A brilliant pacey thriller for those who love to lean into the seasonal thriller tropes / trends. Will pick up another book by this author.

This is a fantastic debut that I really enjoyed reading! Cass is a scuba diving instructor at a luxury resort in Thailand, happily in love with her new fiancé Logan. However on an island full of expats running away from their past to live in the hedonistic life of Thailand full moon parties and beyond there are always secrets looking to rise from the deep! Soon strange incidents and accidents start to happen on the island and Cass wonders if she may be exposed, but what is her secret?

Then book has a good pace and maintains a good level of tension, whilst also building out the characters of Cass, Logan and Brooke the recent social media influencer who has arrived to the resort. The danger builds throughout the story, all whilst set in a vividly idyllic resort and less than ideal staff and guests! It is full of twists and turns to discover who has the biggest secrets and what some people will do to keep them hidden. I will definitely be looking out for more of Sara's work in the future.

The Dive by Sara Ochs is a thrilling debut set on the picturesque but ominous island of Koh Sang, off the coast of Thailand. The story revolves around Cass, a scuba diving instructor, and Brooke, an Instagram-famous travel influencer, as they navigate through a series of mysterious and deadly events.
Overall, The Dive is an absorbing and fast-paced thriller that effectively combines beautiful settings with dark, suspenseful storytelling. i recommend it for those who enjoy thrillers set in exotic locations with plenty of twists and character intrigue.

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Pigeonhole.

It was lovely to be transported to Thailand, although I wouldn't necessarily want to go with these characters! I've never been able to SCUBA dive due to medical reasons but it made a really interesting premise for the story and was a gripping read.

This is one of my favourite books this year. I will start with how gorgeous is the front cover, it definitely says relaxing holiday doesn’t it?
However, it’s a thriller so expect to be surprised, which I was. Wow, this story is superb, there are really some likeable characters in it, and some that I took instant dislike, which I will not say who. The writing is so easy and quite short chapters. It is excellent, every time I got over a shock, the author threw in another whooper surprise.
This book left me breathless and my mouth wide open, occasionally with a “WTF” moments in too. I really really enjoyed this book. I can’t wait for more work from Sara.

A gripping read with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it and it kept me guessing all the way to the end. I'm new to the author but I will keep an eye out for more from her.

This is precisely the type of book that captivates my interest—a high-octane thriller that allows ample time for character development before plunging into the heart of the plot. As we delve deeper, we unravel more about the dubious cast, and I found the revelations quite satisfying.

Sara skillfully keeps the reader engaged with well-executed cliffhanger chapter endings, providing just enough description of the seemingly idyllic location, and a plot filled with numerous twists and turns.

A fantastic novel! A heartfelt thank you to the publishers for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this thrilling book!

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I absolutely loved the premise, and I thought the book had an interesting and tense start, however about 50 pages in the book slowed down completely and I found myself not connecting with or caring about the characters. I also ended up finding the twists to be underwhelming. While I don't think this was executed well, I do think this author has potential so I'll still be checking out another book.

A beautiful Thailand island isn't as stunning as it seems with secrets and lies. A murder will soon follow one of dive instructor Cass's students. I really loved the vibes of this book it gave me the feeling of being on holiday but at the same time you are constantly looking over your shoulder waiting for the boogeyman to jump out. The characters play their roles perfectly and you are unsure of who to like and who to trust. Told from multiple points of view we delve deeper into the pasts of the characters to weave a well written physcological thriller. Lies, murder, secrets and deceit make it a twisty read that will keep you turning the pages.

Set on a party island in Thailand that specialises in scuba diving, The Dive has all you want from a holiday thriller. Our two main character are Brooke, a travel influencer, and Cass, a divemaster teaching on the island. When a tourist is found dead there is no shortage of suspects - this is an island where people come to escape their pasts.

This one kept me guessing and I got through it very quickly. I did not foresee that ending. A very entertaining thriller.

I loved this book, I found the story was not what I was expecting at all, there was so many twists that had me on the edge of my seat for the duration.

I really enjoyed this book, the island was perfection and despite all of the horrors, it was a paradise I’d have been interested in visiting!

I chose to read a free eARC of The Dive but that has in no way influenced my review.

I have a bit of a thing for psychological suspense thrillers set in exotic locations. You can't beat a mountaineering thriller in my book. Or any other type of destination thriller really. I flipping love them! So when I saw Sarah Ochs's debut was set on an island off the coast of Thailand and featured a diving school where the body count rises exponentially, I was there like a shot! I HAD to read The Dive. I felt this one had my name written all over it. And what a twisty, suspenseful thrill it was!

Cass has left the trauma of the past behind and moved to Koh Sang, a small party island off the coast of Thailand. She has a new life, new friends, a new fiancé and, known only to her, a new name. Life is good for Cass. She works at the Koh Sang Dive Resort teaching tourists how to stay safe in the water. Until one day, when everything goes wrong. Cass immediately knows she and the dive school will be in the spotlight. A spotlight she will do anything to avoid. Because Cass has secrets. And she's not the only one...

The Dive is a well-written debut thriller where the characters are a mix of likeable and loathsome, the plot is very well paced and the setting is divine. Divine, that is, until the dead bodies start making an appearance! The story is told from two different perspectives. First up is Cass, who is fairly new to the island and running away from her past, whilst keeping her closely guarded secrets hidden from all, including her fiancé. The other POV comes from Brooke, a fairly famous travel influencer who's arrival on the island ruffles a few feathers. Both women are intriguing and I found myself wanting to know more. The other notable characters are 'The Permanents', Cass's close knit band of friends who see themselves as superior to other visitors to the island. There's Logan (fiancé to Cass), Doug, Greta - the mother of the group and Neil. All of 'The Permanent's help move the story along and bring their personalities, insecurities and sometimes, bad decisions to the table. But there was something slightly off, I felt highly suspicious throughout. After all, everyone has secrets...

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Dive. The characters and the well-written storyline pulled me into the narrative. I was highly suspicious of everyone from start to finish and that kept the tension lovely and high for me. I adored the setting and if Koh Sang wasn't a fictional island full of dead bodies, I would be booking my next holiday there! 😂 The suspense is pitched perfectly from start to finish and the build up towards the denouement was done very well. I have to mention the ending which blew my mind! It was unexpected and totally satisfying. I loved it. There were a couple of tiny niggles, one of which was time. It felt Cass hadn't been on the island for long and she was already engaged. Also, her friendship with Brooke felt, to me, too full on too soon. But I could have missed something. I probably missed something. However, the niggles are tiny (miniscule, even) and didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book at all. All in all, I very much enjoyed The Dive. Setting the book around a scuba school was something I hadn't experienced before, which I appreciated. A tense, suspense laden debut thriller from an author to watch. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Dive. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Review will go live on damppebbles.com on Tuesday 17th October 2023.

I really enjoyed this book. Cass is a diving instructor on a beautiful Thai island popular with young back packers. However, there is clearly trouble in paradise. One of Cass' pupils is found dead and Cass starts to fear for her own safety as there is clearly a killer on the island. This is a real page turner with lots of twists which will keep you guessing to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I really enjoyed this debut thriller set in an isolated setting. This book included some of my favourite tropes and I was sure I would love it.

Following a group of British expats who have secrets as a murder happens on the Island they live I was hooked from chapter 1.

I think the book slowed down in the middle but the pace picked up for the last quarter and the twists and reveals were fantastic I did not expect that ending at all.

This is definitely the kind of book I would go for. A fast-paced thriller that gives you time to get to know the characters a little before the plot really kicks in. We find out more about the dodgy cast the further we dive in and I wasn't disappointed.

Sara has a great way of keeping you reading. Cliff-hanger chapter endings, just enough description of the seemingly-idyllic location and a plot with many twists and turns.

I've visited and loved several of the islands off Thailand and, aside from murder and mayhem, this brought back fond memories and made me want to go back! I've also completed my PADI training and was interested in how the story would unfold around diving.

Great novel! Huge thanks to the publishers for the opportunity to read and review!

I did enjoy this book it was well written and I liked the difference in characters but I did feel that it was fairly predictable and twists were slightly obvious . Still enjoyable though .

An incredibly gripping, nail biting thriller.

I was hooked from the start and the twists kept coming An amazing debut.

The Dive is a debut for Sara Ochs and you wouldn’t know it.
Thailand, The Koh Sang dive resort, sounds idyllic and looks it too. Cass is a diving instructor here and has been accepted into the permanent resort group very easily. Life is lovely and Cass loves diving. After a few days of pool and school room teaching her group are ready to encounter a sea dive. Everything goes well but things take a drastic turn and when the group return to the beach one is dead and another is injured. How and why has this happened but Cass has another problem as someone has found out her secret and if it gets out it will ruin her island life.
This was a decent thriller that I enjoyed, I have to say I thought the middle was a little too long but all in all a decent read. There re a few twists along the way which keeps it interesting and I didn’t guess who the culprit was so a bonus point there. Would like to read more by this author in the future.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Thank goodness for this year’s fabulous crop of destination thrillers which in the last few weeks have taken me around to the world to sunnier climes - even if not everything that happens there is good! Thanks to The Dive I very much enjoyed my trip to Thailand, even if Koh Sang wasn’t quite the paradise island it seemed to be.

Told from dual points of view by diving instructor Cass and visitor and influencer Brooke, it soon becomes clear that they are both keeping secrets - as are many of the other people on the island. As the deaths start to pile up, so the tension increases and the twists keep coming as it feels like almost everyone could be a suspect.

Och really does bring the island to life and with a storyline that keeps you guessing she has created a fabulous summer thriller that will keep you turning the pages.