A thrilling, atmospheric and chilling read set on a deserted island. Two years after a plane crash, Erin is still haunted by the disapperance of her sister.and the planes crew and passengers and travels to Fiji to investigate. I was drawn into the narrative and characters. A satisfying read.

The Castaways by Lucy Clarke

Sisters Lori and Erin have always been close, supporting each other through the loss of their mother, living together, holding each other up. When Lori’s marriage ends very unhappily, she books a dream holiday island-hopping in Fiji for herself and Erin. But one evening in the hotel emotions pour out and the sisters fight. When Lori flies to another island the next day, she’s on her own. Erin refuses to go with her. So when the small plane vanishes, Erin is tormented by memories of their last words to one another. Two years later, the pilot is discovered in Fiji, living under an alias. Erin heads back to Fiji, to the same hotel, determined to discover the truth.

The Castaways has a fantastic premise, not to mention an exotic tempting location, and it is such a fun read. The novel’s narrative is divided between ‘Erin now’ and ‘Lori then’ as we witness what happened aboard the plane and during its immediate aftermath and in the time that has passed as Erin tries to discover the truth and deal with her guilt. While we know a little more than Erin due to the book’s structure, the big mystery of those missing two years looms over the novel and I was desperate to know what happened.

The crash scene makes for traumatic reading and I have now started to rethink my dream holiday of island hopping in Fiji… Lori’s tale in the aftermath of the crash is riveting and dramatic while Erin must untangle a mystery. Both elements are compelling. The weaving together of past and present works well and the novel is very atmospheric as the two sisters, in their very different environments, reflect on their relationship, their dependence on one another and being apart. It is poignant and very sad at times.

While I thought that the conclusion fell a little short, I enjoyed The Castaways very much and read it in a day, something that I don’t do too much these days. It is very hard to put down.

This thriller had such a great premise; two sisters booked on a flight to Fiji. The night before they have a bitter argument. One makes the flight, the other does not. And then the plane crashes. From there the story is told in alternating POVs - the younger sister Erin, who has always been less organised, less decided in what she's doing with her life, and the perfect Laurie, who until recently had a plan and was following it faithfully. I don't want to give spoilers but this was a fast paced and engrossing look at the pushes and pulls between sisters even as Erin tries to discover what happened to Laurie, and how much she is to blame. Highly recommend.

This book was amazing!
I thought the plot and the setting so interesting and original.

At first the premise seems fairly straight forward but as we read on, we just become enthralled in this web of possibilities and false leads.

The characters were amazing, I loved the sisterly relationship and found the development of that relationship really interesting.
Also, the dynamics of the relationship of the passengers on the plan was fascinating.

Lucy Clarke's writing is so good. If I was to be really fussy I'd say the phrasing was slightly repetitive at times but only briefly and did not effect the reading at all. The imagery is conveyed so well and described so clearly without being overly descriptive.

I mean I could go on and on about why I loved this but really this was a five star book that you should definitely read ASAP.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins & Lucy Clarke for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The opening of this book is really compelling and certainly had me hooked. The author has a great premise and a real knack for telling you just enough to keep you reading without giving everything away. The story of Erin's desperate and guilt-ridden search to find out what happened to her sister Lori's plane after if failed to reach its destination on an island off Fiji is powerful stuff, and a stark reminder of the people that are left to pick up the pieces when one of these disasters takes place.

There were parts of it that were hard to believe, but I think that's because the situation being described was just so unusual and out of the ordinary. The pace dropped off a bit two thirds of the way through, but the ending was certainly a twist I was not expecting. But the author did a great job of exploring the complicated dynamic of the relationship between two sisters. and her descriptions and sense of place are really strong.

Really good read. Bit of a twist at the end. Well worth reading. Might make you think about flying though.

Lori and Erin are sisters, they have a close relationship bound by the fact that they lost their mother at a young age.
Both are at a crossroads in their life and plan a far flung holiday to an island off Fiji,
The night before they are due to fly from Fiji to the smaller island the sisters have a row and become separated. Only Lori turns up in time to catch the flight..
The plane never reaches its destination and no one knows what happened to it.
Erin spends a lot of time trying to find out it’s whereabouts and eventually she is able to piece together the story behind its disappearance.
I loved this book, I have tried not to give too much of the plot away - give it a go, you won’t want to put it down!

Literally could not put it down. I stayed up late reading it as I just couldn't see where it was going.

Really clever thriller with so many twists and turns coming thick and fast.

The characters are great...very layered with lots of surprises. Erin is especially interesting and it's great to explore the mystery with her.

There isn't too much to say here without spoilers and no spoilers are very important as you need to go into this knowing nothing and see it unravel...its so worth reading it in one go....highly recommended!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Clarke and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

What a book! Action packed from the first page to the last. This is an all round people pleaser, everyone will enjoy it. It’s thrilling and dark. Can’t wait to read more by Lucy. Thoroughly enjoyed. Lucy Clarke is an author to watch!

3.5 stars
An easy and entertaining read. After the promising start the story slowed done, with not much happening. However, the premise was intriguing enough for me to continue reading. The main setting was atmospheric but most of the characters weren’t particularly well developed. There were several twists, although after so much build up the ending was anticlimactic. I listened to some parts of the book on audio and both narrators were excellent.

I really enjoyed this book. The story is told through the eyes of both sisters, one in the present day, two years after the plane crash and one in the past, the lead up to the crash and immediately after. Both very different sisters but both likeable characters. I felt the pace of the story and the build up of the tension was just right. I preferred the parts which were set on the island, which were heart wrenching at times. I could almost feel the heartache of the sister left behind, who never stopped looking for answers to her sister’s disappearance and couldn’t move on with her life. I will definitely be reading other books by this author. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story.

When I received a surprise passenger ticket to Fiji, I was intrigued. All I want is a flight ticket to anywhere right now.

The Castaways did not disappoint in it’s promise to transport me to an exotic location. Sisters Erin and Lori embark on a last-minute trip to an island paradise off the coast of Fiji. An argument breaks out between the pair, triggering a sliding doors moment that will change their lives forever. Lori boards the flight, while Erin misses it.

Lori’s plane takes an emergency landing on to a beautiful, but savage uninhabited island.

Two years on, Erin is living half a life back in the UK. Sister Lori’s plane has never been located and she is desperate for closure. Erin persuades her boss to let her investigate the story in Fiji and she returns to Fiji. The lavish hotel and beach location had me longing for far tropical shores.

Lori tells the story in the past tense of events lost the crash landing. Her fellow passengers all seem to be hiding secrets and she doesn’t know who to trust. There are some very dark moments on the island, which I didn’t expect. When left alone, people’s base natures soon come to the fore. The island itself, though beautiful, is their prison.

The story unfolds at a steady pace, with plenty of thrilling moments for both sisters. I raced through this book, eager to find out exactly what happened two years ago.

I loved the relationship portrayed between the sisters. I could easily imagine having a similar argument (I definitely wouldn’t miss a flight to an exotic island though 😉). Their bond was my favourite part of the story.

To summarise, The Castaways is a fast-paced and dramatic exotic thriller.

This was a very strong book.
Throughout you are given mystery after mystery and there seems to be an endless number of questions surround the events of the book.

For the first 50% all we got was mystery, intrigue and unanswered questions and I just knew that the next 50% was going to be intense, high action and give us all of the answers we need and boy was I right.

The story follows Lori and Erin, sisters who were due to fly to Fiji but after a fight, Erin doesn't show up and Lori boards the plane alone.
2 years later we discover that Lori's plane never arrived and has been missing since, plagued with guilt over not being with her sister, Erin has never given up trying to find out what happened.
Then the biggest clue of all is discovered and Erin is closer than ever to finding out the truth.

This was a really enjoyable read and how is absolutely hooked, I needed to know how it would end. Great book!

Lori needs a holiday, and she’s taking Erin with her. The two sisters have been inseparable since their parents both died, and then Lori’s husband got another woman pregnant and Lori moved into Erin’s spare room. But such close relationships are never without tensions, which is how, the night before the two are meant to leave Fiji’s main island for a more secluded, luxurious resort on one of the outer islands, they have a fierce argument ending in Erin storming off, and Lori being left to get on the plane alone the next morning. But when the plane goes down, Erin makes it her mission to find out what happened. No sign of any wreckage, no washed up passengers. The plane just disappears, and the guilt that she should’ve been on it will eat away at Erin until she gets some answers.


Give me a story about a plane crash and conspiracies and secrets and lies and I will read it in a heartbeat. It is my ideal combination for a novel. Something about plane crashes just always pulls me in. And The Castaways was no different at all.

Told in dual point of views, one from Lori, in the past, and one from Erin in the present, the narratives intertwine perfectly to create a clear picture of what really happened. Both sisters have strong voices and I really enjoyed reading both of their sections.

Plot wise… well, I absolutely could not put this book down. I read about 20% of it one night, and then absolutely flew through it (pun definitely intended) and finished it the next day. I just couldn’t put it down. The story was so well crafted and cleverly revealed. I had no idea what was going to happen next, but it was clear that the author spent a lot of time planning and perfecting this novel. It was atmospheric to the point that I could have easily imagined myself walking the paths that the characters took, seeing myself in those scenes. This was also because of the tension and how on the edge of my seat I was throughout the whole book! This is definitely a plot driven book, but the wants and needs of the characters are forefront the whole time, driving them to uncover secrets and unearth the truth.

A combination of story content and excellent execution, I cannot reccomend The Castaways enough. It was an immediate 5 star rating from me, and I am now excited to explore some of Lucy Clarke’s previous works.

I enjoyed the last book I read by Lucy Clarke, so I was really excited when I received a NetGalley approval for her latest release. The Castaways is mainly set in Fiji and grips you from the very first page. The chapters alternate between the 2 sisters and their timelines, each chapter feels like it leaves you on a cliff-hanger or has you wanting answers. It felt like no characters on the island could be trusted and I felt myself questioning each and every one of them as I attempted to piece it all together. However I did find the ending a little strange and unexpected, but no spoilers here. This book felt different to other thrillers I have read recently and being set on a deserted island just added to that eerie atmosphere and mystery. I loved this read and recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers and mysteries.

Where do I start with this book?
I’m excited, I’m desperate to start it but don’t want to read too quickly, as then I have to wait for Lucy to crack on with her next novel *taps toes & sighs*- actually, I’m kidding, as I already know she’s all over this!
Regardless, I approach with trepidation, maybe this is the novel where I’m going to feel that she didn’t quite have ‘it’- but no, as usual, she nailed it!
So, I find myself propping my eyes open to find out what really happened…and it’s worth hanging on for those final pages!
I’m full of admiration how this author can change her style with each novel she writes, from the wonderful 'The Sea Sisters' set in Bali via the chilling Cornish ‘You Let Me In’ to this, her latest, set in Fiji (which sounds mazing). Yes, they are all psychological thrillers, but with a non-formulaic twist to them.
The premise of the story is not unique, it is the telling of it which is so slick. Characters are credible, dialogue flows and is natural and there is a strong hook of, like Erin, wanting to know , what happened.
As the lighter nights grow longer, and we start to dare to think of future holidays, I suggest that this is one novel that is just begging to be on your reading list…

I was excited to see that Lucy Clarke has written another novel that incorporates travel as I have always thought this was the strongest aspect of her past books. Unfortunately however, I couldn't get into The Castaways at all. It was promising at first with the focus on the sisters' relationship and the mystery of Lori's disappearance, but everything about Lori on the desert island was so boring, especially re: the baby. The outcome of the plot was also very obvious from this point on. The characters seemed like caricatures and I felt their life experiences/desires for the future would have made more sense if they were at least 10 years older.

With all that said, I can see this book has hundreds of glowing reviews here. So obviously it will do very well with most other readers and was simply not right for me!

I only have one word for this one WOW!!

Really, read this book if you like stories to grab your attention and hold it, even after you finish it

The castaways got me hooked from the very first chapter. It's unlike anything I have read before. The Castaways is told from both sisters perspectives- then and now. I loved the way Lucy Clarke wrote such a wonderful description of the island making it feel like you're on the island. The mystery around the flight kept building as the chapters went on, making it so hard to put the book down. The characters felt realistic and the storyline flowed easily throughout. The ending never felt rushed it and it felt like a realistic progression rather than one that was completely unrealistic. I read it so quickly and am recommending it to everyone! I cant wait to read more books by Lucy Clarke! 5 stars.

Absolutely besotted with this book! I loved the underlying story of the two sisters and their fragmented relationship. Being told from both perspectives in different timelines gave the story real depth and added to the intrigue of what happened following the plane crash.