An enjoyable book. I had feared it would be another celebrity book but Minchin writes a good tale. It was very visual so can imagine it being turned into a miniseries. I did find it hard to believe that the production company organising the challenge would ignore two major breaches of health and safety and not know a storm was approaching. Never the less, it's a good read.

A slow burner that keeps you wanting more. It’s my first time reading one of Louise’s books and I loved it. It kept me on my toes the whole way and I really enjoyed the story. Thanks netgallery for the chance to read it

This is the first book of Louise's I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed this atmospheric thriller. It kept me turning the pages, very easy to read and read it in a couple of sittings. The book opens with someone finding a body in bad weather in an ancient building.
Lauren is a journalist appearing on a reality TV show 'Isolation Island' in a remote part of Scotland with 9 other celebs in order to win the ultimate tailored dream prize worth 1 million pounds - although she does have an underlying reason to be there and that is to expose Nate a Hollywood film star.
One by one each contestant is either evicted or starts to disappear and when a storm begins and they are cut off from the cameras and outside world and a death happens the game well and truly starts to begin! This is a great thriller I enjoyed reading until the very end. I will be recommending to others

A great combination of a thrilling story set amongst reality tv. A great title for the book as the storyline certainly does give off isolation vibes. A great storyline with twists and turns galore which kept me hooked from start to finish.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

For a debut, I thought this was really good! I was pretty gripped throughout and the suspense was really well done. When I first started the book, I was worried there were too many characters and I would get confused but it was easy to follow. The only reason I' giving it four stars and not five is because there were a few loose ends such as the health and safety issues of production - why was the harness fixed wrongly and why did the gate drop on Nate? I liked all the twists especially the one at the end but I did feel it needed some sort of epilogue to show how it all worked out for them all.

Very atmospheric and a great plot. Had great fun wondering who the characters may have been loosely based on! However I did pick up the clue to the actual murderer but I still enjoyed the read. I was exhausted just reading about zip wires, slippery stairs and the cold. I read it in two sittings as it was so entertaining and full of energy.

Ten celebrities, one desolate island off the coast of Scotland to be the home of a new reality survival TV show, the prize of their dreams, what could possibly go wrong?

It quickly becomes apparent to the celebrities once they're left on the island to survive that the production team are not as health and safety conscious as they would all like, raising concerns for their safety the celebrities become paranoid and when a deadly storm hits the island, they feel far from safe, made even worse when one of them is found dead, unsure what is going on the remaining celebrities find out they really are fighting for survival.

I can not give this debut novel enough praise, from the concept, the setting and the characters, told through the perspective of the journalist celebrity on the island, Lauren and her enquiring mind. This is such a well written book, with believable characters, that I honestly felt like I was watching the show play out for real.

It's one of those books that has you gripped from the start and plenty of intrigue, with a good pace throughout that you can't put down, but also don't want to end.

If you like the idea of reality shows with plenty of jeopardy, then this is definitely the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I will add to my Instagram | Threads | Amazon on release day

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Reality TV series thrillers
- Slow burns
- Twisty fiction
- Atmospheric books

With thanks to Headline and Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

This is a great debut for Louise. Now I'm no thriller connoisseur by any means, I much prefer my romantasy and contemporary romances but I have to say I did enjoy this.

I liked the concept of the reality TV show with celebrities stranded on the island in an old monestry, although I do have to say the producers were a touch harsh with some aspects of the set up, especially having no one from the production team on the island however this is needed to further the plot as we go along.

I found once we got through the introductions of the celebs and particularly after the storm started the pace got quicker and I was sucked in, wondering what exactly happens to cause a certain characters demise. Is it simply an accident or is there something else afoot?

I do have an issue with the blurb as it promises the contestants are 'fighting for their lives', unfortunately I don't feel like this is the case but it didn't hinder my enjoyment. There are enough things happening to keep you gripped and I didn't work out the ending twist.

I would have loved an epilogue for the aftermath but I am also satisfied with how the story finished.

An interesting premise; ten celebrities taken to a remote Scottish island in the way of reality tv shows. I’m not a fan of any reality tv, but I bought into the idea behind the story and Louise Minchin has clearly used her experiences with mainstream tv to inform her character development. They’re very plausible. The setting is bleak and there’s a sense of isolation although the first part of the story, mainly scene setting, was a little slow. It does build though and having put all in place, the action picks up when there’s a death. All is not as it seems. This is a great summer read. Well written escapist fiction with enough twists to keep the reader invested and I didn’t spot the end twist. Enjoyed it.

Ten celebrities are taking part in a reality show. They've been left at a monastery on a Scottish island, with no way to leave, and cameras following their every move. When a storm knocks out the communication tower, they are left stranded, leaving the celebrities completely alone, tensions start to rise. And then one of them dies...

It took me a little while to get into this one. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe because I'm not a fan of reality TV shows? Maybe because the first part of the book focused on who each celebrity was, and them all meeting each other on the island? It wasn't really until the big storm hit that it started becoming interesting, and I started feeling invested in the story.
I did actually end up enjoying it, but I do wish it had been just a little longer as I'd have liked to have seen the aftermath once Lauren told her story of what happened on the peer.
A great debut, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Ten celebrities are shipped to a remote Scottish island for a reality tv show. With a production team that seems incapable of keeping them safe, a once in a hundred year storm on the way and the constant gaze of the cameras, the celebrities are stretched to the limit as they attempt to rise to the top whilst keeping their darkest secrets hidden especially when a body is discovered. The premise of this book was great hut it was a slow start setting the scene for far too long. The second half picked up the pace and was more interesting so I’m glad I stuck with it. Thank you to NetGalley, Headline and the author for the chance to review.

Louise Minchin has written a very atmospheric novel on the currently popular theme of reality TV. I loved the setting - a monastery on a remote Scottish island in the depths of winter. The 10 celebrities taking part are drawn from diverse backgrounds and there is tension from the start.
This is a pacy and engaging thriller with well-drawn characters. A very good debut novel. I look forward to reading more by Louise Minchin.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

A solid first novel!
Psychological thriller meets reality TV show.
The story line is good, if a bit mainstream for the genre (isolated location/loss of communication/killer on the loose).
There were lengthy passages and unnecessary repeats.
I did, however, like the final twist (do I see a sequel coming?).
I would have liked the characters to be a bit more developed, but overall, the product is solid.
And if you like reading isolated-places-psychological-thriller books, you should definitely give Isolation Island a go.

10 celebrities are competing on a reality television show set in an ancient monastery on a remote Scottish island. However, when someone winds up dead, the stakes just got serious… Is it a prize worth killing for?

I love competition style thrillers and Isolation Island was one of my most anticipated reads on my 2024 list. Those that have read my blog will know that this rarely turns out well for said books, but actually this one exceeded even my high expectations! I devoured this book in 2 sittings – it kept me gripped throughout. Usually when you have 10 characters, it can be quite hard as a reader to separate them all in your mind and keep track of who is who. Each of these characters are well developed though and I felt like we got just enough information about them to distinguish them and empathise with them, whilst still having secrets about them that were kept from us.

The setting of the monastery on the remote island was also great – with a storm rolling in it made for an atmospheric backdrop to the internal drama. I also feel sometimes with these sort of thrillers that we don’t get enough of the normality of the game before it all goes wrong. In Isolation Island the murder doesn’t actually happen until about half way through, which leaves us with enough story to get to know the characters in a more normal sense and also to get a feel for the competition and what the original aim of the game was. I do wish that more was explored about the production company in the ending though, as it felt like a lot of health and safety guidelines were not being followed and there might be sabotage at play, but this then took a back seat to the drama between the contestants and wasn’t really mentioned again.

Overall, Isolation Island is a gripping, well-written thriller that I completely devoured and could not put down. Thank you to NetGalley & Headline for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my type of book. In theory. I love stories with this type of plot.
Sadly I wasn't wowed by this. While I was intrigued early on. I knew there had to be a connection somewhere. But as the book went on I became less interested. It just felt there was something missing.
The pacing was great though. It didn't feel slow or dragging at any point.

Big Brother meets The Traitors meets I'm A Celebrity.

Ten celebrities are brought to a very remote, uninhabited Scottish Island in the depths of a freezing Winter to survive two weeks in a crumbling old Monastery, complete with creepy graveyard, towers and tunnels. Only one of them can be the winner and claim a once in a lifetime prize they have each chosen. Their every move is captured on camera with daily live episodes transmitted to viewers at home. The celebrities are set near impossible challenges, and with a Production Company who appear to have no concept of health and safety, tensions and conflicts among the group soon become apparent. The tale is told by Lauren, an investigative journalist, who is obsessed with revealing shocking truths about one of the contestants. One by one contestants are sent home for failing tasks or by being selected by the others. It's not long before the worst storm in over 100 years batters the island. The Production Company are unable to reach the island to rescue the remaining celebrities and all communication is lost.

The plot moves along at a rapid pace, with plenty of surprises, unexpected revelations and surprises. Every detail is relevant with no pointless narrative. I was kept guessing right up to the final page. Louise Minchin 's description of the Monastery, the savage conditions and sense of danger is excellent. My only slight negative is about some of the questionable decisions Lauren made as she was trying to identify the perpetrator.

A real page turner that I read over two days.

With thanks to NetGalley and Headline for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I liked how this one came together in the end but it took its time getting there and left me with some unanswered questions about the early accidents. Still a great read, could feel the tension!

Wow, wow, wow. I was hooked on this book from the word go!
Normally when a book is in third person I don't feel as if I'm in their brain or as connected to the main character, which I get with first person, however, I felt like I knew Lauren's thoughts like they were my own. This was due to how well written it was and how well it flowed through different moments in the story.
I really enjoyed the concept of the reality TV, it had an 'I'm a Celeb...' feel to it which I adored, but with a twist of murder, which had me soaking up every word with haste. I did guess who had done it, before it was revealed, but that didn't take anyway anything from the book or story itself. And I really delighted in seeing how it all unfolded.
Even though it was left on a cliff-hanger, I didn't feel as anything was particularly unsolved. Due to curiosity, I would like to know what came next, but it didn't ruin the end of the book at all.
Overall, I devoured this book beginning to end and was very glad to have the opportunity before it's published to read it.

A superb debut, although a bit bit of slow burner, it is well worth sticking with this book. Beautifully written and truly a masterpiece.