Claire has been encouraged to make a visit to Australia as part of a reunion of classmates on a study abroad program, but she is quite hesitant to attend. A decade earlier she traveled to Oz to travel around the country for a month. She quickly bonded with the other participants, who began to refer to themselves as "The Mob" named after the same moniker that is used to describe a pack of kangaroos.

This small group of students from all around the world quickly grew into a family like unit. And, as within a family, there were disagreements. Claire's roommate Phoebe got into it with the well put together Adrien, after both hooked up with heartthrob Kyan. Ellery, Thomas, Josh, Hari and Declan round out the group. Cracks begin to form when there is a terrible accident with one of the students and eventually Phoebe goes missing.

I enjoyed this book. The descriptions of the Australian setting jump off the page, immersing the reader down under. With a gaggle of interesting characters and lots of twists and turns, This Stays Between Us by Claire Ochs is a winner. 4 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

I absolutely loved “This Stays Between Us”. I’ve never had the pleasure of reading Sarah Ochs books before, but I do love a good thriller. I devoured this one in a day and I’m not sad about it. Set in the diverse, unique, and stunning Outback of Australia, a group of travel abroad friends is reunited years after their original adventure. What they think is that it’s just a reunion, but they’re thrown into a police investigation of their missing friend and her remains being discovered. Forcing the group of Claire, Josh, Declan, Adrien, Kyan, Tomas, and Hari to be reunited together and relive the loss of their friend; however, one of them isn’t who they seem and Claire seeks to find the truth of what happened to Phoebe.
The twists and turns of who can be trusted, who’s being honest and real, and who has withheld more than what they’re sharing we seek to discover and find out. I really enjoyed the twists and turns, trying to put the pieces together. I really loved the alternating viewpoints of the characters from then and now as we discover what happened to Phoebe and the events that happened that summer. I also appreciated the setting. I mean, Australia?! It all came together in the end and buckle down to read and reread the epilogue!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Sarah Ochs for this wonderful read! I’m looking forward to recommending it to my friends and bookclub groups!

This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs is a gripping and emotional domestic thriller that explores themes of trust, betrayal, and the consequences of secrets. The story centers around two women, Phoebe and Claire, whose lives become dangerously intertwined after a devastating event. As the story unfolds, Claire is forced to confront the darkness lurking in her past and the impact her choices have on her future.

Ochs does a fantastic job of creating a tense atmosphere, with clever pacing and well-developed characters. The psychological tension between the characters is expertly crafted, leaving you questioning what is truth and what is manipulation.

While the novel is engaging, some of the twists may feel somewhat predictable, and the motivations behind certain characters' actions could have been explored a bit further. However, the emotional depth and the complex, realistic portrayal of human relationships more than make up for these minor shortcomings.

Overall, This Stays Between Us is a compelling and thought-provoking thriller that will keep you hooked from start to finish. It’s a great choice for fans of character-driven mysteries with plenty of twists and emotional weight.

I'm calling it now: This Stays Between Us is going to be one of the psychological thrillers we see EVERYWHERE this summer.

Let's talk about who this book will work for and why it should have worked for me. If you love thriller elements, alternating timelines and perspectives, unlikable characters, immersive settings, and volatile friend groups, this one is for you. This is also my list of pros because this is what pulled me in and kept my focus.

But where it fell short was in a lot of the structure. Now, this isn't to say it's a fault of the writing as it could be personal preference, as I do struggle with repetition and the issue that started things off on the wrong foot for me was reading over and over about the thinness of a specific character. There were also moments that seemed forced in as an afterthought, as they didn't add much in terms of plot and weren't necessary for the reveal(s).

Overall, this thriller comes together with an intriguing plot and enough twists to keep readers interested. The pacing works well for those who prefer things to move quickly, and the short chapter crowd is going to be thrilled. If you're all about popcorn thrillers with toxic characters and summer destination vibes, add this one to your TBR ASAP!

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Sara Ochs for this complimentary copy.))

2 stars

Ten years friends Phoebe and Claire went to Australia to study abroad for a month, but Phoebe disappeared. Now, Phoebe’s remains have been discovered and the rest of the study group returns to Australia (um, why?) All of them have secrets. Especially Claire. Because she killed Phoebe.

But, of course, it’s most complicated than that. The shifts in POV between Phoebe and Claire were a little confusing for me. Oh, and Phoebe only becomes an acceptable human being when she loses weight, which is awesome. Ugh.

Ten years ago, Chloe and Phoebe were roommates during an Australian study abroad trip. Now 10 years later, Chloe is the trip reunion and everyone is being interviewed about what happened the night Phoebe disappeared. Everyone has their secrets they've kept over the years, and what will it reveal about the real events a decade earlier.

I really enjoyed this thriller! The dual timelines & POVs (Phoebe then, Chloe now) were woven together very well, slowly revealing more about each student and what happened on their trip. There were both predictable bits and some surprises, so overall a great read as I was able to stay engaged throughout.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the ARC for my review.

Wow- another page turner by Sara Ochs. This is a twisty thriller that takes place 10 years after a month-long abroad program for college students in Australia. Through a series of flashbacks, the haunting story of what took place during that month long program is revealed and the consequences of those actions in the present unfold. There are many surprises and unexpected twists in both the past and present. I could not put this book down. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a good suspense-filled mystery.

The premise of this book is a familiar one but the author definitely still put a unique spin on it. The multiple POVs and flashbacks helped you build tension surrounding the central mystery and all the clues felt like they were delivered at the perfect times to keep me intrigued. The cast of characters were distinctive and believable and the exploration of their relationships to one another was interesting.

This Stays Between Us is a gripping, beautifully written novel that explores secrets, trust, and the complexities of relationships. The suspense keeps you hooked, while the emotional depth of the characters adds layers to the story.

A super fun twisty thriller. Set in the Australian Outback and moving back and forth between the present and the events of 10 years ago. This one kept me engaged and eager to try and guess what would happen next! For me that is the hallmark of an excellent thriller. I'll definitely be picking up Ochs' other book The Resort. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

An alternating POV thriller with Claire in the present day 10 years after a travel abroad program and her friend Phoebe giving us a glimpse into the past that ultimately ended her life. Claire and the rest of their friends from the program reunite after the police discover Phoebe's body. With morally ambiguous characters everywhere you turn, the secrets and confessions are non-stop.

For better or for worse, I tend to be very good at seeing the twists and turns coming in most books. However, Sara Ochs debut novel, The Resort, blew my mind and left me reeling in shock. Unfortunately, I think that left me putting to much pressure on this book to do the same. This was a very good thriller, hence the 4 stars but, I found the ending disappointing.

This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs

5⭐️

Sara Ochs delivers a perfectly twisty novel that keeps you guessing and the very last chapter was SO unexpected!

this was a great book! I love the back and forth between current time and 10 years ago and how things parallel each other. It was well written and it definitely kept me entertained and intrigued!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

4.5 stars!

Another great thriller from Sara Ochs! This one set in Australia (a place I’ve always wanted to visit!) with a murder 10 years ago, several suspects, and twists at every turn. I loved the short chapters and alternating POVs and timelines. Kept me flipping the pages and guessing what would happen next.

And the very last chapter…ooooh man. Loved it!

A mystery with morally ambiguous characters. A few of the storylines are far fetched but the writing goes at a good pace and is quite engaging.

A haunting mysterious plotted murder. The characters relationships need to be unraveled to solve the mystery and the goings-on between the characters is extremely complicated. I love how deep it goes and it had me on tender hooks. The suspense is real!

One of the best thrillers I have read in a while! I loved the character relationships, which had me guessing the whole time. This is my first read by Sara Ochs and I will be picking up The Resort next!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

Enjoyable thriller with plenty of suspense in a fun setting.

This was so good! The suspense was right on and loved figuring out what happened. It was mysterious and fun

This was an enjoyable thriller! Lots of twists and turns with a fun setting. Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC!