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.

Overall I really enjoyed the murder mystery element of this book, although I found the first 60% slow to read the last 40% was super fast paced as the plot was unraveled. I would have loved a few final chapters to explore the fall out of what happened on the island maybe with a 6 months on to see where they are now and what happened to them when they got off the island.

The perspective is written in the third person which took a little getting used to. Because of this I’d have loved perspectives from each of the characters and maybe an externally view from a production standpoint.

I have never read a thriller quite like this with the reality show setting and it made it really refreshing. With a varied cast of characters and a tense setting it is such a great debut by Louise Minchin.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This is really pretty good! It's a cross between Big Brother, SAS Who Dares Win with a touch of And Then There Were None.

It's a bit confusing at the beginning when all the characters are introduced at once and throughout the book I did keep getting some of the male characters mixed up.

The story is good and quite exciting and there is a real tension and sense of fear when the storm moves in. I can see this book as a film, there are even bits where the characters hear noises or whatever, and instead of hurrying back to the safety of the warm Hall with everyone else, they decide to venture down dark passageways or up dark stairs.

I felt that the ending was a bit flat and also rushed although the twist was good.

I suppose when you take the time to think about it, there are a few flaws but when you are reading it, you are quite swept along by it all , so i will give it a 4 for readability and enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC of Isolation Island.

I think when a ‘celebrity’ or well know name writes a book, you are always a bit wary of them branching out. However, I was not disappointed with this from Louise Minchin!

The atmosphere she created, with the monastery and the storm, together with a really eclectic mix of characters, made me want to keep reading.

Although it was a relatively short novel, I enjoyed every chapter, and was disappointed when it ended. A good debut from Louise, looking forward to the next!

I found this book a little slow to start but once I got a few chapters it oh my!!!! Was such a pleasure to read. It gripped me, kept me reading and I needed to know more. I struggled to put it down. Such an enjoyable thriller with twists along the way. If you ever want a gem of a book to read this is the one! Loved the characters and story line! I’m just sorry it took me a little time to get into it.

Ten celebrities travel to a remote Scottish island for a new reality show. But when a storm strands them there in complete isolation, it turns out that some of the contestants may have different reasons for being there ...

This was a really gripping and well written thriller! I read it in less than a day because I needed to know how it ended - and was completely satisfied by the final twists. Definitely one to pick up if you like an atmospheric murder mystery!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This was a very slow start and seemed to be so bizarre, a lonely isolated island, all clothes and personal objects to be disposed of so that they all wore the same clothes, cameras everywhere and o other prson to tell the things to do. The premise was good but I did not always feel that it delivered the best. In a way I felt that it was like Agatha Christie when 10 people come for dinner and one by one they all die. So instead of dinner this was an isolated island where all the competitors had a reason to be there. This was very much in line of the show " I am a celebrity get me out of here" which did make it plausible. I do have to say that it is full of twists and unsuspected information given by tthe competitors from the very start which did give it a lot of credence. It was certainly atmosperic and I shuddered at the idea of staying in a remote abbey on an isolated island knowing that one of my fellow celebrities was a killer.

I really enjoyed the story and was very quickly engaged form the start. Much seemed credible as the “celebs” made their way to the island – but trips and turns along the way had me surprised. Hidden cameras, danger lurking, and natural disasters kept everyone on their toes before and after someone dies. Yes, some bits were a little implausible, but did not to spoil the very good read! A good ending too…….. An excellent fiction start by the author and I await her next book eagerly. I was disappointed by the proof copy as it had line numbers in every line, making it hard to read – and not fair to Minchin!

A great debut fiction book by Louise Minchin. A take on the reality tv show but with a twist. A great thriller that kept me hooked and guessing right to the end.

The thought of being stranded on a remote island in Scotland has its appeal, right up until you add in several strangers with egos and their own agendas, cameras and an absent production team that have your day-to-day life in their hands, giving you tasks to complete, or your time is done, and I am out. I may have watched the odd episode of I’m a celebrity usually for the gruesome tasks but even that after a while just became very meh. Isolation Island takes all that we see on these types of programmes and then ramps it up to an extreme that has you wondering why anyone would sign up for these types of programmes and put themselves out of their comfort zone.
From the start Louise Minchin sets the scene perfectly highlighting just how remote and inaccessible the island is and how it is very much left to the whim of the elements. The 10 “celebrities” are all there for one reason only, to try to win the one thing that is personal to them that will set their careers apart or put them back on track. Lauren Brooks has another reason for being there, she is determined to expose one of the other contestants and show the world his true character. Having been forced to shut down her original story she thinks that if she can get him on camera, it will be game over for him.
There is certainly quite a mix of characters, who on the face of it seem like a nice group but as time progresses and the reality of their situation sets in, their true characters show through, and secrets are revealed I am not sure that you would want to know some of them. Louise Minchin has done a good job creating the main players in the book, showing how public and private persona’s can be so different when the cameras stop rolling. What is slightly more worrying is what she puts them all through potentially in the name of entertainment. There is clearly a wicked mind lurking behind the person we saw on breakfast TV for years (proving my earlier observation).
The pacing and tension never let up, making this a definite page turner as you want to know what is going to the contestants and who if anyone will get off the island in one piece. One thing is certain, if this is Louise’s first journey into crime fiction, I am looking forward to what comes next

A bit of a slow start for me, but once the characters were introduced then things progressed. Very atmospheric and moved along at a cracking pace. Would recommend this to others.

Wow, was totally hooked on this book, and literally couldn't move from my sunbed once I was into it.

I had to know what would be happening next, and somehow didn't see the final reveals coming.

I am absolutely loving this new trend of thrillers et in remote locations combined with reality tv programmes.

The setting is this instance is a run down monastery on a remote Scottish Island and although the basic premise of the game is rather familiar feeling, it's a fabulously claustrophobic and tense book as things start to go wrong almost immediately.

You are never completely sure what will happen next, and I incredibly gripped by the action.

With a cast of characters that on the whole I warmed to, I really couldn't get my head around just what might be happening.

Thoroughly enjoyed every page of this and will definitely be looking out for more books from this author in the future.

Thank you to Headline and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Isolation Island is set on a remote Scottish island in the depths of winter, as a reality survival show is beginning with ten celebrities set to battle it out for a unique 'money can't buy' prize. It starts with a wobble and the celebrities start to wonder how safe they really are; but then the game kicks in and they are faced with a number of challenges whilst being filmed. But when a storm hits, the celebrities become even more isolated, and then one of them is discovered dead. It then becomes a frantic race to keep themselves alive until they are finally rescued, knowing that their is a murderer in their midst.

This book was a debut novel for Louise Minchin and I was really impressed with how quickly it had me gripped. The writing is excellent and I stayed up late on numerous occasions for 'just one more chapter'.
At first, I thought it would be tricky to get to know so many characters, but they were all so wonderfully unique and well written, that I actually got to grips with them pretty easily.

Isolation Island is a whirlwind of a book, with many twists and turns - some that I guessed, but plenty that I didn't. I can't wait to see what Louise Minchin writes next.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Louise Minchin is one of those authors you know you can rely on for a gripping read and this title is no exception, thoroughly recommend

Isolation Island is set on an abandoned island with an old monastery! The story is about 10 celebrities on a reality TV show and how they will survive on an isolated island, where they are given challenges to complete in order to provide them with food. Our main character is Lauren, an investigative journalist, who is hoping to catch and write about one of the celebrities, an American actor called Nate Stirling, This has all the elements of a locked mystery with lots of intrigue on the isolated island. How will the 10 get along with each other as they all have different characters and traits, will they come together or fail to become a cohesive group. They were plenty of nail biting moments and it is a page turner of a book. The story was very atmospheric and descriptive. The ending came as a complete surprise for me.