The Island House by Amanda Brittany is a thriller read that has a gothic touch to the setting. The story is another that is told from different timelines and differing points of view in those timelines.

Alice Hadley is a sculptor who has just lost her father in a hit and run accident and is not sure how to go about life without him. Alice has always had strange nightmares and doesn’t have many memories of her childhood so when she gets an invitation to stay at a secluded island hotel that seems her father might have once been she accepts hoping to get a glimpse of her own past.

The Island House by Amanda Brittany was another novel that I had some ups and downs with while reading. First, I’d say the setting of this one was excellent. The creepy gothic hotel on a remote island was definitely one thing that had me hooked into the tale. I almost seemed more entertained by the chapters of the past than I was of the current though. I felt while reading that the beginning with Alice was a little slow and then I kind of wanted more to happen in the current storyline too. There were parts I would warn are almost tipping this one into horror too which I actually didn’t mind but some readers may think is a bit much. Overall, I’d say this one ended at three and a half stars for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I absolutely loved The Island House. The cover looked like the sort of place I would like to visit, the description intrigued me and the book did not disappoint. The gothic eerie setting was fantastic and the story had me gripped immediately. It had plenty of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my ARC.

A creepy locked island mystery told from multiple perspectives. Alice never understood many things about her family and now her father has been killed and she's been sent an invite to a Gothic hotel on an island. She opts to go and to bring her boyfriend Leon, who has his own secrets. Things get weird, people die, and well, Alice will eventually learn the truth. No spoilers from me. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. The ventriloquist dolls were a bit much but it's an entertaining read.

The Island House begins as a mystery: Alice Hadley’s father, a bestselling author, was killed in a hit-and-run. His death, keenly felt by Alice, leads to many questions about Alice’s past, specifically what the first seven years of her childhood were like. Alice is drawn to the gothic manor Flynn House that has always haunted her subconscious by an invitation from the new owner to stay for the weekend. What follows is a harrowing night in a creepy mansion on an island cut off from the mainland that they are sharing with a killer.

Amanda Brittany did a wonderful job setting the tone for the novel. This book takes place mainly in a gothic mansion, and the gothic feeling resonates throughout her book. I grieved with Alice when she was dealing with the aftermath of her father’s death. Her sorrow was very apparent through Brittany’s writing. This book was a perfect nod to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which is one of my favorite mysteries. Who can resist the classic isolated location on a stormy night with a killer on the loose?
While the setting and (very) general tone of the plot sounds like a Christie book, make no mistake that this is just another whodunnit that we have seen before. Brittany devises a backstory that was masterminded. I did guess most of the pieces to the reveal, some as early as halfway through the book, but I didn’t guess how they all fit together. While you may have to suspend some belief for the ending, it could very well happen. Additionally, I really enjoyed Brittany’s writing style. She was descriptive without being overbearingly so, and her dialogue was dynamic, showing us well-rounded characters.

This was a very gripping read that I couldn’t put down, but I didn’t want to read it late at night!

This was a great read for me. A gothic thriller which drew me in, and hard to put down. I will definitely be looking for more by this author.

Ack, I really enjoyed this book! I read it in just over a day which is good for me because I’m a fairly slow reader. I love atmospheric horror. This book takes you to an inn on an island, of course on a dark and stormy night! One by one people start going missing and there is no way off the island. Do I think it went off the rails and got a little crazy by the end? Yes I do. I still liked it and thought it was paced really well. I’ll have to look out for more thrillers by this author.

I liked this book- it was atmospheric and creepy, not to mention action packed. It centers on Alice, whose father dies suddenly; as she is reeling from his death, she receives an invitation to a gothic hotel that looks exactly like a building she has been dreaming about for years. Despite misgivings, she determines that she has to go and check it out. Alice can't remember the first few years of her life and her father was not forthcoming with information; she feels that there is a tie between this hotel and the missing time. There are also alternating chapters told from the point of view of Verity, but the reader doesn't initially know the connection between these 2 primary characters.

Once you get the background and the story moves to the hotel, it becomes a "locked room" type mystery, where guests start getting picked off one by one and the guilty person may be one of the other guests. The author wasn't afraid to kill people off, so you never knew who might be next.

I thought I had determined who the villain was, though I had a couple back-up guesses, when the author shocked me with the unveiling of that person and proved me wrong. There were a few major revelations at the end of the story that not only answered any lingering questions, but truly surprised me. I liked the book anyway, but really liked being caught off guard when it all came together.

Overall, this was a fun mystery read with an ending that is surprising without being totally unbelievable. I have read other books by this author but this one was my favorite. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Locked room mystery with a gothic feel? Yes, please! I found the book to be a bit slow in the beginning and it did require a bit of suspension of belief but ultimately was worth the read.

All I can say about this book is wow! It kept me hooked from the very beginning and I was wrong on who I thought the characters were in the end. Alice’s father, Adam, was killed in a hit and run and he had left her with a lot of unanswered questions about her past. She has no memories until about the age of 7 and whenever she asked her father, he would get upset and never gave her answers. She gets invited to a weekend away at a new hotel that she recognizes from her past. She goes, in hopes of finding answers but doesn’t realize in order to figure out who she is, that she will have to face a killer.

A well-written book in terms of the author's always capable skills. Unfortunately the plot didn't quite work for me. It felt very slow to get to the crux of the tension. The disjointed narrative structure was a little jarring. I was also expecting something more creepy in the gothic fashion.
These are my views and needs, though. Others have enjoyed the book and other readers will, I'm sure.

My book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I just couldn’t bear to miss a single second of this story. It didn’t take me long to get to race through the book. I found this to be a superb read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

Omg I absolutely loved this book! I requested it from NetGalley based purely on the eerie front cover and the title which called to me. I had no idea what to expect, but this is one hell of a story, so well written and compelling, with sneaky reveals that allow you to piece together what is happening in such a way that you won’t be able to put this book down. However you will NEVER EVER guess whose behind the terror that goes down or the reasons why- Slightly out there and dramatic and you do need to suspend belief but this ( for me) made it all the more compelling and entertaining! I LOVED IT!!!

Set partly in Whitby a coastal town well known for the Bram stoker connection and Gothic vibes and partly in the isolated, creepy Gothic house cum boutique hotel – Flynn house. A renovated house with a dark, mysterious past set a top the isolated seafield island. Both proved to be the perfect settings to create an atmospheric and sinister setting for what I would describe as a fun, fast paced modern take on Agatha Christie’s Then there were none. This book was incredible abs delivered so much more than I ever expected…

I would highly recommend this as a Perfect autumnal / Halloween read with it’s tense, atmospheric setting , and dare I say it -a dash of cosy! Rain, warm pubs, the smell of home cooked food- I love a seasonal read and this was perfect! It was a rollercoaster of a read, it’s seriously creepy, eerily atmospheric with one heck of an unpredictable plot line. A seriously ingenious thriller with a side serving of mild horror.

Were there any negatives… Only that as the book was reaching its ultimate conclusion it was a little bit confusing, it took me a little while to clarify who and what the heck’s thump was happening, but I was reading late into the night and it may have been my tiredness.. However once I got it straight I was agog, agape, totally shocked, horrified and in awe of the authors ability to weave such a wicked and ingenious tale!

This is a MUST read for thriller fans, I think fans of Lucy Foley, The sanatorium and Shiver would definitely be enthralled and excited by this book!If you’re looking for a book to shock, entertain and keep you gripped from start to finish grab a copy of The Island House by Amanda Brittany.

5 star read for me! Utterly brilliant!

I was initially intrigued by The Island House because who doesn't want to read a thriller set in a spooky location? Alice grew up not remembering the first couple years of her life and despite asking her father, she never got any details. She is intrigued by Flynn House because she is positive she recognizes the house but is unsure of where she recognizes it from and more importantly, why? After her father's death, Alice receives an invitation from Cameron who now owns Flynn House and has turned it into a hotel. But when strange things start happening and people are being murdered, Alice has to find out who the killer is and why she was lured there.

The story was fast-paced and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was truly going on. Alice's grief was relatable and her confusion towards her childhood was intriguing. It had me wondering as to why her father was always adamant about talking about it. Part of the plot twist was a tad confusing at first where I wasn't really sure what was going on and although it did become clearer as the story progressed and came to a end, I would have wanted it to be a little more clear.

The amount of characters also added to the confusion in trying to keep up with who was who and how different characters were related or tied into the story. I did enjoy the multiple point of views both from Alice and Ben to give a more well rounded perspective as to what was happening around the island.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future!

3.5 Stars

This book had a gothic feel with a twisty mystery. I loved how the house was on its own island as it added to the eerie feel of the setting. Combined with dual timelines (1976 to 2019), the creepy writing and the twisty ending made the book an entertaining read. I have to say I am rounding up because I did not figure out the twist and I loved that...Do you have to suspend belief? You betcha, but I still enjoyed reading this story and getting there was half the fun.

I liked that this was a short read as it made getting to the secret all the more fun and added to the atmospheric feel of isolation. The book all came together deliciously. I’m afraid to say more for fear of spoiling anything, but a nice, smooth beach read. I truly enjoyed it.

The island house is definitely in the vein of Agatha Christie's and then there were none. This book is a whodunit that has lots of twists and turns, some may have been a bit over the top but overall I really liked it and it definitely had its creepy moments. I would recommend for any mystery lover out there!

Thank you to not galley in the publisher for this Arc in exchange for honest review

Mystery and Thrillers are usually not my type of novels, but I’ve been wanting to open up to entertaining them. I thought “The Island House” by Amanda Brittany, new author to this reader caught my attention based on the description and book cover. Well, I can say that this book was quite the mystery/thriller that could have been better than expected.

After her father suddenly dies, Alice Hadley uncovers that there were things about him that she never knew. Then there is the picture of the mansion, Flynn House, a place that she has seen in her dreams and then revealed as a true place her father once told her to disregard. But when she visits the Gothic hotel on the island, a storm cuts off all communications and finds herself the center of unnerving events that her memories repressed and is now resurfacing to uncover the truth.

This could have been a good mystery/thriller for me had it not dragged a bit in the beginning. Grabbing my attention early on with this type of read would have kept my interest more. Also, the story was a bit confusing as it started off in the 3rd POV but the interchange of POVs made it difficult to follow at times in addition to the story bouncing through time periods.

Overall, this was a decent read that took me some time to finish. I do like the premise of the plot but it could have been developed better for an attention grabbing story.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ/HQ Digital for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved the Gothic premise of this book (and, admittedly, a personified house will always draw me in), so this was such a promising thriller. The first chapter, set a few years in the past, hooked me right away, but when the book moved to the present day, the writing suddenly fell very flat. It was slow placed, somber, and a bit choppy. I kept reading, hoping things would pick up, but they just didn't. Sadly, this end up being a huge miss for me.

A gothic set island hotel? A mystery murderer? Sign me up. While the premise of this book really jumped out at me, the execution for me was a bit off. I felt that the start was a bit slow, picking up at the 25%-30% mark and generally I do like a thriller that picks up right in the action. There was also some time hopping, which wasn’t done poorly but for me sometimes takes me out of the story. Overall it was a decent read, and could definitely be one for you if you’re an Agatha Christie fan!

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the arc in return for an honest review!

A thriller set in an atmospheric house which is cut off from the mainland by hide tide, the mainland is only accessible by foot over a four hour window, or by taking boat. A storm overnight adds to the difficulties of leaving. Meanwhile terrible events are taking place in the house…

The pace of the book keeps you reading on, it ticks along swiftly and despite my misgivings I wanted to see what would happen.
However it reads like a melodrama as it’s very over the top. Some elements of the story and characters’ actions are completely unbelievable and unrealistic.

The chapters which are meant to be from a specific person’s point of view are curiously still written in third person. I was generally not a fan of the author’s style of writing. Is this pulp fiction? That’s the term that kept coming to mind as I read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC.

"The Island House" by Amanda Brittany is an “impossible crime” mystery that, while incredibly far-fetched, was hard to put down.

Alice can’t remember her life prior to age seven, but for her entire life she has dreamed of a gothic mansion and a room with green walls behind a red door. When her father dies, she receives an anonymous picture of the mansion only to find it’s a real place—a newly renovated Gothic boutique hotel. Then only days later a mysterious buyer (who turns out to be the hotel owner) purchases one of Alice’s sculptures and invites her to stay at the hotel. Hesitant at first, she decides to take up the owner on his offer. Soon she finds herself with a handful of others on the secluded island staying in the foreboding mansion. When a storm hits and cuts all communication from the mainland, Alice realizes her invite to the hotel was no accident. Eerie events and missing cell phones lead up to the hotel guests turning up dead. Alice knows she’s at the center of the events but it isn’t until her repressed memories resurface that she realizes why.

For lovers of “The Guest House,” this needs to be your next read. The Gothic vibes throughout were my favorite part—as well as the “Clue”(ish) feel. The book was a bit too far-fetched and darkly serendipitous (almost annoyingly so) for me to give it more than three stars, however with the rise in popularity/trending Gothic and locked-key mystery genres, “The Island House” will be a big hit for many readers.