I have had good luck and so-so luck with Canadian writer Roz Nay. I LOVED Our Little Secret and I enjoyed reading The Hunted, although it was a little bit less successful overall. Her latest novel, The Offing swings more to the so-so side of the scale. It was certainly an easy book to read and it definitely had its heart-pounding moments, but it was also slightly unbelievable – especially the big reveal.

So, Ivy and her bestie, a beautiful model named Regan, have escaped their lives in New York and are currently backpacking in Australia. Ivy, especially, had a need to get out of NYC. Her elicit relationship with one of her professors has imploded and now he seems to be stalking her. She needs to get off the grid, so she convinces Regan to take a job crewing on a sail boat bound for Darwin. The boat’s owner, Christopher, and his eleven-year-old daughter, Lila are on a Christmas Break adventure. The only other passenger will be Desh, the boat’s cook (and also a new hire.)

Christopher gives off total Dad vibes, and the fact that his daughter (and her cat) is with him, makes him seem even more harmless, so the girls sign on and off they go. Of course, nothing is ever that simple in this type of novel, right?

First of all, Ivy’s creepy ex-lover seems to have made his way to Australia. Secondly, Lila suffers from night terrors. Christopher seems indecisive and odd. Desh is friendly and hot and Ivy is drawn to him, but her insecurities over Regan’s physical appearance – what dude wouldn’t find her more attractive? – causes a strain in the girls’ relationship. Then there’s Blake Coleman, skipper of The Salty Dog, a boat that keeps showing up.

As is the way with these books, you are supposed to be thrown off by everyone’s shady behaviour – and there is certainly plenty of it in this book. There are some truly tense moments and some instances where I turned the pages super fast because…what’s going to happen?! But…

That denouement just didn’t totally work for me.

That said, The Offing is a twisty, fun and entertaining book. It’s perfect if you are looking for something fast-paced and not too difficult to read…which, as I was returning to another school year when I picked it up, made it the perfect book for me.