Couples Lou and Adam and Eliza and Noah and their children arrive at Turtle Cove, and island paradise in Malaysia where they’re in for a long weekend of R and R. The plan is to Ed ale the everyday stresses of life and spend time relaxing on the beach. But this picture perfect paradise is deceiving, tension is brewing between the hotel and locals threatening to spill over into violence. The atmosphere between the two couples is also strained, they’ve been friends for less than a year, but how well do they actually know each other.

This book had me hooked from the start. It’s pacy, descriptive and thrilling. Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and the author for the chance to review

The Cove by Alice Clark-Platts


Welcome to Turtle Cove.

A luxury resort surrounded by pristine sea and the dense beauty of the jungle, it is the perfect escape from the stresses of life and work. For couples Lou and Adam, Eliza and Noah, a few days spent relaxing on the beach, while their kids are happily distracted, is exactly what they need.
But appearances can be deceiving.
A good read with a decent plot . I enjoyed the creeping tension of the story and how the characters developed as the story unfolded.
It just shows to prove if something is too good to be believed , it usually is.

I liked this but didn't love it. In theory this book has everything that I usually adore - an exotic setting, murder and secrets, and it was good but it never quite wowed me.

My favourite thing about the book was definitely the location - the island was beautifully described, as were the local people.

I liked a few of the side characters, but couldn't connect with any of the main characters. I don't feel like we got to know them well enough which made it quite difficult to care when things started to go wrong for them. The plot had potential but I found it a little lacklustre, I was hoping there would be lots of secrets revealed but there was really just one and it was very easy to guess early on. The drama with the locals was way more interesting to read about than the lives of the main characters, and I did enjoy those parts.

Overall I thought the book was okay, but the fantastic island setting deserved a better story to go with it in my opinion.

I received a gifted copy of ‘The Cove’ by Alice Clark-Platts in return for my honest review.

This book is set on an island resort called Turtle Cove, where couples Lou and Adam, and Eliza and Noah and their children are staying for a long weekend.

They settle into the island and start what they hope will be a relaxing weekend.

Underlying tensions soon surface between them causing their stay to become strained.

Suddenly a disappearance makes them feel that there may be something else occurring on this island.

What secrets will be revealed as they work through their tension? Are they safe on this island?

This story is a tense read and although I managed to work out one of the secrets from near the start it keeps you speculating.

I don’t think there were really any characters that I especially warmed to, but I didn’t like Adam’s character at all. The way he treats Lou is unforgivable, he should be supporting her as the mother to his newborn baby.

The only other thing I did think whilst reading was why take a newborn baby to that kind of island, but I know that people do, I just don’t think I could imagine doing that.

Overall, a tension filled thriller set on a luxury island with its secrets.

#TheCove #NetGalley
Awesome.
Turtle Is a luxury resort surrounded by pristine sea and the dense beauty of the jungle, it is the perfect escape from the stresses of life and work. For couples Lou and Adam, Eliza and Noah, a few days spent relaxing on the beach, while their kids are happily distracted, is exactly what they need. But appearances can be deceiving. There's a strange tension brewing at the resort, with relations between the hotel and the locals threatening to spill over into violence. This is nothing though compared to the strained atmosphere between the two families. They haven’t been friends for long and they are starting to realise they don’t really know each other at all. Except for one of them. One of them knows another very well…
Who are they? What's their motive?
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for giving me an advance copy.

Dark and claustrophobic, what a wonderful thriller this was! I really felt like I was at the resort with the two families. I had to read this in one sitting and it did not disappoint.

WoW The Cove by Alice Clark-Platts is the second book I have read by this author and what a brilliant book, this was. I loved it.
What a dream it would be to be asked to spend a few relaxing days on a luxury resort surrounded by beautiful turquoise sea and the dense beauty of the jungle feeling the warm sun on your achy bones! a perfect escape from the stresses of everyday life and work etc.

Now would you say No?

So when Noah and Eliza who are recent ex-pats now living in Malaysia, were invited by their new friends and neighbours Adam and Lou to spend a few days at a luxury island resort, they could not say No. It was just what they all needed, just a few days away relaxing in the beach with a good book etc while their children are happily playing in the sand etc

But appearances can be deceiving and the atmosphere quickly changes around them Tensions are brewing at the resort.
The atmosphere between the two families are strained and they are just starting to realise they don't know each other at all,

However, one of them knows everything about of of them.

And they have a big score to settle with them!!!!

OMG.......I read this book in one sitting, I downloaded it that day and found a comfy place on my garden and opened my kindle!!!
WoW, this book was brilliant. I highly recommend this one....So glad it was warm sitting on my garden. It's a perfect book to get stuck into and a great book for a holiday!. So glad I had a pizza in my freezer for dinner as I was not cooking tonight!

Big Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ), Raven Books who granted me a free ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Two couples and their children go on holiday together to a luxurious resort.
A story about secrets and lies. Lots of unlikeable characters and some twists and turns.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

An Island Paradise…
With the promise of a locked room style mystery and an intriguing premise, this island based suspense does not disappoint. A luxurious resort on Turtle Cove surrounded mainly by jungle seems a perfect base for relaxation and rejuvenation. Not all is as it seems and tensions become high. With a credible and realistic cast, a slow burn sense of menace and a crisply written narrative this is a compelling and escapist read.

A domestic noir in an exotic location. Ideal for readers who like their thrillers on the literary side.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

This book is an absolutely delectable thriller full of twists and turns. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I loved the plot and I love the characters. Highly recommend this one!

The Cove sounded like the kind of book I would enjoy, but sadly I found I couldn’t get into it at all. I found the characters unlikeable from the outset, so I didn’t really engage with the story. That’s not to say it’s not written well, it just wasn’t the book for me!

I loved the sound of this book. It started promisingly, but then as the characters personalities emerged I discovered I didn't like most of them. Sometimes I can read a book and enjoy it even if I don't like the characters, but it didn't work for me this time. Because I didn't like most of them I didn't care what happened to them, and my interest went out of the window. Sorry ,I wanted to like this book and was disappointed that I just didn't connect with it.

This was an amazing book. Full of suspense and well written. This is a new author to me, and I look forward to reading more from them in the future

When Eliza and Noah, recent ex-pats living in Malaysia, are invited by new friends and neighbours Lou and Adam to spend a few days at an island resort, they jump at the chance for a few days R&R. But things quickly begin to unravel. Lou is barely holding herself together after the birth of her daughter, Adam is rubbing everyone up the wrong way, and there are weird tensions brewing between the resort staff and the local islanders.

When Adam goes missing, Lou, Eliza and Noah realise they don't know each other every well at all. Did someone want Adam gone, or has he fallen foul of the tricky island politics?

I really enioyed this book for the most part - the characters are engaging, well written, and well rounded - my pet hate is when unlikeable characters have absolutely no humanity or redeeming futures and are simply villains from the get go, and Alice Clark-Platts has a deft touch where that is concerned - even the most irritating of characters is nuanced enough that you can feel for and sympathise with them.

The only point where the book fell down a little for me was right at the end - the revelations come pouring in thick and fast over the course of a couple of pages but it's all very dense and becomes a bit convoluted and political. My preference is to feel included, I guess - like I've been following the clues all the way to the end reveal (whether I'm right or not). This book instead led me on a merry dance, didn't reveal much of anything really, and then blurted out all the twists and reveals in one quick torrent of info at the end.

On the whole though, this was a really well written novel and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who granted me a free ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone dreams of a luxury escape. Only trouble is there evil lurking here. Loved this book and highly recommended to any reader. Just really really good.

My mistake - I've loved Clark-Platts previous police procedurals but this book is a different animal and not for me. It doesn't even fall comfortably into the juicy/gossipy/glitzy genre that the cover promises. I'm afraid I found it unconvincing and a book which takes itself far too seriously. Sorry!