Cover Image: The Islanders

The Islanders

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Member Reviews

This was a quick and fun thriller in the same vein as And Then There Were None. Guests on a reality television show get picked off one by one by an unknown person for unknown reasons has all the makings of a great summer thriller and i enjoyed it for the most part. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters though and it felt a bit one dimensional to me. The writing was good but something was missing for me overall.

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This was a great summer thriller that kept me guessing from start to finish, I enjoyed the plot of this and did not guess the end

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I love all things Agatha Christie style, and being stranded on an island where people get murdered is right up my alley. I loved S.V. Leonard's setup and execution! The setting made me want to hop on a plane and go on vacation!

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I really really wanted to like this book. It has all the makings of a great thriller/holiday read. However it felt like it totally missed the mark. I didn't enjoy any of the characters and felt the plot was rushed and all over the place. It could've been so much better than it was.

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Fast-paced & scandalous!
This is a perfectly over the top bonkers thriller.
If you are looking for an escapist read, this is the one for you!

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A fast paced and gripping thriller. It kept on the hooked and I couldn't guess the twists as they were unexpected.
The plot is full of twists, there's a growing tension and the characters are fleshed out.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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I really liked this! Absolutely tore through it, and never once guessed what was going on, which is surely the sign of a really good thriller. I'd definitely read more by this author if this is anything to go by - a really fun reading experience.

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The Islanders by S. V. Leonard was a fast-paced quick and easy read which was fun and bonkers in some places.

With nothing to lose, Kim who was a traumatized ex-cop with PTSD, packs her bags and suncream and sets off to a remote Greek Island with a dream of taking part of a reality TV show........Well, who wouldn't especially as there's £100:000 prize money to win and a guarantee for a lovely tan!.as well.
But, little does Kim know, there is more at steak in the innocent TV reality show!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for my review copy.

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Reality TV is not for me, but overall I enjoyed this book. It was fun and quick read that allowed me to forget about my own problems and dive into other peoples instead. It kept me on my toes while trying to figure out what happened and who the killer was! If you love reality TV and a good mystery, then this is the book for you.

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Absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down and finished it in a day.
Based on the concept of the show Love Island this show focuses on a group who think they have been chosen to find love on an island. But, what they learn is that this tropical island get away is nothing like they thought it would be. On the first morning in the house when one house guest is found dead in the pool their glamourous summer turns into a hellish week. This book will have you sitting on the edge of your seat wanting to know what is going to happen!

I would highly recommend this book!

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I really, really enjoyed this book! It was gripping from the start and kept me guessing until the very end! Fantastically written! Would definitely recommend!

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If I've learned one thing in my years of reading, it's that fictional characters really shouldn't go to isolated islands. This book reminded me of a cross between Big Brother, And then There were None, and Saw. A reality show on an island when, (surprise, surprise), people start dying one by one. It's up to one of the characters to solve the murders but she doesn't have long to do so before more people die.

The story was interesting but had a very slow start. It felt like it took a very long time to get to any action. The pacing seemed a bit off as well. There were times when it felt like I was flying through the book and others when I felt like it was moving at a snail's pace.

The setting was interesting but not described in a way that I could picture it easily and the plot, although clever, felt like it was "borrowed" from several other books and movies that are out there.

Overall, this wasn't my favorite and not very memorable.

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I really wanted to love this book. I enjoyed the idea of the plot overall, however I found quite a few things too predictable.

Unfortunately this one fell a bit flat for me.

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S.V. Leonard's The Islanders is a book about a British reality show, LoveWrecked, and the unfortunate cast and crew who arrive on an island to film the show, only to find themselves picked off one by one by a mystery assailant. The idea is great, and I do love a locked room mystery, especially one modeled after Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (and there are plenty of these, lately).

Unfortunately, the writing style of this book did not appeal to me. The characters were under-developed and lacked depth. The dialogue felt contrived and forced. And, poor Kimberley's detective skills and emotional endurance were both severely lacking.

The good news: I didn't know for sure who the murderer was; and, after the identity was revealed, I slapped my forehead and said "Of Course!" because I should have realized it sooner. The Islanders is a very quick read, possibly perfect for a beach trip or a long weekend off work.

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher Canelo Crime, and the author S. V. Leonard for an advanced copy of this book so I could share my honest feedback.

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I was gripped. This thriller was unlike any others I’d read and the premise itself was VERY interesting.

The only reason I can’t give it more stars was the ending felt rushed to me. We had a book full of amazing build up, tension, strong character arcs, but it just crescendoed too early for my and then the ending was rushed.

I found the idea of hijacking a reality TV show to carry out your revenge plot to be far fetched and yet also believable in today’s tv obsessed society. I liked the drip feed of information provided by the various blog posts, emails, Twitter feeds and news articles scattered throughout the novel.

This novel was a great read, but the ending for me let it down.

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4-5 stars! I really enjoyed this one! Found it to written in an amazing way, with fantastic character development which kept me hooked to the story! It was fast paced and unputdownable! Lots of great twist anc turns, thrills, chills, and shocks! Highly recommend to my fellow thrill seekers!

Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release!

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A big thank you to Canelo, S V Leonard and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Let me preface this review by saying I love trash TV and Love Island is absolutely no exception. This book solved all of my cravings for some good old fashioned islander drama. First off the characters I loved. I did find Kimberley a little bit Infuriating at times - I think this might also have been directed at the difficult of the situation though and my frustration FOR her
When I first started reading the book I was confused and ultimately was like what the hell is this plot line ... but OH MY GOD did S V Leonard give me a jaw dropping ending... I did not see that coming AT ALL and everything suddenly made sense.
I think you’d obviously love this book if you love love island, but also give this a chance even if you don’t - It’s fast paced and I read it in two sittings because I had to know what happened (I think the element of time and counting down to an event really elevated this book).
Again a big thank you for the ARC and I can’t wait to read what you publish next S V Leonard

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As an avid 'Love Island' watcher and a lover of cheesy reality TV I was looking forward to reading this debut by S V Leonard.

It did not disapoint. I was totally caught up in the drama, and didn't guess the ending until the very last few chapters. The mystery whilst the cast of the show were on the island was filled with tension and I couldn't see who the culprit could be. The whole eeriness of the set-up made the atmosphere edge of your seat and I finished the book extremely quickly.

Would certainly recommend to my friends :)

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I don’t watch much tv, but when I do it’s usually a reality tv show. I love The Challenge, Kardashians, The Bachelor, etc. I actually just finished the last season of Love Island just in time to start this one!

In a nutshell The Islanders is a Love Island inspired lock door mystery. Our lead character has just been chosen at random to be part of the latest season until the other contestants start dying off.

I’m usually not one for lock roomed mysteries, but I loved this idea! Super unique and I loved that it took place involving reality tv, it added a whole new level of creepiness. This was a quick read coming in at just under 300 pages so I flew threw it! If you are looking for a quick and entertaining read this is it!Check out the link to this one in my profile, and help support indie authors!

Thanks @svleonardauthor for my copy!

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I read this as part of a book club read.
Our first impression was we LOVED it! Within the first few chapters we were all hooked and desperately trying to stop ourselves from reading the whole book in one sitting. We’d met an interesting mix of characters, all of which were definitely hiding something and we agreed they were not chosen to be on the show at random. We all felt that Jack was a very unlikeable character and whilst we wouldn’t wish anyone dead we were glad he was the first to go! There were many predictions of what would happen and who else would die, most of us thought this would be a high body count read! At this point the book was ticking all the right boxes. We were desperate to read on and loved the fast paced drama. There were so many ways this book could go, overall our group rating was a 4 but it had the potential to go higher!
By the end of the second week we had another murder and the element of the Judge included, who seems to be running the show! The Judge reminded us a lot of the horror film Saw and we thought the inclusion of it gave the story plenty of drama. We are still unsure who the Judge is or how the murders are being carried out which is making some of us want to read on! A few in the group are finding the story a little over the top and we all hope the ending will be more realistic. With most of the group sitting at a 4 last week a few have dropped to a 3/3.5 but we are all still enjoying it.
This week the book divided opinions. Some of us were really enjoying it and thought it was a fun and quick read, others were finding it a little over the top and a bit disappointing. This is what is great about being part of a book club, it would be boring if we all had the same tastes and it’s great to hear the other members of the group’s perspective. At this point in the story Kim was still proving to be useless as a detective and her fellow islanders were turning against her. We all agreed that The Judge definitely had something to do with Kim’s past and the incident but we weren’t sure who their helper was. Some of us thought perhaps Daniel or even Mo? With just 20% to go we were all hoping for a great finale that we all enjoyed.
As we reached the end of the book we all agreed that this was a fast paced, action packed read that tied up all the loose ends. We thought it was the perfect length, any longer and our interests would of waivered. We also loved the inclusion of the social media sections to break up the story. Some of us wanted a little more punch to the ending and were a little underwhelmed by it. We also didn’t agree with Kim re-joining the police, lets face it her detective skills weren’t up to much!

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