Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, and Sara Ochs for as advance listening copy of The Resort in exchange for an honest review. What is it about destination thrillers that just always work for me? The Resort is told in multiple point of views from Brooke and Cass. Most people head to this island to escape their pasts and hide their secrets. As the story progresses, secrets are threatened to be discovered and people end up dying. I enjoyed the last 25% of the book the most as there were many twists and turns that I was not anticipating. The narrator did a great job making me feel as if I was on the island with all the characters. This one is out on February 13th and deserves a spot on your TBR!

The Resort has Reckless Girls/Rachel Hawkins vibes, and a great debut novel by Sara Ochs. The story is a fun whodunnit centered around a group of friends on a small island called Koh Sand. The premise was interesting, the build up dragged a little, and the ending was exciting and fast-paced. The twist had a lot of predictable parts, but was still satisfying to read.

🚩🚩Potential spoiler 🚩🚩Then, the epilogue was WILD and I did NOT see that coming- almost bumped it up to a 4 star read. I'm eager to see what Sara Ochs does next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this arc.

Im sorry but i couldn't finish this one :(
Too slow paced for me and nothing really happened in the chapters that i listened to also i hated Bricks chapters and the narrator got on my nerves lol

The Resort was a little slow to start but all of a sudden you realize you're extremely invested in the story and you won't be able to set it down. It's one of those novels where you don't know who to trust. Everyone is potentially a suspect on this island. They all seem to have found themselves on the island to get away from something shady in their past, especially Cass and Brooke.

This one definitely kept me guessing (and second guessing) right up until the end!

Audiobook review:
While the story itself is fine, I don't know if the narrators that were chosen were the best choices. Neither of the main narrators changed their voice for different characters, which would have been helpful as the majority of the other characters were noted to be from several different countries they all had accents. It was a little weird to hear a distinctly Scottish or English phrase in a flat American accent. The voices stayed the same even between male and female speakers. I was sometimes only able to distinguish who was doing the speaking because I also had a copy of the ebook in front of me. I also don't think either narrator were told proper pronunciation of words when the character says a phrase in their native language. One of the characters has a tattoo with a Scots Gaelic phrase that is talked about. While I have no idea if the narrator actually pronounced the Gaelic correctly (highly doubtful), I DO know that she pronounced Gaelic wrong. Later on a character says 'hello' in a few languages at the start of a meeting and completely botched the French word 'bonsoir.' I realized then that she HAD to be just reading the words how one would read it in English.

I know that this isn't going to be a deal breaker for many listeners but it took me out of the story on multiple occasions. While I feel the ebook 4 stars, the audiobook is a 3.

I enjoyed this book! Beginning to end it was engaging and entertaining. Pace was perfect for a thriller, the cast of characters were fun to spend time with—and it m a sucker for characters getting what’s coming to them.

Narration was good—mostly. There were a few points were I struggled with one of the narrators were things were said differently or pronounced kind of weird but it wasn’t enough to ruin the story.

The Resort🌴
By Sara Ochs🌊

Review💯

The story was so fantastic that I can't believe this is a debut novel! This had some spectacular twists in the plot. Since there was so much going on, I was genuinely concerned about how it would all work out, but the author did a fantastic job of weaving everything together. This book's best feature was that I was completely unaware of what was happening. I suspected a lot and was entirely off base on everything. I was freaking out at the ending. I highly recommend this terrific thriller!

Thriller
Secrets
Romance
Plot twists
Revenge

5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My preferred genre is “murder at a remote resort among rich people” so this book was top tier in my opinion. The twist came out of nowhere but didn’t feel manufactured, and the switching narrative was easy to follow! Loved it!

With the snow storms from the past few days I loved reading a tropical destination read. The story I enjoyed itself. I loved the twists at the end however I don’t think an epilogue is needed. I liked the ending before the epilogue.

3⭐️. This was an OK thriller. Told from dual POV Cass and Brooke, which typically I like but this one I was getting confused as to which girl was narrating since this was an audiobook listen and the voices weren’t differentiated enough. It is a really slow burn, I think it is a bit too long (and far fetched in places) to get to where it ends. Given all the attempted red herrings, I did think I had it figured out, which always bums me out. The epilogue was fun and ended the book on a positive note.

If it weren’t so slow and my original guesses as to what was happening didn’t play out… I would have rated this one much higher. Solid debut book. I liked the setting, the off the beaten path island and resort. I’d be open to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media and Sara Ochs for this advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to RB Media for the gifted audiobook!

I was really enjoying this one and for some reason every time it gets to chapter 7, it stops working. I've tried skipping that chapter, deleting and re-downloading about 5 different times and am out of ideas on how to get it to play on the Netgalley app. Maybe it's an error with the app itself.

I plan to read the physical copy and I can come back and review or wait until the audiobook publishes and come back!

Imagine going to paradise only to find it more like a nightmare. Sara Ochs takes us to a small island in exotic Thailand where a community of ex-pats are enjoying an adventurous lifestyle until visitors start turning up dead. The Resort is full of people with secret pasts dangerous enough to kill for.

The two main characters, Cass and Brooke, have interesting backstories that slowly unfold adding to the tension. Ochs gives us no shortage of suspects and plenty of misdirections before revealing the twisted conclusion. Relationships this toxic make you wonder how well you really know the people you meet. Overall, this is a solid thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Recorded Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I absolutely could not stop listening to this audiobook. This book takes place on an island at the Koh Sang Resort. Cass is a dive instructor and Brook came to the island as an influencer. The two girls become friends as time goes by, however, both have secrets and death seems to be surrounding all of them. This thriller was fast paced, interesting, and each character you meet has secrets, up until the very end. I loved that this felt scary because many people go to an island and befriend locals or other vacationers during their stay. Imagine one, or more, are murderers?!?

The Resort by Sara Ochs was quite the thriller. It is hard to wrap my arms around this one because it was a little too much for me. I did enjoy the suspense and was surprised over and over. The ending had me shocked and disturbed. I found the background stories of the two main characters, Cass and Brooke, very intriguing and the author did a great job building this story and linking the characters.

It was not my cup of tea. A little too much for me, however if you are a suspense/thriller lover and are okay with gore, this might be for you. I am not going to fault the author because I knew going in what I was getting in to -- I mean, it is a suspense.

A solid 3.5 stars, probably more. The author did keep me on my toes, and I didn't see THAT coming. Also, I enjoyed the narrators' voices.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the advanced audio copy of The Resort in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinion are my own.

I enjoyed this book a lot and finished it in one day. Fast paced and dual POV makes this a fun listen. There were many twists to lead you in different directions that kept you guessing throughout the whole book. Check TW because there are a couple heavy topics in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the advanced audiobook!

"Welcome to paradise. We hope you enjoy your stay..."

Koh Sang, famous in the travelling scene as being Thailands Party Island, has a group of ex pats working within the island, all escaping their murky pasts.

The story is told from two different POVs. Cass, the islands scuba instructor and Brooke, an influencer coming to review the island for her social media following.

This book had me wondering if you really know everyone you meet, especially those you may form friendships with on holiday!!
Fast paced and gripping this thriller had me listening at double the speed to find out how it ended, and not until the very last second did I guess it correctly.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A debut novel from Sara Ochs that wasn't a home run (for me), but a solid triple and tells me this is an author to watch. The Resort is set in exotic Thailand full of young people, who, unlike me, are living a nomad existence and definitely not thinking about retirement. At almost 60, having grown up in a different world, I am unsure I can handle one more main character who is an "influencer." But that's on me. I need to stop requesting books where it's clearly stated that we are going to have to deal with that culture.

I enjoyed the opening, meeting the characters and what I hoped would come. It's listed as mystery/thriller by the publisher, but there was a strong YA vibe which may or may not appeal. And, not listed by the publisher, is a trigger warning I hesitate to mention since it's such a big plot/spoiler. Not my favorite, and exhausted by it.

I look forward to Ochs next novel. She definitely can write.

Author Sara Ochs’s debut destination thriller is a slow build two person POV thriller that exposes the dangers of paradise in a taut, entertaining suspense novel. On the Thai party island of Koh Sang, dive instructor Cassie and social media influencer Brooke, are both likable narrators, but both are escaping from something in their past. They tell simultaneous stories about a mysterious accident that has left dive student Lucy drowned. Another young woman also died shortly before Brooke arrived. Cassie is definitely trying to remake herself at the resort after something happened 3 years ago and Brooke has used all her money in order to investigate something. But what?

The narrative starts out steadily, then finally revs up and produces multiple twists. Author Ochs creates well-developed characters and a plot that kept me engrossed until the very end. It’s gripping and action-packed and the perfect beach read for those who aren’t always in the mood for a happily-ever-after romance. 4 stars!

An audiobook usually enhances the experience, but in this case, I felt that the voices of Cassie and Brooke seemed too similar — I had to rewind too often to the chapter beginning to figure out if Brooke or Cassie is speaking. This is a rare case where I’d suggest reading the book over listening to the audiobook.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Blue, gray and brown, but no green.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES/NO

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark/RB Media and NetGalley for a free advanced ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Recorded Books for the copy of this ALC!

THE RESORT is a twisty, toxic thriller debut from Sara Ochs that you won't want to miss! Featuring multiple POVs and a group of highly suspicious expats on Koh Sang Resort, THE RESORT is the sort of thriller that makes you keep cleaning so you can keep listening to your audiobook. Remote island settings, tropical storms, multiple murders, and constantly questioning who to trust make this thriller excellent. This a great rec if you like thrillers with girls trips, vacations, shady friend groups, or island settings, like ONE OF THE GIRLS, SHE STARTED IT, or THE ONLY SURVIVORS. And since this is her debut, I can't wait for more from Sara!

Audio is definitely the way to go for THE RESORT, since it's done in an excellent full cast (Miranda Raison, Dakota Blue Richards, Joe Jameson, Pema Monaghan).

Diving into the pages of this sea-inspired thriller was an exhilarating experience. The novel weaves a tale around the mysteries of the ocean and the promises that bind its characters. With each twist, the plot thickens, creating a suspenseful atmosphere that keeps you eagerly turning the pages. Personally, I lean towards a storytelling style that delves deeper into character emotions, but the abundance of surprises undoubtedly adds a unique flair to the narrative.

The author's vivid descriptions transport readers to the mesmerizing world beneath the waves. From the breathtaking coral reefs to the hidden caverns, every detail is painted with precision, making it a treat for those who harbor a love for the sea. Despite my preference for fewer twists, there's no denying the novel's ability to keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

In the end, this diving adventure unfolds as a satisfying thriller with its own charm. It might not align perfectly with my taste for profound narratives, but for those seeking an adrenaline-pumping journey into the unknown depths, this novel proves to be a worthy companion.

That ending 🌀
I loved the atmosphere of Koh Sang and the idea of all these mysterious strangers with secrets living side by side. There were a ton of tiny twists with one major bomb that caught me off guard

The narration was okay. It was at times hard to differentiate between Brooke and Cass.