Marriage-Retreat-Gone-Wrong Thriller Just an Okay Read

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Is your marriage in trouble?  Give it two weeks at a luxurious resort on an isolated island in the Mayan Riviera under the influence of two celebrity therapists and, voilá!  You're back in business.  At least that's what couples are sold when they sign up to attend retreats at The Harmony Resort.  Some come reluctantly, some nervously, some with great faith in the abilities of the famous power couple who run the retreat.  It doesn't take long, though, for the newest Harmony recruits to realize that not everything at the resort is what it seems ... especially not their glamorous hosts.

In the wake of a fierce tropical storm that's rapidly swirling toward the island, everyone's secrets will be revealed—to the devastation of them all.

There's something about an isolated, closed-room situation that really amps up a mystery/thriller for me.  That's the main reason I was drawn to The Last Resort by Marissa Stapley.  It did turn out to be a compelling page-turner.  That being said, it also didn't feature the most likable of characters.  Plus, the story's sad and depressing, which seems to be the norm for these kinds of books.  There was enough happening with the plot that I kept turning pages, but in the end, The Last Resort was just an okay read for me.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty and two books by Emily Carpenter—Every Single Secret and Until the Day I Die)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, disturbing subject matter, and illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Last Resort with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.