I wonder if this might be one of those books that just works better being read instead of listening to the audiobook. The narrators are good and it’s an enjoyable listen, but I didn’t feel any of the urgency or tension that I’ve seen people mention in reviews.

None of the characters really caught my attention, so I wasn’t emotionally invested in their experience. I have The Treatment by this author so will read that instead of listen and see if that makes a difference.

I started reading this novel thinking it was a psychological thriller like her previous but soon realised it was in fact a young adult thriller.

It was a really well written novel with plenty of twist and one which covers many teenagers dilemmas growing up,

It has a good cast of characters aswell as a storyline that kept me hooked.

YA is not of interest to me
please note I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.
leaving a 1-star as NG doesn't allow to move ahead without a star rating

As part of a larger family holiday in Thailand six teenagers have booked an adventure trip on a remote island with only a guide for company. Danny, Jessie, Milo and his sister Meg, Honor and the rather geeky Jeffers will be there for seven days, camping out and catching and cooking their own food. With a beautiful beach and lush jungle setting they are looking forward to it. But soon after they arrive events take a dark turn. Their local guide dies suddenly and the group are stranded and left to their own devices when they find their boat has been sabotaged. As the reader gets to learn more about each of the youngsters, their relationships and what has shaped their lives, the tension really racks up as strange and sinister things start to happen. They start to distrust each other, because the alternative is much much worse. Could they be sharing the island with someone else?
This is a great story containing lots of suspense and spooky turns. Whilst definitely aimed at a teenage/young adult audience, it would be equally enjoyable for an older reader, and the narration, alternating between the different characters, worked really well.

Not my favourite from C.L. Taylor but still a pacey, gripping story to enjoy. Definitely delivers on the suspense and get me guessing until the very end.

The Island By: C.L. Taylor and Narrated by: Olivia Dowd, Sam Newton, Sarah Ovens and I loved this audiobook.
If you are a Lost and a The Hunger Games fan then this is so for you. This new book is full of twists and turns and was just brilliant I was hooked The narrators were Ace and suited this book.

So, Welcome to The Island.

Where your worst fears are about to come true… What a beginning!!!!

Six teenagers who have known each other since birth. They have all grown up together and every year the families go away on a holiday. This year it is Thailand, - a beautiful place to go for a holiday

It's suppose to be the perfect holiday: a week-long trip for six teenage friends on a remote tropical island in Thailand.

It was fun at first .......Until their guide dies of a stroke leaving them stranded, the trip of a lifetime quickly turns into a nightmare.!

But things are not what the seemed..................it becomes their worst nightmare!

Will they survive or alone on this Island?

Will anyone of them die?

i highly recommend this book............Brilliant audiobook.

Thanks to HQ , HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

Really gripping audiobook, well narrated. It kept me entertained while doing chores around the house. I like this author a lot and I’m looking forward to their next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this audiobook.

The audio voice put me off of this book immensely. I couldn't get into it at all, I've read all of this authors books so was disappointed with this one.

I have always loved this authors books, I have read everything they have ever written. I can’t wait for the next one. I found the characters very relatable and I liked the way the story unfolded.

Many thanks to netgalley and C.L. Taylor for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Six teenage friends, Jessie, Danny, Milo, Jeffers, Honor and Meg go on an adventure and survival style holiday to a remote tropical island in Thailand for seven days. What terrible incidences could possibly happen and who does or doesn't get on?

Told from the perspectives of Jessie and Danny, the split narrative allows the reader to get a different slant on the group dynamics. The story had me immediately hooked and absorbed me into the ingenious storyline. It was fascinating to see how their friendships were tested as things took an ominous turn. Mistrust takes root and intensifies at the same rate as the suspense levels, giving rise to feelings of unease and foreboding. C.L. Taylor throws into the menacing mix some emotional themes that are well explored so The Island has plenty of substance, too.

With its swift pacing and concise chapters weeping paranoia and fear many of which ended with mini cliffhangers, I found The Island highly addictive as I suffered from 'just one more chapter' syndrome.

I alternated between reading and listening to this book, and the narrators of the audiobook, Olivia Dowd, Sarah Ovens and Sam Newton really brought the characters to life effectively. The different voice intonations were noticeable and the ranges of emotion in the voices were great.

In essence, I adored The Island by C.L. Taylor. It is a really intense read that genuinely keeps you guessing and I would recommend it, and the author, with confidence. Although it's primarily aimed at a YA thriller audience, I think this book will also appeal to listeners and readers of other ages.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HarperCollins UK Audio/ HQ Young Adult via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Ref: 9780008240622

I really enjoyed this book, I connected with the characters - my favourite was Jess.

The storyline was fun and enjoyable and thrilling and I did like the ending.

Overall would recommend this book and I will be reading more of this authors again.

I really enjoyed the audio version of ‘The Island’ - the narration by both narrators were really good and the story grabbed my attention from the very first chapter. It maintained my interest throughout as the lace was sustained. I’d recommend others listening to this audio book.

I have read the author's previous YA title, The Treatment, and I absolutely loved it. CL Taylor is an author who can write excellent psychological thrillers and The Island is yet another example of that.

I have read similar books before, but the twist in this one blew me away. I love an unreliable narrator and The Island has one of the best that I've come across for a while. I think that themes of PTSD and mental health were excellently dealt with, and as much as they were a plot point it was done well. There was also some fantastic exploration of toxic masculinity that I loved to see.

I alternated between reading and listening to this book, and I think that the narrators of the audiobook did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. The range of emotion in the voice acting was phenomenal.

Having read several of CL Taylor’s novels for adults I was interested in this Young Adult book. I had the audiobook copy and it did not disappoint. It was narrated from the perspective of several characters and the chosen narrators for the audiobook were great. The story itself had lots of twists and turns and kept me guessing until the reveal close to the end . Deep issues such as trauma and mental health were woven cleverly into the storylines and overall this was a fab read that I’d highly recommend.

The Island is where six teenage friends travel for a week of fun and escape. However things turn bad pretty quickly and their perfect holiday turns into something much more dangerous.

Now that my children are back at school I seem to be racing through audiobooks! Whether it’s when I’m walking or doing housework, an audiobook always seems to be playing. For this reason I managed to listen my way through The Island in a couple of days. There was a moreish quality to the story which definitely helped too. I found myself thinking about the group of teens even when I wasn’t listening. I had to know how it would all turn out for them. The pacing of the story is pretty good with a fair few tense moments that helped to keep the story teetering on a dark edge. The mystery over what was happening made me question the actions of this group of friends and ask myself. Could it really be one of the friends that is the cause of all the trouble? Or was there someone else on the island with the group?

The narration is split and we have two main characters in Danny and Jessie. Both pretty different characters which helped to keep things interesting. The narrator for Danny’s parts in particular did a great job of portraying the tense moments. Also bringing the character’s fears to the surface which helped to ramp up the tension. Jessie’s narration had a more quieter and calmer feel but with a sense that just below the surface this character is in turmoil due to her past. Her friends don’t quite know how to act around her anymore. The little snippets from her past were carefully placed and helped draw out her character. This helped to give her a bit more depth than the others. To begin with you see a guarded character in Jessie but with each new bit of information you realise how and why she has become this way. The other characters bring suspicion but I wouldn’t say that you really get to know them all that well. Danny and Jessie are the main focus and they are brought to life a little more clearly than the others. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I guess I just didn’t manage to connect all that well with the others.

The Island was the perfect story to lose myself in and I thought that the audiobook worked really well. Maybe I wouldn’t have had the same experience if I had read the book. I guess I’ll never know but for me the audiobook came across really well and brought an extra layer of tension to the story. If you enjoy YA then why not give it a try and lose yourself on The Island for a few hours!

I really enjoy C L Taylor’s easy style and the setting up of a disaster for the characters. This story is no exception.

This was my first CL Taylor book and I very much enjoyed it. I'll definitely go to read more of her books. THe narration was great and I enjoyed the full cast narration. Felt like Lord of the Flies in a more modern setting.

I enjoyed this audiobook and was delighted to have been offered an ARC copy. There was a tense atmosphere between the teen protagonists and the unexplained happenings on the island. You’re led from one suggestion to another as to who might be responsible but It was a bit flat at the end. Still a good listen though

So this book gave me a Lord of the Flies vibe set in the present. I really enjoyed listening to the audio version of the book.

A group of teens who have been friends all their lives after their parents met at baby group, come together from different parts of the country once a year to holiday together. This year part of the holiday involves the kids spending a week on an isolated island, no phones or wifi, no mod cons, learning to work together with help of their guide. But when their guide dies unexpectedly, they have no way of contacting the outside world for help. Can this group of teens whose lives are all very different; work together to survive when one by one their worst fears are coming true?

This is the kind of YA book I would have devoured in my teens, and I enjoyed it just as much as an adult! Full of suspense with a great mix of characters, this book won’t fail to grip you and keep you reading to discover the fate of these teens...who will make it off the island alive

The audio version of The Island drew me in from the first chapter. Both narrators were excellent picks for the characters. The pace of the book is excellent, with no part lagging for me.

The story revolves around a group of teenage friends. Their parents pre-determined their friendship before they were even born. For adventurous Jefferson, a survival trip to an uninhabited Thai island is a dream.

One of our main narrators, Jessie, is not as excited for the trip and her unease within the group is apparent from the opening chapters. The other narrator, Danny seems more concerned about his relationship with Honor.

Tensions are frayed on the mainland before the teens set up with their guide. Twins Meg and Milo make up the final two. Tragedy strikes not long after the group reach the island paradise and the teens have to survive alone.


This is the start of a nightmare sequence, reminiscent of a teen horror movie. The fears of each teen become reality. The drama and terror are non-stop. I listened at every opportunity to discover exactly what or who lay behind the torture of the teens on The Island.

To finish, The Island is clever, exciting and entertaining. Behind this are themes including mental health, guilt and grief. These were handled with a light touch and woven through the story.

This is my first C.L Taylor read and I’m going to enjoy going through her back catalogue.