The Resort is a story filled with secrets right until the end. Cass, a girl on the run from her own troubled past, winds up on the island to start over. She fits in with a group of people who have all claim the island as their new home and are all running from things in their past. All is going well until a dive student is found dead. This just happens to be the second death in a short amount of time and there is someone else on the island questioning things and ready to turn Cass’ life upside down.

This book has multiple twists and angles as you unravel the mystery behind the deaths on the island. There are a lot of characters that you are introduced to in this book and I did find that a little confusing at first to keep them all straight. However once I learned who was who, the secrets really started to spill out. Check this book out if you want a story that will keep you wondering until the end.

The Resort is a twisty, fun beach read about the expat community at a Thai resort -- largely people hiding out from their previous lives for various reasons -- which creates problems when someone comes looking for the truth. Mysterious people and deaths about and the quick misdirects keep you guessing through the end.

This audiobook was entertaining enough to make me finish.

It did seem at points to be a bit long winded. I listend at 1.75x and it still seemed to drag a bit. The narrator has a nice voice but could use a bit more range.

The story however was good! Nothing was particularly twisty. I do like the location, being in Thailand and the description of the island is nice.

All in all, it was entertaining. It wasn’t particularly thrilling or edge of the seat suspenseful like I prefer.

3.5 stars. Good read to keep you turning pages and I liked the setting. The characters felt a bit one-dimensional, but thriller lovers will be entertained. My biggest gripe with this was with the narrators on audio. It sounded to me like they were both maybe British speaking people who were trying to do an American accent and the way they pronounced some of the words was distracting. And given that so many of the characters (actually maybe all but one?) weren’t American, I didn’t understand the choice. Give us a British or Australian narrator!

The synopsis makes the book to be so much better than it actually was.

We follow the points of view of Cass, a scuba diving instructor and Brooke, a social media influencer on vacation in Thailand.

It honestly started off very dry.
After about 3 chapters in I started to not vibe with Brooke anymore but my god, as we neared the final chapters I couldn’t even stand reading her POV . She labelled anyone she met the killer and acted very impulsively.

I feel for Brooke, I really do, but I still didn’t like her in the end and she had her anger and want of revenge completely misdirected towards Cass.

I felt like Brooke’s and Cass (each of their) stories took away a lot from the “main” plot of who killed Lucy.

Final thoughts: started off not being engaging and having not very compelling characters.

The story unfolds at a decent pace,while information is slowly revealed that allows you to start putting things together. I liked the book, but I really struggled to like the characters. There wasn't enough character development or personality. Additionally, I found parts of the storyline to be somewhat farfetched. The narration was "ok." The woman narrator's true accent bled through intermittently throughout the book. I liked the surprise twist at the end. Overall, it's a decent read, but it won't be in my "recommend" pile.

The premise of the book was really good but it was hard to stay interested throughout because of the narrator. Her tone was blah and the same throughout. However, I loved the story, so I will purchase the book when it is released to reread.

Took a bit for me to get into this book. If it hadn't had so many excellent reviews, it would have been a DNF for me. It was good incentive I finally got into it but it really took too long to grab my jnterest.

I had to force myself to finish the audiobook version of this book. The narrator was flat. Very little to none distinction between characters.
The many characters staying at the resort have skeletons in their closets. It was a bit hard to keep track of. I had to go back several chapters on more than 1 occasion because it felt like I missed something.
Overall the story has promise but didn’t deliver. Too many stories within a story, flashbacks, and “cool down” chapters. You get built up for a reveal and then the next chapter feels like filler.

Cas is getting married. She lives on the island and is happy. She teaches diving classes
Cas has a past that involves her sister dying she doesn't want anyone to know about
Brooke just moved to the island 2 weeks ago
Brooke is an influencer who also has a past she doesn't want anyone to know about

This island isn't right. Lucy, a student diver, tried to tell Brooke about it but ends up not getting the chance to tell the entire story before she disappears.
Lucy isn't the only one to disappear. People are dying on this island. There are hidden secrets here. No one is talking. Things are covered up
A secret can't be revealed if the people who know it are dying

There are two points of view in this thriller. We have Cass and her life at the Koh Sang Resort. Then we have Brooke a travel influencer. There are secrets both of them are hiding. There was a recent death on the island that was deemed an accident.

I really enjoyed this mystery/thriller. I had no idea what their secrets were and how the book would end up. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did an awesome job. The writing hooked me from the get go and I had to listen to it all in one sitting. 😆 The ending of the book was 🤯.

I’m torn. This book was a bit crazy and felt chaotic at times, however, I’m giving it 4 ⭐️ for great scenery, a decent plot, and a great twist.
Honestly I think the twist was so good because there were so many motives floating out there, you just couldn’t pin down who would kill who and for what reason. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. Like I said, I’m a bit torn with this book.
The story is two POVs and is told between the characters Cass and Brooke. Cass has come to the island to escape something, while Brooke has come to the island to find something. What they end up discovering is that people are not always trust worthy and that deception surrounds them.
The characters weren’t un likable, but I didn’t really connect with any either. All in all the first few chapters and last few chapters are what make this a good thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for the audio ARC.

This book was really difficult to get into, and to finish. Case goes to this amazing Thailand resort to escape her past. Then a person from her past that knows the truth comes back to being the memories back and threaten her future. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was my first Sara Ochs book, but I'll be heading over to read The Dive next, as this one was so good! I promise not to give anything away, but that was a complete perfection of an ending (chef's kiss!). I was all wrapped up in Cass and "the permanents" from the start of this book, and felt completely immersed in their complicated friendship dynamic and the secrets that drove each of them to start a new life abroad. Ochs expertly parsed out details until the EPIC ending that was so good and so satisfying. Totally a winner

Thank you so much NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and RB Media for my advanced copy and the chance to review it honestly.

The three rules to follow during your vacation at Koh Sang Resort is to leave the past behind, always be careful of who you trust, and if you’re found out… RUN.

I received The Resort as an ALC and I loved it. I listened to it in one sitting and I was not disappointed. I love a good destination thriller and this one sure did deliver! I enjoyed our unreliable narrator and thought the book narrators killed it. They all did a great job bringing this story to life and letting this story unravel in the most entertaining way. My favorite part? The epilogue. The Resort is out 2/6/24 and I plan on getting myself a physical copy for my shelves.

Happy reading!

A fantastic destination debut thriller by Sara Ochs - she knocked it out of the park!
Told in two points of view this story unfolds slowly. Over time bits and pieces come to light and and hints are dropped and you soon find out everyone is lying, and people are dying.
The duel points of view come from Cass an American ex-pat and Brooke, a travel influencer at the famous Koh Sang Resort where people come from all over to hide from their past. We come to find these two main characters trying to figure out the mystery behind these deaths and everyone is pointing fingers at each other.

The setting was gorgeous and had dreaming of an island getaway, The story was intriguing and had unreliable narrators with a whole lot of secrets and a twist that landed quite well, that I didn't see coming..
If you like thrillers with secrets, lies and intrigue be sure to grab this book in February.!
Thank you to Netgally and R.B. Media for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own and voluntary.

I love a good destination thriller, and the way this island was described really gave me a clear vision of what it would be like to live there myself.

I found this read to be incredibly bingeable, with a bit of a slow-burn effect. So many twists that kept me guessing through the entire story.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to Paradise.. or is it? You’ll want to dive into this one!! This book takes place in a beautiful remote island in Thailand. It centers around a resort and a group of friends working at the resort and scuba diving facility at the resort. This book is full of secrets, twists and lies. I was constantly questioning my theories and finding little bits of truths as the story moved along. The story is told between alternating points of view. They all have secrets, past history and lies of deception. I really loved the way the story unfolded it kept me engaged and not wanting to put the book down. The audio narration is done by a full cast and is beautifully done. Narrated by Miranda Raison, Dakota Blue Richards, Joe Jameson, Pema Monaghan. Many thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed THE RESORT. I found it to be a solid story. I liked the setting of a remote island in Thailand and the mystery of Cass and Brooke. Every character was holding a secret which kept the book very interesting. I couldn't wait to see how it would end and the epilogue was definitely shocking. Overall, I found THE RESORT to be filled with suspense and I would recommend it.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to pub date.

This novel had an intriguing premise which it lived up to! It's a locked room mystery, where the room in question is actually an island, and everyone on it has secrets. The characters were diverse and well-developed and I enjoyed the narrative switches between Cas and Brook - it kept the story interesting and allowed for many cliffhanger moments which helped to build the tension. I predicted the killer quite soon into the novel, however, the final chapter completely turned that around and left me grinning in delight about what happens next. There were some plot holes and things unaccounted for at the end, but it was still overall an enjoyable read that left me wanting more!