The Grand Paloma Resort peels back the illusion of ethical tourism. Within the resort, lush gardens abound. Outside the resort, drought desiccates the land. Within the resort, clean water, WiFi, air conditioning, and a mountain of food wait for wealthy tourists to glutinously enjoy. Outside the resort, meaning in the workers' quarters, the cabins have dirt floors and no air conditioning. The communal toilets are broken, so the stench of sewage hangs over their living space.

Natera writes a fiction that could read like an ethnography. We get to know the lives of Laura and Elena very intimately. The folks of Pico Diablo become characters we deeply care about. Their absence of water after a hurricane and lack of power crushes the soul. The memory of begging for help in the middle of a hurricane and receiving no help rips at the heart. The ways in which hotel workers are forced to serve as sex workers leaves the reader ashamed at ever staying in a resort. The author uses Dulce, the mother of the missing daughters, as the voice that reveals how ubiquitously female hotel workers disappear, how frequently children are trafficked. This is a violence that mushrooms across the Caribe, and at the heart of all that violence and disappearance is a luxury resort with obscenely wealthy tourists.

In this midst of this ethnographic-like text is the story of a green-eyed tourist who wants to purchase young girls - Niña and Perfecta. And when their disappearance finally pushes to the surface, Elena and Laura do everything in their power to obfuscate responsibility.

Their guilt, however, is complicated: "How nice it must be to live with morality and scruples. To have the freedom to choose the high ground that wealth afforded." Laura, the elder sister, will coldly cross any line in order to protect Elena. Without wealth, they are left with a collection of crumby options to choose from. Choosing morality leaves them with the consequences that exceed wrongdoing.

We love these characters, even when they make one terrible choice after the next. And through it all, I have to fight against my inclination to forget that they can't afford - literally - to make moral choices. What is a reader to do with Elena until she owns up to her mistakes?

Having to put this book down to make dinner or go to work was hard. I can't wait to hear the audiobook version!

"She found the idea that the most interesting thing at any resort could ever possibly be the guests absurd." Natera's sophomore novel explores the dramatic White Lotus-esque stories of the staff members at a luxury resort on Dominican Republic. A family drama? A mystery? Contemporary fiction? All of the above?

The Grand Paloma Resort addresses significant issues on race, class, tourism, colorism, and misogyny. Missing persons and a hurricane. I really enjoyed reading about all of the characters within the Paloma resort. The book had me on the edge of my seat, but it was wrapped up really nicely. I really enjoyed this one. I am interested in reading Natera's first book.

The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera is a thrilling ride! I loved how each character played a role in each other’s lives — for better or worse. It did slow down a bit in the middle, and I found myself wondering, when will we know what really happened?! But as I kept reading, it all came together so well. I really enjoyed how the story shows that through a broken past, one can build a better future — not only for themselves, but for their community and culture too.

You’ll definitely want to yell at some of these characters while you read! But stick with it, even when the pace dips — you’ll be rewarded in the end.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced copy!

We get two FMC who keep both a secret from each other.  Once both decide to correct their mistakes we get to learn how redemption and resilience is the way to have a pure and true family relationship.  We also get to see how side hustle's tend to lead to heartbreaks.  This book is the one I will be recommending everyone to read. This is the summer's page-turning thriller.  Can't wait to listen to this on audiobook.
Thank you to NetGalley Ballantine Books  for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When Laura was fourteen years old her mother committed suicide. Left with the care of her four-year-old sister Elena, over the years Laura did everything to make sure Elena’s needs were met as their absentee father drifted in and out of their lives. Ten years later, after much hard work climbing a corporate ladder not meant for brown-skinned locals, Laura had achieved the highest position for a local at the Grand Paloma Resort for the extremely rich. There, she worked as a manager. However, her insistence on working her fellow locals hard, holding them to strict standards, and berating them for minor infractions gained her many enemies.

Elena was seventeen and had been protected by Laura her whole life. Due to her sister’s job she had the opportunity to attend an elite school but wasn’t happy with her life as a resort babysitter. Restless and bored she began abusing pills to drift into forgetfulness. One day she was babysitting the daughter of a rich set of parents, got high, and the little girl was severely injured. Elena was sure she had died, and knew she had to leave or wind up in jail.

This thought process of avoiding responsibility was the beginning of her problems, as her desire to flee the Dominican Republic to avoid persecution caused her to accept thousands of dollars from a tourist child abuser for the daughters of a local acquaintance. Elena took the money and ran, assuring herself the girls would be fine. They weren’t.

As we read their story, and those of several others who have a part to play in their lives, the history of the Dominican Republic is laid bare. Racial prejudice against Haitians and Dominicans, its infiltration by rich Americans, and the extreme poverty of locals are contrasted with the people’s love for their island, each other, and their history.

I hope those who visit these types of resorts will remember the terrible behavior of rich tourists towards locals and vow to do better. “The Grand Paloma Resort” is filled with love, strength, and resilience. It will show you how to do better.

Recommended for Adults.

When I selected this book, I decided to take a chance on an author that I'd never heard of before. The synopsis sounded intriguing, and I love vacationing in the Dominican Republic. I wanted to like this book; I really did. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

This book was classified as a mystery/thriller; however, I don't know if that's the best categorization. I found the storyline to be monotonous, and the writing style was dry and boring. The storyline was presented from different points of view, which is something I typically like. The author neglected to inform the reader which point of view each chapter was written from, making the storyline sometimes difficult to follow.

I pushed through and finished the book, but I most likely will not read another by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

This new fiction title from the author of Neruda on the Park captured everything that I was hoping it would. This book explored the important yet often overlooked impact of the resort tourism industry on the local communities. It really peeled back the layers to expose the underbelly of what is happening in the Caribbean. I appreciate the conversations that this book could spark and can see it being a great book club pick.

Twin sisters work at a glamorous hotel in the Dominican Republican but what happens with the wealthy guests is horrifying. At the beginning of the novel Elena is caring for a resort guests child when a terrible accident happens. Laura wants to teach her sister Elena a lesson about growing up and being responsible and never tells her that the child is ok. Elena flees and a category 5 hurricane hits the island. Class differences, corruption, despicable guests in a white lotus setting

I picked up this book on a whim after seeing it pop up on my Instagram feed—and wow, am I glad I did. I didn’t even read the blurb. I went in completely blind and was blown away. This is hands down a five-star read for me.

Cleyvis Natera’s storytelling is masterful. The way she weaves her characters’ lives together with such raw honesty and layered depth had me glued to the pages. I found myself constantly asking, “What’s going to happen next?” I was on the edge of my seat, completely immersed in this world.

Set in the Dominican Republic, the book touches on so many real, powerful themes—race, class, family dynamics, and the complexities of tourism in a country grappling with both beauty and struggle. As a Dominican woman, it hit home. It reminded me of parts of my homeland that are often overlooked or forgotten. The representation felt personal and necessary.

We follow two sisters, Laura and Elena, navigating life while working at a luxury resort. Laura, the older sister, has carried the weight of their world since losing their parents. She’s doing her best to guide her younger sister—even if that means making flawed choices. And that’s what makes this story so brilliant: it shows that every action has a reaction, every decision a consequence.

But this isn’t just a story about two sisters. It’s a story about everyone—the guests, the workers, the culture, the history. Every character matters. Every perspective adds another layer. The way Natera threads all their stories together is nothing short of genius.

I truly don’t think my words can do this book justice. It’s rich, heartfelt, and eye-opening. If you haven’t already, pick this one up. It’s a must-read that will stay with you long after the last page.

The premise of this book looked promising, but the story is full of stereotypes about Dominicans and the tourism industry. I am not saying these isolated incidents do not happen at the resorts, but the book just focused on the rich tourists getting to do whatever they want and getting away with it, and the resort workers just catering to their whims and cleaning up their messes.

I had really high expectations for this one because I loved Neruda in the Park, but I feel Natera focused heavily on everything that's bad at a time when DR's tourism industry is already plagued with negative headlines.

I just finished a good book. The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera is available soon and is one you should put on your list.

Just shy of 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this title.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this story, but was thoroughly engrossed throughout. There was one specific moment that made my stomach turn and I almost put the book down… but I forged ahead hoping for the best outcome.

The characters were flawed yet authentic, the setting mysteriously beautiful, and the descriptions of a resort and its underbelly - eye opening.

There were quite a few grammatical errors that will no doubt be worked out in editing… but all in all a compelling dive into family ties, even in the worst of times.

THE GRAND PALOMA RESORT is a literary suspense novel that lays bare the stark divide between the wealthy tourists vacationing in the Dominican Republic and the locals who keep the industry afloat.

Beneath the glittering beaches and luxury resorts lies a darker reality of corruption and exploitation—of both land and people. The story centers on Laura, a driven resort employee willing to do whatever it takes to rise above her circumstances, and her younger sister Elena, who finds herself caught in a desperate and dangerous situation.

Interwoven with island intrigue is a deeper exploration of the Dominican Republic’s complex history and its fraught relationship with Haitians, often seen and treated as the underclass. This is a richly layered novel about survival, ambition, and sisterhood, examining what people sacrifice to change their lives and what they risk losing in the process.

Read this if you:
-enjoy a lush island setting with something darker beneath the surface
-like slow-burn suspense with social commentary
-are drawn to stories about complicated family bonds and resilience

Many thanks to the publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a different feel than I expected. Right away we learn about two sisters: pill popping issues, and an injured child of a guest. I would not take my child to a foreign country and then let a stranger watch her and hurt her. Seems like culture issues here, rich people issues here, missing girls. I don't know. I was expecting a fun vacation book and this was different than that.

I thought this book was going to be different than it was. A resort in the Dominican, parents that leave their child with a stranger and she gets hurt. It seems almost like a sketchy country where things happen at the resort meets someone who is rich and thinks they can do anything they want. I didn't finish it.

Laura is a the manager of the luxurious Grandpa Paloma Resort and she is actively pushing for (and has been promised) a promotion that comes with a relocation. She created of a popular resort program that pairs every guest with their own resort employee that will fulfill any ask, no matter how outlandish.

Laura's sister Elena works at the resort as well, employed as a babysitter, but her sights are set on a different set of goals--she is interested in social justice and organizing and has been using pills to help her get by. The two sisters clash constantly with Laura concerned that Elena is not serious enough. Things threaten to go off the rails completely when Elena encounters the father of her babysitting charge at an area bar and offers up the two young daughters of the bar owner in exchange for a large wad of cash. As Elena flees, Laura tries to keep everything under control as everything starts to unravel.

Money, luxury, race and class are all deep themes in the story. For example, the resort is a 2,500-acre oasis in the Dominican Republic, dedicated to fulfilling its guests' every whim. The lives of its workers are another thing entirely. The resort has plenty of water as everything is diverted there to maintain the lush environment and keep the guests happy, but the town's residents have no running water and are forced to buy water by the truckful to sustain themselves. There is also a deep divide between the Dominican workers and the Haitian workers, but all are largely invisible to the white tourists that only see them as staff there to indulge them, not as individuals.

This story is told from multiple POVs, the different characters are motivated by different desires and have different relationships to the titular resort, all which are well crafted by author Cleyvis Natera.

The setting is exceptionally well developed as the environment and its surroundings play a big role in the story, especially when natural disaster strikes.

A solid, layered look at life behind the beauty of million dollar vacation locales and the dark side of consumer culture. 4.25 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Cleyvis Natera’s The Grand Paloma Resort is an evocative and beautifully written novel that immerses you in the vibrant worlds of its characters. Set against the backdrop of a Dominican community, the story explores themes of family secrets, cultural identity, and the enduring strength of heritage. Natera’s lyrical prose paints a vivid picture of life at the Grand Paloma Resort, capturing both its allure and underlying struggles. The characters are richly developed, each embodying layers of history and emotion that feel authentic and compelling. The narrative deftly weaves past and present, revealing how history shapes personal destinies. While there are moments where the pacing slows slightly, the depth of character exploration and the evocative storytelling more than compensate. The novel offers a heartfelt look at resilience in the face of change, and the importance of holding onto one’s roots. Overall, The Grand Paloma Resort is a moving and insightful read that celebrates family, culture, and the complexities of human connection. Definitely a book that lingers long after you finish.

Cleyvis writes a great suspenseful novel!

The setting, the characters, the themes were so well thought out! In a world where White Lotus and True Crime is at its hight this is a great story!

She explores race, social status, wealth, culture and familial relationships in a fantastic way that blends so beautifully with the mystery and plot!

I really enjoyed this book!