I love a good thriller and The Island House didn't disappoint. I look forward to reading more from Amanda Brittany

"The truth is she desperately wants to go. The place is pulling her - begging her to visit. She feels certain she knows the place, that she may find answers there, a connection to her father perhaps."

The Island House was a bit of a guilty read for me...because it was the book that had been on my Netgalley TBR the longest. I finally got round to it last week and the pages might as well have turned themselves.

The book begins with two representatives from a restorative company investigating an old gothic house without express permission from the owner. The house can only be reached via a causeway at certain times of the day and once belonged to Felix Flynn, a famous puppeteer. This scene from the book really sets the tone for the reader.

"There's no doubting Flynn House in Suffolk was once a grand property, and Jan knows her company can restore it to the stunning gothic building it once was. But James is right, there's a foreboding about the place, as though it's crying out to be left to decay."

Alice tragically losing her father to a hit and run driver. Shortly after his death we discover someone has outed him to the press as a famously reclusive gothic author, and they have revealed Alice's identity at the same time.

"Everything her father hid so long is on display - including her."

As time passes Alice begins to ponder on her past and the fact that she doesn't really remember anything before the age of seven. Then there are the strange dreams of a gothic house situated on a causeway.

In the aftermath of her father's death Alice relies heavily on the support of her ex Leon and her friend Faith. She and Leon split because they wanted different things from life but the feelings remain on both sides. Both Faith and Leon don't hesitate to accompany Alice when she receives an invitation to stay in the newly opened hotel at Flynn House...the house from her dreams.

If there is one thing any reader of gothic fiction knows, it is, don't visit a house on a causeway on Halloween weekend!

This is a locked room mystery. The story is atmospheric and creepy. The ending was a little crazy and unrealistic.
It is entertaining.

A really good read. It took me a little while to get into it but after the first couple of chapters, I was hooked. It builds and builds and has some great twists.

A great locked-room mystery, this would be perfect for Halloween. It is so atmospheric and spooky, thanks to the gothic setting, that this will certainly have your spine a-tingling!

The story focuses on an old house that has been refurbished into a hotel. Alice has received an exclusive invitation to its opening weekend but it takes a lot of convincing for her to visit. Having recently lost her father, Alice is struggling to re-engage with life and it is only when she has such a successful time in her shop that she realises venturing beyond her very small existence will actually be beneficial.

However, arriving at this hotel is the start of her troubles. With ghastly weather and a tide cutting off the island, the gothic interior does not do much to ease Alice’s worries. Coupled with the absent hotel owner, Alice cannot help but think that something is just not right. Then, when two guests are found dead, the realisation of how isolated they are from society makes this hotel break seem deadly.

I liked how the story switches between present day and an intriguing story in the past. This was particularly chilling and I think this added atmosphere to Alice’s story. Furthermore, the writer switches perspectives between several characters, providing surprising and unexpected insights to their thoughts and feelings. As the novel progressed, I was excited to make connections between the two timeframes and relished in the revelations. There are plenty of twists and turns to the narrative and I enjoyed not being able to see how the story would unfold. I think this adds to the success of this murder-mystery.

This was such an engrossing and fast-paced read; I could not put it down. At the same time, I felt thrilled at being chilled – definitely intensified by the storm swirling around the island. Alice’s uncertainty and flashbacks made things even more disorientated, especially as her distrust increases towards all of the hotel guests. She has vague memories of her childhood and warnings from her late father about the past makes her fearful of this hotel at revealing secrets that have been desperately hidden from her. The chilling paintings and puppets were scenes you would expect from a horror film and I could vividly picture these within the hotel’s gothic interior.

If you are looking for a gothic, murder mystery, this should definitely be on your list! I loved the surprises within the narrative and the connections gradually established between the characters. A great read.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Exciting book to read. It had me hooked right away. It was very well written. Good plot that played out well. Once you start the book you find it very hard to put down

What a storyline and so well written. Amanda does write well and I would highly recommend her books. Thank you for letting me have an advanced copy of this book.

Loved this amazing thriller. The story was very well done and you will be on the edge of your seat until the end.

The Island House is my first book by Amanda Brittany but they have become a new favourite.

The writing was more chilling and creepy than I'd anticipated but I found it impossible to put down.

Alice is a sculpture and daughter of a reclusive best-selling horror writer. When her father is killed in a hit and run, Alice is bereft but able to lean on Faith for support in running her shop while she takes time to grieve.

Still suffering from recurring nightmares featuring a strange gothic house, she receives an invitation to stay at a boutique hotel which looks identical to the house which haunts her. Wary, she initially declines but is unable to resist the urge to find out more and put her fears to rest. We then follow dual timelines revealing the course of events which led her to this place.

I'm not a fan of horror and was worried I wouldn't be able to finish reading but the story compelled me to keep going.

My only disappointment is I worked out the ending so parts of the reveal felt drawn out but it didn't stop me from wanting to read more.

Horror and mystery mixed to tell this disturbing yet gripping tale! There are a lot of twists and turn on this dark, secluded island, and it is important to be one step ahead or you might end up dead!

If you like a little goth with your "who done it", this is for you.

This was a great thriller with a gothic feel to it. Alice loses her father in a hit and run accident and is dealing with the aftermath of that when she receives a photo of a house she has been dreaming about. It's followed by an invitation to stay there, as it is now a hotel. What follows is a plot full of twists and turns with a well-written ending. I also liked how the story goes back and forth from 1976 to the present day. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy

The first thing that cached my attention when I first saw the book was the cover (the house that looks like it's haunted, and that beautiful and vibrant blue mixed with all that black) it was like it was screaming “look at me, look at my colors, pick me up and start reading”.

I like thrillers movies and mystery tv series, I like playing the detective and trying to figure out who did it and why, before it is revealed by the protagonists, and because of that I decided to give this book a try.
I admit, I was skeptical at first, because I have tried in the past reading this genre and didn’t like it, but I wanted to give this book a try.

This was the first time reading something written by Amanda Brittany, and I can honestly say that I have some mixed feelings.
The book was good-ish, slow paced and with different POV and a mix of gothic elements and scary ones, but there was something I can't really figure out that didn't chatched my attention.

It took me some time to finish it, and still don't know what to say, although I am curious about her other works.

This was a great thriller with a gothic feel to it. Alice loses her father in a hit and run accident and is dealing with the aftermath of that when she receives a photo of a house she has been dreaming about. It's followed by an invitation to stay there, as it is now a hotel. What follows is a plot full of twists and turns with a well-written ending. I also liked how the story goes back and forth from 1976 to the present day. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

I enjoyed Amanda Brittany's The Perfect Nanny (which she co-wrote with Karen Clarke), so I was excited to read The Island House...and it did not disappoint! The Island House was a wild ride, and I did not see the ending coming at all. This book was disturbing and creepy in the best kind of way, and I liked that it went back and forth between the past and the present. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review another great Amanda Brittany thriller...I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. : )

Fabulous novel full of tension and intrigue.

Full review to follow in the coming days on The Glass House Online Magazine.

After the death of her father Alice is left with a lot of unanswered question about her life. Then she gets a letter invited to stay on an island. Alice realizes that she has been there before but how? creepy, gothic mystery

This was such a perfect thriller. It's mysterious, unpredictable, and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat! Would recommend.

The Island House was so different than I thought it would be after reading the description. It was creepy, atmospheric, and fast paced. I felt like the intrigue never stopped and the twists just kept coming. I did think it was a bit predictable towards the end as I was able to figure out a few of the twists, but this didn't totally take away from the story because there were so many other details included to add to the intensity of the story. I really like Amanda Brittany's writing and thought this was different from her other works in many ways.

The Island House by Amanda Brittany is a thriller novel. It follows the story of Alice Hadley after the the tragic lost of her father to a hit and run. The story is told through different points of view. I thought this book was okay, but it wasn't my favorite book from Amanda Brittany.

Omg wow this book is amazing it's full of twists and turns it will keep you up all night I really enjoyed this book