The Last Resort: A Novel

by Marissa Stapley

Overview

From the author of Lucky, A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK!

NAMED ONE OF 2019’S BEST BEACH READS BY Oprah Magazine • New York Post • PopSugar • The Globe and Mail

FEATURED IN Us Weekly • Parade • Hollywood Reporter • Chatelaine

“Marissa Stapley’s writing is a gift.”—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author

Miles Markell is missing, and everyone is a suspect.

To the guests at The Harmony Resort, Doctors Miles and Grace Markell appear to be a perfect power couple. They run a couples’ therapy retreat in a luxurious resort in the Mayan Riviera where they help spouses deal with their marriage struggles.

Johanna and Ben’s relationship looks great on the surface, but in reality, they don’t know each other at all. Shell and Colin fight constantly—Colin is a workaholic, and Shell always comes second—but what has really torn them apart is too devastating to talk about. When both couples begin Harmony’s intensive therapy program, it becomes clear that Harmony is not all that it seems—and neither are Miles and Grace. What are they hiding, and what price will these couples pay for finding out their secrets?

As a deadly tropical storm descends on the coast, trapping the hosts and the guests on the resort, secrets are revealed, loyalties are tested and not one single person—or their marriage—will remain unchanged by what follows.

A gripping exploration of relationships and trust, The Last Resort is a propulsive read about all the big truths we hide, even from ourselves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525823541
Publisher:	Graydon House Books
Publication date:	06/18/2019
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	198,904
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.96(h) x 0.89(d)

About the Author

Marissa Stapley is a journalist and the author of the acclaimed novel Things to Do When It's Raining. She writes page-turning, deeply emotional fiction about families, friends and women's lives. Visit her at marissastapley.com or follow her on Twitter, @marissastapley.

Editorial Reviews

One of Parade's Best Books of 2019!

"I enjoyed THINGS TO DO WHEN IT'S RAINING enormously. A lovely book full of emotion and wisdom." - Marian Keyes, bestselling author of The Break "A charming tale with an enchanting setting, Stapley's latest (after Mating for Life, 2014) is an engaging read about keeping secrets, starting over, and loving the family you choose."-Booklist

"Fans of Nicholas Sparks will adore Things to Do When It's Raining... Marissa Stapley's writing is a gift." -Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan's Tale "Emotionally powerful and finely wrought."—Publishers Weekly

"THINGS TO DO WHEN IT'S RAINING has heart and soul and guts, and it has achingly beautiful prose and characters so dear and real I couldn't bear to say goodbye when I reached its final page. It's a book about friendship and secrets, grief and regret, the peculiar shape of families and the redemptive nature of love. And it is, quite frankly, one of the best books I have read in a very long time." -Jennifer Robson, internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France and After the War is Over

"Profound and intimate, raw and real-Things to Do When It's Raining is hard to put down. Loved the ending but hated to have it end!" -Nan Rossiter, New York Times bestselling author of Firefly Summer

"Regrets, secrets, and hidden longings swirl beneath the surface of this beautifully atmospheric story of love found, lost, and rediscovered. I couldn't stop reading."—Shelley Noble, New York Times bestselling author of The Beach at Painter's Cove

"Written with compassion and insight, Things to Do When It's Raining is a truly captivating novel with exquisite prose and moments of bittersweet tenderness." -Nicola Moriarty, author of The Fifth Letter

"Marissa Stapley's THINGS TO DO WHEN IT'S RAINING packs a serious punch. It's a tightly-woven story that beautifully illustrates how tragedy and human weakness can cause heartbreaking ripples for years and generations to come." -K.A. Tucker, USA TODAY Bestselling Author of He Will Be My Ruin

"Things to Do When It's Raining is the complex and moving saga of a non-traditional family with deep bonds and even deeper secrets. Set against the idyllic background of a far-flung seaside town, the finely-drawn characters of this novel test the limits of friendship, love, and forgiveness. A story that lingers long after the final page is turned."  —Andrea Dunlop, author of Losing the Light

"A generous book about imperfect people, a novel about the family we choose, the mistakes we make, and how love, flawed and searching and messy, is the only path to forgiveness.  It's also a gorgeously written page-turner, and when I finished it, I flipped right back to page one to savor it just a little bit more." Lauren Fox, author of Days of Awe

"Marissa Stapley's THINGS TO DO WHEN IT'S RAINING is evocative, wise and infused with heart. A deeply moving story about family, love and loss, it shows how secrets can either haunt us or set us free, depending on who we trust them with. One of my favorite books this year!" – Karma Brown, bestselling author of Come Away With Me

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2019

Among the couples who sign up to attend Harmony Resort are Johanna and Ben, Shell and Colin. Run by married therapists Miles and Grace Markell, the resort offers counseling by the celebrity doctors in a paradise setting, in hopes of repairing their marriages. As the couples begin therapy, they realize that both the Markells and the resort are not all that they seem. Not to mention that a deadly storm is approaching, putting everyone in danger on many different levels. Stapley (Things To Do When It's Raining) brings forth an addictive story line, using seductive language compiled with raw emotion in this fast-paced novel. Readers will pay close attention as the intensity builds, as the book is divided into sections corresponding to the days the couples are at the resort. With multilayered characters who all have deep-seated issues stemming from childhood, and some based on religion, this title will force readers to think about what it means to be broken and made whole again. VERDICT An excellent read, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Anna Quindlen.—Erin Holt, Williamson Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

Library Journal