I’ve been sitting with this book for a while unfinished and I’ve decided that it’s just not for me, and I’m choosing to DNF. My big issue is the women blaming women for rape, which is just icky. Between that and the Xanax parts, it’s just not for me.

I was bored for the first half of this book, but once it picked up I enjoyed the ride. I think most people will really like it but I didn’t like the final twist. It was very entertaining overall.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media.

Get ready for the holiday of your nightmares! Could really put myself into the scene and into the heads of the characters. Great story telling

3.5 stars. First and foremost, I absolutely loved the Thai island setting of this one. The descriptions Ochs provided were well done, and it so gave me an itch to travel. I loved how Ochs set up the locked room type novel with this unique setting. Do the characters all seem to have pretty dramatic backstories.....yes. I can see why Ochs made the choices she did with character development, but I think a little less might have been more in this case. There are many twists and turns, and I loved the way the tension built. My only major complaint is that I think the epilogue should not have been included (and I might be in the minority on this but I think it took away from the rest of the story and the character arcs that were developed). Overall, this is a solid debut by Sara Ochs, and I will definitely check out more by this author in the future.

DNF at 36%.

In the words of RuPaul… Meh.

There was nothing unique about this, and at one point I literally was listening just so that I had something in my ear but I was too lazy to go change the audiobook to something better.

I read Brooke’s last chapter and the epilogue and I feel vindicated in this DNF. The plot went to a place that didn’t excite me at all and I would not recommend this.

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 RB Media, Recorded Books and NetGalley for an advanced listener's copy in exchange for my review.

Round up to 3.5 stars

"The Resort" is set on a beautiful island in Thailand where the locals are actually people on the run from their dark pasts.

The story of deaths that occur at Koh Sang is told from two points of view (my first criticism because I'm typically not a fan of multiple narrators). Dive instructor Cass discovers one of the bodies, and the other narrator is a travel influencer named Brooke.

The twists were just twisty enough to keep me entertained — and the dark pasts were indeed very dark.

Reminiscent of "The Beach," where people escape to a beautiful place just to ruin it!

The resort
2 stars
I’ve tried and cannot finish this book. I think the main culprit is the monotone narrator in the audiobook. I’ve almost fallen asleep 15 times. If you’re looking for an ASMR book, this is for you.

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.)

I recently had to get this one from book of the month because I loved the audio so much. Thanks for the audio

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.

I loved the setting, but that is where my interests ended.
I could not attach or connect with any characters, and I found myself not loving the twists and turns.
There were even moments that were so far-fetched and silly that I felt like I had to take a deep breath to reset.

This is the first book I have read by Sara Ochs. I chose to read this one because a few people on TikTok said it was really good but the ending would make you mad. So I figured I needed to listen to this book. Unfortunately this book just didn't pull me in. I can't tell you anything really from before 70% of this book. The narrators Miranda Raison, Dakota Blue Richards, Joe Jameson, Pema Monaghan did a good job but I had a hard time following along to who was who. The voices were just to similar. I will say that I was definitely shocked by the twist at the end. That was a saving grace for me. I don't know if this would have been better if I had read it instead of listening to it. I would still recommend this because I might have just had a off moment with it. I would still like to read more books by Sara Ochs as well.


Thank you NetGalley and RB Media, Recorded Books for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley, RB Media, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced audio 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 loved how they had a full cast narrating the story. I feel like that really helped me connect with the story and get to know the characters a little bit better! I cannot believe that this is a debut novel and I am so excited to see what Ochs has for us in the future!

The Resort by Sara Ochs is one of the few books that I can say actually stuck in my head for an extended period of time, and due to that, I raised my star rating! I was struggling to find the time to sit down and read it, so if anyone sees the dates on my Goodreads or StoryGraph and wonders WTF, this is why, and it has nothing to do with the pacing or the book itself. For a debut, this was pretty dang amazing, and I was very into the story as well as finding out what would happen next. The alternating viewpoints that would sometimes end on mini cliffhangers kept things even more interesting, and I love it when authors use this technique to keep the reader curious.

I think this is one of the many books that is best to go into blind, but honestly, if that incredible cover doesn't draw you in, I doubt anything I can say will. The Resort also had me Googling to see if a certain Thailand festival was a thing, and I love it when a genre like mystery or thriller takes me to the webs to see if something is real. The secrets are piling up in this storyline, and it seems that almost everyone has something to hide. I experienced quite a few jaw-dropping moments that both shocked and surprised me, and I loved the twists and turns. The audiobook was also top-notch as narrated by Miranda Raison, Dakota Blue Richards, Joe Jameson & Pema Monaghan. Full casts are my kryptonite, and they all did an incredible job making the audio a fantastic experience. Bottom line, if you love thrillers and debut novels, you just need to read (or listen) to this. 😉

Thank you to the publishers for my complimentary listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was a slow burn listen. it took forever for anything of interest to happen. the characters were unlikable and all had unsavory secrets.the ending did pick up, but in my opinion it was still lacking in excitement. The narration was just ok. Brooke seemed monitone at the beginning, by mid book it was difficult tell the the women apart. i had to rewind a bit to figure out whose POV it was. it was easy to listen at 2x the speed so that was a true blessing. this was my first book by this author, it may be that it had been to hyped on netgalley, it just wasn't there for me. not the worst book I've listened to this year, but not the best either.

Fast read!
Set on an island in Southeast Asia, this has a closed population full of twists and turns. Two main characters Cass and Brooke rotate chapters from their point of view. The ulterior motives of the whole cast of characters is revealed bit by bit throughout the book, and the very last chapter was just WOW, I did not see that coming at all!
There were little nuggets dropped through the first half of the book that really left the reader wanting more - so much so that I couldn't stop reading it! These little nuggets were explained and became know in the second half of the book.
This was an intriguing read, that I couldn't put down, and finished it in one sitting.
I did not think it was very predictable (always good for a thriller), and I loved how things were resolved (or maybe not so resolved -- will there be a sequel???)

Domestic thriller with an exotic tropical background on an island in Thailand. Usually these settings are 100% the type of book I love. But unfortunately, I struggled to relate to the characters with some of the plot lines falling flat.

Also, one of the narrators struggled to correctly pronounce several words- specifically “anything” and it was very distracting as a listener. Maybe this was a book better to read vs listen to it via audio?

Thanks NetGalley for this arc, all opinions are my own.

A suspenseful mystery/psychological thriller that takes place in a beautiful locale. All is going well for Cass. She a dive instructor living amongst other ex-pats. A nice community of people, each running away from and or hiding something. She wants nothing more than to leave behind her old life and enjoy the lovely new one she has created for herself. When there is a terrible incident and her life is upended things take a turn. Then Brooke, a social media influencer shows up. The story is told in alternating chapters by Cass and Brooke. The road to answers is twisted, winding and lead to a surprise for me which is fairly unusual. The author did create a wonderful story, but, I had a bit of a hard time getting too invested as I didn’t find the main characters terribly likable.

This was such a good book! I loved the characters, and their story. The dialogue was realistic and enjoyable. I was very surprised by the ending!