Reckless Girls: A Novel

Written by Rachel Hawkins

Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

"Kreinik effortlessly switches among various accents and emotions, keeping listeners riveted as she reveals the novel’s twists and turns." -- Booklist

"Kreinik's range is highlighted as she seamlessly shifts among characters' various accents: a Brit's clipped consonants, a charming Australian's broad vowels, and an American's Southern drawl. As relaxation changes to fear, Kreinik deftly reflects the changing mood." -- AudioFile

From Rachel Hawkins, the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, comes Reckless Girls, a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.

But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.

When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Jan 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250835581

Rachel Hawkins

Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, Reckless Girls, The Villa, and The Heiress, as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.

Reviews for Reckless Girls

[Sierra Anne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Audiobook was super, super messed up… didn’t flow in chronological order….

[Jodie Moore · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story was interesting and had a few parts that were "Didn't see that one coming." Overall, good story but felt bland with dull, whiney characters and lacked a real suspense/thriller vibe.

[ches david · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This wasnt the most thrilling story ever but I sure as heck had a lot of fun reading this. And this audiobook is so awesome. Would recommend

[Tatianna Saito · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5.. I didn’t love it but also didn’t hate it. Main character annoying AF.

[Jamie Rasmussen Bratton · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Please be warned that while the readers voices are phenomenal, this is hands down the most boring “thriller” I’ve ever attempted.

[Callee Moore · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The twists and turns are an example of really excellent writing but none of the characters are likable and that just ruins the whole thing for me.

[Karen Chandler · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a strange overall written book of drugs, stealing, killing, and survival.

[Val · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I was promised a thriller and this is obviously not it

[Brittany Jones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! This one turned out to be so good! It's been on my tbr for a while and it was so good. I really enjoyed the story line, I caught on fast to a few things but the end got me! Such a great, fast read. Highly recommend. I always love a good island book, especially a thriller.

On another note, the Epilouge really confused me. I don't know who Caroline and Tanner are. I also want to know what happened to Lux.

Overall good read!

[Jessica · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a good story line but the characters were to juvenile for my taste.

[Tonje Johansen · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Wtf did I even listen to? This book contains some of the most naive, clueless and dumb characters I’ve ever encountered. There’s nothing reckless about them. I’m sorry but this was trash. One is a sobbing mess, the other naive enough to think her hot rich boyfriend cares about her after displaying no signs of actually caring or following up on his promises, and the last one was just travelling the entire world for months to get revenge all because her mum was sent to jail. Oh and I’m suppose to believe everyone is easily converted into psychos just by being what, a day without food/radio on the island? Really? As far as I could tell only one person arrived on the island with murder in mind but at the end almost everyone had tried to or successfully killed someone. And the dumbest part was the fact that Amma couldn’t recognise Eliza as being ‘Chloe’ whom she and Brittany travelled around with shortly before going to the island. Or the fact that Brittany didn’t think to Google her newfound, mysterious friend and find out she was the girlfriend of the guy who killed her parents? REALLY? Thanks but no thanks.

[Juli · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 Stars

Highly recommend this audiobook! Author did a great job with the accents and had a good tone.

Major language! Unnecessary in my opinion.

Overall good listen, twists were somewhat predictable.

Would recommend!

[Kirsten Wiebe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It’s hard to rate this book. The story was great, but extremely bad audiobook. Narration is great, however the chapters repeat multiple times. Do not listen to the Scribe audiobook!!!If you want to listen to it, find a different version.

[Shawna · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Summer read vibes. I was drawn in from the beginning of this book. It has drama and who done it and a mysterious island, what's not to love. It takes a bunch of twists and turns that are fun and some even unexpected. Overall a fun read

[Rainy McKnight Fincher · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The only thing going for this book are the descriptive island vibes.

[Sandra Gurvis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was excellent.... Except for the eye roller of an ending. Author painted herself into a corner and took the easy, clichéd way out, which is disappointing considering what went before.

[Joseph Burgin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wow what a fun, quick read. I throughly enjoyed this and glad I am terrified of sailing or cruises. This was a little predictable at times but I think this book was really good even though it was. Throughly recommend this to anyone who wants a fast, suspenseful thriller.

[Brittany Lynn Clark · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story was, just fine. Narration was very well done.

[Floriane · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I like the beginning of the book - sailing to the infamous Meroe Island, the budding friendship among the six people who shared their adventure on the island, the arrival of a stranger who disrupted their idyllic "vacation." I didn't like the ending, though. There was no mention that Amma knew who Eliza really is, and it was revealed only in the last chapters. That left me unsatisfied with the story, thus the 3 stars rating. The narrator has a good male voice, but her narration sounds flat to me. For that reason, it did not make me move up the star rating.

[Stacy Reinhart · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Weak, poorly developed characters in a twisty, but unrealistic plot

[faye373 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good narration and accents, the only slightly annoying thing is that for 95% I could put it on 3x speed but randomly she would talk a bit quicker and I couldn't understand that part

[sharon lewis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed how the book’s trajectory shifted perspective multiple times. Kept me guessing on what was exactly happening. Very good plot!!

[Claudia McBroom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this on my way to work in the Virgin Islands. Suspenseful with a great ending.

[Keri B · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The ending was totally unexpected. Loved the whole beach in paradise vibe

[Carah Marquez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great summer read - I loved this story -simple but engaging. I loved the ending. Keeps you locked in from start to finish. My favorite book of the summer so far!

[Traci Sullivan Rivera · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

So so very confused at the end of this book.

[Marta Em · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very quick beach read. For the 90% of the book nothing really happens and then suddenly at the very end the action starts and it's just weird...

[monica clay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Takes too long to get interesting. A lot of nothing and then the lady few chapters everything is dumped on you.

[Alexandra Jane Welcome · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

SPOILERS
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I have no idea why the author made the island into such a big deal, with a bloody history, when it added up to absolutely nothing. There was no point in all the history we were given. It should have just been an unmarked island or something. The "island" was not the problem like the author kept trying to get us to buy, the characters themselves were just awful people. And don't advertise cannibalism etc if it's not going to play a role in the present day story! The book is a slow burn and I enjoyed all of it until the twist. It was a bit cringey. Everything "thriller " was jammed quickly into a few pages towards the end. I even paused after certain moments happened and reread because the deaths came and went so suddenly I basically missed them. I feel as though a good story was being built, but then crashed because the author "connected all the dots" so quickly.

[Maryrose Roque · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A bit like the book, Deep Water, but with very shallow characters and a different ending.