Another absolute triumph from Ruth Hogan, who has now secured a space on my laminated list of Favourite Authors. Queenie Malone, her Paradise Hotel and the wonderful innocence of Tilly will stay with me forever. I’ll never think of Bermondsey the same way again...

I really enjoyed this book. Tilda has returned to Brighton after her mother's death. They weren't close - Tilda has never forgiven her mother for sending her away from Paradise Hotel where they lived with Queenie and an array of other colourful characters, to a boarding school that she hated. But now she has found her mother's diaries, and she discovers some of the secrets of her childhood. Told in 2 time frames, the story unfolds. I found it amusing and moving, and full of great characters. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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I struggled to stay focused with this book and found it quite a muddled storyline. The characters were well written but the timelines and general story just didn't quite follow for me.

I have read both Ruth Hogan's previous books but this for me was the weakest. I did not connect with the adult Tilly. Why could she see ghosts? Why did people not find it strange? Too many unanswered questions.

The young Tilly was a joy and many times I smiled at her misinterpretations of what she thought she heard.

At first I wasn't at all sure about this book, the dual timeline stories seemed to be very disjointed but as I read on I as drawn in more and more.
This is a book about families, memory and secrets and the damage and pleasure they all can cause. It is also nice to see a character struggling with some aspects of metal ill health not find a magical cure nor equally being treated harshly and with a tragic outcome.

This book was truly a fun read. I laughed out loud at Tilly's religious thoughts. It was touching and sometimes sad, but in the end it was wonderful

Loved this book - it absorbed me and I felt for Tilda growing up she felt unloved by her mother and abandoned by her father. It is only after her mother’s death that she can come to understand her through her diaries. She realises that her mother was ill and made decisions which she felt were best for her daughter. Tilda - a very different young lady - has to seek to understand her back story so she can move forward to make real attachments in her own life.

Life affirming and beautifully written.

As is my custom, I will not regurgitate the plot for those who haven't read it yet - there are plenty of reviews along those lines out there!

I loved this book. I'm guessing from references within the book that the period of Tilly's childhood coincided with my own. I recognised similar characters from my own neighbourhood, and the writing was so evocative that it triggered memories from my own childhood, both happy and sad.

The characters and plot work beautifully put together, each in their place with the whole thing becoming a type of jigsaw - only at the end do we find the last missing piece so that we can see the full picture.

This is the my first book by Ruth Hogan - but I will now seek out her other works, I think I'll be in for a treat!

A very enjoyable read. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
I found this a glorious read which made you laugh and made you cry, it was absolutely fascinating.
The parts I found hilarious were the references to religion, especially when Tilly put her own interpretation onto prayers and hymns. Bermondsey instead of Purgatory will stay in my mind and make me smile for some time. It also reminded me of my own catholic upbringing and how serious it seemed as a child.
I would definitely recommend reading this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.
Ruth Hogan knows how to write that's for sure. She creates such quirky, likeable characters who you just want to get to know.
A thoroughly good read.

I found this book a bit difficult to follow because I wasn't sure, until the end, who Queenie was. The story follows Tilda's story and her childhood story as Tilly. The theme explores the complex relationship between mothers and daughter. Lots of descriptive writing but I preferred Ruth Hogan's other books which are worth a read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Yet another delight from the BRILLIANT Ruth Hogan. If you liked her first two books you'll love this one too.

A quirky read but quite engaging and compelling. Written from a child's perspective (Tilly) and her later adult self. (Tilda). Tilly has a somewhat unconventional upbringing and is able to see both alive and dead people equally and is unable to distinguish between them, and sometimes throughout the book, the reader is also left wondering too. Tilly, as is common with a lot of young children, mishears and misunderstands words which is quite delightful and adds a touch of humour to the whole story.

She had an extremely complex relationship with her mother and it is only after her mother's death she finds out, by reading diaries, the other side of her bizarre childhood. The characters are wonderfully depicted and Tilly's/Tilda's relationship with them. There is an undercurrent of Tilda's modern life and the character's within who keep her grounded.

I have enjoyed Ruth Hogan's previous books and they always make the reader wonder where the story is going. This latest offering is a perfect mix of fun with a touch darkness and all the jigsaw pieces fitting together perfectly at the end. I look forward to reading more from this author.

A quirky, warm and uplifting book with a charm of its own

Tilly is an chameleon child, funny and loving but needing her rituals to keep her safe from her unstable mother. She also sees dead people (and a dog). Queenie Malone's Hotel is where she spent a few brief, idyllic months, the best time of her life.

Grown up Tilda, grieving for her mother, is hidebound by her rituals and reclusive until she meets cafe owner Daniel and begins to fall for him. Through her mother's diaries, she also begins to see her childhood in a different light and understand both her troubled mother and herself.

An enchanting, whimsical book, full of humour and hope after bereavement. Tilly's childhood voice is vivid and really draws you in. Her adult voice changes from frightened and withdrawn to more amusing and confident as her life changes for the better. If you enjoyed Ruth's previous books, The Keeper of Lost Things and The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, you'll love this.

This book is told from two perspectives: one is the adult Tilda who is dealing with her mother’s death and the other is the seven year old Tilly. The main part of the story is Tilda struggling to understand why her mother sent her to boarding school and whether or not she had loved her, The answers are found in her mother’s diaries and the portrait of a woman struggling with mental illness, love and mistakes is written well. You feel very sorry for her. As with other stories by the author, finding out the truth brings Tilda some healing and the ability to start living a fuller life. I enjoyed this but not as much as the two previous books. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

Delightful magical realism to sink into. Ruth Hogan is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors. She can weave a very special tale with elements of the supernatural but rounded, believable characters who matter. It is the salted caramel cheesecake of books, but beware of a tear at the end.

I read and loved Hogan's first book The Keeper Of Lost Things. It was an impressive and uplifting story. I was a bit disappointed by her second book, being on the depressive side.
I can say this book is in the middle. It has its difficulties in the story. But, also it had brightness to it. So, probably I'll say it's my second favourite.
I like Hogan's writing a lot. It attracts you to her characters. It's very compelling story. There's a complex mother-daughter relationship. I liked discovering and reading about them.
If you liked her previous books, for sure you'll like this too.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to like books that are a bit different and this one ticks the boxes. It's quirky and strange and bizarre and compelling all at once, an easy yet thought provoking read centred around a complex mother and daughter relationship. If you liked Ruth Horgan's previous books I think you'll enjoy this one as well.

Thanks to NetGalley for ARC for review purposes.

For me, this was a book of two halves. I found the first half a bit like wading through thick mud, tough going, but by the second half, was eager to keep reading. The story is told by Tilly, or her older self: Tilda and I enjoyed the fact that she could see ghosts, but found it hard to work out who was alive or dead in the story. The first half seemed to jump around a bit and I was relieved to get further into the story, where the narrative settled down a bit.
There are larger than life characters in the story, some alive and some dead (I think) who consciously add to the tale Tilly is telling, but there is also a lot left out. We learn of her troubled mother, constantly battling with her mental health and the heart of the story is how Tilda learns that even though she didn’t think it at the time, her mother loved her and make decisions, even bad ones, based on that. We are told Tilly hated her mother because she sent her away from the only place Tilly knew true happiness, but don’t find out any more about that, or what happened to her whilst she was away. This is a pivotal point in the story and just seems to be skipped over.
This is my second Ruth Hogan and I don’t think I’ll rush to read the one I’ve missed, it will go towards the bottom of my ever growing pile of books to be read.
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I have read all of Ruth Hogan’s books and this is my favourite one so far. Ruth is so skilled at creating characters you care about. I was thoroughly absorbed in Tilda/Tilly’s world and I read the book in 24 hours. It’s such a moving book, focusing on a complicated mother/daughter relationship. I recommend this to everyone!