Young Adult

Never Coming Home

Never Coming Home

  • Downloads：7134
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-06-16 09:52:04
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kate Williams
  • ISBN：0593304861
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

The beach read you have been dying for！ When ten of America's hottest teenage influencers are invited to an exclusive island resort， things are sure to get wild。 But murder isn't what anyone expected。 Will anyone survive？

Everyone knows Unknown Island—it’s the world’s most exclusive destination。 Think white sand beaches， turquoise seas， and luxury accommodations。 Plus， it’s invite only， no one over twenty-one allowed， and it’s absolutely free。 Who wouldn’t want to go？

After launching with a showstopping viral marketing campaign， the whole world is watching as the mysterious resort opens its doors to the First Ten， the ten elite influencers specifically chosen to be the first to experience everything Unknown Island has to offer。 You know them。 There’s the gamer， the beauty blogger， the rich girl， the superstar， the junior politician， the environmentalist， the DJ， the CEO， the chef， and the athlete。

What they don’t know is that they weren’t invited to Unknown Island for their following—they were invited for their secrets。 Everyone is hiding a deadly one， and it looks like someone’s decided it’s payback time。 Unknown Island isn’t a vacation， it’s a trap。 And it’s beginning to look like the First Ten—no matter how influential—are never coming home。

Download

Reviews

Anna ，

When ten of America's top teenage influencers are invited to be the first guests at the brand new and internet-famous Unknown Island resort， they are all excited for the opportunity to grow their brand， get away， and relax。 But they quickly realize that the resort is not at all what was advertised and may be deadly。 Someone knows their darkest secrets， and there is no way off the island。 I love locked-room mysteries， and this one was so fun！ Every character had dark backstories， but it was still When ten of America's top teenage influencers are invited to be the first guests at the brand new and internet-famous Unknown Island resort， they are all excited for the opportunity to grow their brand， get away， and relax。 But they quickly realize that the resort is not at all what was advertised and may be deadly。 Someone knows their darkest secrets， and there is no way off the island。 I love locked-room mysteries， and this one was so fun！ Every character had dark backstories， but it was still so easy to become invested in their safety！ I also loved that each chapter was written from multiple characters' perspectives and that all of the characters are unreliable narrators。 As much as I wanted them to survive and was rooting for their success， I didn't fully trust any of them。 This made it so interesting to read。 I am not sure how I feel about the ending， but I very much enjoyed the read！Thank you to Delacorte Press， Netgalley， and Kate Williams for an arc in exchange for my honest review。 If you are a fan of thrillers or locked-room mysteries， you will love this book！ 。。。more

Daniel Sepúlveda ，

Puntaje: 3。2 Estrellas。Primero que todo， quiero agradecer a Delacorte Press por aceptar mi solicitud de Netgalley para reseñar esta novela。 Lo primero que me llamó la atención sobre este libro fue la sinopsis: La idea de enviar a unos influencers a una isla paradisiaca solo para descubrir que iban a morir uno a uno es estremecedora， y como buen amante del Thriller， no pude dejar pasar la oportunidad de leerlo。La novela tiene un muy buen comienzo， estuve completamente enganchado desde la introduc Puntaje: 3。2 Estrellas。Primero que todo， quiero agradecer a Delacorte Press por aceptar mi solicitud de Netgalley para reseñar esta novela。 Lo primero que me llamó la atención sobre este libro fue la sinopsis: La idea de enviar a unos influencers a una isla paradisiaca solo para descubrir que iban a morir uno a uno es estremecedora， y como buen amante del Thriller， no pude dejar pasar la oportunidad de leerlo。La novela tiene un muy buen comienzo， estuve completamente enganchado desde la introducción de los personajes hasta que llegan a la isla y comienzan a descubrir el lío en el que están envueltos。 Si bien todos los invitados son influencers， cada uno pertenece a un nicho distinto， por lo que tienen objetivos y formas de pensar completamente diferentes。 Esto enriqueció la novela， pues la diversidad de pensamiento entre los personajes evita que el lector se sienta atrapado en una reiteración infinita。Desde que ocurre la primera muerte la novela toma un ritmo más tensionante， lo cual agradecí en su momento。 Era sin duda una de mis escenas más esperadas， pues comenzaría como tal la acción en el libro y se activa la busqueda de pistas y señales que permitan descubrir quien está detrás de todo esto。Si bien Kate nos habla de cada uno de los influencers， solo un puñado de ellos se lleva el spotlight durante la novela。 Esto puede ser bueno o malo dependiendo de cada lector。 Bueno， porque se evita el relleno， en especial porque son personajes que a fin de cuentas no tendrán mucho protagonismo。 Malo， porque al conocer un poco más de ciertos personajes puede ayudar a que el lector piense que están involucrados con los aterradores hechos que ocurren en la Isla。Ahora bien， un elemento que me dejó un poco desconcertado fue el final， y lo digo por un par de razones。 Primero， el final fue muy apresurado。 Literalmente saltamos de una escena normal entre un par de personajes y luego: Misterio resuelto， this is the end。 Reconozco que sentí que me había saltado un par de páginas por error y tuve que regresar para ver si le encontraba el sentido a ese cambio de ritmo。Por otro lado， la “Solución” al misterio no me pareció muy convincente。 No lo vi venir en absoluto， y dudo que algún lector lo haya visto venir， pero es porque no tiene sentido！ Osea sí， pero no！ Esto hizo que le bajara una buena parte de la puntuación a la novela， en especial porque la autora había construido todo muy bien para entregarnos un final un poco flojo。Never coming home es un thriller perfecto si quieres leer una historia entretenida para un viaje o para leer en casa。 La narración es enganchante y puedes jugar a intentar adivinar quién es el culpable （Buena suerte con eso）。 Además， el vocabulario no es complejo， por lo que también puede ser una buena opción si quieres leer algo en inglés para practicar tus habilidades de lectura。 。。。more

Amy ，

What could be better than a free vacation to an exclusive， invite-only tropical island？ Ten lucky social media influencers are the first recipients to vacation on Unknown Island。 But once they arrive， it's clear that it's not the luxury vacation they were expecting。 Bungalows that are barely finished， no staff at the resort， and no Wi-Fi are just a few of the things that Unknown Island hasn't been truthful about。 It quickly becomes clear that each of the Ten have something to hide， a secret they What could be better than a free vacation to an exclusive， invite-only tropical island？ Ten lucky social media influencers are the first recipients to vacation on Unknown Island。 But once they arrive， it's clear that it's not the luxury vacation they were expecting。 Bungalows that are barely finished， no staff at the resort， and no Wi-Fi are just a few of the things that Unknown Island hasn't been truthful about。 It quickly becomes clear that each of the Ten have something to hide， a secret they have been keeping。 But someone knows their dirty secrets， and wants them to pay for them。 And then people start dying。It took me a bit to keep the characters straight， but that is more on me than the story， and once I was able to remember who was who， and their background， I really enjoyed this book。 I didn't see the twist coming， and really enjoyed that！Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Childrens for the ARC！ 。。。more

Alexis ，

Super shout out to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC。 I've never been so grateful to not be internet famous。I don't know about you all， but when I think of the summer I think of bloody slasher films， gross humidity and being afraid to sit next to the open window at night in the hope of a breeze that might come my way。 It's no surprise that Never Coming Home is exactly my brand of summer read。 I live for an unreliable narrator， and in this case you can't trust anyone。 Imagine the end of Ch Super shout out to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC。 I've never been so grateful to not be internet famous。I don't know about you all， but when I think of the summer I think of bloody slasher films， gross humidity and being afraid to sit next to the open window at night in the hope of a breeze that might come my way。 It's no surprise that Never Coming Home is exactly my brand of summer read。 I live for an unreliable narrator， and in this case you can't trust anyone。 Imagine the end of Charlie's Angels when Lucy， Drew and Cameron are on the beach talking to Charlie， but instead of celebrating a job well done， Charlie has sent them there to die。 And who even is Charlie anyway？ They don't know。 We don't know。 Everyone just goes with it。Okay， maybe it's slightly different because none of the 10 young influencers who arrive at Unknown Island are there to save anyone， not even after it's clear that they need each other to survive。 It's like Reality Kills for the next generation。 Were there things I didn't like？ Sure。 Sometimes I couldn't keep track of who's who， especially with the narrative bouncing between perspectives。 I also wish there was a bit more suspense between some of the events， especially with how quickly things happen in the first day there。 I also wish I had a bit more of an explanation/perspective of the culprit， because that felt a bit too rushed for me。 All in all， though， I had a good time。 Summer thrills all around！ 。。。more

B ，

Thank you to GetUnderlined for the advanced copy！Karen M。 McManus meets Clue， this is hands down one of the best YA thrillers out there。 It is fucking brilliant and the way that all ten POVs weave together so seamlessly while keeping you on edge is masterful。 In a rare feat， this kept me guessing literally the entire time。 I was obsessed with figuring out who was murdering everyone and though I do wish the answer was different， if you think about it long enough， it’s really the only way it could Thank you to GetUnderlined for the advanced copy！Karen M。 McManus meets Clue， this is hands down one of the best YA thrillers out there。 It is fucking brilliant and the way that all ten POVs weave together so seamlessly while keeping you on edge is masterful。 In a rare feat， this kept me guessing literally the entire time。 I was obsessed with figuring out who was murdering everyone and though I do wish the answer was different， if you think about it long enough， it’s really the only way it could’ve played out。 This was fun， creative af， and so incredibly captivating and you NEED to check it out。Update: after careful consideration I have deducted a star because this book’s ending is absolutely everything I hate in a thriller- the murderer is someone who we got a POV from （since there are ten I am confident I can say this without spoilers）。 I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again: it is NOT。 POSSIBLE。 to sit through someone’s current thoughts and not have them even think ONCE about how awesome they are that they’ve pulled this off。 I semi-gave it a pass because it IS in third person， but…still。 Since they were still thoughts happening as the murders were happening， I call bullshit。 And honestly， if it weren’t for the throw-off， I suspected it was this person all along。 Because it’s ALWAYS this type of person。Alas， it’s still a four star from me for keeping me guessing， the other wow twists， and just all around being so damn fun。 。。。more

Shauni ，

This was intense！ I was swept away from the beginning and it was one wild ride until the end。 Ten enfluencers are invited to an exclusive island resort， with the promise of a luxurious vacation。 But when they arrive， they find it is not what they were expecting。 Then people start to die。 Soon they begin wondering， who among them is the killer？ Or have they all been set up？ I really enjoyed this。 It kept me guessing the whole time， and my brain is still puzzling it out。 Never Coming Home will be This was intense！ I was swept away from the beginning and it was one wild ride until the end。 Ten enfluencers are invited to an exclusive island resort， with the promise of a luxurious vacation。 But when they arrive， they find it is not what they were expecting。 Then people start to die。 Soon they begin wondering， who among them is the killer？ Or have they all been set up？ I really enjoyed this。 It kept me guessing the whole time， and my brain is still puzzling it out。 Never Coming Home will be released June 21， 2022。 Many thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Carrie （brightbeautifulthings） ，

Ten social media influencers are invited to a week in the tropics at Unknown Island， a mysterious social media campaign that recently went viral。 It’s exclusive， invite-only， and entirely free。 It’s also the soft opening， so there are bound to be some hitches in the execution， but none of the invites can pass up the opportunity to network and grow their follower base。 What they aren’t expecting is to be completely cut off from the world from the moment they arrive， or for Unknown Island to start Ten social media influencers are invited to a week in the tropics at Unknown Island， a mysterious social media campaign that recently went viral。 It’s exclusive， invite-only， and entirely free。 It’s also the soft opening， so there are bound to be some hitches in the execution， but none of the invites can pass up the opportunity to network and grow their follower base。 What they aren’t expecting is to be completely cut off from the world from the moment they arrive， or for Unknown Island to start revealing some of their darkest secrets。 Everyone has something to hide， and someone is going to make sure they pay for it。 Spoilers will be clearly marked。 I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Random House/Delacorte Press。 Trigger warnings: character death （on-page， graphic）， parent/sibling death， suicide， cancer， car accidents， fires， gore， poison， overdose， drug use （on-page， graphic）， bug horror， snakes， bullying， homophobia， vomiting。Much like the influencers traveling to Unknown Island， I feel a little like I was lured here under false pretenses。 The blurb promises a beachy murder mystery， which… I guess is what it delivers， in the most basic sense， but the characters might as well have been trapped in a crappy Motel 6 for all the island plays a role in this story， even as a pretty backdrop。 It lacks either a dreamy vacation atmosphere or a spooky one， and the only sense I really got from Unknown Island was slightly abandoned desolation， which isn’t a very fun vibe for a thriller。As one might expect， ten is far too many main characters to keep track of。 At least half of them are just there for body count， and be warned that this book does have a very high and graphic body count， with brains-on-the-floor style gore。 Unfortunately， like watching a Final Destination sequel， creative and increasingly unlikely deaths are about the only thing it has going for it。 The narrative hopping among their perspectives doesn’t do anything to ground the story or distinguish them from one another。 Most of the characters are rather spoiled and self-centered at best， but I don’t mind unlikeable characters。 What I mind is the way even their own narratives don’t offer any real insights into them， either because they lie to themselves about their histories and motivations or because the story skips around too much to go in-depth on any of them。Despite a slow start in documenting everyone’s travel to the island （fairly pointless）， the deaths begin quickly and don’t slow down。 The course of the novel takes maybe two or three days。 There’s little mystery that someone is targeting them， but other than Emma Jane’s interest in true crime （a sadly under-used plot device） no one is very good at unraveling the clues。 There’s a lot of screaming， a lot of drama and accusations， and a rather silly ending confrontation。 Aside from an extremely unsubtle clue about who the killer is that’s mentioned not once but twice within the same few pages， there’s little opportunity for readers to piece together what’s happening on their own。Books rarely hinge on their endings for me， but the end of this book knocked it down a whole star， not because of what happened （which， whatever）， but how。 Rather than include it in the narrative， the killer’s motivations and methodology are revealed in an excessively long “news article” and some blogging comments that pointlessly rehash everything we just read with some tidbits of new information。 It’s the ultimate crime in show-don’t-tell and reads like an ego-tripping villain speech。 Better writing would have included this information in pieces throughout the story， but the novel tries to hang on to its mystery for too long。 Understandably， there’s a lot of commentary on social media and internet anonymity （which is never really anonymous）， but if there’s a unified message on it， I’m not sure what it is。SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS。 TURN BACK BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE。Rather than the silly shootout between Manny and Frankie， where the reader in no way believes one of them is the killer （and can hardly believe that they actually think that）， I think some villain perspective chapters would have been more effective from the point where they found Justice’s body。 It would have given Celia the chance to internally gloat about pulling off her plan and reveal some of the hows of the murders without the tedious news article， and it may have added to the suspense。 All things considered though， killing off every character but the villain is a bit of a drag， and I still had some questions。 Why are the snakes mentioned half a dozen times and never used as a murder weapon？ How was Emma Jane intended to die， because falling off a cliff was awfully convenient？I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings。tumblr。com。 。。。more

Stacia | stacialovestoread ，

Duuuuuuuuuuuude。 Whoa。

Paige ，

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the author。 Thanks！ All opinions are my own。Book: Never Coming HomeAuthor: Kate WilliamsBook Series: StandaloneRating: 4/5Diversity: Queer CharacterRecommended For。。。: young adult readers， thriller， mystery， abandoned， island vacationPublication Date: June 21， 2022Genre: YA Thriller MysteryAge Relevance: 13+ （homophobia comments， gore， violence， death， suicide， drugs， cursing， racism， attempted animal murder）Explanation of Above: There are some small and br Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the author。 Thanks！ All opinions are my own。Book: Never Coming HomeAuthor: Kate WilliamsBook Series: StandaloneRating: 4/5Diversity: Queer CharacterRecommended For。。。: young adult readers， thriller， mystery， abandoned， island vacationPublication Date: June 21， 2022Genre: YA Thriller MysteryAge Relevance: 13+ （homophobia comments， gore， violence， death， suicide， drugs， cursing， racism， attempted animal murder）Explanation of Above: There are some small and brief homophobic comments said in a flashback scene。 There is some gore， including vomit and blood， death and murder， and violence， including allergy attacks and stabbings。 There is suicide briefly mentioned in the book and vaguely shown。 There is some drug abuse and drug use mentioned briefly in the book。 There is some cursing in the book。 Flashbacks including some racism are mentioned and one scene of an attempted animal murder is shown， but the dog is not harmed。Publisher: Delacorte PressPages: 320Synopsis: Everyone knows Unknown Island—it’s the world’s most exclusive destination。 Think white sand beaches， turquoise seas， and luxury accommodations。 Plus， it’s invite only， no one over twenty-one allowed， and it’s absolutely free。 Who wouldn’t want to go？After launching with a showstopping viral marketing campaign， the whole world is watching as the mysterious resort opens its doors to the First Ten， the ten elite influencers specifically chosen to be the first to experience everything Unknown Island has to offer。 You know them。 There’s the gamer， the beauty blogger， the rich girl， the superstar， the junior politician， the environmentalist， the DJ， the CEO， the chef， and the athlete。What they don’t know is that they weren’t invited to Unknown Island for their following—they were invited for their secrets。 Everyone is hiding a deadly one， and it looks like someone’s decided it’s payback time。 Unknown Island isn’t a vacation， it’s a trap。 And it’s beginning to look like the First Ten—no matter how influential—are never coming home。Review: For the most part I enjoyed this read a lot！ The book gave me creepypasta/Abandoned by Disney vibes combined with Clue vibes and I liked how all of the characters were not totally likeable at all。 The characters ranged in their likability， which makes it hard to figure out the true murderer cause they’re all suspicious。 I liked the character development of each character and I liked how it changed POVs often。 I also liked the world building and thought it was a very creepy and atmospheric read。However， I did think that the format of the book was a bit confusing to get into。 The book follows 8 POVs and it makes it hard to keep them straight in the beginning。 The POV also changes mid chapter， which is also confusing。 The plot took a bit to get off the ground as well。Verdict: I loved it！ Definitely recommend。 。。。more

ElphaReads ，

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel！I'm pretty sure that this just wasn't for me as a target audience， as I can see the appeal of this book in a broad sense。 But I didn't enjoy it so much。 In terms of what I did like （as I want to start with the positives）， I think that there is a lot of potential in this idea， of a bunch of selfish and vapid influencers who have skeletons in their closets being tricked into a trap that spells their doom。 As they are picked off one Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel！I'm pretty sure that this just wasn't for me as a target audience， as I can see the appeal of this book in a broad sense。 But I didn't enjoy it so much。 In terms of what I did like （as I want to start with the positives）， I think that there is a lot of potential in this idea， of a bunch of selfish and vapid influencers who have skeletons in their closets being tricked into a trap that spells their doom。 As they are picked off one by one there is certainly schadenfreude， and the deaths are always creative and interesting。 But the problem is that the characters are so wooden and two dimensional that there aren't really any high stakes involved in terms of the plot。 It's not super suspenseful because I didn't find myself really caring about any of them。 There is also a lot of suspension of disbelief that has to be implemented， and while I am willing to do that to an extent in most stories I read， I had a really hard time with it here。 And finally， we get a HUGE amount of telling rather than showing at the end when it comes down to the big solution and twist， which just completely stalled out the pacing and flow。Again， I'm not the target audience for this book。 And I know exactly who I would recommend it to， and the audience that it would absolutely work for， and how I would promote it as a librarian。 But on a personal level I didn't care for it。 。。。more

Cindy :: leavemetomybooks :: ，

This YA retelling of the Agatha Christie classic， And Then There Were None （but with teenage American influencers instead of a hodgepodge of old British people）， was such a fun book。 I reread ATTWN right before reading it， and Williams did a great job capturing and twisting the subtle details of each murder to mirror the original while creating unique characters who had each done terrible things and were being punished。 I knew who the murderer was early on， but I still wanted to see what would h This YA retelling of the Agatha Christie classic， And Then There Were None （but with teenage American influencers instead of a hodgepodge of old British people）， was such a fun book。 I reread ATTWN right before reading it， and Williams did a great job capturing and twisting the subtle details of each murder to mirror the original while creating unique characters who had each done terrible things and were being punished。 I knew who the murderer was early on， but I still wanted to see what would happen （and who would die and how） next。 Get this one to read on the beach/at the pool and never， ever accept a free trip to an island。* thanks to Delacorte Press and Random House Kids for the NetGalley review copy。 Never Coming Home publishes June 21st。 。。。more

Kari ，

This was a delicious read that fed my need for thrill as both a fan of YA & Adult books。 This was one heck of an intense vacation that the Author penned perfectly with just enough details to keep you pinned to the page but never giving too much details away to ruin the ending。 I’m infatuated with reading about influencers and all the promotional freebies they get as well as such a celebrity status just because of a number that indicates their following。 I can never imagine anyone having much int This was a delicious read that fed my need for thrill as both a fan of YA & Adult books。 This was one heck of an intense vacation that the Author penned perfectly with just enough details to keep you pinned to the page but never giving too much details away to ruin the ending。 I’m infatuated with reading about influencers and all the promotional freebies they get as well as such a celebrity status just because of a number that indicates their following。 I can never imagine anyone having much interest in me ， I can’t hold even my dogs interest without a bag of treats in hand。 Well， getting to the good stuff， there is an Island that has branded itself as UNKNOWN ISLAND & the marketing campaign is off the hook。 They have done a campaign where the select only 10 Influencers from the various social media platforms & vacation free for 1 week， all expenses paid！ When the 10 young adults are selected， they are beyond excited。 This will grow their brand and following as well; an opportunity of a lifetime。They all make there way and when they arrive， it’s not at all like what the videos showed。 Never mind that there is no staff， no hotel but they have little huts with no amenities and no air conditioning。 Is this a joke？ They wait for someone to arrive and explain。 But they are the ones who all hiding and keeping secrets from the rest and maybe this is much more than they bargained for。 Think Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” with a twist of lemon。 。。。more

Gabrielle Grosbety ，

Never Coming Home is such a well-done story。 Ten super swanky influencers are called to a highly exclusive new island resort called Unknown Island。 Everyone is desperate for a ticket to this promised paradise to unwind and get away for a week。 Picturesque white sandy beaches， sipping fancy cocktails poolside， what could be better？ However， little do they know just what they are in for。 Nothing about Unknown Island is what it seems as it becomes shadier and shadier by the second。 Everyone is th Never Coming Home is such a well-done story。 Ten super swanky influencers are called to a highly exclusive new island resort called Unknown Island。 Everyone is desperate for a ticket to this promised paradise to unwind and get away for a week。 Picturesque white sandy beaches， sipping fancy cocktails poolside， what could be better？ However， little do they know just what they are in for。 Nothing about Unknown Island is what it seems as it becomes shadier and shadier by the second。 Everyone is there for a reason and one reason alone and that is vengeful retribution。 Someone， potentially among them， is a masterminder and a schemer who wants to take them down。 I really enjoyed how each character confronts their struggles， past， internal self-hate， and how social media can be so destructive and deceptive if used the wrong way or over-abused。 We all post snippets of moments in time that don’t reflect the ongoing nature of life and challenge inherent within it。 And by getting away from 24/7 connection， and specifically curated content， these characters are forced to face themselves honestly and intensely， as individuals and within their relationships， some platonically and others romantically， as a group。 Some are fascinated by crime and unpacking mysteries， others can’t stand to be near such horror-filled atrocity for extended periods of time， but regardless， each person is tested and pushed to their limit。 I also， throughout， appreciated the underlying message that just because someone does something bad doesn’t mean they are always a wholly bad person or deserve to get unthinkably punished when complexity and moral gray areas exist。 Justice is an admirable， much needed goal in certain instances， but so is recognizing that sometimes the fact that someone has to live with themselves can be just as difficult and painful。 I felt as unsafe and skeptical as the characters while reading as no one trusts each other or fears someone will turn on them at any given moment。 The book was action-packed and tightly， consciously paced so that no one word felt wrong or wasted。 There was much needed truth in these pages that felt energizing to get lost in， even if tragedy lurked at every corner that simultaneously sobered me。 Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for my advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more

Raji ，

Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own。Thank you to the publisher， Penguin Teen Canada， and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。Ten famous influencers are invited to the exclusive opening of Unknown Island， an all expenses paid private resort， seemingly chosen to have an eclectic mix of personalities after the owners run a marketing campaign that goes viral。 But their selection is not coincidental at all and each of the Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own。Thank you to the publisher， Penguin Teen Canada， and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。Ten famous influencers are invited to the exclusive opening of Unknown Island， an all expenses paid private resort， seemingly chosen to have an eclectic mix of personalities after the owners run a marketing campaign that goes viral。 But their selection is not coincidental at all and each of them has something to hide。 When they arrive on the island， it quickly becomes clear that something is not quite right about the place and it is nothing like the luxurious retreat they have been promised – instead， it is a trap that someone has laid with the intention that none of them ever leave。Never Coming Home was like a contemporary take on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None。 The story spares no time in getting started as from the moment the group arrives on the island， they begin to notice things are off， and things just go downhill for them from there。 This is something I really appreciate in books of this genre as it sets the mood early on， leaving things like world building， location and the bulk of information about the characters to be revealed as the story progresses。 The breakneck pace of this story kind of surprised me as I thought from the sound of the synopsis that this might be a slightly slower kind of thriller that would take its time unfolding for maximum scary vibes。 However， the pace worked well for this narrative， and it also fit given that the entire story takes place over less than two days。 There was also some interesting commentary about the darker side of social media and the negative effects comments from haters can bring。What was really interesting about this story was that every character had a POV， albeit third person， which meant that once it became clear that the group of influencers were the only ones on the island， the pool of suspects was just them。 And yet it was so hard to find even a hint of who it might be。 Despite the relatively short page count and fast pacing， the characters were very well written and distinctive， and it was easy to remember each of their backgrounds and motivations。 I wouldn’t say any of them were likeable per se， but they were all extremely engaging characters。It did get a bit gory at times， so I would add a warning for some disturbing content。 Apart from that， the only other thing that struck me was that this premise was a bit unrealistic when you consider the characters were all between 16 and 20 years old， and famous social media influencers or not， they are still more or less kids and that they would all accept an invitation to a remote island， however luxurious， with such minimal details was rather implausible。I have to say hats off for such an unexpected ending。 It turned out to be possibly the least suspicious person of the lot， and given previous events， someone whom I had crossed off the list of suspects ages ago。 It was a little faster than I would have liked， and I’m not too sure about the way it was revealed – it does require some suspension of disbelief for this to work。 Nonetheless， it was a very clever ending and I was quite impressed。 Never Coming Home was a thrilling read that I simply could not put down and I would highly recommend it！ 。。。more

the_mystery_mom ，

Ten young influencers land on Unknown Island and will be the first guests during this soft open。 Advertised as a luxurious private island for those under the age of 21 to gather， collaborate and have fun。 Best of all it is FREE！ The ten influencer have been specifically chosen for this mysterious launch and not because they are all social media savvy but because they all have secrets and someone is ready to make them pay。If you have watched the Fyre Festival documentaries you know where this tri Ten young influencers land on Unknown Island and will be the first guests during this soft open。 Advertised as a luxurious private island for those under the age of 21 to gather， collaborate and have fun。 Best of all it is FREE！ The ten influencer have been specifically chosen for this mysterious launch and not because they are all social media savvy but because they all have secrets and someone is ready to make them pay。If you have watched the Fyre Festival documentaries you know where this trip is heading。 This is a great YA whodunnit book to take on vacation or sit at home with and wish you were on vacation。 I did feel like early on I figured out what was going on but it did not stop me from devouring this book。 I loved all the current references and use of social media which I think the YA audience will love too！ 。。。more

Shaina ，

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kate M Williams for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Never Coming Home， coming out June 21， 2022。 The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own。 First of all， I’ve read the Babysitters Coven and loved the books。 So I was excited to receive this one！ I love that Justice is from Kansas City， even if it’s the Kansas side。 Haha！ I’m from Kansas City， Missouri。 Unknown Island felt very much like And Then There Were None for Gen Z social in Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kate M Williams for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Never Coming Home， coming out June 21， 2022。 The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own。 First of all， I’ve read the Babysitters Coven and loved the books。 So I was excited to receive this one！ I love that Justice is from Kansas City， even if it’s the Kansas side。 Haha！ I’m from Kansas City， Missouri。 Unknown Island felt very much like And Then There Were None for Gen Z social influencers， so I loved that！ There are ten of them。 They are deserted on an island with luxurious accommodations。 They were invited there by invitation only。 There are no adults on the island。 The teens were excited to party， but then mysterious things start happening。 List of Characters Justice Wilson- The Environmentalist Chelsea Quinn- beauty influencer Margo Bryant- CEOFrankie Russh- the SuperstarCelia Young- the GamerEmma Jane Ohana - the Rich GirlRobby Wade- the ChefManny de la Cruz- DJ/warehouse incidentXander Lee- the AthleteGraham Hoffman-the PoliticianOverall， I loved this book！ I wasn’t sure if I was going to because I don’t relate to the younger generation as much。 But I love the Agatha Christie vibes。 It was a short read， but I enjoyed the fast paced setting。 There are only 10 chapters。 Maybe it’ll be added later， but it would be nice if the chapters/sections had the character’s name and role。 There are ten characters， so it can get a little confusing who is who。 I thought there’d be a little more with Justice， but I thought it had a lot of suspense and mystery anyway。 I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries and social media。 。。。more

Tara ，

Thank you to NetGalley for a ARC of this book。 Ten social media influencers are invited to a posh resort called Unknown Island。 When they arrive things are not as they seem and suddenly they are fighting their pasts， their fears， and for theirs lives。 This fun take on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None will appeal to my high school readers who love a good murder mystery。 I can see myself recommending this to fans of Karen McManus。 Thank you to NetGalley for a ARC of this book。 Ten social media influencers are invited to a posh resort called Unknown Island。 When they arrive things are not as they seem and suddenly they are fighting their pasts， their fears， and for theirs lives。 This fun take on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None will appeal to my high school readers who love a good murder mystery。 I can see myself recommending this to fans of Karen McManus。 。。。more

Jenni ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is a YA murder mystery/thriller where 10 influencers are invited to the soft opening of a mysterious new island resort in the middle of nowhere。 A private island location and a free vacation there？ Our influencers， all aged 16-20， jump at the chance to be some of the first at the resort， which from their instagram photos， seems to be a gorgeous tropical paradise。 Once the influencers are brought to the island， they realize that something is going on。 The resort isn't quite finished and ther This is a YA murder mystery/thriller where 10 influencers are invited to the soft opening of a mysterious new island resort in the middle of nowhere。 A private island location and a free vacation there？ Our influencers， all aged 16-20， jump at the chance to be some of the first at the resort， which from their instagram photos， seems to be a gorgeous tropical paradise。 Once the influencers are brought to the island， they realize that something is going on。 The resort isn't quite finished and there are no employees around， The beautiful photos on instagram aren't even of the island they've been dropped off on。 And worst of all， there is NO internet connection， so they can't let anyone know where they are or how bad things are on the island。And it turns out that each influencer was hiding a secret and someone is out for revenge。 But who？ The rest of the story has the teens dyng one by one。 A page turner that will keep you guessing。 。。。more

Jessica ，

This book has a unique premise - ten teenage influencers on an island of terror instead of paradise。 Why were these ten chosen？ What did they do that landed them amongst the other sinful folks？ I enjoyed reading about these interesting characters and their stay on Unknown Island。

Carrie ，

Review coming soon。

Karen Vasey ，

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary ARC in exchange for a fair review。 I was intrigued by the description of the book and am always up for a good thriller/murder mystery for some quick entertainment。 Having read the first book in The Babysitters Coven series， I was already familiar with the author's work before this book。 To recap， 10 influencers under 20 years old are invited to the soft opening of a new island resort。 Once there， they realize that they hav Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary ARC in exchange for a fair review。 I was intrigued by the description of the book and am always up for a good thriller/murder mystery for some quick entertainment。 Having read the first book in The Babysitters Coven series， I was already familiar with the author's work before this book。 To recap， 10 influencers under 20 years old are invited to the soft opening of a new island resort。 Once there， they realize that they haven't been brought onto the island because of their abilities to promote the island， but because they are all hiding a secret。 The rest of the story is spent seeing the influencers being eliminated and figuring out who is behind the events and why。Overall， this story didn't do anything for me。 I found it pretty tedious to get through and it became a "slasher" story of sorts with the payoff being pretty lame。 Maybe I'm not the target audience for this one， but I can't say I'd recommend it unless you're into a pretty flimsy story。 。。。more

Steph ，

This was a really fun popcorn YA mystery thriller and one of the more creative retellings of And Then There Were None that I’ve read！ I did this all on audio and it was really well done， but it did take me a while to remember who was who。 You’re given a list of each of the 10 influencers at the start of the book， so I’m sure with the physical book it would be much easier to track。 This is one that you will absolutely have to suspend all belief， but its such an entertaining wild ride！ I did predi This was a really fun popcorn YA mystery thriller and one of the more creative retellings of And Then There Were None that I’ve read！ I did this all on audio and it was really well done， but it did take me a while to remember who was who。 You’re given a list of each of the 10 influencers at the start of the book， so I’m sure with the physical book it would be much easier to track。 This is one that you will absolutely have to suspend all belief， but its such an entertaining wild ride！ I did predict who the killer was， but I also second guessed myself several times so it definitely wasn’t an obvious sure thing。 There definitely aren’t a ton of likable characters in this， but its done in a way that still keep me totally engaged。 A very modern take on a classic story that would make a fantastic thriller beach read！ 4/5⭐️ 。。。more

Kathy Martin ，

This story is a locked room mystery。 Well， actually an isolated island mystery。 Everyone knows about Unknown Island。 It's exclusive。 It's free。 And it will host curated groups of selected young influencers。 At least， that's what the marketing and social media is saying。 When the first group arrives - ten people ranging in age from 16 to 20 - they find that everything isn't like the media blitz says。 There's no staff; the rooms are not at all luxurious; there's no internet。 The ten people also di This story is a locked room mystery。 Well， actually an isolated island mystery。 Everyone knows about Unknown Island。 It's exclusive。 It's free。 And it will host curated groups of selected young influencers。 At least， that's what the marketing and social media is saying。 When the first group arrives - ten people ranging in age from 16 to 20 - they find that everything isn't like the media blitz says。 There's no staff; the rooms are not at all luxurious; there's no internet。 The ten people also discover that they have been lured to the island where someone wants some sort of revenge on them。 It seems that they were all involved in some sort of accident that resulted in death。The guests are a mixed bag of people from a beauty blogger， to an environmentalist， to a hot young chef， to a DJ who might just be dealing some drugs。 It doesn't take long before they start dying。 The first death is a poisoning but a wide variety of methods are used。 The chapters about the growing fear and growing number of deaths were exciting even though I didn't care for any of the characters。Learning that there was one survivor who might or might not have planned the whole thing left an ambiguous ending that will linger in my memory。 Fans of suspense will enjoy this story。 。。。more

Nicole | nicolesbooked ，

Take Fyre Festival and mix it with a game of Clue and then you have Never Coming Home！ I absolutely loved it。 I was hooked from the very beginning and absolutely devoured it in basically 24 hours。 I never would’ve imagined the ending。 I kept trying to imagine who the killer could be & what was going to happen next - a definite page turner！ Thank you Kate Williams and Delacorte Press for the advanced readers copy of this book！ It publishes on 6。21 so make sure you pre-order now！

Alisha Carderella ，

Unknown Island is being marketed as an all new exclusive resort catering to influential guests that are under 21。 It’s invite only and absolutely free！ When the “First Ten” young guests arrive the internet is abuzz。 Each of them are high profile influencers with huge social media followings for completely different things。 Oddly no one has ever met or spoken to anyone from Unknown Island， and when they get there， they discover they’re alone with no Wi-Fi， the set up staff leaves them stranded， a Unknown Island is being marketed as an all new exclusive resort catering to influential guests that are under 21。 It’s invite only and absolutely free！ When the “First Ten” young guests arrive the internet is abuzz。 Each of them are high profile influencers with huge social media followings for completely different things。 Oddly no one has ever met or spoken to anyone from Unknown Island， and when they get there， they discover they’re alone with no Wi-Fi， the set up staff leaves them stranded， and the conditions are bare bones at best。 It quickly becomes clear these influencers were invited under false pretenses。 Someone has an ulterior motive and they’re now trapped on the island with a killer。 Secrets are being kept and someone wants to force those secrets out， no matter the cost。 So much for a fun and wild vacation。 Ok- I’ll be honest when I started reading this and saw it was about social media influencers I groaned。 Reality TV & influencers drive me crazy。 However， as a fan of the author’s other work I had to trust she knew what she was doing。 So I continued and she didn’t disappoint！！ I could not put this down。 This book was like Clue meets an Agatha Christie book but at the Fyre Festival！ 😂 None of these characters are like-able， and I found myself rooting for no one， but they felt real。 Real flaws， real pain， real guilt & real regret- and that’s what drew me in。 That and the murder of course。 I love a whodunnit。 This one isn’t original， but the way the story unfolds is so fun and unique。 Unique because it’s done in a way that is totally relevant to where we are today。 I had an easy time guessing who the culprit was， and I definitely had to suspend my disbelief， but none of that took away from the story。 I was so engaged in what was happening and learning about each of our flawed characters。 What a fun read。 This book is sure to be a hit with YA audiences。 *Huge thank you to the author， Kate Williams， and Delacorte Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review。 。。。more

Laurie Franco ，

This book was INSANE！ So good， with characters you both love and hate。 The details were fantastic and the pace was fast enough to keep the reader interested with almost no parts that lagged。 The amount of detail that the murderer went through and put into the whole plot to kill off the characters is crazy and the twist at the end left me shocked。 I can’t recommend this book enough， it’s definitely a must read！

Karen Germain ，

I work for an independent bookstore and on my most recent shift， I asked my coworker about their recent reads。 She told me about Kate William’s Never Coming Home， which she described as a modern-day take on Agatha Christie’s novel， And Then There Were None。 I was sold。 Never Coming Home was sitting on our break room ARC bookcase， a perk that I’ve previously avoided， as I have million book commitments， but the concept of Never Coming Home was intriguing， so I borrowed it for the weekend。 Never Co I work for an independent bookstore and on my most recent shift， I asked my coworker about their recent reads。 She told me about Kate William’s Never Coming Home， which she described as a modern-day take on Agatha Christie’s novel， And Then There Were None。 I was sold。 Never Coming Home was sitting on our break room ARC bookcase， a perk that I’ve previously avoided， as I have million book commitments， but the concept of Never Coming Home was intriguing， so I borrowed it for the weekend。 Never Coming Home starts with ten social media influencers， all under the age of twenty-one， who are invited on an all-inclusive vacation to a island resort called “Unknown Island。” For months， “Unknown Island” had been heavily advertised on social media and each of the influencers feels that they are very special by being the first chosen to have this experience。 When they arrive on the Island， they find the last of the staff leaving and the hotel in disrepair。 It is far from the promised luxury experience。 With the exception of a creepy computer in the main lobby that provides updates of the island and its guests， the influencers have their internet access cut off。 At breakfast， they are each given an envelop with a message， calling them each out for being a murderer。 Paranoid and upset， the influencers are confused about how to proceed， when the first among them dies。 One by one， they are picked-off in ways that are foreshadowed by the computer messages。 Can they figure out the culprit， before the all are killed？Never Coming Home definitely has shades of Christie’s And Then There Were None， and if you are familiar with Christie’s work， it’s fun to see it all play out， including being able to guess the murderer。 The modern updates with social media influencers worked well and this is squarely a YA novel。 I don’t often read YA and when I borrowed the book， I didn’t realize that it was YA， but as a bookseller， I found it to be a good opportunity to read a new novel in this very popular genre。 The story isn’t quite as seamless as Christie’s version。 Especially as the story progresses， I found an increasing need to utilize suspension of disbelief。 Although I love the island setting， I think a simpler setting would have been more believable。 Also， some of the murders worked better than others， seemed more plausible。 This said， I sailed through book during a snowy afternoon and I enjoyed the ride。 I suspect that my teenage stepchildren would find Never Coming Home appealing and I could see this being turned into a feature film or limited series。 。。。more

Nina The Wandering Reader ，

Picture it if you will: a modern Gen-Z retelling of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None intersecting with 2017’s disastrous Fyre Festival。 If that doesn't make you want to read this suspenseful YA murder mystery thriller， I don't know what will！Ten social media influencers are invited to an island that is supposedly nothing short of paradise。 They are promised a luxurious all-expenses-paid experience and told they are there as part of a promotional campaign。 But the island， while beautifu Picture it if you will: a modern Gen-Z retelling of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None intersecting with 2017’s disastrous Fyre Festival。 If that doesn't make you want to read this suspenseful YA murder mystery thriller， I don't know what will！Ten social media influencers are invited to an island that is supposedly nothing short of paradise。 They are promised a luxurious all-expenses-paid experience and told they are there as part of a promotional campaign。 But the island， while beautiful， is nowhere near the VIP experience portrayed on the website。 And these influencers learn that they have been invited under false pretenses。 They all have something in common， they are all keeping secrets， and the person seeking to do them harm could very well be among them。I can’t get enough of the “strangers-brought-together-under-mysterious-circumstances-and-bumped-off-one-by-one” trope and it was a huge selling point when I was lucky enough to receive an early review copy of this book！ This was such a fun read。 There’s plenty of focus on the pressures of being in the public eye， putting up facades， the privileges and consequences that come with being a social media influencer， etc。 The story is told from multiple perspectives， the cast of characters are diverse， the tensions are high， and the ending…。（*shhh* Can’t spoil that）。 NEVER COMING HOME is a perfect summer beach read， one I devoured like a bowl of popcorn！ Readers who were already fans of Kate Williams' former Babysitters' Coven trilogy should keep this one on their radar this month because it is a gruesome good time！ （Special thank you to author Kate Williams and Delacorte Press for my early review copy！） 。。。more

Kristi Betts ，

I thoroughly enjoyed NEVER COMING HOME， but I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the ending。 I get it， but， wow。The characters were well developed throughout the book， adding more about their lives as the story moved forward。 The idea of being invited to an exclusive island for an all-expense paid vacation seems a little too good to be true， but this group of teenage internet influencers took advantage of their social media presence as an exciting way to build their following。 This boo I thoroughly enjoyed NEVER COMING HOME， but I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the ending。 I get it， but， wow。The characters were well developed throughout the book， adding more about their lives as the story moved forward。 The idea of being invited to an exclusive island for an all-expense paid vacation seems a little too good to be true， but this group of teenage internet influencers took advantage of their social media presence as an exciting way to build their following。 This book reminded me of Agatha Christies' book TEN LITTLE INDIANS， and the TV shows Survivor， and The Mole。 。。。more

Jen ，

Never Coming Home by Kate Williams is a YA murder mystery where ten influencers are invited to Unknown Island for a soft opening。 When the influencers arrive on the island， nothing is as expected and they start getting picked off one by one。After reading the summary of this book， I knew I would like it， but I wasn’t prepared for how much I would love it！ Never Coming Home had me hooked from the very first sentence and I found it so hard to put down。 This was a great retelling of Agatha Christie’ Never Coming Home by Kate Williams is a YA murder mystery where ten influencers are invited to Unknown Island for a soft opening。 When the influencers arrive on the island， nothing is as expected and they start getting picked off one by one。After reading the summary of this book， I knew I would like it， but I wasn’t prepared for how much I would love it！ Never Coming Home had me hooked from the very first sentence and I found it so hard to put down。 This was a great retelling of Agatha Christie’s And Then There We’re None， but made relevant by relating to the current generation。 The characters were all intriguing and the mystery was great。 I can’t remember reading a book that I liked this much in a long time！ If you are in the fence about this book， I would definitely say to give it a chance， you won’t regret it！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Never Coming Home

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Never Coming Home&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Never Coming Home&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0