This story is based around a reality show, where contestants can win luxurious items as well as ultimate fame. However, the housemates find themselves in the middle of the desert, in an empty house and they have to do humiliating tasks just to have a little food, water and the most basic of furniture.

The show takes a dark turn, when the contestants turn upon each other and the tasks become more and more dangerous

I actually really enjoyed this book. I'm not sure that I liked the main character Lily but I was still intrigued to know what happened to her!

Described as Love Island meets Lord of the Flies and tbh, that’s pretty accurate.

This was one of the most original books I’ve read in a while. A reality show set in the desert, where contestants compete for survival and luxury.

It starts with all the reality show tropes — the drama, the pairings, the carefully curated personas — but from the off there is uneasiness beneath the surface. Rawle weaves in sharp social commentary about fame, consumerism, and the way we present ourselves online. It explores influencer culture, performative living, and the obsession with being seen to have the right look, the right brand, the right lifestyle, even when everything underneath is crumbling.

The characters are so well done. My opinion of them shifted constantly. One minute I was backing someone, the next I couldn’t stand them. That messiness felt really believable and made the story even more compelling.

Lily’s voice carries the whole book. She’s image obsessed and often frustrating, but also vulnerable and strangely relatable. Her desires to stay in the compound, and for the most material possessions, even in moments of real danger, was one of the most chilling parts for me.

The ending worked. It felt right. But it was abrupt. I found myself wanting more of a glimpse at the world beyond the compound. But maybe that was the point. We only see what the producers want us to see, and the characters are just as in the dark as we are.

A smart and original read that is just as unsettling as it is entertaining. I’ll be thinking about it for a while.

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the ARC

3.5 stars. This book tells the story of what seems at times to be the inevitable end goal for reality TV. Young beautiful people locked away in a house in the desert, being influenced to do more and more terrible things to win, with an indeterminate runtime. It’s about as dystopian as you can get, because it doesn’t feel that far away from where we are now.
There were lots of things I liked about The Compound. The descriptions of what this kind of isolation does to people seemed very genuine and horrifying in equal measure. The hints at what was going on in the wider world were wonderfully vague so that you could overlay your worst thoughts onto them to create your personal version of a broken future. The sheer vastness and lifelessness of the desert was really vivid in the writing. I especially liked the way seeing how the characters reacted to their environment got under my skin and made me question what kind of contestant I would be in their situation…not always a pleasant avenue to meander down!
I did have a couple of niggles also, which I’m sure were particular to me rather than any comment on the quality of the writing, which was excellent. I felt a bit short-changed by the ending and wanted something a bit more dramatic or the reveal of a little nugget of information that left you pondering. The pace slowing down as the book went on didn’t bother me, I think it was done intentionally to reflect how time must’ve slowed down for the inhabits of the house as the game went on I did wish though that this lack of speed had been used to flesh out some of the other characters more.
All in all, an absolutely terrifying yet entertaining glimpse into what normal everyday folk are capable of given the right set of circumstances.

I genuinely cannot tell if this is satire or serious. Which is concerning for a book pitching itself as a contemporary Lord of the Flies. Who knew that Love Island would inadvertently lay the groundwork for a entire genre of dystopian novels?

There was something deeply shallow about this entire book and while I get that that was supposed to be the point, it didn't feel like a shallowness constructed on purpose. Characters are bland and two-dimensional, frequently morphing into one another. People would get banished and I would just think 'who the fuck is that?'. There were moments that I did enjoy during this book, when tensions were high and the action was genuinely really interesting. But I think my issue with 'The Compound' is the same reason I don't watch Love Island - things are being constructed to seem far more significant and important than they actually are.

Also - essential context was missing. The author writes with an air of detachment to her protagonist that means I don't feel the depth of what's happening 'on the outside' and why they're here. It sort of feels like this was an early draft and with more time and development, the novel could've been much more tightly written and sharper in its execution.

I just wanted it to be over.

Ten young beautiful women wake up in a large house with a large outdoor area bordered by barbed wire, a compound; in the middle of a dessert, soon they are joined by 9 young men, it should have been 10, but one got lost on the way.
Lily tells the story and you soon realise they are in a game show, all trying to survive and win material things, but also things required to survive in the compound, like food.
Outside no longer exists for them, the drudgery, the war, families are no longer important, winning is.
I don’t watch programmes like Survivor or Love Island so this was something new for me and I enjoyed the book, although Lily did annoy me at times. A good read.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

Underneath the shiny, light-hearted facade there is a constant bubbling sense of unease - i spent this whole story slightly on edge but compelled to keep reading. Could lead to lots of great discussions, and makes a lot of interesting points re 'reality' media, surveillance culture, consumerism, misogyny... the list goes on but the book never tries to be worthy or preachy, just offers a sly sideways look at the darkness underneath.

An examination of the darker side of human nature
I am not a fan of so called"Reality" television programmes like"Big Brother," "I'm a Celebrity," "Love Island," and the like. In light of that, this might seem an odd book for me to read. However, I found it to be an interesting examination of the psychology of this type of setting and into the personalities of the participants and the way they react to an artificial environment and each other.
The writer takes us through a scenario much like " Love Island", with equal numbers of men and women in a closed environment, the compound of the title. The contestants are expected to share a bed with someone of the opposite sex, but intimate contact is not compulsory. Anyone on their own at dawn is banished, and there can also be ones on further banishment by the group, but not by the television viewers. They can also win group and personal tasks for items to make their life more comfortable.
Initially, all is well, but soon, things begin to deteriorate. This follows the well trodden path of other examinations of behaviour in enclosed situations like "Animal Farm" and "Lord of the Flies" but brings a certain freshness to it.
This is well worth a read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. Choosing a familiar premise like reality TV but basing it in a mysterious dystopian future. Well rounded characters, great plot and thoughtful social commentary. What a superb book!

Love island with a dark twist. I might come back and update this review, as I’m still processing it. I did thoroughly enjoy it though, that I can say and I do recommend it.

I enjoyed it and it was nice flowing book

Blurb

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.

I really enjoyed this book! Right from chapter one I was in. I generally don't watch reality TV because I know if I start I will not stop, so I've never watched Love Island, but I'm reliably informed the premise of the show in the book is very similar to it - with added peril and way less concern for health and safety.

It's very thought provoking, with a strong emphasis on our society's consumerist tendencies. It also explores themes of power, sexism and self worth.

Most of the characters are insufferable and that's precisely the point. Insufferable people are entertaining on TV, just watch any reality TV show. Reading The Compound felt like I was watching one of these shows but with more insight and focus on one particular character.

I wish we'd found out more about the world outside, purely to satisfy my own curiosity as I don't think the story really needed that.

Overall a super original premise and entertaining read. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my eARC.

This novel made me insane (in a good way). It's close enough to real reality shows to feel familiar, but with an uneasy, uncanny edge that set my teeth on edge. It felt like the day grew darker as I read it, as things go from a simple competition to a total psychological unravelling, until I didn't know what I wanted or who to root for. It's hard to write such an unlikeable heroine and still make the book so gripping. Wow. I'm thinking about this for weeks.

I liked the concept of this story but sadly didn't feel that the story was for me, the characters were shallow and unlikeable, the pace was slow and the ending was a bit of an anti climax.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

A reality tv show where 19 men and women are living in a compound in the dessert, they have to do tasks to earn basics and must sleep together as sleeping alone means banishment. Who will win and how far will they all go. A pimped up big brother without the home comforts and with cruel twists.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

The Compound
Aisling Rawle

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This story kicks off with a bang and grips you from the first few pages - then it never lets up for the duration and I was completely hooked until the last page.

Right from the start we get the sense of something not quite right with the compound and it put me on edge straight away.

Although the whole premise sounded very Love Island at first, there were definite darker undertones rumbling away and it soon becomes obvious just how messed up this whole "programme" would become.

Only after finishing, did I notice the tags - Love Island meets Lord Of The Flies and omg if this isn't just the perfect description of this.
A group of people all trying to stay in the game, but with ever increasing consequences and more and more rivalry as the days go by.

I loved all the tasks and the way the show tempted each of the contestants with items - but it really does go to show that happiness is definitely not built only on having "stuff" around you.

The contestants were amazing - some with similar goals and some much more guarded.
Following through purely Lily's pov meant that as the story unfolded, we were just as much playing a guessing game than the rest of them at times - wondering who was honest and truthful and which of them were just playing the game.

The setting was utterly brutal and I was completely immersed - especially reading this on the hottest day of the year so far!
I felt every second of the stifling heat and glare of the sun along with the rest of them.

The ending leaves us hanging a little and I'm interested to know whether there could be a sequel to this book - either new contestants, or maybe following our current group on the outside?

Either way, I absolutely loved this read - my first from this author - I'll definitely be grabbing and cannot wait for their next release too!



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

The Compound is an unsettling psychological thriller. The focus is on reality TV and the consequences of this on those involved (influencers). Not very far removed from our current society and shows like Big Brother and Love Island. I loved the dark take on reality TV and how this explored themes of happiness, power, connection and consumerism. We follow one point of view and this really worked and brought out themes subtly. Lily is this main character who questions her own values and beliefs. It is sad that she has been rewarded for her looks and feels she brings nothing else to the world. I think overall this is an interesting book that would be great to study as part of a sociology course, or psychology due to the psychological warfare.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I’ve tagged this as dystopia, but honestly? It doesn’t feel far removed from the here and now.

The storyline reads like a fictional reality show… except the way things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re only two years away from seeing something like this play out in real life.

That proximity to reality is what makes it so unsettling and yet so compelling. This is Big Brother but set in a desert and over many months. It is Big Brother but also Hunger Games rolled into one. As the lines blur between entertainment and psychological manipulation, the story explores themes of surveillance, control, and how far people are willing to go for power or survival. It’s not filled with apocalyptic drama or sci-fi gadgets. The dystopia here is subtle and scarily plausible, making you wonder how much of our current world already resembles Rawle’s fictional one.

I think I should have realised when Love Island was in the title that this really wasn’t aimed at me. However I fell for the blurb but lived to regret it. I’m sorry Aisling Rawls I think your target audience may well love this book but I didn’t.

3 ★★★
The Compound - Aisling Rawle

This is advertised as ‘love island’ meets ‘lord of the flies’ / ‘the hunger games’ - sounds like my dream book! Based on these comparisons, I expected it to be a lot darker, but I found it more psychological than physical.

This is a commentary on society that explores the limitations and consequences of reality TV, almost satirically at times. I enjoyed the exploration of consumerism, surveillance, escapism and performative ‘influencer’ culture.

It’s a hard book to rate because whilst I felt quite gripped throughout, I was left feeling unsatisfied at the end. Don’t go in expecting a gritty dystopia and you will it enjoy more!

Thank you @netgalley @harpercollinsuk for providing me an E-ARC and @libro for the audiobook ARC.

Note, the audio narration is excellent and really helped me to get into the story! Would recommend 🎧🎧

An easy read, but I wasn’t sure I’d finish it. Whilst the author captures the venality of the contestants and the manipulation by reality TV, initially I found the activities and dialogue lacking. The tension did ramp up further into the novel in line with the competitiveness of those participating in the live show. What did shine through was the pointlessness of pressing people into behaviours they were unlikely to display in real life. As did the lengths to which the programme producers were prepared to go to achieve viewer figures. I haven’t seen Love Island, but if The Compound is representative, gosh, I trust the producers would not let events deteriorate in such a devastating and destructive manner.