My Review of Stranded by Sarah Goodwin came out of my updating of my list of Best Mysteries Set on an Island. Why had I not heard of this chilling survival thriller and what did I think? Check out my thoughts!
Jen’s Quick Analysis of Stranded by Sarah Goodwin
![Stranded by Sarah Goodman original photo of the paperback on a bookshalf with a J mug](https://www.jenryland.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Stranded-by-Sarah-Goodman-original-photo-.jpg)
- A chilling survival thriller
- Takes place on an uninhabited Scottish Island
- Characters who are part of a documentary
- Really intense but I loved it!
- Content advisory for some pretty horrific bullying
- Quite similar to this new 2024 title by Ruth Ware
Summary of Stranded by Sarah Goodwin
- Stranded by Sarah Goodwin
- Published by Avon Books in September 2021.
Maddy is still grieving the unexpected loss of her parents when she sets off on the adventure of a lifetime. She’s been chosen to participate in The Last Refuge, a documentary-slash-reality-show set on Buidseach, a remote, uninhabited Scottish island.
Cameras will film Maddy and five other people as they try to survive on the island for one year. Maddy hopes that her knowledge of botany will help her contribute to the group’s survival. But of course, things go terribly wrong.
Review of Stranded by Sarah Goodwin
![Review of Stranded by Sarah Goodwin. The book's cover, which shows a small empty boat tied up on a rocky beach, is on a dark gray-blue background](https://www.jenryland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Review-of-Stranded-by-Sarah-Goodwin.jpg)
I don’t usually read wilderness survival books, either fictional or non-fictional. I find them kind of stressful.
I also feel like there are more wilderness survival books in YA, perhaps inspired by Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
I picked up Stranded just because of its location on an uninhabited island, for my list of Best Mysteries Set on an Island.
But WOW, Stranded was really gripping. Very stressful. I literally had to close it a couple of times and take a break, and that rarely happens to me.
I think books like this work best when they focus on a limited number of characters, and that six people were taking part in this movie seemed about right. They are a varied group: varied in ethnic background, age, socioeconomic status and political beliefs.
At first, the group is harmonious, but factions quickly emerge and the group heads into Lord of the Flies territory. Maddy ends up an outcast, and the group seems completely stranded.
I highly recommend this one and am sorry I missed it when it came out!
If you love YA, check out my list of Best YA Books Set on a Spooky Island!