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The Six
Alternate cover edition of ASIN B0744BM54M, which can be found here.
28 people travel to a remote island for a unique program that promises to heal their addictions.
But they've headed into their worst danger of their lives.
In the grip of a crushing gambling addiction, young mother Evie is desperate for a way out. She's stunned when she's offered a lifeline: A program that includes a six-day stay in a Greek monastery, six challenges and a chance at sixty thousand dollars.
There is just one condition - she must keep it secret.
Evie's husband Gray is gutted to find the note that Evie left behind. Why did she leave and where did she go? And is she ever coming back? But his anger turns to alarm as he begins to piece together the circumstances of his wife's disappearance. When Evie's car is found burned in woodland, the police suspect him of murdering Evie.
Gray has got one chance to get out of the country and find Evie - before he's arrested for something he didn't do.
Too late, Evie discovers the chilling truth about the program and the island itself.
And the closer she gets to finding an escape, the closer the deadly danger lurking in the depths of the monastery gets to her.
28 people travel to a remote island for a unique program that promises to heal their addictions.
But they've headed into their worst danger of their lives.
In the grip of a crushing gambling addiction, young mother Evie is desperate for a way out. She's stunned when she's offered a lifeline: A program that includes a six-day stay in a Greek monastery, six challenges and a chance at sixty thousand dollars.
There is just one condition - she must keep it secret.
Evie's husband Gray is gutted to find the note that Evie left behind. Why did she leave and where did she go? And is she ever coming back? But his anger turns to alarm as he begins to piece together the circumstances of his wife's disappearance. When Evie's car is found burned in woodland, the police suspect him of murdering Evie.
Gray has got one chance to get out of the country and find Evie - before he's arrested for something he didn't do.
Too late, Evie discovers the chilling truth about the program and the island itself.
And the closer she gets to finding an escape, the closer the deadly danger lurking in the depths of the monastery gets to her.
432 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 668 reviews
March 20, 2018
3.5 Stars - rounded up, due to some of the revelations, which I'm still trying to process.
It took me awhile, to get into this book; mainly because of the three main characters, first point of view, which it alternates between, each chapter. There's a fourth (sporadic) narrator, too.
Twenty eight people are offered the opportunity to attend a special treatment program on a small Greek Island. Sounds good, right?
Evie Harlow is one of the chosen. She receives a phone call from someone, claiming to be Brother Vito - and he runs a program for people with addictions. Evie is addicted to gambling, and has accumulated a debt, she's unable to repay. She's skeptical, at first - but Brother Vito' convinces her to take the last spot, by telling her, "The treatment is for one week. Six days, actually. It consists of a set of challenges. One for each day. As an incentive towards your path of healing, we offer ten thousand dollars per completed challenge. In addition, we pay off all your debt." She does the math, and realises she can't turn this offer down. The catch? She can't tell anyone about it, and has to sign a confidentiality clause. It has to remain confidential.
Gray Harlow has just lost his job, and is apprehensive about telling his wife, Evie, about it. When he gets home, though, his wife and daughters are nowhere to be found. He eventually figures out where his daughters, Willow and Lilly, are staying - but no one knows where Evie is. Things are about to go from bad - to worse - in a short period of time, that's for sure.
And Constance' is looking for her missing daughter, Kara, which leads her to Gray's doorstep, when she finds an address in her daughters, jacket pocket, with the name Evie on it.
I liked the descriptions of the monastery, where the chosen, will be staying, for the next six days. High walls surround the monastery. There's a ring of twenty four inner rooms, and another ring of twenty four rooms surrounding the inner rooms. And six challenge rooms; one room for each challenge. All the rooms are hexagonal. It was built in the twelve century, so it has a bit of history. It was originally built for the mentally ill (The Afflicted) - giving them work and lodgings. Very creepy. I also liked some of the challenges, which will require team work.
Initially, I didn't care for Gray or Constance' perspectives. But that soon changed when things started to happen. It reached the point where I didn't favour either, Evie. Gray or Constances - point of view.
In conclusion: I enjoyed it for the most part, with my enjoyment, fluctuating, every so often. Some of the revelations had my head spinning, right round. Not sure about some of the dialogue, which irked me - at times. And some of the contenders, thought process, was a bit dodgy; especially after a major incident at the monastery.
At the end of the book, there's an excerpt from the author's debut novel 'The Game You Played' which I may check out, sometime.
It took me awhile, to get into this book; mainly because of the three main characters, first point of view, which it alternates between, each chapter. There's a fourth (sporadic) narrator, too.
Twenty eight people are offered the opportunity to attend a special treatment program on a small Greek Island. Sounds good, right?
Evie Harlow is one of the chosen. She receives a phone call from someone, claiming to be Brother Vito - and he runs a program for people with addictions. Evie is addicted to gambling, and has accumulated a debt, she's unable to repay. She's skeptical, at first - but Brother Vito' convinces her to take the last spot, by telling her, "The treatment is for one week. Six days, actually. It consists of a set of challenges. One for each day. As an incentive towards your path of healing, we offer ten thousand dollars per completed challenge. In addition, we pay off all your debt." She does the math, and realises she can't turn this offer down. The catch? She can't tell anyone about it, and has to sign a confidentiality clause. It has to remain confidential.
Gray Harlow has just lost his job, and is apprehensive about telling his wife, Evie, about it. When he gets home, though, his wife and daughters are nowhere to be found. He eventually figures out where his daughters, Willow and Lilly, are staying - but no one knows where Evie is. Things are about to go from bad - to worse - in a short period of time, that's for sure.
And Constance' is looking for her missing daughter, Kara, which leads her to Gray's doorstep, when she finds an address in her daughters, jacket pocket, with the name Evie on it.
I liked the descriptions of the monastery, where the chosen, will be staying, for the next six days. High walls surround the monastery. There's a ring of twenty four inner rooms, and another ring of twenty four rooms surrounding the inner rooms. And six challenge rooms; one room for each challenge. All the rooms are hexagonal. It was built in the twelve century, so it has a bit of history. It was originally built for the mentally ill (The Afflicted) - giving them work and lodgings. Very creepy. I also liked some of the challenges, which will require team work.
Initially, I didn't care for Gray or Constance' perspectives. But that soon changed when things started to happen. It reached the point where I didn't favour either, Evie. Gray or Constances - point of view.
In conclusion: I enjoyed it for the most part, with my enjoyment, fluctuating, every so often. Some of the revelations had my head spinning, right round. Not sure about some of the dialogue, which irked me - at times. And some of the contenders, thought process, was a bit dodgy; especially after a major incident at the monastery.
At the end of the book, there's an excerpt from the author's debut novel 'The Game You Played' which I may check out, sometime.
July 31, 2020
This was an interesting book. I was expecting a story about escape from a Greek Island, which I got, but there was a whole extra story there too about some would be rescuers running parallel to the main plot. I enjoyed that part the most.
My sympathies all the way were with the husband, Gray. He definitely deserved a better wife but he battled against all odds to get her back and turned out to be quite the hero. The search for clues and the race to find out where she was added most of the tension to the book.
Meanwhile back on the Greek island people died in mysterious ways and others did very involved challenges in order to win a cash prize. I skimmed a little bit over the challenges I must admit. There were a few surprises at the end and a hugely dramatic scenario worthy of James Patterson.
A book where the reader needs to suspend belief and just enjoy the ride. I did.
My sympathies all the way were with the husband, Gray. He definitely deserved a better wife but he battled against all odds to get her back and turned out to be quite the hero. The search for clues and the race to find out where she was added most of the tension to the book.
Meanwhile back on the Greek island people died in mysterious ways and others did very involved challenges in order to win a cash prize. I skimmed a little bit over the challenges I must admit. There were a few surprises at the end and a hugely dramatic scenario worthy of James Patterson.
A book where the reader needs to suspend belief and just enjoy the ride. I did.
July 21, 2017
Evie’s life had spiralled out of control. Her husband Gray and two beautiful daughters, Willow and Lilly meant everything to her – but the gambling addiction had taken over and she had no idea what to do next. She was at the bottom…
When Evie arrived on the tiny Greek island where she had been accepted into a special program which would cure her addiction, she was bemused. The monastery was old; she was met by Brother Vito who explained about the six challenges - the end result (should she reach it) would give her $60,000 ($10,000 per challenge) and she would also have all her debts paid off.
As Evie met the other contestants, she realised there would be no friendships made – everyone wanted to win. But then she saw someone she knew from her “previous life”…
Gray was shattered to realise Evie had left him, and their daughters. He had no idea where she was; none of her friends knew either. Evie’s note which said she would be back in a week gave Gray a small kernel of hope. But as Gray searched for his wife, his journey put him in the path of Constance who was the mother of a young teenager also missing; together the two of them joined forces in their search for loved ones they had become increasingly concerned about. Would Evie and Kara be found – alive? Or were the police right?
Wow! Deep, incredibly dark and disturbing, The Six by Aussie author Anni Taylor (author of The Game You Played) is another intense psychological thriller that pounded through the pages. The main characters are resilient, tough but scarily vulnerable; the bad guys are horribly bad!! A fast-paced and thrilling plot, The Six is a breathtaking and intense ride, and is filled with twists and turns which kept my heart in my mouth! Highly recommended.
With thanks to the author for my digital copy which I beta read, for my honest review.
When Evie arrived on the tiny Greek island where she had been accepted into a special program which would cure her addiction, she was bemused. The monastery was old; she was met by Brother Vito who explained about the six challenges - the end result (should she reach it) would give her $60,000 ($10,000 per challenge) and she would also have all her debts paid off.
As Evie met the other contestants, she realised there would be no friendships made – everyone wanted to win. But then she saw someone she knew from her “previous life”…
Gray was shattered to realise Evie had left him, and their daughters. He had no idea where she was; none of her friends knew either. Evie’s note which said she would be back in a week gave Gray a small kernel of hope. But as Gray searched for his wife, his journey put him in the path of Constance who was the mother of a young teenager also missing; together the two of them joined forces in their search for loved ones they had become increasingly concerned about. Would Evie and Kara be found – alive? Or were the police right?
Wow! Deep, incredibly dark and disturbing, The Six by Aussie author Anni Taylor (author of The Game You Played) is another intense psychological thriller that pounded through the pages. The main characters are resilient, tough but scarily vulnerable; the bad guys are horribly bad!! A fast-paced and thrilling plot, The Six is a breathtaking and intense ride, and is filled with twists and turns which kept my heart in my mouth! Highly recommended.
With thanks to the author for my digital copy which I beta read, for my honest review.
August 6, 2019
Seventeen year old Kara Lundquist graduated from high school early and was determined to go to the University of Australia. Kara is like her father, never sitting back, always going after what she wants. Her mother, Constance is the opposite but has everything she could want in life. A husband, money, a beautiful home. Yet everything in her life feels hollow. Everything except her daughter, Kara, who is the only light in her life and is thankful that they are very close. Or so Constance thinks.
Now Kara is missing.
When Constance goes to the police for help in locating her missing daughter, the police don't take her seriously.
Beside herself with fear for her daughter, Constance decides to take matters into her own hands for the first time in her life. So she travels all the way from the US to Australia to find her missing daughter. The only clue she has leads her to the home of Grey and Evie Harlow.
How much does she really know about her daughter?
Grey Harlow has just lost his job. He's dreading telling his wife, Evie. But, they will work it out. They always do. Right? When he arrives home, the house is silent. The only clue he finds is a cryptic note on the refrigerator saying she just needs to get herself sorted out. She isn't answering her phone. She hasn't called. No one has heard from her.
Evie has simply disappeared. Then, Constance knocks on the door looking for her daughter, Kara. How well does Grey know his wife?
Evie Harlow has a secret. She's addicted to gambling and is beyond trouble. When she's offered a life line she jumps in with both feet. No one knows where she is. She doesn't have anything of her things she packed with her. She is unable to contact or have anything from the outside, leaving all ties to her past behind to be healed. That is all part of the deal. She's signed a contract. All she has to do is win all the challenges during her week at the treatment center to win the prize money and return home. Then she and her family can start fresh. Easy, Right?
Who else was pretending to be what they were not?
This is a difficult book to review because it has so many moving pieces. It's a puzzle in itself but you can follow it without losing the plot. You just might lose a number of hours as you get lost in the book! It's definitely a book that I had a great deal of trouble putting down.
The Six by Aussie author Anni Taylor is a heart stopping psychological thriller. It's a scary, creepy, twisty tale full of mind bending secrets around every corner and nothing is as it seems! Time is running out and you won't have time to breath! I couldn't have guessed what was coming! I will definitely read more novels by this author.
Highly recommended!
Now Kara is missing.
When Constance goes to the police for help in locating her missing daughter, the police don't take her seriously.
Beside herself with fear for her daughter, Constance decides to take matters into her own hands for the first time in her life. So she travels all the way from the US to Australia to find her missing daughter. The only clue she has leads her to the home of Grey and Evie Harlow.
How much does she really know about her daughter?
Grey Harlow has just lost his job. He's dreading telling his wife, Evie. But, they will work it out. They always do. Right? When he arrives home, the house is silent. The only clue he finds is a cryptic note on the refrigerator saying she just needs to get herself sorted out. She isn't answering her phone. She hasn't called. No one has heard from her.
Evie has simply disappeared. Then, Constance knocks on the door looking for her daughter, Kara. How well does Grey know his wife?
Evie Harlow has a secret. She's addicted to gambling and is beyond trouble. When she's offered a life line she jumps in with both feet. No one knows where she is. She doesn't have anything of her things she packed with her. She is unable to contact or have anything from the outside, leaving all ties to her past behind to be healed. That is all part of the deal. She's signed a contract. All she has to do is win all the challenges during her week at the treatment center to win the prize money and return home. Then she and her family can start fresh. Easy, Right?
Who else was pretending to be what they were not?
This is a difficult book to review because it has so many moving pieces. It's a puzzle in itself but you can follow it without losing the plot. You just might lose a number of hours as you get lost in the book! It's definitely a book that I had a great deal of trouble putting down.
The Six by Aussie author Anni Taylor is a heart stopping psychological thriller. It's a scary, creepy, twisty tale full of mind bending secrets around every corner and nothing is as it seems! Time is running out and you won't have time to breath! I couldn't have guessed what was coming! I will definitely read more novels by this author.
Highly recommended!
August 13, 2017
What an amazing plot Anni Taylor has concocted in this very suspenseful novel. It really will keep you guessing!
Evie is a wife and mother in Sydney, Australia but unknown to her husband she has developed a severe gambling addiction and racked up thousands of dollars worth of debt. She therefore jumps at the chance to take part in a rehab program for addicts in a monastery on a remote island in the Mediterranean. She is not allowed to tell anyone that she is going and leave without a trace but not only will she have the chance to beat her addiction but through completing a series of challenges she can make enough money to pay her debts. Sounds too good to be true? Well, there are some catches as Evie and her fellow addicts will soon find out.
While Evie and the other contestants are undertaking the challenges, Evie's husband and the mother of one of the other addicts are desperately trying to locate them and find out some disturbing facts about the order of monks running the program. This is a very clever and original plot with many surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Evie is a wife and mother in Sydney, Australia but unknown to her husband she has developed a severe gambling addiction and racked up thousands of dollars worth of debt. She therefore jumps at the chance to take part in a rehab program for addicts in a monastery on a remote island in the Mediterranean. She is not allowed to tell anyone that she is going and leave without a trace but not only will she have the chance to beat her addiction but through completing a series of challenges she can make enough money to pay her debts. Sounds too good to be true? Well, there are some catches as Evie and her fellow addicts will soon find out.
While Evie and the other contestants are undertaking the challenges, Evie's husband and the mother of one of the other addicts are desperately trying to locate them and find out some disturbing facts about the order of monks running the program. This is a very clever and original plot with many surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat.
March 6, 2018
Be very careful.
Read all the reviews, not only five or four stars reviews. Made a big mistake, looked at the overall rating of 4.4 and didn't read 2 or 1 star reviews. This book was so very slow, kept skipping a page. Definitely will not read another book written by this author.
Read all the reviews, not only five or four stars reviews. Made a big mistake, looked at the overall rating of 4.4 and didn't read 2 or 1 star reviews. This book was so very slow, kept skipping a page. Definitely will not read another book written by this author.
July 25, 2017
Inside these walls, I wait.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. The beginning was rather poignant, and I looked forward to getting to the story.
I didn't like the multiple narrators. Three regular ones plus an occasional fourth was a little much, especially since each viewpoint was told in first person and they all sounded the same. When each chapter started getting shorter and each narrator popping up more quickly, the story began feeling choppy.
This book had too much going on, even for the length. Some things weren't resolved to my satisfaction () and it just felt like some things weren't explained well ().
In the beginning I was really hopeful, but towards the middle my interest began to wane. The last 15% seemed to take forever to read.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. The beginning was rather poignant, and I looked forward to getting to the story.
I didn't like the multiple narrators. Three regular ones plus an occasional fourth was a little much, especially since each viewpoint was told in first person and they all sounded the same. When each chapter started getting shorter and each narrator popping up more quickly, the story began feeling choppy.
This book had too much going on, even for the length. Some things weren't resolved to my satisfaction () and it just felt like some things weren't explained well ().
In the beginning I was really hopeful, but towards the middle my interest began to wane. The last 15% seemed to take forever to read.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
September 9, 2021
I had a difficult time getting into this story... It was a great idea but I didn't connect to the individual characters. I wonder if the story would have better fit as a series so each part could be more developed.
October 18, 2017
Maybe just under 3 stars.
It started out OK. Evie, a young mother, is approached out of the blue to take part in a unique program to fix her gambling addiction and promises her debts will be paid. Only you're not to tell anyone about it. All this from a group of benevolent business people. Gullible - much. Its a bit like 'don't go into the basement' so you go into the basement. Evie finds herself at an old monastery on a tiny Greek island with 27 other participants.
There was a creepy vibe to the monastery and you just knew that things were not as they seemed. Evie's husband and one of the other participants' mother get a hint of the danger their loved ones are in and set out find them and rescue them.
So far so good (if you have managed to suspend your disbelief) and then it falls away. The guts of the story is so fantastical you just can't 'buy' it. And the ending is, I reckon, wishful thinking. The whole thing lacked that small element of realism needed to make the story sing. There was a bit of drama but no real tension because, in my mind at least, the last third of the book was very predictable.
It started out OK. Evie, a young mother, is approached out of the blue to take part in a unique program to fix her gambling addiction and promises her debts will be paid. Only you're not to tell anyone about it. All this from a group of benevolent business people. Gullible - much. Its a bit like 'don't go into the basement' so you go into the basement. Evie finds herself at an old monastery on a tiny Greek island with 27 other participants.
There was a creepy vibe to the monastery and you just knew that things were not as they seemed. Evie's husband and one of the other participants' mother get a hint of the danger their loved ones are in and set out find them and rescue them.
So far so good (if you have managed to suspend your disbelief) and then it falls away. The guts of the story is so fantastical you just can't 'buy' it. And the ending is, I reckon, wishful thinking. The whole thing lacked that small element of realism needed to make the story sing. There was a bit of drama but no real tension because, in my mind at least, the last third of the book was very predictable.
May 30, 2020
I enjoyed this for most of the way through, although there were a few parts that weren't so well-explained and left me a little confused at the time.
And unfortunately I thought the ending was rather weak, but it was still an enjoyable book that I devoured in a few days!
And unfortunately I thought the ending was rather weak, but it was still an enjoyable book that I devoured in a few days!
May 29, 2025
3,0 ✨✨✨
August 3, 2023
Squid Game. In Greece.
June 13, 2018
Don't Believe the Hype.
I bought this after noticing that it has been made into a movie or series that's now on Direct TV. It also has some good reviews from people who say they are librarians, so I figured it might be worth reading. Well, I was immediately disappointed in the early chapters. But as I forged on, the middle of the book became better and certain passages were actually pretty good. However, just as I was feeling better about the writing, it fell apart in the final chapters, which stank to high heaven. This author is erratic in her writing and most parts of the story felt to me like they were dashed off in a first draft and never edited again. At one point toward the end, the author switched tenses in a way that was clearly an accident. That can work in some stories, when its done right, but this was just laziness and sloppiness. The last chapters of this book are so badly written (action scenes that the author clearly strugglled with and didn't even bother to try to make interesting) that I had to skim over them. They weren't worth trying to take in, sincce they were so badly written.
This story reminded me of a cross between a bad 1970s "satanic cult" movie and the 1940s film "Ten Little Indians" -- I think it might make an ok movie, but the ending was SO shodilly done. It stunk. Then, to read the author's comment that this book took her "a long time to write -- one year" is so arrogant. Wow. A year is not long time to write a book. And this book reads as if it was written in one month. If you like trite stories that are superficial and predictable, go ahead and read this. If you like good writing, be warned.
I bought this after noticing that it has been made into a movie or series that's now on Direct TV. It also has some good reviews from people who say they are librarians, so I figured it might be worth reading. Well, I was immediately disappointed in the early chapters. But as I forged on, the middle of the book became better and certain passages were actually pretty good. However, just as I was feeling better about the writing, it fell apart in the final chapters, which stank to high heaven. This author is erratic in her writing and most parts of the story felt to me like they were dashed off in a first draft and never edited again. At one point toward the end, the author switched tenses in a way that was clearly an accident. That can work in some stories, when its done right, but this was just laziness and sloppiness. The last chapters of this book are so badly written (action scenes that the author clearly strugglled with and didn't even bother to try to make interesting) that I had to skim over them. They weren't worth trying to take in, sincce they were so badly written.
This story reminded me of a cross between a bad 1970s "satanic cult" movie and the 1940s film "Ten Little Indians" -- I think it might make an ok movie, but the ending was SO shodilly done. It stunk. Then, to read the author's comment that this book took her "a long time to write -- one year" is so arrogant. Wow. A year is not long time to write a book. And this book reads as if it was written in one month. If you like trite stories that are superficial and predictable, go ahead and read this. If you like good writing, be warned.
October 11, 2022
What happens when 28 people from around the world travel to a remote Greek island for an innovative 6-day addiction-healing program?
Program participants are sworn to secrecy and are not permitted to tell family and friends about their whereabouts.
Participants are promised $60K upon completion of the program; enough to pay off debts and start anew.
The book was well-written, fast-paced, and character-driven.
The author did a superb job of exploring the vulnerability and despair experienced by people with addictions.
Unfortunately, at 75%, the book changed course and became far-fetched, absurd, and unbelievable.
I listened to the audiobook and narrator Barrie Kreinik did an outstanding job with the narration.
Program participants are sworn to secrecy and are not permitted to tell family and friends about their whereabouts.
Participants are promised $60K upon completion of the program; enough to pay off debts and start anew.
The book was well-written, fast-paced, and character-driven.
The author did a superb job of exploring the vulnerability and despair experienced by people with addictions.
Unfortunately, at 75%, the book changed course and became far-fetched, absurd, and unbelievable.
I listened to the audiobook and narrator Barrie Kreinik did an outstanding job with the narration.
August 12, 2017
I have fell in Love with Anni Taylor's books.
This one is about addicts and a program to help them....or not. Missing People... Hard to give details because I don't want to give anything away!
Thriller and one big twist at end. I highly recommend. I ran across Anni Taylor's books on Kindle Unlimited.
This one is about addicts and a program to help them....or not. Missing People... Hard to give details because I don't want to give anything away!
Thriller and one big twist at end. I highly recommend. I ran across Anni Taylor's books on Kindle Unlimited.
June 22, 2018
A very poorly written book.
I didn't realize I read the author's previous and only other book, but that one shares many of the same problems this has—she clearly hasn't learned anything since her debut.
The main problem lies with the book's structure. The summary makes you believe it's about a special addiction recovery program on an island, but for every chapter on the island, there are two from the point of view of people looking for the main character and someone else.
So after every small event on the island, you have to slog through a chapter about the husband and then about the other character.
This kills any pacing the book might've had and at over 500 pages, it's way too long for no good reason.
It might've been slightly better if the third character was removed and her plot role merged with the husband's, but then you get to the other major flaw of the book: the plot is utter garbage once it starts developing.
Her previous book had the same problem, at the beginning it was still relatively plausible but once it gets going, it's like she tried to cram every twist she could think of into the book no matter how unbelievable, without resolving them properly or considering whether they were logical at all.
I'm all for suspension of disbelief but this isn't that: the plot is so bad that I could write a whole paper on why it sucks, but suffice to say that creating a well-put-together story is not one of her skills.
As with most poorly written books, not only is it utterly unbelievable, cheesy, but it also has many plot holes and numerous English mistakes, too many to ignore.
The plot also has some gaps at places which made me think I missed a page, because some parts just didn't make sense and looked like she thought she included something but later removed it but the plot moves as if she did include it.
I still gave it two stars because the basic premise is somewhat interesting and kept me hooked for a while, but the execution is some of the worst I've ever seen: this book completely falls apart during the second half.
I'm not so petty to give a book one star just because I didn't like it, but this book honestly isn't good—don't believe the high ratings if you have any standards. I did and got fooled.
Had I known I'd read something by this author before I probably wouldn't have read this book to begin with, but now I'll make sure to memorize her name so I don't make the same mistake yet again, as I have no confidence she'll ever fix the above flaws.
I didn't realize I read the author's previous and only other book, but that one shares many of the same problems this has—she clearly hasn't learned anything since her debut.
The main problem lies with the book's structure. The summary makes you believe it's about a special addiction recovery program on an island, but for every chapter on the island, there are two from the point of view of people looking for the main character and someone else.
So after every small event on the island, you have to slog through a chapter about the husband and then about the other character.
This kills any pacing the book might've had and at over 500 pages, it's way too long for no good reason.
It might've been slightly better if the third character was removed and her plot role merged with the husband's, but then you get to the other major flaw of the book: the plot is utter garbage once it starts developing.
Her previous book had the same problem, at the beginning it was still relatively plausible but once it gets going, it's like she tried to cram every twist she could think of into the book no matter how unbelievable, without resolving them properly or considering whether they were logical at all.
I'm all for suspension of disbelief but this isn't that: the plot is so bad that I could write a whole paper on why it sucks, but suffice to say that creating a well-put-together story is not one of her skills.
As with most poorly written books, not only is it utterly unbelievable, cheesy, but it also has many plot holes and numerous English mistakes, too many to ignore.
The plot also has some gaps at places which made me think I missed a page, because some parts just didn't make sense and looked like she thought she included something but later removed it but the plot moves as if she did include it.
I still gave it two stars because the basic premise is somewhat interesting and kept me hooked for a while, but the execution is some of the worst I've ever seen: this book completely falls apart during the second half.
I'm not so petty to give a book one star just because I didn't like it, but this book honestly isn't good—don't believe the high ratings if you have any standards. I did and got fooled.
Had I known I'd read something by this author before I probably wouldn't have read this book to begin with, but now I'll make sure to memorize her name so I don't make the same mistake yet again, as I have no confidence she'll ever fix the above flaws.
March 21, 2024
The premise of “The Six” is really unique, and the ending was good. I was toggling between three or four stars, but the aforementioned things tipped it to 4 ⭐️. I definitely would explore more of what this author has to offer!
The downsides: there’s a choppy feel to it at times and far too many characters introduced. It took a while to get a feel of suspense and impending doom. Once the author hit that, it wasn’t sustained for me, but then eventually it returned unexpectedly. I liked this overall but something about the theme and feel was inconsistent. It would actually make a great movie! A couple friends I read this with gave the perfect comparison if it was a movie: “this is like Shutter Island meets The DaVinci Code”!
The downsides: there’s a choppy feel to it at times and far too many characters introduced. It took a while to get a feel of suspense and impending doom. Once the author hit that, it wasn’t sustained for me, but then eventually it returned unexpectedly. I liked this overall but something about the theme and feel was inconsistent. It would actually make a great movie! A couple friends I read this with gave the perfect comparison if it was a movie: “this is like Shutter Island meets The DaVinci Code”!
October 20, 2017
Sorry -this was terrible -tried to finish it but I have too many good books waiting and too little time to read them !
June 11, 2019
I started reading this based on the description: a young wife and mom of two young daughters is also hiding a serious gambling addiction. Seemingly by chance, she's given a mysterious gift: an opportunity to wipe out her gambling debt by participating in a competition of 26 other addicts in a remote monastery on a remote Greek island. And somehow, also, she'll be therapeutically cured of her addiction.
Well, the Greek monastery part pulled me in. I've been to Meteora. I was ready for some Greek monastery action! The rest, especially the credibility of curing addiction in one week, was eyebrow raising. In addition, the length of the book, clocking in at 500+ pages, was startling. The book is described as a mystery and psychological thriller, not an epic Russian saga such as Anna Karenina.
So, DNF at around 30%. Our main character, the gambling wife and mom, is a complete moron, and I couldn't find any sympathy or empathy or whatever towards her character. When she decides to go on this one-week competition, in secret, she takes her kids from her husband and hides them with a family friend. WTF? At least leave him a Dear John For a Week note and let him have the kids. She's an idiot.
I got through two of the six challenges and was underwhelmed. The writing, however, was overwhelming. It bounced between four different first-person perspectives, and then gave countless details of three of the four characters daily interactions. Good God! No wonder the book clocked in at 500+ pages. Once I figured out the book was turning in to the Never Ending Story, I gave up. Life's too short to read books you don't enjoy.
Well, the Greek monastery part pulled me in. I've been to Meteora. I was ready for some Greek monastery action! The rest, especially the credibility of curing addiction in one week, was eyebrow raising. In addition, the length of the book, clocking in at 500+ pages, was startling. The book is described as a mystery and psychological thriller, not an epic Russian saga such as Anna Karenina.
So, DNF at around 30%. Our main character, the gambling wife and mom, is a complete moron, and I couldn't find any sympathy or empathy or whatever towards her character. When she decides to go on this one-week competition, in secret, she takes her kids from her husband and hides them with a family friend. WTF? At least leave him a Dear John For a Week note and let him have the kids. She's an idiot.
I got through two of the six challenges and was underwhelmed. The writing, however, was overwhelming. It bounced between four different first-person perspectives, and then gave countless details of three of the four characters daily interactions. Good God! No wonder the book clocked in at 500+ pages. Once I figured out the book was turning in to the Never Ending Story, I gave up. Life's too short to read books you don't enjoy.
October 12, 2021
Wow! I highly recommend this for anyone looking for something different and thrilling, although you probably won't like it if you are persnickety about realism and unwilling to suspend disbelief. I tend to be that way about relationship-driven novels, but for adventures like this it's way more fun to just go with it
Evie is young and beautiful, with a loving husband and two sweet little girls. She also has a dirty little secret - an addiction to gambling that has gotten her already struggling family so deeply into debt that it will destroy them.
Ignoring the old adage, "If something seems too good to be true, it probably is," Evie signs up for an all expenses paid, week-long addiction cure, offered by a mysterious group of millionaires who just want to help people. If she makes it through the week, not only will she be cured but she will be given enough money to pay off all of her debts, plus make a brand new start with her family. The catch is, it has to be completely secret, so she can't tell her family or anyone else that she is jetting off to a creepy, ancient monastery on a remote Greek Island. Really, what could go wrong with this plan?
Needless to say, nothing at all is as it seems. What follows is sort of a mashup of Survivor, the Hunger Games, The Most Dangerous Game, and a Scooby Doo episode. It was all completely ridiculous (there is violence and torture hinted at, never graphic) but I couldn't put the book down although sometimes things got so intense that I had to stop reading and go look at pretty things on Pinterest. Against all odds, the author pulled off an ending that was fairly satisfying.
Evie is young and beautiful, with a loving husband and two sweet little girls. She also has a dirty little secret - an addiction to gambling that has gotten her already struggling family so deeply into debt that it will destroy them.
Ignoring the old adage, "If something seems too good to be true, it probably is," Evie signs up for an all expenses paid, week-long addiction cure, offered by a mysterious group of millionaires who just want to help people. If she makes it through the week, not only will she be cured but she will be given enough money to pay off all of her debts, plus make a brand new start with her family. The catch is, it has to be completely secret, so she can't tell her family or anyone else that she is jetting off to a creepy, ancient monastery on a remote Greek Island. Really, what could go wrong with this plan?
Needless to say, nothing at all is as it seems. What follows is sort of a mashup of Survivor, the Hunger Games, The Most Dangerous Game, and a Scooby Doo episode. It was all completely ridiculous (there is violence and torture hinted at, never graphic) but I couldn't put the book down although sometimes things got so intense that I had to stop reading and go look at pretty things on Pinterest. Against all odds, the author pulled off an ending that was fairly satisfying.
April 2, 2021
Every time I read a book by Anni Taylor I am absolutely mind blown! The Six, the second book revolving around hexagonals that I've read in the past two weeks, is a chilling, horrifying thriller about a group of very rich, powerful people who do very dark, demented things. It isn't what these people do, it is how and why they do it that is so disturbing and how deeply they are entrenched into every aspect of world society. Once I started The Six I couldn't put it down. I suspect there will be those who find it unbelievable and I might have as well a year ago but after reading so many similar fiction and non-fiction books that keep dancing around this same theme, I'm finding the believability factor easier to digest. Then, of course, there is Taylor's flawless character building. Each of the characters is so fully composed that by the end of the book you are deeply invested in their story. That's how it should be in a multi-character book like The Six but it is so difficult to find in books today. Well done Ms. Taylor!
August 30, 2023
I loved the first book I read by this author so I picked this one up via Kindle Unlimited. Boy, it’s one crazy story! It’s a different kinda theme that is addicting!! It’s told by multiple points of view which keeps the interest flowing. The protagonist is a gambler and short time escort desperate to pay off her debts and hide her affliction from her husband. They live a meager existence so any debt is detrimental. She gets an offer to pay off her debt plus potentially earn an additional $60k BUT she can’t tell her husband AND she has to fly to a small island off of Greece! Her experience is a little mind blowing! Her husband, not understanding why she left a devastating note, is determined to find her! There is also a woman whose daughter is missing, and there appears to be links to the protagonist. She bands up with the husband to find the missing wife and daughter. What follows is a crazy journey!! The book is a little on the long side, but it reads quickly! It does suspend belief or, at least, I hope so! I enjoyed it!
August 3, 2019
This book was awful. Read it for a book club so had to finish it. This author decided she had to put everything into this book and it didn’t work. So many unbelievable parts and inconsistencies. Way too many to go into here. Book club decided we had to do better at picking our books. Don’t recommend.
June 5, 2023
This was a cool concept, but was way too long. While some of the twists were pretty good, they came a bit late, when the whole story turned into an action drama.
September 19, 2019
I noticed this book because of the cover, and picked it up because of the description. It had vibes of the TV series "Lost" and contained one of my favourite tropes, plus I like the thriller genre. It was an alright read, but I debated if I would give it two stars or three stars. My review won't give away spoilers, but I will talk about them further on in my review and mark them before so those who don't want spoilers won't be spoiled.
Pros:
-It contains one of my favourite tropes, which is the whole "complete these tasks" thing. I'm a sucker for a good puzzle-challenge aspect to a book, and there's something about the format that gets me: guessing what the puzzle is, wondering whose going to win. This delivered on that front!
-It juggled the multiple narrators well. At times they sounded too similar, mostly near the end, but on the whole they felt distinct and I could picture the individuals.
-The mystery aspect in the beginning half of the book intrigued me and kept me going. It didn't spoon feed to much info in the beginning.
-The twists near the end I didn't see coming. They genuinely surprised me, but once revealed didn't feel completely out of left field, which I think a good thriller needs to do. For this reason, I gave the book three stars.
-It had several background characters (the 28 participants in particular) that were written well and stood out. That's hard to do, but I remembered and recognized each person and wasn't confused. Taylor trickled in their introductions well and placed them well.
-The ending wrapped up everything enough to leave me satisfied that the story was told (even if parts of the ending felt unbelievable)
The Cons:
-It starts with one if those vague one scene opens from later in the book, meant to show the darker twists to get you hooked off the bat, but without revealing anything. I personally hate any time that trick is used in thrillers, and it's used a lot, because they often spoil way more than they think they do, and are just completely unnecessary. This one was bo exception.If you hate them as much as me, just skip it. In fact, this one in particular I extra hated because by the time I got to the end of the book, I couldn't even place when and where that opening scene was supposed to be in the book, because it's never directly referenced and so vague it basically doesn't fit.
-The blurb doesn't do a good enough job setting up the B plot with the other Narrators. Only half the book is about Evie and the island, I wasn't expecting it to be that small of a chunk based on the back.
-Some aspects of the story were really unbelievable. To start, the very beginning has wife and Mother Evie leaving for the challenge, as described in the back blurb. But the way she chooses do it, in particular in how she tells her husband, was absolutely stupid. And I understand that humans can be stupid, and making bad choices propels a plot and reflects reality. Howver, my problem with the decision Evie made is that it completely contradicts the character we are presented with: Evie is supposed to be a smart woman with a gambling problem who loves her husband and really knows him, and loves her family. She may be an addict, but everything she is doing is in an attempt to right her wrongs, and keep them a secret. The story her husband gets just does not match the smart, loving woman we see and was a complete turnoff. It made many of the early scenes narrarated by her husband annoying to read because it was just so dumb.
-The ending was also the other really unbelievable part. After the big reveal, the final chapters become almost fantastical with how they deal with everything. It killed the read and the build up for me, and it felt like the story had changed genres with the shift.
-This book uses another trope that I hate, which is having a few short chapters narrated by the antagonist. It does nothing to add to the book for me, as in these type of books the narrators all sound the same and the thoughts are so vague that they don't reveal much about the plot. They're just cryptic, but the cryptic tone is already established in the book by the MC and they end up undermining that tone by showing us what's behind the curtain, and I've see it before. I could pull another book off the shelf with the same trope, swap the chapters and swap a few names and it would sound the same. To Taylor's credit, she does make them worth it by the end of the book, but it was a long book to get through for the pay off and it still had the negative effect of spoiling bits of the read for me. I can't help but feel that the book could have done without it and found another way to get some of that information in.
-The end had a lot of monologuing to get all the twist info out.
SPOILERS NEXT
Okay, so another one of the things I did not like about this book that I couldn't point out without spoiling it is the Kara and Cormac relationship. It made ZERO sense to any rational human being. Kara may have essentially become a "good guy" but she was still FULL of all kinds of psychological problems, was definitely a serial killer, and I don't care HOW cute she is, I don't see Cormac pursuing a romantic relationship with her. He knew her for less than a week for pity's sake! Forgiving her? Maybe. Thanking her for her help that savard their lives? Sure. Wanting to stay on her good side if even for your own self-preservation? You bet! But the sudden protective urge and powerful romantic feelings... like no. Absolutely ruined a favourite character for me. Even if it was some kind of addict Stockholm syndrome thing that he latched onto her, there is no way that's healthy and the book treats it like a happy every after. There is not one person alive in love with a serial killer that is not in serious need of help. Redeem Kara, get her counseling and help if you want, but the romance was just bizarre and almost disgusting. Kara was definitely abused, but she also was messed up, like, properly before that. I'm not saying people with issues can't find help and love. I'm saying people whose issues involve murdering people need to get proper help before romance, and sane human beings do not pursue romantic relationships with them before they do get help, especially if they just met them like four days ago.
And I bring up Evie's note to Gray again, and what she told her friend Marla when she watched the girls. Even if she WASN'T going to a murder island and everything about the proposition was true, how on earth was that not super suspicious and cruel??? To a man she loved???? "We've been fighting and I'm leaving, might be back in a week or so, I've taken the children from you and won't tell you where they are". Like, that's a recipe for disaster. She basically stole the kids from him too, on top of that. It did NOT match her personality at all for the rest of the book, and I can think of a hundred ways she could have done it better, that fit the character better. Say you got called away on some remote week long thing for your restaurant job. Say an old friend is getting married or lost a parent and you have to go to the event and it's got no cell service. Like, I know she wasn't supposed to say where she was going but she didnt have to. There were just so many better ways to leave, and Gray still could have found out about the lies some other way and followed the same trail that he did without much change. Have the bank call about the credit carss and have Gray answer it, send him looking through her computer and find the escort site, etc. But leaving him the way she did in the beginning felt irrational and out of character for someone who was supposed to be loving and smart. Addicts make bigger lies, not stupid lies. Even if she had written almost the same note, but made a more solid promise that she did still love him and was indeed coming back, let him know where his KIDS were, that I could buy. Instead all I could think was how stupid it was.
And the end...Taylor built up the cult to a point of just pure fantasy and it lost its believability. She also made them so strong and powerful that I think it made it even a problem for her. Now the only way to defeat them had to be even more fantastical and out of nowhere, and if just compounded the problem...the mines felt contrived and convenient, the coast guard coming up... very deus ex machina.
Pros:
-It contains one of my favourite tropes, which is the whole "complete these tasks" thing. I'm a sucker for a good puzzle-challenge aspect to a book, and there's something about the format that gets me: guessing what the puzzle is, wondering whose going to win. This delivered on that front!
-It juggled the multiple narrators well. At times they sounded too similar, mostly near the end, but on the whole they felt distinct and I could picture the individuals.
-The mystery aspect in the beginning half of the book intrigued me and kept me going. It didn't spoon feed to much info in the beginning.
-The twists near the end I didn't see coming. They genuinely surprised me, but once revealed didn't feel completely out of left field, which I think a good thriller needs to do. For this reason, I gave the book three stars.
-It had several background characters (the 28 participants in particular) that were written well and stood out. That's hard to do, but I remembered and recognized each person and wasn't confused. Taylor trickled in their introductions well and placed them well.
-The ending wrapped up everything enough to leave me satisfied that the story was told (even if parts of the ending felt unbelievable)
The Cons:
-It starts with one if those vague one scene opens from later in the book, meant to show the darker twists to get you hooked off the bat, but without revealing anything. I personally hate any time that trick is used in thrillers, and it's used a lot, because they often spoil way more than they think they do, and are just completely unnecessary. This one was bo exception.If you hate them as much as me, just skip it. In fact, this one in particular I extra hated because by the time I got to the end of the book, I couldn't even place when and where that opening scene was supposed to be in the book, because it's never directly referenced and so vague it basically doesn't fit.
-The blurb doesn't do a good enough job setting up the B plot with the other Narrators. Only half the book is about Evie and the island, I wasn't expecting it to be that small of a chunk based on the back.
-Some aspects of the story were really unbelievable. To start, the very beginning has wife and Mother Evie leaving for the challenge, as described in the back blurb. But the way she chooses do it, in particular in how she tells her husband, was absolutely stupid. And I understand that humans can be stupid, and making bad choices propels a plot and reflects reality. Howver, my problem with the decision Evie made is that it completely contradicts the character we are presented with: Evie is supposed to be a smart woman with a gambling problem who loves her husband and really knows him, and loves her family. She may be an addict, but everything she is doing is in an attempt to right her wrongs, and keep them a secret. The story her husband gets just does not match the smart, loving woman we see and was a complete turnoff. It made many of the early scenes narrarated by her husband annoying to read because it was just so dumb.
-The ending was also the other really unbelievable part. After the big reveal, the final chapters become almost fantastical with how they deal with everything. It killed the read and the build up for me, and it felt like the story had changed genres with the shift.
-This book uses another trope that I hate, which is having a few short chapters narrated by the antagonist. It does nothing to add to the book for me, as in these type of books the narrators all sound the same and the thoughts are so vague that they don't reveal much about the plot. They're just cryptic, but the cryptic tone is already established in the book by the MC and they end up undermining that tone by showing us what's behind the curtain, and I've see it before. I could pull another book off the shelf with the same trope, swap the chapters and swap a few names and it would sound the same. To Taylor's credit, she does make them worth it by the end of the book, but it was a long book to get through for the pay off and it still had the negative effect of spoiling bits of the read for me. I can't help but feel that the book could have done without it and found another way to get some of that information in.
-The end had a lot of monologuing to get all the twist info out.
SPOILERS NEXT
Okay, so another one of the things I did not like about this book that I couldn't point out without spoiling it is the Kara and Cormac relationship. It made ZERO sense to any rational human being. Kara may have essentially become a "good guy" but she was still FULL of all kinds of psychological problems, was definitely a serial killer, and I don't care HOW cute she is, I don't see Cormac pursuing a romantic relationship with her. He knew her for less than a week for pity's sake! Forgiving her? Maybe. Thanking her for her help that savard their lives? Sure. Wanting to stay on her good side if even for your own self-preservation? You bet! But the sudden protective urge and powerful romantic feelings... like no. Absolutely ruined a favourite character for me. Even if it was some kind of addict Stockholm syndrome thing that he latched onto her, there is no way that's healthy and the book treats it like a happy every after. There is not one person alive in love with a serial killer that is not in serious need of help. Redeem Kara, get her counseling and help if you want, but the romance was just bizarre and almost disgusting. Kara was definitely abused, but she also was messed up, like, properly before that. I'm not saying people with issues can't find help and love. I'm saying people whose issues involve murdering people need to get proper help before romance, and sane human beings do not pursue romantic relationships with them before they do get help, especially if they just met them like four days ago.
And I bring up Evie's note to Gray again, and what she told her friend Marla when she watched the girls. Even if she WASN'T going to a murder island and everything about the proposition was true, how on earth was that not super suspicious and cruel??? To a man she loved???? "We've been fighting and I'm leaving, might be back in a week or so, I've taken the children from you and won't tell you where they are". Like, that's a recipe for disaster. She basically stole the kids from him too, on top of that. It did NOT match her personality at all for the rest of the book, and I can think of a hundred ways she could have done it better, that fit the character better. Say you got called away on some remote week long thing for your restaurant job. Say an old friend is getting married or lost a parent and you have to go to the event and it's got no cell service. Like, I know she wasn't supposed to say where she was going but she didnt have to. There were just so many better ways to leave, and Gray still could have found out about the lies some other way and followed the same trail that he did without much change. Have the bank call about the credit carss and have Gray answer it, send him looking through her computer and find the escort site, etc. But leaving him the way she did in the beginning felt irrational and out of character for someone who was supposed to be loving and smart. Addicts make bigger lies, not stupid lies. Even if she had written almost the same note, but made a more solid promise that she did still love him and was indeed coming back, let him know where his KIDS were, that I could buy. Instead all I could think was how stupid it was.
And the end...Taylor built up the cult to a point of just pure fantasy and it lost its believability. She also made them so strong and powerful that I think it made it even a problem for her. Now the only way to defeat them had to be even more fantastical and out of nowhere, and if just compounded the problem...the mines felt contrived and convenient, the coast guard coming up... very deus ex machina.
July 9, 2020
Right at the top, I want to say that I love this book. It definitely had a few problems here and there, which I will discuss, but overall it was one of the best thrillers I've read in awhile. And interestingly enough, I actually almost gave up on it about 1/3 of the way through. It reminded me of another book I read a couple years ago(The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond) and as a result of how I felt about that book I seriously considered DNFing this one, but I'm incredibly glad I didn't. Yes it had some similar elements that I'm not a fan of generally(namely plots revolving around massive secret organizations that are committing crimes all over the world and getting away with it), but it also gave me something that The Marriage Pact didn't: characters whose fates I actually cared about. I wanted to know what happened to the people in this book and felt invested and hopeful that some of them might be able to make it out alive.
The rest of my review will contain at least some spoilers, so I'm gonna put it in a tag. This will mostly consist of the things I didn't care for in the book. A lot of them are very nitpicky, which is why I'm still giving the book 5 stars.
The rest of my review will contain at least some spoilers, so I'm gonna put it in a tag. This will mostly consist of the things I didn't care for in the book. A lot of them are very nitpicky, which is why I'm still giving the book 5 stars.
March 30, 2019
Great Action and Suspense
I loved reading this book. It was so much fun in the way that Jack Reacher novels are fun, with exciting action, and tense suspense that made me not want to put it down. I signed up for Anni's newsletter so I won't miss out on her upcoming work, and I'm headed to Amazon now to get started on one of her two other novels!
I loved reading this book. It was so much fun in the way that Jack Reacher novels are fun, with exciting action, and tense suspense that made me not want to put it down. I signed up for Anni's newsletter so I won't miss out on her upcoming work, and I'm headed to Amazon now to get started on one of her two other novels!
October 26, 2018
I whizzed through this book. When I buy a book I read it regardless. This in my opinion was utter ridiculous rubbish. Far fetched, and totally boring. This is only my opinion, other readers may love this book. I would not recommend this book, nor will I read any other books by this author
July 11, 2021
Worst. Book. Ever.
The idea of the book had potential. Unfortunately the author didn't go anywhere with it. The writing was awful. Seemed rushed at times so it didn't make sense. I only finished this book because I thought that it had to get better. It didn't.
Do not waste your time.
The idea of the book had potential. Unfortunately the author didn't go anywhere with it. The writing was awful. Seemed rushed at times so it didn't make sense. I only finished this book because I thought that it had to get better. It didn't.
Do not waste your time.
January 17, 2024
Interesting read. Keeps your attention by telling the story from different characters’ points of view. Has twists and turns to lead you all the way to the thriller ending. I enjoyed it but did find it hard to recall some of the back story lines for the characters or to keep some of the characters straight.
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