Title: RECKLESS GIRLS
Author: Rachel Hawkins
ISBN: 978 0008 4955 89
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 309
Source: Private Copy
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.
Official Summary
17 January 2023
I saw the cover of this book on Good Reads, and I was sold. The fun, bright yellow cover drew my attention immediately – even though I have not read anything by this author before, I placed an order for the book.
This book quickly captures your imagination and keeps you engrossed until the very last page. This story will keep you guessing and then delivers an extremely surprising ending.
The author includes graphic scenery throughout the story. You find yourself visualising the surroundings as you flip the pages. You are left experiencing life at sea and imagining the delights and dangers of a deserted island.
Lux left her life behind and followed her new boyfriend to Maui. It was supposed to be the first stop on an adventure around the world. Unfortunately, that is not what happened, they have been stuck in Maui for six months with Lux working as a maid. That was not the plan. When an opportunity arises to sail to a deserted island with two young women eager for adventure, Nico convinces Lux that it will be fun.
However, when they finally arrive at Meroe Island, there is another couple already there and they are forced to share. Lux is convinced that everyone is becoming friends and that life on the island is nothing but idyllic. Until a lone guy arrives and upsets the applecart. Soon Lux is forced to admit that she does not know anyone she is stranded with – these people, including Nico – are all strangers.
I found myself completely engrossed while turning these pages. The story keeps you hooked and eager to see where it will end. I raced through this book and I cannot wait to read more of this author’s work.
The women in this book are a wonderful mix of characters and you are left curious about all of them. The backstories of each one unfold slowly and as it does you realise that they are not who they appear to be. Just as you decide to like one of them, you learn something new that makes them just a little less appealing. The author did a marvellous job with the women in the story. I cannot say that the male characters made much of an impression on me – yet I think that was the plan all along.
This book was an entertaining read and I look forward to reading more of Rachel Hawkins’ work. If you are keen on a gripping read that will keep you guessing, then this is the book for you.
Also By Rachel Hawkins
The Wife Upstairs
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewellery off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name. But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for. Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her? With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs Rochester will get her happy ending?
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Born in Virginia and raised in Alabama, Rachel Hawkins has been writing since Kindergarten when her first book, a tense thriller involving a unicorn, a witch, and a princess, was called, “very imaginative!” by her teacher and “a searing work of genius” by her mother. Since then, Rachel has written over a dozen books for children and adults (sadly all unicorn-free thus far), and been published in more than twenty countries. As Rachel Hawkins, she wrote the New York Times bestselling THE WIFE UPSTAIRS, a Southern Gothic twist on JANE EYRE that the Southern Review of Books called, “a thrill ride,” and Entertainment Weekly dubbed, “a gothic thriller laced with arsenic.” Her latest thriller, RECKLESS GIRLS, also debuted on the New York Times list with Kirkus calling it, “a soapy, claustrophobic page-turner.” When not writing modern Gothic thrillers as Rachel Hawkins, she also pens paranormal romantic comedies under the name Erin Sterling. Her debut romance, THE EX HEX, was a Book of the Month pick as well as a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller. Rachel currently lives in Auburn, Alabama with her husband, son, and five cats. (Yes, five. She knows.). In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and picking up an assortment of creative hobbies she will give up on after a week or two.
Thank you for stopping by and reading my review. I am always blown away when I look at the blog statistics and see how many people take the time to drop by. Your support has been amazing and I look forward to a busy year, sharing loads of reviews with you along the way. If you enjoyed this book, remember to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. Until next time…Happy Reading!
