 of the book was slow but it was creating the setting and build up of the story. After the story started to take shape I really enjoyed the book and couldn’t put it down.

I did not work out the end of the book and who did what but by gosh it was a good ending.

I would recommend this book if you are looking for a thriller and something you need to work out and get into the mind of the journalist. Some parts of the book crept me out as I stay at my house during the week, but I got there in the end. This story is a cross between I am a celebrity gone wrong and the contestants have gone wild and let loose.

Fel rhywun sydd wrth fy modd gyda The Traitors ac I'm a Celebrity a rhaglenni felly, roedd hwn yn apelio ata i yn syth. Ni chefais fy siomi chwaith, 10 o enwogion yn mynd i ynys bellenig oddi ar arfordir yr Alban i geisio goroesi mewn mynachlog ar ben creigiau serth, ac roedd y disgrifiadau yn y nofel yn creu darlun clir o'r lleoliad yn fy mhen. Ond nid un teulu bach hapus yn canu o amgylch y tân a gawn yma, ac mae pethau'n dechrau troi yn eithaf cynnar ar ôl iddynt gyrraedd y lleoliad, gyda'r cymeriadau amrywiol yn dod i adnabod ei gilydd a chwestiynu beth yn union yw cymhelliant pob un i ddod ar y rhaglen ac a oes modd ymddiried yn y lleill a'r cynhyrchwyr? Stori llawn tensiwn, gwrthdaro, amheuaeth a dirgelwch, mae'r ysgrifennu yn dwyn eich sylw ac yn llawn cyffro ac anodd iawn oedd dyfalu beth oedd yn llechu rhwng muriau'r fynachlog anghysbell. Os ydych chi'n hoff o sioeau teledu tebyg i'r rhai uchod, mae'n rhaid i chi ddarllen hwn!

As someone who loves The Traitors and I'm a Celebrity and other similar programmes, this appealed to me from the offset. And I wasn't disappointed, 10 celebrities head to an isolated island off the coast of Scotland to try and survive in a monastery on the top of a steep cliff, and the descriptions in this novel created a clear image in my head of the scene. But we don't get the happy family signing round the campfire between the pages of this book, and things take a turn quite early on as they reach their destination, with the various characters coming together and questioning what their reasons are for coming on the show and can they fully trust the others and the producers? A story full of tension, conflict, suspicion and mystery, the writing draws your attention and is full of action and it was hard to guess what was lurking between the walls of the ancient building. If you enjoy the programmes I mentioned above, this is a must-read!

I raced through this book as I couldn’t put it down.

10 celebrities have been selected for a new reality tv show, taking place on a remote island off the Scottish Highlands in an abandoned monastery. From the moment they arrive things start to go wrong; has the health and safety team made some potentially fatal errors or is someone out to get them?

When there is a massive storm and the communications with the mainland knocked out, everyone’s true colours are revealed, what secrets are they hiding? Lauren, an investigative journalist, is determined to find out before it’s too late.

The characters were all well written and believable. I was rooting for my favourites, and hoping the bad guys were found out. Louise Minchin was a contestant on I’m a Celebrity, in the UK Welsh Castle years, which makes the reality tv aspect particularly well informed and interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a dark story! 10 believable characters have signed up for a reality television show on an isolated island in Scotland, however, things don’t go as planned and people start to die.
I couldn’t put this book down, I was hooked!

Isolation island is a great read, ten celebrities are put on a remote Scottish island for a tv show and they are awarded a prize for the final contestant. They think they know what they have signed up to, but it’s not what they think. When one of the celebrities ends up dead, who’s going to kill them all to win?

I really enjoyed this book, it’s a bit like Traitors and survivor in a book. It’s dark with lots of secrets that untangle throughout the book. The main characters are interested and I liked them. It’s very well written and you won’t be able to put it down. A gripping 5 star read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable thriller. It's one of those ones that sends you down lots of blind alleys until what really happens is finally revealed - and it was a shock! Atmospheric and page turning, set aside an afternoon for this book - you won't want to put it down!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC without obligation.

I enjoyed this - I mean who doesn't love a celeb reality TV show? And, the first half was just that and definitely my preferred part of the book setting up an extreme reality or reality show gone wrong. But sadly it didn't pan out like that with the second half going in a different direction. It also felt flatter because as suspicions rose and the group fractured, the narrative inevitably became more of a monologue. Such a shame because it was a brilliant concept, location and characters (with an unexpected twist) - all of which I wanted more of, not less. I also really wanted an epilogue.

Lauren Brooks is an investigative journalist who has managed to win a place on the TV reality show Isolation Island. Ten “Celebrities” will be marooned on Eilean Manach, an island off the coast of Scotland, in an old monastery. Each person however, as is usual on these shows, has their own agenda and Lauren’s is to get close to a Hollywood star whom she has been investigating for 2 years about abuse. There are a lot of characters introduced quite quickly and I did get a bit confused at first.

Briefly, the weather is, naturally, wild and the biggest storm for decades descends on them. Chaos reigns from the very beginning and when they really do find themselves cut off without help, things turn decidedly nasty. Can Lauren or indeed anyone survive before help arrives and who will win the big prize?

If you think I’m A Celebrity (Welsh version) meets Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None you will get the idea behind this story. The book starts off quite slowly but it ramps up in the second half. There are some good twists and turns and I did enjoy the story but it didn’t feel original, I’ve read a number of similar stories. A good debut crime thriller and I’ll be interested to read the authors next book. 3.5⭐️

What a whirlwind of a book! I am a sucker for any book with a remote setting, where the characters appear to be picked off one by one. That is what appealed to me about this book,
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the isolated island, the crumbling monastery, the harsh elements. Yes please!
The first half was a little slow but once the book hit the halfway mark, it very quickly picked up the pace.
I really enjoyed the twist even though I saw it coming from pretty early on. I still enjoyed the ride in spite of knowing the destination
I've never read anything by this author before but I'd definitely read from them again
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and had such a fun time.
I read it pretty much in 24 hours as I found it so compelling. It brought nothing new to the genre but I found it had a good mix of suspense, pace and character work that made me just want to keep turning pages.
The setting of being a reality tv show was fun, if a little bit of a stretch with everything that happened on the island.
I felt like the twists kept coming but not in a bad way that some books do, when they throw everything at the book in order to puzzle the reader. I feel like all the twists in here were grounded with good reason and background despite not seeing some of them coming.