Holly, Meg, Kristof and George are best friends all through university. Right out of school they go on a backpacking trip to Thailand but something horrible happens. Five years later, Holly has moved on and is now a teacher and in a relationship with the father of one of her young students. Everything is looking good for her, until she begins receiving threatening messages with pictures from that trip which she thought she deleted years ago.

The Beach is a character study of the history of these friends and how they fall apart. Through a dual timeline we follow Holly as she fears who knows her secrets from that trip, and go back in time and watch as events unfold leading up to that devastating trip. It's also a portrait of how far a person will go for truth or revenge. I didn't like Holly, yet I've known more than a few people just like her so the author did a great job describing that character. And the ending was both well set-up and well done.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.

I love Thailand, so I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a very atmospheric image of Thailand with a nice suspense plot.
Totally recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy!

This was a fun book to read! The way that the author describes Thailand seems so vivid which allowed me, as a reader, to really have a colorful image in my head as I read. I also feel like George seemed so realistic (he's basically an amalgamation of every jerk you met in college). There are suspenseful parts as well.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Sit down and buckle up, this book is a twisty ride!
I love how this story is told between present day and flashbacks.

The blurb said 'a gripping thriller' but I'm afraid I have to disagree. An intriguing, generally well written and interesting plot but I found the characters so one dimensional, there was not one I cared about, maybe with the exception of sweet little Jack.

To my knowledge it all seemed very well researched although in this day and age I find it strange that with Ofsted always in the background and Trevor on their case that any teacher would get away with turning up for school alongside the pupils every morning.

Sadly all that I've written sounds rather negative and I doubt I would have been such a harsh critic if the story had been sold to me as a drama rather than a thriller. I will definitely look out for Sarah Linley's next book as she certainly shows promise.

There is an interesting premise to this book. A young schoolteacher is the victim of stalking and haunted by events that happened. several years earlier. However, I found the characters lacklustre and dull especially the protagonist Holly and failed to engage with the story.

Five years ago Holly and 3 of her University friends went on a trio to Thailand which one of them did not survive. Today, Holly is a kindergarten teacher in a small village in Northern England. She lives a quiet life and is romantically involved with a man who is the father of one of her pupils. Then suddenly she begins to receive threatening messages about what happened in Thailand.

The blurb of this book gripped my interest immediately. But it did not turn out to be a thriller because very early on we learn who died in Thailand and also who is threatening Holly. So it is just all about how everything turns out. Unfortunately all the characters are not very likable or interesting. Especially Holly. She is needy and self-centered. It is an easy read but the story is not very suspenseful and parts of it are a bit far-fetched.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher.
The first part of this book was very interesting and kept me wanting to know more.
Unfortunately, the second part was slow and dragged.
well written, interesting plot line which for me did not deliver.
3 stars

This sounded like the sort of book that I enjoy reading but neither the events in Holly's present or the dark secrets of her past were enough to hold my attention. She's not likeable, not very interesting, and the awful thing that happened on the beach, which isn't explained until the end of the book, didn't make it worth the long slow read to get to the revelation. If I don't like the characters (and often I don't) I at least want to be curious about what's going to happen to them.

The blurb of the book caught my attention and I was eager to read the book.
This was a very quick read and was interesting enough for me to race through the pages to the end.
It was well paced and I enjoyed how the story kept switching from the present and the past. There were times when the plot felt a little exaggerated and far fetched but I dealt with it as it didn't take away from the story.
The book does play out slowly but the suspense is enough as we discover what really happened and who is the person to blame. I liked the final twist at the end of the book.
It's quite good for a debut.

I would rate it a 3.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I had extremely high hopes for this book. The synopsis attracted me instantly but I have been a little disappointed by this one. ⭐️

A well written, easy read. Despite knowing who the stalker was early on, the intrigue of what actually happened in Thailand kept one riveted to the end. Flashbacks to University and the unlikely friendships that formed was an important backdrop to the story. Would definitely read the next book from this author.

This was a great story, filled with thrilling mystery, romance, and suspense. It kept me reading and guessing up until the very end which I never predicted!

#TheBeach #NetGalley
A good debut.
Four friends, fresh out of university, backpacking around Thailand. But among the sun, sea and sand, something went horribly wrong...
In the years since, Holly has tried hard to push memories of that terrible summer from her mind. Now a schoolteacher, she believes her life is finally coming together when she meets Tom and his adorable five-year-old son, Jack.
But then, Holly starts receiving anonymous messages, showing photos which Holly was sure she destroyed years ago. Someone clearly knows the truth about what really happened. The only question is, how far will they go to get revenge?
This book is really a good read. Although i felt that its pace was slow but still i was hooked by the writer's writing style. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who loves thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

This is an okay read. I wouldn't classify it as a thriller. The story alternates between present day and past events. I found myself skipping through chapters just to get to the resolution. The identity of the stalker is revealed way to early in the book which immediately takes away the building tension and suspense of the story. Holly is simpering and I found her completely unlikable. There is a twist at the end, but it was predictable and I saw it coming way to soon. The writer has an interesting style and I would give another book by her a try. The last few lines of the book are really good and leave the reader wondering which I enjoyed.

WOW! Suspense book at it's best!
Four friends meet at Uni and become fast friends. They are all completely different but are together through thick and thin. When they graduate, they embark on a three month journey backpacking through countries of Asia, only to have the trip end with one of them dead.
Years later, the three remaining friends have not stayed in touch, the memories of that horrible night in Thailand haunting them all, but someone wants them to remember what happened and tell the police. Threatening notes keep appearing and Holly knows that whoever is behind them knows their secret. When she tries to reach out to Meg and Kristof and see if they know who could be trying to bring George's death to light, she finds that Meg is dead, and Kristof isn't far behind. Working against time to save herself and her family, she desperately tries to understand who is behind this and why. Can she find a way to bury the past and save herself?
This was a great story, filled with mystery, romance, and suspense. Kept me reading and guessing up until the final page, which I never predicted!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

From the first few pages I was gripped and needed to know the truth of whatever the situation was that had Holly fearing her life would be over if the details were ever revealed.

She is being stalked but doesn't want to report it for fear of the police wanting to know the why, and she is also trying to deepen her new boyfriends commitment so that she doesn't feel like a secret. In addition she is worried about one of the children in her class at school , which although not a main story-line, did hold my interest especially with regards safeguarding procedures.

We also in between the present day chapter get the story of Holly's close friendships at uni and eventually that trip to the Far East that lead to one of the friends coming home dead.

The chapters where we get to see their travels were spot on for, I loved the details, I felt as though I was alongside the friends in Cambodia, Vietnam and then Thailand. I could picture it all so clearly, and would have loved more of it in the book.

As readers we know early on who is causing Holly hassle, but the motives are only made clear slowly, and I loved seeing inside their head, while wondering what they will try next, given it's clear they are ramping up their campaign on Holly.

At times rather creepy, others a bit more gentle but still very interesting, and at others I was hitting the end of a chapter and gasping, then ruing the inevitability that he best most addictive bits were at points I had to put the book down to either get on with real life, or to stop myself reading all night!! If life wasn't in the way I'd be saying this was fairly unputdownable!

A rather impressive debut thriller, that I'm delighted I took the time to read. Definitely kept me on my toes and when I wasn't reading, I was wishing that I was continuing with the story.

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Enjoyed the book and would give it 3.5 stars. The book is a quick read and there are many twists and turns. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to know what happened in Thailand all those years ago, especially since one of her friends never made it back home. It's hard to believe how much energy the person put into getting the truth. It was actually very scary. Holly's revelation at the end about how everything happened was the perfect ending because I wasn't expecting it. My opinion of definitely changed. It's hard to believe Meg, Holly, George and Kristof were even friends. They were all so completely different and at times I wasn't sure if they even liked each other. Holly knew what type of person George was, so I'm not sure how she could be so surprised by his actions on their vacation. I felt sorry for her when no one believed her about being stalked. Rob was a horrible police officer. Holly lived in a small village where everyone knew each other;s business. So why didn't anyone notice the person renting the cottage near Holly's house? That person wasn't in the house 24 hours a day, so someone had to notice him/her.

Definitely recommend the book. It's a great mystery. This was the first book I read by the author and look forward to reading more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harper Impulse and Killer Reads through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A good read for genre fans, will keep this author on my list to watch for more. Recommended for purchase.

Holly teaches kindergarten in a quiet village. On her return to school one lunch time she saves a young girl from drowning, making the local news.

Suddenly, Holly begins receiving messages, bringing up events from her past that she has hidden for close to five years.

The Beach alternated between Holly’s points of view in the current day and from her past. The life she has made for herself involves a current love and a wonderful, happy family life. The life before focuses on her friendships at University, and her backpacking travels during which one of her friends dies. Those living swear it was an accident but it wasn’t.

The messenger threatens to expose Holly and disrupt the peaceful balance of her life. She contacts her old friends with frightening outcomes and is faced with the prospect that she will be the next victim.

Holly begins this book as an austere, and fairly bland individual. We find out she is adopted, her sister is not. She was a fringe person within her group of friends who seemed to acquiesce to everyone else’s wants and needs. Similarly in her relationship with her partner.

As the book continues we see inconsistencies Holly’s presentation - at times she’s acutely smart, shown to be self-serving, driven, and seems to be able to adapt in circumstances where you think she might be at a disadvantage. We wonder whether her predator (whose identity we know by then) has underestimated her?

This book is 288 pages and I read this over two days this Christmas holiday period. It’s a solid debut novel. For a mystery and thriller the book is reliant on the story and plot development with tension building across the time periods, as opposed to specific incidents of harm or violence and there is no real sexual tension to speak of either.

There is quite the twist in the tale at the end of this book and although I didn’t believe the version of how their friend died (because then there would be no mystery) I didn’t quite expect the outcome of the last couple of pages. There is a tell tale quote at the end that if quoted potentially is a big spoiler for this book so I won’t do it.

This book will appeal to lovers of general fiction and mysteries though I’m not sure it’s sufficiently hard core to be considered a thriller in my opinion. It’s definitely not as hard hitting as I normally read.

Thank you to Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and One More Chapter, Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date 21 Feb 2020.

Also is it sneaked out or snuck out ??? That is the question ...

Rating tends toward 3.5 stars - I have rated it 3 for goodreads purposes.