Paradise Island: A Sam and Colby Story

Product Information

Hear, hear. To friendship. Nate said, as Alex and Sam echoed him, and together they raised and clinked all four glasses. And to Kauai. I enjoyed and would definitely recommend giving it a chance. Just give it a chance, open your mind to it. The Airbnb was quaint and cozy yellow with bright green shutters that matched the lush vegetation. Flowers in every color of the rainbow surrounded them, and palm trees stretched into blue skies beginning to clear from the rain. Just then, the driver’s high beams flashed. Seriously? What is this guy’s problem? Sam clenched his fists on the steering wheel.

Sam shook his head, but still laughed. That was one way Colby was different from him—a little wilder, a little more random, a little more impulsive than Sam was. Still, he admired him for it, though it could sometimes get them noticed in public.After changing their own lives drastically, Sam and Colby wished to teach other people the same life lessons that they had learned through their friendship by creating content based around humor, authenticity, and exploration. It’s been the exploration, particularly around spooky and sometimes paranormal places, that has caught on like wildfire with their audience. They’ve taken millions of fans along their journeys into the lesser known, seen, and understood spaces of our planet. While their videos cover a broad range of their experiences, there are plenty of untold stories, sometimes scary and sometimes funny, around their stranger run-ins. The trip goes from enchanting to weird, to deadly when the boys take a detour to the legendary Na Pali Coast where they find themselves at the infamous Belle Estate, which is owned by a wealthy and eccentric widow—who locals believe is a witch. When an unfavorable change of plans forces them to stay overnight at the eerie estate, Sam and Colby are in for the most terrifying encounter of their lives.

In Kauai, Colby felt like he was a part of something exponentially bigger. Connected to nature. A tiny part of this infinite universe. This was why he’d insisted they spend their next day hiking different trails, searching for the perfect waterfall, because it wasn’t until they were on those vine-laced paths, underneath a canopy of trees, discovering hidden coves and jumping into green lagoons that he felt like he truly belonged somewhere. If he could, he would move to Kauai in a heartbeat. When YouTube ghost hunters Sam and Colby head to Kauai for an annual bro trip with two childhood buddies, they’re dying for a break from paranormal investigations—instead, they find themselves at the center of their most horrifying mystery yet. Just how meta the book was. Like, the quote I included at the top? I laughed for way too long when I read that. I also wasn’t a fan of how so many things plot-wise was just...told to the boys. They could’ve found some newspaper clippings or something, anything to make them put in a little bit of detective work. But for so much information to just be handed to them? It got old, and almost lazy.

Impressive, Alex said, and for one quiet moment, they all stood there, soaking in the welcoming energy of the place. The roads looked normal, as far as Sam could tell. He wondered if there just hadn’t been any good cars left and the rental car lady didn’t want to admit it. Two hours later, they arrived in the southern town of Koloa, turning into a side street under light rain. Heading down the narrow trail, they finally arrived at a two-story cottage nestled deep in the trees. Hawaiian breezes sifted through the house, providing all the air they needed. With natural sunlight in every room, there was something energetically light about the cabana. Wooden beams supported tall ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows welcomed in plenty of light, a bed frame looked like it’d been carved out of mahogany, and a fluffy blue-and-white rug reminiscent of an ocean wave spread across the hardwood floor. Plants sprouted from every corner, except one, where a small bar sat with four shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey on the counter.

Unfortunately, people saw what they wanted to see, and Sam knew this better than anybody. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe they should’ve gone to Vegas instead where rowdiness wasn’t just acceptable, it was expected. Too late—here they were, and here they’d remain for the next six days.It wasn’t outstanding writing, but I enjoyed it. But then again is there the fact that I know them so I recognise their characteristics and know how to interpret actions and sayings that people who don’t know them wouldn’t.