Reckless Girls: A Novel

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, graphic violence, substance use, and cursing.

On the group’s 15th day on the island, Lux begins to crave cool air, missing her normal life. Amma and Nico have paired off, and the other four spend all their time together. Jake approaches Lux as she sits alone on the beach. She tells him that paradise is not all that she thought it would be. He laughs and tells her that few things are what they seem on the surface. 

They spend the day exploring and flirting. Lux feels struck by the similarities and differences between Jake and Nico. They are both ultra-privileged, but Jake seems more comfortable with his affluence. Against her better judgment, she has sex with him. Afterward, she plagued by feelings of having betrayed Nico. Only as an afterthought does she remember Eliza and feel guilty about having betrayed her. Jake promises that they’ll keep it a secret, and they get up to leave. On their way back, they stumble across Robbie’s body in a clearing.