If you’ve ever studied abroad or taken a group trip in your youth, This Stays Between Us will strike a chilling chord. Sara Ochs’s suspenseful novel weaves together youthful nostalgia, buried guilt, and dangerous secrets. A decade after her best friend vanished on a trip to Australia, Claire is forced to return—and to face what she’s tried to keep hidden: the fact that she’s the one who killed her. This twisty thriller is also a haunting meditation on identity and how quickly intense connections formed in unfamiliar places can fracture when the truth surfaces.

👉 Want more? Read my full review and personal story about my own chaotic study abroad experience on my blog: https://writeontheworld.wordpress.com/2025/08/06/what-really-happened-on-that-study-abroad-trip-this-stays-between-us-is-a-thriller-with-secrets-nostalgia-and-a-killer-twist/

Ok - I have to be honest…I oscillate between liking this book and being very confused by it. There were parts that flowed and I was immersed in the plot and parts where I was confused because it felt disjointed.
I can’t say too much I depth without spoilers

Overall, the voice and flow of the book kept me reading and I feel like it might be someone’s cup of tea!

What an atmospheric read perfect for the summer! I really liked this premise of a group of friends returning to the scene of the crime 20 years later when the remains of their missing friend is found. Especially when one of the friends already knows what happened, because she's the one who killed her...

This book is told in dual timeline, interwoven chapters of past and present, and the short chapters and even pacing make the book easy to read. The story follows Claire- the self-confessed murderer- in the present day, and the victim, Phoebe, 20 years prior as the mystery of what happened to Phoebe slowly unravels. The setting is Australia, which is both exotic and dangerous, and the cast of characters are diverse, untrustworthy and suspicious.

As Claire revisits her past, it soon becomes clear that someone else may have been involved in Phoebe's death. The question of who the real killer is looms over the entire novel, keeping tension high from start to finish. Claire is a well crafted unreliable narrator- you know she's lying, but you have to figure out the extent of what she is hiding. And that final twist? Absolutely jaw-dropping. An entertaining poolside read.

10 years ago Claire was part of a study abroad program in Australia with 7 other college students and two "leaders'. During the time abroad the group they formed, also known as "the mob" experienced friendship, love, hatred and death. No living her life in Chicago she gets a call from the police in Australia letting her know that the body of her roommate who disappeared all those years ago has been found. They want the whole group to come back for questioning. What will she unravel when she goes back? What will she feel when she sees those who were once so close to her that she hasn't spoken to since that day?

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC.

Absolutely amazing with the right amount of twists and a past and present timeline to have everything come together by the end. This is a great summer thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre.

Years after a college abroad trip, a group reunites in Australia - coinciding with discovery of 1 of 2 deaths of the group.

If you like who-dun-it thrillers with unlikeable characters, creepiness factors and a desert backdrop, this is for you! The pacing for me felt right, keeping me engaged and wondering what would happen next.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC.

This book was an entertaining read with a twisty plot that kept me turning pages. While I appreciated the suspense and pacing, I found it hard to connect with the characters on a deeper level. Their motivations felt a bit surface-level, which made some moments fall flat emotionally. Still, it was a fun, fast-paced thriller worth a casual weekend read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for my copy of THIS STAYS BETWEEN US.

I started out liking this book but in the ended I noticed I was hate reading. Hate reading is when you're just reading because you want to finish it and you're just focusing on all the things you hate about it. This is not a smart move and it's a sure fire way to put yourself into a reading slump. For the sake of my TBR and the humans surrounding me, I decided to put it away. I don't recommend this book.

📚This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs

⚠️CWs for death of a friend, graphic violence, murder, complicated friendships, substance abuse, overdose, car accident, unplanned pregnancy, sexual assault, and more

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I flew through this…but it also kind of gave me nothing? 😆 I really liked the premise and there were a lot of interesting components/dynamics to it, but the story itself ended up not being particular compelling for me. While I was literally able to predict the ending like 15% in, at least it still kept me guessing and I was relatively entertained.

Super twisty and a quick page turner! I enjoyed this new mystery by Sara Ochs. I thought I had it figured out but then, I didn't and that is the best way for a mystery to be read. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is easily one of my favorite books this year. A group of friends is reunited in Australia when their friend's body is discovered 10 years after her disappearance. What happened? Is one of them guilty of murdering her? Those are the questions you are trying to answer while reading it.
The story is told in two time periods - then and now and from different POVs. I was hooked right from the beginning and couldn't put it down. Fast paced mystery that will keep you guessing till the end. In my opinion this is a great summer thriller.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the perfect read for anyone who's way too into Yellowjackets. An engaging story with memorable characters that will keep you glued to the page.

This was a decent thriller with an intriguing premise of a study abroad trip gone horribly wrong. I liked the mix of past and present timelines and the tension of uncovering what really happened to Phoebe. However, the story felt predictable at times, and I never fully connected with the characters. The pacing dragged in the middle, and the big reveal didn’t have the punch I was hoping for. Overall, quick read but doesn’t stand out in the genre.

Thanks NetGalley & Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted copy.

This was really fun and twisty! I had a great time reading this, it really pulled me in. I love multi-POV books, especially in mystery. I think it adds such an interesting element because you never know if the POV you're reading from is lying to you. The setting is fun and atmospheric, and I think this is the perfect summer thriller.

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for the
ARC
Summary: A study abroad program like no other: a month-long trip of education and adventure, exploring everything Australia has to offer. And at first, it's everything best friends Phoebe and Claire, and the rest of the student group expects: sunshine, whirlwind romance, and all-night parties. But it isn't long before cracks begin to form within the group.
10 years later Phoebe's body is discovered reopening her case and bringing the group back together. Is the killer one of them?
I enjoyed this thriller, loved the Australian setting, the diverse cast of characters who met as college students during a summer abroad, lots of good suspense, just when you thought you had the killer figured out there was a fun twist that kept you guessing till the end.
I would recommend for anyone looking for a fun fast paced summer thriller

Set in dual time periods, this story is one of mystery and deception. Unfortunately, there were so many twists that after a while, I lost interest. Some people who enjoy twist after twist may enjoy this one, but it just wasn’t for me.

All in all, this destination thriller completely delivered and may have just introduced me to a new favorite author. The story—centered around a study abroad trip gone sideways—was packed with everything I love: a vivid setting, layered secrets, shady characters, and just the right hint of romance. The pacing was spot on, the characters felt real, and the ending wrapped things up in a way that truly satisfied. It read like a summer blockbuster, and I couldn’t put it down. If you’re into twisty, atmospheric thrillers, this one’s absolutely worth the read. Solid 4.5 stars—easily rounded up.

This book was a great thriller set in Australia and I loved every minute of it. When a group of friends return to Australia a decade after their missing friends body was discovered, the cops have some questions for them.
As this group of friends relive what happened the night Phoebe went missing, you start to find out that they each have a dark secret where none of them can really be trusted.
There were some characters I really loved, and others I truly hated. The twist at the end in the epilogue really got me, I so was not expecting that extra little ending. This is the perfect thriller to read over the summer and I highly recommend it.

Ochs brings Australia vividly to life, from the sun drenched beaches to the oppressive heat of Jagged Rock. The Outback almost becomes another character: beautiful, isolating, and unforgiving. The dual timeline structure maintains suspense, with well placed red herrings and clues that keep readers guessing. The story escalates steadily, culminating in a twist‑heavy epilogue.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
🌴 island setting
🌴 group of friends who-dun-it
🌴 summer camp
🌴 murder
🌴 dual timelines
🌴 multi-POV
🌴 1st person POV

I really liked the format of this thriller!! The killer was revealed right at the very beginning of the book, and then the story was worked backwards from there 🩷🩷 It made it very suspenseful and exciting, and I couldn’t put it down right from the very beginning!
I tore through this book in 1 single day, that’s how much I enjoyed it 🩷🩷
I love the jumping back-and-forth between the 2 timelines; it keeps the story very exciting, and also allows me to piece the story together slowly as the clues are revealed 🩷
There was a bunch of characters in this one but it was very easy to keep track of them all; that’s super important to me when reading a multi-POV book.
I found myself rooting for Claire and Declan, even though Claire is kinda the bad guy? I did not hate any of the characters like I usually do with these who-fun-it murder mysteries 🤪🤪 which is strange to me because I can usually sense out the killer pretty quickly.
I really thought I had the killer figured out after reading so many of these murder mysteries, but boy was I wrong!!
This was my favourite read in a while; I really really enjoyed this one!! Thank you so much to Sarah Ochs and Sourcebooks Landmark for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review 💕💕