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!

The compound is set in the desert with all the amenities that you could want. Outside in the dystopian world war rages and everyone fights for a place in the compound; once inside every moment is tracked and filmed for viewers at home. Inside things reach boiling point with those who have little to return home to willing to do almost anything to stay....and that's when things become violent.

This was a very relevant and interesting take on the Love Island/reality TV popularity and asks the question what would someone do to escape their life. The novel was a little bit of a slow burner which took time to introduce the characters and their motivations until the final showdown. This was a really interesting take on consumerism and fame.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Although I am not a huge fan of reality tv, I am a massive fan of reality tv based fiction and this one was very enjoyable.

I will admit it was initially a bit of a struggle to get past the first couple of chapters as Lily us insanely vacuous and looks obsessed at first but she definitely grew on me.

This was sold to me as sci-fi by some of the reviews and although there is a lot of mention of a war and how they only have 20 years left, it didn't feel very sci-fi. That being said... what war?! Why only 20 years?! Tell me everything! I could see this being an excellent start to a series where more World lore is uncovered.

Perfect for fans of reality tv or if you just like watching terrible people in isolation somehow devolve into worse people.

There are certainly echoes of Goulding’s "Lord of the Flies” here. However, instead of a group of boys being washed up onto a desert island, Rawle uses a reality show format. A group of beautiful girls wake up in a Compound. All they know is that they have been chosen as contestants for a “Love Island show”. How they got there no-one seems to know. While they wait for the boys to arrive, they quickly set about doing traditional female duties, like getting the trashed Compound into shape. Soon the boys arrive and quickly establish who will become the leaders.

As with all reality shows, the contestants are given a series of mindless tasks to complete in return for rewards. The only twist - Those who fail are voted off. As the number dwindles, order descends into chaos as one woman in particular wants to win at all costs. What becomes very apparent is how empty their ‘outside’ lives are. There is very little to return to. It is Jacintha and Sam who seem to stick to their morals while Lily and Tom don’t seem to have any to begin with.

This is a novel which challenges the concept of “reality shows” and the safety of them. While the viewing audience have a vested interest while it is on, they quickly move onto the next show, with no regard for participants. It also tackles the notion of brand endorsement, and the lengths influences will go to.

While it is brilliantly executed, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth. But perhaps that was the intention.

I highly recommend this read and thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.

I love 'Love Island', so when I read the premise "a cross over between Lord Of The Flies and Love Island" I was super excited to read this.
Low and behold, this book did not disappoint. It was exactly what I expected: a dystopian form of reality TV - but in book form. Absolutely loved this read! Would recommend it to anyone who likes to swap the time they spend watching reality TV to reading it.

I went into this cold, only knowing that this is a mix of The Lord of the Flies and the Love Island, which was intriguing enough. I whizzed through it in 3 days and stayed awake late at night turning the pages. It happens so rarely these days - it’s an achievement in itself! I loved the compulsive side to the story - I was completely hooked.

It appears to be a very shallow book on the surface but i like the message it’s sending., and the more I think about it, the more metaphors I recognise now about the world we live in. If we have a void inside us, it won’t be filled with materialistic goods. We need connection and meaningful relationships to be content.

What was lacking for me is more context on the background of the setting - we didn’t get a lot in terms of the motivation for contestants, just vague war mentions and that it took a long time to save up money.

This one was great fun!

An impressive debut where I feel like The Hunger Games meets Love Island is accurate.

I’ve never actually watched Love Island, but I’ve experienced enough cultural osmosis to have a broad idea what it’s about.

There are a lot of characters and couples in this so it can be hard to keep track to start with until people start getting voted off.

I really liked how it’s set in an unclear future with just vague references to the outside world and “the wars” while the couples live in supposed safety in the compound.

A compulsive page-turner perfect for the summer.

I enjoyed the story and it was keeping you hooked in for most of it however I found the ending a touch disappointing as it didn't really do anything