Girl Island by Kate Castle

High school is not always easy. When your plane crashes while you’re on a school vacation and you get yourself on a deserted island with several of your classmates, it’s even harder. Even worse is when the majority of your classmates despise you. The pilot suffered a heart attack while Ellery was on a field trip. They succeed in getting the plane onto the sea so they may travel to a nearby island. Being stranded on a tropical island is anything but idyllic, and survival isn’t as simple as they imagine.

From the first page, “Girl Island” captivates you and doesn’t let go till the very end. It is jam-packed with the kind of dramatic situations, action, and high school girl drama that you would anticipate. This novel is Lord of the Flies meets Mean Girls, as one of the other reviews put it, and I can’t think of a better way to put it. Imagine being marooned with Regina George on an island.

That is just how Whitney and her friends are. Till help arrives, Ellery must figure out how to keep her instructor, who is hurt, and her friends, Dawkes and Sky, alive and secure. But it’s never as simple as it seems to survive. Violence, death, and grim, graphic scenes appeared in the narrative. It is not suitable for readers with weak hearts. The author does a great job of evoking sympathy for the characters and their situation while still attempting to keep things as realistic as possible.

RELATED STORIES

Stuck in Her Head by Kylie Wang

8 Most Anticipated Young Adult Books of Fall 2023

November 11, 2023

1.5k

Fractured by Shay Siegel

Friendships are put to the test, tempers flare, and survival is not guaranteed. This is not appropriate for younger readers and belongs in the YA genre. This book contains mature content and multiple trigger warnings, including one on the page where death occurs. You might want to pass on this one if you don’t like bloody or violent scenes because it might not be to everyone’s taste. It moves along at a fantastic pace that never feels rushed or overly slow.

The plot moves along at a good rate and there is enough action to keep things interesting. The main character came out as knowledgeable and compelling thanks to some excellent survival techniques that were tossed in there. Ellery is rugged and fearless, but he’s also kind and generous. She made for a wonderful fictional subject. I thought this book was excellent and would strongly suggest it.

About The Book

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? This thrilling must-read adventure novel is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games.

Seventeen-year-old farm girl Ellery is used to being alone; used 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?