Review: The Island by Natasha Preston

Would you have said yes?

With an invitation to an exclusive island with all expenses paid and more fame on their social media accounts, six teenagers find themselves spending one weekend together at Jagged Island.

A True-Crime Podcaster, Paisley is enthralled by this opportunity and can’t help but beg to go after receiving the invitation from Malcolm Wyatt who is the millionaire owner of the island. After what feels like weeks of convincing her parents with the help of her older brother Blaine-or who she refers to as the “Golden Child”, they reluctantly agree to let her go on this weekend trip.

As Paisley arrives on the island, the readers are introduced to the other well-known influencers who were invited to see the amusement park before it’s open to the general public. With James, movie reviewer, Harper the book-obsessed blogger, Liam who games, and Ava and Will who are rival beauty gurus, they arrive at the same conclusion: the resort is ten times better than they expected.

Their first day at the park is a dream come true, and all of the influencers are having fun with the VIP treatment that they’re receiving. They explore the resort, and their hotel rooms, and have a blast on the thrilling roller coaster rides. Although Paisley feels like she is being watched and strange things start happening, she ignores the feelings in hopes of having a good time.

When one of the influencers doesn’t come down for breakfast on the second day, the group’s suspicions about Jugged Island rise. After pushing aside those feelings and assuming the person is just sleeping in, they go to the beach and explore the rest of the park. However, Paisley’s gut is telling her that something is wrong.

Shortly after investigating and searching the entire island, the WIFI goes out, security camera footage is gone, and more and more people start going missing. Will any of them make it off this island alive? Read Natasha Preston’s novel The Island to find out what happens next.

As always, her endings are unpredictable, and you’ll be left wondering what happens next. Her characters are complex and well-written, and I found myself relating to some of the characters, especially Paisley and Harper. With Harper’s love for books, I found myself laughing at the fact that she brought eleven books with her to the Island- it’s definitely something I would’ve done. Plus I loved Paisley’s relationship with her mom and how funny it was, it reminded me of mine with my mom. The novel was thrilling, fast-paced, and filled with plot twists that left the readers on the edge of their seats wanting to find out more. Her writing style is easy to follow and it’s the type of book that you can read in one sitting. If you are a fan of One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (if set on an island), then this is a book you will enjoy!