This book is described as a mix of 'Love Island' and 'Lord of the Flies' - well I haven't seen the former and the latter is the only book I have ever read twice - once at school and once 30 years later as an adult. So I was intrigued to read this.

It tells of a group of individuals in the desert trying to 'pair up' to keep their place on a reality tv show. Lily is our storyteller. We don't know much about anyone because they aren't allowed to discuss their personal lives. To me this was definitely more 'Love Island' or 'Big Brother' - neither of which I like so, for the first half of the book, I didn't really enjoy it. There were loads of characters and a lot of them were surplus to requirements, coming and going pretty quickly and ruthlessly and, once the few established characters remained, for me it got a bit more interesting. Otherwise it would've been a 3 star review from me.

What I didn't like - the ending was abrupt. A lot of the characters were unlikeable (which I am sure the author wanted to convey) and the violence that was supposed to be 'entertaining' to the viewer was totally unbelievable and was just ridiculous.

What I did like - the second half was where it all 'happened' and the core characters were explored more in-depth and the storyline became clearer.

As a first novel I did think it was different and a good concept and will continue to keep an eye out for this author as it was well written, descriptive and did keep the pages turning. I haven't read anything like this before.

Thank you to all for my advance copy.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7489908190

Loved this and couldn't put it down. An unusual - but fabulous - mix of Love Island trashiness and genuine social commentary. Will definitely be reading more by this author.

Thanks to her, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was so excited to read this book even though I’m not the biggest fan of love island, I love anything to do with reality tv and the dark side of it. I think j wanted more in terms of the outside world and the producers. I know that’s not what this book is set out to give however that is the side that I’m most interested in.
I did enjoy the aspect of seeing just how cut throat contestants would become over the duration of their stay.
Would definitely read more from this author.

The Compound wastes no time pulling us into the eerie surrealism of the compound: a utopian mirage in the desert, with our crew of 19 residents watched over by an ever-present production team. I didn't know what to expect, but I was drawn deeper into each page as I read.

The irony of asking how we might blend reality TV with a human longing for connection is what I imagine Aisling Rawle aimed for, and she hits the spot. Rawle skewers the performative nature of race, gender and power all within the opening chapters - an honest and almost unflinching in emotion when describing the lack of diversity amongst our contestants and their belongings. Beneath the shiny surface of luxury, the quiet dread is brewing over the boundary, inching ever closer as our residents pursue gratification like moths to a flame.

As the contestants journey on, the show's premise descends into darker overtures, and becomes increasingly insidious. The illusion of free will is carefully created by the producers, and every reward being unlocked drags the residents into a moral abyss. Does it even matter any more? The commentary of selfhood, spectacle and violence of aspiration in the late-capitalist world has never been more obvious and needed.

And our narrator, Lily, is the perfect conduit. She's pretty and palatable, someone easily dismissible but carries with her a profound resilience and resourcefulness as time passes by (we don't even know how many days have passed!). Her search for life's meaning reflects an almost Nietzchean exploration of our obsession with fame and perfection - a book about modern alienation, and how we can find our way back to what matters most in life, even after the cameras stop rolling.

This was a great read! I saw it described as Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies meets Love Island which was enough of an intriguing concept for me to request an advance copy. It reads like an exaggerated look at reality TV, where survival in a harsh environment hinges on popularity both within the compound and with viewers. Many of the characters are deliberately one dimensional (or our protagonist narrator describes them as such) and the relationships are fickle and surface level. I thought it was a really clever look at reality tv as a whole, especially as I’m someone who enjoys watching quite a lot of it!

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for an Advance Copy of The Compound in exchange for my honest review.

Aisling Rawle's The Compound is a sharp, unsettling look at the dark underbelly of reality TV. The story throws readers into a hyper-controlled environment where every action is staged, every possession is sponsored and every action is mined like entertainment gold. Rawle does an excellent job of capturing the dehumanizing and frankly terrifying nature of a scripted reality. More than once I felt uncomfortable, but the disturbing and almost tense atmosphere, made the read compelling and, honestly, hard to put down.

The characters we follow are a volatile mix of personalities ranging from vapid and flat to raging and dangerous. Our main character, Lily, is frustratingly one dimensional right up until the last chapter. While this might be an intentional nod of how people can lose their identity under constant surveillance and the threat of the whole world watching, it still left me uninvested in her particular story. However, I'm going to need a spin off about Candice, because that was a contestant with some demons I'd like to see unpacked.

The book stumbles a bit for me at the end with a very distinct and abrupt drop off. Just as it feels like the narrative might break open into something poignant, it stops, leaving the story feeling wholly incomplete. What I thought might be the book's larger themes of weaponized consumerism and a generation lost in vanity and the soulless expectation of fame, didn't really come to fruition and are left to the reader to ponder. I didn't necessarily need a road map to get there, but it still felt like the ending left too much unsaid. Admittedly, it's probably more "real life" Rawle's way, nothing fully learned and nothing truly gained.

In the end, The Compound was an addictive and thought-provoking read. It would undoubtedly be a great pick for book clubs, as the societal and moral discussion points are endless. This is a solid 3.75 star read,

I really fancied this book based on the cover and description but I struggled to get into it and found the characters somewhat frustrating

A dystopian reality tv show.
The contestants had tasks and activities to do. Similar lines of love island.
Every contestant also had personal challenges that revealed how far they would go.
I would have liked to hear more from the outside world about what was going on. But all in all a good interesting read

You wake up in a compound in the middle of the desert, along with nine other women. All of you are young, all beautiful, all keen to escape the grinding poverty, political unrest and environmental catastrophe of the outside world. You realise that cameras are tracking your every move, broadcasting to millions of reality TV fans. Soon, ten men will arrive on foot – if they all survive the journey. What will you have to do to win? And what happens to the losers?

This book had me in a chokehold when I saw it being described as Lord of the Flies meets Love Island. That sounded like such an interesting premise and I was thrilled when NetGalley accepted my request to read an advanced copy.

After reading the book, I would describe it more as The Hunger Games meets Love Island, as I feel like they are more comparable, although I did appreciate the links to the male savagery of LOTF and the Garden of Eden quality of the Compound. We have the backdrop of a war, a dystopian edge, a group of people separated from what's happening in the real world and a televised competition where beautiful people must couple up to stay together or risk banishment. The main aim being, keep the people watching at home on side, win task prizes, thank sponsors, make it to the final and leave the Compound with your winnings and live in comfort as a celebrity.

Under normal circumstances I would find it hard to sympathise with such vapid people, but Rawle did an excellent job at giving you enough of the characters background to find a connection. Lily, while beautiful and able to get what she wanted in the Compound, lived an unremarkable life outside of the show. Her self-awareness was the thing that made her interesting. We were given her internal monologue as she threated about who to couple with, how to come across likeable and natural for the cameras while also worrying that her lack of intelligence and survival skills made her a target for banishment and disinterest to the viewers.

I tore through this book as I was really keen to find out who would end up in the final five and what would ultimately happen when they all left the safety of the Compound. The only rub I have is that I wanted a little bit more information at the end. I was expecting a bit more of a dystopian ending and perhaps more of a showdown between some of the contestants as the tension had been bubbling away nicely throughout the book.

I predict that this will be a really popular summer read and I'll certainly be picking up a physical copy come July for a reread. It was a great thriller and I had a lot of fun reading it, I just would have liked a little bit more world building and perhaps a more sinister ending, but that's because I really enjoy dystopian books that leave you guessing and staring at a wall for a few days, although I am aware that I'm in a minority there, most people like resolution - haha

The blurb sounded exciting and something I’d be interested in. Unfortunately, I disliked almost all of the characters (possibly the point of the author?!) That meant I didn’t really care what happened to them. The setting was intriguing and the Big Brother/Love Island vibe was enough to keep me reading. I will definitely look out for more books from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

2.5 ☆ rounded up

I really wanted to live this but I just really struggled with it. I found the narrator irritating, she came across as a bit of an airhead but sometimes said or thought in a way that totally contradicted that aspect.

No rela redeeming characters and the twists just weren't very Twisty for me. I'm sure it'll be a great summer read of 2025, but not one for me!

OKAY! The Compound completely caught me off guard in the best way! I went into reading this without much background which, honestly, I think added to it.. but wow this book goes there. It is dark, tense and a little twisted which makes it unexpectedly addictive. Think Love Island but if it took a seriously sinister turn! You've got the heat, the drama, the messy entanglements and then the whole thing starts to unravel in ways you definitely don't see coming.

I definitely wasn't expecting to be this into it but I flew through it. The characters feel real and relatable, the tension simmers the whole time, and there were moments where I had to stop and think.. wait.. what just happened!!

If you're into thrillers with a reality TV edge, The Compound is a wild but addictive ride. Unexpectedly loved this one!!!

I wanted to read something a little different to what i generally read and The Compound sounded just right. I read the descriptions and while i’ve never seen “love island” i watched the first 2/3 series of “Big Brother” before it deteriorated and became all about people lacking talent wanting a short cut to fame.

The Compound is similar with a bunch of strangers living in a secluded house together in the middle of an inhospitable desert, with everything they do shown on a dystopian reality tv show. The object is to be the final housemate by completing communal tasks, personal tasks for rewards, avoiding banishments and outwitting the other contestants by any means - the last person remaining can request whatever items they want and is free to remain in the house until they choose to leave.

I really enjoyed this book, although it has a rather trashy reality tv premise it also has dark dystopian vibes and how far people will go to gain materially. It also shines a harsh spotlight on the gritty reality of materialism and consumerism; with the shallowness, meaningless and emptiness that exists in most of the western world. The book also mentions wars and hints at other catastrophes in the outside world, which draws similarities to the Hunger Games, but is really a parallel to the state of our society in the west.

The Compound is a great unsettling read for anyone who may want to dip their toes into a little taste of dystopian fiction, with a mix of thriller and literary fiction. It is a thought provoking book that truly shows how pathetic western societies are becoming, devoid of meaning or substance.

I was intrigued by the blurb about this book. I have watched Love Island and hated myself for becoming so wrapped up in it and this book was pretty similar.
We follow Lily who (worryingly) just wakes up in The Compound with no memory of how she got there. Lily is the storyteller and rather a shallow character (although pretty self-aware of her flaws). The first part was a bit like Love Island but without the beautiful surroundings which had to be earned by daily tasks.
There were few characters who were likeable, or indeed memorable, probably only Sam and Candice, probably because they seemed to have a bit of depth to them, oh and morals! Some of the characters were simply bonkers as were some of the actions that said characters took. They all were obsessed by material things.
It was however, like reality TV the kind of book that I did just keep on picking up, although that was probably helped by me being unwell this weekend and not as active as usual.
There was somehow always the threat of something sinister about to happen and some of the punishments that were doled out if the rules were broken were quite sinister. There was always the suggestion that being banished may or may not mean being picked up by the production team or simply left wandering the desert which we were already aware was a savage place to be.
I was totally disappointed in the ending, I was more curious about the life of the contestants after the ‘show’ was over. I think the writing and the storyline had great potential and I enjoyed the writing style, although not a great fan of writing in the first person. I know this is the author’s first book so I feel bad giving this a poor review, however, I have to be honest. I will, however, look out for further books from this author.
My thanks, as always, to the author, the publishers and to NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book.

The Compound by Aisling Rawle takes us into a dystopian reality TV show set in the middle of a desert, where contestants are pushed to their limits through communal tasks in exchange for rewards. These rewards range from really random to the live changing, all cleverly designed to expose ugly human behaviours. Each contestant also faces personal challenges—broadcast to the world—that reveal just how far people will go for instant gratification.

I found myself completely hooked, as if I were watching the show unfold in real time. The book is a sharp, unsettling commentary on modern society. At first, the mention of a war "outside" feels like a nod to The Hunger Games, but to be honest, it’s pretty close to the current political climate in our society. Through the personal tasks, we witness a hunger for fame, an obsession with material things, and a reflection of the very real “disease” of consumerism.


I really recommend this book and can’t wait to follow up on the author. Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for letting me read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A good book which hooked me right from the start. I wanted to keep reading this book and was disappointed when it ended and felt there could be a little more to the ending story.

I absolutely loved this book. It was addictive right from the start. It had a menacing dystopian air whilst being rich with characterisation and a slightly trashy premise. Genius. I read every second I could for days. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the early copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. A clever twist on reality TV asking how far will you go to win, and if the reward is really worth it after all? I was fully immersed in the narrative and intrigued with the hints of the world outside the compound with it's wars and difficulties. I would love to have a follow-up 'winner's story' to be told after Lily leaves which would reveal the world the contestants were trying to escape.

I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone, including thriller fans and anyone who watches reality tv

Ok I seriously loved this. The Compound is described as Love Island meets Lord of the Flies - but it also gives some strong Black Mirror vibes.
It follows 20 contestants trapped in a remote desert compound and filmed 24/7 as they compete for luxury prizes and basic necessities while also trying to find love.
We are immediately introduced to Lily, one of the contestants, who serves as our protagonist. She is passive, disillusioned and really doesn’t give much away about anything. We watch Lily, as the cameras do, wondering why she makes the choices she does and what she’s really thinking about everything around her. The narrative style is so clever and the effect is surprisingly eerie. I found myself feeling rather disorientated at several points throughout the novel - which of course is exactly the point.
The story is so addictive, with the hints at what’s going on in the outside world only adding to the apocalyptic feel. There are sudden twists, simmering uneasiness and a wholly fitting ending that has stayed with me since I finished reading it.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.