My review: 4⭐

I don’t know why it excites me so much when the main character has the same name as me, but it just does. She is definitely more resourceful than I think I would be in the same circumstances.

Tom (father), Heather (step-mom), Olivia (14) and Owen (12) embark on a trip to Australia together. The kids have been having a tough time since their mother died a year ago, and now they have a new step-mom trying to fill her shoes. Right off the bat Heather meets a guy who you think is sketchy, but it turns out his gift plays a big role in the coming days.
The kids beg Tom to bring them to see some animals and they find themselves on Dutch Island . With no cell phone service and some not so nice residents, this family soon realizes they have to get off the island now, but how?

Man there were some heart pounding moments. I felt like I was dehydrated and running for my life right along with them at times.
There were quite a few too many ❗ that seemed like they were yelling at each other when they were supposed to be hiding and not be found.

The kids were a bit annoying at times, but they’ve been through a lot so I’ll give them a pass. I warmed up to them after a while. I have a daughter the same age as Olivia, so some insinuations of what could happen to her really made me shudder.

As a dog lover there were some scenes that I’d rather not have had to happen, but I’m chalking it up to doing what you have to do to survive.

I did like The Chain more than this one, but it was certainly a fast paced intense one that I’d recommend for those that enjoy stories about fighting to stay alive while being hunted by crazy people.

*Thanks to Little Brown and Company, Adrian McKinty and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

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Book blurb: Release date ~ May 17, 2022

IT WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE A FAMILY VACATION.

A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT CHANGED EVERYTHING.

YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF UNTIL THEY COME FOR YOUR FAMILY.

After moving from a small country town to Seattle, Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. A working vacation overseas seems like the perfect way to bring the new family together, but once they’re deep in the Australian outback, the jet-lagged and exhausted kids are so over their new mom.

When they discover remote Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry, taking a chance on an adventure far from the reach of iPhones and Instagram.

But as soon as they set foot on the island, which is run by a tightly knit clan of locals, everything feels wrong. Then a shocking accident propels the Baxters from an unsettling situation into an absolute nightmare.

When Heather and the kids are separated from Tom, they are forced to escape alone, seconds ahead of their pursuers.

Now it’s up to Heather to save herself and the kids, even though they don’t trust her, the harsh bushland is filled with danger, and the locals want her dead.

Heather has been underestimated her entire life, but she knows that only she can bring her family home again and become the mother the children desperately need, even if it means doing the unthinkable to keep them all alive.

SOON TO BE A HULU ORIGINAL SERIES