This was such a different read for me, but I do enjoy good “trash tv” now and then so this sounded like something fun to try.
It was an interesting and mostly engaging read. I liked it more than I expected I would.

This was a really unusual book - not my normal genre but really interesting.

The premise is a compound in the middle of the desert, where 10 women awake and set about making it habitable whilst they wait for 10 men to arrive.

the compound is monitored by cameras 24/7 and is a 'Love Island' style reality show with teeth. Participants have to couple up with a man, and together and individually they have to perform tasks in exchange for items to improve the compound and also for themselves. The longer a person remains in the compound, the better the prizes become. One by one the contestants are eliminated until only person remains with the best prizes of all.

The narration is done by one of the contestants, Lily, and the premise of the book comments on how far we would be willing to go to be the last man standing, and what we would do for consumerism.

It's set in some form of dystopian world, however we are not aware of what is happening in that world outside of the walls of the compound.

I found it gritty, unsettling and thoroughly compelling.

I was excited to read this book but it was different from what I expected. 10 young women wake up in a compound, their every moment filmed by TV cameras. Think Big Brother meets Love Island. They are waiting for the boys to arrive, they make their journey through the desert. When they do only 9 boys arrive. The setting is a compound in the middle of a desert, you don't know where or when the book is set. It's very obvious early on you have to be very beautiful to make it to the end. This book has banishments from the compound, jealousy and murder. This book sadly fell flat for me, I don't think the ending really tied together. I would recommend this book to people who really enjoy reality TV, ie Love Island and Big Brother.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

At first glance, The Compound feels deceptively simple, and that’s what makes it so disturbing. It doesn’t “shock” you all at once, but becomes more unsettling with every chapter. The narrator’s voice is incredibly well done, because it remains observational from Lily’s perspective, almost unreliable. The book starts slow, moving past all the early impressions of contestants and shallow descriptions through Lily’s lens. As the story progresses, her own journey begins to reflect the book’s themes. While I did wish for more explanation or world-building beyond the Compound itself, I think the amount revealed, especially by the end, drives the message home. Overall, The Compound is more than a reality TV satire, it’s an unsettling exploration of consumerism and the disturbing lengths people go to for comfort, attention, and the illusion of safety.

4.5 stars out of 5

This was a strange book. No idea where it was set - apart from the desert; no idea of when either. If you are a fan of Big Brother, Traitors, Love Island or such like then this will be familiar. The story meanders, there is no feeling of urgency. The first few chapters deal with some eliminations ( banishments) fairly quickly. I felt as though the story was never going to end, it just plodded on.
The characters are fairly shallow, the plot ditto. As a commentary on consumerism, what would you do to win a lip gloss? Not really my sort of story, wrong demographic ( 70 yr old F).

Brilliant read with a unique idea behind it!

This was really refreshing and I think that the idea of Love Island meets Lord of the Flies is absolutely spot on. It's full of suspense and intrigue. This feels like Love Island - Black Mirror edition and I love it. Delicious idea, give me more like this.

It’s been dubbed Love Island meets Lord of the Flies and after reading, I have to agree. Ten women are living in one space, all wanting to escape the outside world. It borders on idyllic, until you realise the women are being tracked by cameras and millions of reality TV lovers. Rather than living in the compound, it’s about surviving, especially when ten men are heading in their direction. This is such an interesting take on the world of reality TV, cleverly paced and astutely written.

This was a brilliant read! So gripping and immersive. The writing really pulls you into life in the compound, disconnected from reality. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone!

THE must read Hot book of summer 2025!

I absolutely loved The Compound and devoured it in two sittings - I couldn't get enough and I couldn't tear my eyes away.

It's a tried and tested formula - 10 girls, 10 boys. 24/7 cameras and a luxury residence. Couple up, complete the challenges, entertain the public and win all your heart desires. Go home and be famous - you've really made it.

There's more to The Compound than first meets the eye though. I loved the slightly dystopian element that's alluded to. Told from Lily's perspective, it's totally immersive and cloyingly claustrophobic. I felt every sundrenched minute and had such a vivid picture of the compound in my minds eye.

As the contestants are banished, one by one, tensions start to bubble, relationships crumble and the stakes are raised - How far will they go? What ugliness is lurking beneath those beautiful exteriors?

A deliciously unnerving, darkly entertaining, propulsive page turner that shines a sharp light on the vapid world of consumerism, capitalism and our unhealthy obsession with social media and reality TV.

The Compound is a really interesting concept that makes the reader reflect upon the society that we are becoming, but at the same time it's so much (unhinged) fun.

I loved watching the show playing out, and maybe somewhat ironically, I would love to see this transitioned onto screen!

Loved it, 5 stars, must read, can't recommend enough ... you won't be able to put it down!

This was a fascinating take on reality shows, a mix between The Bachelor and Black Mirror! I would have loved to have a bit more context on the apocalyptic society that's waiting them outside, but really liked this overall.

The blurb of the book gripped me from the beginning. As someone who is a self-confessed reality TV lover, I couldn't wait to see how Aisling Rawle would translate some of those conventions into fiction. Whilst it was harder at the beginning to get to grips with so many characters (without visuals like we have on TV), it very soon became a gripping, page-turner as the characters were whittled down to a smaller group. Even though this may draw readers in with the promise of a Love Island-esque plot, I think there are actually some more serious and sinister messages at play here which make for really interesting conversations, particularly about consumerism and a materialistic social media consumed society. Rawle does a fantastic job of weaving these social and cultural discussion points into a thrilling plot. I did find the protagonist to be a bit bland but maybe this was the point; she often comments about her unremarkable character and only being valued for her beauty. A really good read for the summer!

This was different to my usual reads, but a lot of fun and towards the end becomes a real page turner. Set in a fictional reality tv show similar to Big Brother and Love Island, the stakes get higher when people start being evicted from the show. With what seem to be evil producers, it also includes romance with element of a thriller, and while I enjoyed it, I couldn't quite understand the appeal of staying in the compound for longer than necessary. A fun beach read, perfect for the summer.

Thanks to NetGalley, Aisling Rawle and publisher, The Borough Press, for an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.

This story breathes life into a familiar trope, with a group of men and women chosen to participate in a mysterious game in a reality TV show 'romance' format.

Buckle in for a ride that combines elements of Lord of the Flies with The Hunger Games to produce a very readable story. With plenty of suspense and action, this one gets 3.5 stars.

The Compound is quite deceptive, I think. The promise of Love Island meets Lord of the Flies is not exactly wrong, but it does sell the book short. I went in expecting a trashy (but fun) beach thriller and was surprised to be taken somewhere deeper.

It's set in a near-future, vaguely-dystopian world. I say "vaguely-dystopian" because we are given hints about catastrophes and misery in the outside world, but we spend the whole book on the set of a reality TV dating show. Ten women, ten men, all competing for increasingly extravagant prizes, with the ultimate goal of being the last one standing and granted almost anything they desire.

Lily, the narrator, is stunningly beautiful with, by her own admission, not much else going for her. She's not quite a blank-slate protagonist, but she's close enough to make her a fitting lens through which we observe the others.

It's a character study, and a compelling one, driven by rivalry, jealousy and vanity. The tone is ominous from the beginning-- we're dropped right into the compound without explanation, leaving Lily to gradually fill in the blanks of how this thing works. As in all reality TV, there's a sense that every smile is a little bit fake, every kind gesture has an ulterior motive.

Fundamentally, this is a story about two things: performance culture and consumerism.

On performance: everything is orchestrated to entertain the audience, to give them what they want. The participants are humiliated, near tortured, and left brokenhearted—all for the sake of spectacle. In many ways, the book seems less about the contestants and more about those watching them.

As for consumerism, it captures that feeling of endless wanting—of always needing something more, even when you’re not sure what. Even when by most metrics you are happy as you are, there's still a sense of missing out on something greater. In the compound, as in life, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters when almost anything is on offer.

I was really looking forward to reading this. A group of young women , looking for love wake on an island in the middle of the desert. Ten young men then arrive who walked there! They’re every move is filmed and broadcast as a reality tv programme. There is everything you would expect, jealously, bitchiness, fights, friendships and murder.
It was an okay read that left me disappointed. The end was a real let down. It had twists and turns. Characters that you loved to hate, a clever story but not for me

Brilliant. Gripping from the very first page. An observational novel about people and their behaviour. It is like Big Brother with a lot more violence. I loved that it wasn't mentioned when it was set, or indeed where!

I really liked Lily, the narrator but a lot of the characters were love to hate people. There is some toxic masculinity too, which might be triggering for some.

Thank you so much to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC!

3 stars!

I really liked how this built up, the burn was enough to keep me engaged at first and when everything starts kicking off once people are getting eliminated I was really enjoying it. I really liked the idea too, it has a lot of social commentary within in about reality tv, beauty standards, morals, etc.

We reading purely from Lily's perspective and I would have honestly loved to have seen maybe even other character's perspective to try and make the tension even higher, I think this is the reason for my rating and the ending I sort of worked out.

A fantastic idea and is one heck of a read!

I have a bit of a soft spot for reality TV based fiction, and looking at the blurb for The Compound, I knew it was going to be just my cup of tea!

Lily has been chosen to go on the reality TV show The Compound - 10 women and 10 men coupled up and competing for luxury prizes in the middle of the desert. However, how far will she go to get everything she has ever wanted and what do the Producers of the show have in store for them?

The Compound had me gripped from the very start – where Lily wakes up in a strange bed, in a house that is in disarray, getting to know her fellow female contenders as they wait for the men to appear. We are instantly eased into the setting but there are certain red flags throughout which alert the reader that things may not be all as they appear. There are mentions of several wars happening in the world outside, the fact that the men may have had a hard time in the desert to start with, the themes of the tasks and the mentions of previous seasons of the show.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of initially, but these are whittled down as people got banished. I did feel like every character had an interesting progression, helped by the set-up of no personal details being allowed to be revealed until the final few were left remaining. I enjoyed Lily’s disappointment at learning everyone’s jobs – preferring the impression in her head that she had built up about the people she was living with.

For those expecting a high stakes thriller, the book is very much a slow burn. However, it has a lot to say about consumerism and the superficiality of reality television. It also touches on diversity, gender roles and objectification on both sides of the coin. The plot does build to an interesting climax, and I enjoyed the initial struggle for food, basic necessities and survival equipment versus later on down the line when the same urgency was used for luxury goods and yogurt. However, I do wish that the ending had been a little different as it felt like a lot was left unanswered and it fizzled out. It would have been great to perhaps have a final chapter from a viewer’s perspective, where the final edit of the show was revealed, for example.

Overall, The Compound is a gripping read – albeit a slow-burn one, but if you enjoy reality tv style thrillers, you will love this one! Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and The Borough Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a huge fan of reality TV then this will be your book. It has everything that someone would need, to enjoy this particular topic. The characters are marmite( you either love or hate them) and the story itself is more of a slow burn with slight elements of thrill.

I enjoyed the idea of this big brother type story and also that the characters individually are interesting. This heats up nearer the end and I enjoyed finding out the ending.
I wasn't overly keen on the book as a whole, this was mainly due to how slow it was getting into any faster paced elements. It wasn't thrilling enough for me as it didn't have me on the edge of my seat. I wanted more crazyness.

still, I would read something else by this author if it was a different genre/style.

Many thanks to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Publication date 03/07/25

At first the plot seems a little too unlikely, even for a reality show, but actually looking at current offerings being broadcast it fits right in there!
The book started out slightly dystopian with women randomly coming round from a drugged sleep and finding themselves in a compound but it is soon revealed that they have voluntarily entered the show.
The author picks apart the reality show well, focussing on the contestants insecurities and desperation to win, leading to a story that flows well and has you rooting for some characters and taking against others- exactly how people respond to "real" reality shows!
Interesting concept well told!