The first thing I noticed about Nil was that the premise/setting reminded me a lot of James Dashner's The Maze Runner, which I had no problem with considering I loved that book and all its craziness. However, that's pretty much where the comparison ends as Matson's story is largely romance based, mixed in with bits of action and adventure. 
 The biggest thing that will probably irk people is that, yes, there is a case of instalove. Charley and Thad's relationship spans over a couple of months and during that time they fall head over heels for each other, starting from day one. When they first set eyes on each other they're already gushing about how attractive the other one is. Like of course the first person she sees on the island is a human god, and of course, the girl of his dreams drops right in front of him. It turned into a total cheese fest at times which I probably could have done without. What I could understand about it though is that these people are isolated and spending all their times with each other so it did make some sense that relationships were accelerated, especially when death was a very real possibility. 
 The premise itself was very intriguing and there were some interesting theories concerning the island of Nil. I love survival stories so I couldn't wait to learn about how all these teens were getting by everyday. However, I feel like there was potential for MORE - more action or tension - which, unfortunately, might have been overshadowed by the romance. There was a lot going on, but it still felt like there was something lacking. 
 Overall, I did enjoy Nil. My favourite parts were towards the end of the book with the seeming end looming overhead, amping up the tension and emotions. I also really liked how there were countdowns throughout the book which added more pressure on the characters. While there could have been less of some things and more of others, Nil was still a solid debut and I look forward to seeing what else Matson writes!