The Island – C.L. Taylor – What Do I Read Now?

My thanks are due to Sian at Avon / an imprint of Harper Collins – for the invite to join this ‘blog blast’ for C.L. Taylor’s – The Island.

Welcome to The Island.

Where your worst fears are about to come true…

It was supposed to be the perfect holiday: a week-long trip for six teenage friends on a remote tropical island.

But when their guide dies of a stroke leaving them stranded, the trip of a lifetime turns into a nightmare.

Because someone on the island knows each of the group’s worst fears. And one by one, they’re becoming a reality.

Seven days in paradise. A deadly secret.

Who will make it off the island alive?

Our Author – C.L. Taylor

Cally Taylor was born in Worcester and spent her early years living in various army camps in the UK and Germany. She studied Psychology at the University of Northumbria and went on forge a career in instructional design and e-Learning before leaving to write full time in 2014.

She started writing short stories in 2005 and was published widely in literary and women’s magazines. She also won several short story competitions. In 2009 and 2011 her romantic comedy novels (as Cally Taylor) were published by Orion and translated into fourteen languages. HEAVEN CAN WAIT was a bestseller in Hungary and China and HOME FOR CHRISTMAS was made into a feature film by JumpStart Productions. Whilst on maternity leave with her son Cally had an idea for a psychological thriller and turned to crime.

C.L. Taylor lives in Bristol with her partner and young son.

My Review – The Island

Six friends, an island, what could go wrong?

Jefferson, Danny, Jessie, Honor, Milo and Meg, the twins. Have been friends since birth – their parents all met at an NCT group (National Childbirth Trust – I know this, because we too joined a group too, and no we don’t holiday but we do still meet up, at Christmas and perhaps once in the summer, even now the babies are teens) but I know others that have done this from their groups.

This year they are off to Thailand, and as part of the holiday the teens are going on a survival week, whilst the parents stay by their hotel pool. The six teens, all now 17 are going to the island as its Jefferson’s Birthday, and he’s Bear Gryll’s mad – his Dads paid to hire the whole island and a guide, Anuman who takes the six of them to the island on his boat.

Now as idyllic as it sounds – a desert island, sun, sea, sand…. lovely – but for them – it also means no wi-fi, no phones, no pool and having to resource their own food, water and shelter. All things they are capable of, but can they deal with it?

Of course, as you’d expect when you get six kids together, there are issues, arguments and trauma and thats just in the first 48 hours. They are all very different characters, and whilst Jeffer’s has the benefit of his dad’s income, they don’t all have that luxury. Danny and Honor are ‘a couple’ so this just adds to the tension as Danny is protective. Meg feels left out as Honor is her best friend. Jessie has become a bit of loner, although she would very much like to get together with Milo. And so, you can see that all these lives ‘stuck’ together on an island could create tension. And it does, boy is there tension and yes suspense.

This is classed as Young Adult fiction, but I really enjoyed it, its a great story and has some great guidance within the story and I can see many others reading and benefiting from the mental health issues created by Cally.

I am a long time fan of C.L. Taylors – her writing style, the way she creates and writes her characters dialogue, the plot and story line always ends with a bang, just amazing. You know it’s coming, but it’s always a surprise.