Unfortunately, The Safari was not the book for me. I had high hopes, given that I love a unique setting (a South African safari), a complicated family dynamic, and a mystery. But despite those points, I just could not get into this novel. I had a difficult time connecting with - and caring about - any of the characters. Though we get to know each of them through the various points of view the author uses to tell the story, I couldn't find much redemption even in that approach. Yes, there were twists and turns in this crazy, nutty plot, but ultimately that was not enough to save this book for me. Others who have more patience for unlikable characters may be able to push through (and enjoy) this book more, but it was not for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

The Babel family arrives at their Leopard Sands resort for a Safari to celebrate their matriarch’s remarriage. Very soon, one of the members of the party turns up dead, and more start to go missing. Who will be next?

The first two thirds of this book really dragged - there was a lot of repetition, and I quickly grew tired of the spoiled and unlikable characters. Their voices all sounded the same, so I was often confused when the POV switched in every chapter.

There’s a big twist around ⅔ of the way in, and this is when I started to enjoy the book. I was shocked to find out who was really sleeping together, although in hindsight it should have been obvious. The end of the story pulls together many truly wild threads - no way would all these things happen in one family - but I love the soapy chaos, and I think all the loose ends were tied up.

If you like family drama, rich people acting terrible, and truly outrageous coincidences, you might love this book! The Safari setting was cool, and I enjoyed the soapy drama in the last third of the story. Be prepared to suspend your disbelief and try to look out for clues while you’re waiting for the action to happen.

The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis is a dysfunctional family drama set in Southern Africa. The family is a hot mess, traveling to Africa to celebrate the matriarch of the family’s marriage.

I enjoyed the drama of the book and figuring out the who-dun-it. The book is full of clues, many of them about the character relationships, that will lead the reader down many paths. There were a lot of descriptions of family relationships and the people who worked at the safari. There were times that it was too much description. A few times the descriptions became repetitive, too much, and I was skimming over some paragraphs.

Jacyln Goldis knows how to write a thriller.

Leopard Sands, an exclusive compound in South Africa, was supposed to be the site of a family gathering to celebrate the wedding of Odelia Babel and Asher Bach. Dede is the CEO of a fashion empire, while Asher, who is twenty-five years her junior, is the designer of her luxury clothing line. The wedding came as a surprise to her three children, who disapprove of Asher, but they seem happy together. Nothing will spoil Dede’s plans except, perhaps, murder. After a day out on a safari, they gather around a fire pit, where voices are raised, objections are aired and the family is on the verge of coming apart. The next day Dede’s body is found, shot with a rifle that lies nearby. There is only family and devoted staff at the compound and accusations begin to fly. It was her son Joshua who found the body. He was her right hand man at Circ, named for the circle of life, and the closest of her children. It was her son Sam who argued with her the night before. He is heavily in debt and has a concept for his own business, but Dede controls the money and has cut him off, demanding that he stand on his own. Sam’s alibi is his twin sister Bailey, who he talked with until the early morning hours. Bailey, however, has disappeared. Before meeting Asher, Dede’s closest friend was Gwen, who became her assistant and confidante. They have been friends for years and she knows all of Dede’s secrets. One of those secrets has come to haunt them and Gwen also disappears before she can alert the others. Blackmail, murder and a kidnapping will keep you guessing as Jaclyn Goldis casts suspicion on family, Violet, the compound’s manager, and Markus, their safari guide who had ties to Dede in the past.

The Safari takes you on a journey through the wilds of South Africa, spotting lions devouring their kill and a mother elephant mourning the loss of her child. The compound is surrounded by security fences, but not all of the dangerous creatures are on the outside. Goldis’ story is atmospheric and filled with twist after twist. After reading The Chateau and The Main Character, I knew that when I started The Safari I would not be able to put it down. Guaranteed enjoyment for mystery lovers. I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Publishing for providing this book.

In one sentence, the author used “intoned,” “automatons,” “axiom,” and “apropos.” The next sentence “lest” and “suffuse.” I like words. This is too much. I won’t put myself through it. Abandoned.

I love complex, moody, twisty thrillers, and The Safari delivered on all counts!
Join the Babels at their South African resort for the wedding of matriarch Odelia Babel, CEO of the family's sustainable luxury fashion empire, to the much younger Asher Bach, a highly successful designer in his own right. Attending the festivities are Odelia's adult children, Joshua with his wife and their infant daughter, and the younger twins Samuel and Bailey, as well as Odelia's best friend since childhood and personal assistant of sorts, Gwen. Amid game drives and dinners, it is clear that nobody seems particularly happy for the couple, and tension mounts as long buried secrets threaten to come to light. When roads in and out of the resort are shut down by a significant rainy season storm and someone is found dead, the idyllic safari setting turns into a "locked room" situation where the animals outside the electric fence start to seem far less deadly than some of the people within. There were a couple of twists I saw coming, but others took me completely off guard; great read!

This book took me a bit to get through and I’m not quite sure why. I think the dynamics of the family were a bit much for me. It was pure chaos.

There was not much going on until about 60% into the book and it took me a bit to get there. Very slow paced until it wasn’t. After that, I was completely lost on what was happening as twists kept coming.

I adored the setting in this one - it added to the plot and provided coverage for the alienation of the characters. It also allowed for Goldis to talk about the impact of poaching on wildlife (seriously, y'all suck!) This suffered from what I like to refer to as “mwah haha syndrome” - when the killer goes into a whole rambling speech about why and how they did what they did. I’m never really of fan of that so it definitely impacting how I felt about the book.

This was twisty and turny and cheated a bit - we are in the different characters’ heads but they are lying to themselves because there are A LOT of secrets with these people and yet they think around them instead of about them. Still, I read it in almost one sitting because I needed to know who did it (though that was pretty obvious pretty fast) as well as find out all those secrets.

Odelia is the CEO of a popular fashion brand, she took over after her controlling husband died years ago and is now getting remarried to a much younger, but very successful man, Asher. She has convened her family (two sons, her daughter and sister) to a luxury resort in South Africa, one they have been visiting for years. In between the luxurious sarfaris and meals Odelia is murdered. There seem to be so many potential killers because so many people have been wronged by her and have a motive.

I really did not know what to expect with this one but I got very into it very fast (it doesn’t hurt that I have been dying to go on a safari for over 20 years). This is a great atmospheric thriller with many twists and turns. I loved the descriptions of the animals but even more so I loved that I really could not solve the mystery. This is a twisty-turny fun thriller that would be a great beach read. Each character had a rich background story and the dynamics between them was both interesting and uncomfortable at the same time. I didn’t get bored with this book and I can’t wait to read the author’s backlist!

Jaclyn Gold’s Safari is a wild ride—sometimes thrilling, sometimes bumpy, and occasionally a bit lost in the tall grass. Set against the vivid backdrop of an African safari, the novel teases danger, seduction, and secrets with a cinematic flair. You can practically feel the dust and hear the distant roar of lions.

Gold’s writing shines when it comes to atmosphere and setting; the landscape is lush and immersive. But the characters? Not quite as fully fleshed as the wildlife. The emotional stakes don’t always land, and some plot twists feel more like detours than dramatic turns.

Still, there’s something undeniably intriguing about the premise and the simmering tension beneath the surface. Safari has moments of genuine suspense and flashes of brilliance—it just doesn’t always find the clearest path through the terrain.

Worth a read if you’re in the mood for an exotic escape with a side of mystery—just pack a little patience with your binoculars.

What the actual....what!? This book was so messy in the best way. And legit right up until the last page. Family drama, poachers, lion prides, and plenty of murder.

Sizzling secrets, couture claws, and deadly drama—The Safari is luxury meets lethal, and I devoured every twisty, blood-soaked page like it was a five-star meal under the South African sun. Jaclyn Goldis brings the rich mom energy and then drops bodies like haute couture confetti. Scandalous, savage, and oh-so-satisfying. Buckle up—this safari gets wild.

Thank you Jaclyn Goldis, Atria Books, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

#thesafari #netgalleyarc #netgalleyreview #netgalley #arcreview #arc #arcreader #review #somanybookssolittletime

This was a good mystery with several twists at the end. I do think the .middle dragged a bit and could have used a little more editing.

Looking for White Lotus vibes?
Fan of rich people problems?

The Safari finds readers literally on a swanky safari compound in South Africa. We meet the Babel family whose relationships with their mother and each other are strained for various reasons.

There are secrets, secrets, and more secrets! Everyone’s got them. Some are easy to figure out while Goldis makes readers work harder to solve a few of the others.

This is my third book from Goldis and I continue to love her writing and the stories she crafts. I mean a safari themed locked room mystery? Genius!

I just couldn't get into this novel - it was definitely a more "It's me, not you" kind of thing. I requested it mainly for the setting, and that's something I enjoyed. I gave it sixty pages, but the plot moved much too slowly for my taste, and I didn't feel a connection with the characters. I have no doubt there are other readers who would enjoy this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Finished this one a bit ago and while I found the premise really interesting, I don't think it was entirely for me as a reader. I can see someone else really loving the mystery aspects of this book throughout, as they're pretty solid and can make this whodunnit pretty compelling. The writing itself is also very good!

A captivating closed-room mystery set in South Africa at a safari lodge. A wealthy family comes to the lodge for the wedding of their mother to her much younger paramour. None of her three adult children are very happy about this, nor her best friend. So when she is found dead, we are not lacking for suspects. But is the killer finished?

I liked the way the story backtracks a couple days before the murder so we get to know each of these characters, one by one. Each and every one has a secret they are hiding, even some of the staff. Telling the story from all sorts of different povs did get a bit confusing at times though. Lots of plot twists, right up until the very end, kept the story interesting. I'd enjoy reading more of Goldis's mysteries.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new mystery via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Within the striking backdrop of Kruger, South Africa, this thriller follows a wealthy Jewish family navigating the complexities of life, loyalty, and legacy amid the matriarch’s remarriage to a much younger man. With great wealth comes deep secrets, cover-ups, murder, and a cast of characters all vying for a piece of the pie; which epitomizes the circle of life brilliantly.
Told from various points of view, you get a complete picture of this family and how each of them fit and feel within it, each with their own issues, and no one is exactly who you think they are. The vivid descriptions of the scenery and safari life transported me, beautifully grounding the chaos of the family drama in a breathtaking setting.The multiple plot twists in this one are sharp and thrilling, and when everything comes together, finally in the bitter end, you see why some people like animals more than humans. I couldn’t put this one down!

The Safari was a winding locked room thriller that told an intense story of wealthy family dysfunction set against the richly beautiful backdrop of South Africa.
From the first chapter it was pure ruthlessness. There wasn’t really a single character I identified or sympathized with, they were all varying degrees of awful. With so many characters it felt as if there was a lot going on at all times and I couldn’t make sense of where things were going for the longest time but I finally figured out the big twist shortly before it was revealed.
As a fan of Jaclyn Goldis’s other novels, I was very excited for this one and enjoyed it as well, especially the cultural insights it brought, both South African and Jewish.
Thank you so much to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for sending me an eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Oh. My. Goodness!! Where do I begin? This book is a MESS!! So many characters, so many stories, so many secrets!! Most of the characters are not happy in the life they live, but don't know why. And many of the characters don't even REALLY know who they are - or who other people really are.

The female head of a fashion empire has fallen "truly, madly, deeply" in love with a man many years her junior and an employee. But none of that matters to Odelia Babel, because her wealth has always guaranteed she gets what she wants. And she wants Asher Bach. It doesn't matter what her three children think of him, nor does it matter what her best friend since childhood thinks. She is going to marry Asher and her entire family, including her daughter-in-law, who is also an employee, and her practically newborn granddaughter, as well as her lifelong friend Gwen, are going to witness the event. And it will be held at Leopard Shores, a safari camp in South Africa owned by the Babel family. Never mind that it is the rainy season. Never mind that the lodge is fully booked. What Odelia wants, Odelia gets.

But on the night before the scheduled wedding, as torrential rains fall and everyone is stilll trying to get their head around the events, what Odelia gets is murdered. WHO did this? The rains have kept everyone else except the wedding party away. Even the police have a hard time getting to the scene of the crime. AND two others in the party go missing by the time the police finally do arrive.

There is so much story, many interweaving and others just out there alone, and so many characters. But somehow, the author manages to tell quite a tale, even if it is totally implausible, but FUN!! Suspend all critical thinking, because it is not necessary and in fact would probably ruin the story!