The beginning was interesting it was kind of a little bit confusing but it was great that the action starts right away.
Loved the relationships but at the end it was kind of sad because I love romance in books but with the ending no one is happy.
Also I don't think we are told why everyone does everything, I mean in the epilogue we kind of solve things but the twist didn't surprise me or was that interesting.
Something I loved was that because I had the audiobook we had so many different voices for the characters which made it feel like a movie.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this book.

2.5 stars. It started out enjoyable, a mystery set in an exotic vacation resort. However it quickly became very predictable who the culprits were of the murders and a little far fetched. I want to be surprised on who-did-it and the surprise factor just wasn’t there. The narrators’ voices for the two female characters were also very similar to me and it made it confusing to keep up with who’s POV it was.

Cass wants to start her life over and hide from her past. As she's starting to live a new familiar life routine, her past starts to creep up beside her until she can no longer do anything but face it.

When I first started to listen to this audiobook I was overwhelmed with the amount of characters introduced. The beginning starts very slow, but once I got into the story I became invested.

The twists and turns that happen leave you on the tips of your toes and when you think you have it figured out another twist hits you in the face. Even when the story all gets played out the epilogue throws you so far you have no idea what just hit you.

I really enjoyed the short chapters and that it swapped POVs between 2 characters. I also appreciated that since I enjoyed this via audiobook, the POV voices were different.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sara Ochs, and the publishers for this free audiobook. This review is 100% my own and honest opinion.

It was hard to keep up with the different points of view, however, the story is interesting. It is for sure a slower mystery but it was enjoyable.

One of my most anticipated books so far this year. Perhaps I set my expectations a bit too high?💁🏻‍♀️

A South Pacific resort. Blue skies, sandy beaches and all the scuba diving you could want. Where guests and staff come to escape their past and start anew.

But there is a darker side to this beach. When one of the guests is murdered everyone begins suspecting their “new friends.” Secrets are about to be uncovered.

This book failed to pull me in as much as I had hoped. By the end, as mysteries were revealed, it all seemed a bit too far-fetched for this reader.

The audio provided a delightfully large cast of narrators but the two main female voices were far too similar. The only way I could tell the two apart was one was louder than the other. Which required me to turn my volume up and down depending on which narrator was talking. That became rather annoying (and distracting.) quickly!

Maybe This was one of those instances where reading the book may have given me a better experience over the audio?💁🏻‍♀️

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media.🎧

The Koh Sang resort in Thailand is well off the beaten path. Some might say it’s a great place if you are looking to find yourself/reinvent yourself, to get a fresh start, but for others it’s a great place to lose yourself, to hide from your past. And that is exactly what Cass is doing, but the past has a way of catching up with everyone, eventually. And even in the middle paradise there is still danger around every corner. Told from alternating POVs, Sara Ocho’s The Resort is a slow burn thriller. Loved the exotic location, the interesting cast of character, and the well developed plot (no spoilers but it has quite a big twist toward the end). Could have moved a bit quicker at some points, but overall a satisfying journey. This audiobook features multiple narrators, all of who did a fine job bringing the story to life. I’d like to thank RB Media and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to listen to and review an advanced audio recording of The Resort.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3TZ8KO2SQMUBD/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

The resort is the perfect spring break beach read! The character development was fantastic, and the storytelling was on point. I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator was incredible. A definite must-read!

2.5 stars 🌟

I really wanted to like this book. The setting (Thailand resort) was new and exciting, and the plot seemed interesting enough. Maybe because it didn't grab me right away, the story never really stood a chance. But I could just not connect with this story at all. I definitely didn't hate it. But I feel so incredibly indifferent. Is that better or worse than hate?

Let me list the reasons for my indifference:

1. The main and supporting characters were very flat. They promised mystery and intrigue, but there weren't any stakes involved. I didn't care enough about these characters, whether they had a bad past or not. The storyline kind of relied on readers caring about these secrets to have impactful reveals/twists. Brooke was the only character who seemed interesting enough for me, but even her backstory was kind of irrelevant. Everybody has a backstory - so why should I particularly care about these guys?

2. Pacing was odd. It just took so long for anything to happen. Did anything happen? There were only like 3 scenes where action actually started driving the story along. Literally, the only parts I really remember are when they find the body during the dive, going through someone's apartment, and the "big" ending (which, by the way, got so chaotic and out of hand that it was laughable).

3. Was this a mystery or thriller? Or merely a good suspense novel? No.

4. I thought the ending would at least pay off. But it was confusing and weird. See #2. It reminded me of <i>Murder on the Orient Express</i> but without any real impact. I still don't know who the real killer was. Was there a killer? Was this a murder mystery? Or was it about these deadly shenanigans going on at <b>The Resort</b>? What was the point of any of it? There was too much going on, but still not enough interest for me.

5. The vibes were weird.

6. The narrators had nice soothing voices but had zero expression. Every character sounded exactly the same. Some accents (or at least attempts to make voices sound different) would have been appreciated. Also, some chapters between Cass and Brooke got confusing because they almost seemed to shift between first and third person within a chapter. Some "perspective changes" didn't actually offer anything. Had there been more variety in expressions, it might have made this story more exciting!

<i>Shoutout to Netgalley, RB Media and Recorded Books for early access in exchange for my honest review. Happy Publication Day!</i>

Thank you to Recorded Books and Netgalley for the gifted audiobook copy of THE RESORT by Sarah Ochs!

Rating: 3.5 / 5
Publication Date: 2/6/2024

THE RESORT is set on Koh Sang, a secluded, yet world-famous, party island in Thailand. Cass is a scuba diving instructor taking diving newbies out off the coast when things quickly go wrong. On what should have been a routine dive, by the time they get back to shore there is someone dead and someone else needs medical attention. Cass has been keeping secrets and fears that everything is going to come to light. Cass is sure that someone is out to destroy her life.

I of course had to pick this book up when I saw a thriller set in Thailand and I was excited to read it while on my travels to that very country. I wound up enjoying my time with this audiobook, though I will say that it was a bit slow to engage me in the beginning. We're following two main POVs and it took me a while to really figure out who was who in this story. I wound up wishing that I had the physical copy in front of me to be able to flip back and forth a bit. This could just be that the narration didn't quite distinguish between characters well enough, though my being tired on my travels also could have contrigbuted.

I did enjoy the twists and turns that this story took and trying to figure out how everything would come together in the end. While I did find it a fun story, I did feel like it went on a bit long toward the end of the book. That said, I definitely would read more from this author in the future.

THE RESORT (THE DIVE in the UK) is out now!

🎧 “The Resort” by Sara Ochs
Published February 6, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you @netgalley for this audiobook

Set on a remote tropical island of Koh Sang, Thailand where few tourists visit this is a crazy “vacationing in paradise”thriller. Everyone has a secret and when bodies start being found are they accidents or is someone picking people off?

Thank you Netgalley, Sara Ochs, and RB Media for the advanced audiobook copy!! This was a great and thrilling listen narrated by a wonderful cast of Miranda Raison, Dakota Blue Richards, Joe Jameson, and Pema Monaghan. This book played like a movie with a who done it and why. The twists at the end will have you telling l reeling!!!

If I was a DNF-er I would have stopped reading The Resort by Sara Ochs at 40% in.

I'm not going to guarantee that this is spoiler free, so proceed with caution!

-the two main characters are instantly best friends, despite having only been together at the resort for a couple weeks (with not many interactions occurring during that time)
-at 33% in, one character describes the other one way (with supporting examples) and a couple paragraphs later completely contradicts the previous description (again, with supporting examples)
-I didn't like any of characters (all were surface level); one in particular kept pointing fingers, only to change their mind, instantly pointing elsewhere ad nauseam
-the twist clues were laid out so poorly, or were completely non-existent, causing the whole book to feel incredibly sloppy
-traumatic assault was broached from two different conflicting stances, neither handled with sensitivity
-mental health representation seemed convenient instead of an actual plot point to pivot around
-there is way too much going on for this book to be coherent
-although I had stopped caring, the ending mentions transporting cremated remains around to various countries in a zip-top bag (I have SO many issues with this)
-the female main character audiobook narrators had such similar sounding voices which caused me to forget which character was speaking for most of the book; there was a lack of emotion and anticipatory build up from the voice actors; pronunciations were odd or wrong at times

I have thought long and hard about what I did enjoy with this book, and I've come up with - the cover. It's pretty, sets the island tone and has a slightly hidden image. But… trigger warnings abound with rape, mental health, suicidal ideation, suicide and addiction - none of which I had anticipated by that beach resort cover!

Overall: poor execution, although I can see what the author was trying to achieve.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, RB Media and Recorded Books for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Really didn't like this book.

Recommended for adults who like mystery/thrillers. 3 murders. Whodunnit?

Who will like it most?
Readers of the physical or digital book.

Characters - 1/5
Writing - 2/5
Plot - 2/5
Pacing - 2/5
Unputdownability- 3/5
Enjoyment- 1/5
Narration - 0/5
Cover - 5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for this opportunity.

Unlikable characters. I didn't care about them.
Unreliable and questionable "narrators" meaning the character POV.

Set in Thailand, which was interesting.

Terrible audiobook narrators with no emotion, mispronunciation, no attempt at male voices, no accents. I recommend you read the book or ebook if you are interested.

Trigger warnings for date rape, violence, murder.

Thank you too Netgalley and RB Media for this opportunity.

The Resort by Sara Ochs is the perfect thriller audiobook! This story transported me right onto the island. It felt like spring break in February. I didn’t see all of the twists coming and I love that!

*
Summary: 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.
*
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts- this was a perfectly enjoyable thriller. I loved the setting in an inclusive resort it made me want to jump on a plane and travel there, until the murders started. 😂 Cass was in interesting main character, I couldn’t stop listening to this audiobook. It took a lot of great twists and turns, some predictable and some not. Overall a fun, fast paced that that would be totally perfect to lounge on the beach and read. Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the gifted audiobook!

I really enjoyed this audiobook, set on a remote resort in Koh Sang, Thailand! The story was narrated by Brooke, an influencer new to the island, and Cass, a "permanent" employee, running from her past. There are shady characters and twists galore down to the last chapter! I love thrillers set on holiday and this one was a lot of fun to listen to!

This is a very slow burn mystery. Lots of characters being introduced. I am never a fan of books that are so slow.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were completely wrong for this book. The book itself started out slow and there was a lot going on. I liked the island setting but felt like the story could have been shorter and done better. I’m sure this will be a favorite for some but it was not for me.

This audiobook was done really well. Overall I enjoyed this story, I really always love the whole killers on an island concept in general. The setting was described well and helped me imagine I was there. I would read another story by Sara! The narrator(s) voice was very similar for both women which made it a little hard to decipher between the two at time. The slow burn was definitely burning but then boom, it started moving out of nowhere lol.

I loved the exotic setting but did not connect with any of the characters. Could be they read a little young for me or maybe they were just unlikable. Such a slow burn, which is not a favorite of mine, but I was interested in seeing if my initial guess was correct. And it was. Yay me. But when the slow burn, burns off, the fireworks begin. No warning in the change just hello, lets speed things up and change all that you know.

While I didn't love this one, I think the author is one to watch and I'll be interested in her next book.

And the audiobook has a full cast narrating all the characters, but since the book is mainly told from Brook and Cass's POVs, they didn't all have a lot of narration. While the two women have different narrators, I still at times had a little trouble knowing who the narrator was at times. I would need to switch back to the book to set myself straight.