Author: Cally Taylor

Year of Publication: January 2021

PLOT: 3/5

CHARACTERS: 2/5

WRITING: 3/5

CLIMAX: 3/5

ENTERTAINMENT: 3/5

Plot

A bunch of teenagers are left on a gloomy island by themselves, as a mysterious stranger plays on their worst anxieties. Six adolescent friends were going to spend a week on a secluded tropical island, and it was meant to be the ideal vacation.However, the trip of a lifetime becomes a nightmare when their guide passes away from a stroke, leaving them stranded.Because everyone in the group’s greatest fears is known to someone on the island. And they’re coming true one by one.

My thoughts

I found some of the drama to be entertaining, and I was curious as to who was aware of their anxieties and gave them life. Without a doubt, my favorite character was Jessie. She had experienced something horrific, yet she still had a strong personality, in my opinion.

In this book, Taylor especially discusses the topic of mental health at the end. This is really crucial, in my opinion, especially given the current state of awareness in society. It illustrates how anyone can be in pain without realizing it, which is related to how the individuals’ own anxieties are affecting them. Like the misery that befalls several of the individuals, what starts off as an impromptu conversation by the beach fire ends up haunting them.

Though I had a lot of thoughts about what was moving this story along, Taylor shocked me all the way to the very end!

What did I not like about the book?

There was a lot of aimless swimming and dashing through the jungle on the island, which made the action appear a bit too dramatic and, well, dull.

Overall thoughts

The book is really well written; I wasn’t at all disappointed by it; it was simply not my kind of thing. I can’t wait to read more of her writings.

I can now give the book three stars instead of two because the ending was pretty much the only section of the narrative that made sense. This is a book that I would suggest for teenagers ( aged 15 and up).