Escape!

A Novel

By: Stephen Fishbach

Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Imani Jade Powers, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Stephen Fishbach

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A propulsive debut novel following a has-been reality TV star and a disgraced producer who get one last shot at redemption on a show set on a remote island, only to discover that the plot twists are beyond what they ever imagined.

Everyone gets the story arc they deserve.

Kent Duvall, a faded reality show winner, just wants another chance at glory—to find his way out of his depressing life and back to his highlight reel. When a scandal is captured on camera at a charity event, he gets his shot, on a new jungle survival show with seven other contestants. Each of them has been cast as a type—Ruddy the bully, Miriam the nerd, Ashley the love interest—but everyone is more than they appear.

The contestants’ goals seem simple—survive the wild, build a raft, win treasure. But Beck Bermann, a reality producer who suffered her own public shaming, sees them as characters in her redemption arc.

As the schemes and strategies spiral out, breakout camps sabotage each other and rival producers struggle to control the storyline. Soon the question becomes less about who will win than who will make it out in one piece.

Fabulous and So Well Written!

I was glued to my headphones for this one! Such a great story. And a crazy peek into reality tv production! Great job, Stephen!

An Enjoyable Ride with a Wild Third Act

I thought this was a really strong debut novel from Stephen Fishbach. I’ve been a fan of his since his two appearances on Survivor and through his regular podcasting work discussing the show on Rob Has a Podcast, so when this book was announced, I preordered it immediately.

The novel follows a fictional reality competition show and is told from three perspectives: two contestants and one producer. This structure worked really well for me. The characters felt fully developed and distinct, and the pacing of the story was mostly spot-on. I was consistently engaged and eager to see how things unfolded.

That said, the third act did go a little off the rails for my taste. The plot escalated in a way that felt a bit over-the-top, and while I still enjoyed the ride, it may have gone slightly further than it needed to.

My main critique is that the book sometimes struggled to decide exactly what kind of story it wanted to be. It isn’t quite a scandal-filled tell-all about a reality show, a wilderness survival story, or a deep emotional character drama. Instead, it pulls elements from all of those genres without fully committing to any single one. While those pieces are individually interesting, I occasionally felt like the story could have gone further if it had leaned more decisively in one direction.

Overall, though, I was really impressed by this debut. Fishbach clearly understands both reality television and character psychology, and I’m very excited to see what he writes next.

Finally something new and refreshing!

Very much enjoyed reading this book and learning about the highs and lows from 2 different sides of the reality scene coin.

a dark glimpse into the manipulative world of reality tv

Overall, this book kept me listening and was a page turner. I was invested in the characters who personalized some of the reality tv archetypes. It was darker than I expected, and lacked some of the levity of reality tv that I was expecting.

Amazing

Unpredictable, riveting, and heartfelt. Truly a wonderful tale from Stephen Fishbach. The audio book was fantastic and gave life to the characters.