It should be the adventure of a lifetime with the overall winner securing a gift that only they could dream of. Ten celebrities from public life, sport, the arts and popular culture are participating in a survival reality show: living like the monks who used to inhabit a remote Scottish island – in the middle of winter. It’s gruelling stuff, but for one contestant – an investigative reporter – her reasons for being there aren’t just for the one-off prize… It’s not long before issues flare up, not just between contestants about their treatments or some of the tasks (daunting to say the least), but also as the weather increasingly makes it difficult for production to keep track of the participants, they’re realising what life is like on their own. And then secrets are revealed and not everyone will get out of it alive. A clever take on the survival show with well built characters on whom you’ll definitely have opinions.

There was just something about this debut that made it impossible to resist. Then again, I do have a weak spot for a thriller with a remote setting... Also, while it's true I don't like watching this type of reality TV, they are somehow always surprisingly fun to read about. Isolation Island is all about a celebrity survival show set on a remote Scottish island, and this alone has SO much potential. And I have to say that the plot definitely delivered for me!

Isolation Island takes place on a remote Scottish island, and when I say remote I mean completely abandoned and no soul in sight. This means that the ten contestants are 100% on their own once the show starts, because there will be no crew on the island. And before I forget: it is also the middle of winter, so not exactly the most comfortable place to be basically trapped on. Oh yes, the setting was without doubt the perfect backdrop for this story, and I loved the role its surroundings played in the plot. The island definitely added the perfect ominous vibe to it all!

This plot can actually roughly be divided into two halves. The first part is 100% reality TV focused, where we get to meet the ten celebrities that are part of the show as they arrive on the island. The introductions of so many characters slowed down the pace a little, and I admit it took me a little while to warm up to the story. Once the show started and the characters faced their first tasks, the pace improved and I started to enjoy myself. Like the contestants, you start wondering about the conditions of the island and if something more sinister might be going on... But the main focus is still on the TV show and the contestants.

The second part reads mostly like a murder mystery. As the premise of Isolation Island already reveals, someone ends up dead along the way... An accident or in fact a murder? This is the question the remaining contestants are all asking themselves, and our main character Lauren decides to investigate. She is an investigative journalist after all... As for the characters in general: I do think most of them were a bit underdeveloped and too much built on cliches, although I guess it was fun to see them pitted against each other. The story is told through Lauren's POV, who I had mixed thoughts about as she could be quite frustrating at times.

The story can get quite dark and tense at times, and there is for example focus on abuse, toxic relationships/friendships and addiction along with the already mentioned violence and murder. Not something I expected in Isolation Island, but it was interesting to see how everything was incorporated into the plot. The twists were effective, and I wasn't able to guess who was behind it all... The writing style took some time to used to though, but once I did it was really easy to keep turning the pages. Especially once things starting going south and the winter storm arrived!

If you like a good reality TV thriller with a remote setting and bad weather trope, I can definitely recommend picking up Isolation Island. True, the story feels slightly disjointed with the first half being mostly reality TV focused and the second mainly a murder mystery, but if you enjoy both subgenres this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Isolation Island is a gripping page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed it. More from Louise Minchin please!

My thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the danced copy to read and review.

Rating: 3.0/5

Louise Minchin becomes one of the latest television celebrities to try her hand at writing mystery fiction. Although probably best known for co-presenting BBC Breakfast for many years, her background in journalism should at least leave her better placed than many to have a decent stab at making the transition. As the inspiration for her first novel, the author has clearly drawn on her own experience of appearing on the reality show, "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here" in 2021, when it was held in a castle in North Wales, rather than its more usual Australian setting. The central protagonist, Lauren, an investigative journalist, gives the impression of being, at least in part, based on the author herself. The supporting cast has the familiar mix of "wannabes", "has-beens" and "never-weres" that tend to make up the dramatis personae of these kind of celebrity reality shows. As you will have noted from the official synopsis, it isn't long before the show goes off-script, when one of the participants winds up dead - but was it an accident, or is one of their number to blame?

On the whole, the story is quite engaging. The pace is generally good and the author mostly manages to avoid being unnecessarily melodramatic. Against that, it does feel a little clumsy at times and lacks the polished storytelling that the best fictional writers are able to produce. There are plot developments that seem a touch too convenient and the behaviour of some of the protagonists stretches credulity at times, which gives the impression that their dubious actions or reactions are merely an ungainly means of moving the storyline in the desired direction.

Overall, this is a decent enough read, but there have been recent offerings from other writers (Ruth Ware and Ruth Kelly, to name just two) who have presented similar subject matter in a more compelling fashion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

I was totally immersed in this story. I really felt as though I was in the monastery on the island. A realistic and up-to-date storyline,believable characters,an ending which had me on the edge of my seat. I loved reading this

Wow, for her first mystery novel Lousie Minchen has done the job well. While I'm not a fan of reality type shows, the prologue to Isolation Island had me hooked. It’s a creepy, chilling start, and the book is quite visceral at times as the novel gains momentum.

Lauren Brooks, investigative journalist, throws herself into the deep end by joining a group of celebrities on a remote Scottish Island for a reality game show. Think - I’m a Celebrity get me out of here, but dark, very dark.

Then? Wild weather ensues, cutting off all power and one by one celebrities turn up dead. Throw in a few red herring along with the dead bodies piling up, wrap it up in a twisted ending. It’s a nice, quick bring along on holiday type of read. Unless maybe your holiday is to a remote Scottish Island. I hope Louise continues to write atmospheric thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a big fan of the author from her time on BBC Breakfast, and as a fan of some reality TV shows, I was really excited to read this debut novel. The author is involved in lots of activity projects etc so I thought it would make a good read, but well done to her for actually having a go and creating the book.
When you watch reality TV you can tell that the storylines are very much edited and clipped for a TV audience and that is part of what makes that genre work and does not transfer as well to a novel.
I found it very slow paced and a struggle to get through. Although the initial idea was good I found some of the scenarios and character connections to be unbelievable which was a shame when you can tell the author has put a lot of thought into the storyline. The ending was also a disappointment. and didn't really have a good structure.
I know some people love this book so maybe it was just not for me.
Many thanks to Headline, NetGalley, and the author, for providing me with an advanced copy in electronic format in return for an honest and unbiased review.
The book is published on 12th September 2024

Ten celebs are brought to a very remote Scottish island in the middle of winter, to stay in an abandon monastery to set number of tasks and if they passed someone will win a substantial amount of money. The celebrities will be filmed 24/7 and it will be showed on Tv. They will also be stripped of their personal possessions including their mobiles phones. The only way to communicate of the island. There is also no production company on the island everything is done by remote control.
From the get-go things seemed to go wrong. The celebs are left without food when they fail to do a task, and they find that one of the harnesses are not attached properly. That person could have fell to their deaths.
When a severe storm rages and there is no way off the island the celebrities all huddle together and hope the storm passes through so they can be rescued. But tragedy strikes when the next morning they find one of them dead.
Isolation nation is a fabulous debut from TV news broadcaster and presenter Louise Minchin.
I am not really a fan of reality Tv except for I am a celebrity which this story vaguely reminds me off it. But I was so drawn in by the blurb that I and to read it. This is intense read that had me an the edge of my seat trying to find out if the celebs where ever going to get off the island and who is the killer. This is a great debut and a great read. I can’t wait to see what the author has next instore. 5 stars from me.

An enjoyable book. I had feared it would be another celebrity book but Minchin writes a good tale. It was very visual so can imagine it being turned into a miniseries. I did find it hard to believe that the production company organising the challenge would ignore two major breaches of health and safety and not know a storm was approaching. Never the less, it's a good read.

A slow burner that keeps you wanting more. It’s my first time reading one of Louise’s books and I loved it. It kept me on my toes the whole way and I really enjoyed the story. Thanks netgallery for the chance to read it

This is the first book of Louise's I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed this atmospheric thriller. It kept me turning the pages, very easy to read and read it in a couple of sittings. The book opens with someone finding a body in bad weather in an ancient building.
Lauren is a journalist appearing on a reality TV show 'Isolation Island' in a remote part of Scotland with 9 other celebs in order to win the ultimate tailored dream prize worth 1 million pounds - although she does have an underlying reason to be there and that is to expose Nate a Hollywood film star.
One by one each contestant is either evicted or starts to disappear and when a storm begins and they are cut off from the cameras and outside world and a death happens the game well and truly starts to begin! This is a great thriller I enjoyed reading until the very end. I will be recommending to others

A great combination of a thrilling story set amongst reality tv. A great title for the book as the storyline certainly does give off isolation vibes. A great storyline with twists and turns galore which kept me hooked from start to finish.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

For a debut, I thought this was really good! I was pretty gripped throughout and the suspense was really well done. When I first started the book, I was worried there were too many characters and I would get confused but it was easy to follow. The only reason I' giving it four stars and not five is because there were a few loose ends such as the health and safety issues of production - why was the harness fixed wrongly and why did the gate drop on Nate? I liked all the twists especially the one at the end but I did feel it needed some sort of epilogue to show how it all worked out for them all.

Very atmospheric and a great plot. Had great fun wondering who the characters may have been loosely based on! However I did pick up the clue to the actual murderer but I still enjoyed the read. I was exhausted just reading about zip wires, slippery stairs and the cold. I read it in two sittings as it was so entertaining and full of energy.

Ten celebrities, one desolate island off the coast of Scotland to be the home of a new reality survival TV show, the prize of their dreams, what could possibly go wrong?

It quickly becomes apparent to the celebrities once they're left on the island to survive that the production team are not as health and safety conscious as they would all like, raising concerns for their safety the celebrities become paranoid and when a deadly storm hits the island, they feel far from safe, made even worse when one of them is found dead, unsure what is going on the remaining celebrities find out they really are fighting for survival.

I can not give this debut novel enough praise, from the concept, the setting and the characters, told through the perspective of the journalist celebrity on the island, Lauren and her enquiring mind. This is such a well written book, with believable characters, that I honestly felt like I was watching the show play out for real.

It's one of those books that has you gripped from the start and plenty of intrigue, with a good pace throughout that you can't put down, but also don't want to end.

If you like the idea of reality shows with plenty of jeopardy, then this is definitely the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I will add to my Instagram | Threads | Amazon on release day

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Reality TV series thrillers
- Slow burns
- Twisty fiction
- Atmospheric books

With thanks to Headline and Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

This is a great debut for Louise. Now I'm no thriller connoisseur by any means, I much prefer my romantasy and contemporary romances but I have to say I did enjoy this.

I liked the concept of the reality TV show with celebrities stranded on the island in an old monestry, although I do have to say the producers were a touch harsh with some aspects of the set up, especially having no one from the production team on the island however this is needed to further the plot as we go along.

I found once we got through the introductions of the celebs and particularly after the storm started the pace got quicker and I was sucked in, wondering what exactly happens to cause a certain characters demise. Is it simply an accident or is there something else afoot?

I do have an issue with the blurb as it promises the contestants are 'fighting for their lives', unfortunately I don't feel like this is the case but it didn't hinder my enjoyment. There are enough things happening to keep you gripped and I didn't work out the ending twist.

I would have loved an epilogue for the aftermath but I am also satisfied with how the story finished.

An interesting premise; ten celebrities taken to a remote Scottish island in the way of reality tv shows. I’m not a fan of any reality tv, but I bought into the idea behind the story and Louise Minchin has clearly used her experiences with mainstream tv to inform her character development. They’re very plausible. The setting is bleak and there’s a sense of isolation although the first part of the story, mainly scene setting, was a little slow. It does build though and having put all in place, the action picks up when there’s a death. All is not as it seems. This is a great summer read. Well written escapist fiction with enough twists to keep the reader invested and I didn’t spot the end twist. Enjoyed it.

Ten celebrities are taking part in a reality show. They've been left at a monastery on a Scottish island, with no way to leave, and cameras following their every move. When a storm knocks out the communication tower, they are left stranded, leaving the celebrities completely alone, tensions start to rise. And then one of them dies...

It took me a little while to get into this one. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe because I'm not a fan of reality TV shows? Maybe because the first part of the book focused on who each celebrity was, and them all meeting each other on the island? It wasn't really until the big storm hit that it started becoming interesting, and I started feeling invested in the story.
I did actually end up enjoying it, but I do wish it had been just a little longer as I'd have liked to have seen the aftermath once Lauren told her story of what happened on the peer.
A great debut, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Ten celebrities are shipped to a remote Scottish island for a reality tv show. With a production team that seems incapable of keeping them safe, a once in a hundred year storm on the way and the constant gaze of the cameras, the celebrities are stretched to the limit as they attempt to rise to the top whilst keeping their darkest secrets hidden especially when a body is discovered. The premise of this book was great hut it was a slow start setting the scene for far too long. The second half picked up the pace and was more interesting so I’m glad I stuck with it. Thank you to NetGalley, Headline and the author for the chance to review.