I'm so bummed I didn't enjoy this one, but there were several aspects to it that disrupted not only my belief in the plot but also my overall enjoyment. There was a lot of disconnect between our two main characters, Cass and Brooke, and what they already knew or felt about each other or the other characters before we even met them on the first chapter. Later on in the book when the truth was revealed, I only grew frustrated because I felt as though there was a shift in the story. There were no hints or one-liners leading up to the reveals, so I felt like they came out of nowhere, especially when it came to Brooke's purpose in being on the island. I also thought that the epilogue ruined how I viewed the entire rest of the book, and I was sort of just over it all. The Resort was a pretty addicting read, and I loved the setting, but overall, I just didn't understand how the true character motives could be so non-existent except to be used as shocking plot twists that were just unbelievably out there - to me at least.

CW for murder, overdose, heart condition, violence, blood, loss of loved ones, cheating, addiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC of The Resort by Sara Ochs.

The Resort is a page turning, soapy destination thriller that absolutely flew by. Gorgeous, dreamy back drop of a Thai island but add some suspicious deaths and people with a lot of secrets and it makes for a high drama story. An excellent escapist read for the winter blahs.

Talk about twisty!
The Resort starts a bit slow. The character introductions were somewhat confusing. But once all that settles and the twists come, they dont stop!
The Resort is located on an island as what seems to be a safe haven for people fleeing their past. This causes every character to have some sort of messy and dark background, leaving everyone a suspect. When murders start, the "expats" try to protect their island and the family they've build there, meanwhile hiding the truth!
If you enjoy, an easy read who dun it with lots of twists. This is it!
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.

I really like the premise of this. It was definitley unique being on a tropical murder island. Some of the middle of The book started to drag on a bit with the pointing fingers and trying to figure out who did what. I thought I had everything figured out, and actually was going to be a bit disappointed with how The book ended. But then!!! I read the epilogue. That immediately took this from 3⭐️ to 3.75-4⭐️.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I just finished this book and I was blown away by it. Sara has written a mystery/thriller that will stay with you long after it’s over. I find myself over the day thinking about this book and just how sharp edged and dark it really is. It took me to places (physically and emotionally) that I did not think it would. Thrills and chills galore that will leave you thirsty for more. I finished a NetGalley Copy of this book.

⭐️⭐️.5


I really love the cover of this book and the synopsis really piqued my curiosity…

…but…

I’m going to be blunt here, I have no idea how I finished this book. I forced myself to finish it. I thought it was awful. 😐

I thought the character introduction was a bit hazy, it really didn’t need to be almost 400 pages, the end just rambled on, annnd I was sooooo bored throughout the entire thing. Even the plot twists at the end weren’t enough for me to change my mind.

I didn’t think the book was going to be what it was. I had intentions that it was focusing more on scuba diving and that someone runs out of air or something.

There are also quite a few TW in here.

Most people loved this book, but personally it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a DRC. The Resort is available now.

Welcome to paradise! Apparently it's located on Thailand's world-famous party island at the Koh Sang Resort (fictional). Or is it a place people go to hide?

Cass is living the dream, teaching students how to dive in the beautiful waters of Koh Sang. Brooke is a social media influencer with a large number of followers. The story is told by these two characters in alternating chapters. There are plenty of side characters and lots of deceit as the bodies pile up and the book winds its way to the tension-filled ending. I thought the book was very well written, especially for a debut. It leans a bit into young adult territory at times but enjoyable all the same. As another reviewer said, the epilogue is pure gold!

TW: Mention of grooming, suicide, familicide but none are a predominant element of the story.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley for providing an advance digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: February 6, 2024

Set on an island resort, this book promises a thrilling mystery of murder, lies, and secrets.

While I definitely didn't hate this book, I also didn't love it. There was a lot going on, and some of the reveals just felt off. It really read as the debut it was. With that said though, this wasn't an awful book by any means. It had potential, I just didn't vibe with the way things were revealed, and I didn't really like the final reveal at the very end. If it had been done differently, I think I would have liked it more, buy the way it was dropped at the very end just threw me off.

Although I said this book read like the debut it was, I think this author has the potential to become a future favorite. I really look forward to watching her hone her craft and really develope her writing style.

Fantastic debut novel. This book was absolutely amazing! Kept me guessing the entire time! Never a dull moment!

This amazing book is exactly what I love in beach/island thrillers and made for a tantalisingly gripping read. We get multiple POVs in this one that help us get into the minds of our main characters and the potential secrets that they, along with everyone, may be hiding.

Full of more twists and turns than a rollercoaster at Thorpe Park, I had the absolute time of my life reading this one, and I can’t wait to read all of Sara’s future books.

If you like thrillers then you’re not going to want to miss out on this one.

I was expecting to like this more than I did. I felt the characters were slightly predictable and I thought the story was going to catch my interest from the beginning. Overall I still liked it and I thought the characters were relatable but not the best thriller ever.

I got this book during a hyperfocus on scuba diving reads. I'd been in a slump with thrillers, but this one was exceptional! This would be the perfect read on a sunny island beach, so long as you have no secrets hidden - they will come to light.

Nobody is who they say they are...

This book reminded me of The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio.

I'm not surprised BOTM snatched this one up!


Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my copy!

The Resort by Sara Ochs had me guessing the entire time. She is great at planting seeds of doubt for the reader. I kept thinking I knew what was going on and then something else would have me start second-guessing myself and going in a whole other direction. Her characters are likable and you want to empathize with them for all they have been through. Great read and I will be looking for more by Ochs!

I think this book could appeal to the novice reader. The reader who hasn't read hundreds of mystery/thriller novels and has to read something really special to be surprised anymore. After reading the synopsis and the first chapter and a half of the book I knew 75% of the twists. I kept reading because I was hoping the author would prove me wrong. "Surely it can't be that obvious," I told myself. I was wrong, it was that obvious. It didn't matter that Ochs tried to sprinkle red herrings throughout the book to throw the reader off, most of which were really obvious and relied on the characters' total stupidity to be believable. This just wasn't an interesting thriller. Not everything I read has to be ground-breaking or a completely new concept either. But for it to receive a high rating it must do other things well. The writing has to be well done, the characters need to be fleshed out or otherwise engaging, the pacing has to be consistent (and in a thriller, fast). None of these were present in this book. The writing was pedestrian. The characters were not well done. Every female is either a b*tch, a pushover, or evil. I couldn't care less if any of them lived. And the pacing was way off. The first 2/3 of the book was slow and boring, with all the action shoved into the end of the novel. And speaking of the end of the novel, the epilogue was by far the best part of the entire experience. Not because it was a surprise (it wasn't), but because it was finally something interesting. Finally, a character that I wanted to read more from. Someone with something exciting to say, not the same whiny girl pity party.

One star for being a debut author and everyone gets a participation trophy, another for the epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars. Good read to keep you turning pages and I liked the setting. The characters felt a bit one-dimensional, but thriller lovers will be entertained.

This is a perfect example of a slow burn thriller. It was slow but extremely suspenseful. The twisty ending you won't see coming! Amazing debut from Sara Ochs!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the perfect weekend escape read. A well-executed, twisty thriller that kept me intrigued right to the end. What a stunner of a debut!

Seldom have I found a Psychological Thriller as gloriously twisted as THE RESORT. Yes, "twisted" is usually at the very heart of this sub-genre, but this novel brings a whole new meaning. As the last season of "The X-Files" counseled, "Trust No One." Nowhere is that more true than in THE RESORT, in which everyone holds secrets, and some more than others, and will stop at nothing to maintain those secrets. Riveting!

** 3.5 stars rounded up **


The alternating POV added layers to the storytelling
I actually didn’t care for Cass in the beginning, but I really liked Brooke’s character from the start. Cass did grow on me over time
It’s a slow burn filled with so many red herrings & twists, and it’s oh so good when it all starts to come together
Beautiful setting. My dad spent time in Thailand before I was born, so it’s a place I’ve always wanted to go.
Both Cass & Brooke had impactful & mysterious events in their past that they’re keeping to themselves. Sometimes other books can go a little too hard reminding you that there’s something about this character you don’t know, but I didn’t feel like it was overdone with this book

Please read responsibly and check the trigger warnings for this book.

Thank you @bookmarked for sending me a @Netgalley widget to read this book!

The Resort is a thriller set on a fictional Thai island… that plus a few other details remind me of The Beach. This book has several twists I didn’t quite expect. The story unfolds in the alternating viewpoints of 2 main characters, a literary device I always enjoy.