Reckless Girls

Lux and her boyfriend Nico are hired to sail two young women, Brittany and Amma, to a secluded, supposedly haunted island in the South Pacific. When they arrive, golden couple Jake and Eliza are already there, but the six get along well and settle in happily to enjoy the tropical paradise. Despite its charm, something about the place feels a little off. To make matters worse, a stranger arrives on the island looking frail and acting suspicious. His unwelcome behavior sets everyone on edge, which ultimately leads to the unraveling of the group. Secrets among them begin to surface while the island’s grip slowly seems to take hold of their minds. Hawkins (The Wife Upstairs) continues her transition from YA to adult fiction by creating character-driven plot twists, some of which are predictable. Themes about class and social norms address questions of how people will act when social order has been taken away. This suspenseful thriller is like the adult version of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, only with more mature conflicts.