The Grand Paloma Resort

by Cleyvis Natera

The Dominican Republic’s famed Grand Paloma Resort is the paradise of dreams. Here, you can have it all, and the staff is always eager to please—that is, until they are pushed to the brink.

Vida is a curandera, a local healer, who has been called to the resort to attend to a crisis. A young guest lies unconscious due to negligent resort childcare. Vida wants nothing to do with it, as she has her own unborn child to think about.

Laura, a mid-level manager at the Grand Paloma Resort, is forced to call Vida for help. She’s made it this far through sheer hard work. Her brainchild, which pairs platinum guests with a resort employee to attend to their every need, has been wildly successful. She’s mere weeks away from a promotion that will blaze a path off the resort, to a life of freedom and opportunity. If only her little sister, Elena, could get with the program.

Elena has tried her best to live up to her own ideals and her sister’s expectations; to escape the endless monotony of her life, she’s become increasingly dependent on pills and partying. As a babysitter at the resort, she’s at the mercy of guests who are only interested in having fun, cheating on each other, and getting a break from their screen-addicted kids. Now one of those kids is believed to be dead and it’s all her fault.

At a local beachfront watering hole, Elena runs into the child’s father. High and clueless, he offers her an obscene amount of money to give him private time with two young local girls. Elena pockets the cash and prays she’s gotten the girls out of harm’s way—until they disappear.

Over the course of seven days, The Grand Paloma Resort offers an unforgettable story of class, family, and community revolving around this cast of characters, that shows surviving paradise comes down to reckoning with long-held secrets and true acts of love.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary

352 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 2025

Reviews

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Mai H.]

The way I had DANZA KUDURO on repeat in 2010 🎵

RTC

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

[Traci Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Alyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Shantha (ShanthasBookEra) · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Patty Ramirez · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Cheryl S (book_boss_12)]

NR, 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.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

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....

[Kory · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Jalisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[RensBookishSpace · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Joy]

Umm, the first 2/3 of this was gross and disgusting. I was really grossed out and did not realize the plot revolved around sexual tourism. I can’t underline how grossed out I am by a lot of this. If I had realized the nature of the plot, I would never have started reading this.
Somehow I stuck with it, and by the end I sort of appreciated the story, sort of. I would never recommend it to anyone, ever — it is gritty and disgusting. However, by the end there are some victories for the “good guys”. And I so think this sends a powerful message about how gross tourism can be. But I’d never suggest reading this book — it’s not very enjoyable.

[Allison McCue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting read and fascinating perspectives on the tourism industry in the Caribbean, and specifically the Dominican Republic. Covers issues like race, immigration, socioeconomic inequalities, and as mentioned, tourism and its complex nature of being beneficial for a local economy but also detrimental to the land and the people. The book covers the course of a week which was cool but could be slow at some points. Would recommend though!

[Danielle Bricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It gave White Lotus but solely from the employee's perspective.

[Anna Shuster · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s giving white lotus

[booksta_lana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it but wasn’t my favorite. Much darker then I expected, but I had a hard time emotionally connecting to the main characters. The story and the exploration of class was exceptional and very well done.

[Natalie Apker · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Jared · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This struck me as the perfect read to close out summer. Cleyvis Natera’s The Grand Paloma Resort is a gripping dive into the glossy façade of a luxury Dominican Republic resort—and the stark realities of the people who keep it running. Think The White Lotus, but with the focus shifted from wealthy patrons to the native workers whose lives are often invisible to tourists.

At the surface, the Grand Paloma Resort embodies opulence: a Michelin-starred restaurant, a championship golf course, tennis courts designed by Venus and Serena Williams, a world-class spa, and an eclectic menu of experiences from yoga to shamanic healing. Yet just beyond the polished exterior lies a hidden world—the employee quarters—where two Afro-Dominican sisters, Elena and Laura Moreno, become entangled in a crisis that threatens to upend both their lives and the resort itself.

The story unfolds over seven days. Elena, a 17-year-old babysitter, discovers that an 8-year-old guest has been gravely injured under her watch. Panicked, she turns to her older sister Laura, a resort manager on the verge of a career-defining promotion. Together, they turn to Vida, a local curandera (healer), to manage the situation. But what begins as a desperate bid to cover a mistake soon spirals —money changing hands, local girls vanishing, and a Category 5 hurricane bearing down on the island. The novel’s driving mystery—what will become of the injured guest and the missing girls—forces the sisters to reckon with impossible choices and buried secrets.

What makes Natera’s novel move is not just the suspense, but the deeper layers woven into it: the Dominican Republic’s complex history (I had never heard of the Parsley Massacre), the sharp divides of class and privilege, and the contradictions of tourism. Reading it, I felt echoes of my own travels—the guilt that comes with enjoying a lavish breakfast in a place where the people serving it may never afford the same, or realizing you are indulging on land where others must toil. Natera illuminates those unseen tensions with empathy and urgency.

I enjoyed the novel more than most but my criticisms of it match what others have thought— the pacing and the weight of its social commentary - can weigh down the novel. Sometimes the suspense was interrupted by swaths of prose. But I was able to overcome that with these flawed and deeply human characters.

The Grand Paloma Resort is more than a thriller. It’s a sharp reminder to look beyond paradise’s glossy surface and see the people and histories that sustain it.

[Gabriela Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

~4.5 Stars~

Thank you so much to the author Clevys Natera and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy!

This book was such a rollercoaster of emotions and of events. It really gave me White Lotus in Dominican Republic vibes, which honestly was amazing because I love that show. The characters honestly had me on a whirlwind the whole time. I think my favorites were definitely the ones with the most complicated journeys, including Vida, Pablo and Elena. Elena redeemed herself a little bit for me at the end but she still had me wanting to fight her throughout the book. Laura honestly needed multiple hugs but as an older daughter, I truly understood where she was coming from and what her choices drove her to do. It is not easy raising a child when you yourself are still a child so while she made a lot of mistakes I really felt for her.
I think my favorite parts of this book were all of the cultural aspects and the exploration of the difficult social injustices that occur in my country. The rampant colorism, the hotel industry bleeding us dry as well as the way tourists interact with the locals it truly made my heart ache. Also, exploring the Haitian Immigration conflict the way she did truly shines a light on the way the Dominican Tourism industry takes advantage of Haitian immigrants but turns their backs on them once they don't need them anymore. As a Dominican, it brought a lot of feelings and it truly made me think about the way we see our neighbors. The author truly touches upon many important topics of conversation surrounding the social conflicts in the island and I truly commend her for the amazing job that she did, even while still writing a cohesive and very crazy plot. I had to put the book down a couple of times and truly analyze what Clevys was writing because it really hit close to home lol. Overall, I loved this book so much and I am so happy that I was able to read it.

[Becca C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second novel by Cleyvis Natera, and my first to read of hers. Born in the Dominican Republic, she migrated to America when she was 10 years old. The Grand Paloma Resort is both literary fiction and suspense, and it tells a story focused on two sisters who work at the luxury resort in the Dominican Republic. Laura is the hard working and driven manager or the resort. Her younger sister, Elena, is not so serious, although Laura works to carve out a good future for Elena.

Elena's job at the resort is as a babysitter, and the book opens with an accident involving the little girl Elena is babysitting. She pulls Laura into her mess, and things take off from there. The book takes place over seven days, and reveals a story of the disparity between elite tourists and the local workers who are to cater to their every need.

I really enjoyed that some history of the Dominican Republic was included as well as how Haitian workers are treated versus the "locals." . Further, it illustrates the stark reality of what the workers put themselves through to give the tourists their best experience.

This book can be a little heavy in places, but that is intentional. I believe the reader is meant to think certain things and feel certain ways. I can still picture so much in my mind from the vivid descriptions Natera painted with her words.

This book did remind me a bit of American Dirt in some ways, so if you liked that book, you may like this one. Also, if you're a fan of White Lotus, you may enjoy.

Triggers for drug use, child trafficking references, some sexual references.

This is a solid five stars from me. If you read it, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks in advance to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Allison Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Grand Paloma Resort

Welcome to The Grand Paloma Resort. A gorgeous five start resort with a Michelin star restaurant, world class spa, and picture perfect beach with crystal clear waters. Guests are catered to, “white lotus style”, led by Laura, the hard working hotel manager. She attends to every detail and can get a guest anything they might wish for, but she is secretly despised by the staff for her attitude and ruthless ambition. Her higher level job has allowed her younger sister Elena, who she has raised since their mother passed and their father disappeared, to graduate from a prestigious online International school. A bright future awaits her in college, thanks to Laura’s self sacrificing ways.

But everything is thrown into jeopardy when the little tourist girl Elena’s been babysitting falls and gets hurt under her watch. The chain of events goes from bad to worse to cover up her tracks. As if this isn’t bad enough, a Category 5 hurricane is barreling down on the island, two island girls go missing and chaos ensues.

More interesting to me than the action, this book explores themes of colonialism, the hidden side of the tourist industry, the history of the Dominican Republic and its relationship with Haiti. I loved White Lotus the show but in this book instead of the spoiled out of touch guests we get to know the often exploited employees behind the scenes of a luxury resort.

This novel has well drawn out characters, an incredible setting and a fast paced engaging plot, what else could you ask for? I highly recommend this one. If you are interested in these topics and enjoy reading about the Caribbean try A Small Island by Jamaica Kincaid (quoted on the first page) and A Small Place by Andrea Levy.

Thank you to Ballantine books for the eARC!!!

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this expecting something closer to a traditional thriller. I was thinking twists, with a side of shocking reveals, What I got instead was slower, more layered, and honestly more rewarding if you’re willing to sit with it.

The novel takes place over just seven days at an opulent Dominican Republic resort. On the surface, it looks like a paradise. There's wealth, beauty, and endless indulgence. But as I progressed through the story, I realized the focus isn’t just on suspense, rather the people who keep this kind of luxury running, and the cost it exacts on them.

The sisters at the center of the novel are written with nuance. Laura, the manager, is ambitious, while also carrying the weight of responsibility. Elena, younger and more fragile, gets swept up in bad choices that spiral into something much darker. Their dynamic adds tension, but it’s not the kind of tension that screams thriller. Instead, it’s more of a slow-burn mystery mixed with a sharp cultural critique.

What worked for me is how this author uses the setting, not just as a backdrop, but as a symbol. The Grand Paloma Resort represents power, exploitation, and inequality. Every interaction peels back another layer of Dominican social hierarchies, colorism, and class divides. It reminded me of The White Lotus, but with much more cultural depth.

So while this book isn’t packed with nonstop action, it is packed with atmosphere, social commentary, and characters that feel caught between survival and self-destruction. It’s a mystery about what happened to the missing girls, yes, but it’s also a study in how systems of privilege and desperation collide.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from 3.5

Laura and Elena are sisters who work for the Grand Paloma Resort, Laura as a Vice President and Elena as one of the resort's babysitters. When one of the children Elena is charged with watching gets injured on her watch, it sets off a chain of events that spreads well beyond the resort and into the community that provides many of its workers. Laura and Elena make bad choice after bad choice, all coming from a place of wanting to do right by others. Their choices result in two local girls going missing. To make matters worse, a hurricane is bearing down on the island.

The Grand Paloma resort is both a mystery and a commentary on the tourism industry, local workers, class, race, and the ways in which beautiful locations are abused by capitalism. I found the commentary interesting and an integral part of the story. Laura, Elena, Pablo and other characters are an illustration of how a person can want to do the right thing but how it can go so terribly wrong. They are all part of system that takes them for granted. I also enjoyed learning more of the history of the DR. I have previously visited on vacation but was not able to spend time outside of the resort because of hotel restrictions.

Thank you to @netgalley and @ballantinebooks for an eARC of The Grand Paloma Resort. Summer's not over yet, so add this to your TBR! Release date August 12.

[Amy Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

📕TITLE: The Grand Paloma Resort
✍️AUTHOR: Cleyvis Natera
💫GENRE: Thriller

A beautiful luxury resort in the Dominican Republic sets the stage for this twisty, high-stakes thriller. At its core are two sisters: Laura, the older and responsible one, and Lena, the 17-year-old recent graduate who is unraveling. Lena’s impulsive choices quickly spiral out of control, endangering not just herself but three children in a matter of hours.

When I say I was an anxious wreck flipping through these pages, I am not exaggerating—this read was INTENSE! Bad decisions pile on top of worse ones, with weather emergencies, lurking predators, and tension at every turn.

This book packs in a lot. It explores how the way we treat others has consequences, highlights the contrast between tourists and permanent residents, and layers in themes of children in peril, terrified parents, neglectful parents, and even revenge. There’s so much more, but I can’t sum it all up without giving away spoilers.

Overall, this was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. I loved the variety of perspectives the author wove in, and I think it would spark hours of discussion as a book club pick!

Thank you Ballantine Books, NetGalley and author Cleyvis Natera for access to an advanced copy of this e-book. All opinions shared are my own.