YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

Lost meets The Hunger Games in the thrilling new young adult novel from C.L. Taylor, the Sunday Times and million-copy bestselling author.

Welcome to The Island.
Where your worst fears are about to come true…

It was supposed to be the perfect holiday: a week-long trip for six teenage friends on a remote tropical island.

But when their guide dies of a stroke leaving them stranded, the trip of a lifetime quickly turns into a nightmare.

Because someone on the island knows each of the group’s worst fears. And one by one, they’re coming true.

Seven days in paradise. A deadly secret.

Who will make it off the island alive?

I'll start this in a few hours!

Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[Okay I LOVE the way she fully put the chair down on his hand. I was so shocked to see him being so forward after being told no and he didn't even try talking to Honor first (hide spoiler)]

I found here 🥳

Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[Wow random! Wonder what brought the heart attack on!

These characters sure are feeling years younger than 17 (hide spoiler)]

Johanna wrote: "I found here 🥳"

Hellooooo, this is a very easy book haha can't be more than a 3-star

Chapter 13 (view spoiler)[Okay why are these kids so dumb that they're staying on a tropical island wearing flip flops? They've been by themselves for a whole day at least on a stinking hot island, why hasn't this dead body started swelling and smelling and attracting animals?? Surely Anumun would have had an emergency satellite. They're not even worried AT ALL about being on this island by themselves for an indeterminate amount of time and typical 17 years old all they wanted to do was drink alcohol (hide spoiler)]

Maddie wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I found here 🥳"

Hellooooo, this is a very easy book haha can't be more than a 3-star"

Noooo, don't say so 🙈

Haha it's a nice easy read? It's really fast-paced

Chapter 19 (view spoiler)[So now there's the pool guys on the island. Random (hide spoiler)]

Maddie wrote: "Haha it's a nice easy read? It's really fast-paced"

Sounds 4 star read then, possible. For me I mean 🤣

Haha who knows, I'm 62% in now and will finish it tonight

So I finished, I hated how the twist was, once again, (view spoiler)[mental health. Especially how it's a YA book, mental health shouldn't be a twist. Not to mention that I didn't connect with any of these characters, I didn't care what was going on, I didn't know anyone, and I just wanted it to be done with. Thank gosh it was short. (hide spoiler)]

Review I received this courtesy of @HarperCollinsNZ, and it finally made it's way onto a monthly tbr! I was in need of a short book, and this jumped out at me. It sounded like it would be right up my alley, and while it did fall short of my expectations, it was an easy fast-paced dual POV book. I kind of wish we had more perspectives of the other characters, but I really liked the group dynamic and how much of a history the characters had. They already all knew each other, and it's a refreshing take on a book.

Chapter 1
(view spoiler)[Hahaha, I noticed that this wasn't THE The Island book I have been looking at but that's okay! This seems to be interesting and I love the genre overall so I want to read this. Well one year ago has happened something, sounds usual past for main characters in these kind of book. Maybe the girl she was thinking about in the prologue died then? Did she killed her? I would have loved to have a bit different past because this kind of "something happened, but I don't say it direct or I lie to the reader" -plot is used so many times. But I am giving this one a chance to surprise me. And same comes about she saying how she isn't psycho and then doing something that makes others call her a psycho xD Not first time when we see that either xD But what is the most interesting is that they are going to the island and there they're going to get "a survival experience" and one in the group uses all his spare time for these kind of things. Intrigued what comes from that. And there is already another group and tensions with them. (hide spoiler)]

Maddie wrote: "Chapter 1 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[That really was something xD (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6
(view spoiler)[So there is two who have scars: Honor - maybe she has done them herself? - and Jessie who have propably been in the accidents and got burned. And she lost her brother too then. And that's something that has happened a year ago. Or did Honor something then? Was she a cause for the accident? Another usual trope in this kind of book: people tell about their phobia to others xD Danny is Honor's boyfriend but they have troubles in paradise. Milo is gay but everyone has known it years. And then of course their guide got a stroke and is out of the game. Or maybe someone poisoned him or something. (hide spoiler)]

Maddie wrote: "Chapter 6"

(view spoiler)[Well there was the vodka bottle so they're drinking and some of them have sex lifes so I am not so sure about that. But well yeah I kind of see what you're meaning: at least Jefferson learning survival skills for fun sounded more like a scout than something else. Even though I would imagine how 17-yo having a hobby like that being rougher somehow. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 13
(view spoiler)[Who goes to the survival camp with flip flops, hahahahahah. There is now two camps and some tensions. Not so surprisingly their phobias are coming alive (hide spoiler)]

Maddie wrote: "Chapter 13 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[🤣🤣🤣 Your comments made me laugh xD (hide spoiler)]

It was just a dumb book haha

Maddie wrote: "Chapter 19 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yeah and I understand that they had some issues but think if you're in the island and a boat comes: what would you do? Well I think everyone would yell at the boat immediately and then tell about the dead guide and how there isn't a boat and they're trapped. Well what did Jess do? She almost small talked with them, telling nothing about their circumstances. Well so yeah they had the incident but you're in tough situation and need help. Whoever being on the boat I would ask help. (hide spoiler)]

The characters are just dumb

Finished
(view spoiler)[Well. I thought I would be scared but this didn't feel really scary. I didn't feel the threat. I understand that this was YA but still? And I had suspicions for that reason: nothing concrete seemed to threaten them so I suspected that there wasn't a real threat after all. I have read books that has the same twist but they have made me to believe how there is a real threat. I think this failed with that. Entertaining but not what I expected of a thriller (hide spoiler)]

Maddie wrote: "So I finished, I hated how the twist was, once again, [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[True, characters didn't make me to relate to them. Their pasts had been rough but somehow it didn't make me to feel for them. (hide spoiler)]