Thanks for the early copy review book.

Wow. Another amazing read.

It does jump from one year to another but it's a fantastic read. From now to b4.

Can't wait for more.

Juno leaves her husband and goes to Inion a Greek Island in search of her father who she has never met, Juno was brought up by her gran and has just found postcards from her mam to her gran saying who she was in love with.
The island has secrets and Juno does not know who to trust.
The story just didn`t flow for me and none of the characters were likeable.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review

Jess Ryder’s *The Island Escape* is a slow-burning psychological thriller with a vivid sense of place and a cast of characters who feel lived-in and emotionally rich. Set against the stunning backdrop of a Greek island, the novel’s real strength lies in its atmosphere. Ryder’s descriptions are lush and evocative, creating a strong sense of escapism that makes the island feel like a character in itself.
The story unfolds steadily, and the tension is built more from interpersonal drama than high-octane twists, which may not satisfy every thriller fan.
A few revelations feel a touch predictable, but *The Island Escape* is ultimately a rewarding read for those who enjoy character-led suspense with a rich, immersive setting. Perfect for a summer afternoon when you want drama with a sting, or when you're on an island escape yourself!

This is an ideal read for a summer break especially if you're heading to Greece. The descriptions of the Island of Inios are idyllic, the sunshine, the warmth the little beach coves.
Set over dual timelines, in the mid 1980's Estelle travels to Inios for a summer holiday, she meets Nico and falls in love. Years later Juno travels to Inios to find her father after discovering letters written by Estelle.
I wouldn't necessarily class this as a psychological thriller it's more a family drama with a little bit of intruige added.
It's an interesting read that has a little bit of escapism

An enjoyable and easy read but it didn’t strike me as a ‘thriller’. Certainly mystery and deceit surround Juno trying to find her father on a Greek island. Juno has run off from her marriage and is troubled , seeking solutions and resolution .

Having really enjoyed The Villa, I was looking forward to this one. It has avery different feel - not as fast paced, and it just lacked something to keep me really gripped.

The Island Escape by Jess Ryder

I read “The Villa” by Jess Ryder last year and rated it really highly, so when I was offered the chance to read her next book, I jumped at it. However, I felt really let down as there was a massive downgrade in this recent book from her previous work.

As with “The Villa”, Ryder does a brilliant job setting the scene; the Greek landscape feels beautiful, well-crafted and immersive. The author writes lovely descriptions that feel life-like and engrossing. Clearly she has visited Greece or done research on the landscape as it was very realistic and felt hugely similar to all the Greek towns I have personally visited. I also enjoyed her use of personalised similes; she steered clear of over-used, cliche descriptions- for example I loved the one at the beginning “the [ferry] doors opening like the yawning mouth of a whale” which evokes a really striking image. Certainly the writer has a great way of setting the scene, but there was often far too much of this detail involved in the scenes. We’re left reading pages of long descriptions about the setting or the atmosphere or the unimportant events, which could have been cut to less than a page to keep it fast-paced and interesting. This all felt unnecessary and left the pacing feeling odd and disjointed.

The majority of the middle parts of this book felt drawn out and lacked any inciting incidents, so the plot fell stagnant and became disinteresting. There was no need for us to have so much detail about all the weddings, the party planning, Estelle’s holiday or her time at uni etc. Even the scene where Andreas’s party is sabotaged (which felt like it was meant to be a dramatic moment in the plot) felt underdone, like there was no real meaning associated with the events and it lacked any tension or suspense to keep me gripped. The pacing felt weird and slow due to this lack of action. When the body was discovered, I expected things to finally pick up in terms of action or mystery but it felt like it was pushed to the sidelines and the overriding plot was Juno searching for her Dad, which left the plot feeling lifeless and repetitive. Considering this is marketed as a Mystery/Thriller, it didn’t have much mystery, nor much thrill, unfortunately.

In her previous book, I loved Ryder’s creation of the characters and found them to be complex and interesting, yet I just did not warm to any of the characters in this story. Juno came across as irritating, naive and overly optimistic to the point it felt like she had no critical thinking skills whatsoever and just went along with things regardless. Her going to Greece expecting a premade perfect Greek family that would embrace her with open arms was overly hopeful. Also, when Juno says towards the start “I shouldn’t have told anyone Niko is my father, I have to be more careful going forward…” then immediately in the next chapter tells Millie and then later tells anyone who asks it was like uhhh okay maybe not, I guess we’re not learning from our mistakes then! She willingly walked herself into so many stupid situations just because she refused to think about anything logically. It also felt unrealistic that Juno turns up in Greece, happens to be approached by Millie for a massage then within a couple of hours has a job as a wedding planner with no future experience and has lied her way into it. It felt far too convenient, like it was key to the plot that she had that job, so it just fell into her lap! ** SPOILERS INCOMING ** The ending when Juno is attacked was so aggravating as it could have so easily been avoided by Juno not being so hopelessly obsessed with thinking everyone is great and wanting to be liked by everyone, or just having some perceptive thought. Despina came across as desperate to keep her on the island and I knew exactly what was about to happen, but Juno willingly walked herself into the situation like a lamb walking into the slaughterhouse, smiling and cheerful all the way. **END OF SPOILERS ** Her character just made me annoyed as she didn’t really have much personality other than being hopelessly naive and showing zero awareness or critical thinking skills and all the while abandoning her husband at home in the hopes of finding some premade family in Greece waiting for her. How frustrating. It was like Juno’s character was created and used solely as a device to keep the plot moving, but there wasn’t any real exploration into her as a character, and, if there was, it was all very shallow.

Estelle was also an odd character who I just couldn’t warm to. I did like the flashback elements of the book and especially thought it was clever to do it in a way as if we were reading her letters and postcards from the past alongside Juno. I thought this split between present and past added an interesting side to the book and did keep me interested, yet I found myself preferring Estelle’s POV over Junos as it was more intriguing. However, Estelle as a character came across as a selfish, overly indulgent, reckless teenager who was obsessed with a boy she’d known for a very short amount of time. Estelle’s internal monologue was annoying to listen to as she is contradicting herself at multiple times and seems, like Juno, to lack any critical thinking or personality other than loving Greece and obsessing over Niko. Her investigation of Rob’s disappearance was quite gripping and I liked these scenes, but it quickly fell off. Otherwise, her motivations were unclear until the very end and I found myself thinking “okay so what was the point of including that?” at several intervals throughout. Even at the end it didn’t really become clear why half of Estelle’s POV was required to make the plot understandable. At the end when Estelle keeps saying she needs to “let Niko decide for himself” yet keeps going to see him and trying to subtly sway his decision was narcissistic and a very weird POV to read. I’m not sure if it was intended to be aggravating to read her thoughts here or what but it was so annoying… like, girl, please leave the man alone, do the right thing and leave the man to support his wife and child, stop being so self-centered! I found myself hating her more and more as the book went on; I mean this very well might have been the intention but considering I also wasn’t a fan of Juno I just felt irritated whilst reading this book.

I’m really sorry to say I just did not find this an enjoyable read. Jess Ryder’s previous book was really good, but there felt like there was something missing from this one and it just left it feeling lacklustre and uninspired. I’d be very interested to read any future work from Ryder and see if this was just a blip in an otherwise good writing career! Overall, I rated this 2.5 out of 5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Jess Ryder for the ARC.

✨3 stars✨

This was a decent thriller, and I can see people enjoying this, especially if you’re looking for a page-turner.

I really enjoyed the Greek island setting! It put me in a summery mood.

However, I found the twists a bit lacklustre. There seemed to be all this build-up about Juno finding her father and trying to get to know her family (like Mamma Mia), and the final reveals fell flat for me!

Personally, I would’ve preferred a thriller that’s more psychological, as everything kind of wrapped up too neatly and I don’t think this plot will last with me.

I cried an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I found this book just an ok read where I did skip a few pages as I felt it was far too long. Not exciting or gripping read for me.

Absolutely captivating read from Jess Ryder. The setting of Inios is so well written you can easily see yourself there. The way the story moves between the two timelines is brilliant.
Highly recommended from me.

I loved The Villa by this author but I didn't feel the same love for The Island. It was a much slower book and it didn't pull me in. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters - except Estelle - but I enjoyed the dual timelines/POV & how it all culminated to the final scenes and I certainly didn't catch on to one of the twists in the book!

Overall, it was grand. I'll definitely read more of Jess Ryder in the future I just don't think this one was one for me.

My second book by Jess Ryder and another great read. Juno is on a mission to get away from her life and find the father she has never met. She turns up on the Greek island of Inios with no plan only the fact she wants to uncover the secret of what happened when her parents met all those years ago.
There are some great characters and I really didn’t know who to trust and kept questioning myself.
I enjoyed reading the letters Estelle had sent all those years ago and I felt the flashbacks to the past really added to the story.
A great read with plenty of twists and turns and an excellent ending I was definitely not expecting.
Thanks to NetGalley , Jess Ryder and Random
House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

A really interesting story which I was happy to read whilst on holiday in Greece. The two strands of mother and daughter visiting the island and the resolution were well done and I didn’t guess the ending. Recommended

Book Review: The Island Escape by Jess Ryder
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)

The Island Escape is a solid mystery with an atmospheric setting and an intriguing premise, but it didn’t quite deliver the emotional punch or suspense I was hoping for.

The story follows Juno as she arrives on the Greek island of Inios in search of the father she’s never met. The backdrop is beautifully drawn—sun-drenched cliffs, secretive locals, and a haunting sense of something hidden beneath the surface. Ryder does a great job of building a sense of mystery, and the tension around the island’s past is engaging.

However, while the setting shines, the pacing felt uneven. The plot took a while to gain momentum, and some twists were more predictable than surprising. Juno was a likeable enough lead, but I struggled to fully connect with her emotionally, which made some of the bigger reveals less impactful than they could have been.

That said, the writing is crisp, and fans of slow-burn psychological thrillers might appreciate the moody tone and layered secrets.

Final Thoughts:
This is a decent beach read with a gorgeous setting and some compelling elements, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me in terms of depth or originality. A good pick if you're in the mood for a light mystery with a scenic escape.

Jess does it again. This is the perfect book if you are travelling abroad (especially if youre going to Greece). It has everything from romance to who dunnit style and I couldn't put it down. Imagine a chick lit crossed with an Agatha Cristie. It was brilliant!

Well done Jess and I can't wait for your next book!

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House UK & Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Island Escape by Jess.

I really enjoyed Jess' novel, The Villa, so I was looking forward to this. Unfortunately, I'm so sorry, this wasn't for me.

There was waaay too much detail (sometimes 3 pages when it could be covered in a page max), I didn't connect with any of the characters and the twist wasn't very twisty for me. It feels like it's missing 'something' to give it a spark.

I'll definitely read more of Jess' books in future but sadly I didn't enjoy this one.

I loved this loved the setting I haven’t read many books based in Greece so was lovely to read something different
This was interesting and a lovely easy read I like the characters like the whole concept a good thriller

A gripping thriller set on the picturesque Greek island of Inios. I loved the atmospheric Greek setting and ways of life. Juno leaves her home for a break from her husband and heads to the Greek island to find her family connections. During her time she discovers long lost secrets, makes friendships and discovers her past. The writing is really engaging and the characters intriguing. A story full of suspense and packed with twists and turns. I really enjoyed this book.

An okay thriller - nothing massively special but a decent plot and a gorgeous Greek island setting. Twist didn't blow me away but I read this in a day so it's a nice quick read

I was thrilled when the team asked me to review this book, thank you publishing house and netgalley for the opportunity! I was gripped from start to finish, absolutely binge worthy material - I read this book in 2 days. Unheard of for me!
The beginning gave me some Mamma Mia vibes and I adored how the timelines entwined, it kept me reading and wanting more. Loved the twists and surprises along the way, the main character had her own flaws but you can tell her thinking was becoming panicked as the story unfolded so it all played nicely together!