The premise and the setting were what intrigued me and I was very excited to read this. The author did a good job with the setup and her writing style is enjoyable. However, I had a really hard time connecting to the story as a whole as I could not find one character to care about or feel sympathetic toward. I figured the mystery and the twists really early one and I simply kept reading to see how the author would tell the story. I would've like to have seen more of Brooke's character development in the beginning chapters, as she ended up being the "hero" of the story and it would've been nice to have someone to cheer for. I did not enjoy the epilogue. I figured Neil was bad, but I feel like leaving the book open ended took away from Brooke's win at the end. I suppose if there is another book, she can come out on top, but overall, for me, this just didn't stand out enough. But it was a solid debut and I know people will enjoy it. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it!

The Resort is a thriller with many twists and turns. It is told from two points of view, Cass and Brooke. The island in Thailand seems idyllic but there are many secrets on the island. It is an island where people go to escape. You will be wondering what brought each of the women to this island and will either of them survive. What secrets are people hiding?
The ending was a complete surprise. You will not expect what happens in the end. This makes the book an exciting read. If you like thrillers you should pick up a copy of this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #SaraOchs, and #SourcebooksLandmark for a copy of this book.

Let's go to an island on the coast of Thailand for some needed relief from the past problems.
Not exactly the peace and quiet I was hoping for.
There is so much going on here on this quiet (anything but) paradise.
There is a murderer walking around and people are missing or dead.
Who is the killer amongst these young people? Can you trust any one?
This is an intense, suspenseful, horrifying story that I had read quickly to find out how it would all end!

Do yourself a favor and settle in to read this novel. I am quite sure you will be glad you did!
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Sourcebook Landmark for this incredible ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.

This is another "it's not you it's me" sort of book. It feels like I've read it before? Not sure what is sparking that sense of deja vu. It was fine but I didn't adore it

The Resort by Sara Ochs is a fast paced thriller set on a small Thai island. Told from a dual first person POV, we follow Cass, one of the "Permanents" - expats living and working full time at the island's dive resort - and resort guest Brooke - an Instagram influencer promoting the island to her followers. Both women have secrets in their pasts that have brought them to the island today.
While I typically don't read a lot of thrillers because I can never fully buy into all the overly convoluted twists and turns, I really enjoyed this one. From the suspenseful, mysterious prologue all the way until the last page I was hooked on this book. The author's description of the resort and the island painted a gorgeous backdrop for this thriller.
My only real issue with the book was that the two female main character's voices were too similar - I did find myself confused at times trying to remember whose backstory was whose. Otherwise I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading this author in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Resort in exchange for my honest review.

This was an awesome book, especially for a debut. I devoured this book! Looking forward to reading more from Sara Ochs!

I’ve tried to read this three separate times and I just couldn’t get into it at all. I’m sorry but this was just not engaging in my opinion.

Dive instructor Cass, on a remote island in the south of Thailand, has secrets she wishes to forget. So does an island visitor, Brooke, who befriends her and the rest of the hotel and diving group on the island. The Permanents, as the established island residents, call themselves, are all employed by the hotel and it's diving shop and school. They are a tight group, almost a family.

The mystery of a girl's death by a fall from a high cliff is compounded by the drowning of another island dweller, Lucy, and the violent death of another, Daniel.

There are multiple twists in this story, and people who seemed innocent of everything, suddenly are not, and then there are other secret villains who reveal themselves towards the end of the book.

Reading this is a roller coaster ride, but the setting of a Thai tourist island and its Blue Moon rave parties seem authentic, minus the multiple tragedies. The author says the book is inspired by her trip to such a Thai island resort, but she doesn't say just how much of the book is true or not to that experience. Makes you wonder what she is trying to say..

Review: I really wanted to like this book. I truly tried. But I couldn’t really get into it until the last couple of chapters. Those had me turning the pages wanting to know what happened next. But I was able to figure out the villain early on and TBH I hated all the characters. None of them were good people. I think that was the point, but I like to have at least one person to root for. This one was just a miss for me…

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity for this arc.

This book had a lot of turns to keep my interest. Towards the end though, some things just felt unneeded or didn’t work well in my opinion with the plot. Brooke’s reason for coming to the island, who was behind the killings, and the epilogue. I like it till the end.

This felt like two different books to me, I really liked the first part of the book, the two main characters with their alternating stories, and it felt like a much better story of a group of people where there were suspicious deaths. Then the second half of the book, didn't work for me, too long, too many people with secrets, too much unbelievable action and the last reveal was good but again if it had all been shortened and made stronger it would have worked for me 4.-3

The Resort is a solid thriller, full of twists and turns, an exotic setting and a group of expats with plenty to hide. Set in Thailand, centering around two women who headed to the Koh Sang Resort to escape their past, this thriller immediately kicks off with intrigue. Over the next 42 chapters (plus a bombshell of an epilogue that had my jaw on the floor), the reader is left suspecting everyone as the bodies pile up.

Author Sara Ochs does a great job of leaving little cliffhangers with the dual POV chapters, especially as the pace really picks up at the end, hooking you into reading “just one more chapter.” I really look forward to seeing what’s next for her, this was probably my favorite debut of the year!

I especially loved that you got the full story in the end—so many times thrillers leave things a bit open-ended, I guess to let each reader come to their own conclusions or make for a great book club discussion. With The Resort you get plenty of suspicion throughout the book but by the end, you know each character’s motivation and backstory. I thought that was really well done and satisfying as a reader!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved this title--I think this is a great example of how a thriller can weave together various strands of a story into an unexpected ending. Cass and Brooke were great narrators, and I appreciated the way in which the author flipped between them to create tension. Overall, one of my favorite thrillers this year.

The Resort is overall a fun read. The two main voices were hard to distinguish, except for the regular repetition of vague snippets of their past. The final twist felt a bit too much in a narrative already jam-packed with wild coincidences, ulterior motives, people with low moral compasses/dark pasts/ being blackmailed.

For this being Sara Ochs debut novel, I am floored! The writing was so well done, the characters well-developed and the twists were twisty! The first 60% of the book was a little slow (but good), but the last 40% was so suspenseful that I just sped right through it! Major props!
Welcome to Death Island... where the body count keeps growing. You think you're in Paradise, but you soon discover this island and the people living there are keeping secrets. Deadly secrets!
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read and review this arc. Get ready for an exciting read when this book is published on February 13, 2024!

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>The Resort</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Sun-kissed beaches, tropical cocktails, and the freedom that only an exotic locale can bring. What could possibly go wrong?
<i>The Resort</i> has two alternating points of view. Together, the two young women approach the mysterious deaths at the resort with differing assumptions and biases.
First there is Cass, a young woman in love but with so many secrets that burden her every move. She is the newest of "The Permanents," the ex-pat group of young carefree adults who have opted to make the resort in Thailand their home. Here she reinvents herself with a new name and a past littered with half-truths and outright lies. Readers will know that she feels responsible for the deaths of her younger sister and father; we also know that her past has caused tabloid headlines and anxiety treated with Xanax. When she finds an anonymous note threatening a reveal of her past, Cass feels everything and everyone slipping away, especially Logan, her fiance who knows nothing of her true history.
The other point of view is Brooke, a new arrival at the resort. She had a messy, poor childhood she has worked hard to overcome. She is an observer of The Permanents, especially Cass, as she attempts to ingratiate herself with them. Brooke is a social media influencer; she makes a living taking selfies in tiny bikinis while espousing the good life at resorts throughout eastern Europe and southeast Asia. Despite her willingness to show her face everywhere, she too has secrets and troubled past.
The scenery may be lovely but the danger and the evil are very real. The body count is rising. This book was entertaining and there were a few absolute surprises but some characters made the leap too easily into criminal behavior.

This is an intriguing thriller set in a beautiful resort town in Thailand. But it’s not all paradise because people are dying and there is a killer among them. This book has several twists that kept me engaged until the end.

It is told from the perspective of Brooke, a travel influencer, and Cass, a dive instructor running from her past. They are both trying to figure out what’s going on, who they can trust, all while trying to keep themselves safe from danger. Secrets are revealed and they learn they can’t trust anyone.

I loved how it all unfolded, and was shocked even in the epilogue. This book took me on a journey. Add The Resort to your TBR if you’re looking for an engaging mystery that will keep you guessing.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sara Ochs for the advanced copy of this book.

Well, usually reading makes me dreamy for a vacation. Not after reading The Resort :)

This thrilling novel, told from dual POV {my favorite!} will grip you right from the beginning!

It'll keep you guessing throughout the book and you will be deeply satisfied!

Can't wait to see this book on all the must-reads lists in 2024!

This book held my attention and the premise of the plot was intriguing. Using the blog influencer as the protagonist was inventive and relevant for our times. The story highlighted a region of the world I was less familiar with and that kept my interest as well. Well developed plot line and I considered the resort itself as one of the characters of the book. Kept me guessing the backstory of each of the characters, and that held my attention. Thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This was a good weekend thriller that left me in suspense throughout. I caught myself surprised by each new twist and the ending caught me off guard. Some parts were a little outlandish, but it’s a story that took me to a far off place for the afternoon, so I would question a scenario then move on. By the time I got through the epilogue. I was left with wanting a follow up book!