What do you think?
Rate this book
The Resort
When three women win a holiday in a Facebook competition, they think it’s by chance.
It’s not.
When one woman accompanies her husband on business, she thinks she’ll return with him.
She won’t.
Welcome to the resort, where nothing is as it seems.
Invited guests testing the facilities before it opens its doors in one weeks’ time face some uncomfortable truths.
Who will survive the week and who won’t leave at all?
It’s not.
When one woman accompanies her husband on business, she thinks she’ll return with him.
She won’t.
Welcome to the resort, where nothing is as it seems.
Invited guests testing the facilities before it opens its doors in one weeks’ time face some uncomfortable truths.
Who will survive the week and who won’t leave at all?
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2021
1042 people are currently reading
1081 people want to read
About the author
M.J. Hardy
8 books62 followersPseudonym for author S.J. Crabb.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
April 13, 2021
I couldn’t get past 15% due to the plethora of errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation. If author M.J. Hardy has an editor, it’s time to cut ties.
May 13, 2021
Simple Summer Read
This was a decent enough read. It held a lot of spelling and grammatical errors, however. The story wasn't compelling nor explosive but it kept my attention. The ending twists were interesting and the epilogue came wrapped in bow. An easy, simple summer read.
This was a decent enough read. It held a lot of spelling and grammatical errors, however. The story wasn't compelling nor explosive but it kept my attention. The ending twists were interesting and the epilogue came wrapped in bow. An easy, simple summer read.
May 31, 2021
Too ridiculous for most readers over 15
Oh my, what a silly story..The plot is contrived, the characters so fake. Everyone is a caricature of a human. And Ben’s early life and how he was treated by everyone, except his adopted parents, is too much to be believed. There is so much preaching, fake sounding conversations and women who are all angels in their relationships with so many bad boys. The character of Ben’s father actually comes off as comical instead of threatening.
There is just too much wrong with this book
to be right,
so I shall end
and say GoodNight.
Oh my, what a silly story..The plot is contrived, the characters so fake. Everyone is a caricature of a human. And Ben’s early life and how he was treated by everyone, except his adopted parents, is too much to be believed. There is so much preaching, fake sounding conversations and women who are all angels in their relationships with so many bad boys. The character of Ben’s father actually comes off as comical instead of threatening.
There is just too much wrong with this book
to be right,
so I shall end
and say GoodNight.
May 29, 2021
This is a great book--if you're 12 and somebody just hurt your feelings. The book started out ridiculous and wound up ludicrous. I know, I know--I finished it. I wanted to see if there would be any redeeming features at the end. Alas, NO. This was a teenaged girl's dream revenge story. The good guys wore huge white hats and the bad guys, evil little black berets.
April 11, 2022
I struggled with several aspects of this novel. For starters all the women (and there were four of them) all sounded the same. They all 'spoke' with the same tone and I ended up confused as to who was married to whom etc. The actual writing - as in technical stuff - was okay but there were numerous instances where dialogue appeared to belong to one person, but in fact was spoken by someone else. The plot was not exactly original or gripping, neither was the story 'a perfect escape' as it contains several triggering incidents.
A 'perfect escape' story - for me at least - involves a holiday location, a developing relationship, fun and laughter and more than a ouch of romance with a HEA at the end. This had none of those.
I did however, read to the end. ;)
A 'perfect escape' story - for me at least - involves a holiday location, a developing relationship, fun and laughter and more than a ouch of romance with a HEA at the end. This had none of those.
I did however, read to the end. ;)
May 2, 2021
Ugh, this book was about four women whose whole worlds revolved around the men in their lives and virtually none of the men were worth ANYTHING. I was disgusted when a woman who CONSENSUALLY had sex with a MARRIED man was called a VICTIM. Are you kidding me?!? Yes, the guy she had sex with was a complete jerk and a psychopath, but that doesn't excuse the fact that she willingly did that. That irritated me to no end. And the one guy who was supposedly a good guy completely ignored a rape that he witnessed and never called the police or ANYTHING, despite knowing who he was (no spoilers on that guy's identity). That made me angry too. I didn't like most of this book.
July 12, 2021
Ok. Deep breath…
This was one of the worst-written books I have ever read. It was like a 13 year old watched too many telenovelas. This made Twilight look like Pride and Prejudice.
The characters were caricatures of bad people. The cheating husband, the nasty businessman and the creepy slimeball. The women were vapid.
Don’t even get me started on the big reveal at the end. It was laughable. I honestly don’t know what possessed me to finish this. I guess it was the 1 star for entertainment value. Please do yourself a favor and skip this one.
This was one of the worst-written books I have ever read. It was like a 13 year old watched too many telenovelas. This made Twilight look like Pride and Prejudice.
The characters were caricatures of bad people. The cheating husband, the nasty businessman and the creepy slimeball. The women were vapid.
Don’t even get me started on the big reveal at the end. It was laughable. I honestly don’t know what possessed me to finish this. I guess it was the 1 star for entertainment value. Please do yourself a favor and skip this one.
April 18, 2021
Ugh
Predictable and disappointing. All these women who's lives revolve around men... personally I'm sick of that and I think our society has evolved past this theme.
Predictable and disappointing. All these women who's lives revolve around men... personally I'm sick of that and I think our society has evolved past this theme.
August 20, 2022
Is this the stupidest book or what! Phrases and words that make no sense. Couldn’t even finish it after several chapters .
August 14, 2021
Great beach read, keeps you guessing til the end
Despite reading some negative reviews, which fortunately didn’t contain spoilers, I went ahead and started this book. Despite many typos and chopping writing, I loved it, and read it in 2 days.
Three couples, and two singles meet at an exclusive resort, ostensibly because they’ve won a contest to try out the amenities and services before the resort’s grand opening. As we learn a bit about each guest, we find that things are rarely as they appear. People project the best of themselves publicly while hiding skeletons in their closets. Some of the characters are meant to be pitied, some meant to be hated. In today’s world, many will find the personalities of the women rather pathetic, because they silently suffer with their lives, wanting things they don’t admit, or go after.
The setting at the beach, with luxurious suites, sunshine, tropical drinks, pools, and fabulous meals is easy to imagine. The activities that sometimes pit people against each other reveals many of their personality flaws. Seriously, we have all met all these types, and realize people don’t always say or do what they’re thinking. They also sometimes languish is situations they long to walk away from.
Overall, this is a tale of revenge, and the last few chapters are a bit of a shock. One of the characters mentions karma - how you reap what you sow - and in this novel, karma plays out. I liked the book, and at the end, I had been cheering all along for all the right people.
Despite reading some negative reviews, which fortunately didn’t contain spoilers, I went ahead and started this book. Despite many typos and chopping writing, I loved it, and read it in 2 days.
Three couples, and two singles meet at an exclusive resort, ostensibly because they’ve won a contest to try out the amenities and services before the resort’s grand opening. As we learn a bit about each guest, we find that things are rarely as they appear. People project the best of themselves publicly while hiding skeletons in their closets. Some of the characters are meant to be pitied, some meant to be hated. In today’s world, many will find the personalities of the women rather pathetic, because they silently suffer with their lives, wanting things they don’t admit, or go after.
The setting at the beach, with luxurious suites, sunshine, tropical drinks, pools, and fabulous meals is easy to imagine. The activities that sometimes pit people against each other reveals many of their personality flaws. Seriously, we have all met all these types, and realize people don’t always say or do what they’re thinking. They also sometimes languish is situations they long to walk away from.
Overall, this is a tale of revenge, and the last few chapters are a bit of a shock. One of the characters mentions karma - how you reap what you sow - and in this novel, karma plays out. I liked the book, and at the end, I had been cheering all along for all the right people.
July 24, 2021
If you are seeking an easy escape to a luxurious setting, this is a pleasant and easy read. Three women and their partners, as well as one singleton, win a Facebook contest for a holiday at a posh resort. Supposedly they are to try out the amenities before its formal opening, but as the story unfolds, they notice that there is something not quite right about the atomosphere. Too much extravagence for too few guests. Readers who like simple prose and undemanding narrative may enjoy the story, with its denouement where the characters receive their appropriate deserts. For me the plot depends too much on withholding essential information to achieve an element of surprise. I found it too simplistic to be fully satisfying.
May 5, 2022
Three women along with their partners won a competition on Facebook and found themselves surrounded by luxury. They were supposed to be beta testing all the facilities of the resort so that it was picture ready for the paying guests.
Each had a story behind them where life had kicked their asses, and they were finding their way around.
Moderately gripped into the book I was as there was a feeling of something about to happen in every chapter.
Relatively short book where the pages turned fast. The writing was comfortable, not imbibed in suspense, more like a women's fiction.
Many incidents happened that caused me to pause and feel the trickle of suspense in my blood.
The ending revelations were explosive which gave my heart the vengeance it needed.
Words chosen were quite pedestrian. It lacked the power that should have been present to give the right atmosphere to the book.
The characters sometimes behaved weirdly. One of them especially behaved like a pendulum, swaying to and fro in her decisions, despite being abused by her partner. She kept telling me that he was mean to her and had roving eyes, yet when he smiled at her, she fell in love with him. Why couldn't women in books be stronger?
The ending was quite rushed where the epilogue tied up all the threads that were snipped in the last reveals.
It was still a fun book to read as I was curious about the women. Well, so much so that I downloaded her next book.
Each had a story behind them where life had kicked their asses, and they were finding their way around.
Moderately gripped into the book I was as there was a feeling of something about to happen in every chapter.
Relatively short book where the pages turned fast. The writing was comfortable, not imbibed in suspense, more like a women's fiction.
Many incidents happened that caused me to pause and feel the trickle of suspense in my blood.
The ending revelations were explosive which gave my heart the vengeance it needed.
Words chosen were quite pedestrian. It lacked the power that should have been present to give the right atmosphere to the book.
The characters sometimes behaved weirdly. One of them especially behaved like a pendulum, swaying to and fro in her decisions, despite being abused by her partner. She kept telling me that he was mean to her and had roving eyes, yet when he smiled at her, she fell in love with him. Why couldn't women in books be stronger?
The ending was quite rushed where the epilogue tied up all the threads that were snipped in the last reveals.
It was still a fun book to read as I was curious about the women. Well, so much so that I downloaded her next book.
January 24, 2022
This was so bad it's hard to know where to begin.
First of all (OK, I found somewhere) it's so poorly written beyond the story. It's repetitive, the writing is stilted, the dialogue unbelievable. The 'thoughts' of the characters (the women take it in turns to tell the story) are so contradictory that it's ludictrous. (oh I love him but I detest him and he's cruel and I just can't leave him because I love him so much).
And then there's the story. Three couples and two single people go to try out a holiday resort and instead find things out about themselves.
I don't know if any of the characters are supposed to be sympathetic here, but I hate all of them, and the plot is terrible. Thankfully this was a free loan from Kindle Unlimited.
Best avoided.
First of all (OK, I found somewhere) it's so poorly written beyond the story. It's repetitive, the writing is stilted, the dialogue unbelievable. The 'thoughts' of the characters (the women take it in turns to tell the story) are so contradictory that it's ludictrous. (oh I love him but I detest him and he's cruel and I just can't leave him because I love him so much).
And then there's the story. Three couples and two single people go to try out a holiday resort and instead find things out about themselves.
I don't know if any of the characters are supposed to be sympathetic here, but I hate all of them, and the plot is terrible. Thankfully this was a free loan from Kindle Unlimited.
Best avoided.
Read
April 9, 2021I wish I could’ve gotten past the first couple chapters of this book, but I couldn’t. While I wanted to enjoy the story, I couldn’t get past the poor sentence structure. The punctuation was awful! I’m not sure who proofread this book, but they missed pretty much everything. It bothered me so much—all the run-on sentences and strange use of commas—that I couldn’t finish it.
October 1, 2021
This was a book with a surprise but it was not well written.
April 15, 2021
'According to the theory of Karma, what happens to a person, happens because they caused it with their actions'
This was a nice short easy read I found on Kindle Unlimited. I found it had several small spelling errors, but this didn't impact on the book for me, as it was the story I was invested in! Great storyline, full of twists & turns, definitely wasn't expecting that to be the ending though! 😱
First book I've read by this author & can't see it being the last!
'When three women win a holiday in a Facebook competition, they think it’s by chance.
It’s not!
𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 4 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
This was a nice short easy read I found on Kindle Unlimited. I found it had several small spelling errors, but this didn't impact on the book for me, as it was the story I was invested in! Great storyline, full of twists & turns, definitely wasn't expecting that to be the ending though! 😱
First book I've read by this author & can't see it being the last!
'When three women win a holiday in a Facebook competition, they think it’s by chance.
It’s not!
𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 4 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
April 14, 2022
This is a quick read (I blew through it in two sittings), and as the title suggests, great escapist fiction. Three couples, a single man, and a single woman have the seemingly good fortunate of winning all-expense paid trips to a luxury resort on a tropical island.
This is luxury with a capital “L.”
The setting is exquisite—sun-soaked accommodations, turquoise pools, white sand beaches, gourmet meals, boating excursions, and opulent spa treatments. Just reading those passages put me in a tranquil frame of mind. But there’s also a creeping, steadily building sense of what’s coming—because all this pampering and too-good-to-be-true opulence has to lead somewhere, right?
The characters are an assortment of people who either take up lodging in your heart or leave you loathing them. I wasn’t sure where the book was headed, but found the ending a surprise, and also a delight. This is a popcorn read that would make a fantastic Lifetime movie. Definitely a fun, escapist read!
This is luxury with a capital “L.”
The setting is exquisite—sun-soaked accommodations, turquoise pools, white sand beaches, gourmet meals, boating excursions, and opulent spa treatments. Just reading those passages put me in a tranquil frame of mind. But there’s also a creeping, steadily building sense of what’s coming—because all this pampering and too-good-to-be-true opulence has to lead somewhere, right?
The characters are an assortment of people who either take up lodging in your heart or leave you loathing them. I wasn’t sure where the book was headed, but found the ending a surprise, and also a delight. This is a popcorn read that would make a fantastic Lifetime movie. Definitely a fun, escapist read!
June 12, 2021
A number of couples think they won an invitation to a brand new resort from a contest on Facebook. It is a weeks vacation in paradise, and they couldn't be happier with all the luxurious surroundings. We soon learn that even in paradise, things are not always as good as they could be. Some of the marriages may be in trouble and not every person is the one they present to others. What will happen during this week? Will every one survive as their secrets are brought out into the open? And more to the point, why? Who is bent on exposing everyone?
September 8, 2022
The over all plot and characters arcs were good. However, the overall writing need work.
Grammar and editing police, do not read. There is a lot wrong with this when reading.
If you can get past that, its a quick and satisficing novella for the pool side.
Grammar and editing police, do not read. There is a lot wrong with this when reading.
If you can get past that, its a quick and satisficing novella for the pool side.
April 17, 2022
A great little read if you have some time to pass on a long sunny weekend. Flew through it.
May 11, 2022
Drama in the tropics. I know I shouldn't read reviews before reading the book because I actually enjoyed it for what it was. Completely unbelievable escapism. And sometimes that's exactly what you need.
Reminded me vaguely of a Agatha Christie novel, except no one dies. Just 7 people trapped in a tropical paradise there under the guise of having won an all inclusive holiday only to be met with the set up of someone's idea of punishment and vengeance.
Reminded me vaguely of a Agatha Christie novel, except no one dies. Just 7 people trapped in a tropical paradise there under the guise of having won an all inclusive holiday only to be met with the set up of someone's idea of punishment and vengeance.
June 25, 2022
If you value your time don’t read this. It was cliche af
June 26, 2023
This was not good at all.
August 21, 2021
Book Review 1/2 a star.
I can't....I just cant. This is probably one of the worst books I ever read and I have read alot of books both good and bad. MJ Harvey needs to fire his editor as grammar and punctuation was one of the major downfalls
Don’t even get me started on the big reveal at the end. It was laughable. I honestly don’t know what possessed me to finish this. I guess it was for entertainment value. Please do yourself a favor and skip this one...unless your 12 or 13 and somebody just hurt your feelings.
I can't....I just cant. This is probably one of the worst books I ever read and I have read alot of books both good and bad. MJ Harvey needs to fire his editor as grammar and punctuation was one of the major downfalls
Don’t even get me started on the big reveal at the end. It was laughable. I honestly don’t know what possessed me to finish this. I guess it was for entertainment value. Please do yourself a favor and skip this one...unless your 12 or 13 and somebody just hurt your feelings.
April 24, 2021
This book was shocking, in a bad way, almost all the way through the book nothing happened, the characters were awful, the women were all dependant on the men who were a special kind of hideous, do yourself a favour and give this one a swerve, the only reason I gave it 2 stars is because I managed to finish it 🤦🏼♀️
June 16, 2021
[3.5]
April 19, 2022
If you’re looking for a quick escape to a paradise that takes you far away from your chair, then you might want to give The Resort a try. But if you want more substance, witty dialogue, and well-formed characters, then look elsewhere.
A breath-taking resort is opening in one week. For a dry run, three Facebook contest winners are invited for a 5-star all-inclusive week of pampering. Two of the couples are evaluating their relationships, and the third winner is a single woman eager to get away from her failing business. They’re joined by one of the owner’s business partners and his wife. Each chapter, the narrative shifts between the four women. Were they brought together by coincidence, or was there a reason these people were there?
Welcome to the stereotypes. Kim desperately wants to have a baby and wishes her husband wasn’t moody and unfaithful. Evelyn is a bored trophy wife who wants to do something substantial in her life. Emma wants Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet and take her away from her failing bakery to live in luxury. Perhaps the resort owner will give Emma what she wants.
The men are also two-dimensional. Charles is the businessman obsessed with image who controls every aspect of Evelyn’s life. He makes the money, so he dictates every detail of their lives. Jack is an unfaithful husband who has explosive mood swings that Kim endures because she loves him anyway. John is Chloe’s partner who has given her everything but a wedding ring. He doesn’t have much more to him - he’s mostly scene filler. There’s also an older guy in a few scenes who has little interaction with the other guests but oozes creepiness any time he’s near.
There’s little character development, with characters whisked away from the resort when no longer needed. There’s an epilogue attempting to tie up loose ends and throwing together a scene that does not fit at all based on where the previous part of the story had ended.
The Resort is not great literature. It provides an escape, a way to relax and stop thinking for a couple of hours. It’s the kind of book you can read while waiting for a meeting or event to start - it keeps you occupied, but you can easily put it down when you have other things to do.
A breath-taking resort is opening in one week. For a dry run, three Facebook contest winners are invited for a 5-star all-inclusive week of pampering. Two of the couples are evaluating their relationships, and the third winner is a single woman eager to get away from her failing business. They’re joined by one of the owner’s business partners and his wife. Each chapter, the narrative shifts between the four women. Were they brought together by coincidence, or was there a reason these people were there?
Welcome to the stereotypes. Kim desperately wants to have a baby and wishes her husband wasn’t moody and unfaithful. Evelyn is a bored trophy wife who wants to do something substantial in her life. Emma wants Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet and take her away from her failing bakery to live in luxury. Perhaps the resort owner will give Emma what she wants.
The men are also two-dimensional. Charles is the businessman obsessed with image who controls every aspect of Evelyn’s life. He makes the money, so he dictates every detail of their lives. Jack is an unfaithful husband who has explosive mood swings that Kim endures because she loves him anyway. John is Chloe’s partner who has given her everything but a wedding ring. He doesn’t have much more to him - he’s mostly scene filler. There’s also an older guy in a few scenes who has little interaction with the other guests but oozes creepiness any time he’s near.
There’s little character development, with characters whisked away from the resort when no longer needed. There’s an epilogue attempting to tie up loose ends and throwing together a scene that does not fit at all based on where the previous part of the story had ended.
The Resort is not great literature. It provides an escape, a way to relax and stop thinking for a couple of hours. It’s the kind of book you can read while waiting for a meeting or event to start - it keeps you occupied, but you can easily put it down when you have other things to do.
July 31, 2022
When three women win a holiday in a Facebook competition, they think it’s by chance.
It’s not.
When one woman accompanies her husband on business, she thinks she’ll return with him.
She won’t.
Welcome to the resort where nothing is as it seems.
On the outside, it’s heaven on earth. A dreamy romantic getaway, with pristine sandy beaches, glorious sunshine, and glamorous accommodation.
The perfect lover’s hideaway with uninterrupted views over a freshwater lagoon.
Nothing to do but enjoy the ultimate pamper experience on a ridiculously dreamy holiday of a lifetime.
Perfect.
That’s what they think.
Past actions have consequences and Karmas about to strike. Who will survive the week and who won’t leave at all?
I really enjoyed this book and found it a very easy read - perfect if you are on holiday. The only criticisms I have is the author didn’t really describe the resort enough apart from it being a “paradise”. I would have liked to have been able to imagine all the luxury and felt like I was there too. I also myself getting confused with who was married to who as each chapter is about a different woman and I found it difficult remembering which man she was with on the holiday.
It’s not.
When one woman accompanies her husband on business, she thinks she’ll return with him.
She won’t.
Welcome to the resort where nothing is as it seems.
On the outside, it’s heaven on earth. A dreamy romantic getaway, with pristine sandy beaches, glorious sunshine, and glamorous accommodation.
The perfect lover’s hideaway with uninterrupted views over a freshwater lagoon.
Nothing to do but enjoy the ultimate pamper experience on a ridiculously dreamy holiday of a lifetime.
Perfect.
That’s what they think.
Past actions have consequences and Karmas about to strike. Who will survive the week and who won’t leave at all?
I really enjoyed this book and found it a very easy read - perfect if you are on holiday. The only criticisms I have is the author didn’t really describe the resort enough apart from it being a “paradise”. I would have liked to have been able to imagine all the luxury and felt like I was there too. I also myself getting confused with who was married to who as each chapter is about a different woman and I found it difficult remembering which man she was with on the holiday.
June 4, 2022
The Resort is about a new luxury hotel resort that most of the guests have won a Facebook competition to attend for a 'testing' week. 3 couples each with issues in their relationships turn up, along with a single woman who then meets the rich owner, and a mystery creepy lone man. We read how their stay (and relationships) are panning out, as each chapter tells it from the women in the book. The week's stay culminates in various bombshells and closure for many of the hotel's visitors thanks to the owner.
Each woman in a couple gains strength through their stay, making decisions and ending with positive ways to move forward in life, gaining friendships along the way.
I did guess some of the links, but not the why until the big reveal. At first I found The Resort hard to get my head around which woman was married to which man, but it is quite a fast paced read, and just got on with the story, focusing very much on the people rather than making more of the setting which other authors may have done.
For a fast holiday read, this book will do the job, and I may look out for others by the same author.
Each woman in a couple gains strength through their stay, making decisions and ending with positive ways to move forward in life, gaining friendships along the way.
I did guess some of the links, but not the why until the big reveal. At first I found The Resort hard to get my head around which woman was married to which man, but it is quite a fast paced read, and just got on with the story, focusing very much on the people rather than making more of the setting which other authors may have done.
For a fast holiday read, this book will do the job, and I may look out for others by the same author.
April 16, 2022
I read this book in less than a full day. It grabbed my attention and held it right up to the end. All of the characters were well developed and I could see people I knew in each and everyone of them. There was sweet Kim-all she wanted was to be a mother. Her husband, Jack who was not a nice man. Chloe and John a couple that had things to work out before they could come together. Charles a conniving business man who wanted it all and would stop at nothing to get it, His wife, Evelyn who only wanted to be valued. Emma who was the funniest, prettiest and one of the most popular in college. Then there was the owner of the resort, Ben Wheeler who you learn is bent on revenge. The story is written from the perspective of the women and is about the men they love or are involved with. It will keep you on your toes through the final chapters. I only wish the epilog had given you more on some of the characters. I won't say which ones as that would be a spoiler.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews