This is a fast paced high octane read. A group of celebrities are signed up for a gruelling reality show called Isolation Island. Their every move will be monitored and scrutinised by the public. Each has their own motive for signing up. For Nico it is the promise to reboot his failed singing career, Hollie and Taisie it is the promise of launching their business in USA, Jude wants to launch a political career etc. Among the ten original contestants there is Lauren Brooks a renowned investigative journalist who is out to expose Nate Stirling, a big time Hollywood actor who has a habit of sleeping with women attached to his films only to destroy their careers at the end. Lauren hopes to remain in the game long enough for the public to see him for what he is and seek justice for those women restrained by NDA's.
The plots opens as the contestants arrive in the depths of a scottish winter on a remote island. Immediately there is a sense that something is not quite right with the production crew as Nate is almost killed on the first night and Kez is evicted before the challenge even begins. The hardship of the situation becomes clear when the groups belongings are burnt on the beach and they are put into robes of monks. Those caught breaking the rules are immediately labeled sinners while the others are saints and treated only marginally better.
It is during the challenge called a leap of faith that things really take a turn for the worse as Frank simply disappears leaving the islanders wondering how safe they are.
Just as Lauren believes she can expose Nate, the island's communication is shut down by a raging storm that threatens the lives of the remaining group. As bodies start to turn up it becomes evident that no one can be trusted and Lauren must use her investigative skills to uncover who is behind it.
Absolutely loved this debut and could barely put it down. Minchin has a strong writing style that totally captivates you and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Highly recommend this and thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC

Ten contestants, an isolated island in the winter and cameras rolling in a survival show, what could go wrong? Quite a lot it seems like. Oh this was fun! I love an isolated setting and in the winter makes it even better! It was high stakes, suspenseful and thrilling. I enjoyed the reality-tv aspect and the unlikeable, unreliable characters. A great thriller

I have a bit of a love of reality TV and I really enjoyed how this book was a faithful adaptation of that format (but with added murder!)

Despite the murder happening quite a way into the plot, it was a gripping read that I binged in a day as I couldn't put it down! It was well paced and full of interesting characters and a brilliant twist I didn't see coming but absolutely loved.

The premise is a cross between I’m a celebrity and Traitors, set in a Scottish monastery on a deserted island. A motley crue of celebs: reality stars, tiktok phenomena, athletes and one big Hollywood star. Lauren is there as an investigative journalist with one big story on her mind. Very quickly things are not as they should be and a storm heightens the danger cutting off communication. Then people start dying….

The problem with books written by celebrities is that they can't write......this ISN'T the case with Louise Minchin.

This book is fantastic. It's atmospheric, isolating and claustrophobic, everything you want from a book like this.

I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for any further books written by the author.

Loved it!

A massive thank you to HeadlineBooks and NetGalley for the ARC

A great debut with so many twists and turns you can't ever decide who is being truthful and who is hiding something....

My review of isolation island i was hooked from the blurb what more do you want a reality tv show a few murders loved it who will survive must read 4 stars thank you NetGalley for the arc

For a debut thriller this is really well done: well crafted, an unusual idea for the plot and dialogue that keeps you turning the pages. I hope that Louise Minchin continues to write as I thoroughly enjoyed this and gobbled it down in a day.

I very much enjoyed this fast paced thriller with plenty of suspense. Lots of dialogue. The story resembles a darker and at times a bit far fetched version of the reality TV show “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here”. It also resembles Agatha Christie’s “And then there were none”. Amazing what celebrities will do! A satisfactory ending that I didn’t guess. Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy.

Isolation Island is a thoroughly good debut by Louise Minchin. It's set on an isolated island (obviously!) off the wild west Scottish coast and features a disparate group of ten celebrities who have to make do with rudimentary conditions in a long-abandoned monastery. There's an ageing Hollywood star, some social media influencers, several sports people and our main character Lauren, who is a well-known television investigative reporter with an eidetic memory.

The production crew are entirely absent and control everything by remote control, camera, and the twice daily live broadcast. A 'big brother' voice gives the contestants instructions. Safety considerations are curiously rudimentary - one of the contestants is a trained paramedic which seems to be sufficient (I'm not convinced this would be enough in a real life situation, but never mind). We soon learn that some of the contestants have secrets, backgrounds and motivations for being there apart from the promised prize for the eventual winner.

It's a fun read, despite there being a murder and early disappearance. There is physical peril, hunger, difficult tasks to complete and the knowledge that companions are there to win by making you lose. It's a very well written and atmospheric book which does have a surprise ending (I considered the possibility and dismissed it early on; wish I could say more).

My only negative thought is that a couple of early plot points were not followed through or explained. However it is a quick and satisfying read, excellent pacing, and worthy of anyone's time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Published 12th September

An atmospheric thriller set on a remote Scottish Island? Sounds like a perfect autumn read.

Celebrity journalist Lauren is hoping to win the prize of her dreams in a reality tv gameshow (think I’m a Celeb crossed with The Traitors). But winning her own prime time TV slot isn’t her only motive for signing up. Could some of her fellow contestants also have shady motives? Things begin to go wrong for the group from the start and then the bodies start appearing…

I loved the remote location and the tense atmosphere. There are a few twists and turns which I didn’t see coming - I thought things were going to go in a completely different direction! This was an easy and fast paced read, although I was left a bit dissatisfied at the end; things wrapped up very quickly, leaving me with a few unanswered questions that made the premise seem pretty implausible; I even re -read the last few chapters in case I’d missed something. I felt as though there was more to explain about the reality series itself.

Even so, I give this a strong four stars as I really enjoyed reading this and I look forward to Minchin’s next book. Thank you to Headlinebooks for my ARC in return for my honest review.

sadly due to formatting issues i am unable to read which which is a shame. as was really looking forward to the concept.
one i will look to fully read when published
.

In this book we follow Lauren - a somewhat washed up journalist who has essentially ruined her career by chasing one particular story. Then she is offered a spot on a reality tv show. Her management are telling her that this may be a good way to restart her career in a way, but she has been given some inside information that the guy who is the focus of the story she's been chasing will be on this programme too, which she thinks will be the perfect opportunity to catch him out. Think Big Brother mixed with I'm a Celeb but on a remote Scottish Island. There are definitely lines lifted from Big Brother, i.e. 'You are live on TV please do not swear'.
For me this book really felt like two separate halves. The first half is basically the 'celebrities' arriving on the island, finding their way around and undergoing a couple of tasks. Most of the characters in this section of the story just came across as whiny entitled celebs, moaning about a situation they signed up for. Because of how irritating they came across I thought maybe most of these would be killed off as we are told in the blurb that the celebs end up fighting for their lives - so I thought maybe it was intentional that they were so annoying.
The second half of the story is much more the murder mystery thriller part. I enjoyed this half a lot more, with the whodunit atmosphere. It was intriguing trying to figure out who might be next and who the murderer was - was there someone else on the island with the celebs or was it one of the celebs?
Due to enjoying the second half a lot more I would give this book a high 3 out of 5.

The blurb really drew me in. A reality show where the murder count rises! An atmospheric and tense debut which will appeal to fans of Sarah Goodwin. A fairly quick read, perfect for a holiday.
When the reality stars find themselves trapped on the island because of a terrible storm, and no way to contact anyone, the tension rises. Lots of hidden secrets are revealed and a killer is among them! Lauren is battling to uncover the truth, but what will it cost her….

This booked is really good. Keeps you hooked till the end to see who done it and I never guessed right so was a great ending . Would recommend reading this book.

A rather extreme imagination of a new celebrity reality television show. Any celebrities reading this might think twice about signing up for future programmes!

Original review - Unable to give feedback due to the mess in the formatting of the book for Kindle. Numbers on every line - tried to ignore them but proved very frustrating. I hope this can be sorted out and offered again for review.

Actual review after reading! The original problem was resolved by reading the book on the NetGalley shelf app rather than the Kindle app on my Amazon Fire. Lesson learned- there is usually a solution!
I really was impressed by this book. Louise is well known as a tv presenter in the UK. The story is set on a remote island so a ‘locked room’ vibe. It’s about a reality tv program - a bit ‘The Traitors’, a bit ‘ I’m a Celebrity’ , a bit ‘ Big Brother. Great mix of characters who are thrown in at the deep end early on. Of course there is some personal background which influences the actions of the characters. Add in a ‘once in a generation’ storm and let the games begin. Lauren is an investigative reporter so she keeps the reader interested by her thoughts and deductions on the interaction between the celebrities. I thought there was a great atmosphere created, lots of red herrings and nods to elements of the aforementioned tv shows. I really liked the book. It would make a great tv movie. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC ebook.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The description of this book hooked me in and I was glad I was able to read this splendid debut. I loved the concept and the atmosphere that was presented in this book. While I wish there was more of the game show before the storm came in it didn’t take away from the ultimate twist and reveals throughout. Love a good mystery thriller. Some things seemed really far fetched but that made for a fun story and an enjoyable read.

Like so many others my download was also distorted with numbers inserted every few words but nevertheless I persevered and finished the book (how can one submit a low * review when you have not read the book!).
Different, enjoyable and as a first book by this author I thought very creditable.
My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for this (albeit distorted) ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

There have been quite a few thrillers about reality TV contestants trapped in a castle or on an island, amidst murders and skulduggery. I was expecting former TV presenter Louise Minchin's to focus more on the production crew, but everything on "Isolation Island" is remote controlled, no crew in sight. Instead it's the Scottish weather that plays havoc with the 8 celebrities.
The prologue and first chapter seemed to be written by someone else. My heart sank at the flowery and overly descriptive language about moody skies, gloom and heather. But we then dived into the plot and the embellishment ceased to give a good pacey read. The ending was a little drawn out but the story kept my interest.
I've since seen Kindle readers complaining about the formatting. I nearly did a DNF but then read it on my tablet instead via NetGalley shelf, and it looked fine. But prefer to read on a Kindle.