When Lux’s boyfriend, Nico gets hired to lead a voyage to the abandoned Meroe island, he convinces her to go along – it’s good money, they get some time away together, what’s not to like?
Except, in the days that pass, Lux finds herself questioning the decision to come, wondering if anything she has known about her life has ever been true.
This book had such potential with the backdrop and premise, but the characters ruin it all. I’ve read ample books with bitter, immature adults wreaking havoc on everything, but this has to be the worst of all.
How is it that not a single character could redeem the story?
The narrative follows different timelines and POVs. Some chapters show us what’s happening in the present as they make their way to the island. The others chronicle events in the lives of the 6 primary characters and who they were at some point in their lives.
It also switches from first-person to third-person narrative, and that made for an interesting change.
This back and forth makes sense because you get to understand the characters more (they’re still horrible, though!), and there’s a crucial element that is tied together at the end, which was quite predictable.
I liked whatever the author has included of the island and its descriptions. But all of that gets overshadowed by the presence and actions of these characters.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy reading books even if the characters are morally grey as long as their storylines are either convincing or engaging for whatever reason. Here, you can’t help but detest them.
Nico is an asshole. He doesn’t take Lux seriously, is often gaslighting her and does exactly what you’d expect him to do. It becomes evident that the only reason Lux is with him is that she has been coping with grief and finds solace in the distraction. Understandable. Still, their relationship is astonishingly unhealthy. In fact, there’s not a single friendship or companionship that is borne out of anything genuine or honest.
The other characters too have skeletons in their closet, which you eventually get to know about. It’s all pretty messed-up.
Some of the core themes of the book are murder, cheating, and deception.
I think I liked reading Rachel Hawkins’ The Wife Upstairs much better than Reckless Girls. If you haven’t yet picked this one up, I wouldn’t recommend it.
The Life Stories 