Thank you to Net Galley and Gallery books for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I like a good thriller. Ruth Ware has definitely written a few that have kept me on the edge of my seat. I was excited to jump into this one and see where it went. Clearly she knows how to keep the suspense up as evidenced in this fast paced thriller! There's a reason she is one of the psychological queens of suspense!
Five couples set out to take part in a reality show where they are challenged to show they are the perfect couple, But things go exceedingly wrong when a storm hits the island where they are located and they are left to fend for themselves without any of the staff to help them out. Now they have to fend for themselves with limited supplies and no way to potentially be saved.
This book gave me total Lord of the Flies feels. I remember reading it in school and not believing something so horrific could happen. But the truth is, it is our instincts as humans to keep ourselves alive. And in stressful situations we will do anything to survive.
Ware introduces us to characters who are each distinct and bring something interesting to the plot. She writes them so true to life, you feel easily connected and know they could for sure be real life people you might meet every day. For me, it was easy to get attached to certain characters. At the same time, I was worried to truly like any of them because I knew there would be deaths among the group. And Ware did well to keep you in the dark as to the true reality of why the couples were chosen until the last moment when all is revealed!
The narrator is Lyla, a virologist whose boyfriend is trying to break out as an actor. When presented with the opportunity to come on the show, he wants to jump at the chance. But she is skeptical, even after she meets with the producer. She doesn't have a good feeling about any of it. But she gives in and decides to let him have his time in the spotlight. During the book we get some glimpses of other characters who use the one radio left to try and contact someone for rescue. And we get a glimpse of Zana, who writes diary entries of what is happening on the island. These perspectives allow a good amount of mystery to build as each character slowly gets picked off.
I think what I liked most about this book is Ware didn't make circumstances that seemed too far out of the box to have happened. I could truly see myself reacting as the characters did in their situation. It was very true to life. 
This book delivers great tension  which kept me captivated and often on the edge of my seat. I found the first 50% to be more of a slow build as characters were established and things started to happen. Since the cast of characters was larger, it took a bit for me to sus out each one and remember who they were. Then in the second half I could not put the book down. I was thrown into the intensity of the plot and gripped by the suspense. I needed to know where it would go and how it would end. There was definitely some pulse pounding happening during many scenes. And the ending was not at all what I thought it would be!
This is my favorite book by Ware by far. If you're interested in Love Island meets Survivor, you'll love Ware's twists and turns in this action packed thriller!