The Resort is exactly what you need for the best beach read, suspense in an exotic local with some unreliable narrators and sketchy dudes everywhere. I truly wish I had found this one on a beach vacation drinking my weight in pina coladas but it helped bring some sun and sand to frozen Canada winters.

I loved this book all the way up to the very end. I felt like the ending was unnecessary and to throw that in felt sloppy and lazy. It was not a good cliffhanger. It felt very cheap to me to toss that last part in. The writing was excellent but I can’t overlook the last chapter.

There was a lot of potential with this book but I think it missed the mark in some areas especially handling some triggering issues. The setting was great being an isolated island which gave it that locked room style mystery feel.

The two female POVs were good- they each had a mysterious background and were hiding something but once you find out what each of them were hiding it was kind of underwhelming. Cass didn’t deserve the outcome she got especially for the past she was hiding and her struggles with her mental health. Brooke was the other pov and for someone claiming to be a journalist she jumped to way to many conclusions way to fast and caused more problems than she solved.

There was a few last minute twists that might shock some people but for me I saw them coming a mile away. Overall, I think this book had potential it just needed to be fleshed out a little bit more.



Thank you publishers and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Cass, a scuba diving instructor on the stunning but tumultuous shores of Koh Sand, Thailand's notorious party haven, embarks on a routine dive that turns disastrously wrong. The adventure meant to be transformative ends in tragedy: one student dead, another critically injured, and Cass's serene existence shattered. Amidst this chaos, a dark secret Cass harbors comes dangerously close to being unveiled. On an island where some choose to disappear forever, others are not so fortunate.

The narrative weaves through the lives of a tight-knit group of expatriates, each harboring their own concealed truths. The book is a labyrinth of suspense, peppered with engaging characters, a compelling storyline, and a web of murder and mystery. It might take a moment to immerse into its depths, but once captivated, the story's grip is relentless. The climactic twist is brilliantly executed, making for a riveting, easy-to-devour read.

I read this quickly and mostly enjoyed it. But I'll defend my rating by saying that it's not the use of various mental health issues to propel a thriller that bothers me – that can be incredible. It's the reliance on dumb tropes to do so that really grinded my gears. Not for me y'all. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, though.

Some secrets are deadly. The Resort comes with a cast of characters who are self-described castoffs and loners seeking a second chance or at least a fresh start on the party island of Koh Sang in Thailand. What they have in common has brought them together, but the secrets some of them harbor could tear their new lives apart. The narrative alternates between two POV characters, Cass, a scuba diving instructor on the island, and the latest member of the group, Brooke, an Instagram influencer who's sponsors subsidize her itinerant lifestyle. Brooke is still in the process of insinuating herself into the group of expats calling themselves the Permanents when Lucy, a tourist visiting the island, is found dead, likely murdered. The local police force, however, seems unwilling to entertain the possibility of foul play, possibly due to a payoff by the resort's owner, despite the recent and suspicious death of another young woman that was, nevertheless, deemed a suicide. Before long, Brooke and Cass — the one Permanent most accepting of the social media savvy newcomer — begin their own amateur investigation of Lucy's death.

In her POV, Cass reveals some of her own secret, involving the death of her sister and father, though the details are scarce; while Brooke's POV reveals she isn't as successful in her social media influencer role as she would like people to believe, and that she's struggling to make ends meet. Even less is revealed about the secrets of the rest of the Permanents. And perhaps too much of  3/4 of the book revolves around investigative speculation and general introspection by these two semi-reliable narrators for the story to slip into the flow of a page-turning thriller. Much like the scuba divers at the resort, the plot spends a bit too much time treading water without generating much forward progress. The final quarter of the novel, however, bursts into hardcore thriller mode, during a destructive island storm when buried secrets and hidden motivations finally rise to the surface and boil over with unexpected menace and murderous betrayals.

[3.5 out of 5 stars]

Thanks so much to Sourcebooks for access to a review copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I definitely recommend this read - I ended up doing a mix of audio and ebook reading, and I recommend both.
I meant to read this during my travels last month, but then I got distracted by other new releases. I finally started it via audiobook this week, and let me tell you - I listened/read over 50% in one sitting! I couldn’t stop because I was completely sucked in to the story!
Set on a remote island of Thailand, The Resort involves a bunch of expats that work (and party) at a resort. One of the big draws of the resort is scuba diving. A few visitors have died in “accidental” deaths, falling off a mountain and drowning in the water. When a third visitor dies, also ruled accidental, some people start getting suspicious, especially Brooke, a travel influencer who recently arrived. Cass, a dive instructor from the US who is carrying her own secrets, fears that someone has uncovered her past. But she just got engaged to Logan, from Scotland, so life should be great, right?
There are twists and turns in the story, as well as beautiful descriptions of the scenery and the reefs. I am ready to book a trip to Thailand immediately. I was shocked to read that this is the author’s debut novel - I can’t wait to read more from her!

Tis book is what I'd consider a quick summer thriller. If you're just looking for an escapist read for a weekend trip, this is the book I'd recommend. Was there a lot of substance? Not necessarily. Book club discussions about the effects of white supremacy on over-surveilled and over-colonized societies can ensue, but that's about as deep as it gets because it's still from the perspective of two white women. It's not necessarily a bad thing; it's just not as powerful an impact as it could have been than if the book was written from a minority's perspective.

“The Resort” by Sara Ochs is a fun debut thriller.

“The Resort” is filled with several characters who kept their pasts hidden leading to quite the whodunit story.

I enjoyed diving into this book and look forward to what is next from Sara Ochs.

Thank you NetGalley, Sara Ochs, and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me this advanced copy.

What an ending! Is it too soon to say I hope there is a sequel?

It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. The pace, plotting, tension, and brazen twists pushed the story to places that were thrilling and unexpected, even in a hot market for psychological thrillers!

One of my favorite aspects of this book was that Ochs was unafraid to write flawed characters. I don’t think there was a character in the book that wasn’t flawed, and that added a layer of reality to the story that made it even more gripping. I’d argue that most of the characters have done something bad, but who is the worst? You’ll have to read to find out…

Narrated in alternating chapters by the two female protagonists, Brooke and Cass—there was an eerie feel to the story at all times because it was clear there were a lot of secrets being kept from the people on the island and from the reader. The hints at some of those secrets are peppered throughout the story, and the reveals are carefully timed for maximum effect.

Brooke is a travel influencer who has arrived at the small, remote island of Koh Sang, Thailand. After talking her way into a better room in exchange for social media coverage (with perhaps a bit of creative manipulation of the resort owner), Brooke is settled in for the next few weeks. On her first day she befriends a dive instructor for the resort named Cass. Not only is Cass a fellow American, she’s also an easy friend for Brooke who is used to the lonely influencer life. Over the past few weeks they have formed a good friendship. Only Cass doesn’t know that Brooke isn’t from the west coast, she’s from Kentucky. And that’s not the only secret Brooke is hiding…

Cass has been working at the resort for a few years now, and she couldn’t be happier with the life she has created. She’s engaged to a man named Logan originally from Scotland who owns a local dive bar on the island. She’s now become the newest member of a small group of people who live and work on the island that refer to themselves as “the Permanents”. They are a close-knit group who have chosen to leave their pasts behind for island life. They don’t talk about their backgrounds, and that suits them just find. Isn’t island life about living in the moment?

But things are not as idyllic as they seem on the surface. Several days before Brooke arrived, a guest at the resort fell off a cliff and died. It seems like it must be an accident, but a newcomer at the resort approaches Brooke and suggests that it wasn’t. Not long after that exchange, the newcomer is found dead at the bottom of the ocean. Cass is the one who finds her while on a dive, and she’s shaken. Cass has been uneasy since she first received an anonymous note suggesting that someone knows who she really is. How is that possible? Cass has worked hard to fully separate from her old identity. When another death occurs not long after, it’s clear that something dark is going on. But on an island where everyone is hiding their past and their secrets, who is responsible?

This is one of those books that it’s best if you go into without more information than provided here (or in the synopsis). I hate saying that, but it will give you the best reading experience. I was instantly sucked into the book—the setting leapt right off the page, and the plot moved almost without me realizing it from serene to so tense it could snap. I was suspicious of basically everyone throughout the entire book. No one (including the two protagonists) should be marked as safe.

Part of the fun in reading The Resort are the slow reveals of the secrets. And when I say everyone on this island has a secret, I mean everyone. Even the ones who seem the most innocent! What the reader needs to figure out is who is just enjoying island life and living in the moment, leaving behind worries or pain from their past, and who is hiding something much darker? We learn early on that both Brooke and Cass are hiding something. They also form a sweet friendship that made it hard to know how their secrets might fit in to everything. Brooke is able to get the reserved, shy Cass to open up, and Cass is able to bring Brooke in to the fold. Brooke even has a crush on another dive instructor! But as with any good psychological thriller, there is a lot more to unfold…

The ending is twist-y and delightful to read. By the epilogue, my jaw was on the floor! Ochs has proven herself to be unafraid of making bold decisions about the fates of her characters, and I applaud that. It made for a great book with a stellar ending. I left it wondering if perhaps there could even be a sequel? There is plenty more to explore after this book ends, that is for sure!

Thank you to Sourcebooks for my copy. Opinions are my own.

I thought this was a great mystery and I really liked it. I loved the setting and all of the characters. It kept my interest and I recommend it to multiple people.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for letting me read THE RESORT early. This one is out now.

This book started out really great but then took a strange turn and really bored me. I finished it with the help of the audiobook but I can't recommend this one. I almost gave up on reading it, and kind of wished I did.

I was excited to start this one as Sara Ochs is a new author for me. The beginning of this book did a great job of making me feel like I was on the island and enjoying all it had to offer. I liked that we were able to see both sides of the resort - guest and workers. There are a lot of characters, which was confusing as Brooke and Cass had similar ways of talking and thinking - I would forget whose POV I was in. Even though the setting was great, the story itself was a little more slow burn, until about the halfway point/when the murders starts happening - then it is action packed and suspenseful until the end. The characters all seemed to have secrets and none were overly likeable, but none unlikable. The author did a great job of leaving little clues, but not enough to give away anything. I never saw the twists at the end coming.

Overall, if you are looking for a summer pool thriller to read, I would recommend grabbing this one.

This book started out slow for me but it quickly picked up and I was intrigued. There are a lot of characters and it seems that everyone has secrets. I thought I had it figured out a couple of times but the twist at the end was something I didn't see coming. I liked the tropical setting and the found family vibes, along with the starting over feeling that several of the characters had. I definitely enjoyed this book and will look for more by this author!

Oh boy. This book was very good. I rated it a 4.5 out of 5. It had some good twists and the big twist was huge and I didn’t see it coming. The entire time I was trying to figure out WHO DID IT but I never would’ve expected it to be who it was. The writing was really good. I definitely would recommend this to others.

The Resort by Sara Ochs was a fast paced, mysterious must read. I had no idea who did what, it certainly kept you guessing. Set in beautiful Thailand, this is a great one for those who like vacation gone wrong books! Recommend.

This book was such a disappointing read. I was immediately drawn in by the beachy gorgeous cover and the premise that it's compared to Rachel Hawkins. The amount of things I would rather have done with my time than read this is startling.

None of the thrills were thrilling or crazy, a majority of the book was useless dialogue and overall just things I couldn't care less about. I didn't care for any of the characters or the plot, really the only thing I enjoyed was the setting. And it ended the way I absolutely hate thrillers to end unless there's going to be a sequel.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted copy for my honest review.

I checked out the audiobook for The Resort from my local library and really enjoyed it. I will admit to having no idea how the suspense would wrap up- every detail revealed at the end took me by surprise. And that epilogue! That was a shock too.

The Resort by Sara Ochs was in some ways quite predictable. A thriller in an exotic location - beach, scuba diving, the works. However, the twist was not quite so predicable, and I actually found it a bit far-fetched. This is a slow burn kind of thriller, which isn't a problem for me but I know many want something to pull them in a bit quicker. There are also a lot of characters to keep track of initially, but once they're sorted out the plot is not difficult to follow. Readers should pay careful attention to content warnings on this one, as issues of mental illness, trauma, rape, and pedophilia all come to light.

Thank you @ScaredStraightReads/Sourcebooks Landmark #partner, for the finished copy of The Resort in exchange for my honest review.

I was thrilled to be selected to be part of Dennis’s book club this month and what an exciting book he picked! A debut thriller that totally had me guessing all the way through!

I love a good destination thriller and this one could not have been more twisty and addicting. It does start off a little slow, but this is where the groundwork is being laid and I found myself intrigued, but once the book took off, I was totally hooked!

I loved the way the story unfolded, alternating between Cass and Brooke, as they slowly reveal their past and reasons for coming to the island. But as we meet the rest of the characters, it becomes evident that everyone is hiding something, that they all have their reasons for coming to this island and no one knows each other’s secrets, even though they consider themselves friends. Lies, secrets and dead bodies…this one has it all!

This one really kept me on my toes because every time I thought I had things worked out, a new twist would turn everything upside down. And then that ending – it was such a shock and I loved it! This was such a fun, thrilling ride and I cannot wait to see what comes next from Sara Ochs…I’ll for sure be reading it!