TEENAGE GIRLS CAN BE SAVAGE.
Six teenage girls. One deserted island. Removed from civilised society, can they challenge class, identity and toxic femininity to pull together and survive? Or will they descend into savagery?
Seventeen-year-old Ellery is used to being alone; to taking care of herself. After she wins an athletics scholarship to a prestigious new school, she finds herself facing her own personal nightmare – stuck on a plane with a bunch of mean girls, the school dork and her ex-best friend. But when the plane crashes and they find themselves alone on a deserted island, the real challenge begins.
As they fight for survival, long-buried secrets are uncovered and – one by one – each girl’s true character emerges. Can friendships, like fires, be relit? And can Ellery survive on Girl Island?
'Move over Katniss Everdeen, there's room for another teen heroine.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Mean Girls meets Lord of the Flies. I loved it.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A wonderfully gripping, daring debut YA novel.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A thrilling, quick read...I loved it so much I read it in a day!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Intensely wonderful…the writing, the characters, the storyline…all of it was phenomenal.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Just wow. I binge-read this in a day!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
TEENAGE GIRLS CAN BE SAVAGE.
Six teenage girls. One deserted island. Removed from civilised society, can they challenge class, identity and toxic femininity to pull together and survive? Or will they descend into savagery?
Seventeen-year-old Ellery is used to being alone; to taking care of herself. After she wins an athletics scholarship to a prestigious new school, she finds herself facing her own personal nightmare – stuck on a plane with a bunch of mean girls, the school dork and her ex-best friend. But when the plane crashes and they find themselves alone on a deserted island, the real challenge begins.
As they fight for survival, long-buried secrets are uncovered and – one by one – each girl’s true character emerges. Can friendships, like fires, be relit? And can Ellery survive on Girl Island?
'Move over Katniss Everdeen, there's room for another teen heroine.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Mean Girls meets Lord of the Flies. I loved it.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A wonderfully gripping, daring debut YA novel.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A thrilling, quick read...I loved it so much I read it in a day!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Intensely wonderful…the writing, the characters, the storyline…all of it was phenomenal.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Just wow. I binge-read this in a day!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Crack!
The sound of a twig breaking rouses me. I hold my breath and stay completely still.
I hear them whispering, maybe fifteen metres to my left. I turn my head slowly and see torchlight through the leaves. The light is getting brighter, closer.
“Maybe she’s dead already. You stuck her pretty good.”
“We need to find her. And we need to make sure.”
They are no more than ten metres from me now and walking straight towards my hiding spot.
This island must be purgatory, I think. Not for the first time.
Seven metres now. Six.
I only have one option left.
I burst from my hiding place and run.
“There!” one shouts. “Found her! She’s here!”
I run. I run as fast as I possibly can. Through the thick vines and undergrowth, deeper into the jungle. I don’t look back. Thorny creepers whip and sting my face and arms. Pain streaks hot down my side. My T-shirt clings to my skin with blood and sweat. My lungs are burning. But every fibre of my body is in overdrive, united in its one purpose: to survive.
As long as I am running, I know I can out-pace them. I just need enough space between them and me – enough time – to find a better hiding place.
I get a good head start before the ground takes a sudden uphill turn and I stumble. I clamber up the hill, my fingers clawing at the damp earth, finding purchase. I hear footsteps crashing through the underbrush behind me. I manage to get to my feet again and sprint through a clearing, further into the dense jungle, into the blackness. Away from their torchlight, away from the moonlight.
One thing I am certain of: being alone in the dark is the only way I will survive the night.
High school can be brutal. It’s even harder when your plane crashes on a school trip and you end up on a deserted island with several classmates. It’s even worse when most of those classmates hate you.
Ellery was on a class trip when the pilot had a heart attack. They manage to land the plane on the water and get to a nearby island. Survival isn’t as easy as they think, and being stuck on a tropical island is far from paradise.
This story pulls you in from page one and doesn’t release it’s grip until the bitter end. It is full of tense moments, action, and all the drama you’d expect from high school girls. One of the other reviews said this book is Lord of the Flies meets Mean Girls and I honestly couldn’t have said it any better. Imagine being stuck on an island with Regina George. That is exactly what Whitney and her cronies are like. Ellery has to find a way to keep her injured teacher and her friends, Dawkes and Sky, alive and safe until they are rescued. But survival is never as easy as it seems.
The story had dark, brutal moments, death and violence. It isn’t for the faint of heart reader. The author really makes you feel for the characters and their plight, all while trying to keep the situation as realistic as possible. Tempers flare, friendships are tested and living to see another day isn’t a guarantee.
This is squarely in the YA category and not for younger readers. Mature content and several trigger warnings are in this book, including on the page death. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea so if violence and bloody moments aren’t your thing, you may want to skip this one.
The pacing is great and it never feels too slow or too rushed. There is enough action to keep the plot moving at a good clip and everything feels plausible. There were some great survival tricks thrown in there that made the main character seem competent and compelling. Ellery is brave and tough but also compassionate and generous. She was a fantastic character to read about.
This was a great book and I definitely recommend it.