Enjoyed it!! At times the story is repetitive and I wondered how long we were going to have to read about Mila stuck in the ghost town until something interesting happened. The title is a little misleading because the story has nothing to do with a resort. I didn't love any of the characters. Mila was an awful sister to Jess. Growing up, Mila only thought of herself and she was definitely the favorite child. Mila is a germaphobe and refuses to drink out of cans. She doesn't want to drink the freshly fallen snow because of germs and insists on boiling it. She hasn't washed her hands in days and goes to the bathroom outside and she's afraid of germs in snow. I'm not sure why she didn't collect a whole bunch of wood so wouldn't have to keep going out for it. From the start I suspected Ethan and Jess behind everything. I figured her sister wanted to get back at her for everything that happened growing up and the inheritance. Mila wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. How did she not notice everything?

Definitely recommend the book. It was a good mystery/thriller. A little more could have happened in Witwerberg. The scenes drag on a bit. How many times can we read about Mila collecting wood, getting snow, being scared about snow germs and seeing shadows? It was an interesting story and I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Ethan. I would have been scared to death being alone in the dilapidated cabin. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon Books UK, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 2.3/5

This was my first experience of Sarah Goodwin's work and I really found it to be a book of two halves.

I enjoyed the first half of the novel. It is suitably atmospheric and the author displays a considered approach that is effective in helping to build the feeling of suspense and of unseen threats. There is distinct psychological horror element to the story throughout this section. Yes, it requires disbelief to be suspended to a degree, but only in the same way as you need to allow a 1980s style horror movie some dramatic licence in order for it to be effective. The narrative is, perhaps, guilty of being a little repetitive on occasion, but that is understandable given the remote setting with, essentially, one lone protagonist and the author aiming to represent her plight in a relatable manner.

The second half of the novel is another matter entirely. It seems rushed and overly simplistic. It could almost have been written by a completely different author. The plotting is on the clumsy side, with the twists and turns being the result of convenient rabbits being pulled out of a hat, rather than the consequence of a cleverly developed and meticulously plotted storyline. "The Resort" is still a perfectly readable novel, but it had the potential to be something considerably more than just that.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

A snowy mountaintop wedding? Yes! Sign me up. The wedding party is having a nice retreat in the snowy mountains, but they don’t anticipate getting stranded. They find an old abandoned cabin and they decide to spend the night. Only the next morning someone is missing. Are they actually alone on the mountain?

I found myself utterly bored while reading this. It sounded good, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I think that it was hard to get through, because of the pacing of the story and also I did not find myself caring for anything that was happening or even caring about the characters.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

What a Gripping and Fantastic read!
On the way to her sisters wedding Mila and Ethan's car breaks down in the middle of the forest (or does it) stranded and miles from nowhere they find a secluded abandoned village resort, taking shelter all is not as it seems when Mila wakes to the disappearance of her husband, has he been taken or simply gone to get help, I can honestly say it wasn't what I thought it was gonna be that's for sure with a brilliant twist this book will keep you guessing throughout.
Hats off to Sarah Goodwin on a great book and a thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read it!

I am sorry to say that I struggled with this book. I loved the sound of it but found it to be too slow for me. I wanted more to be going on. I am an impatient reader but, I didn't really enjoy this book.

A destination wedding, snowy mountains, and an abandoned ski resort set this stage for this wintery thriller.

Mila and her husband, Ethan, were traveling to her sister's destination wedding when things began to go wrong. First their directions took them down a steep road, then they had car trouble. Lost and stranded in the snow filled mountains, they had no choice but to seek out shelter. They found an abandoned ski resort with boarded up windows. They decided to bunker down for the night. Tired, hungry, and cold they went to sleep. When Mila woke up the next morning, Ethan was gone!

She's all alone yet can't shake the feeling that she is not alone. She is also drowning in guilt about not being there for her sister's wedding.

This was an atmospheric thriller which had me asking the same questions that Mila was asking: Where was Ethan? Did something happen to him in the night? Did he stumble off and get lost in the snow? How will she get to help? What should she do? Where should she go? Should she stay put?

The author did a good job describing the snow cold environment. The lost and desperate feelings of Mila. This book is told in real time and through snippets of the past. Readers learn more about Mila and her relationship with her sister.

I enjoyed this book but there were some things in this book that did not work for me. As I mentioned I enjoyed the atmosphere and the way I could feel Mila's desperation and lost feelings. The second half of the book really picks up and there are a couple of twists. I have to say that I had 'concerns' about one character and was not surprised about the major twist.

I loved Stranded by Goodwin and had high hopes for this book. I enjoyed it and read it in one sitting. I put this is in the good but didn't blow me away category. I will still be on the lookout for more books by this author. She can write and excels at creating atmosphere.

The Resort by Sarah Goodwin (book review)

There is something so creepy and atmospheric about this book. From deep under my covers, I peeked out to read the story. I could feel shivers crawling up my spine.

Synopsis:
Mila and Ethan are traveling to a luxurious ski resort to attend her sister's wedding. As they drive through deep snow, everything proceeds smoothly until the car stalls.

As night begins to set in, they walk back to some cabins they saw on the route. They find it difficult to take shelter because cabin windows are boarded up and the buildings are in disrepair. They seem eerily out of place, but have no choice but to break into one to stay overnight.

Upon waking up the following morning, Mila discovers that Ethan is nowhere to be found. She has no one to turn to for help. It seems that she is all alone...or so she thinks.

Final thoughts:
It gets under my skin to think of being stranded alone in a snowstorm. While not the absolute scariest book I have read, the setting and plot twists played on my psyche. The novel held my attention and kept me turning pages quickly.

The Resort by Sarah Goodwin is available on January 5th.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK, for sharing this nail-biting thriller with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

Wow - what a book! This is the first book I’ve read by Sarah Goodwin and I’ll definitely be reading more! I was completely hooked and couldn’t stop reading - I needed to know what was going to happen. At some points it felt a bit dragged out and I was thinking this was going to be a 3 star read - but then it completely changed! I couldn’t guess what was going to happen and it definitely surprised me. I love a thriller set in a snowy setting, it just makes it so much creepier! The writing was really clever and unpredictable. This is everything a thriller should be, and I can’t wait to read more from Sarah Goodwin in the future. I can’t go into too much detail about why this isn’t a 5 star read for me because it would spoil part of the storyline. But I definitely recommend this book!

Right from the first chapters, a feeling of desolation creeps out and Mila, our protagonist, finds herself alone, scared, isolated and in a blizzard.

This is a very atmospheric read and perfect for those like me, who love survival and isolation tropes. It’s a bit slow in the beginning, but the author made it interesting and it’s easy for the reader to ache for Mila.

With most of the plot line centred around only one character, it’s quite inevitable that things become a little repetitive. However, I do consider this to be an enjoyable read!

"I’m already exhausted from the long walk and my muscles are screaming at me to stop. I have to keep going but fear can only give me strength for so long. It’s so hard to make any progress. I’m stumbling, sliding, my legs straining.
Am I still being chased?"

The Resort by Sarah Goodwin had several of my favorite tropes. What I liked about it the most was the suspenseful atmosphere as Mila is all alone in this creepy place, cut out from everything and possibly watched. I also liked the mystery, even though it was pretty predictable and you can guess it early on.

However, having only one character for a large portion of the book inevitably leads to everything being very repetitive. It's just her for days, facing all the same problems and with no one to talk to.

Also, while I didn’t mind the twist, there were other options for this book’s ending. And I thought some of those other options were way better than what actually happened.

Still, The Resort wasn't a bad book. I did enjoy many aspects of it. Maybe my expectations were just too high.

If you want to see my much more in depth review, you can check it out on my book blog NovelOnMyMind.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Resort by Sarah Goodwin in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping thriller, beginning with shades of Bethany Clift's Last One At The Party. Mila and Ethan are stranded in remote Bavaria en route to Mila's sister's wedding when they, happen upon a deserted hamlet in which to take shelter. Mila awakens the next day to find herself alone, Ethan nowhere in sight, without food and injured, Mila struggles to survive the biting cold and the stranger who wants her dead

I was drawn into this story immediately; Mila and Ethan are travelling to her sister's wedding in the Bavarian mountains. Whilst driving the snowy route, their car breaks down and phones are out of coverage. When then happens is Castaway but instead of a deserted island in the sun, its snow and in central Europe. This alone was too much of a stretch for me. For the first half of the book, Mila is alone in an abandoned cabin. A series of events occur including finding bodies, a large fire and someone watching her, yet nobody can find her. One person alone needs action I suppose to keep the story going but it was deeply unrealistic.
After a week (the trauma of which is largely ignored) Mila is found and within 48 hours is back in work in the Uk. The second half of the book reads like a separate story. There is a twist which one could see coming from the middle of the book and it ended.

I don't mean to be disparaging. The actual writing was good. The setting and emotion captured well , the plot just let this one down.
Not one I would recommend,

The Resort by Sara Goodwin
Well, that was an interesting book! I found it very well written. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. It had the right amount of twists and suspense. I did find the second half of the book kept me more engaged than the beginning, and that’s what kept me reading to find out how it would end.
Many thanks to Sarah Goodwin, NetGalley, and Avon Books UK for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read and enjoyed Stranded by the same author, so was keen to read The Resort. The cover is quite nice and the title stands out, but I thought it looked very similar to other books in the genre.

Ethan and Amelia have travelled to Bavaria for Amelia’s sister’s wedding at a luxury ski resort. They get lost and end up in an abandoned village, then Ethan disappears. Amelia is left alone and terrified, feeling like someone or something is watching her. When she finds bodies she begins to fear for her own safety.

The book had a promising start, but once Ethan disappeared not much really happened for quite a chunk of the book. The story is mostly told from Amelia’s point of view. It alternates between the present day and her childhood, giving an insight into the difficult relationship between her and her sister.
Towards the end of the book the pace picks up, but it felt like too little too late for me.

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.

I expected this to be a book I would race through and be keen to pick up and read, but this wasn’t the case for me.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend this book. The pace was too slow and the plot was predictable yet far fetched. However, I’m not put off the author and would read another book by her.

Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for a copy to review.

This was such a good thriller!

I was on the edge of my seat, heart pounding the entire story!

Sarah Goodwin is an amazing author and I highly recommend this book. You don't be able to put it down!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Eerie, chilling, and twisted. This was a lot of fun. I struggled to get into it first but once I finally did I was dying to know what would happen next. An edge-of-your-seat thriller.

I really enjoyed Sarah's previous 2 books but unfortunately this one didn't quite hit the mark for me.
A fabulous setting with lots of creepy descriptions it did have me on the edge of my seat to begin with but I did start to lose interest mid way through and it didn't quite follow through on the promise of the psychological thriller vibe. The ending felt a bit disconnected to the rest of the storyline so I was expecting something a bit different.
It was a quick easy read though and I'm sure plenty of thriller fans will enjoy it.

Mila and her husband Ethan are on their way to her sister’s wedding in a ski resort in Bavaria.

As they drive through the Alps, surrounded by snow covered forests, Mila feels like everything is finally going to plan. They’re hoping to make it to her sister’s welcome dinner tonight 🍽

Suddenly their car stops; the couple has no choice but to walk the rest of the distance or until they see some sign of civilization.

Minutes later, they come upon a town, a place called Witwerberg with only six buildings; all log cabins and appearing dilapidated.

When they finally reach the cabins, they find the windows boarded up and the buildings in disrepair. They have the eerie sense they shouldn’t be there.

An engaging thriller. Would recommend
Thank you to Sarah Goodwin, NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the arc of this book.

There are good books and then there are GOOD books and this was a fantastic read. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Twisty and unpredictable, I didn't know what to believe, I loved it.

Wow. Just…wow. I absolutely loved this book! I loved the crazy twists and turns, and I finished in one day.