2.5*
We shall start with the things that made this book enjoyable.
What I Liked:
- The setting was fabulous. I mean, who wouldn't want to be reading about a Colombian beach and jungle and such? I don't think I have ever read a book set in Colombia before, maybe even anywhere in South America, so this was fun! And the atmosphere was written quite convincingly, too.
- The adventure piece of the book was definitely exciting. I was very curious as to what was going to happen, who was going to survive. I love a survival book, and this one definitely delivered to that end.
- It was fast-paced (it took place in the span of 100 hours, after all!) and was definitely compulsively readable, from an entertainment standpoint.
- There were some twists that I absolutely did not see coming. And I liked that aspect of it- especially toward the end of the book, when the suspense was at a high point.
What I Didn't:
- Oh, these characters are complete asshats. Most of them, anyway. Spoiled, rude, rich, completely selfish asshats. And I don't think I am even adequately describing them, but I am trying to keep the profanities to a minimum? Trust that I yelled tons at them while I read the book. Along with a lot of "why are you all the actual worst people ever?" And look, I get that sometimes characters are not the best, and maybe that is part of the story, but they were hard to stomach. And even harder to care about the fate of. I did have some feelings for Maddie. She was less... rude than the rest, though she was still kind of judgmental. But then, so I was I, so could I blame Maddie? No.
- Which brings me to my next gripe: If you are in the middle of a hostage situation in a damn foreign jungle, maybe you cool it with the drama? I understand that they are teens but... I was also a teen. And I promise, I would not be worried about who was hooking up with who at what bar if I were a hostage. I would be 100% concerned with not getting shot. Hookups can come later. If there was a later. Because I would be a hostage.
- Some of the outcomes seemed a little... convenient. Or unbelievable. Some were both. Still entertaining, but required some suspension of disbelief that I wasn't always able to muster.
Will I Continue the Series? Possibly. I am moderately curious to see what happens, and hoping for some character growth. I won't be sprinting to get it, but yeah, I'd give it another shot.
Bottom Line: While it was definitely exciting and entertaining, it was hard to overlook all the issues I had.
*Copy provided by publisher for review