This is all the things I enjoy in a book normally, but I can't quite get on board with the writing, I'm not sure why!

What’s spookier than being stranded in an abandoned village – NOT MUCH! Mila & Ethan hit a ton of roadblocks on their way to a ski resort – no reception, unable to find their way, car breaks down. Then when Sarah wakes up Ethan is gone, no where to be found. This was a bit of a slow burn domestic thriller but it held my interest! It was creepy with some good twists that kept me wondering what would happen next.

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 find abandoned cabins to shelter in, but when Mila wakes up, Ethan has vanished and she’s stuck in the middle of nowhere alone. Or is she?

This story had so much promise - interesting plot and potential twists and turns but for me, it fell flat. The first half was pretty intense as we follow Mila’s attempt to get help and escape the remote mountain. But the never-ending questions that Mila asks herself drove me crazy. How many times can you ask what happened to Eli and was it her fault? I struggled to get through the many passages which focused on Mila’s internal questioning monologue so it really took away from me enjoying the story.

There are twists and turns but the characters fell flat for me (Mila- I’m looking at you!) and I know you have to suspend reality a bit when reading a fictional piece of writing, but some of the elements just didn’t sit right at all with me and were a bit too convenient.

If you like atmospheric thrillers featuring remoteness and creepy vibes, this might be for you. It’s not my cup of tea though and I love my creepy thrillers!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the arc. The Resort is out now. 2.5 ⭐️⭐️

When Amelia and her husband Ethan find themselves stranded in an abandoned Bavarian village en route to Amelia's sister Jess' wedding, Amelia has to survive alone when Ethan disappears.

The first half of the book was intense. The descriptions of Amelia's struggles to survive were difficult to read, and I considered putting this book aside because it was too nerve-wracking. I thought they were going to go in a supernatural/alternate dimension direction with the abandoned village, so it was unusual (and welcome) when the author went for the mundane and close-to-home horrors rather than the supernatural ones. When Amelia is discovered and it is revealed that it was a setup later in the book, I was so deeply involved I read the last half of the book in an hour.

I would definitely recommend this to people who enjoy mysteries and thrillers.

Overall, an entertaining story. There was a creepiness to the story that drew me in but the characters fell flat and there are parts of the story that just dragged and I found myself scanning the pages.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Avon Books in exchange for an honest review.

The first part of the book is fast-paced, relentless and grim. So much unexpected happened on their journey and continued to worsen. The GPS on the rental car breaks down, and they become hopelessly lost on a poorly maintained, remote road. The car's engine dies, and there is a raging snowstorm. While hiking for help and shelter from the cold and snow, Mila injures her leg. They have left warm clothing and provisions behind in the vehicle. They take refuge in an abandoned settlement where the cabins are in a state of disrepair letting in the cold. Mila and Ethan break into a cabin to spend the night without heat, electricity or phone connection.

On waking the next morning, to her horror and despair, Ethan is missing. He has vanished, leaving no footprints outside in the snow. After a futile search, the alarmed Mila fears her husband may be kidnapped or dead. The creepy surroundings make her feel that she is being watched. Without Ethan, it is all about surviving on her own with no heat and very little food or drink. She struggles with her sore leg to make it back to the car, but it is now in a steep ditch and retrieving their provisions is futile. While further searching for Ethan, she makes some grim and horrifying discoveries.
This is a relentless survival story. She is distraught about letting her sister down once again, although it is not her fault. The backstory of the difficulties between Mila and Jess and what led to their estrangement is essential to the drama, really gripping stuff!

The twists and turns in this one! Kept me on turning the pages and on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend.

My third book from Goodwin and I have to say, this writer is particularly good at establishing atmosphere, especially when there is just one character involved. I was keen to read this new novel, having found the second book less than enjoyable; the first one still remains my outstanding favourite.

The key theme that defines Goodwin’s writing seems to be that a central character spends a lot of time on their own; this book is no exception. On the way to her sister’s wedding, Mila and her husband get lost in the snow. With their car broken down, they decide to seek shelter in an old ski resort, hoping to get to the celebrations the following morning. Yet, despite hunkering down together for warmth and a chance of sleep, when Mila wakes up the next day, she is all alone. There are no traces of her husband, Ethan, and she has the unsettling feeling that someone is watching her.

What doesn’t help matters is that, of course, Mila has not prepared for this situation. All of her clothes are back in the car – a good distance away – and she has twisted her ankle. With little food, barely any wood for a fire and her husband missing, it is a matter of survival and hope that Ethan returns. But he does not.

This book follows Mila and her determination to escape this abandoned resort. Her discoveries make for chilling reading, especially with the clues that Goodwin drops about Mila not being alone in this remote setting. I was fascinated by Mila’s actions and wondered how she would survive when the odds are seemingly stacked against her. Sometimes I thought the character made some poor choices, but I think this just added to the drama of the situation.

On reflection, I thought the first half of the novel moved quite slowly. I don’t think this was helped by the fact that the story solely focusses on Mila, with some flashbacks to her childhood. This does help to break the tedium of the story which, essentially, is someone alone in the woods. Although there are some horrific discoveries, I don’t think this was quite as impactful as I was hoping. I think this was because I had such strong theories about the reasons why Mila was in this situation.

The second half of the novel was the most interesting and I enjoyed observing Mila even more. I think the latter part of the story becomes more like a thriller and I was intrigued to see how the story would finally conclude. This was reflected in the fact that I soon found I could not put it down, so keen was I to discover if my theories were correct.

I liked this book and it definitely had me reaching for the blankets! Goodwin’s description of the never-ending snow and relentless cold were very vivid and I could not imagine how I would survive if I were in Mila’s circumstances. I would have preferred for a pacier narrative but this one certainly builds in intensity, a reflection of how far Mila has to go in order to survive.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read The Resort mainly because I love the idea of characters being stranded in the remote wilderness. I don’t think there’s anything much more threatening than blizzards and snowstorms keeping you stuck in one place. The cold seeping into your bones, the lack of visibility, the body’s senses being assaulted, and the subsequent confusion setting in. You begin to wonder if you’ve seen that shadow and question if you’ll ever see the blue of the sky again. I liked the main protagonist and her story of a torn childhood, but I couldn’t fully invest myself in the story for multiple reasons.
The main problem I had with The Resort was its believability of it. Now, I know with reading fiction you have to suspend belief a bit, but I felt this was pushing it a bit too far. I think I would have questioned more about the situation I had found myself in whereas I felt Mila got taken away by the wind a little.
I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and found the storyline quite predictable. I had guessed a couple of key parts very early on and I was really disappointed with that.
Even though the ending wasn’t for me, the atmospheric setting of the snowy ghost town was great, so I’d still recommend this if you’re in the mood for it.

The book started out with a bang. Great prologue and ominous opening chapters. For basically the first half of the book, we only hear about our protagonist Mila (there are some flashbacks), and while that was an unusual plot device, it got old quickly. The chapters became redundant. I also thought the villain was pretty obvious, although not the motive, and Mila is not a likable character. Not a win for me.

Mila and Ethan are off to her sister Jess's destination wedding in Bavaria. Driving through the mountains to get there. they realise their sat nav doesnt work and then the car breaks down. They get out to look for help and find themselves holed up in an abandoned village. They fall asleep in a log cabin; when Mila wakes up, Ethan has disappeared. She spends days in the village and out of it, trying to find out what's happened to him and how she can escape. She also uncovers some horrific sights along the way

Hmm I liked the idea of this but it felt out of balance; the time she was in the forest felt a bit repetitive to me, whereas what happened later in the book could have been made more of (I think that's vague enough)

I was certainly surprised by the ending but the story as a whole was a bit too fantastical for me to fully buy into.

I love Sarah’s books and The Resort was as good as I anticipated. Compelling, fast paced and gripping , I flew through it and enjoyed every second. This author has a great skill at weaving an exciting plot around a riveting storyline in an utterly readable way. Thriller fans will love this and if like me you love a snow bound setting to your locked room mystery then this is a must read.
Grab a copy and buckle up

I really did not enjoy this book.

The characters were bland, the 'twist' I saw coming from page 20 or so, and it was really not that clever.
The pacing of the book seemed too weird, very uneven and off. The setting of the village was cool, but her time there was just repetitive and the extra added bits (nothing to do with the larger plot) just were not needed.

I felt like too much was crammed in, like the shop vandalism story, etc, they were not needed, did not add anything and overall, I really felt really let down by the book.

I did finish it, in hopes it might redeem itself at the end, as I had so much time invested in it, but alas.. no.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

The Resort
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 1/5/23
Author: Sarah Goodwin
Publisher: Avon Books
Pages: 384
GR: 3.84

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Avon Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: The opening gripped me, even the chapters after that were gripping. Then it hit a slow burn, then the ending was fantastic. The story is narrated from Mila’s POV with past and present. The past is delivered in flashbacks, which I love. A destination wedding for her sister turns into a sinister plot that follows back home. The sisters have a strained relationship and this wedding was Mila’s effort to start to repair the damage. Out of tragedy, does the bridge mend? The characters are built up, the plot is delivered into many twists and even subplots, and then the ending was fabulous. There were parts that may have seemed a bit stretched, but I absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. The atmospheric play between Germany and home was delivered so well, you could feel yourself along the journey with Mila. The characters were well developed with depth, they were mysterious, secretive, intriguing, and creatively woven. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, thrilling, engaging, and cleverly written. This story kept me on the edge of my seat and an eyes closed type of feeling as I flipped to the next page. I highly recommend this book, it is out now.

The Resort

**3.5 rounded down**

Mila is stranded in the snowy mountains.
Her husband vanishes overnight.
She is all alone. Or is she?

I loved the start of this book and I loved the end but the middle just felt a bit repetitive and just fell a little flat or this could have been a 5 star read but I did overall enjoy my time reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and Sarah Goodwin for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

Mila and her husband, Ethan are on their way to her sister's wedding at a resort. They hire a car at the airport, and it breaks down in the middle of nowhere. They find an abandoned village and sleep in one of the cabins.
When Mila wakes up, she finds that Ethan has disappeared without trace. This book captures the isolation, cold & fear Mila feels. At times I found it hard going with the focus on just one character but nevertheless it kept my interest. Some of the twist came as a complete surprise but other bits I had guessed. Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. Highly recommend!

An excellent and atmospheric read! It had me hooked from the very first pages and then I found myself utterly unable to put it down! I loved the changing timelines and delving into the family dynamics as well as this being a fast paced and menacing thriller! I loved how as soon as I thought I had got to the bottom of what was going on it threw me in a new direction and kept me reading way past my bedtime. Another fabulous read by Sarah Goodwin, this is an absolute triumph!

I thoroughly enjoyed Stranded by Sarah Goodwin so was looking forward to reading this! And OMG it was even BETTER than Stranded!! I was up till the early hours of this morning finishing this off as I just couldn’t put it down once I started it.

I actually don’t think I even read the blurb before I started reading as it quickly became obvious that this book wasn’t what I was expecting from the opening few pages. So that dealt me a few shocks from very early on. I was expecting the drama to start when Mila and Ethan arrived at her sisters wedding but it’s actually when they are on their way to the wedding that they become lost and end up in a small, inhabited area with some dilapidated buildings where they can take shelter from the snow and cold. But when Mila awakes the next morning her husband has disappeared. Without proper food and clothing Mila is forced to stay in the creepy cabin especially as she is convinced that there is someone or something out there…watching.

This is such a clever storyline that grips you immediately. I loved the flashbacks as well as the reader is given an insight into the relationship between the two sisters and why Mila is so determined to make her sisters wedding special. But the tension built up by the things that Mila finds whilst looking for Ethan is breathtaking! I thought I knew what was going on but I was pretty far off the mark!

The Resort is a brilliant page turner, gripping and shocking throughout. I absolutely loved it!

2.5/3
Mila and her husband, Ethan, are en route to her sister’s destination wedding in the Alps. She and her sister have been on the outs for a while, so Mila is determined to make it so they can repair their relationship. However, on the way to the resort, the car breaks down. She and Ethan find an abandoned town and manage to take refuge in one of the cabins for the night. When she wakes up the next morning, Ethan is gone with no trace of where he went. Alone without any communication devices and with the eerie feeling she is being watched, Mila must survive.

This book felt like two different books for me. The first half was pure survival. I think this part stretched on for too long especially because there were “days” where there was just like two paragraphs. I feel like it could’ve condensed down and still had the same effect. Then Mila is rescued, and this starts the second book feel. This is more like domestic suspense. Although, it is not very suspenseful because the minute we find out her husband is alive, obviously he is super guilty. The suspense is more why. Overall, the wrap-up (why the bodies in the town were there and why Ethan did the things he did) were underwhelming for me.

I enjoyed this novel and found it very intriguing but unfortunately it was very repetitive as well in places, but I think this was purely to try and embed the setting of the scene and the emotions that the character was going through..
There were plenty of twists in this book that kept you guessing.

Thank you to Avon Books UK, Netgalley and Sarah Goodwin for an ARC in return for an honest review