The Resort By Sara Ochs- Summary

Goodreads summary (review below) of The Resort by Sara Ochs:

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.

#1- Boring

The problem with boring books (see my review of One By One by Ruth Ware– linked) is that there is no way to expand on or describe it. I mean, I have more reasons why you shouldn’t read Sara Ochs’s The Resort. But what more can I say about it being boring than it is boring? It is so boring that I’d rather watch paint dry because, at least, you know something will change, something will happen. The fucking paint will dry. I will say that because it is… boring… this won’t be a long review.

#2- Pacing

It is boring, so what do you expect? You know what I said about paint drying? That has a faster pace than The Resort. At points, I wanted to play the book like a NASCAR race. But then the words run together, and you don’t understand anything. Not that I really care; I’m just saying. There were times I almost fell asleep (I listen to audiobooks at work. So that is bad and would get me into trouble. And keep in mind that I like slow-burn mysteries. But Sara Ochs wrote no burn. Not even a smolder. You know how people say where there is smoke, there is fire? Think of The Resort as the exception that proves the rule.

#3 Suspense

Well, let’s add this up. 1 (boring) +2 (Pacing)= 3 (Suspense).

Yeah. What even is suspense? If this was the first thriller/suspense book I ever read? I’d never reread the genre. There wasn’t any suspense or thrills. Even the reveals were meh. There wasn’t anything to sink your teeth into to keep you caring and engaged. That’s all I’ve got here. But it does lead us straight into #4.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Recorded Book for an advance copy. The Resort by Sara Ochs will be released on February 6.

#4 Mystery

BAHAHAHAHA. Oh. Sorry. I guess I shouldn’t do that. Again, let’s do the math. 1+3=4. Let me tell you what the main mystery is in The Resort. HOW THE HELL DID THIS BOOK GET PUBLISHED? That’s the mystery. I’ll die on that hill.

Additionally, when you put 1-3 together? I could barely keep up with the mystery because I just didn’t care, and it made me drowsier than NyQuil. So, I’ve learned it isn’t just fast-paced books you need to lock in on. But non-burn books are very hard to follow.

5- Characters

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. This was me. And I love Gerard Way, but yeah…

 

They were boring. They had no personality and were as flat as Flat Stanley. That’s really all I have on the characters.

 

Bonus: I won’t name her because the material she had to work with was rock bottom. But at the same time, she didn’t do the book any favors. There were two points of view, and they sounded exactly the same. She was as flat as the books. There was also no inflection when emotions changed. For instance, whether thrilling, suspenseful, happy, or reflecting narratives, it all sounded the same. But unlike Sara Ochs, I would give the narrator a second chance.