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.

Sisters Lori and Erin are heading off for the holiday of a lifetime at a remote Fijian resort when they have a huge row the night before they are to take the final flight to their resort. When Erin doesn’t show for the flight the night morning, Lori boards assuming she will turn up at the last minute. What happens next will tear both their lives apart.

There have been lots of stories written about castaways over the years but I found this one fascinating when told from the two sisters’ points of view. Hugely enjoyable.

A very enjoyable book. Two sisters go on holiday to Fiji. Having arrived at the main island, they argue so the following day, only Lori flies to their resort island leaving Erin behind. Lori's flight drops off the radar, but no wreckage is found. Two years later, Erin is still hoping to find her sister when the pilot is found alive. The book tells each of their stories switching between the 2 time periods. Despite some far-fetched elements to the plot, I really enjoyed it even staying up til one in the morning to finish it.

YEEEESSS. I love it when a book sucks you in from page 1 and you feel like you can't properly breathe until you finish it. The Castaways did that for me.
The dual storyline is intense the entire way through, the claustrophobic setting of an island really reallllyyy works, and just when you think AHH YEAH I KNEW THAT WOULD HAPPEN, it changes. A breeze to read and I'm never getting on a plane again... 5/5.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was quite intense and I could not stop reading.
In these quarantined times it was great to read of a sunlit island. However it was not a ‘holiday’ I would ever wish to have been on.
I thought it was brilliantly written, the relationships were well developed. For me the only fly in the ointment, was how did she keep a baby going on there. However the relationship she had with it was lovely .
Great book

Superb premise, 2 Sisters on their way to Fiji for a holiday, 1 misses the flight, the flight that turns into a disaster
The start of this book is epic, probably one of the best atmospheric beginnings to a book read for a long time, you can almost taste the anxiety on the plane as the passengers begin to realise all is not well, and the description of what happens is powerful, scary and upsetting, the Fiji island descriptions are wonderful and you can almost eat the coconuts and fruit bread and visualise the crystal blue waters and infinite cloudless skies
But for me this is where it stopped, the actual rest of the story was really just ‘biding time’ until the end and tbh not much happened, it had already happened in the first few chapters
The male characters were all unlikeable and described in a way you just didnt get enough info on them to build a picture of them, the 2 Sisters went between intense and even more intense, all in all a grim set of folk to spend reading time with
The ending, I found odd and will leave it at that
Such a gripping start and high drama that petered out to a maybe 50-100 pages too much of repetition and a peculiar ending

6/10
3 Stars

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

what a concept of a book....

two sisters on holiday, one gets on the plane to their final destination only the plane crashes and is never seen again

what happens to the other sister left alone with survivors guilt and knowing that their last night together they had argued...

wow a powerful emotional book that keeps you glued right to the end...with before and after chapters so you get an idea of what happened and what is happening

thought i knew where it was headed... i knew nothing
will be keeping an eye out for more of this authors work

Another brilliantly immersive novel from Lucy Clarke, a tense and emotional psychological thriller featuring a missing plane, a deserted island and an emotive compelling sibling relationship at the heart of it.

Told in both past and present we have one sister, Erin, endlessly searching for answers after a flight carrying her sibling disappears from radar. A long time after all are declared lost the pilot suddenly appears, very much alive...

This is so intriguing and beautifully written that you devour it pretty much in one sitting. The reader here understands more than the characters do but it is wonderfully unpredictable and I really wasn't sure where it was going. A cleverly thought provoking ending puts the icing on the cake and the relationship between the two sisters is complex and fascinating.

Overall a terrific read. Recommended.

I’m reading so many books that are being released this year that have people trapped on an island. Luckily, each one that I am reading is completely different and unique in its own way.
This is probably my joint favourite ‘island’ book so far alongside ‘Missing pieces by Tim Weaver’.
I didn’t know much about this book going in as the blurb doesn’t give much away, and sometimes that is for the best as you can form your own opinions along the way and let the story unfold how it is meant to with no preconceptions.
This is a truly gripping story, and I couldn’t put it down. Well, I had to force myself to last night at 2 am when I still had an hour to go, but it took all the will power in the world. At this point (80%), the book starts to give you all the answers; you are very quickly alternating between Lori ‘Then’ and Erin ‘Now’, both unveiling different parts of the story. The chapters are short and quick, so you really are flying through the much-anticipated conclusion.
Nothing was as I expected it to be, and all the events on the island had my heart in my mouth, and I was utterly terrified as to what was going to happen.
Other than the main two characters, there isn’t an overload of character development for everyone else involved. We find out enough about them to be relevant to the story, and it isn’t overdone. We concentrate mainly on Lori and Erin, how they feel, what they are doing, and in turn, we end up caring about their futures.
This was a brilliantly executed book. The pace was perfect, and the suspense was just right. I liked that we got to see an equal amount of the story from both the sisters’ perspective. We weren’t waiting around for ages wanting to know what had happened in the past; the chapters are almost alternate one for one.
A fantastic, enthralling and riveting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the arc of The Castaways by Lucy Clarke.

5 stars- This follows Lori and her sister Erin, they had lost their own mother at a young age and had always been close to each other since that dreadful day.. even ending up living together as Lori's husband had sadly cheated on her. To try get over what had happened Lori had booked and planned a trip for herself and her sister to Fiji, but sadly the night before their lovely trip, Lori ends up boarding the plane on her own... BUT the plane ended up going missing and Erin is a journalist so she is trying to piece together what actually happened to the point she had found out the pilot of that plane is actually living under a new alias/identity in FIJI ITSELF! This follows in two timelines one the past the other being present day as they end up discovering what happened between the two sisters and why Erin didn't board the plane... This had me so gripped start to finish and kept me guessing what was gonna happen but completely knocks you off guard this is such a tense edge of seat!!

Highly Recommend
5 STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a story of two sisters who have a close relationship until a fallout in Fiji the night before both Lori and
Erin should hoard a plane for a remote island destination. Only Lori turns up for the flight which ends in disaster. The pilot and passengers end up either dead or stranded in this remote location. No help comes for them. Lori takes responsibility for a motherless baby. The other four men try to survive. Two years later, Erin reads that the pilot is dying in hospital on the main island. If he survived and escaped, what happened to her sister. She sets off to find out. The book moves from accounts of what happened on the island to chapters dealing with Erin’s investigation. It portrays the relationship between the sisters in a very insightful and helpful way. The author uses the context of remoteness very effectively. As the reader follows what happens to the castaways, information is released gradually that helps understanding of what Erin is doing. The book moves to a dramatic and unexpected conclusion. This is a very well constructed and gripping story. I recommend it.

As we continue to rot in the embers of this insane pandemic, where 99% of people survive, under house arrest, devoid of contact with anyone we care about, this novel from Lucy Clarke has been the perfect antidote to lose oneself in.

The Castaways draws you in, and won't let you stop until you've reached the appropriate end. Despite the grey misery outside the window, you'll feel the intense oppressive heat of a lost, anonymous Pacific island, the desperation of the stranded, the loss of those left behind.

And the perfect conclusion...

Although the premise of this book has been done before, this book stands apart as one of the most suspenseful, brilliantly written stories I have had the pleasure to read. I would recommend this book to all thriller fans, a real page turner.

A beautiful desert island, a plane crash, survivors battling against the odds and themselves. A novel, novel ending which keeps you guessing. An absorbing story.

o many people have a fear of flying or, rather, being on a plane that crashes, and that is what The Castaways so brilliantly taps into. This is a very pacy thriller about what happens when a small plane crashes on a remote Fijian island. It’s the first time I’ve read a story about this topic; always nice having a new theme thrown into my thriller mix.

The Castaways is told from the point of view of sisters Lori and Erin. After a personal trauma, Lori feels like she needs a break and a fresh start so books a luxury holiday to Fiji for herself and her sister. They have a stopover in mainland Fiji before getting on a connecting flight to a smaller island, where their resort is.

However, the night before they are due to fly, they have an argument that results in Erin not getting on the connecting flight. That flight then goes missing and through a mix of Lori’s ‘then’ chapters we discover what happened when the plane crashed. Through Erin’s ‘now’ chapters, we are right there with her in her grief, guilt and mission to find out what happened to her sister.

When, two years after the crash, Mike Brass, the captain of Lori’s missing flight is found alive, things take a new turn and Erin ramps up her efforts to discover the truth.

Both parts of the story are so gripping. With Erin’s we get a clue-unravelling plot to follow and with Lori’s we are transported into the terrifying situation of being on a deserted island after a plane crash that not all passengers survive. There are Lord of the Flies vibes that really create an anxiety inducing atmosphere.

I really enjoyed how The Castaways is as much a story of the terrifying experience of a plane crash as it is an exploration of the powerful bond between sisters. I don’t have a sister but this book makes me wish I did; Lori and Erin’s relationship is established so strongly and really takes you into the heart of their characters.

The Castaways is a visceral thriller that’s so well paced and with just the right amount of didn’t-see-that-coming moments. A perfect slice of escapism – just maybe don’t read it on a plane.

Erin and Lori are going on holiday. They are sisters and Lori is just recovering from finding her husband is having a baby with her friend.
They have a stop over in Fiji en route to an island and looking forward to sun soaking on beautiful beaches.
That night in Fiji they argue and next day only one of them gets on the plane. Then the plane vanishes alon with Lori.
Erin never gives up trying to find out what has happened to her and then the Pilot is found alive with a new identity. Erin flies back to Fiji and starts to put the jigsaw together. What will she find and what will it mean to her?

Lori and Erin are close sisters and always have each other’s backs. Until a plane goes missing Lori onboard....

Fantastic change of narrative use with individual chapters for each sister, one in the past, one now. I loved watching the plot twist together.

The tension flies off the pages, you feel for the characters but obviously as a reader you’re waiting to see what else can go wrong...

Oh and it does. There’s a few shocking surprises and I recalled loved this one! You need to read The Castaways.

5/5.

Orphaned sisters Erin and Lori have always been there for each other so when recently divorced Lori asks Erin to go with her to a Fijian island for a holiday, Erin agrees even though it’s not her kind of holiday. Stopping over in Fiji they have a row and Lori ends up flying alone on a terrifying small plane with some very odd characters. The plane disappears mid flight and from there the story is told from 2 perspectives and time frames. Journalist Erin flies back to Fiji after the pilot is found living under an assumed identity 2 years later and tries to finally track down what happened to her sister. Meanwhile from Lori’s point of view the story is of the flight and the subsequent crash on a remote island with an increasingly desperate small group of survivors struggling to stay alive and find a way to escape through the shark infested waters. I really enjoyed this, especially the descriptions of life for the castaways, the hunger and the claustrophobia were ably illustrated without too much dull description. I found I was skipping bits to get to the ending which looked as if it was going to be just too cheesy but thankfully wasn’t.

Oh my goodness Lucy Clarke does it again !! This is yet another fantastic book from this author, I absolutely loved it and really didn’t want it to end.

Lori and Erin are sisters that, due to life’s ups and downs, only seem to have each other and as a result are very close. On a whim Lori books a luxury holiday to Fuji for them both but after an argument the night before only Lori boards the flight to their island. The flight vanishes and nobody knows what happened to it or it’s passengers.

Two years later Erin is still struggling to come to terms with her sisters disappearance. But one day news breaks that the pilot of the missing plane has been found safe and well working in Fiji under a different name. Erin convinced her boss to let her travel to Fiji to interview the pilot. Will she finally find out what happened to her sister ?

The book is written in the present and the past. We travel along with Erin to Fiji in her quest to find answers as well as learning what happened to the plane and passengers of that fateful flight. This is a brilliant book with a storyline written in such a way that you just can’t start reading. If you have read any of Lucy Clarke’s books before then you know this is going to be good, and it really is !! If you haven’t then what are you waiting for ?

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The Castaways - Lucy Clarke ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Two sisters, Erin and Lori, head to Fiji together on the beach adventure of the lifetime. But after a stopover, only one of them gets on the flight to their final destination... before the flight disappears all together.

The police never found the plane, never found the bodies and never gave the families closure. 2 years later, Erin is still looking for answers. She heads back out to Fiji to take matters into her own hands and uncovers some dark secrets.

This book is a pull you in and then you don’t want to put down kind of book. Prepare to be gripped.

It’s told from two POV (Erin and Lori) and dual timelines telling the story of what happened as Lori got on the plane never to be seen again and Erin searching for answers in Fiji 2 years later.

I’m not always a fan of past and present splits but the contrast in story lines made it easy to know what was what and stay engaged. I thought it was a nice touch, and added some extra emotion in as you’re invested in hoping that both Lori survives the crash and Erin finds her sister.

Lucy does a great job of keeping the twists under wraps, but clues hidden in plain site too whilst all being totally believable.

Overall a great read which I’d 100% recommend to anyone looking for a slow-burner mystery but equally fast-paced, don’t want to put down, kind of book.

You can get your hands on The Castaways on 18th March. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for kindly sharing with me this advanced ready copy.