Isolation Island is a 3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️.
Lauren is on a remote Scottish island, she has signed up to be in a reality show and she is with nine other contestants, some she knows some she doesn’t and one she hopes to expose and bring down while she is there. Some of the contestants are on the way up in life and some aren’t but all will battle hard to achieve the top prize. The prize no one knows what it is as all contestants have chosen a different prize and are not allowed to talk about it. Trials come fast at the beginning and two contestants don’t make the next day. Then one of the contestants dies, how and why needs to be found as another is found in their bed deceased. Lauren tries to find out what is happening but is she fed the right story?
This was a good concept for a book I just wished I’d connected with Lauren more. The book was slow going over the first few chapters as you get to know the contestants and I did struggle around halfway to pick the book up but it did improve for the last third and the ending I didn’t see coming at ell.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Headline for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
A highly enjoyable popcorn thriller but I found the characters a little empty. As in, none of them really stood out or jumped off the page.
The format was bad with numbers on every line and at the end of every sentence (assuming it was the ARC upload to netgalley) so reading was a bit jarring.
Overall though, I enjoyed it but it's one not to take too seriously. A locked room/island mystery with an ending I didn't really see coming but not overly shocking.
Also ... was the production coming in on it or were they all just really bad at their jobs?

This sounded like a really fun premise (if a little overdone recently), and I liked the author so was anticipating a good read.

Sadly it's a DNF for me. The writing style was so frustrating - the first few chapters are virtually all description, backstory, exposition, with virtually no dialogue. I want to get to know the characters, not hear them reported about. There's obvious gaps in the backstory to allow for intrigue, but these came across as plot holes or clumsy Chekhov's gun placements.

And I found it impossible to engage with anyone here at all. So many caricatures of existing celebrities, I just wasn't enjoying myself at all. Disappointed.

Ten celebrities arrive at a remote Scottish island to take part in a reality TV show, where they are left isolated and have to survive, with the chance of winning the prize of their dreams. When one contestant winds up dead it becomes clear they are competing for much more than the prize.

I have read quite a few reality TV survival thrillers recently. I have enjoyed the majority and this one sounded compelling so I wanted to give it a go. The story starts strongly and my interest was held while being introduced to the characters and the game. There are quite a few celebrities to remember, with Lauren an investigative journalist being the main character. I found with a few of the celebrities, I was getting mixed up between them as they seemed quite similar. I also found that after a little while my interest started to dip and the story didn’t flow as well as it did at the start.

The atmosphere was described well and I did get a sense of eeriness. I enjoyed the remote location and trying to work out the contestant’s secrets. This was definitely an intriguing read but unfortunately not one of my favourites in this trope. Most likely because I have read many now and it takes a lot to stand out and offer something new. I can see a lot of people enjoying this who haven’t read similar books recently. I would be interested to pick up another by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of reality TV shows so I wondered how this book would capture my imagination. However I was pleasantly surprised as I think the author brilliantly captured the type of personalities that take part in these shows and what extremes they are prepared to go to. Enjoyable quick read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

10 celebrities, a reality tv show & an old monks settlement on an isolated island in Scotland with not a soul around & no means of getting back to the mainland what can possibly go wrong!!
Meet Lauren an investigative reporter known for reporting on some of the biggest cases on tv & Nate a Hollywood actor who is mega famous & also known to be a philanthropist. Lauren decided to take part in this reality show as unbeknown to Nate & the other celebrities, Nate is Lauren's next big scoop, so she feels this show will bring her closer to him & get him to admit to things he has done. However, not is all as it seems with the show & strange things start happening, then to top it all off a major storm hits both the mainland & the island leaving the celebrities stranded with no form of communication & no way of leaving & this leads to murders,betrayal & secrets been revealed. Can the celebrities trust each other? Who is the murderer? will all of them get off the island in one peace? And is any of this linked to Lauren's case?
I couldn't put this book down I needed to know what happened next & I devoured it in a day!
This is a great 1st novel for Louise Minchin & I would definitely recommend it to fans of thrillers

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
A locked in read featuring a Big Brother reality type show but with lots of clever twists.
All the contestants have an end game when they arrive on Isolation Island but some of them will not leave it alive.
A quick fast paced atmospheric read that keeps you turning the pages.

You’d kill to be them, they’d kill to win.

When 10 celebs are given the opportunity to take part in a reality show with the prize being something money can’t buy what could possible go wrong? They are all taken to a remote island and left to fend for themselves, personalities and egos soon start to appear. Things soon take a deadly turn and nobody knows who can be trusted.

I enjoyed this book especially the setting. A spin on a locked room story and I read it in a day. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and good luck to the author on its release.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Publication Date - 12/09/2024

#IsolationIsland
#LouiseMinchin

Isolation Island by Louise Minchin

I was apprehensive when I picked this up, worried it would be just another game show thriller story, but I am glad to say I was proven wrong. Minchin's debut novel was highly enjoyable, fast-paced and gripping, so I cannot recommend it enough!

This book is set on an eerily remote island in Scotland, and Minchin does a great job of building the ominous atmosphere not only with the setting of the abandoned monastery, but with the matching hooded robes our characters are forced to wear. the sudden disappearances of Kez and Frank then, later, the devastating storm. Right from the start, it is made clear that the character's safety may potentially be at risk and that Production do not seem willing to intervening, the tension builds with each accident until eventually there is a seemingly inevitable death. As soon as the body is found, everything spirals and the story becomes a web of secrets which we as the readers have to unwind, and this part of the book was definitely the most compelling. The twists throughout this book were really well written and had me furiously reading, desperate to find out what happened next.

I enjoyed exploring the world and the characters through investigator Lauren's eyes; her backstory and her motives for joining the TV show were heart-wrenching but definitely had the desired effect of having us readers root for her every step of the way. Each of the characters were incredibly well composed and life-like, with their own individual personalities, motives and secrets. Even Kez or Frank, who leave the island pretty early on, were completely formed individuals who we got to know and feel for (I worried about Frank for a good 3/4 of the book). The author did a great job at making us hate Nate, yet allowing us to see him from Lauren's POV really highlighted the way narcissists operate and showed us the horrific way people can use influence, fame or attractiveness to manipulate the narrative in their favour and escape consequences. The way Nate treats Lauren, Jude and the girls is appalling, yet we see how a person can hide their true self behind a facade, which was scary to watch unfold and had me angrily glaring at my phone whilst reading!

Overall, I rated Isolation Island a 4 out of 5 stars. This was a very fun read, even if it did take me through a rollercoaster of emotions. I would highly recommend picking this up, and I can say for certain I will be looking forward to seeing what Louise Minchin writes next.

I love a locked room thriller and throw in a reality TV element and I'll definitely want to read it. Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for providing me with a digital copy for review.

Ten celebrities are brought together for a reality TV show where they must spend two weeks on a remote Scottish Island, live like monks and try to survive. After several near misses the contestants soon realise that the production team's Health and Safety protocols are severely lacking or is there a killer in their midst?

I thought this was a solid debut novel from Louise Minchin. I found the TV element combined with the desolate setting made this a pressure cooker of a thriller. It had me gripped from beginning to end and I did not guess the outcome. I also enjoyed the cast of characters. An interesting mix of personalities to make a few sparks fly.

Overall I found this a fast paced and twisty read, full of suspense and atmosphere. I'm looking forward to reading more from Louise Minchin.

Plenty of punch, with disparate characters to lend stimulation and content. An intriguing unravelling, with a distasteful celebrity getting his comeuppance – but who was the culprit? I struggled a teensy-weensy bit over the premise for the investigative journalist to be on the island but enjoyed the read overall. The descriptions of the abandoned Scottish monastery on a wild and unwelcoming island were terrific.

Isolation Island has such an exciting concept which intrigued me and pulled me in straight away. Ten celebrities have arrived to take part in a gruelling reality survival show: two weeks completely alone on a remote Scottish island, in the depths of winter. I love books set in a secluded location where the characters are all trapped together when things start to take a turn for the worst so this was automatically a positive for me.

The story sets off with a fair bit of scene setting and introductions to the characters. Having 10 characters introduced at once was a little difficult to keep up with at first and it took some time to remember who was who, and what each of them was famous for.

The book follows a typical thriller structure where you become suspicious of different characters at different times and are trying to work out who could be responsible when things start going wrong. It was pretty mind blowing though how a high-profile reality TV show in a prime time slot could be so badly planned!

This was a gripping thriller and a brilliant debut for Louise Minchin.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher (Headline) for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️

A tale of the most brutal TV reality show ever conceived! A diverse and interesting group of celebrities dumped on a remote Scottish island, plus a creepy, atmospheric setting and a huge storm that cuts them off from civilisation; result, a deeply unsettling story beginning to unfold. A must-read for fans of reality television – and I sincerely hope this show is never actually made! Recommended.

We'll get ten celebraties, a remote Scottish island and two weeks of them trying to survive and win a I'm A Celebrity-esque competetion. I was hooked from the get-go and couldn't put it down. A brilliant debut novel from Louise Minchin filled with suspense, tension and secrets.

When I read the blurb for this one, I was so intrigued by the reality TV/murder angle that I immediately wanted to read it.
Who doesn't love a bit of celebrity reality TV to pass the time? I sure do!

I think the idea behind this would actually make a pretty cool TV show. However, for me, this book just missed the mark.

The actual TV show itself is poorly planned and badly produced, which I believe is supposed to be part of the plot, but it just made no sense to me how all of these things could possibly be the way they were, especially as supposedly a prime time slot etc etc.

The heat of the action for me took way too long to begin with more than half the book having been read before it really started to delve into the real drama, which for me also missed that wow factor for the big reveal.

I did, however, like the setting and the premise was a must-read, but overall, for me, this was a disappointing read.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via Netgalley

I loved the element of a reality show coupled with danger and suspense this made it such a thrilling and gripping read for me overall.

This is your classic isolated location murder mystery (the clue is in the title). It is another book in what seems to be a fashion for the reality tv game show genre although in this case it seems to be a very vague set up, just providing an excuse for why 10 random strangers are holed up on an island on their own.

There is plenty to enjoy. A varied group of (to different degrees) dislikeable characters, numerous opportunities and motives sending the reader down blind alleys. It does have moments where the pace is a bit slow but ultimately a well-controlled and satisfying ending.

I decided to read this book after seeing on the blurb that it had some of my favourite thriller tropes. A group of people stranded somewhere? And then add in a reality TV element? Sign me up!
But unfortunately this one didn't quite hit the spot for me.
This book really started out strong for me, I loved the setting of Eilean Manach aka Monk Island a medieval derelict abbey in Scotland and throughout the book this setting really did add to the story.
Another thing I did like about this one was the atmosphere. It positively drips with the autumnal/wintery gothic abbey vibes.
But after a while it began to feel like that was all there was to it.
It is written in the third person, which I have never been a fan of. I think that I would have enjoyed this more if it was written in the first person with multiple POV's.
The reality TV aspect of the plot didn't really play a big part to the story at all in my opinion and I feel like this could have played a much bigger part than it did.
For me after a while the was a complete lack of tension. I think this was because I didn't connect to the characters at all. I wasn't invested in them so I didn't care what would happen.
This book overall fell a bit flat for me. So much so that by the 70% mark I did lose interest and just wanted to finish it.
It doesn't really add anything new or fresh to the thriller genre and there are better books like this that have already been written.
At the end I felt disappointed because when this started I was enjoying it and had high hopes that it would be at least a 4 star read.
However if you are looking for a thriller that is full of atmospheric vibes to read this autumn/winter you might like this more than I did.

What a great read! This is a highly entertaining, fast paced and exciting thriller, well written and with a finely drawn group of characters. Although it has a number of the typical tropes of the contemporary thriller, it is original, engrossing and surprising. The basic premise is a reality show on a remote island, peopled by so-called celebrities who all have their own particular reasons for wanting to win. And then the deaths start....

I love this fast paced debut thriller. It such a fun read.
10 celebrities spend 2 weeks on a remote Scottish island. Things start to go wrong, people start to go missing.
If you love programmes like the Traitors then this is for you. It was so addictive and gripping, I couldn’t put it down.