Wowie. This was quite the ride. Brooke you had me guessing if you were telling the truth or an unreliable narrator. I loved Cass and Logan so much. So many twists and turns and 100% didn't see several of these things coming. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, even with all the death, I still want to visit Thailand.

Travel-thriller for me! I liked learning about Cass and Brooke and there were certainly many secrets to be uncovered throughout.

I did find it kind of drag mid way through with lots of back and forth but nothing really happening.

I did like the twists and history, but some of unreliable narrator got a little too convoluted along the way.

Cass is recently engaged, living in paradise, and teaching scuba lessons at the only resort in a small island in Thailand. The reader doesn't know much about Cass, other than the fact that she's hiding something crucial about her past. When Cass receives a threatening note, she's determined to keep the secret from her new fiancée. However, she starts to question everything once one of the members of her scuba group ends up dead. This is a thrilling mystery that's vaguely reminiscent to Knives Out-The Glass Onion.

The narration was well-done, though there were a few instances of really strange pronunciation.

Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for an advanced listener's copy in exchange for my review.

The Resort is a chilling, immersive read. I love how the friendships and mysteries are portrayed. The suspense never stops and I had a hard time putting this down.

(Actual: 3.75⭐, rounded up) This was honestly a great, action-packed thriller and did well in exceeding my initial expectations! The plot and Ochs's style of writing kept me engaged despite having a bit of a slow start and the Thailand setting was beautifully depicted and clearly decently researched, which I loved. I found the main characters to be well-developed and relatable, and I'll always appreciate an author's use of alternating POVs in order to successfully tell (and sell) their story. Going in blind (as most should when it comes to this genre), I will say that I definitely didn't expect all of the twists and turns that came about (especially that ending!!). And, in the end, as someone who loves to travel, this was a fun - if not somewhat cautionary - tale and reminder that everyone has their own story and reasons behind why they're on holiday, so have fun, be mindful, and stay safe!

This book will keep you on your toes the whole way through. It was amazing and I wish I could read it again for the first time. Great great book!

This book had a slow start for me and got better at the end. However there were way too many red herrings that it got frustrating as the reader. It got to be too much by the end. 3 stars

A group of unlikeable people, hiding out, running, seeking an escape from their nightmares. They find it on an island in Thailand. It should be an idyllic place but it is populated by The Permanents who are psychopaths. They claim to love and then lie and plot and plan and lie again without remorse. It was a story that left me without sympathy, disbelieving all of them. Connivers one and all. They lie to each other, to themselves. They are bad actors. Was there anyone worth saving? Did I care about any of them? Not really.

Because I could see who and what the players were and what they were about, nothing surprised me. The twists and turns were expected, people were going to die for absolutely no reason other than psychopaths rarely change. So let’s kill her and then someone is asking questions so she has to be killed and it just doesn’t stop. And let’s not forget the rotten, corrupt cops who can’t be trusted not to beat their suspects. There was nothing appealing about this story for me.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for a copy.

Such an impressive debut! I absolutely loved this book from page one. I'll be recommending this to anyone who enjoys thrillers and unique settings. So many twists and it kept me guessing up until the very end. I enjoyed the dual points of view. Fantastic!

Social media influencer Brooke has landed on a beautiful Thai island as her latest base for posting photos for her travel blog. She soon meets a group called the Permanents, people who have moved to the island and make a living working for the resort. She soon bonds with Cass, the dive instructor. Cass is engaged to Logan, who runs a local bar on the island. Brooke soon learns that not long before she arrived, a female tourist died on the island. While the police have determined the death was an unfortunate accident, things take a sinister turn when a second woman dies. The chapters alternate between Brooke and Cass. Cass has been running from her past and is alarmed when anonymous notes start to turn up on her doorstep announcing that someone knows her true identity and is going to expose it soon. While Cass and Brooke decide to try to figure out what happened to cause the second woman's death (which happened during a boozy party on the beach they both attended), mysterious events happen to show that someone doesn't want them to get to the truth.

The story was very fast-paced and there were plenty of twists and turns, including a big one at the end. Both Brooke and Cass had plenty of secrets they were running from and it was tantalizing to finally get the truth behind their stories. I enjoyed the suspense and trying to figure out how all of the deaths were connected!

4+ (?) stars

I quite enjoyed this suspenseful thriller. The setting was fun; I like a remote island as a part of the plotline, and this was a nice take on that idea. Some of the characters were appealing and relatable in their own ways, which was enjoyable, and some of the plot twists were surprising but still fitting, making it a satisfying story over all. (Also, sometimes it just needs to be said: the cover and its colour scheme are beautiful.)

{ review } The Resort by Sara Ochs

February 6, 2024 by Sourcebooks Landmark

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

The Resort is such a fun read! Everyone on the island has secrets and they're all tangled up together in a wild web of lies and deception. I was immediately suspicious of everyone and while I had a few people figured out, Sara Ochs had my head spinning with some of the reveals! And the ending? SO GOOD

Some of my favourite elements of the book:
- A debut
- Dual POVs (Cass and Brooke)
- Past and present secrets
- The location aka paradise
- Short chapters that made it impossible to get board
- The ending!!!!!!!

Is it bad that instead of scaring me away from the expat island life, it's actually made me even more interested in it? #thrillergirlproblems

Definitely recommend picking up The Resort! I can't wait for Sara Ochs next book : )

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted copy to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with a copy of the ARC in exchange for my. honest opinion.


Oh my gosh! This book was a great read! For fans of Rachel Hawkins and Lucy Foley, set on a remote island in Thailand, following two female characters that are running from their past.

Cass is a diving instructor at a remote resort and is living her dream life with her fiance. But, she has secrets from her past that she wants no one to find out about. She has befriended the new visitor and travel blogger, but is she who she seems or is she also running from a past.

When a body turns up while on a dive, then mysterious notes to Cass, can she continue to keep her past a secret?

A debut novel for Sara Ochs, a must read for mystery fans!

The Resort is a wild ride. I enjoyed the story and the characters. The pace was a bit choppy at times but kept my attention. I found myself suspecting many and knowing little. In the end I was surprised which added to my enjoyment. A solid read that would be great to enjoy on vacation. The narration was good but didn’t fully bring the story to life for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to Koh Sang Resort in Thailand! It is a beautiful place, but beware, all those who live here have secrets.

This was an amazing thriller taking twists and turns that left me guessing right up until the epilogue. I didn't see any of them coming either which kept the pace fast and engaging.

Recommended to all thriller lovers!

3.5/5 rounded up to 4 for the twist at the end!

Scuba diving instructor, Cass, lives in idyllic Thailand on a party island Koh Sang where all of the “permanents” (ex pats) are escaping something. Brooke, an influencer, fairly new to the island, has ulterior motives for being there. Everyone is hiding something.

When tourists bodies start piling up, dead, Brooke and Cass start digging into everyone’s past to figure out what’s going on.

The ending had me fooled. A great twist.

Thanks to netgalley for an ARC!

There was so much hype surrounding this book. I felt like it was there but it dragged too long for me. Not horrible but not great.

I got a early preview to read this book through NetGalley! The cover drew me in, as well as the pitch of a beachy mystery/thriller.

I enjoyed the dual point of view, but at times I felt exhausted by the women’s secrets.

I am giving this a 3.5 overall. Some of the foreshadowing and clues were too obvious feeling, but the plot twists didn’t feel thrilling, they felt a bit over the top. I think it could have been a 4, but the ending was upsetting to me.

i tried and gave up after 130-ish pages. i didn't care enough about the characters or the plot to keep going

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
*
Give me a book that is set on an island resort and I am set! This book was so fast paced and had me hooked till the very end! I was drawn to this book by the cover and I am so glad that I read it. I feel like it did start off a bit slow. There were a lot of characters introduced in the beginning and I feel like that took a little bit of time getting them all situated in my mind. However, once the book got going I was so engaged and didn’t want to put it down. I even requested it on audio so that I could get stuff done around my house and still continue on with the story! I cannot believe that this is a debut novel and I am so excited to see what Ochs has for us in the future!