10 celebrities, a reality tv show & an old monks settlement on an isolated island in Scotland with not a soul around & no means of getting back to the mainland what can possibly go wrong!!
Meet Lauren an investigative reporter known for reporting on some of the biggest cases on tv & Nate a Hollywood actor who is mega famous & also known to be a philanthropist. Lauren decided to take part in this reality show as unbeknown to Nate & the other celebrities, Nate is Lauren's next big scoop, so she feels this show will bring her closer to him & get him to admit to things he has done. However, not is all as it seems with the show & strange things start happening, then to top it all off a major storm hits both the mainland & the island leaving the celebrities stranded with no form of communication & no way of leaving & this leads to murders,betrayal & secrets been revealed. Can the celebrities trust each other? Who is the murderer? will all of them get off the island in one peace? And is any of this linked to Lauren's case?
I couldn't put this book down I needed to know what happened next & I devoured it in a day!
This is a great 1st novel for Louise Minchin & I would definitely recommend it to fans of thrillers

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
A locked in read featuring a Big Brother reality type show but with lots of clever twists.
All the contestants have an end game when they arrive on Isolation Island but some of them will not leave it alive.
A quick fast paced atmospheric read that keeps you turning the pages.

You’d kill to be them, they’d kill to win.

When 10 celebs are given the opportunity to take part in a reality show with the prize being something money can’t buy what could possible go wrong? They are all taken to a remote island and left to fend for themselves, personalities and egos soon start to appear. Things soon take a deadly turn and nobody knows who can be trusted.

I enjoyed this book especially the setting. A spin on a locked room story and I read it in a day. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and good luck to the author on its release.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Publication Date - 12/09/2024

#IsolationIsland
#LouiseMinchin

Isolation Island by Louise Minchin

I was apprehensive when I picked this up, worried it would be just another game show thriller story, but I am glad to say I was proven wrong. Minchin's debut novel was highly enjoyable, fast-paced and gripping, so I cannot recommend it enough!

This book is set on an eerily remote island in Scotland, and Minchin does a great job of building the ominous atmosphere not only with the setting of the abandoned monastery, but with the matching hooded robes our characters are forced to wear. the sudden disappearances of Kez and Frank then, later, the devastating storm. Right from the start, it is made clear that the character's safety may potentially be at risk and that Production do not seem willing to intervening, the tension builds with each accident until eventually there is a seemingly inevitable death. As soon as the body is found, everything spirals and the story becomes a web of secrets which we as the readers have to unwind, and this part of the book was definitely the most compelling. The twists throughout this book were really well written and had me furiously reading, desperate to find out what happened next.

I enjoyed exploring the world and the characters through investigator Lauren's eyes; her backstory and her motives for joining the TV show were heart-wrenching but definitely had the desired effect of having us readers root for her every step of the way. Each of the characters were incredibly well composed and life-like, with their own individual personalities, motives and secrets. Even Kez or Frank, who leave the island pretty early on, were completely formed individuals who we got to know and feel for (I worried about Frank for a good 3/4 of the book). The author did a great job at making us hate Nate, yet allowing us to see him from Lauren's POV really highlighted the way narcissists operate and showed us the horrific way people can use influence, fame or attractiveness to manipulate the narrative in their favour and escape consequences. The way Nate treats Lauren, Jude and the girls is appalling, yet we see how a person can hide their true self behind a facade, which was scary to watch unfold and had me angrily glaring at my phone whilst reading!

Overall, I rated Isolation Island a 4 out of 5 stars. This was a very fun read, even if it did take me through a rollercoaster of emotions. I would highly recommend picking this up, and I can say for certain I will be looking forward to seeing what Louise Minchin writes next.

I love a locked room thriller and throw in a reality TV element and I'll definitely want to read it. Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for providing me with a digital copy for review.

Ten celebrities are brought together for a reality TV show where they must spend two weeks on a remote Scottish Island, live like monks and try to survive. After several near misses the contestants soon realise that the production team's Health and Safety protocols are severely lacking or is there a killer in their midst?

I thought this was a solid debut novel from Louise Minchin. I found the TV element combined with the desolate setting made this a pressure cooker of a thriller. It had me gripped from beginning to end and I did not guess the outcome. I also enjoyed the cast of characters. An interesting mix of personalities to make a few sparks fly.

Overall I found this a fast paced and twisty read, full of suspense and atmosphere. I'm looking forward to reading more from Louise Minchin.

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.