This story centers on 3 friends on a once in a lifetime divorce trip in the Maldives. Their friendship is a little different than most, they found each other through grief, each of them were deeply affected by a massacre that occurred 22 years prior. This story had several players, but they all tied in beautifully. There were multiple dark twists that kept me engaged throughout the book. There were a couple big twists that I absolutely did not see coming!
I cannot wait to read more from this author, fabulous work! .

This was an interesting holiday read in an exotic dream location in the Maldives. Fast paced, told through multiple voices with a plot twist that sends your head spinning.
Great for fans of psychological thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy

I didn't know what to expect when I chose this ARC. To be honest, I started the book without high hopes, fearing the premise might be too cliché. However, it turned out to be quite captivating. The storyline was straightforward.

Three 'victims' come together due to their shared trauma, forming a close bond. They plan a getaway to one of the most popular and beautiful places in the world, but we all knew it wouldn't go as planned.

The background of the characters and the storytelling were well-done and smooth. I particularly enjoyed the reveal and the action-packed ending, which kept me engaged. I flew through the book around the 50% mark.

However, there were a few things I did not enjoy. Some information was repeated often, and I'm not sure I understand why all the chapters of the three main female characters were told in the third person while the rest were in first person perspective. I didn't see the point of it, and the constant switching was a bit annoying.

I also wished the storyline/book was a little longer and had more depth to it, especially regarding the villain's backstory and motivations.

Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to my friends.

The writing was solid, and I definitely didn't see the twists coming, but there was too much going on. I was intrigued on every page, but I wouldn't read another book by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed reading this book but debated on whether it was a 3 or 4 star read to me. At times, I felt completely inside the story and was dying to know what would happen, then at other times, I felt like it was dragging and I couldn’t wait to move onto my next read. Overall, the pacing was intriguing, the story was interesting but predictable at times.

Overall I enjoyed this book, though there were moments it felt like it was written by two different people, and one of them was more melodramatic gory. Three friends, with a disturbing bond from their past go on a trip to celebrate the divorce of one of them. Their stories, her ex husband's story and another guest are the primary speakers in this book. Most of the book was well written and absorbing, the ending could have been tightened, lost some of the effect by it being overly long, despite this I did like it, it veered almost a 5 star at times

An unlikely trio of friends go on a fancy vacation to the Maldives to celebrate the divorce of one of them. Darcy, newly divorced from her husband with a good job in the tech industry and her three sons, invites her friend, Kate, who seems to be a bit of a frumpy introvert, and her friend, Camilla, who is a friendly, outgoing pilates instructor. It's a very odd threesome to say the least. The chapters alternate between Darcy, Kate, and Camilla, as well as Darcy's ex-husband and another person at the resort, Jade. The three women notice Jade, who is beautiful, and on her honeymoon with her hunky husband. All is not as it seems however, the three friends notice pretty quickly that Jade seems to cower and maybe even fear her husband. As the story unfolds, we find out how these three became friends and, it isn't pretty. This one is a wild ride for sure. This is a great debut mystery thriller from Caro Carver.

Actual Rating 3.5

TW: Domestic Abuse

Three best friends decide to head to the Maldives to celebrate one of their impending divorces. While they’re quite different, they’re united by a traumatic event that happened 22 years ago. At the resort, they do their best to put the past behind them, but things begin to happen that feel too coincidental to ignore. They soon realize they’re not the only guests at the resort with secrets, and that they may be sharing the island with a killer intent on drawing blood.

The author did an excellent job with including relevant descriptions. The setting was beautifully described, which helped to bring the story to life and make it feel immersive. I enjoyed the author’s writing style overall, as it was easy to read and kept me engaged with the story.

The characters were decently written. All four women felt unique and were easy to keep apart based on their personalities, which was a big plus. The characters felt alive and realistic when reading their POVs, and I found myself drawn to them.

I enjoyed the mystery and some of the tension that was built throughout the read. While it wasn’t a thriller until closer to the end, it was certainly tense enough to keep me flipping pages. I’m still not quite sure how I feel about the reveal, though. I will say that the less you know about this one going in, the better.

Overall, this was a well-written tense mystery that was difficult to put down. If you’re interested in a story about female friendships and twisted secrets that would make a good vacation read, then you might enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for allowing me to read this work, which will be published July 9, 2024. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The blurb is what attracted me to this one. Who wouldn't want to go to the Maldives? The first part of the book was mind-blowing,. Unpredictable which is what I love in a book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for forwarding this ARC!

4.5 stars … wow what a wild ride! This thriller is just the perfect read for summer - with the beautiful backdrop of the Maldives we dive into a crazy story of a massacre decades ago and the fate of four women that are bound together as victims of that crime.

The characters had a lot of depth which I loved and at about 30% in I just couldn’t stop reading. I just had to know.
Looking back the reveal might be obvious but reading it I absolutely didn’t guess it and it gave me a huge aha-effect.
We get the story and its layers fed really slow and I enjoyed it so much. Nothing felt rushed, everything was carefully crafted.
I tried to explain the plot to my boyfriend and realised how unique and complex it was. With so many characters, time lines and tiny details it was hard to see through.
This really leds you on a huge adventure. It was exciting from page one until the very end.
The pacing and storytelling was absolutely incredible.

The only reason I gave for not giving this the full five stars is the lack of trigger warnings. I must warn you that there are scenes of domestic abuse and rape. These scenes gave me such a heavy and uncomfortable feeling, I really wish I knew something in that direction was coming up.

I absolutely devoured this book in 24 hours! A dark premise, fun setting of the Maldives, and twists I didn’t see coming. Definitely recommend this one for a quick summer thriller!

A trio of friends take a trip to the Maldives to celebrate Darcy’s divorce. Camilla, Darcy and Kate share more than friendship. THeir bonds are cemented by a shared tragedy. At first, I assumed these ladies were childhood or college friends. As the story unfolds, the true details of their friendship origin story emerge. The resort they go to is luxurious complete with private villas and butlers. Sun-drenched beaches, divine food and spa treatments are part of the trip. The author did a fantastic job of describing the exotic locale. I felt like I was on vacation. Once the ladies arrive on the island, they discover they meet new friends but also discover a killer is hiding amongst the guests.

Told through alternating POV and a few flashbacks to the past the chapters were short and kept the story rolling. . Some additional narrators show up occasionally and add depth to the story. I really loved that the main characters were women in their 40s.. Plenty of twists and turns with some unexpected surprises.

Thank you to Simon and Shuster and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Three friends head to the Maldives to celebrate the divorce of one of them. They meet a young woman there who they fear is being abused by her newly wed husband. When other things start to go wrong on the island and someone ends up dead, the three start questionining their friendship and the event that happened twenty years ago that brought them all together. Good page turner.

September 11, 2001. We hear that date and we immediately remember. But because of the attack on America, what we never heard about was the massacre at Spinnaker Guesthouse, where 6 people were brutally murdered… Now, more than 20 years later, the mystery of what occurred that night will finally unravel…

This book was intense. Fast paced, multiple POVs, unreliable narrators, and unexpected twists - what more could a girl want?! I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in just over 24 hours. It’s the kind of book where you just want to keep going to find out what happens next.

Thank you NetGalley and Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of the ebook!

Darcy, Kate and Camilla head to the remote island of the Maldives to celebrate Darcy’s divorce. But when a body is discovered and secrets start to emerge, not all is as it seems. I flew through this book in less than 24 hours. I love nothing more than a locked room/vacation set thriller and this did not disappoint. I loved the backstory and was surprised by the twists and turns the story took. A perfect read for your summer vacation! 4 solid stars.

Thanks to Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one kept me reading. There were plenty of twists, and I absolutely did not expect how that was going to turn out. 4-1/2 stars!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Be sure to look for this one when it comes out.

This book was a wild ride. We start with a young college student joining her professor at an archeology dig - she shows up to her hotel late, and wakes up to find herself lucky that she survived a brutal murder as all the other hotel guests are dead. The person who was arrested for the murders died a month later. We fast forward to present day, and Darcy is taking her friends Camille and Kate on a divorce trip to the Maldives. The three of them are tied together from that murder scene, as Darcy and Camille both knew people who had died, and Kate was the young college student.

This trip to the Maldives was supposed to be a fun celebration of Darcy's divorce. She has excursions planned and other fun activities. But the three of them also think that there may be someone else who was responsible for the murders. They've hired a private investigator who thinks that he can find them answers with all the advances in technology and forensics since the murders took place. We are also introduced to Jade and Rob, newlyweds on their honeymoon, though Rob seems to have a mean streak.

The author does a good job weaving all the characters together and providing some red herrings to lead the reader in different directions. While some of the book was predictable, it was still an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review.

I feel bad… I didn’t like this 🙊 This writing felt so different from Cooke’s other books (probs hence the pseudonym) but the writing felt super amateur and felt like a random unknown book that I would find on KU (no offense). This felt very slow and there was no payoff. The setting was good and there were some small moments that caught my interest but other than that, I wouldn’t really recommend this book.

What a wild ride. This was totally binge worthy and I was captivated. I will say the second half was more of a three star for me because it almost became TOO wild and ridiculous but if you throw reality out the window…what an entertaining read.

A trio of women, connected by murders that happened decades ago, gather on the Maldives to celebrate one of their divorced. But has the killer shown up on the island too? Original.