Spooky Winter Wonderland of Thrills!

I am a big fan of Sarah Goodwin after reading and thoroughly loving "Stranded" and being about to scoop up "13th Girl" befor literally stumbling across "The Resort". I am always checking my favourite author's pages in the hopes of a "coming soon" which I can preorder ... but this one somehow managed to get by me!

I have also listened to a few audiobooks narrated by Imogen Wilde and enjoyed them but I have to sadly say narration is a stumbling block in this one - not sure actually how much can be blamed on Imogen Wilde and how much the production but there are vast gaps between sentences and particularly chapters. Thrilled with discovering this hidden gem by Sarah Goodwin I snuggled up in bed to listen to it and just when I was beginning to relax .... ooops a gap. I kept picking up my ipad to see if I had yanked the headphones out, or had the recording stopped and it was super jarring.

Either the productio/narration improves or I got used to the over long gaps and stop start nature of the read but eventually I did settle in to it but I feel this is something that can still be easily fixed in post production so hoping Audible may put a call in as it really is very annoying.

Mila is a quite unlikeable character, so generally I am not sure if it is the excess of air left in the read or the grating, ever chirpy, spoilt younger sister persona which rubbed me up the wrong way - but if I feel like this might have been a far better read than listen.

It is however, thanks to the superb writing and genius plot still a fabulous thriller and talented storytelling I soon got so absorbed in it that the narration and whatever production issues stopped niggling and I enjoyed 100%.

I usually prefer my location thrillers to be all about sun, sand and turquoise waters .... but something about "The Resort" is just so magical and mysterious and reminds me a tiny bit of "The Village" by M. Night Shayamalan in its claustrophobia. other worldliness and ramping tension.

In a world where it is so hard to find a top notch thriller written with real skill and verve, this is a real winner.

5 people found this helpful

Really Enjoyed listening to this book

Great story, kept me hooked from the start, relatable, likable characters, narrated well, easy to follow and kept me guessing all the way through.

Worth a listen.

1 person found this helpful

Great story - amazing actress

Am biased but loved the story and the performance is really good too. Would listen to more of her work.

1 person found this helpful

One of the worst audio books I ever listened to

The storyline had so many holes, that it’s impossible to pick the worst clangers. The author constantly has to explain the ridiculous decisions her characters are making, because they make no sense.

The drawn out explanations about the relationship between the two sisters still bring no sense to the ludicrous behaviour of the main character. Wait to let your sister’s wedding go ahead before you report a serious crime to the police.

The main character walks around for hours in trainers and leggings in a snow storm without suffering from hypothermia or losing toes to frostbite,
The narrator’s voice just wasn’t for me, but that’s taste. Having said that it is always advisable to ask a native speaker when you pronounce foreign words. Kriminalpolizei is not pronounced “Criminaler Polizzi” for example.

A total mess.

Gripping

This book was well narrated and had my heart racing, brilliant storyline, kept me guessing.

Regret listening til the end

I listened to the first few chapters and thought the book was rubbish, however after going back to read the reviews, I thought I should stick with it. I really wished I hadn’t. The story was utterly ridiculous.

Disappointing

The narration of the book was excellent, and I thought it was a very good story.
However, the constant moaning of Amelia, putting herself down, constant self pity became very wearing.
In my opinion ruined a good story.