Interesting take on a locked in thriller, one of my favourite genres.
A paradise island full of people escaping their pasts who will do anything to protect their futures no matter what the costs. So many twists and turns and oh the ending…..

This book is told from the viewpoint of two female characters, which was a good way to tell this story.

Cass is a dive instructor on an island in Thailand, she works with a group of friends who have all made their home there. They all have reasons for being there, but are they all as they seem.

Brooke is an influencer who is staying on the island, who is drawn towards this group and she makes friends with them. Again is she what she seems?

Then one day whilst on a group dive with some tourists they come across a body in the water, that of another tourist who should have been with them on that dive. Bring into a mix the death of another tourist a few weeks before that and are both accidents or is there a link or a serial killer on the island? Who will survive?

This story had so many twists and turns it made me dizzy!

Scuba diving instructor Cas leads her students out for their first dive off the beautiful coast of Koh Sang, Thailand's world=famous party island. It's supposed to be a life-changing experience, but things quickly spiral out of control.... By the time she gets back to the shore, one of her students is dead, another critically injured, and she knows that her idyllic life is about to be smashed to pieces on the rocks. Someone has discovered Cass's secret, and on an island as remote as this, accidents happen. Plenty of backpackers choose to stay here forever, but some never make it home alive.

This story follows a group of friends who have all made a new life for themselves on the island. But they all have a secret they keep hidden from each other. Filled with lots of twists and turns, well developed and likeable characters, a pretty good plotline, murder and intrigue. It did take me a couple of chapters to get into the book, but once I was there, I was hooked. I loved the plot twist at the end. This is a quick and easy book to read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK #TransworldPublishers and the author #SaraOchs for my ARC of #TheDive in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Transworld Digital and the author, Sara Ochs for the opportunity to read ARC in return for an honest review.

I find myself slightly surprising to say i thoroughly enjoyed this. I have probably been putting this off as it felt a little like yet another thriller, a 'who dunnit' set abroad...which it is, but it was enjoyable. The characters are fascinating in their own way. Some more likeable than others. For me, the depth of them could have increased slightly. It was harder to guess who did it because of the lack of information about them. I originally thought the end could have been better - but the plot twist at the end - was perfect.

Not quite a five star - but its probably a 4.5 so it's so very close. An outstanding debut and I will be looking out for the next from Sara Ochs.

Cass is a diving instructor in Koh Sang - a Paradise, party Island in Thailand, she’s newly engaged and to all those around her it really looks like she has her life together. Brooke is a social media influencer, on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the island. However, when a body is discovered, life on Paradise Island may not be as idyllic as it seems…

The Dive is the perfect summer thriller read - ideal for reading whilst sitting on the beach and looking out to sea. It alternates perspective between Cass and Brooke, who both have their own secrets and agendas. Their narrative voices do feel a little similar at times though. The book is very easy to read, although there are some places where the author contradicts herself about her characters in the same page so perhaps the ARC needs another proof-read before publication.

The plot is fairly simple, although there is a really great ending (no spoilers!) which elevated The Dive for me from a 3-star read to a 4-star one. There are enough reveals and action as we go along to keep the reader engaged. I particularly liked the description of the Dive, although for a book using that activity as it’s title, I would have liked a little more action under the water than just one scene. Some of the events seems a little too unrealistic and are obviously just used as a convenience to the plot – the storm knocking out the phone signal, for example. The end reveal scene also felt very old-school, with characters all brought together in an almost Hercule Poiret-like denouement.

Overall, The Dive is a great summer holiday read, just perhaps don’t dive too deeply into it - stick to the surface! Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK & Transworld Publishers – Bantam for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set on a beautiful island in Thailand, The Dive follows a group of friends, who have all made their life on the island. Each one of them however has a secret that they keep from everyone else.
This is a fairly solid debut novel, an interesting concept that certainly increases in pace around the halfway mark.

The Dive is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Dive asap.

I thought that I would enjoy this book more than I did ,. It seemed all too familiar it was an okay read but didn't really grab my interest. Maybe I am a bit jaded I feel like I have read too many books like this. I think I should immerse myself in another genre for a while, and come back with fresher eyes. Hopefully other readers will enjoy this book more..

Entertaining holiday read - good for the beach. It's in the "dodgy-people-when -you-go-to-S. E. Asia" genre. A good sense of foreboding runs throughout the book. It starts with a murder, we don't know whose. Keeps you on your toes, with a rising body count. You don't know who to trust and when it all gets very violent, after the 'climax' there's an uncomfortable twist at the end. Undemanding beach entertainment.

I knew from the synopsis this would be a book that I would love. Full of secrets, lies, murder and intrigue, it’s a fast paced thriller that I found hard to put down. With some great twists added in along the way, it’s certain to keep you guessing to the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author for the chance to review.

A tense, action packed thriller based in the tropics that will make you feel as if you have been transported there. The plot kept me guessing and changing my mind about what I thought was happening. Lots of interesting information about the complexities of staying safe while diving as well as showing the best and worst of the tropical climate.

Dive headfirst into 2023s most brilliantly constructed destination thriller - it will take your breath away…

There’s something about the juxtaposition between a beautiful, idyllic location and the dark heart of a crime novel plot that makes destination thrillers like my literary crack. The Dive is like the hardest, class A variety and I was one million percent addicted to it! I’d wanted to read this book from the moment I saw it announced and it did not disappoint. Ochs has written a really solid thriller that delivers on character, plot, location, tension, twists and momentous reveals. I was completely whisked away to the shores of Koh Sang and this book was a full on sensory overload. From the luscious descriptions of the island, with it’s jungle foliage and tropical beaches, to the back alleys and shabby townscapes of the nearest population, Ochs writes immersive descriptions without bogging down the tension or pace. I found this really appealing as a reader, as I could really picture where all of the action was taking place, which only enhanced the sense of unease and suspense. I love a thriller where the location is as much of a character as the humans involved and this is very much the case here. Koh Sang, whilst fictional, feels incredibly real. It feels exactly like the place you might see on the news because a tourist has been murdered. This sense of reality and the plausibility of the plot really ramped up the chilling vibes and definitely kept me turning the pages.

I also really enjoyed how the novel was told from two very different perspectives. Telling the story from both Cass and Brooke’s perspective really helped to layer the mystery and keep the plot taut. I was desperate to see how their stories converged and when the truth finally became clear, the narrative had gone in a completely different direction than I had anticipated. This is another strength of a Ochs writing: her prowess at misdirection. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to work out the many layers to the mystery woven throughout the text, but Ochs always kept me two steps behind. Just when I thought I was piecing everything together, she ripped the oxygen tank from my back and sent me floundering to the surface, where the landscape had significantly shifted. It’s a real achievement to keep readers on their toes, but it’s a sign of mastery to have them think they’ve worked it out, only to find they didn’t have a clue what was really occurring! Ochs has this skill down to a fine art and I genuinely gasped out loud when the final revelations rose to the surface. It’s the best feeling when a book does that to me, so I cannot recommend this brilliant thriller enough!

I can’t wait to see what comes next from Ochs, who I’m has immediately made it on to my auto-but list of authors. In the meantime, make sure you pre-order The Dive, as it’s definitely one of summer’s hottest releases.

Behind many beautiful islands are dark stories. So many characters see a remote island getaway as the perfect place to hide their secrets. There’s so many people running from their pasts that it’s a wonder anyone forges bonds in these places.
On the remote island of Koh Sang, Cass has got herself a job as a dive instructor. She’s recently engaged. However, she’s been receiving notes alluding to her past and is convinced that someone is watching her. Unwilling to trust those she’s come to depend on with her darkest secrets, Cass tries to bury her concerns.
Told in alternating views - those of Cass and influencer Brooke - The Dive is a thriller that gets going quickly and keeps the tension high. We slowly learn a little more about our key characters and are sent off on more than a few false trails. As the body count piles up we can see that someone is keen to hide the truth behind Koh Sang, and it’s hard not to get caught up in finding out just who is responsible.
Ultimately, I felt the book tried a little too hard to shock and the closing stages felt very much exaggerated. A great holiday read, and I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this.

I love a good thriller with a foreign setting and/or travel element, so of course I simply HAD to add The Dive to my TBR as soon as I first heard about it. It was cover love at first sight, and not only because of that paradise background, but also because of what is written below the title. What better way to draw a reader in than with the words 'We hope you survive your stay'? It worked for me at least... Add the scuba diving, death and the promise of secrets, and I've been looking forward to read The Dive.

What a ride it turned out to be! One of the reasons I ended up having such a great time reading The Dive most definitely has to do with the setting. Like I said before, I love a story with a foreign setting and/or travel element, and this story offers both. The Dive is set on a small island in Thailand, and the many vivid descriptions of the setting really make Koh Sang come alive. I was ready to jump on the next plane to paradise long before that final page! The fact that the story is set at a resort and shows what life is like working in tourism really spoke to me (I've worked as a hostel receptionist at various Latin American locations in the past), and I liked what this added to the plot.

The Dive uses what is basically a dual POV structure (if you don't count the prologue and epilogue). The story switches between scuba diving instructor Cass and guest/influencer Brooke, which I personally really appreciated as this way we could see both sides of life at the resort. Both Brooke and Cass seem to be hiding something, and this made it intriguing to see the two interact and watch the story unfold. I did think that Cass' secret was drawn out too much, and it started to get a bit annoying... But I could understand why she did the things she did considering her mental state.

The writing style is very engaging, and it's very easy to just keep turning those pages. Especially once the first body shows up, and the tension and suspense increases with each chapter. What really happened that night, was it murder and who would be behind it? What secrets and possibly shady pasts are the characters hiding? There seems to be something off about just about every single one of the Permanents, and as a result there are plenty of suspects to play around with in your head. And while I guessed part of the truth right, and never saw the full picture coming... That epilogue was brilliantly done.

If you are looking for a well written, engaging and suspenseful thriller with a tropical setting and plenty of secrets and suspects, The Dive is an excellent choice. Make sure to brace yourself for a wild ride!

Loved this story featuring the coast of Koh Sang, Thailand 'which sounds like paradise and I could feel like I was there.
This had me hooked from the first page the characters who all had their own secrets to hide and especially Cass who was a scuba diving instructor who looked forward to building a life running scuba dives but when one of her group ends up dead she finds herself trying to find the killer.
I could not put this down so many twists and turns and found myself trying to guess who was the killer especially when more people are killed I felt conflicted and did not know who to believe so I had to finish the book in one sitting.
Highly recommended for a brilliant summer book..
Thanks to NetGalley & Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam for a ARC for a honest review.

I enjoyed The Dive and thought the split narrative worked well. I'm not a fan of this sort of extra final twist but that's a personal preference. It would make a good holiday read.

When travel influencer (I didn’t actually know this was a thing but have decided this is what I want to be when I grow up! 😆) Brook arrives at a scuba resort in Thailand she quickly befriends dive instructor Cass and through her meets the rest of the ‘permanents’, a mix of ex pats who have escaped their troubles and made the island their new home, but as the bodies start to pile up it becomes hard to know who to trust.

I loved the tropical location, duel POV of Cass and Brook, and how the author slowly reveals their backstories.
This was a great, fast paced destination thriller, which was probably helped by my reading it during the heatwave at the weekend 🥵 and would recommend to fans of Lucy Clarke or Allie Reynolds

This had an excellent premise. I love travel based thrillers and believed this would totally fit my summer reading favourite of 2023!

However I found it to be frustratingly full of holes (one such glaring one at around 30% where the author states that one of the characters - Brooke - is never flaky giving examples, followed straight away by saying the same character has done this before - been flaky - again giving examples!!). At this point I abandoned it as it was also full of errors, 2D characters, and no direction.

Emily Barr set the standard for this genre up, and the torch has been excellently carried forward by Lucy Clarke and some of CL Taylor’s books. This effort however was for me nothing more than a damp squib.

Thank you however to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A great summer thriller! The cover really drew me into this one, i think it looks great and really suits the novel. There's plenty of twists and turns, and it constantly kept me guessing through out. The characters were good, especially the main two (Cass & Brooke). They were well developed and you cant help but want to know more about their lives and back stories. The plot was very believable and the sense of scene and setting created by the author is brilliant!

The dive is an amazing, suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I could not put this down. I loved the depictions of this gorgeous location mixed with darkness and death. I loved the unique scuba diving plot and all the twists and turns were unpredictable making an amazing thriller.