Member Reviews
I’m not going to post my review on Goodreads because I don’t really have anything positive to say about this book. I requested it because a friend of mine told me she really liked “The Resort” but it turns out she mean the one written by Susan Watson. I did read this book, but largely because I kept trying to give it the benefit of the doubt. I’m not sure why the author chose that title and why the editors approved it as the abandoned town wasn’t a resort and they only spent one night at the actual Bavarian resort. The main character and her relationships were also unfathomable so I kept trying to see if the ship was going to turn around at some point. I might have almost given it 2 stars but the ending with the Bavarian police detective was the cherry on top of a bewildering sundae.
Mila sets out for her sister's wedding, located in the wintery landscape of Germany. Suddenly, their car breaks down and they find themselves lost without GPS or cellphone service. What unfolds over the next few days is enough to make Mila wonder if she will make it out alive. Also, why did her husband mysteriously disappear the first night they were stranded?
Synopsis of this book had me very interested and looking forward to diving in, and I enjoyed the creepy snowy vibes! It truly felt like one terrible thing after the other, which kept me on the edge of my seat til the very end.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
That took some pretty crazy turns - I had no idea what was coming until the end! Better than bog standard psychological thriller
Sarah Goodwin knows how to write a claustrophobic thriller. I read 'Stranded' last year and LOVED it, it was an interesting take on a survivor/reality TV story. The Resort is no different.
Mila and Ethan are on their way to a ski resort of Jess's wedding. Jess is Mila's sister. To say they have a strained relationship is the tip of the iceberg. Jess is the older of the two and Mila has always been the favorite of their parents, both of who have died recently.
After picking up their rental, Mila falls asleep while Ethan drives them to the ski resort...until the car breaks down. They hike to the nearest safe spot, which is a ghost town. They find shelter for the night, start a small fire for warmth, and go to sleep. When Mila wakes up, Ethan is gone...and there's no footsteps leading in or out of the cabin.
Mila panics. Where is Ethan? What is she to do? Her phone is dead? Her food supply is low, the snow keeps coming down, the car is missing, and she's pretty sure she's being watched....
This book is STRESSFUL. There's true moments of terror, from the lack of shelter, to the fire and discovery of bones. While Mila's singular focus of getting to Jess was somewhat annoying to some readers, I think that her resolution of repairing her relationship with her sister became more important the further into the book.
This is another great atmospheric thriller from Sarah Goodwin. I can not wait to see where she takes us next time.
The second book I’ve read by this author and it’s another gripping story.
Mila and Ethan are on their way to Mila’s sister’s wedding in Germany when they get lost. Their rental car breaks down and the sat nav stops working so they take shelter in an abandoned cabin in a small village in a forest. But when Mila wakes up, Ethan is gone. Disappeared without a trace, not even a footprint left in the snow. Mila searches for him but with a sprained ankle and the thick snow impeding her, she finds no trace of her missing husband. Where is he, what has happened to him and why does Mila feel like she is being watched?
A story that kept me guessing right until the conclusion.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.
A good thriller if a little slow. Not sure about the ending but the overall book was interesting and i was keen to find out more. I would still recommend based on what went before.
THE RESORT by Sarah Goodwin
Format - BOOK - 3 STAR RATING
Published Date - 5 January 2023
From page one, I was not gripped by the first few chapters and wondered, why not? The summary and 5-star reviews convinced me this was the book for me but sadly it was not. I found characters and parts unbelievable and too far-fetched. The protagonist, Mila, annoyed all through the storyline and her husband Ethan, annoyed even more.! Curiosity kept me reading and I finished the book, but I did not feel this was a satisfying read.
I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
Mila and her husband Ethan are traveling to Bavaria, Germany for her younger sister's destination wedding. Their car breaks down and Mila hurts her ankle while they are walking to an abandoned village to seek shelter for the night. They hole up in a cabin and when Mila awakens the next morning, Ethan is missing. Mila spends the next days trying to figure out how to survive while also trying to shake the sense that she is being watched/followed. Mila's present dilemma is broken up with background scenes describing her relationship with her younger sister Jess and what happened between them. This book is creepy and unsettling and I really enjoyed it. I might have given it 5 stars but the ultimate resolution was completely looney tunes.
I love it when the weather and setting are almost like another character in a book. The thought of being stranded is quite terrifying for me but also I like to read books like this. Same with sharks. This book was well written and made me draw in my breath a few times. Don’t want to spoil it or give it away but I loved it!
Stalked in the snow ★★☆☆☆
On her way to her sister’s wedding at a Bavarian ski resort, Mila and her husband Ethan find themselves stranded in the snow after their sat nav stops working and their car breaks down.
They shelter for the night in an abandoned village but in the morning Ethan has disappeared and somebody or something is lurking in the shadows. Then she finds the first body…
The mystery of Ethan’s disappearance and of the bodies Mila finds keeps us guessing although the pace is quite slow and involves rechecking supplies very regularly. The latter part of the novel lacks credulity especially Mila’s prioritisation of her sister’s wedding over the crimes she has uncovered and the revelation of who was behind it all and why.
A medium thriller with an unexpected villain.
This is always a setting that I favor. Trapped somewhere isolated during a snow storm. I loved this book and every aspect of it until the end. I couldn't help but have that "really?" feeling. Like okay, that's why? I found it underwhelming and a little hard to accept. That being said, the overall book was good and had the perfect setting for a cold, spooky night. I also loved the protagonist's resilience in this and the character development as well. Because of the last quarter of this though, I can't bring myself to rate it more than I did. Three Stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC.
Mila and Ethan travel to Bavaria to attend the wedding of her sister Jess. The story soon becomes creepy and mysterious and i found myself hurrying through parts of the book to see what would happen.
A clever and atmospheric read.
My thanks to the publisher and netgalley for my copy.
An easy five stars.
I found The Resort to be a bit of a slow burner for the first half of the book. There were moments when I wished something more exciting would happen then there would be a sprinkling of something that would pique my interest again. Once we got into the second half I felt the pace increased and I was instantly gripped to see how the plot would unfold. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author for the chance to review.
I devoured this book! It was an entertaining and edge of your seat thriller. It’s one of those books that you ask yourself what you would do if you were in this same particular situation. It kept me guess you until the very end.I loved the twists and turns and the author’s writing style. This was a great book that I highly recommend to everyone.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.
Look, this book gets 5 stars from me for this reason- I was hoping for a scary vibe, as it's October, and it delivered. I had to stop reading before bed because I was all jumpy. All of a sudden my house felt too quiet.
For much of this book, it feels like a survival horror. And that's tough to read. Then things are chill for a bit, even a little slow, but that's how they get you. False sense of security! I really enjoyed it and will totally look for this author's books again.
If this book had been a movie, I would have likely peeked at it through my fingers, especially in the first half. A lot of elements appealed to me in the story - snow-bound isolated venue, family drama, and so on.
However, though the writing was not bad, I found it rather slow-moving and lost my interest very quickly.
Not for me, I'm afraid, though I am aware the author has a lot of fans who have plenty of great things to say about this book.
In a nut shell, tedious with an unexpectedly violent ending.
I immediately jumped at the chance to read this after reading Goodwin's first book Stranded and loving every word. However, if not for the author's previous work, I would have DNF'd it before 50%. The story was unbelievably slow, with barely anything happening until more than half way through. It's extremely hard to keep a story moving when there's only one main character who rattles on internally about every twig and snowflake. But I kept going because I know this author had promise. I can't stress how much I loved Stranded and I had high hopes there would be an exciting twist coming.
Well, there was a twist but I don't know if I'd call it exciting. Overall, an average mystery. Hoping for more thrills next time.
So this was a twisty and crazy ride that will have you at the edge of your seat the whole time. A definite must read
Thanks Netgalley and Avon Books.
All thoughts and opinions are my own
This was absolutely nightmare inducing in a way I couldn't even imagine. And then you think it's over and it is getting kind of boring, a little domestic, and you're like "okay why isn't it over?" and then you get more twists.
This is another I will recommend to everyone I like and everyone I don't like.
I thought this would be a little palette cleanser after the last two horror novels, but no. This was almost as scary, actually it might be scarier.
Thank you for the ARC. This author is amazing at terrifying us normal folks.
The Resort by Sarah Goodwin
Mila and her husband Ethan are on their way to her sister’s wedding at a luxurious ski resort. As they drive through the mountains, surrounded by snow covered forests, Mila feels like everything is finally going to plan.
When the car engine suddenly stops and won’t start again.
Stranded, with night closing in, they make their way on foot back to where they saw a sign for some cabins.
When they finally reach them, they find the windows boarded up and the buildings in disrepair. They have the eerie sense they shouldn’t be there.
Wow what a read - full of suspense , creepy , look behind you stuff . Not to be read at home alone .