Book Review - The Islanders by S. V. Leonard

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Title: The Islanders

Author: S. V. Leonard

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Canelo

Publication Date: 11th March 2021

Rating: 5 Stars

Her dream escape is about to become a nightmare…

Kimberley King has spent the last five years trying to outrun the reason she left the police force. Her life is a mess and she’s desperate for change. So when she is randomly selected for the new series of the hit show LoveWrecked, she can’t pass up the chance to win the £100,000 prize. All Kimberley needs to do is couple up with one of her fellow contestants, win the infamous LoveWrecked challenges, and she will have enough cash for a fresh start.

But the island isn’t the paradise she was promised and within hours, one of the contestants is dead. Then the announcement comes: one of the islanders is a murderer and Kimberley must find out who, live on television. For every hour it takes her, one more person will die.

The game is rigged, everyone is hiding secrets, and time is running out…

An addictive and unputdownable crime thriller, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and T.M. Logan.

My head is reeling, I don't know exactly what to say other than OMG! Remind me never to go onto a reality TV show ever, it could be the last thing you ever do. 

I think even programmes like "When Reality TV Goes Wrong" wouldn't have been able to know what to make of the events that happened in the LoveWrecked villa over the course of the book. And a word of note if you are a TV producer, I know ratings are key for you, but please don't allowing live streamed murder, and then the rest of the happenings in this book on your programmes, its horrific. 

That being said I can't help but think The Islanders would make a wonderful film, full of intrigue, its fast paced, you literally don't know what will be thrown at them next, other than Kimberley is being put into an impossible situation. 

This is about a reality TV programme but not as you know it and its very hard to know who you can trust, and at no point did I guess just who set it all up or who was responsible. Then again the action was so frenetically paced that my head didn't have time to try to work anything out, just trying to keep up with what was happening. 

This is one seriously impressive debut, I read the book in two sittings and that was only because I wanted to go to bed, not because I wanted to be parted from the story that was ramping up at all times.  Utterly brilliant! 

Thank you to Canelo and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,