Cover Image: The Castaways

The Castaways

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Member Reviews

On the first night of their holiday to Fiji sisters Lori and Erin have a massive falling out.  The next day they are due to take a short flight to another island for the main part of their holiday but Erin fails to turn up at the airport.  Lori is still fuming from the row with her sister and decides to fly on to the resort alone, leaving Erin to stew, wherever she is.  But the flight Lori takes is caught up in a storm and the plane, with 9 souls on board, never makes it to the resort island.  
That was 2 years ago.  Heartbroken Erin has returned to her life in London but the loss of her sister still consumes her.  She cannot accept that Lori is gone even though no trace of the plane she was on has ever been found.  Then suddenly something happens that gives Erin hope that perhaps Lori didn't die in a plane crash after all.
A slow burning mystery about survival against the odds and the endurance of sisterly love.  Recommended reading.

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The Castaways by Lucy Clarke is an exotic thriller packed with action, emotion and a few surprises!

After a petty row with her sister Erin , Lori boards the short flight next day to their ultimate holiday island destination without Erin who didn't turn up for the flight. When the plane then disappears and all passengers are presumed dead, Erin has difficulty coping with the consequences. Will Erin be able to discover what really happened and will she be able to accept it?

Throughout this book, I could feel Erin's gut-wrenching despair, her fear and anger, whilst Lori's account of the events hints at impossible hope. I wasn't sure how this story would unravel, but I am delighted to say that it exceeded all of my expectations.

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This is a tremendous read. Two years ago, two sisters were due to go on holiday on a remote island. Having arrived at Fiji they have a huge falling out and only one of them boards the onward flight. The story is told from both women's perspectives and the revelations are at times breathtaking. Beautifully written and cleverly developed, this book will have you hooked!

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Great book. A modern day Robinson Crusoe. I will think of this book the next time in get on a plane whenever that will be. Great characters and plot came together nicely. It would make a really good film.

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This novel has a fascinating hook: two sisters are meant to catch a flight from Fiji to one of the nearby holiday islands. After an argument, only Lori gets on the plane. The plane never gets to its destination, but vanishes. For two years, Erin tries to find out what happened to her sister. The assumption is the plane crashed into the sea. Then the pilot turns up alive…
The story is told in alternating chapters of Erin’s present-day experience, and Lori’s from when she got on the plane. The mystery of what happened to the flight is enough to keep you turning the pages, and the harrowing first couple of chapters (NOT for people with a fear of flying!) pulls you in. The pace lags slightly in the middle, but the bond between the sisters holds things together, and overall it’s a satisfying and engrossing read.

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There are psychological thrillers, there are slow burn thrillers, there are nail-biters, page-turners and creeping suspense thrillers. But this book, The Castaways, is in a class of its own. Reading it is like jumping on a runaway train as it crests a hill and clinging on for dear life as it careens down the slope, carriages swaying, before squealing to a heart-stopping, stomach-churning halt.

What a ride! I can’t remember the last time I read a book so utterly addictive and at the same time so effortlessly readable.

For Erin and Lori, it was the dream holiday that turned into a nightmare. One sister presumed dead in a lost plane. The other left to return alone to England bearing the burden of survivor guilt. Two years later and Lori is back in Fiji — on a mission. The ‘dead’ pilot has mysteriously resurfaced, and she wants answers.

Flitting back and forth between the ‘then’ and the ‘now’, the narrative tells both sisters’ stories. For Erin, it’s the horror of the plane crash and the desperate struggle for survival on a remote Pacific island. For Lori, it’s the quest for the truth, for the closure she yearns for after two years’ of living in limbo.

I loved the portrayal of the relationship between the two sisters. I felt empathy for both of them and cared deeply about the outcome of the story. And I loved the darker side to the group dynamic on the island and that it took until the final pages before the fates of all were revealed.

The tension, as this mystery unravels, is relentless. The atmosphere thick and heavy, threatening. All you can do is read faster and faster, gasp at every new twist, and hope your heart will take the strain. Mine did, but only just. I can’t say the same for my fingernails.

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Perfect for holiday reading! Page turner about what can go wrong, if people don't do what they should do, and also if they do something that they shouldn't!! A young woman decides to have a luxury break, with her sister, in Fiji - what could go wrong! The book alternates between the trip, and events two years later, and between the experiences of the two sisters.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC.

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I found this to be an engaging read. The strong bond between the sisters, Lori and Erin was evident, even though they had their disagreements. Erin just didn’t give up searching for clues about the plane crash and what had happened to her sister. Erin is determined and at times, fearless in her search. The story fluctuates between then and now, so gradually the reader learns about the background to the crash and about the characters involved. There are vivid descriptions of life on a deserted island and how different personalities deal with their situation. This will keep you guessing about how it will end. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own,

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I have come to love reading books by Lucy Clarke and this one was no exception.
A clever plot told by two sisters over two timelines.
The story that transpires kept me turning the pages - Definitely not one to be read before flying!
Highly Recommended
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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This book started with such promise. As I read the opening chapters I was captivated by the story. It was addictive and I couldn't stop reading.

But then as I carried on the pace and the intrigue all seemed to stem off for me. I didnt feel the need to keep reading and finding out what happened.

It is such a shame as I have loved this authors other books, so it hasn't put me off reading more books by this author.

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The plot is unlikely yet still the author made me think believable. The book is very cleverly written in a now and then format with the two sisters each taking turns. I loved this handling of the story and stayed up till 2am one night to finish it.
I don’t want to give any clues away because it really does keep you wondering right up,to the last page so won’t say exactly why I’m giving four not five stars but just that I would have enjoyed the conclusion to have come earlier than it did to add a more authentic note.

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Lucy Clarke is one of my go to authors and it’s rare that I head off on holiday without one of her books in my suitcase. I read The Sea Sisters by the pool in Kos when I was away a few years ago and ever since I have associated her books with trips to sunnier, more relaxed settings! Unfortunately due to recent travel restrictions, The Castaways was read during a chilly February half term spent “chez moi“ cuddled up on the sofa but it immediately transported me to the oppressive heat of Fiji and an island that you will never want to leave…unlike the characters in The Castaways.

Lucy Clarke is brilliant at creating complex relationships between her characters and here we have sisters Lori and Erin who have booked a holiday together. But the night before the final part of their journey, they have a terrible row and Erin storms off. When she doesn’t arrive at the airport the next morning, Lori decides to continue the trip without her sister but when her flight goes missing, Erin is left with survivor guilt and desperate to know what happened to her sister…

I have no doubt that The Castaways will appear on my favourite books of 2021 list! It completely took over my life whilst I was reading it as I desperately needed to understand what had happened to Lori and why. The claustrophobic and oppressive setting was just perfect and paradise had never felt so hellish! And the layers of the relationship between the sisters were gradually peeled back to reveal hidden secrets and grievances. But sisterly love is at the heart of everything Erin does and I loved her determination and attitude as she refused to give up her fight for the truth.

A gripping, emotionally charged and beautifully written novel from start to finish.

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A brilliant page turner with some great twists. I found the characters believable, although very few were likeable which I feel often makes for a good story.
Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book

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I love Lucy Clarke's novels but it has been 2 years since we were last able to lose ourselves in her last release so I was desperate to read her new release The Castaways.



Sisters Erin and Lori take a holiday of a lifetime together to Fiji but after an argument between the pair Erin doesn't take their morning flight with Lori. When devastation strikes and the plane disappears Erin spends the next 2 years desperately trying to find answers and locate the plane to know if her sister is missing or dead.



You can always count on Lucy Clarke to deliver an unpredictable storyline surrounded by the danger of water and once again the author has managed to pull the wool over my eyes with a shock revelation which I didn't see coming at any point. Although I have to say that this time there was also one part that I had already predicted but that didn't effect my enjoyment of the novel I just had a little fist bump to myself when it was revealed to congratulate myself

The chapters were short and sharp alternating between Lori's point of view which was written in the past and Erin's point of view which was told in the current day and I was equally invested in both of the sisters. I love a good castaway story after reading On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves, I love to watch how the characters discover survival skills to stay alive and also to watch as time goes by the personalities of castaways begin to change as hunger and survival instincts kick in and they have to work out who to trust and who is a threat.

I love how the author also explores the incredibly strong bond that the sisters have but that she also shows the importance of not becoming suffocated by that bond and living a life through each other but to take your own path and live your own life knowing that they are always there for love and support.

This was another great tension building adventure by Lucy Clarke which kept me intrigued the whole way through. The authors impeccable writing style provides pure escapism and the dual narrative worked perfectly around this storyline.

I definitely recommend this book and I hope the author doesn't make us wait quite as long for her next novel.

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Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This story centres around sisters, Lori and Erin. Lori lives with Erin in London after her husband left her for another woman. Lori didn’t see it coming, and she was shocked. She lost her home, job, everything. One night she decides to book herself and Erin a holiday to Fiji. Lori doesn’t like flying but she’s this as a way to claw back some control of her own life. They arrive at an island in Fiji, and stay one night before flying to the next island for the start of their holiday. While on the island they fall out, and Erin doesn’t make the flight the next morning to fly to the island. Lori gets aboard alone, and not long into the journey the flight disappears off the radar. After searches by the Fijian police nothing gets found, no wreck, no bodies. Erin flies back to London, but never let’s go, and continues trying to find Lori, keeping newspaper clippings, and files on everyone who was on board the small plane. 2 years pass with no new leads, until the pilot of the aircraft turns up out of the blue. Erin flies out to Fiji desperate to find the truth. And to find the truth she has to start being honest herself.

We read the story from 2 perspectives, Erin’s in the present time, and Lori from back then, from boarding the plane and for what follows. The plot was brilliant, and not really like anything I’ve read before. I read this book in less than 24 hours as I just couldn’t put it down. The characters were great, flawed, but that just made the book more relatable.

I will highly recommend.

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Very interesting and tense plot, kept me intrigued all through. Despite that, I didn't really love it. I think, in part, because the characters weren't likeable enough. Definitely not a book to read before a flight!

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This is a great read.
There was no blurb that I could find so I went in blind and really enjoyed it.
Erin and Lori are in Fiji and on the morning of the connecting flight to their destination, Erin is nowhere to be seen.
Lori gets on the plane without her but then the plane disappears.
We then fast forward two years and Erin has not got over the fact that her sister has disappeared. There’s no evidence of a plane crash and it’s driving Erin mad, not knowing.
Erin then receives news that the pilot had been found and he’s quite ill but she’s determined to speak to him.
We then have chapters from Lori after the crash and Erin trying to work out what happened.
This is a refreshingly different read and one that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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Sisters, Lori and Erin, have an unforgettable holiday planned, in Fiji. The night before their plane was due to transport them from the mainland to one of the remote islands they have a terrible fight and only one sister boards the plane. This sister, as well as the pilot, the seven other passengers, and the vessel carrying them, are never seen again.

This story was told through two distinct timelines and perspectives. This ensured the reader was privy to Lori's plane crash as well as Erin's bid to find out what truly happened to her, two years later. I was just as invested in each, as both sisters were intriguing characters with their own demons to deal with and a distinct inner-light to aid in fighting them.

Just as each of the mysteries, which peppered this book, seemed on the brink of a full discovery another was opened in its place, leading both the reader and each sister ever deeper into a chaotic web of intrigue, lies, and shadiness. No one could be fully trusted and my suspicions were placed upon every individual who entered the narrative.

This read like a literary Lost, with the reader also privy to the world outside of the island containing the survivors, and I was hooked throughout. The final 10% provided a twist I did not see occurring and which altered my perspective on much of what came before. I can't say I fully appreciated this final direction the novel took, but it definitely made for an interesting conclusion that also left me with much to ponder over.

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How would you feel if you were meant to get on a plane, that then disappeared? And your sister was actually on it?

That's what happens to Erin and Lori in The Castaways. Even though many of us can't get away to far flung tropical islands at the moment, you are transported to Fiji in the story, scary plane ride and all. It's a real rollercoaster ride, with the narrative switching between the two main characters and the present and past. Will we ever find out what really happened, and what else will we uncover along the way?

This novel is a cracking thriller and a great escape from your standard whodunnit. It's an uncomfortable read at times, especially if you're a nervous flyer, but you'll be glad to stayed strapped in for the ride!

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The Castaways is an edge-of-your-seat thriller full of mystery that grips you from start to finish. An immensely enjoyable read, you won’t be able to catch your breath until the final page.

Although you may have read a book about a group of characters being castaway on a remote island before, you won’t have read anything like this. Alternating between the past through Lori’s narrative of the events on the plane and the present through Erin’s narrative as she attempts to find out what happened to her sister, the two stories work side by side to reveal why these sisters were arguing the night before, what happened to the plane and its passengers, and how Erin will find out the truth.

But what will that truth be? Will it be a tragic ending that rips your heart out just when you start feeling a sense of hope? Or will the path to Erin and Lori meeting again be full of shocking twists that will leave you breathless? Of course, I’m not going to tell which one it is, but you will be drawn into both sister’s stories and desperate for their narratives to clash in the hope of a positive outcome.

Brilliantly written with well-developed relationships and a tightly-knitted plot, you will be completely taken over by The Castaways and won’t be able to guess what’s coming. This is definitely a book that you should read this year.

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