An incredible, unique read. Isolation, bleakness and desolation, determination to persist despite an uncertain future, guilt for past sins, though maybe not the sin you’re punished for, partners in an inhospitable landscape with only each other, small pills and future parole to keep you safe and moving forward. This is undeniably raw and harrowing, and I loved every single chapter.

This story follows a couple who have a child when society decides if you can have a baby. They were not deemed acceptable to have a child so they have to keep him hidden. From friends to acquaintances, they have to be careful. They aren't careful enough!. They are then went to an island together and have to stay there for twelve years, then they are eligible for.parole. On the day of their parole no one appears. They hover around the beach in the hopes of someone coming. No answer on their radio,no way of leaving as there is a tablet system in place that keeps them from wandering away from their part of the island. They can only go so far and then they would need the tablet to live. What can they do?...
I really, really enjoyed this story. I was gripped from page one!. There were grim moments but they were left for your imagination and not told in extreme detail.( thank god!!!!). I was intrigued by the couple's relationship and how they communicated, how they individually reacted to different situations, betrayals and secrets.
This gets ten stars from me!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #bloomsburypublishing,#

Beautifully written, sparing no description of the inhospitable island Aina and Whitney are exiled to for the ‘crime’ of having an unauthorised child. This book takes its time to reveal its secrets and even at the end holds some things still tightly to its chest. I liked the way the author resists the urge to over-explain why and how Society has reached the point where you can only have a child if you are deemed suitable and where banishment is reinforced by a mysterious pill that will lead to your death if you don’t take it at set times.
I liked the ambiguous ending; less is more, again.

This is a dystopian novel - Aina and Whitney have been exiled for breaking the law so they live on an island. Boats come each year with some basic provisions, and they have a machine that dispenses a pill every 8 hours, which they need in order to survive (we aren't told why the climate is so hostile). Their period of incarceration is 12 years.

As the twelfth year end approaches, Whitney is determined the Warden will parole them and they can return to their real lives. However, no ship appears, although a sheep wanders in, which is odd as they are supposed to be on an island. However, they could not explore the far end of the island as they have to be back to take their regular pills.

Its a well written tale, and certainly kept my attention as we are shown the lives they are making for themselves in this unusual prison. The reader sees the story from Aina's point of view, so our sympathies tend to lie with her. She is more determined to escape and find her son, convinced the Warden is not going to release them.

Overall a good read, with a cliff hanger ending that seemed quite appropriate, but I'd have appreciated learning why having a child was such a transgression and what the world beyond the island was like. And why they needed those pills?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stunningly haunting! Sent into exile for having an illegal child, Aine and Whitney have to learn to survive. Their lives are controlled by the pill dispenser, the boundaries of their island and their relationship. This novel gets right underneath your skin to haunt you.

I was isolated with Aina and Whitney last week. Exiled, condemned, desperate, surviving. Peeling back the layers of the past and the present, the depth of loss and yearning is slowly revealed. Brilliant. As time for parole approaches, Whitney and Aina’s life becomes more difficult and intense.

@t_m_watson @BloomsburyBooks #Metronome #TBR #ComingSoon #BallsToTheBacklog

I love dystopian thrillers and Metronome was a really intriguing book which stayed with me long after I put it down. Aina and Whitney have been exiled onto an island due to breaking their home’s fertility laws. As a condition of their stay, they must take a pill that is dispensed every 8 hours or they die, however their date of parole is coming up and they will soon be free – or will they?

The book is short and very pacy, with a lot in it to hold my interest and I finished it in two sessions on a particularly long train journey. I enjoyed the story and was really intrigued with it although I would have liked a little more world building to tell me about the world outside the island. The plot is very character-focussed, told from the perspective of Aina, and we are rooting for her throughout the story, with occasional chapters dedicated to (vaguely) explaining what happened before to cause them to have been exiled. I would have liked a little more explanation as to why these rules had come into existence and also how the punishment system was supposed to work, as well as a little more information about the pills. When a later event regarding the mainland is introduced, this is also skimmed over and I would have liked a little more speculation from the characters as to what had happened as well.

The ending is going to be the thing that most divides readers of Metronome. It is deliberately left ambiguous and I personally think this worked rather well. I enjoyed puzzling what happened next and imagining the possible endings however, I can also see that this will frustrate some readers that want a black and white conclusion.

Overall, Metronome is an interesting story with a great premise that sucked me right in to its island setting, however I would have preferred a little more explanation and world building at times. Thank you to NetGalley & Bloomsbury Publishing for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t what I was expecting at all, it gives a lot. The plot is revealed little by little, and it drew me in. It didn’t feel like a dark story until I reflected on it overnight.

I’m a little bit lost for words on this as I don’t want to give any of the plot away at all, but it’s a very well written book, dark, is it a bit eutopian? Maybe? I wasn’t ready for it to end, I needed more!

What it is is excellent…it’s made quite an impact on me..

My thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

What an original and gripping read. From the first chapter to the last paragraph I was totally immersed in this book. It even occupied my thoughts when I wasnt reading it. The story of Aina and Whitney who have been exiled for twelve years on an island for a crime they committed together, tied to a croft by pills they must take every eight hours in order to survive. As there sentence is up they expect the Warden to come to release them. He does not appear but a sheep arrives at their door instead. This gets them thinking and questioning their situation and each other.. A riveting story, with unique well thought out events and consequences.

Metronome by Tom Watson is the debut novel about Aina and Whitney, two individuals who were in exile for a crime they committed. These two must take pills to survive every eight hours but suddenly weird things start happening. Aina and Whitney must deal with big choices regarding their peninsula prison.

This was an easy ready that was finished fairly quickly however the premise was confusing and the dynamic between the characters kept shifting which left it feeling dull and less enthusiastic.

The feeling and relationship of these characters was portrayed well. We saw the beauty in the world they had created but the story felt very limited.

Husband and wife, Aina and Whitney have been exiled by their present government regime to a remote croft on an inhospitable island as punishment for having an unapproved child. They are kept in check and restricted in their exploration because of a pill machine that dispenses life-saving drugs three times a day. Miss a window and you do not live for long.
We experience the day-to-day struggle for survival and, as their time for release passes, the uncertainty of existing life outside their island. It was a roller coaster ride, as I was fully behind Aina and her plan to escape and find her removed son, now fifteen.
Your loyalties and expectations change as the plot unravels. The last few pages were like reading under water, as I was so caught up in the desperation and urgency of a positive resolution. If you want clear cut endings, though, do not read - you will be understandably irked!

This is a really thought provoking read. It is a slow burner but I think that is part of the appeal of the book as it helps create the perfect dystopian atmosphere and a sense of desolation and remoteness. This book is just a small snapshot into a World that could be ours in years to come.

There's something uncomfortable about reading "Metronome" by Tom Watson. It is truly dystopian from start to finish with very little hope. It takes a while to find out why Aina and Whitney are on this island, as they wait for parole. It sometimes reminded me of "Lost" as they are tied into the pill clock which dispenses pills three times a day, and if they don't then something horrible will happen to them. It was very addictive and atmospheric.

This is unlike anything I’ve ever read before and will probably read again; it is like a genre and format all of its own.

It’s written in a way that made me really quite uncomfortable, quite on edge, which I suppose puts me in a better position to identify with the two protagonists. It’s very claustrophobic and very cramped. For about 75% of the book, we are in one setting with just two characters. This could have been dull, but I think it’s a positive addition. In fact, it adds to the claustrophobia.

It’s so brutal, and all emotions are fired up to max, it’s like a slap round the face. Tom Watson doesn’t leave anything behind, it’s all on the page and nothing is off limits. It really pulls you into this situation that you don’t want to be in.

It asks the reader a lot of questions, even after you’re finished. Who can you trust? Could you survive 12 years with just one other person? What is important to you? What would you be willing to do to save your family?

Metronome was a brilliant, atmospheric read that made me feel all the feels!

Set in a dystopian world, we're introduced to in drips throughout the book, Aina and Whitney live in a shack and are completely self-sufficient. But the more we know about their lives, the less idyllic it seems.

There's a sense of unease woven in throughout, and I genuinely couldn't stop thinking about it. Great idea, well thought out characters, and a chilling conclusion.

Brilliant

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This is a beautiful book looking at life in a remote rural setting which is the first dystopian novel in such a setting that I’ve read.
The story begins slowly which I’ve seen other reviewers didn’t like but for me it matched the pace of life on the Croft for Aina and Whitney and it meant when Aina began to have suspicions that all was not what it seemed the pace of the novel picked up to match.
I loved the character of Aina from the start and was cheering her on as she experimented with the timing of her pills and making plans to explore outside the narrow confines of the previous twelve years of her life. I found it impossible to warm to Whitney and was never quite sure if he was up to something or just a gullible and bitter fool.
My one criticism was that I found it hard to understand the exact timeline of events that led up to their exile with one of the flashback sections not being fully clear to me. That may be my fault in getting so excited that I wasn’t paying enough attention.
Without giving spoilers it is impossible to describe why I was reading so breathlessly at the end but no one can complain about the pace in the final chapters.
All in all a great read, atmospheric, well characterised and a clever plot.

An unsettling tale,in a world that could easily become ours.
Dictated to on aspects of your life,and punished for going against the rules.
A slow unfurling of the whole truth had me flying through the pages for the full story.
Strange,in the best possible way.

a very intriguing interesting concept, i don't know if my brain fully got my head around what was happening

i really liked the writing, the way you'll immediately pulled into this strange island where everything feels a bit off and there's only two inhabitants.

like i said, i don't think i was focused enough to fully get into it but i can see why a lot of people are raving about it atm and if you like dystopian then you will probably enjoy

The concept of this book is quite simple. A couple in exile on an island for a crime that they committed together. They have to serve twelve years together. Afterwards, a warden will come to return them to their old lives. As dystopian as this sounds, it becomes more unsettling. Aina and Whitney must take a pill every eight hours to survive. Their bodies are not built to withstand the island's natural properties. They'll die without the pills.

They're alone for twelve years, except for minimal communication over an intercom with the warden. Until the warden stops answering. And they're truly left alone.

This novel is truly eerie and unsettling. There's so much normality here, but it's slightly tilted. Something's wrong, and Watson does an incredible job of creating an atmosphere of uncertainty, confusion and fear. It's almost possible to see how society could eventually turn on couples for committing the most benign and natural of 'crimes'. It's possible to see how we could start to exile people to isolated islands far away from any certainty or familiarity.

While this novel is really interesting in its conception and its execution, it wasn't quite what I had hoped for. I found the novel to be a little bit slow in parts. Maybe this was intentional, a slow burn to increase the tension, but for me it almost lapsed into boredom in parts. I wanted to know more and I wanted to know it faster.

While I did enjoy the novel for the most part, I found too much left unanswered, and the ambiguous ending was unsatisfying after the slow burn of the majority of the book.

Super captivating and rich story! I enjoyed a lot the idea of unusual prison, it was like a combination of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe and The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood.

It is a super readable book, the narrative flow is easy to follow, and the plot twists are intriguing. While the focus is definitely on the characters, there's enough action to keep all types of readers engaged :)

Review will be posted on Readers' High Tea closer to the publication date (end of March).