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The Grand Paloma Resort
The Grand Paloma Resort is a lush paradise in the Dominican Republic where the guests enjoy incredible luxury, and the staff is always eager to please—that is, until they are pushed to the brink.
Laura is a local Dominican woman who, through sheer hard work, has risen through the ranks to become manager at the Grand Paloma Resort. Her idea to pair a “platinum” guest with their own resort employee to attend to their every whim has been wildly successful, and she’s just weeks away from a promotion that could blaze a path for her off the resort and toward a life of opportunity. If only her younger sister, Elena—who she’s looked after since the death of their mother—could get with the program.
Elena has tried to live up to her sister’s expectations, but to escape the drudgery of waiting on rich tourists, she’s become increasingly dependent on pills and partying. As a babysitter at the resort, she’s at the beck and call of guests who are indulging their worst impulses and need someone else to watch their kids while they do so. Now, after an accident, a child left in her charge is believed dead, and Elena knows she'll be held responsible.
When Elena runs into the child’s father at a nearby beachfront watering hole, he offers her an obscene amount of money for private time with two young local girls. Elena pockets the cash to fund her escape and prays she’s gotten the girls out of harm’s way. But then the girls are reported missing.
Set over the course of seven days, The Grand Paloma Resort offers an unforgettable story of class, family, and community, building to an intense climax in which the true costs of luxury are laid bare, redeemed only by true acts of love.
Laura is a local Dominican woman who, through sheer hard work, has risen through the ranks to become manager at the Grand Paloma Resort. Her idea to pair a “platinum” guest with their own resort employee to attend to their every whim has been wildly successful, and she’s just weeks away from a promotion that could blaze a path for her off the resort and toward a life of opportunity. If only her younger sister, Elena—who she’s looked after since the death of their mother—could get with the program.
Elena has tried to live up to her sister’s expectations, but to escape the drudgery of waiting on rich tourists, she’s become increasingly dependent on pills and partying. As a babysitter at the resort, she’s at the beck and call of guests who are indulging their worst impulses and need someone else to watch their kids while they do so. Now, after an accident, a child left in her charge is believed dead, and Elena knows she'll be held responsible.
When Elena runs into the child’s father at a nearby beachfront watering hole, he offers her an obscene amount of money for private time with two young local girls. Elena pockets the cash to fund her escape and prays she’s gotten the girls out of harm’s way. But then the girls are reported missing.
Set over the course of seven days, The Grand Paloma Resort offers an unforgettable story of class, family, and community, building to an intense climax in which the true costs of luxury are laid bare, redeemed only by true acts of love.
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First published August 12, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews
December 8, 2025
2025 Goodreads Choice Awards (Mai's Version) - Readers' Favorite Mystery & Thriller
Latine Heritage Month 2025 #2
I loved NERUDA ON THE PARK. While this is different, the feeling is the same.
I don't watch a lot of TV. And yet, I binged THE WHITE LOTUS. I wasn't the only one. This gives similarish vibes with class, race, and the things people will do to hide their secrets.
The setting is a resort in DR. Most of the hotel workers are underpaid locals. Upper management is generally foreign. American or Western European. Nothing new to see here.
Laura is a mid-level manager. She is trying to move up, but she's local, and there are barriers. Her younger sister Elena is unreliable, and she often covers for her. Their mother has long since passed. Their father has disappeared.
Elena works as a babysitter at the resort. One of the children is believed to be hurt. There is also a bit of trafficking occurring in and around the resort. Several people are in on it. The wrong children are stolen. I'm not saying there are right children. But these girls' mother is in on the prostitution ring. And their father is a wealthy married foreigner who would do anything to keep things quiet. And he has a lot of money.
I'm reviewing this badly, but it's a really introspective look on the damage capitalism can do to an economy and its people. Nearly everyone is horrible. It's very engrossing.
🥃 Take a shot every time I put DANZA KUDURO on repeatin 2010 now
🥃 Take a shot every time a white person does something you expect them to
rep: Afro-Dominican, Haitian
tw: classism, drugs, exploitation, pedophilia, racism, sex trafficking
Book pairing: AND THEN THERE WERE NONE | BIG LITTLE LIES
TV pairing: CINDERELLA AND THE FOUR KNIGHTS | DOWNTON ABBEY | THE GILDED AGE | THE WHITE LOTUS
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books
Latine Heritage Month 2025 #2
I loved NERUDA ON THE PARK. While this is different, the feeling is the same.
I don't watch a lot of TV. And yet, I binged THE WHITE LOTUS. I wasn't the only one. This gives similarish vibes with class, race, and the things people will do to hide their secrets.
The setting is a resort in DR. Most of the hotel workers are underpaid locals. Upper management is generally foreign. American or Western European. Nothing new to see here.
Laura is a mid-level manager. She is trying to move up, but she's local, and there are barriers. Her younger sister Elena is unreliable, and she often covers for her. Their mother has long since passed. Their father has disappeared.
Elena works as a babysitter at the resort. One of the children is believed to be hurt. There is also a bit of trafficking occurring in and around the resort. Several people are in on it. The wrong children are stolen. I'm not saying there are right children. But these girls' mother is in on the prostitution ring. And their father is a wealthy married foreigner who would do anything to keep things quiet. And he has a lot of money.
I'm reviewing this badly, but it's a really introspective look on the damage capitalism can do to an economy and its people. Nearly everyone is horrible. It's very engrossing.
🥃 Take a shot every time I put DANZA KUDURO on repeat
🥃 Take a shot every time a white person does something you expect them to
rep: Afro-Dominican, Haitian
tw: classism, drugs, exploitation, pedophilia, racism, sex trafficking
Book pairing: AND THEN THERE WERE NONE | BIG LITTLE LIES
TV pairing: CINDERELLA AND THE FOUR KNIGHTS | DOWNTON ABBEY | THE GILDED AGE | THE WHITE LOTUS
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books
August 19, 2025
5 stars. The Grand Paloma Resort features a luxe island resort with flawed-realistic-even unlikable characters, and a dark underbelly of secrets and corruption that proved to be a rollercoaster of emotions and heartbreaking events. There’s much going on within the storyline but several things stick out the most. First is the history between Haiti and Dominican Republicans and its repercussions for Haitian workers at the resort—so disturbing to read. And Natera incl. in storyline current issues facing children and females in the Caribbean (heartwrenching-almost dnf’d here). She’s given readers a stark reminder of the injustices immigrants live with daily. This felt raw, the suspense, the topics true to form. I loved the White Lotus vibe, and as a fan others may like this one. Overall am very impressed with her writing and want to read more from her. Pub. 8/12/25
⚠️ female disappearance/child trafficking + other child related triggers/immigrant experience
⚠️ female disappearance/child trafficking + other child related triggers/immigrant experience
September 2, 2025
2.5 stars The premise of this is excellent. Two little girls disappear, and a hotel staff member flees. This book was full of issues. First, it didn't know what it wanted to be. It didn't work as a thriller. It tried to be a social commentary on class disparity and evil rich tourists in developing countries. It also tried to be shocking with sex scenes and foul language awkwardly thrown in. The novel was written in a very disconnected way, and I didn't connect with any of the characters. This was a miss for me.
August 26, 2025
I'm so irritated after reading this book. At the 30% mark I knew I was reading it just to find out how it would end and I also knew I would regret investing that time.
This book felt like if Little Rot and The White Lotus had a baby - but not in a good way. Every character except for Vida got on my nerves. The social commentary and critique of tourism was so heavy-handed and made the dialogue feel unnatural at times.
And the "secret" just didn't feel that high stakes. I really don't know why it was added in the book. The book is billed as kind of a thriller but that's not quite what this is - in fact I felt like it wanted to be so many things so it failed to be anything good. The suspense was high but the pacing was off. The last 10% of the book felt never ending. The book switched POVs in ways that didn't often push the narrative forward as well as it could have.
Honestly, the suspense/desire to know if anyone would pay for their bad behavior was the only thing that held the whole book together. The unrealistically tidy and cheery ending really was the nail in the coffin for me. This book was not for me.
This book felt like if Little Rot and The White Lotus had a baby - but not in a good way. Every character except for Vida got on my nerves. The social commentary and critique of tourism was so heavy-handed and made the dialogue feel unnatural at times.
And the "secret" just didn't feel that high stakes. I really don't know why it was added in the book. The book is billed as kind of a thriller but that's not quite what this is - in fact I felt like it wanted to be so many things so it failed to be anything good. The suspense was high but the pacing was off. The last 10% of the book felt never ending. The book switched POVs in ways that didn't often push the narrative forward as well as it could have.
Honestly, the suspense/desire to know if anyone would pay for their bad behavior was the only thing that held the whole book together. The unrealistically tidy and cheery ending really was the nail in the coffin for me. This book was not for me.
August 23, 2025
I really really liked this book. I was pretty taken it from the start, and only toward the end did it go on a bit long for me. Natera builds such great suspense and allows her characters to make some pretty awful choices. She also works in some history of the DR so well. There are a few pieces that didn't work for me at all the "secret" as well as storytelling choices that felt a bit heavy handed. But honestly, I was so impressed by this one in a major way.
April 20, 2025
Really sheds a different light on tourism. The constant contrast between the resort guests’ indulgences and the staff’s/locals’ struggles made for a really compelling read. However, there were periodic shifts in perspective within chapters which I found a little disorienting at times, mostly in the first half of the book. Overall I really liked this one. Great character development.
November 11, 2025
loved.
Update 11/11 for Substack:
Year of evil women!!! This book centers on a pair of orphaned sisters who work together at a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic. Laura is the eldest daughter on steroids: tough, determined, calloused, rude. She runs the resort with an iron fist, turning on people she’s known her entire life to appease the corporation that pays her bills. Her sister Elena is prodigal, driftless, aimless: careless due to Laura’s mothering, blind to how much she’s allowed to flounder due to her sister cleaning up her messes constantly-- that is, until Elena makes a mistake she can’t undo and no one can fix, and the entire operation grinds to a halt as her mistake coincides with a world-altering hurricane barreling down on the island.
I felt deeply connected to both the narrative and the themes of fighting against assimilation, colonization, imperialism, and the protection of the natural world. Natera writes with reverence about Blackness and Dominicanidad, as well as the ways our people are tormented by outside forces and how those forces worm their way into our psyches, altering us and making us shift and curdle. I loved this book- Elena was frustrating (I will never not have beef with a careless younger sibling character) but I loved how deeply Natera plugged into Laura’s darkness. More of this in fiction, please! So happy a Dominican author really went there on multiple levels.
Update 11/11 for Substack:
Year of evil women!!! This book centers on a pair of orphaned sisters who work together at a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic. Laura is the eldest daughter on steroids: tough, determined, calloused, rude. She runs the resort with an iron fist, turning on people she’s known her entire life to appease the corporation that pays her bills. Her sister Elena is prodigal, driftless, aimless: careless due to Laura’s mothering, blind to how much she’s allowed to flounder due to her sister cleaning up her messes constantly-- that is, until Elena makes a mistake she can’t undo and no one can fix, and the entire operation grinds to a halt as her mistake coincides with a world-altering hurricane barreling down on the island.
I felt deeply connected to both the narrative and the themes of fighting against assimilation, colonization, imperialism, and the protection of the natural world. Natera writes with reverence about Blackness and Dominicanidad, as well as the ways our people are tormented by outside forces and how those forces worm their way into our psyches, altering us and making us shift and curdle. I loved this book- Elena was frustrating (I will never not have beef with a careless younger sibling character) but I loved how deeply Natera plugged into Laura’s darkness. More of this in fiction, please! So happy a Dominican author really went there on multiple levels.
August 24, 2025
With its horrible characters, powerful jerks facing little accountability, exploitative labor, and graphic sexual content, this book read like all the worst parts of The White Lotus. While engrossing in a can't-look-away-from-a-trainwreck way, I hated how everything felt like it got swept under the rug and forgiven too quickly, especially given the weight of the subject matter. Overall, not a very enjoyable read.
July 3, 2025
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 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.
Read
August 25, 2025NR, this was a DNF for me. I found it boring. I tried to listen on audio, and that may have been the problem. At any rate, we're all done here.
August 12, 2025
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.
Thank you to the publisher and author for providing a free copy of this book through NetGalley.
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.
Thank you to the publisher and author for providing a free copy of this book through NetGalley.
August 18, 2025
2.5 ⭐️
The pacing of this story is a little off and sometimes sentences begin and end abruptly, but I was wondering what was going to happen next so that kept me turning the pages! Sometimes, with a book like this I wonder if anyone rereads the book for continuity and editing because some portions seemed so scattered and confusing. This book just gave me a headache and I had such high hopes....
The pacing of this story is a little off and sometimes sentences begin and end abruptly, but I was wondering what was going to happen next so that kept me turning the pages! Sometimes, with a book like this I wonder if anyone rereads the book for continuity and editing because some portions seemed so scattered and confusing. This book just gave me a headache and I had such high hopes....
November 14, 2025
Book Title: The Grand Paloma Resort
Author: Cleyvis Natera
Publishers: Ballantine Books/Penguin Random House Audio
Publication Date: August 12, 2025
Currently Available on KU? 🙅🏼♀️
Audiobook? ✅
🍿 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: I won’t lie, I decided to listen to The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera entirely because of the cover and title which were giving me White Lotus vibes. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out completely in my favor and ended up being a pretty middle-of-the-road read for me.
🤩 𝚃͏𝚑͏𝚎͏ 𝙱͏��͏𝚜͏𝚝͏ 𝙱͏𝚒͏𝚝͏𝚜͏: It started out really strong for me, and I loved the descriptive way Natera has of writing setting. This was a side of the Dominican Republic that I hadn’t seen in a book yet, and I enjoyed the insight into the culture. The book is mostly centered around the resort but does include other areas of the DR as well with the 3 different {main} viewpoints. In certain ways it delivered on my White Lotus vibes, in that it was rather dark and depicts rich people behaving very badly.
🎧 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃: The audio has a full cast in terms of MCs, but I have to say that I couldn’t tell the difference between Sixta Morel, EJ Lavery & Diana Bustelo’s narration. I honestly thought I was listening to one narrator which seemed like an issue to me, and it didn’t make the audio as immersive as I would have liked. Maybe this is just a me not paying close enough attention thing, but I was shocked to see 3 narrators when I looked after I was done. 🤷🏼♀️
💭 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: I was thinking this would be a mystery and/or thriller but that was very much on the back burner compared to the exploration of class and social issues. I understand what the author was trying to do, but it just didn’t work all that great for me and the 3 POVs + other random ones just ended up being more confusing than anything. Not sure I will read Natera again, but if you think this sounds good, I would still recommend checking it out!
T͏h͏i͏s͏ B͏o͏o͏k͏ i͏n͏ 5͏ E͏m͏o͏j͏i͏’s͏ o͏r͏ L͏e͏s͏s͏: 🤑🌊😬🥴👀
𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐
𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐💫
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: .5🌶️ (explicit scene spoken about after the fact)
I received a complimentary listening copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Author: Cleyvis Natera
Publishers: Ballantine Books/Penguin Random House Audio
Publication Date: August 12, 2025
Currently Available on KU? 🙅🏼♀️
Audiobook? ✅
🍿 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: I won’t lie, I decided to listen to The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera entirely because of the cover and title which were giving me White Lotus vibes. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out completely in my favor and ended up being a pretty middle-of-the-road read for me.
🤩 𝚃͏𝚑͏𝚎͏ 𝙱͏��͏𝚜͏𝚝͏ 𝙱͏𝚒͏𝚝͏𝚜͏: It started out really strong for me, and I loved the descriptive way Natera has of writing setting. This was a side of the Dominican Republic that I hadn’t seen in a book yet, and I enjoyed the insight into the culture. The book is mostly centered around the resort but does include other areas of the DR as well with the 3 different {main} viewpoints. In certain ways it delivered on my White Lotus vibes, in that it was rather dark and depicts rich people behaving very badly.
🎧 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃: The audio has a full cast in terms of MCs, but I have to say that I couldn’t tell the difference between Sixta Morel, EJ Lavery & Diana Bustelo’s narration. I honestly thought I was listening to one narrator which seemed like an issue to me, and it didn’t make the audio as immersive as I would have liked. Maybe this is just a me not paying close enough attention thing, but I was shocked to see 3 narrators when I looked after I was done. 🤷🏼♀️
💭 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: I was thinking this would be a mystery and/or thriller but that was very much on the back burner compared to the exploration of class and social issues. I understand what the author was trying to do, but it just didn’t work all that great for me and the 3 POVs + other random ones just ended up being more confusing than anything. Not sure I will read Natera again, but if you think this sounds good, I would still recommend checking it out!
T͏h͏i͏s͏ B͏o͏o͏k͏ i͏n͏ 5͏ E͏m͏o͏j͏i͏’s͏ o͏r͏ L͏e͏s͏s͏: 🤑🌊😬🥴👀
𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐
𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐💫
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: .5🌶️ (explicit scene spoken about after the fact)
I received a complimentary listening copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
August 19, 2025
Very good, dark mystery(ish) novel that takes place at an “all inclusive” type resort in the Dominican Republic. There is a central mystery going on, but this novel is more focused on capturing the inner lives of the characters and highlighting the exploitation of the workers at places like this. White Lotus is a good comp that’s being used in the marketing.
And it MOVES. The pacing was very deftly done, and Natera is going on my authors-to-watch list.
And it MOVES. The pacing was very deftly done, and Natera is going on my authors-to-watch list.
May 15, 2025
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC! 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.
August 27, 2025
I ate this book up! The suspense was intense, and the stakes were sky high. I was hooked from the start and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The characters were awful, making choices that often left me PISSED. But that's what made it so compelling. I also liked getting snippets of the history of DR and a glimpse into the lives of hotel workers. It's easy to forget that there's a whole world behind the scenes when we're on vacation. Sure, some parts didn't quite work for me, but overall, I was invested in the story and couldn't put it down.
September 23, 2025
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
As a born Dominican, this story literally had me on a chokehold. I deeply felt all the injustices (that still go on in my country) and it truly saddens me that these type situations still go on. This story will be unforgettable. I absolutely adore the authors writing style.
As a born Dominican, this story literally had me on a chokehold. I deeply felt all the injustices (that still go on in my country) and it truly saddens me that these type situations still go on. This story will be unforgettable. I absolutely adore the authors writing style.
July 27, 2025
A tense, ravaging tourism thriller
When an American child is severely injured on her watch, a babysitter at a luxe resort in the Dominican Republic and her sister -- a cutthroat resort manager -- go to unspeakable lengths to escape the consequences, even after the cover-up results in two local girls going missing with a major hurricane bearing down on the island.
This is a meaty beach read for White Lotus fans with all the horrifying privilege on display, a large cast of complex and conflicted characters, and even some strong nods to the literary legacy of Edwidge Danticat.
It's a little rough in some places and quite difficult to read with most of the book consumed by the mystery of whether a pedophile got to the two missing children. The book spans several perspectives, but mostly focuses on the two sisters who are not without nuance but very often unlikeable.
It's other characters that save the show. The local curandera called to heal the tourist child's injury, who fears what the ritual might do to her own unborn child. Her ex-boyfriend, a resort employee torn between his local roots and the demands of catering to guests. The mother of the missing children, who is both longtime mistress to a wealthy foreign developer and operator of a prostitution ring from the local bar she owns. The nonagenarian teacher in their tiny mountain town, protecting an intense secret about the town's origins.
It would be so easy for a work like this to adopt a simplified message of Tourism Bad or to paint the wealthy as inherently despicable. A few well placed minor characters demonstrate wielding power for good. And threaded throughout everything is a further awareness not just of tourists, developers and locals, but the history between Haiti and the DR and its repercussions for Haitian laborers at the resort, occupying a rung even below Dominican staff.
The story unfolds over the course of a single week and this trajectory, underlined by the path of the hurricane and its aftermath, does a great job of showcasing how healing begins by excavating the ugliest truths.
CW: pedophilia, assault, domestic violence
Thank you to publisher Ballantine Books for my advance copy, provided in exchange for an honest review. This book publishes on August 12, 2025.
When an American child is severely injured on her watch, a babysitter at a luxe resort in the Dominican Republic and her sister -- a cutthroat resort manager -- go to unspeakable lengths to escape the consequences, even after the cover-up results in two local girls going missing with a major hurricane bearing down on the island.
This is a meaty beach read for White Lotus fans with all the horrifying privilege on display, a large cast of complex and conflicted characters, and even some strong nods to the literary legacy of Edwidge Danticat.
It's a little rough in some places and quite difficult to read with most of the book consumed by the mystery of whether a pedophile got to the two missing children. The book spans several perspectives, but mostly focuses on the two sisters who are not without nuance but very often unlikeable.
It's other characters that save the show. The local curandera called to heal the tourist child's injury, who fears what the ritual might do to her own unborn child. Her ex-boyfriend, a resort employee torn between his local roots and the demands of catering to guests. The mother of the missing children, who is both longtime mistress to a wealthy foreign developer and operator of a prostitution ring from the local bar she owns. The nonagenarian teacher in their tiny mountain town, protecting an intense secret about the town's origins.
It would be so easy for a work like this to adopt a simplified message of Tourism Bad or to paint the wealthy as inherently despicable. A few well placed minor characters demonstrate wielding power for good. And threaded throughout everything is a further awareness not just of tourists, developers and locals, but the history between Haiti and the DR and its repercussions for Haitian laborers at the resort, occupying a rung even below Dominican staff.
The story unfolds over the course of a single week and this trajectory, underlined by the path of the hurricane and its aftermath, does a great job of showcasing how healing begins by excavating the ugliest truths.
CW: pedophilia, assault, domestic violence
Thank you to publisher Ballantine Books for my advance copy, provided in exchange for an honest review. This book publishes on August 12, 2025.
August 10, 2025
The idea of a luxury resort in a gorgeous location with a mystery/ thriller concept sounds sexy and like a good time, but I didn't feel that this was in that category. The story fell flat to me and seemed a tad incongruous with the genre. What took me out of the story most was the change in POV that seemed to happen suddenly. It would have flowed better if a single POV was utilized per chapter. I might have been able to connect to the characters more, and the story would have felt more fluid. It all was too halting to get a good flow reading this.
September 29, 2025
Couldn’t read this. I had to stop when I realized Laura was actually going to let her sister believe she killed a little girl just to teach her a lesson??? WTF? and the writing wasn’t that good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2025
Cleyvis Natera's The Grand Paloma Resort captures the essence of the abuses mega corporations inflict on people who provide workers for the industry that has taken over their country. Laura has a relatively high profile job at The Grand Paloma Resort in the Dominican Republic. Elena, her younger sister, is currently employed there as a babysitter. The resort has been good to them in terms of providing employment and opportunities for advancement. The sisters are perceived differently: Laura is capable, but cold; Elena is a fuck-up, but people like her and want her back. Elena has been irresponsible again at the start of the book. One of her charges was injured when Elena took her away from the main part of the resort. The child was unconscious and bruised. When Elena told her sister, Laura relied on the curandera to save her life. Elena was convinced the girl was dead and that she would have to leave the country. She took more than enough money for a plane ticket from a male tourist who believed the money provided access to two of her friend's children for sex. A major portion of the book is devoted to a hunt for the missing children in a hurricane. Are the children still alive? Have they been raped? What does it take to find the man and find answers? The story plays out and focuses on the consequences for the various characters. By the end of the book, the story is about the impact on the resort and the islanders as much as the search. Readers will find themselves focusing on the small scale details of human interaction and the big picture of the industry. I found myself being reminded of an even bigger picture- a global one. Some of my thoughts led to another book about a similar negative corporate impact on another part of the world- Imbalo Mbue's How Beautiful We Were.
December 9, 2025
Once again, I am fooled by a book I did not expect to like at all, just because it was not in a genre I usually read. "The Grand Paloma Resort" is about two sisters who live and work in the Dominica. Republic at a tropical resort for clueless billionaires, not people I enjoy reading about. The sisters are used to the underhanded ways of their clients and are not above some rather awful behavior themselves that is bound to get them in trouble. It all comes to a head when a hurricane unexpectedly slams into their part of the island, destroying the resort and many lives. During the events of the story the sisters deal with racism, classism, misogyny, sexual crimes, drug crimes, etc.
This book could have been trashy. It wasn't. The story drew me in and kept me caring, even when it got a little on the soap opera side.
I learned a bit about the relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. I would like to know more.
This book could have been trashy. It wasn't. The story drew me in and kept me caring, even when it got a little on the soap opera side.
I learned a bit about the relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. I would like to know more.
November 3, 2025
Laura has worked tirelessly to become manager of a all inclusive resort. Hoping to move further up the corporate ladder and give herself and her 16 year old sister, Elena, a better life. Unfortunately, between Elena's wildness, the demands of running a resort, employee and guest chaos, and a hurricane, Laura has to make difficult decisions with only herself to take the fall when the decisions are bad ones. This book is good!! I had some serious anxiety and couldn't read fast enough to keep up with everything Laura has to deal with!!!
June 13, 2025
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.
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.
October 30, 2025
a good story and sheds a different light on tourism. I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if Laura wasn’t such a horrible character.
September 14, 2025
This has easily been one of my favorite reads of the year so far! Cleyvis masterfully weaves a story that not only captivates but also sheds light on history and the harsh realities tied to dark tourism. At its heart, the book follows two sisters who, despite working at the same luxury resort, navigate completely different lives. I loved seeing how their worlds unfolded against such a unique backdrop. It’s so exciting to discover more thrillers and mysteries written by Latine authors—and this one kept me hooked from start to finish. I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it!
September 29, 2025
I found The Grand Paloma Resort to be a great improvement from Clevis Natera’s first novel, Neruda on the Park, which didn’t do it for me. I’ve heard a lot of people describe this as “White Lotus focused on the workers”, which I think ignores the fact that White Lotus often does focus on some workers. However, the show seems to have no actual critique of the gross displays of wealth on the island—it feels like the writers’ room is just saying “I know we’re supposed to hate rich people now, but I don’t really get why” the whole time. In contrast, Natera’s resort workers experience a righteous indignation about the evils of the tourism industry, allowing the plane to fully land in a way it never does on HBO.
📚 Book pairings
Speaking of righteous indignation, I was hooked from Natera’s first epigraph, which is from A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid, one of my favorite books ever!!! Both Kincaid and Natera offer these powerful, scathing repudiations of how the neocolonial tourism industry has ravaged their native islands. This is life-or-death stuff, portrayed by these authors with a seriousness we need much more of. Natera’s other epigraph comes from Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones, a book I haven’t read yet. After having an underwhelming experience with Krik! Krak?, I’m interested to try a full-length novel of Danticat’s, instead.
The Grand Paloma Resort would also be a great companion to Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn. This is a similarly contemptuous look at the Caribbean tourism industry, this time along the privatized shoreline of Montego Bay, Jamaica. We have similar themes of fishermen whose ancestral way of life is foreclosed due to resort development, and of sexual violence that is justified by the resort’s insistence that its workers make all the tourists’ desires come true. This leads me to another comparison, Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie. This novel explores the real-life movement to find and honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit people (MMIWG2S). As I noted in that review, in Lillie’s world, the villains are not just individual kidnappers and serial killers, but also the many systems of colonialization that have set the stage for the violation of Northeast Oklahoma and its Indigenous people. Whether it’s resort developers in the DR or lead/zinc mining companies in Oklahoma, this terrible practice of industries environmentally violating the land and physically violating its people is a constant throughout these novels.
⚖️ The shifting logic of colonialism
Let’s talk a bit about colonialism, because its logics undergird every facet of this book. We see characters like Vida reflecting on how working at the resort has hardened residents of Pico Diablo, until their actions are unrecognizable. This is true of people who are trying to work the system as best they can (Pablo), people who don’t mind stepping on others to reach the top (Laura), and even people who think they care about those at the bottom (Elena.) In a lesser novel, we’d have one saintly character, but here everyone has some level of complicity—there would be no way not to. Natera weaves this complex pecking order, with such layered tiers of manipulation:
This notion of victimization, and if it’s even possible to resist it, is quite rich. We see many characters besieged on all fronts, with “every hotel guest [as] her boss” (102). It’s an environment of endless masters, every time another tourist checks in with a new set of demands. In this environment, it quickly becomes clear that no part of one’s self, including their body, is truly “off limits” because the job necessitates going as far as you can to meet the customer’s needs. The characters who go the furthest to meet said needs, like Laura, are startling to watch because they have to do the grunt work that many other characters can pay to pretend doesn’t exist. It’s a really moving reflection on who gets to be kind or benevolent, and who is on the enforcing end of the gun or closed door:
Final thoughts
This is a great book to read if you are passionate about the ethics of “leisure.” One thing I didn’t mention is it’s also a well-paced, genuinely stirring thriller. When the hurricane strikes, Natera immediately elevates the sensory experience for her readers. We begin to notice the smells of the ocean in a way we hadn’t before, and seem inundated by the patterns of the wildlife in Pico Diablo. The plot slows down to the minute or even second level, with certain glances and brief interactions being given a truly cinematic treatment. These scenes are matched by small clues about just what might have happened to some vulnerable characters—if you know how to follow those threads.
I am removing a star because the character motivation’s aren’t the clearest—Laura views herself as redeemable for much longer than we do, which cheapens the impact of what she deems her final descent. Pablo wavers back and forth with his concerns and places almost too simple of a focus on resolution through work, while Elena’s main error just feels too irreconcilable with what we know about her character. The Vargas sisters’ role at the end feels unearned and unrealistic, a real betrayal of the novel’s earlier complexity. However, even with these flaws, Natera writes much worth reading.
If you need any more convincing to read this one, I recommend Natera’s episode of the Stacks Podcast. She speaks with Traci about the return of enjoyable literature, and being unashamed to let your readers have a pleasant experience with fiction!!! Their conversation reaches all the way back to Shakespeare, discussing how his work was seen as “lowbrow” or for commoners at the time…something I forget in modern day!! It’s a great reminder that the work we return to is often the work that understands that entertainment is not a 4 letter word!!! It’s actually what sustains us and encourages us to think more deeply. As Traci notes, “books are in crisis…people are writing to the critic and not writing to themselves or readers.” Anyone writing to solve this crisis has a fan in me, so thank you, Cleyvis Natera!!
📚 Book pairings
Speaking of righteous indignation, I was hooked from Natera’s first epigraph, which is from A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid, one of my favorite books ever!!! Both Kincaid and Natera offer these powerful, scathing repudiations of how the neocolonial tourism industry has ravaged their native islands. This is life-or-death stuff, portrayed by these authors with a seriousness we need much more of. Natera’s other epigraph comes from Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones, a book I haven’t read yet. After having an underwhelming experience with Krik! Krak?, I’m interested to try a full-length novel of Danticat’s, instead.
The Grand Paloma Resort would also be a great companion to Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn. This is a similarly contemptuous look at the Caribbean tourism industry, this time along the privatized shoreline of Montego Bay, Jamaica. We have similar themes of fishermen whose ancestral way of life is foreclosed due to resort development, and of sexual violence that is justified by the resort’s insistence that its workers make all the tourists’ desires come true. This leads me to another comparison, Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie. This novel explores the real-life movement to find and honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit people (MMIWG2S). As I noted in that review, in Lillie’s world, the villains are not just individual kidnappers and serial killers, but also the many systems of colonialization that have set the stage for the violation of Northeast Oklahoma and its Indigenous people. Whether it’s resort developers in the DR or lead/zinc mining companies in Oklahoma, this terrible practice of industries environmentally violating the land and physically violating its people is a constant throughout these novels.
⚖️ The shifting logic of colonialism
Let’s talk a bit about colonialism, because its logics undergird every facet of this book. We see characters like Vida reflecting on how working at the resort has hardened residents of Pico Diablo, until their actions are unrecognizable. This is true of people who are trying to work the system as best they can (Pablo), people who don’t mind stepping on others to reach the top (Laura), and even people who think they care about those at the bottom (Elena.) In a lesser novel, we’d have one saintly character, but here everyone has some level of complicity—there would be no way not to. Natera weaves this complex pecking order, with such layered tiers of manipulation:
She had also recognized that Miranda was limited by her own privilege. She looked upon Laura as if she were at the bottom of their senior team, neglecting to realize that Laura sat prettily at the very top of the nationals rank. But there was limited employee data on those numbers. If Miranda had bothered to learn what they paid the undocumented Haitian workers who cared for the grounds, she’d realize that Laura occupied a place that locals envied. Even if the work conditions favored others, exploitation hardly applied in Laura’s situation. Didn’t exploitation require a victim? Laura was no victim.(37)
This notion of victimization, and if it’s even possible to resist it, is quite rich. We see many characters besieged on all fronts, with “every hotel guest [as] her boss” (102). It’s an environment of endless masters, every time another tourist checks in with a new set of demands. In this environment, it quickly becomes clear that no part of one’s self, including their body, is truly “off limits” because the job necessitates going as far as you can to meet the customer’s needs. The characters who go the furthest to meet said needs, like Laura, are startling to watch because they have to do the grunt work that many other characters can pay to pretend doesn’t exist. It’s a really moving reflection on who gets to be kind or benevolent, and who is on the enforcing end of the gun or closed door:
“Surely in a resort with thousands of acres of land, you can afford to find a place for the families to stay.” Laura heard the note of authority in Amber’s voice. The sisters were used to having their way. They might have had the same color of skin as Laura, but it was clear that these women lived very differently. Laura felt bile in her throat, could taste it on her tongue.
How nice it must be to live with morality and scruples. To have the freedom to choose the high ground that wealth afforded. Ida and her sister’s wealth—great enough that they could afford to shut down both their hotels during peak season and spend it relaxing with their families or getting drunk by the side of the pool—meant that they had no idea what it might mean for her to let those people stay, to risk her job. Who got to be humane? Who got to be generous? She wanted to shout at them. (219)
Final thoughts
This is a great book to read if you are passionate about the ethics of “leisure.” One thing I didn’t mention is it’s also a well-paced, genuinely stirring thriller. When the hurricane strikes, Natera immediately elevates the sensory experience for her readers. We begin to notice the smells of the ocean in a way we hadn’t before, and seem inundated by the patterns of the wildlife in Pico Diablo. The plot slows down to the minute or even second level, with certain glances and brief interactions being given a truly cinematic treatment. These scenes are matched by small clues about just what might have happened to some vulnerable characters—if you know how to follow those threads.
I am removing a star because the character motivation’s aren’t the clearest—Laura views herself as redeemable for much longer than we do, which cheapens the impact of what she deems her final descent. Pablo wavers back and forth with his concerns and places almost too simple of a focus on resolution through work, while Elena’s main error just feels too irreconcilable with what we know about her character. The Vargas sisters’ role at the end feels unearned and unrealistic, a real betrayal of the novel’s earlier complexity. However, even with these flaws, Natera writes much worth reading.
If you need any more convincing to read this one, I recommend Natera’s episode of the Stacks Podcast. She speaks with Traci about the return of enjoyable literature, and being unashamed to let your readers have a pleasant experience with fiction!!! Their conversation reaches all the way back to Shakespeare, discussing how his work was seen as “lowbrow” or for commoners at the time…something I forget in modern day!! It’s a great reminder that the work we return to is often the work that understands that entertainment is not a 4 letter word!!! It’s actually what sustains us and encourages us to think more deeply. As Traci notes, “books are in crisis…people are writing to the critic and not writing to themselves or readers.” Anyone writing to solve this crisis has a fan in me, so thank you, Cleyvis Natera!!
August 17, 2025
Sad to think this may be a reality for some of the hardworking staff at these “luxury island hotels” that we all have stayed enjoying ourselves and never considering this dark underbelly.
September 23, 2025
I wanted to like this book; the setting had potential, but overall the execution left me frustrated! The author leans far too heavily on demonizing every “rich tourist” who steps foot into the resort. The irony is never addressed - those very tourists are the reason the locals have jobs in the first place, yet the narrative paints them as soulless villains with no nuance!
The themes feel painfully overdone. Cliched portrayals of racism and sexism, cardboard cutout depictions of poverty, and the same tired “capitalism bad” storyline that’s been recycled countless times. Instead of exploring these issues with depth or originality, the book relies on stereotypes and heavy-handed moralizing. By the halfway mark, it stopped feeling like a story and more like a lecture.
There was potential for a thoughtful exploration of cultural tension, class divides, and the beauty of the setting, but the characters are one-dimensional, and the plot is sacrificed to make political points. In the end, it’s a shallow treatment of complex issues, and I closed tvhe book feeling more annoyed than enlightened.
The themes feel painfully overdone. Cliched portrayals of racism and sexism, cardboard cutout depictions of poverty, and the same tired “capitalism bad” storyline that’s been recycled countless times. Instead of exploring these issues with depth or originality, the book relies on stereotypes and heavy-handed moralizing. By the halfway mark, it stopped feeling like a story and more like a lecture.
There was potential for a thoughtful exploration of cultural tension, class divides, and the beauty of the setting, but the characters are one-dimensional, and the plot is sacrificed to make political points. In the end, it’s a shallow treatment of complex issues, and I closed tvhe book feeling more annoyed than enlightened.
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