Love Island meets Lord of the Flies.
Reality tv crossed with a dystopian landscape that isn't fully explained but is hinted at.
Lily wakes up in the Compound where the girls wait for the boys to arrive.
Life outside the compound is threatening with poverty and conflict, but life inside the compound can be good, with group tasks bringing food and comfort and single tasks getting personal gifts.
But when the compound turns intimidating and violence isn't too far away, how far will Lily go to win?
An uncomfortable read, how far can reality tv be pushed for viewers, how far will contestants go to win?
Thanks to the author, Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in return for my honest review

An ambiguous commentary on fame and consumerism
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I watched the first season of Big Brother UK long, long ago and it was interesting because it was new. Wind forward 25 years and everything has been made into an observational reality programme with a gladiatorial streak, as if we’re all at the Colosseum, watching men being mauled by lions, but televised. This novel is just that, a remote house where ten women and ten men must compete to remain in the house (by being in a bed with someone of the opposite sex by sunrise), until there are only five residents when the rules change and it’s a competition to be the last in the house. The world beyond the house is war-torn and dystopian, but luxury brands still exist to provide prizes and air travel is still possible, so not all that dystopian.

The characters mostly blend into each other, with all but two white, and all but two straight. I could have interchanged most of the names and it wouldn’t have changed anything. The only standouts were Lily, the narrator, because she’s narrating but is otherwise a cypher, and Tom, the most built of the men and the most violent. These two plus the most manipulative of the men are the final three, and the winner… well, the outcome was neither here nor there.

I can see that the book was a commentary on media and fame, consumerism and competition, sexuality and psychology, but the external world is poorly sketched out or suggested, so why a retread of a NASA isolation mission? I didn’t feel the dystopia, given the luxury brands that residents could win, and for the television programme to even exist suggests a working society of some description. If people weren’t watching, or if war and inequality was somehow part of the show, eg North Koreans vs Americans, rich against poor, young against old, then maybe there might have been something here.

This book is perfect for fans of reality TV, The story is told by Lily and her experience at the compound, It is very easy to read and very enjoyable.

I really liked this at the start - including that the book felt like it was set in a very near future, with only hints about what was going on in the outside world. I also like that the story assumed we’d seen the programme before and therefore we knew what had gone on before and how this particular bunch of characters may play out.

However, nothing was followed through - the hints reminded just that and the second half just fizzled out.

This was an interesting premise and an interesting read. Unfortunately it didn't shock me, I wasn't surprised by the actions of the characters. I feel it needed a moral or a different ending where someone may have learnt from their experience.

Aisling Rawle’s The Compound is a dark, thrilling, and thought-provoking literary satire that cleverly blends elements of dystopia, reality TV, and social commentary. Heralded as “Lord of the Flies meets Love Island,” this novel is an addictive, unflinching exploration of human behavior under pressure, and it cements Rawle as a bold new voice in contemporary fiction.

The story centers on ten young women who wake up in a desert compound, each seeking to escape the chaos and hardships of the outside world. Unknown to them, cameras track their every move, broadcasting their lives to millions of reality TV viewers. When ten men arrive—each vying to survive the journey and join the game—the women must navigate alliances, desires, and betrayals, all while under constant surveillance. The stakes are deadly, and the consequences of losing are as grim as they are inevitable.

Rawle excels at creating tension in confined, high-stakes environments. The compound is rendered vividly, from its stark desert setting to the omnipresent cameras and the claustrophobic pressure of competition. Characterization is sharp, highlighting how desperation, ambition, and fear shape human behavior. The interplay between the contestants—cooperation, rivalry, and hidden agendas—keeps the narrative taut, while the twists are both shocking and plausible.

The novel also offers biting social commentary, holding a mirror to our obsession with reality television, competition, and voyeurism. Beneath the suspenseful plot, Rawle interrogates themes of materialism, privilege, and the ethics of entertainment, creating a story that is as intellectually stimulating as it is gripping.

Verdict: The Compound is a riveting, disturbingly relevant thriller that combines suspense, satire, and psychological insight. With its clever social critique, relentless pacing, and compelling characters, it is a must-read for fans of Black Mirror, The Hunger Games, or anyone seeking a summer read that lingers long after the final page.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A darkly addictive, high-stakes thriller that entertains, shocks, and provokes thought in equal measure.

I was expecting Big Brother or Love Island. But it was more like the Hunger Games!
Ten stunning women wake in a paradise (compound), surrounded by desert. They wait for the ten men to arrive, only nine make it through the desert. The intention is they couple up and do challenges for rewards - some are group challenges, some are personal. Some couples work better than others.
We follow Lily, who sells make up in a store, so for her this is a chance of a new life.
As time goes on, it brings out the best and the worst of people. Be careful what you wish for!
Enjoyable read, quite thought provoking and challenging on a personal level.

The Compound is like a dystopian Love Island, where contestants are encouraged to complete group and personal tasks for increasingly luxurious rewards - as the tasks and their consequences become more unsettling and violent, Aisling Rawle explores how far the contestants will go to keep their place in the game and win more prizes. This was a compelling read that I didn’t want to put down once I’d started, as the tension on the resort continued to build and the characters became more aware of the dangers both in the desert surrounding them and posed by the other contestants.

I particularly liked the details that drew close parallels to actual reality shows, eg needing to stay coupled up to stay in the show and players voting on who to banish, which made it feel all the more realistic, and the added rules like not discussing the contestants’ personal lives made for interesting twists later in the story. The hints towards trouble in the outside world were interesting too, but I would have loved to know a little more about the outside world or see Lily’s adjustment back to real life - it would also have been interesting to see how the contestants were perceived by viewers in contrast to their actual experience. (potential for a future sequel?)

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC!

Lots of fun, highly enjoyable critique of romance reality television. Mysterious and suspenseful also.

What a book. I sped through this in 24 hours and will be recommending this to everyone I know - a perfect book to get you out of a reading slump, as it did me. I loved the juxtaposition of the Love Island-esque setting with the barren wasteland outside.
I love dystopian fiction, or fiction that hints at it, and this was done really well, giving enough hints that something is not okay, whilst keeping enough mystery alongside it. I can’t wait to see what else Rawle writes.

If Love Island was dystopian is the perfect description of this book and really all you need to know before reading! It is a compelling read that makes you keep reading at pace as you need to know! Incredible book but brutal!

This compelling debut had me hooked from the very first page. When young, beautiful Lily wakes up on a remote desert compound in the opening pages, there's an unnerving feeling of disorientation which never truly lets up. The book's tagline Love Island meets Lord of the Flies is accurate; it has the superficial tropes of the dating show wrapped up with a dark story of survival, isolation and dog eat dog competition. Highly recommended. 5/5.

This was an interesting read that had me gripped - a read for our generation. 10 women wake up in what is called the compound waiting for 10 men to cross the dessert to join them in a realty show where they are watched 24 hours a day as they complete a series of group and personal tasks - if they complete them they are rewarded with gifts which are sometimes very valuable - the goal is to be the last person there where you can ask for anything. It starts to take on a darker turn which was gripping at times I didn't know where it was going!
I love a reality show and enjoyed this book - it was a bit sinister at times and a little unsettling but had me hooked

An enjoyable read, relevant to our modern times where reality shows hit big. I loved thinking about the themes of manipulation in reality shows, consumerism, performative love, modern life and more, that are effectively shown in the novel. But I wasn't really rooting for the characters. It is the whole 'atmosphere' that worked for me.

I loved the idea of this but in a world full of these stories, it didn’t do too to much to identify itself from the pack.

Found this absolutely fascinating, much more layered than I expected. As a Love Island watcher, I thought this would mirror the tone. It's different from the jump though. Immediately eerie with women waking up in various places around the compound, waiting for the men who are making their way through the desert. From there, the dynamics are instantly complex and the challenges ramp up. Morality, compassion and survival instinct are all put to the test. So good, I'll definitely pick up a future read by this author.

The premise of this book sounded amazing, and while I did enjoy it, it fell a little flat for me. That said, it’s still an entertaining read and worth picking up.

I picked up The Compound on a long flight, not entirely sure if I was making a smart choice for an in-flight read. It turned out to be too smart a choice, because once I started, I was hooked. The book’s tension builds masterfully, shifting from snarky reality-show drama to something far darker and more unsettling. Relationships between contestants blur the line between strategy and genuine connection, and the producers aren’t afraid to push the players into morally questionable and sometimes dangerous situations. If you love the intrigue of reality TV but also crave the suspense of books like The Maze Runner, this one’s for you. It’s addictive, unsettling, and just a little too believable.

The concept was all there. I can see why some people will love this and others won't. For me I wanted more, more of a point towards the end. Hit a bit harder.

When I saw this book described as 'Love Island meets Lord of the Flies' I knew I had to read it as an avid Love Island watcher! Reading this while watching the current season of Love Island was very weird ngl and the book has definitely altered my viewing experiencing.
Throughout the novel Rawle excellently captures the need of humans to survive: the desperation when there is no food or water, a survival of the fittest mentality through the banishments, and the capitalistic need for goods society has instilled in us. Rawle satirises reality tv such as Love Island really well in terms of the shows in general and society's spectatorship of them, along with influencer culture. Whenever I remembered the characters were on a tv show and being watched, it started to feel very Hunger Games-y and there are definite parallels there between the contestants receiving rewards from brands when completing tasks and tributes in the arena receiving gifts from those watching.
At times The Compound felt very YA to me (not that that's a bad thing, more so in terms that I wasn't expecting it to) and it reminded me a little of Louise O'Neill's Only Ever Yours. I also felt the novel was building up to some sort of big reveal or bigger event which never happened and I felt a bit let down by the ending.
However The Compound was still a very interesting read and if you're intrigued by it then defo give it a go.