Paradise Coast by Suzanne Young

Some secrets won’t stay buried. Not even in the Everglades.

Deep in the Everglades, there was once a luxurious and legendary hotel enjoyed by the wealthy elite. Until one mysterious night when a fire tore through the building, killing a young socialite and casting blame on a local dock worker. Soon after, the hotel vanished, swallowed up by the wetlands like it never existed at all.

Until now.

When a powerful hurricane unearths the ruins of the long-forgotten hotel, the past is dragged back to the surface as clues to the devasting truth about the night of the fire are revealed.

It’s the truth that die-hard local Noa and her friends have been chasing for years in the hopes of clearing their ancestor’s name and pushing back against the rich families trying to force them out. With the help of Jamie, the rebellious son of a wealthy businessman, Noa and her crew begin a desperate fight for the justice they deserve.

It won’t be easy. Because the wealthy control just about everything on Paradise Coast—including the truth. And they will do whatever it takes, even kill, to make sure the past stays buried.

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A humid, tension-soaked YA thriller where buried secrets refuse to stay buried - and the past fights back.

Pre-Reading Thoughts

From the blurb alone, this promised atmosphere: the Everglades, an abandoned luxury hotel, old money versus locals, and a mystery tied to class and injustice. I was expecting something moody and slow-burning, with the setting doing as much work as the plot.

Post-Reading

As I thought…
The atmosphere is one of the book’s strongest elements. The Everglades setting is vividly rendered - I could practically taste the swamp air and feel the oppressive humidity. The sense of place adds constant tension, reinforcing the idea that this land remembers everything, even when powerful people want it forgotten.

The story’s core conflict - wealthy families controlling the narrative while locals fight to reclaim the truth - comes through clearly, and the mystery surrounding the hotel fire steadily pulls the reader forward.

It surprised me by…
How layered the history turned out to be. While I initially found it a little tricky to keep track of how everyone was connected to each other (something I often struggle with early in multi-family, legacy-heavy stories), once those relationships settled into place, the story really clicked. The reveals feel earned, and the sense of danger escalates naturally as the past resurfaces.

Overall Thoughts

Paradise Coast is an atmospheric YA thriller that leans heavily into setting, mood, and long-simmering injustice. It’s a story about truth, power, and who gets to decide which histories matter. Once it finds its footing, the mystery becomes gripping, with a steadily tightening sense of menace that keeps the stakes high until the end.

A strong pick for readers who enjoy swampy settings, buried secrets, and thrillers where history itself becomes a threat.

Vibe Check

• Colour Palette: moss green, murky teal, rusted metal, storm-grey

• Soundtrack: low, pulsing tension; cicadas at dusk; distant thunder rolling in

• Season: late summer, right before a hurricane breaks

• Mood: oppressive, uneasy, watchful

• Scent: swamp water, damp earth, ozone in the air before a storm

Tarot Pull: Justice (The Wizard’s Tarot)
Depicted without human figures, this card reflects the book’s central idea that truth and justice are inevitable forces. While Noa and her friends help uncover the past, it’s ultimately the land itself - the swamp reclaiming the ruins - that ensures the truth cannot stay buried forever.

For fans of: Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power and Baywatch (2017)