This was such a fun and mysterious experience! I loved the audio narration and the plot of this book kept me guessing until the very end.

"The Resort" by Sara Ochs is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that masterfully weaves suspense and intrigue into the fabric of a seemingly idyllic vacation setting. The story revolves around a group of friends who gather at a luxurious resort, only to find their vacation takes a dark turn as secrets and tensions rise to the surface.

Ochs's writing is sharp and evocative, capturing the beauty of the resort while simultaneously hinting at the underlying dangers that lurk within its walls. The pacing is expertly crafted, building tension as the characters' relationships are tested and hidden truths come to light. The sense of isolation in the resort setting adds to the suspense, making readers feel the characters' growing unease.

The characters are well-developed, each with their own complexities and secrets that add depth to the story. Ochs skillfully explores themes of betrayal, loyalty, and the consequences of past actions, making the narrative not just a thriller but also a reflection on human nature and relationships.

Overall, "The Resort" is a captivating read that will keep you guessing until the very end. Sara Ochs has created a compelling thriller that combines well-drawn characters with a tense and engaging plot. This book is perfect for fans of psychological thrillers and anyone looking for a story that will keep them on the edge of their seat!

A bit of a slow start but then things got very exciting. What were all these ex-pat's hiding. Bodies keep piling up, but are they just accidents? This was a fun thriller, don't miss out on the epilogue!

A really gripping thriller. I felt like the pacing was so well done. Each time I thought I was figuring it out, there was another twist I didn’t see coming. Very well executed.

Wow, what a debut for Sara Ochs! This story had so many twists and revelations throughout, I couldn't put it down.

Cass is living the dream while hiding from a nightmare at the Koh Sang Resort in Thailand. She is part of The Permanents living at the resort, teaching diving to tourists. But someone knows about her past and starts leaving letters for Cass to make sure she knows they know!

This is a slow burn that I was invested in. I loved how all of the characters had unknown pasts that may or may not play into the main plot, but gave lots of intrigue throughout.

The final twists had my head spinning. I thought I knew who did it. I learned I was wrong. But wait, I was right! Only no, I was wrong again! Very well played!

There was a bit of a hiccup for me that involved women and revenge that I won't spoil, but I struggled with it a bit because the revenge was misguided and was directed at the wrong person for me. But overall, I was a fan! Great summer thriller!

This unfortunately was a DNF for me. I tried a few times and just couldn't get into it. 1 star since I didn't finish the book. Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and publisher for the ARC!

4.5⭐️ Since finishing The Resort, I can’t stop thinking about it, and how twisty it was until the very end.

Going in blind without reading the synopsis, I paired the physical book with the audiobook, and loved the multiple narration cast, and the mysterious island setting so much. It was giving locked room mystery vibes with unreliable narrators and multiple POVs that had me guessing.

*many thanks to Sourcebooks, RB Media and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This one took me so long to get into. I honestly couldn’t get into it. I was confused for over 1/2 of it. I did push through but it just wasn’t for me. It had a great premise, thriller on a tropical island, yes please! But it was a flop for me.

This one started slow. There were a lot of characters and plot lines to keep straight and told mostly between the POV of Cass and Brooke.
Revenge/Secret Agendas and towards the end some major twists. 4 stars!

So you can kind of figure out who all had done it toward the end of the book, and its not a bad book. Kinda makes me sad that Cass died, and she will always be labeled a killer and never got justice for what she was called. It's a classic revenge story with someone going to an island and getting revenge to what had happen to her years ago. Good book, loved the writing style and would most definitely read something by her again, might not go to Thailand anytime soon. I gave it three good twist and turns and writing styles, but I don't want to figure anything out and i want all the surprise that you can give me.

3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️




✨ Mystery Thriller
✨ suspense
✨ ⚠️⚠️ Grooming and suicide





✨ Beautiful beach as a start of the story. Calm and collected . But what is it really the behind the scenes of this dark moment that the beach is offering.
A lot of things has happened and they were pointing the blame to the new friend.
You can feel the angst of each character here which is amazing for a reader to feel.
There are some disturbing topic which might trigger someone so be warn.
The ending was I’m not keen on. It doesn’t connect with the actually story and makes me confused for a sec.



✨ Definitely a great read. It’s amazes me how trust can affect some people .



Thankyou rb media for the arc copy of this book for a honest review



🫶🏼shaye.reads

Based on the decription, I thought I'd be immediately hooked - I love a good thriller, and a beachy island setting sounded intriguing, Unfortuantely, this book failed to reel me in, and a lot of the twists felt far-fetched. It also felt like the author just wanted to add another twist on top of another until there were so many twists that it really felt like it was just too unlikely altogether.

I thought by being an ensemble cast, I would love the audio factor (I'm a sucker for an audio ensemble cast), but the voices of Brooke and Cass were so similar that I often had trouble deciphering which was which.

Additionally, I thought there were some problematic elements in the book that just really bothered me. There seemed to be a stigma applied to taking anti-anxiety medication (and the effects of that medication aren't even accurately portrayed), and there was an issue of female-on-female blame for sexual assault, while not being blameful of the male assailant at all.

Overall, I wouldn't say I hated the book, but I also didn't love it as much as I thought I would.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC - my review is reflective of my own opinion.

Actual Rating: 3.5

A fun summery thriller from debut author Sara Ochs!

This wasn’t anything special but was an overall good time. I received an ALC and ARC from Netgalley and the publisher but ultimately I read this purely from audio.

I think the narration was well done! We had two different female narrators for our two main characters, Brooke and Cas. Plus a few other one-off narrations! I’ve seen some reviews mention one narrator being a bit all over the place but I think that was an intentional and smart choice!

Plot wise, I found some of this predictable but that wasn’t a bad thing! There are a lot of reveals in the third quarter that felt a little unnecessary though when we get to the ultimate conclusion. I think a lot of these characters you’re supposed to dislike to varying degrees and the few characters I was completely behind and rooting for, kept making stupid choices that frustrated me.

Ultimately I had a fun enough time with this and I look forward to what comes next from Sara Ochs!

This book grabbed my attention because it has the makings of a great thriller, a mysterious protagonist running away from her past life and settles on an island far, far away hoping no one discovers her secrets. It took me about 50% into the book to start being invested in the characters and to care what was going on. From that point on it was twists and turns (some predictable) with a good epilogue, 3 stars.

Cass and Brooke are intertwined in many ways, their pasts, presents, and futures in ways they neither of them even know. When Brooke finds her way to the tropical island on the resort where Cass works she quickly learns that everyone around her has secrets and some of those secrets could be deadly.

This book was very well woven with some intricate characters that are all well developed. The story takes many turns that I never saw coming. I really enjoyed it!

4/5 stars.

I love a good thriller and this one checked all the boxes. Mysterious deaths and characters with mysterious, and not always legal, pasts blend together perfectly in The Resort. The twists kept coming, even on the final pages, that keeps you guessing. The final twist was the best that definitely put a smile on my face at how well it all unraveled.

The Resort
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Sara Ochs

I requested a digital and audio advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Sourcebooks and RB Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: A searing vacation thriller set on a remote island in Thailand following two mysterious women, a charismatic group of expats, and the one murder poised to bring their paradise crashing down.

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

There are three rules to follow during a vacation at the famous Koh Sang Resort

1 – Leave the past behind.

When Cass sets foot on the coast of Thailand's world-famous party island, she's searching for an escape. With dark secrets following her every move, Koh Sang becomes the perfect place to hide.

2 - Always be careful of who you trust.

Now, years later, Cass is a local dive instructor alongside the Permanents, a group of expats who have claimed the island as their own. The Permanents don't linger on who they were before the island. Simply because, like Cass, they all have something to outrun.

3 – If someone discovers who you really are, run.

But suddenly, a dive student is found dead and paradise comes crashing down. Because this isn't the first mysterious death on the island, and it won't be the last. Someone knows who Cass is and they're ready to make sure justice is finally served.

My Thoughts: This was an interesting read. The twists are late and when they start coming, you are like oh my with a little whiplash action going on. Think of it, who flees to a hideaway island, far from where you actually live, and immediately trust others as if your life depended on it? Only a person who truly has something to hide from. I had really high expectations for this book and was slightly disappointed. Not a bad book, just not what I had hoped it would be. You do have to suspend belief a little bit, maybe a bit much. However, for a debut novel, this was really well written. Trigger warnings of mental illness, suicide, self-harm, and pedophilia - none of these warnings were dominant, just by mention.

The story is primarily narrated by Cass, dive instructor, and Brooke, social media influencer. There are also a ton of supporting characters and with this comes the secrets, deceit, lies, and a dangerous cat and mouse game of whodunit. We start off a little slow and somewhat confusing until we get the character layout straight. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, and were intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, twisty, thought-provoking, and creative. Now the ending was a twisty madness of fabulous, definitely worth navigating through the characters and their secrets.

The narrators, Miranda Raison and Dakota Blue Richards were great. They had amazing voice variation for the multiple characters. The pitch and flow were perfect, allowing me to listen at 2x speed with no issues. The voices were smooth and inviting. Overall, this was an enjoyable listen/read that I would recommend to other readers.

I was really excited about this book, I loved the island atmosphere and the fact that it was set at a resort. The revelations were somewhat surprising, I didn't expect the epilogue at all. All in all, I give this book 3 stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book took me a while to get into, but I was absolutely hooked by the end of it!!! I did not see the ending coming at all and I love being blindsided like that in a book.

An eerie thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat through the whole wild ride! I wasn’t able to set this book down