A tale of hidden agendas, devious behavior and complicated relationships set on a mysterious island paradise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Reckless Girls is a suspense-filled thriller as sharp as a machete. Rachel Hawkins delivers a compelling tale filled with intrigue and mayhem that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Lux McAllister has had a rough go of things in her young life. Her parents divorced, her mother got sick, and she had to drop out of college to wait tables in a restaurant to support her mom. But just when she’s at her lowest she meets gorgeous and wealthy Nico, who invites her to move to Maui with him before they set off on a sailing adventure. However, things don’t quite go as planned until Brittany and Amma come into their lives and pay them to charter their boat on an adventure to Meroe Island. Upon arrival at this isolated island, they find they’re not alone but quickly strike up a friendship with Jake and Eliza, a couple who also wanted to travel off the beaten path. But things get complicated when a sketchy individual arrives on the island. All of a sudden, the mood shifts. Bad choices are made, motives are questioned, hard truths come to the surface and paradise suddenly doesn’t look and feel that great. Now, it’s a question of survival for the inhabitants of Meroe Island and it’s not guaranteed everyone will leave alive.
Reckless Girls hooks you from the very first sentence and doesn’t let go until you mutter “oh shit” at the end. Rachel Hawkins does a brilliant job of storytelling by interspersing flashbacks in between present-day events, which results in revealing one puzzle piece at a time of background information until the full picture reveals itself with a big bang. It’s an ambitious novel, with twists and turns and a slow drip of critical realizations at just the right times, that keeps the reader engaged and obsessed with finding out what happens next. It’s unputdownable and easy to devour in one sitting.
Do yourselves a favor and pick up a copy of Reckless Girls upon release in January 2022. Then find a comfortable spot for 4-5 hours and dive in. It’s a fantastic thriller with which to kick off the new year.
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