The Cove
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- Create Date：2022-05-04 06:52:51
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Alice Clark-Platts
- ISBN：1526604272
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Summary
Welcome to Turtle Cove。
A luxury resort surrounded by pristine sea and the dense beauty of the jungle， it is the perfect escape from the stresses of life and work。 For couples Lou and Adam， Eliza and Noah， a few days spent relaxing on the beach， while their kids are happily distracted， is exactly what they need。
But appearances can be deceiving。
There's a strange tension brewing at the resort， with relations between the hotel and the locals threatening to spill over into violence。 This is nothing though compared to the strained atmosphere between the two families。 They haven't been friends for long and they are starting to realise they don't really know each other at all。
Except for one of them。 One of them knows another very well。
And they have a score to settle。
This is a first-class， escapist thriller for fans of The Sanatorium， The Hunting Party and The Castaways。
A luxury resort surrounded by pristine sea and the dense beauty of the jungle， it is the perfect escape from the stresses of life and work。 For couples Lou and Adam， Eliza and Noah， a few days spent relaxing on the beach， while their kids are happily distracted， is exactly what they need。
But appearances can be deceiving。
There's a strange tension brewing at the resort， with relations between the hotel and the locals threatening to spill over into violence。 This is nothing though compared to the strained atmosphere between the two families。 They haven't been friends for long and they are starting to realise they don't really know each other at all。
Except for one of them。 One of them knows another very well。
And they have a score to settle。
This is a first-class， escapist thriller for fans of The Sanatorium， The Hunting Party and The Castaways。
Reviews
Cristina Slough
，
Really well written， I listed to on audio and the narrators were fantastic。 Believable， twisted characters。
Pearline
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A book that i read to pass time， will not linger in my mind i suppose。 Alot of filler chapters， unlikeable characters that were so secretive， too secretive that the readers cannot get to know and empathise with them or root for them。 I only liked the last few pages literally where it questioned when did the murder occur， the actual driving in of the blade， or when the intent is made known？
alittlebitbooked || Jess
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Firstly， thank you to Bloomsbury/Raven books for this review copy！ I was so excited to read after seeing the synopsis as I don’t read thrillers often， and this one spoke to me！ A luxury resort， a weekend away and two families with secrets that become their downfall。 What was meant to be a relaxing and fun escape quickly becomes the holiday you’ll only want to forget。There’s twists， there’s turns and there’s lots of drinking。 （Not mad about that one， let’s be honest。） The review… well， proceed an Firstly， thank you to Bloomsbury/Raven books for this review copy！ I was so excited to read after seeing the synopsis as I don’t read thrillers often， and this one spoke to me！ A luxury resort， a weekend away and two families with secrets that become their downfall。 What was meant to be a relaxing and fun escape quickly becomes the holiday you’ll only want to forget。There’s twists， there’s turns and there’s lots of drinking。 （Not mad about that one， let’s be honest。） The review… well， proceed and you shall receive。 I have feelings about this one， and not all positive unfortunately。 I didn’t hate it， but I didn’t love it either。 For a thriller， it wasn’t very ‘Thrillery！’ （Is that even a word？） I wasn’t on edge， I was almost bored and found myself spending the first half of the book eager for it to end。 In saying that， the major plot point happens about 50% in and after that， I was super intrigued and although I guessed the outcome almost straight away， the journey there was just， okay。 I didn’t love any of the characters either。 Like， I wasn’t rooting for anybody and I found myself unable to connect。 This could be because of the writing style also。 Third person narrative can be hard to follow if not done， well。 If you like easy to read thrillers with a bit of mystery and a ‘who done it’ vibe， this might be for you。 But unfortunately it wasn’t for me。 I gave it ⭐️⭐️。5/5 stars。 （I’ll round it up to 3 on here。）Yeah look， it’s low… but doesn’t mean it’s not for you！ It did keep me interested enough that I finished it， so that’s why I went with half。 ⚠️ TW: Violent themes and course language。 。。。more
River Scott Tyler
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I've finished listening to The Cove by @aliceclarkplattsauthor and I rate it 4 stars 🌟 Two couples Adam，Lou，Eliza and Noah haven't been friends for very long yet they decided to go on holiday together on a beautiful island。What was meant to be a relaxed tranquil drama free holiday， turns out to be an island full of secrets and lies， with drinks flowing and tensions growing， cracks start showing in the couples friendship and with the staff on the island hiding their own secrets both couples are l I've finished listening to The Cove by @aliceclarkplattsauthor and I rate it 4 stars 🌟 Two couples Adam，Lou，Eliza and Noah haven't been friends for very long yet they decided to go on holiday together on a beautiful island。What was meant to be a relaxed tranquil drama free holiday， turns out to be an island full of secrets and lies， with drinks flowing and tensions growing， cracks start showing in the couples friendship and with the staff on the island hiding their own secrets both couples are losing trust in the staff and each other but when it becomes clear theres no escape from the island things take a deadly turn。I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook I was hooked from the start， I loved that it was set on an isolated island it gave the story that extra edge of tension and uncertainty， I liked that each of the couples had their own issues， nothing on the island or with the couples are what it seems it's very well written and plotted。I enjoyed how the story was told and how everything came together until finally the truth came out and it wasn't what I expected， I highly recommend this book/audiobook 。。。more
Lesley Palmer
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Audiobook2。5 ⭐️ Started off good - two families away today for a long weekend on a Malaysian island， Adam kayaked to a cove as saw a figure there… then the family dramas unfold， half way through Adam goes missing。 Did I miss it， but who did Adam see in the cove？！ Weak ending and after second half wasn’t overly bothered what happened
Sarah W 🍂🍁🌧🌬
，
Started really well， I can’t say I liked the characters （not very nice people） but are well fleshed out and two thirds of the book Entertained me。 It just seemed to fall off abit at the end， not really a coherent plot and despite the dangerous setting of the island， I never really felt any stakes because the story was jumping around so much。 Had potential but just fell short at the end。
whatamiedid
，
The Cove The blurb of this book seemed right up my street but it wasn't quite what I was expecting。 Two couples and their children go on holiday to a remote island together， having only been friends for a few months。 There's Eliza， who is good looking with some past trauma， her husband， a lawyer who is used to being successful and their twin children。 Then there's Lou， who's struggling with motherhood， her husband Adam， a confident， serial cheater， and their son and their baby daughter。 The 'sec The Cove The blurb of this book seemed right up my street but it wasn't quite what I was expecting。 Two couples and their children go on holiday to a remote island together， having only been friends for a few months。 There's Eliza， who is good looking with some past trauma， her husband， a lawyer who is used to being successful and their twin children。 Then there's Lou， who's struggling with motherhood， her husband Adam， a confident， serial cheater， and their son and their baby daughter。 The 'secret' lurking between the couples was quite obvious from very early on in the book。 Strangely， a large part of the story didn't seem to link to the couples at all and I wasn't particularly intrigued by it or interested in the outcome。 The climax of the 'secret' between the couple happened really quickly at the end so there wasn't really any tension built up。 75% of the book was leading up to this point and although I think this was designed to get to know the characters better， I didn't really care for any of them。 I ended up skimming the last 25% and wasn't really shocked by the ending。 A bit meh for me， I'm sorry to say。 。。。more
Molly Moore
，
I loved this authors first book The Flower Girls so much so when I saw this being offered on #netgalley I jumped at the chance to read it。Sadly unlike The Flower Girls this didn't work for meThe first half is good。 I was hooked and the author does a great job of creating a sense of foreboding。 You can just feel the tension and that something is going to snap and go wrong but not what that is。However as things do start to go wrong in the plot that is when things go wrong in the book。 I just didn' I loved this authors first book The Flower Girls so much so when I saw this being offered on #netgalley I jumped at the chance to read it。Sadly unlike The Flower Girls this didn't work for meThe first half is good。 I was hooked and the author does a great job of creating a sense of foreboding。 You can just feel the tension and that something is going to snap and go wrong but not what that is。However as things do start to go wrong in the plot that is when things go wrong in the book。 I just didn't care。 The issues with the locals and the in-fighting just appears out of no where really and who was fighting who and why is kind of explained at the end but again I found myself not caring。 Harry just appears half way through the book。 The only good guy in the whole story it would seemBut I think the biggest problem for me is there is no one for you to really root for or care about。 All 4 people from the 2 couples are fairly awful people in some way。 I think I was supposed to care about Lou but I didn't。 Yes she was depressed and so that made her brittle but she also seemed fairly self absorbed and standoffish。The author is definitely a good writer。 I would totally try anything else she wrote in the hope that maybe she could recapture the brilliance she demonstrated in The Flower Girls。3 StarsThanks to @netgalley for the advanced copy 。。。more
Mandy White （mandylovestoread）
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I loved tThe Flower Girls by this author so I was really looking forward to reading The Cove。 A secluded island， locked room mystery， definitely my kind of book。But it was not for me。 The characters were all so very unlikeable and I really didn’t care for them at all。 2 couples who don’t know each other very well going on holidays together was something that I couldn’t buy。 And one couple had a new born baby。 Why would they go to an island like this with such a small baby？ And then there was the I loved tThe Flower Girls by this author so I was really looking forward to reading The Cove。 A secluded island， locked room mystery， definitely my kind of book。But it was not for me。 The characters were all so very unlikeable and I really didn’t care for them at all。 2 couples who don’t know each other very well going on holidays together was something that I couldn’t buy。 And one couple had a new born baby。 Why would they go to an island like this with such a small baby？ And then there was the constant flirting of one husband towards the other man’s wife。 It was blatant and very much over the top。 All the adults were complaining of something or other and the kids were palmed off to kids club。I got to about halfway and had to stop。 Nothing much else seemed to be happening， a lot of drinking， flirting and whinging。Thanks Bloomsbury for my copy to read。 Very disappointed。 。。。more
Tori Paige
，
I wanted to love this book so badly， the plot started out so good， as I was reading along I felt like I was piecing it all together， however towards the end it became a little “oh is this it？”。 Overall I’m pretty on the fence with whether I enjoyed this book or not 3 stars because I loved that it wasn’t over powered with unnecessary characters， I don’t like having to remember who belongs with who and I felt like this book did a great job of helping us to keep track。
bookishcharli
，
“Murder has always felt like such a wilful destruction of your own being。 The ultimate ending of another’s life， yes。 But， more than that … it’s the ruination of any part of your character that you might justifiably argue was moral and right。”Holy， holy， HOLY HECK I NEVER SAW THAT TWIST COMING。 I certainly never saw the second twist after that。 Lou and Adam Carter are off on a lovely holiday to a remote island with their friends Eliza and Noah Fisher， along with both couples children。 The fi “Murder has always felt like such a wilful destruction of your own being。 The ultimate ending of another’s life， yes。 But， more than that … it’s the ruination of any part of your character that you might justifiably argue was moral and right。”Holy， holy， HOLY HECK I NEVER SAW THAT TWIST COMING。 I certainly never saw the second twist after that。 Lou and Adam Carter are off on a lovely holiday to a remote island with their friends Eliza and Noah Fisher， along with both couples children。 The first few days prove to be relaxing， but not without their issues， and we quickly learn that both couples don’t seem to be in a happy marriage。 So what happens when a fight breaks out between Noah and Adam， and then Lou and Adam before Adam stumbles off drunk and doesn’t return？ A monsoon comes straight in after he’s disappeared and the island staff are hiding secrets of their own。 But who exactly was the last person to see Adam alive？ And just what secrets are being hidden by almost everyone in Turtle Cove？ Oh， not to mention that Lou and Adam’s son Raffy goes missing a few days after Adam does…。 You all need to read this one， although it’s a slow start it picks up quickly from the halfway point and you just can’t put it down。 I absolutely recommend this one if you fancy a suspenseful thriller with twists that you don’t see coming， even when they slap you in the face。Thank you to Raven Books/@bloomsburypublishing and @netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
E Dod
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This is my first novel by Alice Clark-Platts and I really， really enjoyed it。 This is more of a domestic noir book and I love how Alice Clark-Platts narrates the novel。 Two families， go on a weekend away together - neither families are the closest of friends but have known each other for less than a year。 We meet Adam and Lou， their son Raffy and their new baby Leila （who is very much a sleepless newborn）， and Eliza and Noah with their young children。Both couples have major issues in their relat This is my first novel by Alice Clark-Platts and I really， really enjoyed it。 This is more of a domestic noir book and I love how Alice Clark-Platts narrates the novel。 Two families， go on a weekend away together - neither families are the closest of friends but have known each other for less than a year。 We meet Adam and Lou， their son Raffy and their new baby Leila （who is very much a sleepless newborn）， and Eliza and Noah with their young children。Both couples have major issues in their relationships and using the weekend away to try and sort the issues out。 Mainly told through Lou and Eliza's perspective they get to the beautiful Turtle Cove and start to explore this seemingly beautiful isolated island。 After a few boozy evenings and some friction， After a late night Eliza's husband goes missing and this is where the story really kicks in and the reader wonders what has happened to Adam。 A great novel that I devoured。 The writing for me personally， was easy to follow， not too many characters and a good thrilling read。Thanks to NetGalley， Alice Clark Platts and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Tea Leaves and Reads
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I absolutely love Alice Clark-Platts writing style and her books always hook me。 However this was a slow burner and it felt that the point of the book was quite rushed in towards the end。 I didn’t like the characters （but this is often the sign of a good book of course！） but on this occasion felt it was because they weren’t built up enough。 I wasn’t invested in the friendship and had to keep reminding myself of how long the couples had known each other and what their connection was。 I didn’t car I absolutely love Alice Clark-Platts writing style and her books always hook me。 However this was a slow burner and it felt that the point of the book was quite rushed in towards the end。 I didn’t like the characters （but this is often the sign of a good book of course！） but on this occasion felt it was because they weren’t built up enough。 I wasn’t invested in the friendship and had to keep reminding myself of how long the couples had known each other and what their connection was。 I didn’t care about them。 And in a good thriller you need to care if they live or die。 That was the missing bit for me。That isn’t to say I wouldn’t read more of Alice’s writing and this was a good read in terms of a plot， a mystery and tension。 The Island setting was well-described and the scene was perfect。 I don’t regret finishing it and I would give this three stars when measuring it against Alice’s other publications。 。。。more
Eliza
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Read as audiobook
Sarah
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I wanted to like this。 I really did。 It set it self up well， you could tell the tension rising between the two couples ， but nothing really happened。 Then everything happened and it seemed like one thing after another as part of the story feel into place and I then suddenly worked it all out。The island itself is beautifully described and I honestly felt there。 But something about the four main characters I didnt love and I couldn't get the connection I wanted with either of them。 I wanted to like this。 I really did。 It set it self up well， you could tell the tension rising between the two couples ， but nothing really happened。 Then everything happened and it seemed like one thing after another as part of the story feel into place and I then suddenly worked it all out。The island itself is beautifully described and I honestly felt there。 But something about the four main characters I didnt love and I couldn't get the connection I wanted with either of them。 。。。more
Carol Rogers
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I had high hopes for this book， and although I didn't hate it， I'm not sure it lived up to them。The setting was good， as was the story， but there were a lot of filler chapters。 Particularly towards the last 15%。 It definitely could have been shorter。 Would I read another by this author？ Like I said， I didn't hate it so if the blurb is good， I'd probably give it a go I had high hopes for this book， and although I didn't hate it， I'm not sure it lived up to them。The setting was good， as was the story， but there were a lot of filler chapters。 Particularly towards the last 15%。 It definitely could have been shorter。 Would I read another by this author？ Like I said， I didn't hate it so if the blurb is good， I'd probably give it a go 。。。more
Billie
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Welcome to Turtle Cove。A luxury resort surrounded by pristine sea and the dense beauty of the jungle， it is the perfect escape from the stresses of life and work。 For couples Lou and Adam， Eliza and Noah， a few days spent relaxing on the beach， while their kids are happily distracted， is exactly what they need。But appearances can be deceiving。There's a strange tension brewing at the resort， with relations between the hotel and the locals threatening to spill over into violence。 This is nothing t Welcome to Turtle Cove。A luxury resort surrounded by pristine sea and the dense beauty of the jungle， it is the perfect escape from the stresses of life and work。 For couples Lou and Adam， Eliza and Noah， a few days spent relaxing on the beach， while their kids are happily distracted， is exactly what they need。But appearances can be deceiving。There's a strange tension brewing at the resort， with relations between the hotel and the locals threatening to spill over into violence。 This is nothing though compared to the strained atmosphere between the two families。 They haven't been friends for long and they are starting to realise they don't really know each other at all。Except for one of them。 One of them knows another very well。And they have a score to settle。This is a brilliant read。Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously。Can't wait to read what the author brings out next。Recommend reading。I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher。 This is my own hone\st voluntary review 。。。more
georgina Bullworthy
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fabulous read！ Truly gripping。What a book。 Could not put it down。 Loved the setting and the characters。 Really good read！ Highly recommend this book。
Lu Etchells
，
In all honesty， it’s a miracle I enjoyed this book at all if it’s aimed at people who were fans of The Sanatorium。 I think most of you know precisely how I felt about that particular novel。The less said now， the better， in all honesty。This book focusses on two families: Adam （bit of a jerk） and his wife Lou （possibly experiencing post-partum psychosis） and Eliza （bit of a non-entity） and her husband Noah （high-functioning alcoholic） along with their non-descript offspring。 For some reason， these In all honesty， it’s a miracle I enjoyed this book at all if it’s aimed at people who were fans of The Sanatorium。 I think most of you know precisely how I felt about that particular novel。The less said now， the better， in all honesty。This book focusses on two families: Adam （bit of a jerk） and his wife Lou （possibly experiencing post-partum psychosis） and Eliza （bit of a non-entity） and her husband Noah （high-functioning alcoholic） along with their non-descript offspring。 For some reason， these people decide to go on a little jaunty holiday together， despite the fact they’re not really friends， but they’re all stupidly rich so what-what， off we go。I was expecting a tense and atmospheric thriller， set on a tropical island – everyone’s trapped。 Oh help， oh no！ Alas， what I got felt like a slightly stressy weekend in Blackpool。The characters are all horrible – there isn’t a single one of them I didn’t want to discover had been murdered or drowned。 I just had no interest in any of them。 Then the author threw a whole myriad of events， twists and turns in to the mix which just made it feel confusing。 It wasn’t awful by any means， but it really wasn’t very good either。 In fact， I think I’m being overly generous with a three， but I’ve made my line in the sand now and I’m sticking with it。Do I recommend this？ No。 I don’t even have the energy to warn you off – unless of course， like me， you hated The Sanatorium， then seriously， steer clear of this one！ 。。。more
Alyssa
，
I honestly found this quite difficult to get into。 I didn't particularly like any of the characters， which made it hard to feel fully invested in the story。 I did enjoy the vivid descriptions of the island， but with that being said I thought the book overall was a bit *too* descriptive in some places and I found myself skimming over certain sections。 I also thought that there were too many short sentences for my liking so it didn't seem to flow very well， however that may just be an issue with t I honestly found this quite difficult to get into。 I didn't particularly like any of the characters， which made it hard to feel fully invested in the story。 I did enjoy the vivid descriptions of the island， but with that being said I thought the book overall was a bit *too* descriptive in some places and I found myself skimming over certain sections。 I also thought that there were too many short sentences for my liking so it didn't seem to flow very well， however that may just be an issue with the ARC。 Sadly this just wasn't the book for me！ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jordan Lostinagoodbookgirl
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This book begins by meeting Lou and Eliza and their families who are going on a long weekend away - a desert island called Turtle Cove - it has four beaches and reachable only by boat 20 minutes away from mainland - so really deserted island。Each chapter is told from a different characters point of view - Lou， Eliza， Noah and Adam which I liked as you got a real good insight into each of their points of view， how they see things and I was able to begin to build up a picture of their stories and This book begins by meeting Lou and Eliza and their families who are going on a long weekend away - a desert island called Turtle Cove - it has four beaches and reachable only by boat 20 minutes away from mainland - so really deserted island。Each chapter is told from a different characters point of view - Lou， Eliza， Noah and Adam which I liked as you got a real good insight into each of their points of view， how they see things and I was able to begin to build up a picture of their stories and backgrounds。I didn't like Adam as a character but when he goes missing followed by others on the island， paradise begins to turn in to trouble。 I couldn't stop reading to find out what has happened。This story is full of family secrets， murders， turtles and storms。 A good thriller to keep you turning the pages。 。。。more
Podenca
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Beautifully written， perfectly plotted， this compelling 5 star thriller has got it all and more！Glamorous， luxurious tropical resort， with white sandy beaches， cocktails galore， interesting， well developed characters， mystery， murder and mayhem - this excellent thriller is choc a bloc with all my favourite things plus it is just so well written it is like plunging into the welcoming turquoise waters of the titular Cove。This is my first Alice Clark-Platts book I have read but it certainly won't b Beautifully written， perfectly plotted， this compelling 5 star thriller has got it all and more！Glamorous， luxurious tropical resort， with white sandy beaches， cocktails galore， interesting， well developed characters， mystery， murder and mayhem - this excellent thriller is choc a bloc with all my favourite things plus it is just so well written it is like plunging into the welcoming turquoise waters of the titular Cove。This is my first Alice Clark-Platts book I have read but it certainly won't be the last as I simply adored the flawless writing， the great story structure and especially the length of the chapters which were all so well rounded and made the plot very easy to follow。 The descriptions were so vivid and evocative that I really did feel I was on that island， I could see all the scenes so clearly and almost felt that sugary white sand in between my toes。I am not usually one for thrillers with children and babies in them as I find going into all the day to day minutiae of making packed lunches， school pick ups and mithering the mundanities of nappies and bottles just seems so much like hard work it gets depressing - but this was not the case with The Cove。 Yes there were 8 year olds and a baby but it never got boring and the details and events concerning the children were all relevant to the plot or to give us deeper understanding of the parent's mind set or relationship dynamic rather than just the every day grind of child care。I really enjoyed the way the couples were described and the insight into their relationships - funny， bittersweet and so true to life and just so beautifully written it was a joy to listen to and so very moreish， even though I savoured it and tried to make it last I finished in two days。Plot wise I did guess one of the twists but none of the rest and there was just so much meat on the bones of this tightly wound thriller which was all very well paced saving reveals right up until the last minute when it all ended in a way which I certainly did not see coming。Wow！I really enjoyed this first class thriller and recommend it especially to those sun-starved listeners like me who are craving all the pleasure of a fabulous holiday whodunnit which will keep you guessing right up until the last minute。Thanks so much Alice Clark-Platts - please， please， please can we have another soon and this time I might even get to read it on a beach with a large cocktail！ 。。。more
Fiona Morris
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An easy read with enough of a plot to keep you hooked without being overly complicated。 This would make a good book to read on holiday， just being thankful the beautiful setting isn’t your destination！ Narrated from the different characters although still easy to follow。
Joanna
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Beautiful luxury tropical island thriller is my all time favourite set for a great book。 Unfortunately #TheCove did not do it for me。 To be honest， I just found it boring， I can't really say much else really。 I only continued reading just because I can hope to escape to such exotic white sandy beach location in my head。 I'm sorry to say with a boring storyline and unlikeable characters， I have to give just 2 stars #NetGalley Beautiful luxury tropical island thriller is my all time favourite set for a great book。 Unfortunately #TheCove did not do it for me。 To be honest， I just found it boring， I can't really say much else really。 I only continued reading just because I can hope to escape to such exotic white sandy beach location in my head。 I'm sorry to say with a boring storyline and unlikeable characters， I have to give just 2 stars #NetGalley 。。。more
Rachel Bridgeman
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Starting with an epic opening scene which introduces the reader to the quite stunning scenery of Turtle Cove， and an unplanned kayak trip which dangles， like the most tantalising fruit over the ensuing pages， this book then takes us quite literally beneath the veneer of this paradise island to expose its darker side。These two couples， and their 4 children， know each tangentially as part of a privileged， and monied， group of ex-pats in Singapore。 They might have gravitated towards each other in Starting with an epic opening scene which introduces the reader to the quite stunning scenery of Turtle Cove， and an unplanned kayak trip which dangles， like the most tantalising fruit over the ensuing pages， this book then takes us quite literally beneath the veneer of this paradise island to expose its darker side。These two couples， and their 4 children， know each tangentially as part of a privileged， and monied， group of ex-pats in Singapore。 They might have gravitated towards each other in another setting， but here they cling to each other as aide memoires to another life。 The long weekend ahead， at the luxury resort where wi-fi is blocked to encourage relaxation， is time to step away from the monotony of child rearing， law， book writing。 Before long， however， this exclusive and excluding island setting becomes an echo chamber of bitterness， resentment and recrimination。 Lack of internet services soon becomes the least of their worries。One husband is constantly drunk， leering at the other man's wife， and clearly not noticing that his own wife is on the verge of unravelling。 The other wife， on sabbatical from a career which she has let go of ， is flattered by the attention， her husband， not so much。And in the midst of this， 8 year old Raffy （son of Adam and Lou）， twins Chloe and Sam （children of Eliza and Noah） are thankfully blissfully unaware that much is wrong 。 They have the round the clock baby sitting service which is teaching them survival skills，cooking skills， diving， conservation and so forth。But nature abhors a vaccuum and this cove， this inlet of tranquility is shattered by human engineered and natural events。 Monsoon season， forest fires， disappearing people， all combine to turn a paradise into a purgatory of waiting to find just what happened to one of the 4 central characters who take turns narrating the book。For much in the same way that retreat owner Lars is trying to persuade the local Malayans that charging people to come and watch the turtle eggs hatching is more profitable than the pennies they get from selling them， the island which relies on the trade from rich ， mostly white ， privileged tourists is more valuable than blowing them up。 Or kidnapping them。 Or even killing them。。。It is a really gripping thriller that left you in suspense at who did what to whom， I really felt for one of the women who is clearly struggling to cope with a baby who does nothing but cry， it was such a vividly realised character study in desperation 。 I was not so fond， however， of her suddenly discarding her medication as though that were a veil which prevented her from truly being herself。 Her tablets were not the issue， her （quite frankly） knob of a husband was， with his 'it's just parenting ， how hard can it be' attitude。 He is 100% one of those dads who 'babysit ' their children。For me， the quiet and ruthless Inspector Khan who comes to investigate the disappearance of ， by now， 3 people， stole the show。 He was a mirror to the Western indulgence which had led them to try and get away from it all and his observations were spot on in the face of those who genuinely seemed to think that he， a foreigner， could solve this crime satisfactorily （in a riff on Poirot who is always underestimated ， and incorrectly identified as French！）A satisfying thriller is what I have come to expect from this author， and The Cove is no exception。 She brings to bear her understanding of ex-pat life and her profession as a lawyer to bear on this all too human tale of human frailty in the face of the elements。 。。。more
Candy
，
I’m not quite sure about this book。 I kept on waiting for something to happen but nothing ever did。
Michaela
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Two couples on a remote island for a weekend of rest and relaxation。。。 but all is not what it seems in paradise and as tensions between the couples rise their safe haven might just turn into a prison。。。I was intrigued by the concept of this book， but unfortunately it ultimately fell flat。 It held my interest in the beginning and seemed to be setting up an interesting mystery， however the second half struggled to maintain pace and bring it all together。It became increasingly convoluted and the st Two couples on a remote island for a weekend of rest and relaxation。。。 but all is not what it seems in paradise and as tensions between the couples rise their safe haven might just turn into a prison。。。I was intrigued by the concept of this book， but unfortunately it ultimately fell flat。 It held my interest in the beginning and seemed to be setting up an interesting mystery， however the second half struggled to maintain pace and bring it all together。It became increasingly convoluted and the structure of the rotating POVs seemed to devolve， interrupting the flow of the narrative。 This can sometimes work in the favour of a mystery as a tool to keep the reader in the dark， however here it simply felt a bit messy and unplanned。 We were introduced to several side-plots and mini mysteries that felt extraneous to the central narrative and not very well fleshed out。The final twist felt unnecessary and seemed to be an afterthought more than anything else， the story would have functioned just the same without it， if anything it made all the neatly tying up of all the loose ends seem a bit unrealistic。An interesting concept， and it did manage to hold my interest for the most part， but pacing and plot issues took from my enjoyment of the overall story。Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for my e-arc of this title， received in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Karen Barber
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Turtle Cove is a beautiful Malaysian island resort。 Adam and his wife， Lou， travel there with their two young children and new friends， Eliza and Noah。 First impressions are wondrous and people feel relaxed…but before too long strange events are taking place and there’s evident tension。We see that locals are resentful of the resort， the couples themselves are hiding secrets from each other and there’s the added tension of an impending monsoon to contend with。While the book offers lots of events， Turtle Cove is a beautiful Malaysian island resort。 Adam and his wife， Lou， travel there with their two young children and new friends， Eliza and Noah。 First impressions are wondrous and people feel relaxed…but before too long strange events are taking place and there’s evident tension。We see that locals are resentful of the resort， the couples themselves are hiding secrets from each other and there’s the added tension of an impending monsoon to contend with。While the book offers lots of events， it always felt a little flat。 I never felt as if we were really getting under the skin of the characters， and the lack of detail about the reality of their situation was frustrating。 While there was always something happening， I couldn’t shake the niggling feeling that it was often a kind of smokescreen。As soon as Adam disappeared after a drunken argument， things definitely picked up the pace。 Much of the story focused on events that were primarily a distraction， though their relevance to events was eventually shared。 Unfortunately， since I wasn’t overly engaged with any of the characters I didn’t find myself as thrilled by the ending as I might have expected to be。I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this prior to publication。 It was not a bad read by any means， but nor was it a book that will linger long in my memory。 。。。more
Leila Simpson
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This started off really well - characters were interesting and I was looking forward to seeing where it was going。 Unfortunately it went downhill towards the end and left me completely lacking any desire to finish it。 It all seemed a bit far fetched and not thought through， too much coming and going and a lot of underdeveloped characters appearing towards the end。 Really disappointing after a very good start。
Jay Dwight
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The story predominantly of two families holidaying together at a luxury， secluded island resort。 Relationships are fraying， and there's more going on within the local communities on the island than the families are aware。 The sense of foreboding providing the undercurrent of the narrative and setting the tension within the novel was the positive for this read。 The negative for me was that none of the main characters were overly likeable。 That's not always a negative for me if it can deliver an e The story predominantly of two families holidaying together at a luxury， secluded island resort。 Relationships are fraying， and there's more going on within the local communities on the island than the families are aware。 The sense of foreboding providing the undercurrent of the narrative and setting the tension within the novel was the positive for this read。 The negative for me was that none of the main characters were overly likeable。 That's not always a negative for me if it can deliver an edginess to an engaging story， but in this case， my sense of annoyance at them all did override a little。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Cove
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Cove&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Cove&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0