The story jumps between the present and ten years previously when Phoebe disappeared. The past is told from Phoebe’s point of view while the present is from her friend Claire’s perspective as she is reunited with the group in Australia after a decade as the police have requested they return to the country after the discovery of Phoebe’s body. The question is: who murdered her? Everyone seems to have secrets and be a suspect. It was definitely a page-turner and I was hooked. Plenty of action and cliffhangers as well as twists. Thanks to the publisher Transworld and Netgalley for an ARC.

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This was a bit of a slow burner. It definitely gathered pace from about halfway in when I really really wanted to know what happened. I didnt feel any of the characters garnered empathy. Quite a few twists and turns particularly at the end

Ten years ago, a group of teens were having the time of their lives, traveling and partying across Australia. But not all of them made it back home. Now, the remains of one of the girls have been found and the surviving friends return to the outback to assist in the investigation and face up to the past.

The Outback has a lot of flaws, but I did enjoy it. The characters are messy and unreliable, and they all had likeable and unlikeable characteristics, which helped to make them feel more real and stopped it from being obvious which of them killed Phoebe. There’s plenty of tension and a really good pace which keeps the story moving and avoids unnecessary detail (a pet peeve of mine).

The story is told from dual perspectives: Claire in the present as the group return to Australia, and Phoebe in the past as events leading to her murder unfold. Secrets are revealed in a series of twists that kept things exciting and did all mostly make sense.

However, there was an awful lot of “I did this terrible thing that you don’t know about yet” at the end of almost every chapter, the true events of which aren’t revealed until the end of the book. It was blatantly obvious from page one that Claire didn’t kill Phoebe, despite claiming she was responsible for her death, and the constant reminders that she did something to feel guilty about were repetitive and unnecessary. The final shock twist at the end felt like overkill to me, or like it was added on at the last minute to finally cement Claire’s guilt.

Others have outlined the plot and characters so I'll just say that I found this book gripping. It held my attention, had plenty of twists, and kept me guessing until the end. The writing is good, the characters well developed and the plot is excellent. My one complaint, if it can be called that, is that I am ambivalent about the ending. It's clever, yes, but it left a bit of a sour taste, hence 4 stars rather than 5. But don't let that put you off.

"I left loose ends, evidence that could implicate me. I know I did. And if someone is smart enough, if they know just where to look, what questions to ask, they'll figure out what I did."

When Claire is accepted into a study-abroad cultural programme in Australia, she doesn't know what to expect. What she gets is a new best friend – Phoebe – a new boyfriend, all-night parties and plenty of adventures. Until something goes horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Claire's former friends send a message on their group chat. Phoebe's body has been found in the Outback. The police want them all to travel back to Australia to question them. At first, Claire doesn't want to go, until she realises there is evidence she needs to keep hidden, which she can only do by returning to Australia.

I was really hoping for a Jane Harper-like Australian mystery, but this book unfortunately didn't match up to that, for me at least. I wanted something more noirish and gritty. The plot alternates between Claire's point of view in the present and Phoebe's ten years prior. This is meant to help build the tension and deepen the mystery, but I never got that edge-of-your-seat feeling with this book.

Both Claire and Phoebe annoyed me to no end. Claire is weak and Phoebe is reckless (not that she deserves to die), and they both felt wooden to me. I liked the ultimate reveal, which I felt was a redeeming feature.

A somewhat entertaining but ultimately forgettable thriller that lacks real thrills.

This was a fun and gripping destination thriller. It had the same sinister tone as Ochs’s The Resor, and was dark, unsettling, and full of tension. It took me a while to get into, but by the second half I was well and truly hooked. It did find the large cast of characters initially overwhelming and hard to keep straight, but Ochs drew them out with great detail as the story progressed.

The outback of Australia offered an unforgiving, isolated, and harsh setting which was perfect for this group revisiting the scene of a crime from ten years ago. This was elevated by Och’s writing which was engaging, atmospheric, and emotive. There was a small element of the story I found pretty disappointing (and am pretending didn’t happen). Overall though, the twists were surprising enjoyable and satisfying.

I would recommend this read to anyone looking for a dark, atmospheric, and tense psychological thriller. Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A trip of a lifetime to what was advertised as paradise, studying abroad for a month with a likeminded group for intense friendships and whirlwind flings, but as lies are uncovered, hearts are broken and one missing girl this trip goes downhill rapidly. Fast forward ten years and has anything changed other than a few grey hairs and some laughter lines. One of the group is determined to find out the truth but dredging up the past could prove deadly.

The Outback is the perfect holiday read, long days lying by the pool with my mind fully absorbed in this story.
I found myself engrossed in this story so quickly, I really felt a bond with many of the characters almost instantly, the characters appeared to be developed thoughtfully.
I found myself desperate to know what happened but disappointed that it was over when I got to the end.
I will definitely be recommending to anyone and everyone who loves a good destination thriller/mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for offering this ARC in exchange for my personal thoughts.

Apologies for the late review, but I only received an e-mail advising me I had been granted this pre-publication read a few days before the book was due to be published. However tight the review turn around, it was worth it. Here are my thoughts -

Ten years ago, a group of international college students arrived to study in Australia for a month, ending as Christmas was due to arrive.
Despite a good start, the group became wrapped up in petty jealousies and arguments, resulting in the tragic death of one of them. Following this, one of the remaining members of the group, Phoebe, disappears just as they are all about to leave for home.
Ten years have gone by and Phoebe’s remains have been discovered and there are indications she was murdered. The remaining members of the group are summoned back to Australia for interviews with the police.
This is a well plotted story with great characters. Joining each other after a ten year absence, old secrets begin to work their way to the surface. There are questions to be answered, but could one of them be guilty of Phoebe’s murder?
If you are looking for a read which will have you burning the midnight oil, then this is one for you. Twists and turns galore and a surprising twist at the end. Recommended.

I would like to thank Penguin Random House, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of The Outback in exchange for an honest review.

I love a destination thriller, and having really enjoyed her first book The Dive, I have been eagerly awaiting The Outback.

Six students from around the world go to Australia on a summer exchange programme. One of their group goes missing in mysterious circumstance. When Phoebe’s body is found ten years later, the rest of the group return to Australia - and suddenly they are forced to confront some uncomfortable truths … and re-examine what really happened that night.

Moving between past and present, and from the point of view of Phoebe before her death and Claire in the present, this is a book that will keep you guessing. With a cast of flawed characters who feel very real, and who you will never quite know whether you should love or hate, and a setting very much brought to life, highlighting its beauty and its isolation, it’s an evocative and tension-ridden read that kept me turning the pages. Thriller lovers, add this to your summer reading list! Perfect for devouring on the sun lounger ….

A chance for international students from various backgrounds to attend a short study course in Australia reminded me of Disaster genre movies where everybody has a complicated history and something to hide and nobody remotely normal is represented.
Not everybody survives this course and Phoebe disappers. Ten years later a reunion is planned and this coincides with the body of Phoebe being found. The story is told from the POV of Claire and Phoebe in the past and Claire in the present. Claire say she is responsible for Phoebe’s death but can her recollections be trusted and is there more to it than first appears.
The then and now approach works well and I liked reading about all the liaisons and rapidly changing friendships in the past. In the present the question of who to trust is of paramount importance. There are a lot of twists and unlikely discoveries to keep Clare and the reader confused about the identity of the attackers. Descriptions of Sydney, Queensland and the Outback are vivid and are a pleasant backdrop for the investigations to develop.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK,for the ARC

The Outback by Sara Ochs is a twisty, atmospheric tale of seven friends and a deadly trip to Australia, a decade ago.
Told in two timelines: the present day and a decade ago, our narrators are Claire and Phoebe. I enjoyed the mix of timelines as this helped to ramp up the tension as events being to correlate between the timelines. This approach also gives the reader an opportunity to spent time with our victim and her friends - as we also see them grow, learn and interact with each other over the trip.
The storyline moves relatively quickly in the 'present day' but is marginally slower in the past and I did find myself, wanting the pace to move forward more quickly so than I could uncover the truth from a decade ago. Definitely a fun and worthwhile, twisty read.

A decade ago Claire had the chance to go on an international adventure in Australia. This was aimed at college students and she found herself in Sydney with 7 other people in the same group. She was assigned to share a room with Phoebe, who was also from the US. What Claire didn't know at the time was that Phoebe was running from her demons and a lot of her behaviour that followed was down to this. When one of the group died, the organisers decided to carry on with the trip but certain members of the group blamed Phoebe. Shortly before they were due to leave she disappeared and they thought she had run away.
Ten years on when one of the group is organising a ten year reunion, Phoebe's body is discovered in the mine near to Jagged Rock in the outback. For her own reasons Claire believes that she killed her and doesn't want to go back, but this changes when the federal police request her presence.
After giving their statements to the police, they all decide to head to the outback to see one of the group leaders who lives out there. They end up at Jagged Rock and that's when the truths start to emerge.
A good read that will keep you turning over the pages.

This is a tense, atmospheric thriller set deep in the heart of Australia's remote wilderness. The story follows Lily, a law student, seeking a fresh start after a traumatic event. She travels to a remote Australian community to work at an eco-resort, but soon discovers that the Outback holds more secrets and dangers than she ever imagined. As her past begins to catch up with her and her present turns increasingly sinister, Lily must fight for survival in a land as unforgiving as the people hiding in it.

I found the book gripping and suspenseful, with a vivid sense of place and a strong emotional undercurrent. The isolation of the Outback was used to great effect, creating a constant sense of tension. The author does a great job of keeping you guessing, and the twists were both surprising and satisfying. It’s a solid psychological thriller that combines personal trauma with survival drama, perfect for fans of dark, character-driven suspense. Loved it!

My first from this author I really enjoyed it.

A classic psychological thriller that is one of those that you easily read in one sitting, the characters are intriguing and engage you, the story itself is pacy and compelling.

Whilst you won't necessarily find anything unique here it's a well written, entertaining and sometimes intense read that keeps you involved throughout

Recommended.

I really liked it, I didn't see the twist coming even if now, thinking about it, there are clues in there. The one thing I'm not convinced about is the epilogue. It works better without it, it makes no sense with the actual ending.
Overall, I'm going to read more books by Sara Ochs, for sure.

A group of friends meet up again, having been involved in a study project in Australia 10 years before. Two of the group died during their time there and the discovery of a body has lead to an investigation into one of the deaths. They have been asked to give statements about their time in Australia. The book is told from different points of view and in different timeperiods, during their study time, the present day and times in between. It is fairly easy to follow though and the different voices are fairly distinct and relevant to the plot. I did have doubts about the investigation, both in the past and present times which did not seem very thorough and there was a bit of jumping to conclusions.
On the whole I liked the book, rapidly paced, I read it quickly and easily and enjoyed the intrigue of the different secrets and twists in the plot. The setting in different parts of Australia is beautifully described . The events are believable and characterizations well done .
Thanks to Net Galley for a great read

I really struggled with this book, it sounds right up my ally but alas by 30% over 4 days….I wasn’t invested.
I didn’t connect with any of the characters and at times I felt I was reading a YA book. This may be because it was set in two time lines, the past when the group came together for an outback study trip and 10 years later when they catchup for a reunion and personally I felt they were all as shallow as they were 10 years previously.
I also feel I got lost between the different POV’s AND the time lines.
So at this point I have decided to DNF.
There are many good reviews for this book, so maybe just not for me.
I will not be leaving a review of this book on social media as I DNF

This is a thriller full of secrets and for me it flipped the dream of a study abroad trip and turned it into a full-blown nightmare.

Ochs takes a familiar plot- one of a group of teens disappears and then ten years later bones are found but what really happened-and turns it a bit sideway. Phoebe was unlikable to be sure but no one worried about her until the police step in when mysterious remains are discovered. I liked the Australian setting and the multiple POVs (although wasn't a fan of all of these people). It's a nicely zippy mystery. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fine summer read.