Such a well plotted and engaging plot with so many twists and turns. Loved the setting too and it's glamorous and dark.

Another riveting read from Alex Marwood! I could not put it down. The pacing was super fast and the characters brought the story to life. I almost didn’t want it to end because I found myself so absorbed. Brilliant!

This book left me absolutely breathless at times. It is such a well plotted amnd compelling story with twists that gave me whiplash

Strap yourself into your sunlounger for this un-put-down-able holiday read of a thriller, a perfect second helping for anyone who enjoyed the latest season of HBO’s White Lotus. This story takes place between the 1980s and 2016, on the fictional mediterranean island called La Kastellana: in 1985 the very traditional community finds itself on the cusp of massive investment by the super-rich, who have just discovered its unspoiled natural beauty and willing locals ripe for employment and exploitation. The old duke who owned the island has died, passing the title to a new, internationally-minded owner. Twelve-year-old local girl Mercedes is caught up in the tussle and finds herself indebted to multimillionaire Matthew Meade, the architect of the ‘New Capri’ and his teenage daughter, Tatiana.

Thirty years later, La Kastellana is a fully-realised secretive and glamorous playground for the ultra-wealthy. Mercedes is still in the employment of the Meades, running their luxury property on the island, managing their house staff and catering to their every whim. Elsewhere on La Kastellana, Robin arrives by ferry in search of her missing 17-year-old daughter Gemma, having discovered the girl may have visited the island and knowing the stories of the young women abused by the rich men who holiday there – but no-one wants to help, and risk the wrath of the jetset who pay everyone’s wages and have the local community held in a vice-like grip.

Dripping with glamour yet sinisterly shadowed with darkness, this is a superb summer read where nothing is as it seems: perfect for devouring on a Mediterranean beach or propped up at the edge of an infinity pool.

The Island of Lost Girls follows the stories of Mercedes and Robin on an island steeped in history. Mercedes finds her life entwined with the wealthy Meade family who are keeping dark secrets within the small community, while Gemma is looking for her missing teenage daughter despite facing setbacks at every step of the way.

A shocking, unpredictable thriller.

I loved that the story spanned both past and present day as it helped to build up the characters and who they were. I also enjoyed that it was told from different perspectives because each character was so well-written. I found it a little confusing when the narrative switched mid-chapter but this did help to build suspense.

My favourite aspect of this book was how it was such a slow-burn read. The plot had plenty of twists and turns to keep me turning the pages, gradually building to a dramatic conclusion.

A fascinating story with a beautiful setting.

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Set between 1985 and 2016, the main story focuses on housemaid and (part time mermaid) Mercedes who lives on the island of La Kastellana, a place which holds traditional values and also a haven for the wealthy.

Mercedes has contempt for her employees, the incredibly rich Meade family.

As the story develops using dual timelines, we get to read what life was like for Mercedes and her family growing up in the 1980’s and the murky ways of the Meades from then to the present day.

The subplot involves mother Robin who arrives at the island looking for her missing daughter who she believes to also be on the island.

Overall I enjoyed this, there were times I felt that the timelines jumped around too much and I would have loved to find out more about what happened to the characters at the end!

This is my first book by Alex Marwood but I doubt it will be my last!

Thank you for Netgalley and Little Brown Books for my advance copy.

This is a very slow burner but a recommended read.The story spans from 1985 when Mercedes in 12, living with her family on the small island of La Kastellana, to 2016, where Robin is desperately looking for her missing daughter, Gemma who ran away from home and was last believed to have been attending a party on the island. It’s a gripping and compelling read but a dark story covering topics such as exploitation and grooming.

This was okay but I never really understood what was happening. Marwood writes in multiple perspectives which I normally like, but the timeline was not always clear and I just found it confusing. This held promise but any spark that existed was lost amongst the confusion. I did think the book had a good setting and there was some intrigue that managed to hold my interest.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy.

This is the first book I’ve read by Alex Marwood and it certainly won’t be the last. I loved the storyline alternating between past and present - this really gave you a feel for all the characters and what was to come. It was really quite gritty and at times made my skin crawl but that’s what I want from a great thriller! Very strong 4 stars ****

I really wanted to love this because the synopsis sounded like something I would really enjoy but this book was only okay for me.
There were some aspects of this book which I really enjoyed. For example I really enjoyed the dual timelines and how they weaved together throughout the book, and I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the settings as it really makes you feel immersed into the story.
However, this book was really slow for me and at times I found myself to be really bored throughout.
I am glad that I read this and I am sure that someone will love this book a lot more than I did.

“Island of Lost Girls” is a thriller by author Alex Marwood. I have enjoyed previous books by this author but found this one heavy going. The novel transports readers between two different time periods, 1985 and 2016, as it unveils the mysteries surrounding La Kastellana, an island that hides a dark and disturbing secret.

The story begins with the arrival of the wealthy Meade family on La Kastellana, and the impact their arrival has on the island and its inhabitants. Fast-forward to 2016, and we meet Robin, a mother desperately searching for her missing daughter on the same island. The author weaves together the two timelines, building suspense and tension as the truth about the island slowly emerges, but for me was a little too slow in doing it.

The setting of the book is vividly described, with the sun-drenched glamour and obscene wealth of La Kastellana contrasted against the dark secrets that lie beneath the surface. The characters are complex and well-drawn, with their motivations and actions keeping readers guessing until the end.

Overall, “Island of Lost Girls” is a good thriller although not the authors best work that explores the lengths people will go to in order to protect their secrets.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Little Brown Group for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry to say it was DNF at 18%

This was my first read by Alex Marwood.

I love a dual timelines, and as a seasoned reader more than comfortable with multiple characters and settings introduced with the first 1/4 of the book.

Whilst some of the chapters were enjoyable, I couldn’t relate with any of the characters, they felt so 2D. I couldn’t visualise them nor did I get any sense of how they felt.

The first few chapters felt far too jumpy, there wasn’t enough substance or length to onboard a new setting. I think a few first person styles might have helped.

I struggled to feel any desire to find out more. At 18% all I have is a woman with a missing daughter, and I feel so little for her I have no desire to fine out what happened, So far no other sinister tit bits to suggest something is going on, and so I have no desire to continue Mercedes journey and back story.

I’m sure this will be a big hit with dedicated Marwood fans, It’s just not ticking any of my boxes.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

The book is set on the idyllic island of La Kastellana, where 12-year-old Mercedes lives, surrounded by the island's customs and her friends, living a happy childhood until the wealthy Meads arrive and turn the islanders' lives upside down. Decades later, we follow a desperate mother on this island in quest of her daughter Gemma.

Life paths intertwine; secrets come to light.

The novel is filled with dualities. The island's idyll with predators' dark deeds. Innocence and deception. Love and brutality, ..., etc.

The topic is current (J. Epstein), and the characters are well-developed, but the writing style didn't appeal to me.

A good read.

📖 FROM THE COVER

1985
For twelve-year-old Mercedes, La Kastellana is the place she calls home. It is an island untouched by the modern world, with deep-rooted traditions - though that is all about to change with the arrival of multimillionaire Matthew Meade and his spoiled young daughter, Tatiana. The Meades bring with them unimaginable wealth, but the price they will all pay is far darker than Mercedes and the islanders could ever have imagined.

2016
Robin is desperately searching for her seventeen-year-old daughter Gemma, who has been missing for over a year. Finding herself on La Kastellana, the island playground of the international jet set, Robin is out of her depth. Nobody wants to help and Robin fears she is running out of time to find her child.

But someone has been watching, silently waiting for their moment to expose the dark truth and reveal to the world what really happens on the island of lost girls.

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Told in the third POV we hear mainly from three main characters over periods of time, the summers of 1985/86, 2015 and the present summer setting of 2016, this passing of time is done well and adds depth to the story. Excellent use of dual timelines. It is also interesting to hear how the different characters interrupt the same events/person. The author has written the multi person story ark very well it flows seamlessly and tells the story really well. While I knew pretty much from the start who has done it and what happened the book was so well paced and written I couldn’t put it down, I wanted to know the details and twists. While this is marketed as a thriller and mystery I’d say it is more slow burning piece of prose that questions our very moral fibre and exposes the vulnerability of all woman that creates suspense throughout so in my opinion it’s much more than your average beach read thriller. It’s truly gripping full of a uneasy tension.

Readers will draw comparisons with the Epstein case while reading this, so as would be expected at times it can make for hard reading. I think how the author has taken this real life horror story and turned into a thought provoking engaging work fiction was very clever. She has used this to explore the Madonna whore theory in society today and the past, drawing on brilliant examples of this to make you think. As well as the evils of money and power in the wrong hands.

One the things I loved about was the island setting it provided great symbolise though out the novel -the beauty of the island in contrast to the ugly truths it hides. I liked how she showed the changes in the island and it’s people over the dual timelines it really highlighted a lot of points from how woman are treated, climate change, the impact of tourism and course the power of money. The island is a character in itself.

While I really enjoyed the book I found the ending a little bit of a let down, the epilogue was a good with slight surprise in one sense ,I really would have liked a one year later chapter to finish the story to more of a complete conclusion.

Another point was the cover and title I think both don’t carry the right message for the book when I saw the cover I was expecting a typical beach thriller, an easy read without much impact but that is not the case here this book is much more and makes such important points I feel it could have a more serious looking cover a bit less airport trashy and I think a title like “the unseen seen” or “eyes wide closed” would fit better. While I was expecting a trashy page turning thriller from the cover and title am pleased to say I was pleasantly surprised by this book it has stayed with me after reading and I have already recommended/discussed it with my family and friends so big thank you for ARC. This was the first book I’ve read of the authors, it won’t be last already purchased some her previous works and if this is anything to go by I will be up well into the night reading them.

This is definitely not as ‘pacey’ as Marwood’s earlier novels and, for me, this made it a lot more difficult to get into. Whilst the characters were likeable or loathable, and the story was interesting and hard hitting, it lacked that unputdownable quality for me. Well written, but one I had to keep myself engaged with.

Everyone who reads this will automatically think Epstein and the island and this is a very similar story, but it's also more than that. I wouldn't say it's much if a thriller, more a dark story about some of the horrors vulnerable woman can be put through and the struggle of the families to save them I guess. It's dark but sensitively told and not glamorised or filled with vile scenes for shock value. I thought it was really well written, the island comes to life perfectly and all the characters are well thought out and realistic. But yeah.... hard to sperate from Epstein and all our fav celebs but a good book none the less

I wasn’t sure about this book at the start but so glad that I stuck with it. Fantastic story which has a few sensitive subjects. Would definitely recommend this book which will have you gripped.

Not an easy read, Very similar to parts of the Epstein case. The island is a beautifully described tropical paradise with incredibly dark crimes taking place.

A slow burn and less of a thriller than I expected.

Alex Marwood's latest novel takes its inspiration from headlines that many of us are all too familiar with. The Island of Lost Girls addresses a range of interconnected themes that are by no means limited to the fictional location of this story. It also touches on universal themes of teenage alienation and the profundity of a mother's love for her child.

What happens when vulnerable girls encounter predatory men (and their procurers, both male and female) is a story told and re-told the world over. But rarely is that story laid bare in all its seductiveness, poignancy and pain as it is here. The beautiful surroundings of the island only serve to highlight how effectively evil can rule over what looks like - but is far from - paradise.

The novel carries the reader swiftly along as the story unfolds. The characters are well-drawn, and I found Robin and Mercedes particularly engaging. I also liked the linguistic playfulness the writer made use of with respect to the made-up language of the island, and thought her plotting was extremely skilful.

In the mid 1980s, the millionaire Mathew Meade and his spoilt daughter Tatiana arrive on the sun-drenched European island of La Kastellana, home to 12 year old Mercedes. And over the next three decades, the backward island undergoes an enormous change in its fortunes.

But the prosperity that the Meades bring to La Kastellana will extract a steep price from its local inhabitants, and it brings with it deeply sinister implications. Because when wealth and entitlement combine with co-dependency and the enabling of monsters, almost everyone else loses.

Inspired by the horror story inflicted upon dozens, if not hundreds of young girls by Jeffrey Epstein and his cohorts, this hard-hitting novel takes its readers to some very dark places. And it is in search of her teenage daughter Gemma that single mother Robin finds herself in La Kastellana, braving the very darkness that threatens to consume so many lives. Because Robin is determined that Gemma's will not be one of those. Not if she can help it...