I was totally immersed in this story. I really felt as though I was in the monastery on the island. A realistic and up-to-date storyline,believable characters,an ending which had me on the edge of my seat. I loved reading this

Wow, for her first mystery novel Lousie Minchen has done the job well. While I'm not a fan of reality type shows, the prologue to Isolation Island had me hooked. It’s a creepy, chilling start, and the book is quite visceral at times as the novel gains momentum.

Lauren Brooks, investigative journalist, throws herself into the deep end by joining a group of celebrities on a remote Scottish Island for a reality game show. Think - I’m a Celebrity get me out of here, but dark, very dark.

Then? Wild weather ensues, cutting off all power and one by one celebrities turn up dead. Throw in a few red herring along with the dead bodies piling up, wrap it up in a twisted ending. It’s a nice, quick bring along on holiday type of read. Unless maybe your holiday is to a remote Scottish Island. I hope Louise continues to write atmospheric thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a big fan of the author from her time on BBC Breakfast, and as a fan of some reality TV shows, I was really excited to read this debut novel. The author is involved in lots of activity projects etc so I thought it would make a good read, but well done to her for actually having a go and creating the book.
When you watch reality TV you can tell that the storylines are very much edited and clipped for a TV audience and that is part of what makes that genre work and does not transfer as well to a novel.
I found it very slow paced and a struggle to get through. Although the initial idea was good I found some of the scenarios and character connections to be unbelievable which was a shame when you can tell the author has put a lot of thought into the storyline. The ending was also a disappointment. and didn't really have a good structure.
I know some people love this book so maybe it was just not for me.
Many thanks to Headline, NetGalley, and the author, for providing me with an advanced copy in electronic format in return for an honest and unbiased review.
The book is published on 12th September 2024

Ten celebs are brought to a very remote Scottish island in the middle of winter, to stay in an abandon monastery to set number of tasks and if they passed someone will win a substantial amount of money. The celebrities will be filmed 24/7 and it will be showed on Tv. They will also be stripped of their personal possessions including their mobiles phones. The only way to communicate of the island. There is also no production company on the island everything is done by remote control.
From the get-go things seemed to go wrong. The celebs are left without food when they fail to do a task, and they find that one of the harnesses are not attached properly. That person could have fell to their deaths.
When a severe storm rages and there is no way off the island the celebrities all huddle together and hope the storm passes through so they can be rescued. But tragedy strikes when the next morning they find one of them dead.
Isolation nation is a fabulous debut from TV news broadcaster and presenter Louise Minchin.
I am not really a fan of reality Tv except for I am a celebrity which this story vaguely reminds me off it. But I was so drawn in by the blurb that I and to read it. This is intense read that had me an the edge of my seat trying to find out if the celebs where ever going to get off the island and who is the killer. This is a great debut and a great read. I can’t wait to see what the author has next instore. 5 stars from me.

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.