Reckless Girls

It has been too many years since I was last on a beach, and I have been trying to convince my husband to remedy that situation for at least two years. After reading Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins, however, I might have to rethink that desire. With its dark tone that belies the tropical setting, in Ms. Hawkins' hands, the beach no longer feels like the safe and relaxing place it usually is.

When trying to describe Reckless Girls, all I can think of are adjectives. Dark. Intense. Seedy. Hedonistic. Unpredictable. Luscious. It is all of these things and more. For the entire novel, you are as clueless as Lux, valiantly trying to understand why all of the other characters seem to know more than you do. It is frustrating and suspenseful.

Then show more you finally collect all the puzzle pieces, and your jaw drops at the discovery of all the layers of which you were unaware. The calculation, the coldness, the utter confidence in the rightness of their actions makes what follows a true thriller, whether you agree with their actions or not. While not as strong, in my opinion, as The Wife Upstairs, I still enjoyed Reckless Girls to the bitter end. And bitter it is indeed. show less

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins is a 2022 St. Martin’s Press publication.

Lux is ready to break free and travel the world with her boyfriend, Nico. The trouble is they are stuck in Hawaii, trying to save enough money to fix Nico’s boat. When two women, Amma and Brittany, approach Nico with a job offer to guide them to a remote island in the South Pacific it’s an opportunity they can’t pass up.

Meroe Island is beautiful to be sure… but the island is also notorious, with rumors of cannibalism and murder attached to it. When Lux, Nico, and their two passengers arrive, they are surprised to find someone else already anchored.

Enter Jake and Eliza- a couple who appears to be quite comfortable financially. Their presence is not show more really a problem, though, as everyone seems to get along fine…

Until another boat shows up and tensions begin to rise as secrets, revelations, and dubious intentions rise to the surface, making the island’s superstitious reputation a reality…

I really enjoyed this novel. The sinister atmosphere is off the charts. The story is edgy, and no one is trustworthy. Anytime there is a premise where people are off grid, unable to get traditional help, with limited technology available, the suspense notches up really fast, when things start to go awry. While going off grid sounds heavenly, the reality might not be as charming as we imagine if it turns out we are stuck with people who have been less the forthcoming about their pasts, or have dark secrets…

The whole time I was reading this book, though, there was something about it that felt familiar to me, but I just couldn’t place what it was. After reading the author’s note at the end, I had an Aha! Moment. I won’t say what it was, because I don’t want to give too much away, but I will tell you it was a true crime case I was fascinated by decades ago. I may have to re-read the true crime book about that case again sometime soon.

Overall, this book was unsettling and had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This is a 2 for 2 for me from this author. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!!

* PERSONAl NOTE: Okay, I do have one quibble- about the blurb. This book is marketed as 'Gothic'. It's not. Psychological thriller- all the way- and no elements that fit in the Gothic category. Sorry- that's a big pet peeve of mine. While this misleading categorization doesn't appear to have hurt the book's success, it certainly could have... Just sayin'. show less

Reckless Girls had so much promise; an idyllic setting, a horrifying history, people with dubious backgrounds trapped on an island, a remote paradise, an attraction for adventure seekers, and a sinister feeling. Unfortunately, a story with major plot holes and lack of suspense made for a story that I just didn't find compelling or interesting.

One of the best things about this novel was the setting. One of the things I always dreamed about as a child was finding a beautiful, idyllic island that I could visit, but it had to be one that had a creepy background to explore and learn about. So this one pretty much fits that bill. It is idyllic yes, but also haunted with stories of cannibalism and destruction that were intriguing, ruins show more slowly being swallowed by the jungle show how quickly nature takes over. I loved the danger that seemed to simmer below the events in the story, and personally I don't think the horror of it was utilized as well as it could have been.

Unfortunately, I just didn't connect with any of the characters and found myself disliking them more and more as the story progressed. Typically, I can really dislike a character, but can feel empathy towards them; this one, I just didn't feel anything towards them. I think it was because a lot of their choices just didn't make sense to me, even when I learned more about their backgrounds. I expected there to be secrets, fear, and violence, but I need substance behind it. I look forward sometimes to hating a character as that is the fun in a book like this, just to see exactly what a character can do to someone else. The main character annoyed me the most and the author kept putting in these scenes about her being this great survivor, but all I saw was this whiny person who latched on to this rich boyfriend and hounded him when he refused to use his family money to make their lives better.

I did like the premise of the book, but the actual story was kind of ...absurd? I do think the author was trying to show that wealth and privilege can ruin lives, and the lengths people will go to for revenge. However, it took a long time for the story to really get going, and a lot it simply was unbelievable. The plot holes were a mile wide and it took forever to get going so you get treated to a ton of beach party scenes of the characters partying, etc...

Verdict
Reckless Girls certainly had an interesting premise, but didn't live up to any of it. I wasn't a fan of any of the characters and thought a lot of the plot was pretty fat-fetched. I think I kept reading as I was hoping for the story to pick up and have this big plot twist, but it didn't. I am hoping that other people enjoyed this more than I did, but I can't recommend it. show less

Honestly this was a 4.5 star read for me, and that's just because one of the characters died in a stupid way that I went okay that seems ridiculous. But until that little hiccup, this was definitely a 5 star read. I just rounded up to 5 stars because everything else in the book, character development, writing, flow, setting, and the ending were fantastic. I also had to go back and re-read the prologue because you don't find out until the end who that person was who was drowning at the beginning. I think Hawkins definitely managed to infuse this book with a lot of Gothic tropes and she the little pieces of information we are provided via Instagram posts, interviews with detectives, etc. helps put everything together.

"Reckless Girls" show more follows twenty something year old Lux McAllister. Lux is working as a maid at a hotel in Hawaii. Lux's life is not really where she thought it would be at this point. But she's trying to make the best of things since her boyfriend Nico seems happy to be working in the marina while they save money trying to fix his boat the Susannah. When Nico is offered a lot of money to take two young women (Brittany and Amma) to a remote island called Meroe, he says he won't go along unless Lux comes with them. Lux is wary about the four of them being on an a boat for several days and the island for two weeks, but finally agrees. When they foursome arrive, they find another couple (Eliza and Jake) and the six of them seem to be gelling together, but there seems to be something dark about the island and when another person comes along to camp out on the island, things hit a breaking point.

So I felt for Lux. You find out a lot about her through bits and pieces of the book and you found out about her mother, her father, and how she ended up meeting Nico and falling for him. And even though there is something that warns Lux about Nico, she still acts a role (the cool girlfriend) around him and others so that he doesn't know how much she loves and needs him.

The other characters we get some insight into since Hawkins shows us "Before" following Amma, Brittany, and even Eliza. You start to put the pieces together, towards the end about certain characters and see some of the hints that Hawkins gives you about people/things/incidents until all is fully revealed at the end of the book.

I thought the writing was very good. Each of the women in this book were "reckless" about certain things, either men or their own actions surrounding them. For Lux you had her giving up her entire life to sail almost around the world with Nico. Instead she is a maid at a hotel and living with Nico and other people in a small damp place. Brittany has a tragedy in her past that you don't fully know the extent of and seems focused on traveling to escape how much pain she is. And even Eliza and Amma have other things that are driving them.

The flow was really good. I was initially worried that having the book mostly follow Lux with little chapters following the other women would take away from the main story, but it really worked for me.

The setting of Hawaii seems dull. When I think of Hawaii I picture the ocean, beaches, and luaus. Instead we see it through Lux's eyes and it's not a place you want to stay for long. And even though Meroe Island starts off as a paradise, it quickly becomes a dark and frightening place after the group gets blown apart. I liked Hawkins at the end of the book saying she took inspiration from "And The Sea Will Tell." I recall watching that tv series when I was growing up and I recall watching the two couples (Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns and "Mac" Graham and Eleanor "Muff" Graham) and seeing how things went from friendly to dark very quickly.

The ending was a little off, it was good, but as I said some of the explanation and resolution about things felt rushed and a bit ridiculous. show less

I have to admit that if it hadn't been for a challenge, I probably would never have picked this up...especially when it was touted to be reimaging of Agatha Christie. I believe that I am the only living human being that doesn't like Agatha Christie. Once I got past the first couple of chapters I found that it was a fairly fast read...and that I had become enthralled to find out who the killer was. There is absolutely nothing predictable about this book. It's filled with lies, not knowing if you can trust the person you have known for years, and what all good mysteries need...deceit.

“There are always options. Particularly when you let go of the version of yourself that got here in the first place. You can cling to the before, or you can live in the after.”

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins is a propulsive page turner I binge read in a single day. It is a book about power, options, who has them inherently, who must adapt to make their own. It’s about before and after. How we move forward, what are we willing to do to start over. Told in alternating timelines from several different point of views it’s quite a while before pieces start coming together, forming a larger picture of how these characters fit together, their motivations, who knows what and when. Hawkins presents the question: who are we when show more everything is stripped away, what are we capable of? I would have liked less going on, it felt slightly fussy. No plot holes are left which is impressive!
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review Reckless Girls. All opinions are my own. show less

A steamy thriller sounded perfect during the extreme cold, blizzard, and ice storm ❄️ this past week! That being said, although the setting is tropical, the island itself struck me as a foreboding place with sharp edges as opposed to a tempting holiday destination. That works for this book, which is part of a thriller subgenre: paradise gone terribly wrong. I liked the main character, Lux, and related to hee excitement for travel and new opportunities, without a set plan. The layering in of additional characters stepped up the suspense starting right in the first chapter, and the author’s decision to add in documents and flashbacks added to the uncertainty about everything except one thing: nothing good will happen on this island. show more I read this with a group and found it helpful to discuss with others and pull apart each chapter. Enjoyed! show less