This book was deliciously suspenseful. The slow reveal of what really happened during that study abroad trip kept me totally locked in. Ochs has a way of making even small moments feel ominous, which had me constantly second-guessing everyone. The setting added a fresh, eerie vibe I loved. While some character choices were frustrating in a “why are you doing that?!” kind of way, it totally worked for the tension. A juicy, binge-worthy read.

This story depicts the dark side of friendships and wanting to fit in. The author does a good job keeping you on your toes about who the killer is. Ultimately I just felt bad for all these characters and their sad stories. If you like dark mysteries, this one is for you. Trigger warning: sexual assault

I was attracted to the idea of a sun-soaked vacation thriller, which seems to be this author's specialty, set at a short study abroad program in Australia with a wild group of friends with murder in the potent mix of sex and substance abuse. Unfortunately the writing just really missed the mark for me.

I was prepared for toxic, unlikable characters and alcohol-fuelled debauchery, but I found the friends to be shallow and not very well developed. I never saw the chemistry between their friendships or romantic entanglements and they all seemed to actively dislike each other, which made it hard for me to stay interested in them as characters.

The writing style was also kind of bland to me.

As a thriller I found it boring and predictable. It was easy to read in an afternoon but it was kind of a slog to get through. Alas this one was just not for me. This has received many other great reviews however. So it could just be a me thing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the eARC of this twisty title!**

So this one was definitely TWISTY. If you like breakneck pacing and dual timelines - you will enjoy this one.

My complaints with this book are just the far fetched aspect of everything. I can suspend disbelief just as much as the next person but I had a hard time grasping the development of this group of friends over the course of 1 month. I know at that age feelings and friendships can forge fast but ultimately a month is such a small drop of time.

For these characters to reunite 10 YEARS later and still be acting the way they do towards each other was just bizarre to me. It took me out of the story in a lot of places.

Overall though - I did enjoy this one!! I couldn’t put it down and needed to know what happened next. If you can not overthink this one I think you will enjoy it if you like thrillers, chaos, and drama!

I picked this one because of the setting in Australia . Unfortunately it ended up being too predictable and I struggled to connect to the characters.

Adventurous, dark and chilling!

This book really took me off guard. I really wasn’t sure what would happen next, and I actually didn’t guess who killed Phoebe which is a rare occurrence for me and thrillers. The Australian setting was so fun to explore, especially since I’m not super familiar with the country which added to the mystique. This was a fun whodunit with friends turned foes, found family that didn’t know each other as much as they thought they did.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though I’m not shocked, considering I really enjoyed The Resort by this author. This one was also less far fetched than that one hence the higher rating!

Lastly, thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
3 stars

As is the way with me, the synopsis drew me in. A small group of college students winds up in Australia for a short study abroad program. The program ends with one student dead and one missing. Ten years later the body of the missing student is found and those left of the group travel back to Australia to aide the authorities with their investigation by completing interviews. As the investigation unfolds we find that everyone is harboring secrets.

There are a slew of characters in this story but it fluctuates between the POV’s of Phoebe (10 years ago,) and Claire ( present day.) Through the story telling it becomes clear that each student on the trip found themselves participating in the program for deeply personal reasons. These are young twenty something kids so the pettiness and drama run strong. I hate to say this but I found every one of the main characters insufferable (with the exception of maybe Tomas but he didn’t really play a big part.)

The majority of the book is a slow reveal of secrets that are intended to keep you circling around the characters trying to figure out who the culprit is. Like the author wants you to be convinced that you know who it is, only to have you change your mind with the next chapter reveal. Except it didn’t work like that for me. The secrets and the character responses to events and situations were predictable. I often found myself rolling my eyes. Learning who the murderer was felt rushed through and was anticlimactic. At the end, each characters story time of what they spent the last ten years doing and how they were going to move forward was kind of boring, an info dump if you will.

That big reveal at the very end was sinister but not surprising at all.

Overall, it’s not a terrible book. It just didn’t feel well executed. It wasn’t riveting to me, less psychological thriller and more corny…mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinion

Phoebe and Claire look forward to joining their student group for a month-long study abroad in Australia. Soon after their arrival, signs of trouble interrupt their days and evenings of partying when Phoebe suddenly goes missing.
Ten Years Later
Claire gets the call she has been dreading. Just as the group was planning a return trip to Australia, she was informed that her best friend Phoebe’s body had been found. The group returns for their reunion visit. Claire spends her time on the return trying to put together the pieces of her time with Phoebe all those years ago. She soon finds out she is not alone. The entire group is also holding back their secrets.
Only Claire knows what happened to Phoebe, but she must prevent the others from knowing the truth.

This was an engrossing, twisty read set in Australia on what should be the adventure of a lifetime for a group of college students. In reality, this is a group of individuals who collectively make terrible decisions, treat each other poorly, and make me want to prohibit my kid from ever going on a program like this! Very readable and really took my by surprise at the end.

This one was interesting read, a thriller in the Australian Outback. The thought of giant spiders there terrify me but this is a great read

A fascinatingly twisty read! The delivery of the then and now POVs from different characters had me constantly coming up with new theories of who was actually to blame for the murder. I loved that all the characters had layers and dirty laundry so it wasn’t immediately obvious how the crime had played out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This Stays Between Us is a twisty, tension-filled thriller that dives into the secrets we keep and the lies we tell to protect them. Sara Ochs delivers sharp writing, layered characters, and just enough misdirection to keep you second-guessing everyone. The dynamics between the characters feel personal and messy in all the right ways, making the emotional stakes hit hard. It’s a fast-paced, addictive read that knows exactly when to turn up the pressure.

Wow—what a fantastic thriller! I was completely hooked. The use of a dual timeline was masterfully done, smoothly transitioning between Claire’s present-day perspective and Phoebe’s in the past leading up to the murder. This narrative style gave the story real depth, letting us connect with Phoebe even though she’s already gone in the current timeline. It added layers to the mystery and kept me guessing throughout.

I’ll be honest—I was initially underwhelmed when the killer was revealed. But then—bam—that final twist flipped everything on its head. It was shocking, satisfying, and wrapped the story up perfectly.

If you're into smart, suspenseful thrillers with unexpected turns, This Stays Between Us is a must-read!

This book was an absolute delight to read! It had everything I look for — engaging writing, memorable characters, and a story that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. The author’s voice is distinct and compelling, making it easy to get lost in the world they created, no matter the genre.

I'm incredibly grateful to the publisher for the early copy. It was such a joy to read this in advance, and I can’t wait for more readers to experience it. Highly recommend!

This was a quick read for me.
I like how the setting was in Australia and it was described so I could actually picture the different landscapes and such.
It follows a group of students who went to the Australia for school ten years ago. One of them disappears and then ten years later they are back in Australia with news about the one who disappeared….

I liked the then and now POVs so we could get a feel of the girls and how it all it panned out.
It did have some twists and turns to this book and some unlikeable characters. Everyone has dirty secrets that they wanna hide from the group
I did find some of the book a little boring in the middle and there was some added things that I didn’t think that needed to be added.

This does have the short chapters and I was say id classify this as popcorn thriller.

At the end the story does come together and tie everything in. I personally don’t think the epilogue was necessary for the ending.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher and author for letting have this ARC for review . The book is expected to be published July 15, 2025.

This thriller had me hooked from page one. The suspense was perfectly paced, with just enough twists to keep me guessing without feeling overdone. The characters were sharp, and the stakes kept rising in all the right ways. If you're a fan of fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat reads, this one is a must!

This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs pulled me in from the very first page. I loved the use of multiple points of view and how the story skillfully weaves between past and present—it added so much depth and kept the suspense building. The mystery had me hooked, constantly trying to piece together what happened and who was behind it. The characters felt real and compelling, and the vivid descriptions of the Australian setting made everything come alive. A tense, addictive read that I couldn’t put down!

I really enjoyed the setting and plot of this story; however I couldn't connect with the characters. I enjoyed the multi-POV and suspense, however it felt a bit slow and didn't pick up until the end. I definitely predicted the end a bit but still enjoyed the reveal and the writing throughout the book! Overall enjoyed and would be a great summer read!

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher and author for letting have this ARC for review . The book is expected to be published July 15, 2025.

Now, after a binge on romantasy, it was a nice refreshing dip into a thriller/who-done-it, especially with one done so well. There are two points of view and two timelines explored in the book (two timelines of then and now-not alternate reality timelines) and the chapters are fairly short and not too drawn on to lose my attention.

The book started out strong, as it was very clear on someone's guilt right out of the gates; but what really happened and all the motives around it are hinted and teased at through this book and I just ate it up as the reveals happened bit by bit. My suspicions kept shifting slightly because I also felt that everyone was just a little bit terrible.

I adored who atmospheric this book was and how diverse the students are. Sara captured the insecurities of (some) youth finding themselves and trying to fit in; the adventure and pettiness people have at that age and then the realization that the people you thought you knew so well when you were younger are so different when you reconnect later as 'mature' adults (if you want to consider ten years past college age mature)

This was my first book by the author and based on the story and quality of it, I will definitelyl be reading more of Sara Ochs works.


The ARC indicates that any typos/errors would be fixed before publication but I did highlight an error of 'trying to drawing' should likely be 'trying to draw' about halfway through the book.

Overall, this was a really strong who-dunnit thriller, with a strong premise and gripping plot twists the whole way through, right to the very last page. From the first few chapters you could tell this was going to be a strong book, both POVs were extremely interesting and they flipped back and forth at the right times to keep you hooked. Very well executed and had me on the edge of my seat throughout.

Claire and Phoebe were both interesting and complex characters, who really helped to build a strong investment in their stories along the way. The side characters and locations they were in were also fleshed out really well, making you feel like you were there with them. Perfectly executed, honestly. Maybe the conclusion came out of nowhere a little, but the revelations along the way made it a truly fun read.