You know when things are going on in life that feel like a LOT and you really just want a book that will sweep you up, grab your full attention, and transport you away from everything that’s stressing you out for a while? This book was exactly that.
What attracted me to this book was the concept of a group of people who travel to a deserted island, and then things start to happen. They don’t know if one of them is responsible, suddenly they have reason to question whether the people they know are who they seem, and to also wonder if, perhaps, they aren’t the only ones on the island after all.
The story begins with a couple, Lux and Nico, who are hired by two tourists, Brittany and Amma to take them to Meroe Island. Lux is the main character, and we see events through her perspective. She seems a bit lost, a bit rudderless, and has already followed her rich-but-rebellious boyfriend Nico from the mainland to Hawaii, ostensibly to fix his boat and sail off into the sunset, but so far has meant crashing at a friend’s house and working as a maid. So when the girls show up offering enough money to set them back on track AND some adventure, Lux is happy to hop onto their plan and sail away into their sunset.
The group are aware of the reputation Meroe has for being haunted and causing anyone who stays too long to go a bit crazy, but none of them really take that seriously. When they first arrive, they discover a fancy boat already moored in a sheltered cove, and an attractive and personable couple on board who are happy to share their delicious meals and fancy booze. The beginning of their trip is idyllic and relaxing, with lots of good conversation, attraction, and carefree exploration.
But it doesn’t take long for a sinister element to start creeping into their dream vacation. A chilling discovery on a hike is enough to set Lux off balance, and a subsequent betrayal creates a rift between some members of the group. A new arrival also brings out some hidden sides of some of the travelers, and more and more questions are brought up and left unanswered.
The book is incredibly fast-paced (I listened to the audio on 1.75x speed, and it was super easy to get through in a day). There’s some interesting back and forth between past and present, some slow revelations about each of the characters, and enough intrigue to keep things very, very interesting. Is it the best thriller I’ve ever read? No, but it’s a damn good one. It is also the perfect book to read during a summer heatwave. Definitely one I’m glad I checked out, and one that will likely stick with me for a while!
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.
When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.
Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.
But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.
When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive. – Goodreads
Book Title: Reckless Girls
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: No
Edition: Audiobook
Published By: St. Martin’s Press/Libby
Released: January 4, 2022
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Intrigue, Island Adventure
Pages: 320
Date Read: August 11, 2022
Rating: 6/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.61/5 (66,857 ratings)