The pacing, twists and location were all quite good. I liked the main protagonists. I didn't care for the epilogue, simply because I didn't find it credible given everything else with the other characters.

A twisty turny story of murder and coverup at a beautiful island resort. You never know what's going to happen next. And the secrets! Everybody's got them.

A dive resort on a remote island in Thailand. A tight-knit group of expat friends. A dead body (or three). Secrets, lies, and more secrets.

Loved the premise and setting - did not love the pacing. It started off great and the ending was BONKERS (especially that epilogue!), but the middle was much slower than I’d have liked. That said this was an impressive debut, and I’d definitely read another book by Ochs in the future.

Spooky setting, strange vibes... I loved The Resort. Mystery and more! Well done by Ochs. Good characters and plot. All the makings for a thriller. One of my favorite genres. Not always done well but Ochs did it! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.

This book was so fun! I loved the beautiful exotic setting and the characters were all so interesting. So many plot twists that kept me turning pages. This is a fun summer read. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Cass’s life is just starting to come together. She’s newly engaged, living on a beautiful island in Thailand, and she’s finally getting to a point where she can put the past behind her. Until her past shows up to haunt her, and she starts receiving letters that she’s going to be exposed. Meanwhile, she makes a new friend, Brooke. But IS she a new friend or…? Then there are the bodies. When one of Cass’s students doesn’t show up for dive day and then they find her body in the water, Cass discovers her new fiance’s ring near Lucy’s body. What is going on? This book is twisty and turny and completely ridiculous in a very entertaining way. I'll probably wait until the paperback to buy this for my shop, though. Content warnings for sexual assault and grooming/CSA.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks, and Sara Ochs for an arc of this novel.
In this novel we follow the pov's of Cass and Brooke. Cass is a dive instructor at Koh Sang resort and has just gotten engaged to Logan, who owns a bar. Brooke is a travel influencer who has only been at Koh Sang for two weeks. Right before Brooke arrives, a woman named Jacinta was found dead after hiking and falling to her death. Then one of Cass's students named Lucy ends up found at a cove that Cass likes to take her students to to learn to dive. Cass and Brooke both begin to suspect something isn't right. At first they believe it to be David until he is found with his throat slashed in an alley near Logan's bar. Brooke is then revealed to have gone to Koh Sang in order to find Cass who is actually Meghan. Meghan is believed to have murdered her sister and father in a hotel room near her university that Brooke was a freshman at. Brooke was sexually assaulted by Eric who was a friend of Cass's. Cass lied to the police about what Eric did, even though Cass really had no idea. Brooke posts an expose about what Meghan/Cass did in order to get her revenge. Logan confronts Cass about it and makes her believe that she murdered Lucy in order to protect the other Permanents. The Permanents are Logan, Doug, Greta, and Neil. They all had a hand in the deaths of Lucy and Jacinta. Lucy and Jacinta were sisters until Jacinta died and Lucy and her friend went to Koh Sang to find out the truth. David blackmailed the other Permanents besides Cass, which got him killed. Cass and Brooke forgive each other and Cass realizes that Logan and Greta killed Jacinta and Lucy. Greta killed Lucy in order to stop her asking questions about Jacinta. Logan killed Jacinta so that she wouldn't tell Cass about their affair that was only one kiss. Cass saves Brooke by taking a bullet for her. Logan becomes enraged after killing his fiancé and Neil uses a knife to hurt Logan to save Brooke. Officers from the UK show up and arrest Doug and Greta who both confess to what they did. Logan and Cass both die. Neil and Brooke both leave the island after two weeks of interrogations and healing. Then it is revealed that Neil killed Jacinta and suggested to Greta that she kill Lucy and threatened to go after Alice, Greta's ex.

I can already tell this is going to be on a lot of must-read thriller lists! This was a fantastic, engaging, thrilling ride of a book. It was long enough to get to the point without being too wordy. I never got bored, I was kept guessing the whole time and it's set in a beach resort in Thailand I mean, come on...what more could we ask for.

The suspense, the thrills, the mystery and the murders were all done so well and tied up perfectly.

Welcome to paradise. We hope you survive your stay...

Indeed. Well done Sara Ochs. I'll be adding this author to my must read list.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Sara Ochs for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great mystery read. I was invested in the characters and how they would all ultimately be connected. I enjoyed how involved the other characters were with each other and how it was all connected to the crimes being committed on the island. The setting was perfect for this type of story. I was surprised by one of the last twists. Sarah did a fantastic job of drawing the reader in and keeping them invested. The multiple POVs also helped with that. Her writing was concise but also descriptive. Every time I thought I had figured something out, another twist would be introduced. Overall, this was a really great read and I definitely want to read more from Sarah.

This was a fast paced novel that took place in the beautiful setting of Koh Sang Resort in Thailand. Cass, a scuba instructor discovers a body while taking out a group of students on a dive. She quickly realizes that the life she has created on this idyllic island has not completely helped her to escape mistakes she has made in the past. I really enjoyed this book, the location, and the cast of characters.

This is a good suspenseful, resort-based thriller. It's a dual POV and alternates between Cass and Brooke, the main characters who are both on an island off the coast of Thailand. The resort looks beautiful, but there are so many mysteries going on and being hidden on this island. The beginning was a bit slow, but after that, this was a fast-paced thriller. There are so many secrets and lies that start to unravel pretty quickly in the story, and we realize that Cass and Brooke are trying to get away from their past. There are also some deaths happening on the resort and the two main characters are trying to figure out what happened. Overall this is a good mystery read, the twist at the end landed quite well, and I didn't see it coming. If you like thrillers full of secrets, friendships, mysteries, lies, and intrigue, then you need to read this.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for this arc for an honest review.

The story is told from the alternating points of view of Brooke, a travel influencer, and Cass, a scuba instructor who is a Permanent—an ex-pat on a remote island in Thailand, who lives there permanently. Both these women let you know they have secrets in their past and present, which is significant because there has been yet another death on the island. The first two deaths are chalked up to being unfortunate accidents, but when another body is found with a slashed throat, it seems that the other deaths within one month may not be accidents after all.

Every non-native person who lives there—from England, Scotland, America—is there because they are running from their past, which gives Brooke and Cass an array of potential murderers to consider, not to mention the possibility one of the nosy tourists who seem enamored with Brooke’s slight fame or might know something about Cass’s past.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES FEBRURARY 13, 2024.

The Resort
Sara Ochs
Pub Date: Feb 13, 2024
Sourcebooks
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I would recommend this for readers of Rachel Hawkins and We Were Never Here. Searing vacation thriller set on a remote island in Thailand. I enjoyed this vacation gone wrong.
4 stars

Wow what a fast paced ride of a thriller ! This one kept me reading late into the night. I had no idea this was a debut novel until I looked up the author's information on Goodreads, hoping to read something else of hers. I enjoyed the descriptions of the setting in Thailand. It really set the tone for a good vacation thriller. The alternating pov with Cass and Brooke were very well written. I felt like you really got to know both of the girl's characters and their motivations for being on the resort as well as the secrets they have been hiding that start to unravel as the book progresses. 4.5 stars !

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

ᴀʀᴄ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ
✍️- Sara Ochs
📆- Feb. 13, 2024
📚- The Resort
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off thank you @netgalley @bookmarked & @saraochsauthor for an e-copy.

Read if you
🌴like Dual POV
🌴liked “Pretty Little Liars”
🌴like close knit friendships
𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤

Two women are running from their past and have found a serene island to reside in. Cass has taken a job as a diving instructor to find a purpose on the island as she harbors some dark secrets. Brooke is a travel influencer in search of the next boost to her instagram page. Brooke has been closely following the death of Jacinta, another traveler who mysteriously fell to her death. She thinks if she can solve what happened to her she’ll get a major job opportunity, but as she tries to uncover the truth she’s getting threats to leave it alone. Cass and Brooke come together to uncover the mystery of Jacinta’s death and as they’re trying to piece it together another body turns up. It seems like the permanents don’t like to talk about the deaths and want to keep it hush. Why would they try to sweep it under the rug? Wouldn’t the deaths steer tourists away? Will they uncover the truth or will they just rule these deaths as accidents!?

𝕄𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 💭
Oh my gosh Sara! I literally had to pick up my jaw off the floor. I did not see the end coming. This author done an amazing job weaving together the two main characters POV. This is definitely a beach read! Be on the lookout to take this book on vacay next year. I can’t wait to read more by this author

🏷️
#theresort #saraochs #thriller #beachreads
#whodoneit #bookreview #arcreader #bookworm #kohsamui🌴

This was Un.Put.Down.Able!!!

Koh Sang, Thailand is the backdrop of this twisty, suspenseful thrill ride. With a stunning coastline, energetic nightlife, and fun to be had, this place is paradise… or is it?

Cass is a diving instructor living on the island and Brooke is a traveling influencer looking for content. We follow both of these mysterious women through a winding story of secrets, murder, lies and pasts that are creeping in.

When a body is discovered on one of Cass’s diving classes, the puzzle pieces don’t seem to be adding up and the two women try to follow the clues to track down the truth. Nobody is who they seem and the possibility of secrets hide behind every smile on the island.

This had one of the most fantastic final acts I have read in a long time. The culmination of all the craziness is simply superb! I loved this wild ride!

Book review of The Resort by Sara Ochs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to @netgalley and @bookmarked for this early release of this thriller. Out on February 13, 2024, you want to grab it.
This is set on a beautiful, tropical island 🏝 at the Koh Sang Resort. Cass has come to this island 🏝 in Thailand as a new beginning. She has found her place as a scuba diving instructor and has her group of friends who feel like family.
Brooke has befriended Cass to learn more about a death that has happened on the island 🏝. Brooke is an Instagram influencer chasing a big story that could make her famous.
Cass takes her group on a dive, and they find a dead body. As the body count increases, can Cass figure out if her past has come back to haunt her, or is this something else?
Super twists, especially at the end!
#crazybooknerd
#netgalley
#theresort
#bookstagram
#loveagoodthriller

Looking for a destination thriller? Pick this one up! I loved this setting & the twists and turns this story delivered. So many secrets it’s impossible to guess them all, and it definitely kept me on my toes.

On a remote island in Thailand, guests seem to be dying under mysterious circumstances. Told in two POVs: Cass, the resort diving instructor who is recently engaged and hiding a past of her own. And Brooke, a travel influencer who is just trying to work her way from one place to the next.

Look for this one on shelves February 2024!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC.

This was a dark and deceptive thriller that kept me guessing the whole way through. I’m adamant about not spoiling this but there were so many moving parts that anytime I thought I knew what was happening i didn’t. Deeply disturbing at times, I really enjoyed this!

TW: SA, grooming, drug use, police brutality, death, murder

This was gifted by Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

A fast paced vacation thriller set on the remote parts of Thailand, compared to Rachel Hawkins, and we were never here. Signed me up! In this book, we get to follow two women, a curious group, and a murder. This island vacation may not be all it’s cracked up to be. The resort has three simple rules
1)breathe even if something goes wrong
2)always go diving with someone you trust
3) don’t panic if your oxygen is running out
Simple rules right? Only one of our guests has a secret and somebody has found out the Islanders and big and there are many places to hide, so can you make it out alive?

Initially, I was drawn to the Comparisons to other authors and books that I enjoy. Plus, I also enjoy a survival style thriller with some domestic thriller elements where we’re finding out about somebody’s past. I thought this book was fun. I definitely recommend it for a nice quick summer read. I don’t think that it did anything out of the ordinary or anything that I haven’t seen before but I did enjoy the book