I thought The Resort was a really great debut. It's a slow-burn story with just enough suspense that kept me reading late into the night. The ending was a real shocker!

Many thanks to NetGalley an Sourcebooks for my gifted copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

The Resort is a mystery set on a small island involving multiple murders and a cast of characters who all have something to hide. I see this compared to The Beach a lot and I can see why, on a superficial level. The themes are very similar. But this lacks Alex Garland’s talent for storytelling. The Resort is cliche and relies on the trope of the unreliable female narrator was too drunk to make heads or tails of something she should already know. I kept waiting for this to take a new turn. Unfortunately the end was an unrealistic mess.

Thank you @bookmarked for the #gifted copy of this book!

This was actually my first book of the year and was very pleased with this vacation thriller! Makes me want to go on spring break now except I need to make sure to avoid this tragic mess! 🫣

The stage is set in beautiful Thailand in the sun with a group of young attractive people. Cass is a scuba diver instructor who is getting ready to start to teach the first day of class for a new set of students. Everyone has gone through the training so she expects things to go smoothly. Unfortunately there are a few hiccups that start off the day which seems to offset the balance of the universe. She shakes off the impending doom feeling and starts the dive. Shortly thereafter one of her students is dead and one is injured. Cass can’t quite figure out what went wrong.

We also learn that Cass has a past she doesn’t want to be exposed. She has been extremely careful to make sure no one could uncover what she’s been hiding. Undoubtedly someone is letting her know they know just who she is and what’s she’s done!

I thought this was such a crazy story with so much drama that unfolded. I love locked room thrillers and where better to be stuck than on a beautiful island with model-like people. 😂 I love the scuba diving aspect of this book because it added a unique and terrifying feeling of being lost under water! 😱 Just when you think you’ve gotten the full story the ending just will not let up. Twist after twist after twist and then BAM that ending! The epilogue is shocking and will most likely leave your jaw dropped!

Damn I love thrillers! At first I really wasn’t sure what this book was gonna do… When the plot started plotting I was SUCKED IN. I stayed up to finish this one I could not sleep on this one! The twists kept getting twistier and just when everything seemed to wrap up BAM!!!!! I had SO MUCH fun reading this one! Seriously look for this one when it comes out, get it on netgalley whatever you gotta do this one was so addicting!

[arc review]
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Resort releases February 13, 2024

4.5

Set against the backdrop of a remote island in Thailand are a series of tourist deaths, but are they all just freak accidents? Or are they somehow connected?

The dual perspectives of Cass (a dive instructor with a hidden identity) and Brooke (a travel influencer), skillfully come together in this debut thriller to create all of the suspense and tension.

Why would a tourist from New Zealand come to the island specifically seeking out the help of a social media travel influencer?
Who is threatening Cass with the knowledge of her real identity?

There are so many layers and not one dull moment, right up until the last pages of the epilogue.
It’s filled with revenge, secrets, found family, and morally fucked up psychopaths/serial killers (I mean that in the best way).
Unreliable narrators are usually a hit or miss, but I think it was done well here in conjunction with the pace of the build up in the reveals throughout.
There’s truly not one character that you shouldn’t be suspicious of!

The sick and twisted ending brought this from a 4 to 4.5

cw: mentions of attempted suicide, self harm, rape, cheating, ptsd, grooming

Cass moved to a remote island in Southeast Asia to escape secrets from her past. While living near a resort, Cass created a “found family” with others who have all moved to the island to escape something as well. Brooke, a travel blogger, comes to the island for vacation. She befriends Cass and the group, but never expects her vacation to turn from idealic to gruesome.

There were so many parts of this novel that I really enjoyed! I love remote settings for thrillers, and the tropical island/beach setting was great. I loved the alternating POV between Cass and Brooke, and how unreliable I felt both women were. I also didn’t feel I could trust any of the supporting characters, which made me feel on edge while reading, which enhanced the story. I felt some parts dragged on or were redundant, which made me want to skim a few parts, but overall an enjoyable thriller with some good twists!

This is a slow-to-unfold mystery. From the beginning of the book, you know there are bits and pieces that you are missing in the overall story. Using the characters' POVs,  you slowly get more information to fill in the puzzle. While I love slow mysteries that make the ending all the more satisfying, for me,'The Resort' was missing the likable character that you could get behind.

⭐️ 3 ⭐️

<b><ins>Plot: </ins></b>
Cass is a scuba diver instructor on a remote island in Thailand. When she’s back on shore, one of her students’, Lucy is found dead. Someone has discovered Cass’s dark secret and the killer will stop at nothing to have justice served.

Thriller | Suspense | Crime

<b><ins>My Thoughts: </ins></b>

↠ I liked the initial set up and setting in this book. I liked reading about Brooke’s “influencer” lifestyle. Brooke was definitely my favourite <b> character.</b> I feel like the side characters didn’t really have much development and it left me not knowing to much about them.

↠ I feel like the ending was overly explained in order for the <b>plot twist</b> to make sense. I was left feeling meh by the plot twist too. I feel like the plot needed to be refined in order to feel more complete and logical.

<b><ins>Overall </ins></b>
This just wasn’t my type of thriller. I prefer something more fast-paced.

Holy smokes! "The Resort" by Sarah Ochs is an absolute rollercoaster of a debut novel! The plot is nothing short of phenomenal, with twists and turns that had me hanging on for dear life until the very last page. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, the story threw me for a loop, and I realized I had absolutely no clue where it was going.

The comparisons to Lucy Foley are spot on; Ochs delivers a narrative full of surprises that will satisfy any fan of Foley's work. The story unfolds with a perfect balance of suspense, making it an engaging read from start to finish.

The way it reads, you'd think Ochs has been a seasoned author in the genre for years. "The Resort" is an absolute must-read. Here's hoping there's a second book on the horizon because I am all in for whatever Sarah Ochs has in store next!

Great debut thriller! Read this one in one sitting. Kept me on the edge of my seat. Lots of twists and turns and shocking reveals. I thought I knew where it was going but still that very last chapter had me jaw dropped!

A story set on an island in Thailand, this one centers around alternating POVs of two female characters. Both have different reasons for coming to the island but ultimately come together. When two girls end up dead on the small island, they take investigating into their own hands. With dual POVs, I like when it’s obvious who’s POV you’re reading, this one different have that. If you stopped mid chapter and went back, it took time to remember and re-orient, rather than the characters having distinct talking or thinking styles. Took me >30% to get into the story, felt like I was waiting for anything to happen. Big twist at the end. Not my favorite story but not poorly written by any means.

Give all the books, especially thrillers with the dual POV's, and I am a happy camper. The Resort didn't disappoint I liked all the twists and it kept me interested and invested in the story.

It started a little bit slow for me but it got better. A lot of things to unfold and discover.

This debut novel by Ochs sets the stage for a sequel with its ending.

It's about Cass, who is seeking a refuge after being publicly branded as the murderer of her father and sister. She finds an island in Thailand where no one knows her. She settles in to life on the island, becoming a dive instructor at the resort. She even falls in love and becomes part of a new family--a group of friends who call themselves the permanents.

But Cass isn't as anonymous as she thought. And people begin dying on the island. After being tracked down by an internet influencer with a grudge against her, Cass begins to question everything and everyone she knows. Including herself. Was she involved somehow in the island deaths? Unbeknownst to her, all of her new friends have something to hide. Just as Cass does. With the island cut off in a storm, things come to a dangerous head. And Cass must make difficult and dangerous choices.

What a ride! Perfect read for a winter weekend - or anytime you want to be swept away by a thriller in an amazing location! I've been to Thailand and this book set me right back there - although my trip was (thankfully!) WAY less of a thriller than this book. Fast paced, this book kept me guessing. I loved the differing POVs from the 2 main characters Brooke and Cass. I'm still debating if I thought the ending was a bit "over the top" but it grabbed me and made me want more so obviously it succeeded! Can't believe this masterfully crafted novel is a first for Sara Ochs! Looking forward to her next already!! A great read.

4.5/5 ⭐️
Cass is a diving instructor at a Thai resort. Things in life are great - she loves the island and just got engaged. However, things take a turn for the worse when one of her students ends up dead. Brooke, an influencer there on vacation, is convinced that this woman was murdered. She and Cass work together to investigate. But they both have secrets and they aren’t the only ones on the island that do.

This one started out a little slow for me, but once we got into the investigating, I didn’t want to put it down! I was pretty sure I knew who it was, but then there was a really good twist! And don’t miss the epilogue because it makes it end on such a good thriller moment. The author did a really good job with pacing and throwing in twists at just the right moments throughout. Definitely a good thriller read!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Secrets, lies, revenge and MURDER all on a beautiful tropical island! Cass, recently engaged to Jordan, is a scuba instructor and tour guide on a beautiful island off Thailand. Brooke is a travel influencer who has stopped to explore here on her world travels. The story is told in alternating POVs by Cass and Brooke and both of these girls have BIG secrets to keep. A week before Brooke arrived, Jacinta fell from a cliff side while hiking and was tragically killed. But when Lucy is found dead in the ocean during a dive led by Cass, everyone becomes suspicious and everyone becomes a suspect. This story was paced pretty well, there was a bit of drag in the middle. But the last third, I really needed to hang on tight because the twists and reveals came fast and furious! Great debut by this author, can’t wait to see what she comes up with next! Thank you Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 13, 2024

*Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this book, with my honest review below*

This book reminds me a bit of The Beach, not necessarily due to the Thai setting but the idea of your friend community being family… and not always having your best interest in mind. I loved getting deeper into Cass and Brooke’s mystery and slowly experiencing the thrills of new sinister challenges that cropped up. A fun read with a twist you wouldn’t be able to anticipate. My one criticism is that there was a lot going on, and I thought the final twist stood on its own without needing as many of the plot turns to be effective.

Thank you again for the ARC, Sourcebooks Landmark. It is much appreciated and I enjoyed the read and the opportunity to share my feedback.

Great debut novel. I loved the setting and wanted to actually be there - except for scuba diving, no thanks. I didn't mind the 2 POVs and like how it all came together at the end with many suspects along the way.

Thank you for the ARC.

This is a solid 3.75/4 star read for me. I always love a good whodunnit that has me suspicious of every character. I had a few of the twists figured out pretty early, but that is probably because I read so many thrillers that I’m always on the hunt for clues.

A small group of expats called “The Permanents” live and work on the Thai island of Koh Sang. Cass, Logan, Doug, Greta, and Neil are all best friends happily living the island life. They’re all running from complicated pasts that they’re all too happy not to discuss with one another. Newcomer Brooke is a travel influencer who has come to the island to promote the resort where all of the Permanents work or have previously worked.

Brooke’s arrival coupled with a recent death in Koh Sang begins to worry the group of friends who will do anything not to disturb the lives they’ve built here. When questions start being asked that could ruin many people’s lives, things get out of control and friendships are pushed to the limit. People aren’t who they say they are, and secrets are revealed, and someone will do whatever it takes to protect what they’ve built.

Creepy destination thriller that was interesting, but the plot fell apart at the end. It became very convoluted and the motives behind each of the character's actions fell flat for me.