The One

by Isabella Galbraith

Love on this island could be deadly…

THE WILDS meets Sophie Gonzales NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER for thriller fanatics, romance lovers and the reality TV-obsessed

Constance Berardi signs up to teen reality dating show, The One, to prove that she's over her ex-girlfriend. What seems like a free vacation and a second chance at romance quickly takes a sinister turn when a plane crash leaves contestants deserted on an island.

That night, one of the girls is murdered. And the weapon? A blood-stained stiletto – found in Constance’s hand.

With no memory of the night before, Constance has no idea if she’s the murderer – or if she’s being framed.

With Easton (whose eyes seriously aren’t that piercing) convinced of her innocence, they search the island for clues and accidentally uncover dangerous secrets.

As supplies dwindle and tensions rise, Constance must discover the truth or die trying….

Genres: Thriller, Queer

Paperback

Published July 2, 2026

About the author

Isabella is a 25-year-old YA author represented by Gyamfia Osei at Andrew Nurnberg Associates. Her books often feature sarcastic protagonists (although she would argue that they’re just severely misunderstood). In 2021, she was selected to be a mentee for the final Pitch Wars class. She graduated from Queen’s University with a B.A. in English Literature and a MA in English Literature. She currently lives in her hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada.

The One is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Anca Demeter]

Fell in love with this book on page one.

[Tia]

DNF @ p146 cannibalism is a hard no from me

[Pawsandpagesonthecoast]

This was such a fun read! I’ve read a few survival,
reality dating show thrillers lately, and
this one was definitely one of my favourites.
The mix of mystery and survival kept me
hooked from the very first page. The characters
were easy to invest in, the plot kept me guessing,
and I flew through it from start to finish.

[Jordan R]

I was lucky enough to get access to an advanced copy of The One and I am so glad that I did.

Fans of reality TV will love this book for its drama and fans of thrillers will equally enjoy its suspense. For those of us who like both, it’s the perfect story. I was hooked from start to finish, each twist and turn had me second guessing every character and their motives right up until the end of the book.

I loved following Constance’s point of view as she navigated all the tension in both the villa and on the island. I often found myself laughing at her rather candid personality and snarky side comments.

I highly recommend The One as your next beach read if you’re looking for romance with some thrilling (and gory) twists!!

[Tuesday Louise]

Reality TV crossed with Lord of the Flies? Sounds like the recipe for a great novel!

The One was a wonderful story of survival and romance, especially with the mix of wanting to be famous. The plot flowed very nicely and was constantly engaging with new obstacles for the group to overcome.

The main character, Constance, was a deep and well-thought-out personality. Her flaws shone through, but made her a realistic teenager to read about. Saying that, my star of the show was Kassie (probably an unpopular opinion), but her character was so out there that it made for humorous reading. Overall, all the main female characters were strong and unique enough to make it an easy read.

The murder mystery plotline was interesting and entertaining. There was so much going on that I found it hard to predict the outcome until very far into the book. This read felt on the younger side of YA (mid to late teens), but this didn’t impact my enjoyment of it, even in my 30s.
I’d liken this read to Then Things Went Dark, Five Survive and The 100’s survival element.

I’d recommend this read if you want a survival-based YA murder mystery – It was fun, and the murder mystery element was intriguing throughout. It’s a great debut, and I look forward to seeing what else Isabella Galbriath releases in the future.

I received this ARC for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I’d like to thank Netgalley, Isabella Galbraith and Penguin Random House for letting me be a part of the ARC team.

[Abi]

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Isabella Galbraith for the ARC.

This was a really fun read, and I may have stayed up a little longer than I should have just to finish it.

There was a great cast of characters - some I loved, some I loathed, but they all fitted in with the reality style setting well.

The only negative I had was that I did find it slightly predictable, but it didn't really impact my enjoyment that much.

The One is perfect for Young Adult readers looking for a blend of The Wilds (gone too soon) and Love Island/The Bachelor with a sprinkle of murder.

A great debut from Isabella Galbraith, and I'll definitely be watching out for whatever the author publishes next.

[Cherie • bookshelvesandtealeaves]

Thanks to Penguin for sending me a copy of this one. All thoughts are my own.

This was a bit of a mixed bag, honestly.

I liked how messy the main character was. She’s hurting from a bad breakup, her mental health is Not Good, she’s closed off and reserved and has no idea what she’s doing. But she tries, and I liked how complicated she was.

I was really interested in finding out who the killer was (I did have my suspicions) and seeing how it all played out, but I did find the pacing was very off. Nothing happens for so much of this book and the constant bickering between the girls became tiring. I enjoyed the mad rush of the end, though. I just wish the whole thing had been a bit faster paced.

[Audrey]

I had a chance to read a very early copy of this book and it is amazing in both premise and pacing; it's THE BACHELOR meets FIVE SURVIVE with a dash of LORD OF THE FLIES. When Constance gets on an island reality TV show, she thinks it will help her get over her ex-girlfriend, but the plane crashes, and then the bodies pile up, and it's a twisty path to tenuous survival, risky alliances, and to figuring out who is responsible for the murder. Buckle up!!!

[Morgan Forte]

The One is such a fun, propulsive, and campy read! The plot twists truly threw me off and I loved the mixed media elements, it felt fresh and made everything so much more exciting. Galbraith does an amazing job of creating tension AND maintaining the satirical angle throughout the whole story.

I love this book and the author also happens to be incredibly cool ;) ⭐️ a million/5 ⭐️

[Sadie Williams]

SO GOOD!!!! This is the perfect summer read. I love the characters, they are so relatable and I love them. Some of their b****-iness makes them even more likeable somehow. I was totally transported to the island and hooked on every word. Excellent escape, I'm sure I'll be reading it many more times. 🌸✨🦋🐠🌺💫☀️🌊💘❤️‍🔥👠

[Maddison Amber]

DNF at 43%
I loved the premise of this book but realistically for me it’s just dragging and nothing is really pulling me to pick it back up. I think it lost me at a dream involving cannibalism, just too much for me sorry

[Katykat_reads]

2.75⭐️

[Harriet]

Kept me turning pages. I called it would be Easton would be murderer but it’s always the love interest that stabs us in the back.💔

[Soph]

Really enjoyed it, fun murder mystery with a lot of twists and turns. I was questioning who the killer was until the end, perfect atmosphere for a summer read!