The twist of the villain felt like a cheap cop-out and everything felt rushed towards the end. That most contributed to me ranking it lower than where I'd been thinking.

Alice loses her father in an accident. She befriends a young lady to tend to her art store while she retreats to her fathers home, stricken with grief.
Alice is invited to a mysterious mansion-turned-hotel by someone who purchased a piece of her artwork. Does this place hold truths about her past, the past her father sheltered her from?
This story will drag you right into it, from the first page. Fantastic character development, bizarre details tended to, and concisely written without a lot of confusion. This adds up to four stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advanced reading copy. The review is my own opinion.

This book was so intense and I really enjoyed it. I think this is completely underhyped for how good it is!

This is a new take on the haunted house, turn of the screw story. The twist at the end was wonderfully surprising and the raw emotion of that coming across on the page was well done.

Until 30% in, this book was blah. I kept waiting for something, anything significant to happen, intriguing. Finally, they make it to the hotel and my interest was piqued. The mystery starts to unravel, except right away I guess what's going on. Thinking maybe I had it wrong and big twist is awaiting me, I continued reading. The story is fast-paced and ominous which was my favorite aspect. I loved the hotel and its dark theme. I the end, I had guessed the outcome and there were no big twists.

“The Island House”
By: Amanda Brittany

Generational Secrets Haunt Isolated Gothic Mansion Island House

Memories or nightmares? Alice’s vividly lucid dreams seem all too real in Amanda Brittany’s psychological thriller, “The Island House.”

When Alice’s father—a famous, yet reclusive novelist—angrily tells her to destroy a sculpture that she's created depicting a creepy Gothic Mansion that's been constantly disturbing her dreams, she's convinced that they both must somehow know this house—although her secretive dad admits nothing.

Raised by her father, and with no concrete memories of early childhood, Alice’s life takes on a puzzling trajectory following his untimely death. Soon she is bombarded with mysterious clues linking her family to ‘The Island House.”

When the tide is high, this lone manor, high upon its craggy perch, sits watching and waiting—isolated and surrounded by the roaring sea.

Cutoff from shore and civilization for a minimum of 24-hours, guests at the house turned hotel, like Alice and her friends, soon learn that the macabre imitates art during their visit. Nothing and no one is who or what they seem in this dual-timeline suspense chiller.

Amanda Brittany’s, "The Island House,” is anything but predictable. Just when you've sleuthed out the mystery, you’re taken for another spin in the opposite direction. For readers who enjoy twists; emotionally questionable characters; and things that go bump ‘on a dark and stormy night’; “The Island House,” is a fast-paced mystery thriller that will keep you guessing and definitely entertained.

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

REVIEWER: J.Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Island House”
Author: Amanda Brittany
Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers | General Fiction (Adult)
Publication Date: 10 August 2021
Publisher: HQ, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.


With Sincerest Appreciation to NetGalley, Author Amanda Brittany and HQ, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd., for Providing this Advance Reader’s Copy for Review.

The Island House by Amanda Brittany.

Alice’s father dies. A famous author he is killed as a hit and run. He was a recluse and Alice has no memories before she was 7 and now has no one to ask. She travels to the Island House for answers.

I could not put this book down and finished it in record time despite feeling completely knackered from covid. Classic page turner thriller which will keep you guessing. So many twists and turns. I also enjoyed that despite the twists and turns it was neatly finished at the end.

Well worth a read! 5stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*gifted by netgalley but all views my own*

#theislandhouse #amandabrittany

Well this was definitely a twisted tale I will say that! I was NOT expecting any of that when I first came into this novel, a mystery thriller set in a small English town where Alice tragically loses her father is then invited to stay at a gothic mansion on a secluded island with several strangers and two friends for a mysterious vacation, where their elusive host remains to be heard from or seen. Bodies start dropping and Alice is wondering what the real reason they were all chosen is. This book really reminds me of one of my favorite novels the family upstairs. It gives me Gothic/Horror mystery set in modern times where people really don’t know about their past or future. I love creepy Gothic mansion because they always hold tons of secrets and death, and this book was not short on any of those qualities! There were some parts that did seem drawn out and I did get lost for a bit but I found my way back, I feel like the final scene with the culprit deserved more “fight” but I was pleasantly satisfied when I finished this book and I will be returning to this author!

The Island House was an interesting read. It was really scary and I had to stop and then come back as my curiosity wanted to know what was happening next. The book is divided into four parts. Flynn House is on 'Seafield Island. It has been vacant for many years and was once owned by Felix Flynn a famous magician and ventriloquist. It is now being made into a gothic hotel. Alice Hadley is the main character along with all the supporting characters. She is a sculpturer and owns Alice's Sculptures in Wonderland. Her father, Adam Hadley is a famous author of gothic books. He is killed in a hit and run. She moves into his house Butterfly Cottage. Faith is her best friend and works for her. Leon is her ex-boyfriend who she still cares for. Alice gets an email from Cameron Patterson inviting her to the hotel for the weekend as he bought one of her sculptures. She decides to go for the weekend and asks Leon to join her. They arrive at the hotel and strange things start to happen. Faith and her boyfriend Mitch are there too. The reader is taken from the past to the present throughout the book. The book takes the reader on a scary adventure to the unexpected ending.

This book would be a wonderful movie.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for this ARC. .

I was given a copy of the Island House by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. When Alice's father dies suddenly Alice begins to find out about connections to an island house. When she goes there to stay strange things begin to happen. I really enjoyed this story, with twists along the way but felt parts of the ending let the story down.

Wow, what a ride! A twisty, atmospheric thriller that has just the right amount of mystery. The author does a great job of using duel time lines to tell the horror of twisted infatuation that results in murder. A young lady, an invitation to a house she vaguely remembers, friends who come along, and spooky dolls all add up to a slow at first but fast finishing story that had me on the edge of my seat. While at times the plot was a little convulated I still enjoyed the twist and didn't see it coming. Definitely worth a read! I received a copy for an honest review from Netgalley.

Get ready to be immersed in a atmospheric, Gothic-esque tale of a young girl who is struggling to remember the early years of her life and the lives of two siblings, Verity and Hugh, living in their strange island home with their ventriloquist/magician father who has hired a trail of nannies to care for them, only they never last too long…

In the vein of And Then There Were None, Alice arrives on the island following the hit and run death of her mysterious father. She is eager to solve a family mystery and purposefully travels back to her family’s old home, now a hotel. Only, once she arrives everything falls apart. Guests start being murdered one by one and a storm sweeps in, trapping the survivors in the hotel. This creepy and anxiety-filled setting lends well to the mental state of the main character as she navigates surviving as well as uncovering her family’s story as well as their lives.

The story moves from the present day back to the story of Hugh and Verity and their upbringing at Flynn House. Their story lends well to the creepy, dark feeling of the hotel, the island and the murder mystery unfolding before us.

This was definitely one I could not out done and eagerly finished in one sitting after I put my kids to sleep. It’s a perfect locked-room mystery for a quiet Friday night with a glass or two of wine.
Book Information

The Island House by Amanda Brittany was released on August 11, 2021 with ISBN 9780008362898 from HQ and HQ Digital, an imprint of Harper Collins UK. This review corresponds to an electronic galley supplied by the publisher in exchange for this review.

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

3.5*

This book took me on a journey that surprised me. It creeped me out and did a great job of creating a suspenseful atmosphere. There were some choices made about halfway through the book that I questioned, I felt like the book suddenly was too extreme and also that too much was being revealed at once. I worried that the story would just be predictable from there. But I was surprised to realise as I continued that the author managed to real everything back in. I was definitely creeped out and sometimes even shocked. The ending was nicely wrapped up and there were not really any loose threads left which I also appreciated.

DNF @51%

I'm a huge fan of "locked room" premises, so I really thought this one would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I did not feel any connection to the characters and thus didn't care all that much what happened to them. Also, I felt like the story really dragged with not much happening for the first almost half of the book.

I'm sure there will be people that love this book, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells the story of a woman returning to a remote gothic house turned hotel to solve a family mystery. It is told in the present tense which I found a bit odd. The story moves from past to present using multiple points of view, but it was easy to follow. As things progress it becomes a “locked room” scenario. Ultimately I found the ending a bit predictable and in a few ways disturbing. This one just missed the mark for me, but of course everyone’s taste is personal.

I loved this book and finished it in 24 hours. I had not read the author before but will definitely go back and read her other books. The Island House kept me guessing until the end. It is a psychological thriller and I loved the plot twists, story and characters. I definitely recommend this book. It is fun, engaging and surprising. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Thank you also to Amanda Brittany!

This book has an interesting story that keeps the reader intrigued throughout. Highly enjoyable read if you like thrillers. This was a good one.

It starts with an empty house and something behind a closed door. Then it focuses on Alice whose father is killed in a hit and run. She doesn't know anything about her mother or her early childhood but a gothic guesthouse may unlock the key to her past. An invite to stay draws her to the island, as they are cut off from the mainland with no phones and no means of getting help, two guests die and slowly the truth starts to unravel. This is an amazing book and was gripped from the get go. Would totally recommend.

After Alice’s father is killed in a hit and run, her life is bleak and full of mystery. Never knowing her mother, Alice feels alone with unanswered questions about her childhood. Alice longs to find out who is responsible for her father’s death. An anonymous letter invites Alice to a mysterious Gothic island guesthouse. The letter includes a photograph she swears is her father. What does her father have to do with this creepy place and why does she feel strangely connected to a place she has never visited? The story quickly turns into a whodunnit with twists around every corner. A gothic, isolated guesthouse may hold the key that will unlock the mystery of Alice’s past. Will Alice live to find the answers she craves, or will she fall victim to the deadly dwelling? Thank you NetGalley and HQ Digital for my copy.

I did enjoy this book but there were parts of it that dragged out and it seemed to end quite quickly with everything wrapped up in one go. I would still recommend this book as it was a good thriller and kept you reading.