I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book given the premise, but I was completely blown away by it. It's so twisty and clever, and is dripping with sharp toxicity and dark glamour. It's like if Love Island, The Hunger Games and Black Mirror had a f**ked up baby, and I mean that in the best way possible! There's so many twists and turns in this book that make is completely and utterly addictive, and it's packed with taut psychological suspense as well as searing takedowns of a (probably not-so-distant) hyper-capitalist future. I really loved it – a perfect summer page-turner.

This was addictive! A deep exploration of the complexity of humans and how far they will go. Strong themes of jealousy, greed, rivalry and fame. I could talk about this all day. A sharp and thought provoking character study. loved it.

The Compound by Aisling Rawle
🟡 Book Review 🔵
Very enjoyable thriller, which takes place in an isolated location where a group of 20 contestants are dropped off into a compound. Here they will complete tasks to earn rewards for either themselves, the group or to upgrade the compound.
All this is televised and not all tasks are for the good. There can only be one winner.
I was captivated by the characters, their shallowness at valuing possessions and want of fame over people. With a glimpse of kindness by a few. There is a menace about what lies beyond the compound, which runs throughout the story. A gripping ending that kept me glued to my book.

The perfect holiday read!
A solid 4 stars

This ebook version was read on my new Kobo Libra Colour (white case).
Thank you for this arc @boroughpress and @netgalley I'm glad to be a proud reader of this novel (if you know you know 😉📖)

Where even to start?
This was one of the most tragic and addicting books I've read this year. I've read this now two weeks ago and I still think about it. The concept is so well thought out and I found that I was never left bored. The twists and turns take you on a huge rollercoaster but also allows for a subtle commentary for what it means to have everything but also nothing at all. I found our main character to be likeable but also unlikeable at different points in the story which I found to be quite realistic. I felt that the FMC was completely valid in wanting to just rest, but Rawle reminds us of how far we have to go and the cost of rest these days. I think this is a fantastic summer read! All the descriptions of the heat were perfect for reading in the heatwave here in the UK!

I will definitely be recommending this to everyone, there isn't any other book like it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harpercollins for providing me a copy to read!

Love Island meets The Hunger Games with the dystopian vibes of I Who Have Never Known Men, The Compound is a truly unique, gripping story about late stage capitalism, beauty ideals, and, to me, that drifting feeling of not knowing where to call home.

Love Island meets Survivor in what seems to be a never-ending game of bribery, deception, and emotional manipulation both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes. Be prepared for strange looks if you are reading whilst out and about, as this one had me muttering loudly to myself as if I were watching the story unfold on a TV in front of me.

I really enjoyed this book. Im a big fan of reality TV shows such as Love Island and Big Brother but this made me really think about how extreme things could get in future. Somewhat terrifying but definitely an entertaining read that I would highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of reality TV.

I found this book totally addictive. I’m not a reality TV watcher - when Big Brother was launched many years ago, I did watch some of the first series, but never really got into it and Love Island has passed me by. So, I didn't think that I would enjoy this book but I did. We are never told the name of the TV show in the book, we are never told what is happening in the world outside and there is a sort of dystopian feel about the world that this might be set on. There are hints of wars but we are not told anything else. We are also not told a lot about the contestants. 10 girls wake up in a compound set in the desert. It’s never explained how they got there, they are not even together - they wake up alone and have to find the others. All these girls are beautiful. And they are waiting for 10 men to join them, men who have to cross the desert to reach the compound, they have to survive to reach the compound. As for the compound, it’s a bit of a mess - nothing has been done to it since the last contestants left. There’s also not a lot there, no chairs, tables, fridges etc. There are not even any doors. However, only 9 men arrive - one has got lost and we never get told what happens to him. All are competing to be the last one standing when as winner, they will be given basically anything they want. As numbers are uneven, one of the girls will be banished at sunrise - the girl who doesn’t get herself a bed mate. And so the game begins. This is a book which on the surface is about a reality TV show, but it goes further than that. These contestants have all joined the show to escape their lives in the outside world - they believe that by being on the show, by winning, their lives will be transformed. They seem to be unhappy and think winning will bring them the happiness they crave. The contestants have to do communal tasks to gain essentials - food, seating, water etc. They also have personal challenges which gain them luxury items that they must remember to thank the sponsors for. These challenges are cruel and humiliating at times but the desire to have these luxury items outweighs the morality of insulting someone’s mother, for ‘borrowing’ someone’s clothes. This is a toxic environment and one without an end date. The Compound runs until the last person leaves, whenever they decide to. The POV is Lily’s - a girl who has been told all her life that she is the prettiest, that there is nothing to her except her prettiness. She knows she isn’t intelligent and she makes fun of herself, believing that the viewers will like her because she is the prettiest. She also wants to win, she is obsessed with getting every luxury item that she can think of. As the show progresses, it becomes dangerous, a fight for survival almost. And then there are the punishments the producers inflict for those who break the rules. And there is the idea of ‘performing’ for the cameras. What do the contestants want the viewers to see? And what do the viewers want to see because there is the feeling that the way that the contestants are sometimes humiliated and broken is for the spectacle, for the viewers. And the relationships between the boys and the girls - are they also an act for the camera or can it ever be true love? This is also a discussion about consumerism, can items bring happiness? Is being surrounded by designer goods worthwhile? As I said, I found this addictive, like the viewers I had to keep ‘watching’. And the questions it raises … A super debut.

The Compound is a novel divided into 20 chapters that occupy three clear parts. The way it starts gave me Love Island meets Big Brother meets Zimbardo Prison Study vibes. Jacintha and Lily wake up in a room with no recollection of how they got there and why they are dressed the way they are. They seem to have a clear idea about why they are there and set off in search of the others who shortly manifest as eight other girls lying in wait for a further ten boys. Judging by the way they are scantily clad, and the fact that some are asleep outside, it is clear they are experiencing fine weather, which should be expected from the blurb about being dumped in the desert. Coupled with the flippant remarks about guys, you can see where I got my initial vibe.

The book was unputdownable, and I loved every moment of it. More ruthless than Love Island, it was a crime to be single in this novel. I loved the characters, each with their differing personalities considering there were so many of them. I enjoyed watching cliques form and fail and their responses to the various tasks they were given to stay in the game. Ultimately, this is a book about what one would do to win and once they reach the top, how long it will take to topple.

The Compound is professionally written, a novel concept for a book, contains great characterization, interesting and suspenseful plot, the right amount of thrills and drama. Overall, this is a must-read book. If you love reality TV, this is it in book form. I did not hesitate in assigning this novel a solid 5 out of 5 stars. It did exactly as it said on the tin, lived up to its trailer and kept me on the edge of my seat as I rooted for various people at different points as I learned more about them. Utterly ruthless. Don’t walk to the shops, run!

The Compound is fascinating read that is set solely in a remote desert compound in a popular television reality show. Lily wakes up there alongside 19 other contestants and, to win, she must outlast her housemates while competing in challenges for luxury rewards, such as champagne and lipstick, and communal necessities to outfit their new home, like food, appliances, and a front door.
The compound acts as an escape from Lily's difficult life until the producers raise the stakes, forcing the contestants into dangerous situations, this causes the line between playing the game and surviving it begins to blur.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. It seemed to be a bit of a mix between Love Island and The Hunger Games and it was such an interesting read. The characters were brilliantly written and I loved seeing how their stories unfolded. It was a thought provoking book that brought out questions on capitalism and consumerism, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Drawn more to the Lord of the Flies than Love Island I hoped for a little more drama and a little less dramatics.
There are a lot of characters and for me all of them blended together without any stand outs for better or worst. When it was down to the final five it was a little easier to manage, but then it was hard to match them to their back story.
The setting was interesting. The compound was very well described, so much so I pictured a Big Brother house meets Love Island villa.
The story....I wanted more. More back story, more explanation of the word beyond and more wrap up at the end. What wars? How long has the show been running? Who met them after? What happened before and after? Just more.
Overall I was left wanting more. Maybe that was the point? No matter how good we are or how good something is we want more?
Grab this book for a summer read and be glad you're not in the Compound.

The Compound is a razor-sharp, unsettling and utterly compulsive debut that takes the glossy surface of reality television and peels it back to reveal something far more chilling underneath.

Think Love Island meets Lord of the Flies—but with the eerie, slow-burn dread of Black Mirror and the psychological heft of a literary character study.

Set in a near-future, vaguely dystopian world where the outside seems to be quietly falling apart, the entire story unfolds within the confines of a luxury desert compound.

Here, a group of women and men are filmed 24/7 while competing in a twisted dating show, fighting for increasingly lavish prizes and, ultimately, the chance to win “almost anything they desire.”

But The Compound is no frivolous beach read.

Instead, Aisling Rawle delivers a biting social commentary on performance culture, consumerism, and the voyeuristic nature of modern media.

The contestants are cajoled, manipulated, and humiliated—all for an unseen audience hungry for spectacle.

At the centre is Lily, a strikingly beautiful but emotionally detached protagonist, who spends much of the novel observing rather than acting.

Her passivity might frustrate some readers, but it’s a deliberate choice—Rawle uses Lily as a mirror, reflecting the artifice of the environment and the absurdity of the world she inhabits.

You’re left constantly questioning her motives, her truth, and what lies beneath the image she presents.

Rawle’s prose is stylish, clipped, and often disarmingly poignant.

The structure mimics the disorienting pace of a reality TV edit—slow in places, with simmering tension, then suddenly jarring with twists that catch you off guard.

It’s a book that doesn’t just entertain—it prods at your discomfort, making you complicit in the spectacle you're consuming.

Despite the glossy luxury setting, there’s a sense of creeping dread throughout.

Every smile feels performative.

Every relationship reeks of strategy.

And when cracks begin to show—both in the format and the characters themselves—the unease is palpable.

While the concept might initially promise something slick and escapist, The Compound turns out to be something deeper, darker, and more disquieting.

It's a reflection on what we're willing to sacrifice for attention, validation, and the illusion of fulfilment.

This is not just a story about contestants—it’s a story about us, the viewers. Our obsession with watching, judging, consuming.

It’s intelligent, haunting, and uncomfortably believable.

Highly recommended for readers who like their thrillers with psychological depth, biting commentary, and a healthy dose of existential dread.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for this eCopt to review

I didn’t expect to be so unsettled by a book that starts like a glossy dating show. The Compound lured me in with its premise—Love Island meets Lord of the Flies—but what I got was a biting, dystopian satire that left me questioning everything from influencer culture to survival instincts.

The story follows Lily, a twenty-something who wakes up in a desert compound with nine other women. They’re contestants on a reality show where the prize is everything you’ve ever wanted—luxury, fame, escape from a crumbling world. Soon, ten men arrive (well, nine—one doesn’t make it), and the game begins. Challenges range from absurd to brutal, and the only way to stay in the compound is to keep a partner in your bed. It’s twisted, voyeuristic, and disturbingly plausible.

Lily is a fascinating narrator. She’s not particularly likable, and that’s what makes her compelling. She’s self-aware, calculating, and often emotionally detached. Watching her navigate the compound—where every move is filmed and commodified—felt like peering into a warped mirror of our own social media-driven world. The producers manipulate the contestants with starvation, dehydration, and temptation, and the line between performance and survival blurs fast.

Rawle’s writing is sharp and addictive. The pacing is relentless, and the tension builds not through explosions but through quiet, creeping dread. I found myself racing through chapters, desperate to see who would crack next. The satire is razor-edged, especially when it comes to consumerism and the illusion of choice.

I felt aA few characters felt underdeveloped, and I wanted more insight into the mechanics behind the show—who’s pulling the strings and why. But that ambiguity might be the point. Like Lily, we’re left guessing.

A dark, dazzling debut that skewers reality TV, influencer culture, and the myth of meritocracy. If you’ve ever watched a dating show and thought, “This is messed up,” The Compound takes that thought and runs with it—straight into the desert.

This was such a wild ride, and the best social media thriller I have read in 2025 (was it the first? don't really know, but if "The Compound" sets the precedent, then I'm all here for it). The beauty and opulence of the merits and gifts the participants receive is juxtaposed with a feeling of unease or outright hostility. Is it the cameras? Is it the outside world pressing unto the porous borders of their compound, threatening them with war and climate crisis? Or is it the cost of these gifts?

Such a disappointment...
There was so much online hype about this book being brilliant and insightful that I was so pleased to have a copy to review. The opening pages were intriguing, but then everything fell flat. With reality tv's dependency on manufactured tensions, I was anticipating a novel that matched those tensions but "The Compound" couldn't manage it. The "evictions" and relationships were presented with little sense of excitement; I wondered if it was deliberate and instead there would be a tough examination of the psychology and intentions behind the participants' decisions to take part in the show. Nope, that didn't happen either...
It is a terrific concept - a behind the scenes look at the mental and physical brutality of reality programming - but poorly executed and the book floundered badly at times. None of the characters engaged my interest, empathy or sympathy because there was little depth of info about each one. Brief mentions of "the wars" in real life outside the compound were never given any explanation or context, n0-one talked about their families or hopes and dreams... I was left with a sense of "so what" and "who cares", after all they signed up for a sick show with which they were all familiar.
The final 75 pages or so were better - there was a little more in the way of tension - but it was such an anti-climatic ending.

I have mixed feelings on The Compound by Aisling Rawle. First for the positives - of which there are many. I very much enjoyed the story being told through lens of main character Lily, and despite her being mostly rather unlikeable, and at times with an acknowledged passivity, I found myself glued to the page, eager to know what would happen next. And it wasn’t only Lily who was well-drawn; there were a lot of characters of similar ages yet they were each so distinctive I didn’t once confuse any of them with each other.
What confused me, though, was the promise in the blurb of this being satirical - Love Island meets Animal Farm. The reality TV elements included here were so tame that they just missed the mark, for me, on satire; there wasn’t any exaggeration of what we’ve seen on our screens. Arson’s been done on Outlast, severe injuries on Alone, sex on Love Island, etc. So anyone reading this expecting social commentary anywhere approaching Animal Farm might feel rather short changed.

4.25🌟 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘜𝘒 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊.

Love Island meets George Orwell in a sun-soaked, sweat-slicked novel about a fictional reality show set in the middle of a desert. Beginning anything with a quote from Animal Farm may seem a little on the nose, but it's a worthy nod to how quick we've come to cannibalise narratives that warn of capitalism, consumerism, fame and all the stickiness that comes with it. 1984 birthed Big Brother. Squid Game birthed Squid Game: The Challenge. Reality shows are formatted up from the narratives that critique their very existence, and yet we still consume them and rarely stop to ask ourselves why.

The Compound's MC is Lily - her personality type is instantly recognisable, reality canon, cardboard cut-out. Slightly vapid, mostly harmless, no real interests or skills beyond what society deems 'cosmetic' or 'unskilled', but she's blonde and pretty and toned, and in this world those things get you farther than most. All the contestants on this show are forbidden from talking about anything REAL (which sadly mirrors restrictions put in place in genuine reality propositions), so everything is surface, everything is a scheme. Additional tasks are designed to cause drama or embarrassment, as well as drive the format along. Entertainment for the masses at the expense of the few.

Aisling Rawle asks us to confront this voyeurism by marginally upping the ante. Food and water may be restricted until challenges are completed. Violence is kinda tolerated. If you're not in a bed with someone of the opposite sex, you're booted out the next morning, no second chances. It's familiar, but pushes the boundaries of what we may think of as uncomfortable. What kind of shows would we produce if Ofcom regs weren't in place and welfare teams were cut to save on production costs? It's a frightening thought (but would surely look more like MrBeast content than anything else).

We live in a world where 'being an influencer' or 'getting on the telly' seems a fast-track path to success (and wealth). But what are the consequences of living in a surveillance state? In certain places, it seems impossible that one could do or say anything without a phone being whipped out, the interaction recorded for all to see. It's its own form of mental exhaustion, having to constantly censor yourself. The Compound has literal broadcast cameras hidden in every nook and cranny, but oftentimes it doesn't feel like we're too far away from that in our normal lives.

I digress, but this is certainly a narrative that sticks with you and makes you question your position it it all. I spend my working days developing reality TV formats, so it's close to home. How can we look to balance entertainment while still supporting contributors - both through the production of the series and post TX. The Compound doesn't stretch far enough to pick apart the consequences of participating in this kind of show (it's all set in one location/precinct and ends at the point the show naturally would), but you can certainly imagine them.

The book itself is tense and retains its horror by staying within the realms of possibility. People come and go, and the emptiness of their departures combined with the over-consumption of prizes leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. None of it matters. All will be forgotten. Audiences move on as soon as the next cast walks through the doors. Dopamine hit, dopamine hit, dopamine hit.

When your entire world becomes the walls and people immediately around you, the bigger picture inevitably gets lost. A forced-proximity pressure cooker will always make for fascinating viewing (or, in this case, reading). And that's what it will always ultimately comes down to - the human stories of love and loss and war.

Have you ever wanted to sit inside the head of a reality contestant? The Compound imagines it to be a sad, lonely place. Lily's POV is not one to be enjoyed. It's therefore not exactly a pleasant read. But certainly one that makes you think.

I’m not a reality TV girlie. Love Island? Couldn’t be less interested. But this? I devoured it. Unputdownable. Rawle has taken the format, twisted it until it cracked, and held the broken mirror up to us all. Think Love Island meets Lord of the Flies, spliced with Big Brother on a downward spiral, and you’re only partway there.

Lily, our narrator, wakes up in a massive house in the middle of a desert. There are nine other women — all gorgeous, all strangers. Cameras are tracking their every move. Ten men are on their way, crossing the desert on foot, surviving, earning the right to join them.

When they arrive, the “game” begins. Stay coupled up, or wake up alone and face elimination. Complete tasks to earn rewards — food, luxuries, supplies. Or refuse and watch it all vanish.

What’s on offer at the end? A lifetime supply of comfort, safety, and solitude — if you can outlast the rest.

It starts like Big Brother in a heatwave, all petty tension, shallow bonding and desperate attempts to win over the audience. But slowly, the shine peels back. Tasks grow humiliating. Choices turn cruel. Animosity simmers. And outside, the world is burning.

There are whispered references to wars, climate collapse, social unrest, and the more you learn, the more it makes sense why Lily will do anything to stay.

She’s not exactly lovable, but she doesn’t need to be. She’s a survivor, shaped by hardship, savvy to the camera, and painfully aware that self-preservation doesn’t leave much room for morality. Through her, Rawle explores the corrosion of values when life becomes a performance, and being watched becomes more important than being good.

This is dystopia done differently. A slow-burning but propulsive, uncomfortable yet compulsive read. A biting satire on reality TV, consumerism, surveillance and the commodification of people. And so much more than it first seems.

Add to your TBR if you love:
Reality TV with a deadly twist
Satire that actually makes you think
Creepy, cultish reads that unpick power, gender & control

Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read via NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own.

As soon as I saw the stunning US cover (sadly not the one on this post because I read the UK version!) I knew I needed to read ‘The Compound’ as soon as physically possible. I just had a feeling about this one and I was so right - I loved it.

I’m a huge fan of near future set novels where our world has been changed by war, the climate crisis, incredibly far gone capitalism and consumerism, and that’s exactly what ‘The Compound’ delivers, in a peripheral way.

You wake up in a compound in the middle of the desert, along with nine other women.

All of you are young, all beautiful, all keen to escape the grinding poverty, political unrest and environmental catastrophe of the outside world.

You realise that cameras are tracking your every move, broadcasting to millions of reality TV fans.

Soon, ten men will arrive on foot – if they all survive the journey.

What will you have to do to win?

And what happens to the losers?

The Compound is an addictive literary satire on modern excess: it holds a twisted mirror up to our obsession with winning, losing and, above all, watching.

We never leave the Compound during the novel so we never see this near-dystopian world - our protagonist Lily mentions several times that there’s around 25-30 years left of life as they know it. We don’t know where the compound is, no place or country names are ever mentioned, and there’s very little detail about the world they live in. We know that there are devastating wars and a severe climate crisis with an impending sense of doom, but no details. That would usually wind me up a bit, but in ‘The Compound’ it actually added to the atmosphere and the tension, as well as the premise of being cut off from the world and the rest of the society while on the show and in the compound.

The lives and minds of Lily and the rest of the residents of the compound are completely consumed by their time there, especially as the competition gets fiercer and the producers get more and more cruel with their challenges and prompts. The tension built and built with every chapter, twists and revelations thrown in unexpectedly, and I never really knew what was around the next corner.

Lily is such an unusual protagonist to follow in this genre and it was fascinating to watch such a passive, unmotivated character in this space. The narration felt a little like watching her and wondering what she would do, or not do, next, just like the viewers of the show. While she’s a very passive character for most of the novel, when the competitive element of the show finally lights a fire under her and she starts to move for the things that she needs and wants out of pure desperation, but also survival instinct, I couldn’t turn the pages any faster. As she’s a fairly closed off character who was unreliable to a degree, I was never 100% sure how she would react to anything. I didn’t necessarily like Lily, but I also didn’t not like either, though I was definitely on her side and I was wanting her to come out on top.

‘The Compound’ is a gripping and atmospheric look at consumerism and capitalism as it continues to wreak havoc on our planet and our sense of self. I loved it and I’m already excited for what Aisling Rawle has for us next.

Thank you to The Borough Press and NetGalley for the review copy.

Written by Sophie

Subversive, darkly entertaining reality show that clearly has a twisted audience. Like us.

I'm very much not a fan of reality TV, but I also very much enjoyed Ben Elton's book Dead Famous, set in a similar Big Brother house, when things get dark. I like dark. I like reality contestants finding fame and material goods to be far from the dream they think it is. Bit cruel, but we all get our pleasure where we can.

This is for those who enjoy a bit of schadenfreude though. Where the young, buxom and beautiful find more than they anticipated as they strive for Gucci, sparkly things and everlasting celebrity.

The selling point really was the 'Lord of the Flies' connection. The whole premise is MESSED UP. This Big Brother-style house appears to be in the desert. And in the midst of a slightly dystopic world that has ecological and social issues a small step away from our own but not too very far. Female contestants are waiting, ten of them in this house, with very little in it. Waiting the arrival of ten males. Who have to walk in through the desert to join them. Each night a man and woman must share a bed, and if one person does not have a sleeping partner they will be eliminated.

Pretty twisted. Contestants can also do solo tasks to win prizes (dressing gowns, jewellery, sweets) for themselves, or group tasks with everyone to win food, building materials.

There are lots of names to remember, but fortunately lots of people disappear quite quickly from the house. We are sharing the narrative of one female participant, Lily, who admits she's not the most intelligent, she is probably the 2nd most beautiful, and definitely the most determined to win ALL the shiny things and stay in the house as long as she can as winner (making you wonder about life on the outside).

There's some romantic tension from the first between several characters, who cannot reveal anything about their lives outside the TV show, and the start of the tug towards anarchy and backstabbing as numbers dwindle and clearly favourites are emerging.

Vicariously, I was loving seeing some vapid people (though admittedly not all of them are this) challenged, ridiculed, exposed. I was waiting with bated breath for the William Golding reference to come into its own. And yes... it does get more brutal, more primal.

Quite a graphic depiction of what mankind might do for trinkets and renown. We never see behind the 4th wall, though the show's producers are clearly watching at all times and interacting secretly with the household, it is very sinister, as injuries and ill-will begin to build.

Hugely entertaining for those, especially, who aren't fans of this genre of TV show. Very much enjoyed it as an audiobook.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.