When I read that this book was like Lost meets The Hunger Games – I was sold! The beautiful Thai setting was the perfect world for me to escape into when I wanted a reprieve from the cold, wintery landscape outside. I could practically see the crystal blue waters and hear the macaques and jungle birds as they drifted through the trees.

Tropical paradise aside, it took me a little while to get to grips with who was who in the band of 6 main characters. The perspectives shift quite quickly which was a little confusing to start with but I soon got into the rhythm of it. The format definitely helped draw out the suspense because the actions and events were coming from changing viewpoints. It was tricky to decide which narrator/character was giving you the honest truth but that made me more invested in the story.

The Phobias each character had were a real plot driver to carry the story forward and reveal more clues about what was really going on compared to what was perceived to be going on. As each character had to face their phobia, you were able to whittle down who could possibly be the one behind all of the drama. Then particular events near the end have you not only questioning what you thought you knew already, but also questioning what you thought you had read. These little red herrings continue to mind-trick you into narrowing down the list of suspects and their motivations whilst also keeping you engrossed in the plot. It’s probably the setting and mystery that kept me turning the pages rather than the actual characters themselves.

References to grief, guilt and PTSD are dealt with sensitively in a way which doesn’t necessarily dive right into the traumatic heart of its core but still help to raise awareness of these conditions well enough for a teenage / YA audience.

In a way, The Island totally reminded me of Lord of the Flies in the sense that these friends are stuck on this beautiful island which seems to be filled with horrors caused by one of their own. It’s definitely the new Lord of the Flies for a modern YA generation. One thing which could be said about The Island is that it seemed (in my own mind) to be a bunch of fairly privileged teenagers on a paradise island almost bemoaning about their lot in life whilst at the same time struggling to reconnect with each other now that they’re getting older, growing apart and dealing with the aftermath of events which have led to mental health issues. If you’re looking for diversity and complex world-building then I’m not sure that this book will appeal to you, but if you’re looking for thrills, spills and a multi-layered mystery (with a hint of paradise!) then this may be right up your street.
[Review to be published on blog: 20.01.21]

This was quite a compelling novel, but I wouldn't write home about it. This YA thriller/mystery seemed really exciting and for the majority of the book was really interesting, but left a little to be desired. 

This was advertised as a Lost meets The Hunger Games and for a while it read like that and I was on the edge of my seat and then it seemed to go away from that narrative. This book was easy to read although I found some of the language a little repetitive. I did in enjoy this book, just not as much as I would have liked.

The character development was strong with some characters transforming to reveal secrets that you had no idea that they held, but equally some characters seemed to be there for the sake of it, and didn't get much page time. The way the story was told from 2 main perspectives within the group was interesting and led you to play a bit of a Cluedo-esque game with the story, ticking people off as you went. One very good thing about this novel is that it explores mental health, loss and grief in a thorough manner, which has obviously been quite well researched before.

I would still recommend this book to others, I just felt as though the ending was a bit of a cop out. The book built suspense and characters so well, and then I got to the end a felt a bit deflated , like 'Oh, was that it'. That doesn't necessarily detract from the book, it just didn't appeal as much to me. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC of The Island, in exchange for an honest review!

⚠️ Content Warnings:</strong> Mental Health, PTSD, Bullying, Trauma, Death, Sexual Harassment. ⚠️

The Island by C L Taylor is a young adult thriller. Set in Thailand where 6, 17 year old friends who holiday together go on a bush survival week to an uninhabited island with a single guide. When the guide dies, and their only way off the island has been deliberately sabotaged they have to survive the rest of the week before rescue. 

There are only 6 characters, which allows us to learn more about them. The rich, bossy organiser, the squabbling brother and sister , the sensitive singleton are all there. Told mainly from the perspective of 2 of the characters Jessie the quiet friend who didn’t come on last year’s trip, who has her own issues she doesn’t want to talk about; and Danny the overprotective boyfriend of honour who is also on the trip.

The plot is well thought out and structured well, during a drunken party the friends start talking about their greatest fears, snakes, spiders and heights all brought up. As the days pass by, the fears start coming true but it can’t be a coincidence, so who’s behind the tricks? As the in fighting begins and the group splits the danger increases. Action packed, with a quick moving storyline this is a page turner for sure.

A light exciting, thriller, covering multiple teenage issues. Fast moving plot with believable characters. A quick easy read suitable for young adults. 4*

Thanks to HQ Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC

A strong female lead and she is very well placed within the novel which is told from multiple character viewpoints. There are undertones of Lord of The Flies as well as the the Survivor series, and I can see it being added to readings list in colleges. I would have said secondary schools but this book has normal teens doing normal things, but that is explained well in the book) which includes underage drinking and I can't imagine any secondary school would include that on their reading lists. This book hit all the right notes for me and I am trying to encourage my teen to read it without seeming overly eager as that will of course put him right off it! The teens in this novel are all struggling to come to terms with troubling feelings, some of which are ones which any teen could experience, and others which are much more extreme. The novel is beautifully and convincingly narrated by three young people, the plot races along and the word craft gives rise to scenes which are almost cinematic. I think this novel is an absolute triumph and I expect to see it in a movie at some point.

WHAT A BOOK!! I literally couldn’t stop reading this book and powered through it! It’s a great slump buster with drama all the way through! A great YA read, full of suspense, suspicions and super shady characters! I honestly think I questioned every single character at some point through the book. 

This would have been a one-sitting read for sure if work hadn’t got in the way as the tension is kept high with consistent dramas throughout. I loved the ending and how everything all came out in the end! A great YA thriller and definitely one I’d recommend to everyone!

Another great read from C.L. Taylor. 
Six teenagers get the opportunity to stay on a remote island in Thailand while their parents are at the neighbouring resort. 
Things don’t start off great as within days their guide suddenly dies leaving them to fend for themselves on the island. They try to get off the island in the boat they arrived in, but soon discover it has been sabotaged.
On their first evening the group shared their phobia's around the campfire and soon someone is bringing their worst fears to life.
The story is told between Jessie and Danny's perspectives and it is clear from the start that each of them have secrets to hide.
This is an action packed book which will keep you guessing as to who is making their time on the island so difficult. 
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Having just finished the book I'm left a bit in the middle of how I feel about it. About a 3 1/2 stars I think. The book is well written and watching the dymanics between the group and getting to know what happened to Jessie was interesting. I did guess who was behind it all quite early in the book though - if you are watching carefully enough there are plenty of warning markers around this.
On the whole it was a good book, but it isn't one that will stay with me.

I love a CL Taylor novel and I really love a CL Taylor YA novel. I really love the fact that we have a claustrophobic environment in this book a little like her previous young adult novel The Treatment, it really makes for a heart stopping read. You feel the pressure that the characters are under and it rally adds to the thrill. This novel also tackles some mental health issues and how trauma can affect people differently and I thought that was a really great move on this writer's part. 

It took me a few moments to work out who everyone in this book was and how they were connected, you're stopped right into the action on a holiday with a group of young people who meet up every year because their Mums were in the same NCT group. I love this concept because I had friends growing up who were in my life for that same reason. You have to work out the dynamic of the group which the friends also have to do each year as they grow and change. Each character is unique but they all have fears which are exposed on this trip. 

The structure of this novel is great because it is essentially a dual narrative. We get to hear from Jessie and Danny but Jessie's story is told in the first person whereas Danny's is told in the third person. I loved this distinction and the fact that we had both view points. I felt I was drawn most towards Jefferson because he seems to be the most different from the others in the group. We have 2 characters who are in a relationship and two who are related and so I felt like Jefferson was a kindred spirit in being an outsider. He also came out to the group a few years ago and I liked that this detail was included as part of the storyline. 

I aways love the fact that this authors feeds us information in a slow drip drip drip. It means that you have to keep turning the pages to find out more about and event or a character and I think that bonds you to the characters even more. I love that sense of being intrigued and the thrill of new events or new people. Because this is a YA novel it does read a little quicker than CL Taylor's adult novels which are also pacey but a little longer and so I flew through this book in an afternoon/evening. I really enjoyed it even though it got a little scary at times. It was a great break from the real world and I highly recommend reading this sooner rather than later!

Six friends go on holiday to a remote island. When their tour guide dies on the first day, what will happen to six teenagers alone on an island?

This book was thrilling and kept you wanting to know what was going on. It took you places you didn't expect and the ending was a twist I wasn't expecting. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is the book I wish Lord of the Flies had been. A wonderfully gripping twisty tale of loss and survival - this may be CL Taylor’s best book yet.

6 teenagers are stranded on a private island in Thailand and no one will be coming to find them for 7 days. Slowly one by one they witness their worst fears coming true and no one can stop it. 

What I loved about this book is the sense that anything could happen - from the moment the group arrived on the island the tension was palpable and I read with eager anticipation to find out what would come next. There was something in the writing that made the twists unpredictable and although the seeds of the climax were sewn early in the book, I didn’t predict just how far this would change.

The dual narrative of Danny and Jessie kept the pace and provided multiple perspectives on what was happening, making the sense of the unreliable narrator increase two fold and heightening the tension even further.

It was thrilling to watch the teens lives unravel and it was a pleasure to read until the very end.

I really did enjoy this! I’ve been staying away from young adult thrillers recently but this one was really good. I liked the writing style and genuinely had no idea what was coming

An intriguing YA thriller set on an exotic island. 
A group of six teenagers, who’ve been friends since birth, are on holiday on an exotic, remote island. A week together to bond, relax and enjoy themselves...well, it was supposed to be. After tragedy strikes, they find themselves fighting for their survival as it appears someone is making all of their worst fears come true. 
An exciting story by CL Taylor.

The six teens have known each other their whole life after their parents bonded over NCT classes before they were even born. Now years later and the annual holiday trips are becoming more and more awkward as they begin to not only grow up but apart too. Still Thailand isn't the worst place to spend some time thrust together, they just have to remember not to mention why Jessie's family were absent from the last holiday.....

But their time in the luxury of the Thailand hotel is only temporary as the group are heading off on a birthday treat for Jefferson's birthday and this is no birthday tea, but a week on a private island honing their survival skills with a single guide to keep them company. It's not exactly everyone's idea of a great time but they know it's Jeffer's idea of heaven, however things take a tragic turn when their guide suddenly dies leaving them alone on a remote island with what they soon discover is a sabotaged boat. But who was listening on that first evening when the group shared their phobia's around the campfire and who is bringing their worst fears to life?

The premise of this book was enough to send chills down my spine and C L Taylor managed to keep that spine chilling suspense alive throughout. Told between Jessie & Danny's alternating perspectives it is clear from the start that each of the troubled teens had secrets to hide and piece by piece that jigsaw puzzle came together keeping me guessing until it's finale.

The island setting was really interesting and Taylor's descriptive writing allowed me to build a really good picture of the beautiful, yet often sinister surroundings of the jungle and beaches which really added something extra to the story. The characters are well fleshed out as the story progresses allowing the reader to understand how and why some of the events happen and I feel Taylor has pitched the topics discussed at the perfect level for a YA reader. I don't want to give any spoilers about the story content however please be aware of the trigger warnings included below if you are thinking about reading this book.

Having only read adult books from this author before I think the transition to a YA audience is a huge success. The skill and flow of her writing has maintained the same top notch level and hasn't lost any of the element of suspense and drama. I really enjoyed this book and flew through it, keen as always to find out what was going to happen as I had a handful of ideas about where things would go, all of which were wrong! I'd definitely recommend this to any thriller fans from teens upwards and I will certainly be checking out Taylor's other YA offering The Treatment soon, it's already on my wish list!

Trigger Warnings: Mental Health, PTSD, Phobia's inc snakes & spiders, childhood trauma, death, suicide, sexual assault

Whilst I did enjoy reading The Island, I have to say I really wish there was trigger warnings at the beginning.

If you suffer with anxiety surrounding death or in general would like to know ahead of time regarding mental health warnings, this book can be triggering. It’s very heavy and whilst in my opinion isn’t written in poor taste, it just hit too close to home for me personally and I felt overwhelmed by the end of the book.

The Island is a gripping Teen/YA read. A group of teens, thrust together because their parents are friends, find themselves marooned on an uninhabited island following the death of their survival guide. No one knows they are in trouble, and no one expects them back for days. Slowly things start to fall apart, leaving the friends terrified. Readers will be kept guessing as to who is behind all the strange goings-on, and their motives. Is it one of the group causing chaos, or are there others on the island? Intriguing.

Wow this is a great YA novel from one of my favourite authors, C.L. Taylor. 
A group of late teens who all know each other as their parents were friends at an ante natal group are lucky (?!) enough to find themselves on a  deserted island with a local guide to experience a get away survival holiday.
From the start we can see that as they have grown up the group of teens have diversified and have very different attitudes to life and to the holiday.
A very thought provoking read and reminiscent of the fabulous Lord of the Flies, what happens when cracks start to appear ok the group.
The characters and the writing are great and the climax toward the ending is very well written an poignant.
Recommend read.

Like just about every book of Taylor’s I’ve read so far I absolutely devoured this. Started reading on Friday evening and had it finished by Saturday morning, I did not want to put it down.

Taylor knows how to create a gripping read and this, her second foray into YA, is no exception. It’s a fairly classic premise, group of teens take a trip to an uninhabited island, bad things happen and there’s no help and no escape. But who is behind it? Is it one of the six or could someone else be on the island with them?

It’s an exciting read and I loved the way it kept you guessing. I’m pretty sure I suspected everyone at some point or another and had more than a few theories as to what was going on.

The story is told almost entirely from the point of view of two of the characters, Jessie and Danny, although there are a couple of chapters from other povs. I really liked getting different perspectives on events, I think it added to the mystery.

In terms of the characters, they make for an eclectic group. They’re not exactly friends, their parents are connected through an antenatal group, but they have a lot of history. They’ve holidayed together every year since they were born. But, how well do you ever really know anyone and a few of them have secrets and traumas.

Jessie and Danny are probably the most well developed characters and I loved how Jessie in particular grew and changed over the course of the story. I’m not sure I would necessarily say any of them were especially likeable but Jessie was probably the most relatable of the group. With the exception of Jessie I did feel like the girls of the group were a little under developed and I would have liked to see more of Honor and especially Meg. I didn’t really get much of a sense of them and therefore didn’t feel invested in them.

If I’m being a nitpick I think it was a bit light considering some of the issues covered (grief, self harm, toxic relationship) but I guess it’s a thriller so more depth would have slowed things down. I also felt like the balance was slightly off between the survival and the mystery/thriller elements. The setting of the Thai Island was brilliant and I feel like the author could have made a little more of it. There seemed no real danger to them from being stranded there for a week.

Taylors writing is as always great and it’s a fast paced, page turner of a book. I’m old enough to be one of the parents so I can’t really comment on how accurately it portrays a group of teenagers on holiday (I’ll leave that to an actual teenager) but it all felt pretty realistic to me.

Overall an addictive and exciting read that’s perfect to escape into for a few hours.

This book was marketed as LOST meets The Hunger Games. Those are two of my favourite things. I was DESPERATE to get my hands on this, and I received an eARC through NetGalley.

Six privileged teenagers jet off to a remote, privately owned Thai island for a week to spend in the sun and the sea, with a personal guide to ensure their safety. Except when that guide dies of a stroke on the second day, and the boat has been sabotaged so there's no way off the island, the six friends must fend for themselves. Amongst gathering water, collecting fruit, and attemping to fish, they start to get the feeling that they're not the only ones on the island. And when everyone's phobias start coming true, they all start to point the finger at one another. Will there be more than one death on the island?

C.L. Taylor is one of my auto-buy authors, and has been for a while now. I know I can always expect a solid thriller from her, that will keep me on my toes as I'm reading.

The Island was no exception. The location definitely gave me LOST vibes, with a stunning waterfall, dense jungle to get lost in, and a beautiful beach to make you forget you're in any danger at all. Add to that the privilege of these teens to have this island all to themselves - a holiday that is a birthday present of Jefferson from his dad - and you get the idea of how luxurious this place.

But add people to an oasis and things will start going downhill.

First we have Jessie, our one first person point of view. Something bad has happened to Jessie, something the others won't mention, something that made her miss last years group holiday, and something that left her hands and arms covered in burns. Jessie is our eyes and ears, and our font of knowledge about the others, but seeing as these kids and their families only meet up about once a year for a holiday and she missed the last one, there are some gaps in her knowledge. Some gaps which add mystery and cast doubt on if we can really trust everyone else.

Then we have Danny, another point of view character, only this time his chapters are told in third person. I found this switch a little grating at times, to go from first person to close third person. It didn't ruin the reading experience, it just wasn't my favourite way to go about it. But Danny did go on last years holiday, and he's closer to the others than Jessie, so he gives us different insight into our characters.

Meg and Milo are twins, close but argumentative in the way that siblings are, but always looking out for each other. Milo and Jess have been on and off crushes since they were younger.

Then there's Honor, best friends with Meg and Danny's girlfriend since they were 14 or 15.

And then Jeffers - short for Jefferson - who has been into camping and survival guides for years now, and whose birthday present this stay on the island is. Jeffers is also the only LGBTQ character in this book, and while a thriller about a secluded island doesn't necessarily need to go into details on everyone's love life or sexuality, I found it unnecessary that it was mentioned and brought up in the way that it was - what seemed like tokenship, like you couldn't have six teenagers and not have any of them be gay so let's just shoe horn it in and be done with.

So with six teenagers on an island, there's plenty of action, particularly as things start ramping up in terms of mystery. When their guide dies everyone has to step up, but after they sit around the campfire on the first night telling everyone their phobias, it seems one by one they start to come true.

As I was reaching the climax of this books plot I was SO sure I knew who it was, and then it wasn't, and then I was sure it was someone else, and it wasn't, and I went round and around thinking I knew what was going to happen and I just didn't. In true C.L. Taylor style I had no idea until the very end. I was kept on my toes all the way through and enjoyed most of the book. I felt there was one or two characters who I felt were sort of there to make up numbers, or for convience, like Meg didn't have much backstory or page time. I also felt the writing style and voice showed C.L. Taylor is much more suited for writing adult fiction than YA - I'm not saying she shouldn't, but there was definite phrasing and thought processes that just didn't seem to fit in with this narrative or book.

However this book did discuss issues such as death, panic attacks, PTSD, mental health, physical differences, bullying, and trauma in really healthy and positive ways, which I want to applaud it for.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. It was nice to read about being on holiday and imagine I could one day leave my house and do the same again, and I had fun keeping up with the events and wondering what would happen next!

Another five star read from C L Taylor. This book is classed as being of the ‘Young Adult’ genre but I think that it can be enjoyed by people of all age and thoroughly recommend it.

Six teenagers, friends since birth when their parents met at ante-natal classes. Each year the parents and the teenagers meet up and have a holiday together. This year they are off to Thailand where the teenagers will spend a week on an island learning survival skills etc. Things don’t go to plan though when their guide drops dead and they are left alone on the island. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This was an amazing story about a group of teenagers, alone with a guide and spending a week on a deserted island. It highlighted the interactions of teenagers and the undisclosed traumas they can suffer. The triggers that can make this problems worse and their resolution. The conclusion was very sensitive and emotional. First class story.