What happened to Phoebe ten years ago? Claire narrates this story in the present and Phoebe during the summer that six students did a big Australian adventure and she ended up dead. Her remains have just been found, the other five students have come back to Australia, and the police want answers. They've all kept a secret or two, they're all pretty unlikeable. This plot might seem familiae but Ochs does a nice job with the Australian setting and there's a twist I didn't expect. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good one for travel.

𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗞
Ten years ago, a group of college students spent a month in Australia - but when one of them vanished, the trip ended in tragedy. Now, a body’s been found in the outback, and the group is forced to face what really happened.

📚 Published in the US as This Stays Between Us (Sourcebooks Landmark) and in the UK as The Outback (Transworld/Random House UK). Same book - two titles, depending on where you are!

𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡
Gripped immediately! It’s fast-paced, twisty, and the dual timeline worked really well. I loved Claire from the start. She felt relatable, and easy to connect with. In the past, Phoebe took a bit longer to connect with, as her story unfolds slowly but it gets quietly heartbreaking.

Even though the flashbacks are set ten years earlier, it didn’t feel YA. The way they bond so quickly felt believable (reminded me of my Birthright-Israel trip at 16 - intense bonds, fast friendships).

Although I didn’t guess whodunnit, I wasn’t shocked - however, the epilogue was super juicy!

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗?
This was a fast-paced, character-driven whodunnit that I found entertaining and addictive. Definitely worth picking up this summer!

🎧 Narrated by Leah Horowitz + Suzy Jackson
📖 Publishes 07•15•25 | 432 pages | 13h 52m

Thanks to @sourcebooks & @netgalley for the early copy!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted ARC. This cover intrigued me and I was so excited for the chance to read it early. Once I started, I felt discouraged and like I had read so many books similar to this one. But I’m happy I continued! This started off right away with dual timelines with narrators for each timelines. There were a lot of characters between the timelines and it was quite a bit to keep track of at first, but it became easier as it went along! The characters are all suspects as we try to find who murdered their friend years ago. Everyone has secrets, and they all seem to have a motive and opportunity. It is such a wild ride to the end and then the insane final twist just sealed it for me! This is a bingeable, intense thriller, but I do think it could have been edited down to make it shorter. I would recommend this for a summer thriller to thrown in your beach bag!

This Stays Between Us - Sara Ochs
Pub Date - 7/15/25
Rating - 3/5
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley, Sara Ochs, and Sourcebooks Landmark for this gifted advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. Sara Ochs books are perfect for vacation reads! This book, set in Australia, follows a group of friends who reunite after ten years when they get a phone call that the body of their friend Phoebe was discovered. Slowly, the story unfolds as we find out what really happened those years ago during this group's month long study abroad.

I liked this story, but found it very long winded and laggy in some parts. I enjoyed the dual POV with past and present clearly defined, which helped the story build slowly. I didn't feel the connection to the characters that I was hoping for, nor was I hooked to the book in order to find out who the killer was. The whole time I was wondering why they all still wanted to hang out/talk to each other when they obviously all hated each other. The last 25% is where it starts picking up, and by then I was skimming to find out the killer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC of This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

If you have read Sara Ochs other book, The Resort, this is not exactly the same. Though it feels like it may be. Still a good read. A group of students become fast friends during an adventure abroad in Australia. Coming from different countries and backgrounds they really know little about one another but a month in they feel like family…until 1 of them dies and a 2nd is suspected dead. Fast forward 10 years and they are now trying to solve that suspected murder and all the secrets are unraveling. Nothings as it seems. Just when you think you know you don’t. And the connections between characters you won’t see coming! The only downside for me with this book is that it moved a bit slow at times. I really wanted to know what happened, but a little more quicker. Overall, good read!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC!

This book was so good! I literally never knew what was going to happen next. Just when I thought I knew whodunnit, I was wrong. I even tried to keep in mind that the author was trying to keep me guessing.
I also loved the setting - a steamy summer in Australia was the perfect environment for the shenanigans that occurred.
And I think Ochs did a great job of weaving the past into the present to present more of the story and increase our understanding.
I would absolutely read another Sara Ochs story!

A group of international students head to Australia for a study abroad program, one of them goes missing and 10 years later they return to the scene upon hearing that their fellow lost students remains were recovered. Claire has largely avoided the group for all of these years because she's got secrets, but so do the rest of the crew.

I read a LOT of these twisty thrillers and this one was one of the best I've read in a while. When you read so many it gets harder and harder to stand out, but this one got me. It's did not have it quite figured out and the final twist had me looking up from my kindle saying wow.

The Australian setting was one of the strongest parts for me. It gave the story a vivid sense of place, and I enjoyed being dropped into that world. The structure, moving back and forth in time, was handled well and gave a good rhythm to the storytelling.

But even with all that, I couldn’t connect the way I hoped to. The killer is known early, so the tension shifts more toward the "how" and "why," but I still felt a bit removed from it all. I didn’t feel pulled into the characters or emotionally caught up, no matter how well it was put together.

Still, I can see why this story works for others. There’s skill in the way it’s told, and I think readers who are more drawn to atmosphere and layered timelines might feel more involved than I did.

I was excited to read This Stays Between Us, a group of friends return to Australia after a month long study abroad trip to find out what happened to their friend, Phoebe, who didn’t make it home from the trip.

While I thought the premise was interesting, none of the characters worked for me. They all felt very one-dimensional, and I didn’t really understand why any of them were friends. None of them really even seemed to like each other. It’s also hard to believe that this group that became “best friends” by travelling together for a month 10 years ago are so quick to turn on each other.

I will say, I appreciated the backstory of Phoebe, she was so easy to hate, she had a horrible childhood and family, but it still didn’t make me more sympathetic to her. She continued to make choices solely to hurt others. Hurt people hurt people, I just wish she could’ve been given the tools to deal with her trauma without inflicting trauma on others.

Thank you to Sara Ochs and NetGalley for this ARC.

This Stays Between Us is a destination thriller set in Australia, about 6 study abroad students whose trip ends in a disappearance of a student that was never solved. Fast forward 10 years, and the body is found with our FMC claiming she was the murderer.
This story is told in a dual timeline -- we have Pheobe's (the murdered girl) POV in the past and Claire's (the murderer) POV in the present.
While there were a lot of elements to the story that I liked, I just didn't feel that tense build up or intrigue of caring how it ended. I felt that it moved a bit slow and I found myself just wanting to get to the end. Maybe too many characters to keep up with and not enough time spent for you to really get know them or connect to them?
Overall, if you're looking for a summer read and like a game of cat and mouse, this book will provide that. Just be prepared for a long chase.

Thank you, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, for providing the copy of This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs. I love books that grab and keep my attention in the first few pages. I loved the pacing and how the past was woven into the present events, which gave more context for what was going on. The big reveal was a huge shock to me, so I loved the surprise! I couldn't put this book down, so if that’s what you're looking for, don’t miss this one! 5 stars

This was a solid thriller with an unreliable narrator who the author does a great job at helping you forget she is unreliable. There was some odd pacing in the beginning of the book that made it a little tougher to stick with in the beginning. After the first 20% the pace picks up and it was easy to stick with in terms of action and cadence.

After her debut thriller, “The Resort,” last year, Sara Ochs revisits another destination vacation setting with multiple characters and an unsolved murder. This time it was a month-long academic study for eight college students (plus a student advisor) in Australia that ended with one of them, Phoebe, missing. Ten years later, the survivors organized a planned reunion, but it becomes something else when Phoebe’s remains are discovered and the police would like a chat since they are all conveniently back in Sydney.

As she did in her previous book, we only have two POVs, “Claire Now” (who questionably tells us she killed Phoebe within the first few pages: that’s not a spoiler but a plot point), and “Phoebe Then.” There actually are a lot of characters (plus secrets and hookups) to keep track of, but we learn about them only via Claire’s and Phoebe’s perceptions. Whether or not to believe Claire’s quick confession is an issue, although she certainly is guilt-ridden.

Having experienced a similar story structure before with her previous book, I’m thinking this might become her signature style with past/present POVs of only two characters within an otherwise large cast, with a surprising epilogue as a final flourish. It definitely works and it moves the story forward as the past gets revealed via Phoebe and the present day interactions with the police. I wish, however, I could have trusted/liked Claire more. 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Hari has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The volatility of the Australian wildfires do play a part.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

This Stays Between Us had me hooked from the beginning.

The book was fast-paced and the suspense kept me wanting more. Every time I thought I had even the slightest answer, I was wrong. The characters were super well-developed and each one made me feel a certain way. The dual POV between Claire and Phoebe was great, and definitely helped the story flow. I also loved the authors descriptions of Australia, they were extremely atmospheric and I felt like I was there.

The ending left me shocked! Definitely recommend this one if you're looking for a bingeable thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This twisty thriller had me hooked from the start! Ten years after a wild study abroad trip in Australia, a group of former students reunites when Phoebe’s remains are found and the mystery of what really happened to her finally resurfaces. Secrets, lies, and old friendships unravel as Claire, the narrator, tries to keep the truth buried… even though she knows she’s the one who killed her best friend. Fast-paced and full of suspense, this one kept me turning pages late into the night. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this exciting story!

I have LOVED the friend group with a secret trope but I have to say I'm feeling burned out on it for now. This past/present narrative book is about a group of friends who did a study abroad program together in Australia during which one of the students went missing. Now, ten years later, her body is found and the group returns Down Under. Which one of them did it?

For me, this got off to a pretty slow start and the past narrative featured college students who seemed like high school students. Some readers, including me, found this a bit off-putting. I think the story clearly needed the past/present structure but it took a while to get its rhythm.

I think it did pick up and became much more suspenseful at the end.

The overall conclusion was a little underwhelming BUT THEN there was a very last chapter that ended things on a shocking and disconcerting note.

Just finished reading my e-arc of This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs courtesy of @sourcebooks releasing 7/15!

I loved Ochs’ last destination thriller, The Resort, but I think this follow up is even better! An Australian study abroad group ends with one member dead and another member's disappearance. 10 years later a body is found and all the group is brought back together for the investigation. Told in flashbacks with dual POVs, I was sucked into the drama, twists, secrets, and loved this 'everyone is a suspect' thriller! Ochs perfectly captured the young carefree vibe of the study abroad group of friends who became romantically entangled over their summer together. I loved the flashbacks and then seeing how the characters were different in the present timeline of the murder investigation. There are immersive Australian settings from beach towns to the desolate Outback wilderness, and so many secrets and twists that I stayed up way too late to see this book’s conclusion. All the stars.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Absolutely amazing with the right amount of twists and a past and present timeline to have everything come together by the end. Phoebe and Claire were such good friends when they met studying abroad but a tragedy occurs and isn’t till a decade later that the truth comes creeping back and Claire is determined to keep her secret forever. The feelings of guilt and fear oozes from this book. Great summer read!

I absolutely loved this! It was a super fast paced read that I found really hard to put down. There were a lot of characters which sometimes was a bit hard to keep track of who was who but they were all written really well and had their own character development throughout the book. The only thing I didn’t like about this was the epilogue, I really wish that wasn’t there!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC.

I was excited to read this book by Sara Ochs because I read her other book The Resort last year and it was my first Book of the Month. I ended up not super vibing with it because I had higher expectations. So I was looking forward to another change without expectations.

This ended up being a really fun read and I really enjoyed it, so I'm glad I did.

I loved the dual timelines and always seem to enjoy books told in the past and present. I really enjoyed the friend group too and the college study abroad setting. I remember going to camps and having people become like family like this so it was a fun nostalgic ride.

I did guess who did it early on, there was a glaring clue but it didn't ruin the ride because there were so many twists and turns I forgot again until the end. Every one really did have a motive and it kept you guessing still.

The only reason it's not a bit higher is the epilogue. I hated that. Literally ruined it. I'm just going to pretend it's not there.

Otherwise this is a really fun summer read and I was very invested in the journey.