Tilda has returned to Brighton to clear out her late mother's flat. They had a difficult relationship and she can only look back on her childhood with sorrow: her father leaving and then his death when she was seven, being uprooted and moved to a new town and finally, inexplicably, being sent away to school. But as we explore her life in more detail, both in flashbacks to her childhood, when she was known as Tilly, and as the adult Tilda, we see that her life was actually full of fun, joy and happiness - we just need to discover what it was that led to her mother's rejection of her. Armed with her mother's diaries and one of her neighbours, a local coffee shop owner and the eponymous Queenie, Tilda begins to question whether she remembers her childhood at all.

I don't often try to work out what it is about a particular author's writing that I like but, since I have loved all three of Hogan's books I shall try and work it out. To start with I love the characters: in this book Tilly is an absolutely brilliant child character, funny, affectionate and, sometimes, achingly vulnerable. The adult Tilda is equally fragile, although she likes to think she is tough, but she is able to learn and grow through the course of the book. The other characters (I hesitate to call them minor...) are just as fascinating: Queenie herself is larger than life and a true force of nature and the rest of the staff of the hotel are an interesting bunch. In the present day we meet the utterly charming Joseph Geronimo, Daniel (the barista love interest) and Penelope Dane, her mother's neighbour and a rather more level-headed and sensible link to the older woman. Talking of Daniel, another quirk of these novels is that, although they always seem to involve some kind of romance this is not the key element of the book. Instead of being embroiled in a series of misunderstandings and arguments Daniel is able to support Tilda through not only her emotional journey but also her mental health struggles. He is accepting of her past and her present and helps her to make her peace with both - rather than just a romance this is a supportive relationship from the start. This is, I think, the final reason I enjoy these books so much - they touch on all kinds of big issues (mental health, fractured familial relationships, learning to accept who you really are) but still have time to be funny - even a bit silly in places - and a bit magical. Having sadness in our lives doesn't mean we are nothing but sad but having Ruth Hogan in my life always seems to make it a bit better.

The characters were well written and the story line kept my attention throughout. This was the first book I've read by this author but it won't be the last.

I really enjoyed this book. It was laugh out loud funny at times. I loved the way phrases we're misinterpreted . Recommended

I was given a copy of Ruth Hogan's new book Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel. I have read Ruth's other books so was excited to read her new book, it didn't disappoint.
The book is about Tilda who visits her mother's house after she dies. The story is also told by a much younger Tilda (Tilly) after her father leaves. Tilda is dealing with her mother's death and has unanswered questions about why she was sent away to boarding school so suddenly. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next book.

My second read by this author and a completely different of writing, that I wasn’t expecting.
This is a tale of discovery and mystery that I really enjoyed and would recommend.

I have loved Ruth Hogan's books and this certainly didn't disappoint. I had empathy with Tilly's circumstances and as her past and present life opened up I grew to love her more. Queenie and the other cast of the Paradise Hotel were delightful and funny, what more can you want from a book.

Tilly loves living in Queenie's Paradise Hotel. She loves going to Catholic churches playing with matches and fizzy drinks. Her life changes when her mother sends her away to school. Tilly comes back when her mother has died and is now known as Tilda. She starts to discover things about her mother that she didn't know.

Thanks to Net Galley and John Murray Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
The story is told in part by Tilly as a child and then Tilda (as she is now known) as an adult.
Tilly felt all her life that her mother didn’t like her or love her as a mother should, parts of Tilly’s narrative did make me laugh, at times I was wondering , what did happen her father whom Tilly had loved and idolised , and who was or is Queenie but as the story unfolds these questions were answered.
I liked Tilda as an adult even though she keeps her self very much to herself nearly as if she is afraid others won’t like her as her mother didn’t, or perhaps she is just afraid to let anyone in incase the leave her.
Tilda is on a journey of discovery though as she is reading her mother’s diaries and finding that she didn’t really know her at all and that her mother did love her a lot and was proud of her.
I would have liked the story to have had more about Tilda and her life as an adult I found the narrative from Tilly the child dragged on a little.
A light hearted read. 3.5 stars.

I don’t know why but the title of this book put me off a bit from requesting it. It was on a friends recommendation that I requested it and I’m so glad I did! I loved it!

I really enjoyed this book, it has a good storyline and so much depth to the writing and the language. I found the characters a little confusing at times (whether they were alive or dead) but once you realise that this is part of the mystery of the story it is an interesting element.

Another great book from Ruth Hogan.
Thanks for letting me review it.

I loved this Book !
I have read Ruth Hogan's pervious books and she never fails to captivate from the 1st page.
With many laugh out load moments and heart wrenching events, you become completely involved in all the characters and find your opinions challenged and changed as you delve deeper into the story.

An absolute must.

A poignant tale of Tilly the child, Tilda the adult she becomes, and her relationship with her mother, who suffers from bouts of mental ill-health. Tilly/Tilda's ability to see ghosts is subtly drawn, and the collection of extraordinary and eccentric people she finds a home with at Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel are a delight.

Like Sally Red Shoes, the ending seemed a little rushed, with a disappointingly sad 'just too late' moment, but this book still comes in as another star read from Ruth Hogan.

This was an enchanting journey for me as Hogan transports us very successfully between the childhood Tilly and the adult Tilda. The observations and humourous accounts were highly evocative and I lived every moment and emotion with Tilly.
The characters in this are strong and some quite colourful, all adding to the emotional involvement of the reader. But it isn't only the characters that grip - the underlying mystery surrounding Tilly's mother and the 'death' of her father keep us wondering. Are we to despise her mother or pity her? Will Tilda eventually find the answers to her questions?
I was absorbed by this and when I finished I wished I was just starting it.


Thank you to NetGalley and Two Roads Books (John Murray Press/ Hachette) for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

If I had been asked half way through this book whether I liked it or not I would probably have said that on balance no I did not. I found the book slow to develop and I was not at all clear where things were going. I am glad that I continued to read as I enjoyed the final progress of the story and the characters as well as the conclusion.

The book is well written, I enjoyed the small supernatural touches although I would have liked this aspect to have been a little more developed. I found the different perspectives of child and adult in the main character fascinating. I enjoyed reflecting on the variance between the two. I think it is cleverly done. However, for me it does not go down as one of my favourite reads.

Adored this book! I haven't read Ruth Hogan's previous work but after this I'm definitely going to. The story was very unique and holds a great pace, took me a few minutes to understand the two narrative voices but once I got into it it was very interesting, I've read some books where you want to skip one narrator because the other is way more interesting, but that wasn't the case here. It was so fascinating to see a child's perspective of an event versus the written account of the parent. There was enough mystery without you wanting to skim read in order to find out the reveal. Thoroughly recommend this book and glad I got it free from NetGalley.

A superb read. I really loved this book. Wonderful descriptive writing that really brings characters and situations to life. Tilly narrates as a child and a grown woman and her story switches between past and present. Whilst exploring Tilda's emotions there are injections of humour which lighten things Ruth Hogan transports you to Tilda's world and Tilly's past. Heartwarming and quirky- an engaging read. Recommend

The third novel of author Ruth Hogan is beyond doubt another incredible read from start to finish. The story is told through two voices: Young Tilly who’s life changes when her father leaves and Tilda, an independent young woman who returns to her childhood home of Brighton to clearout her mother’s home after she passes away. Tilda has grown up resenting her mother for sending her away to boarding school, making her leave her wonderful home at Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel. This resentment has lived with her all her life and was the cause of the difficult relationship they always had. In total contrast to this, is her utter devotion to her father and the very short lived time they had together. As Tilda starts clearing out her mother’s belongings her whole perception of her childhood begins to unravel .

Ruth Hogan writes in such a beautiful way that you cannot help but become totally emmersed in her characters. Each quirky individual comes alive on the page to the point where you are no longer just a reader, but you’re fully transported onto the pages to watch the action as it unfolds, scene by scene. As the protagonist goes from Tilly to Tilda and you, the reader are sure there truly cannot be anything else to shock you, so the writer surprises you with yet another path, another revelation right through till the very end. This third novel was a wonderful read and has only left me wanting more from this fabulous writer.

This was a charming, uplifting read and I would recommend it. I hadn’t read Ruth Hogan’s previous novels but will make sure I do now as this one was a joy. Told through the eyes of Tilly, a young girl, who has a tricky relationship with her mother, we meet colourful, interesting characters set against the backdrop of Queenie’s Paradise Hotel. The novel is so well-written, with descriptions that are quite magical and took me back to the Brighton of my own childhood. Tilly is mischievous and full of fun, a perfect narrator. The author is so good at depicting childhood. The grown up Tilda’s chapters are just as engaging, as she takes us on a journey to discover her mother’s secrets. I loved this book and so many things about it, including wonderful Eli the dog. Highly recommended!

I loved this book - it's a lovely story told from the point of view of Tilly aged 7 and then as an adult Tilda. The story begins after Tildas mother has died and she is in her flat going through her things and finds diaries that her mother kept, she reads them and as she does she realises that the childhood she had was different to how her mother saw things. There are some really funny bits with Tilly getting confused with adult words and phrases which had me spluttering out tea in laughter! There are some unusual turns to the book that makes it all the more quirky and enjoyable - there are also some very sad parts that were heartbreaking. It's an enjoyable read and I would say its my favourite of hers so far

Having seen several reviews raving about Ruth Hogans last novel The keeper of lost things, I was intrigued to see what all the fuss was about. So when I spotted her latest offering on netgalley -Queenie Malones paradise hotel - I jumped at the chance to review it and boy I wasn’t disappointed. It certainly lived up to all the hype surrounding this author.
It’s a brilliant and poignant story which which looks at how a child’s perception of events they are not fully aware of can effect their adult life. When a parent believes they are protecting their child from the truth but does more damage in the process.
This is certainly the case for the heroine of this book Tilda.
The story is split in 2. It switches between the past and present with the past focusing on Tildas childhood (or Tilly as she’s referred to) and the present shows us the damaged person trying to understand her life that TIlly became.
In the past Tillys beloved dad goes to work one day and disappears, her mother who has her own mental health demons tries to protect her daughter from the truth and whisks her away to queenie malones paradise hotel , a place full of beautiful people who become TIllys family. A group of misfits who make up the staff but together find somewhere to belong and call home. Run by the full of life queenie, who becomes a second mother to Tilly and starts her on an enchanting life that fills her with happiness. Because you see the thing is TIlly sees ghosts !

Jumping to the present - TIldas/Tillys mother has just died and Tilda has the daunting task of going through her things.
Over the years it seems that Tilda and her mother weren’t very close as she blames her for sending her away from the place she loved the most. Tilda has ocd and a host of other issues.
Upon finding her mother’s diaries Tilda soon discovers that what she thought was the truth about her childhood isn’t the truth at all and that the mother who she believed didn’t love her sacrificed herself for her child to protect her from the truth. When that truth is revealed it will change all Tildas perceptions of her childhood and help her accept herself for who she is today.
This book is truly wonderful and thought provoking. A beautiful story filled with a host of fabulous characters that you will remember for a long time after finishing it.
I will definitely be reading more by Ruth Hogan and would highly recommended this story to anyone who loves books with lots of twists and surprises.