I loved The Keeper of Lost Things but not so The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes so came to this with an open mind. I enjoyed the characterisation of Tilly/Tilda and Queenie and that it was set in Brighton. Even though it took me a while to get into, I did enjoy it but just felt that extra special something was missing. Thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to young readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!

In general I really enjoy Ruth Hogan's books, and this was not an exception! It was also one of those books that you feel like you need to read again straight away to see if you missed anything! Fascinating, and it kept me absorbed throughout!

I really really REALLY wanted to love this book but sadly I just didn't. 

Although beautifully written, I ultimately just didn't connect with Tilda / Tilly and found it difficult to engage with the story. In this case, it feels like a "it's not you, it's me" situation as I have no doubt that others will love this book. Sadly though, it just isn't for me.

Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel is another triumph by the lovely Ruth Hogan.  It is a story about the huge love that a parent has for a child and is really a beautiful book.  Reading a Ruth Hogan book is like spending time in the company of old friends as you soon get involved with the characters and can’t wait to return to see what comes next.  Loved this!

Hogan is a writer of enchantment and magic and spins tales so heartbreaking and beautiful that it takes me months to get over them. 
However, this book was not for me. I didn’t relate to Tilda/Tilly, I felt her rather drab and annoying. The book felt long and frustrating with no real plot. Other readers have loved it so I’m sure it’s no reflection of the author but just not the book for me.

Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel is a book that not all kinds of readers will relate to. You either love it or hate it. And me, well, I really wish I loved it. 

The book flows in two parallel timelines: Tilda in the present and little Tilly in her childhood. Tilda has a broken relationship with her mother, who killed her dad. After her mum dies, Tilda goes to a place called Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel, to find the truth of what happened in the past.

The writing style of when Tilda is little was hard for me to connect to. If felt as if the grown up version was talking in both timelines. The book is very slow, with no major plot twist, which made it boring. We had the whole ending dumped in the last chapters, with no anticipation. She is a girl that clearly has a troubled past, and she has with her a sense of mystery, as she is able to see what other people can’t. She is very attached to her father, even though he was absent most of her life, and she spent her childhood and teenage years holding a grudge against her mother.

And yet, I didn’t care about her. 

In fact, I didn’t care about anyone in this book, and by the end, I just wished for the story to finish. I am sad that I couldn’t relate to this book, and I wish I liked it. But I didn’t. Moving on. A shame though, it has such a beautiful cover.If the synopsis seems interesting to you, 

I would still encourage you to give it a go and let me know what you thought. You opinion is also valid.

Thank you to Netgalley and John Murray Press, for sending me an ebook, in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book hard to get into but I am glad I persevered. Not my usual type of book but I found it intriguing and the story kept opening up new elements right through to the end. I was a bit disappointed by the end and felt the story remains unfinished.

I have read previous books by Ruth Hogan and have been absolutely enchanted by them. However Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel never really captured my attention and honestly was a struggle to finish. I didn't really enjoy the story line and the didn't really relate to the central character of Tilda.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This is simply one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read. There is nothing about this book that I didn't love.
It is written from the point of view of Tilda the adult who has just lost her mother, and Tilly her juvenile self growing up without her Dad , and with a strained relationship with her mother.

The way Ruth Hogan writes as Tilly captures all the innocence of youth, it took me back to my own childhood, and seeing things through Tilly's eyes is certainly good for the soul.

It is extremely well constructed, and the story twists together perfectly at the end.

It is a story of family, love, innocence, betrayal resolution and forgiveness.

It is simply a wonderful uplifting story that shows us that despite our differences we can all come together if we have love and respect for each other, and that love never dies.

My husband insists that the first line in a novel is the most important. It has to set the scene, introduce a character, provide context, generate intrigue AND, most importantly, it has to capture the reader’s attention. So, when I read the first line of Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel - “My mother killed my father when I was seven years old” – I knew I was on to a winner. That line ticks all of the criteria above and more. How could anyone not feel compelled to continue reading?!

Returning to Brighton following her mother’s death, Tilda finds herself at a metaphorical crossroad and decides to stay for an extended period whilst deciding in which direction her life should head next. Initially somewhat ambivalent about her mother’s death, the discovery of some old diaries gives Tilda the opportunity to get to know her mother better and to understand her childhood from an adult perspective.

The book is written in two parts and told in a split timeline with one narrative from the older Tilda’s perspective as she re-visits her childhood haunts and one from the younger Tilly who explains how Tilda’s childhood has shaped her present life. The two narratives come together at certain points, revealing important events from Tilda’s past.

As with Hogan’s earlier works, the characters are vibrant and appealing.  Tilda (formerly Tilly) is 46 years old single and wary of people. She is cautious, reserved and slow to trust people. This is a striking contrast to the bright, bubbly and adventurous little girl that she used to be. In part 2 of the book we meet Queenie Malone and her eccentric mother. They are simply marvellous supporting characters, adding a great sense of fun to the book from the moment they first appear within the pages. With the eclectic mix of staff and residents at the Paradise Hotel, it’s not difficult to see why Tilly so adored her time there. I should also mention the other supporting characters of Daniel, Joseph Geronimo and Miss Dane, all of whom help Tilda to understand her past and move forward with her life.

Despite the colourful array of human characters, my favourite and the most endearing character has to be Eli the dog. Hogan always adds a hint of the supernatural into her books and, in this case, Eli is one of those hints (I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to reveal that). I was reading a book earlier today in which the author said that when a person dies they don’t leave us but instead leave an imprint or a negative of themselves that stays with us, in a similar way that an amputee still experiences an itch in a missing limb. I suppose this is what we mean when we say that someone’s spirit stays with us. I don’t believe in ghosts, but I do like the thought that a person or animal’s imprint can remain with you after they’re gone. It’s a comforting thought.

The story is ultimately a beautifully written, tender exploration of the mother-daughter relationship, the complexities of families and the power of friendship. The book also explores some darker issues of mental health, depression and loss.  If that all sounds a bit deep for you, don’t worry! Those issues are dealt with gently and sensitively, focusing more on acceptance, forgiveness and hope. It is a warm, poignant and thought-provoking tale. Ultimately, Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel proves to be a charming and uplifting read, like a burst of sunshine on a drizzly day.

I enjoyed the concept of Ruth Hogan's first novel The Keeper of Lost Things but thought it was missing something. I still wanted to read Queenie Malone but did have quite average expectations. It makes me so happy when my expectations are exceeded. And this book did exactly that.

Tilly can see ghosts. Like her daddy. But he's dead now, although he doesn't visit her like the others. Tilly's mum is spiraling out of control, in the clutches of a terrible illness that only pills and alcohol can blur the edges of. Out of the blue, she uproots Tilly from her life and the pair run away to Brighton, taking refuge in Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel. This is the place Tilly will end up always calling home. She fits in here and her mother seems happy too - for the first time in a long time. But perfect as it is, Tilly's mum makes a sudden but firm decision to send Tilly away to boarding school. Tilly will never forgive her. As an adult, Tilda as she is now known, has a strained relationship with her mother. When she passes away, she finds a chest of her mother's diaries that hold more secrets than she can bear to believe. What do you do when you find out your whole childhood was a lie? And the only people that have the answers are dead?

This book is from two perspectives -Tilly in her childhood years and Tilda as a middle-aged adult. Tilly's chapters are fun, sweet, and sad with some great one liners that tickled me. I loved the childhood perspective and references to things that ignited a wave of nostalgia. Tilda's chapters are raw, emotional, and real. You can feel her suffering through the words and can see how her events in her childhood have lead to her being isolated, shy, and closed-off. 

The overall storyline for this book was brilliant. It was an easy read with a great flow, despite the flashbacks which can sometimes cause jarring as you try to recall what happened in the last flashback/present moment. I loved all the characters and developed strong connections with them, especially Tilly as a child. There was a great mixture of funny and sad, enough to set my emotions all over the place! The revelations caught me off guard every time and I found myself gasping, not making the connections until it was revealed. I loved the ending and thought it ended the book perfectly. My only wish was that it wouldn't end :)

I really enjoyed this book.  Well written with a mix of feel good and tear jerker moments. The super natural elements added an extra dimension - overall a great read.

I loved the characters in this latest title from Ruth Hogan, both the living and the dead! I admire the author so much for the way she manages to interweave the characters stories and the connections that she leaves for you as a reader to pick up along the way. This is not always an easy read, as the characters are very flawed and very human with plenty of mistakes made along the way, but the feeling of acceptance and belonging when some of the characters find their place is so rewarding it's worth the bumpy ride. I think this is my favourite Ruth Hogan so far and I was sad to leave the eccentric cast of characters behind. Highly recommended.

A really good story beautifully told by Tilly as a young girl and as a grown up some interesting characters all living different lives but weave in and out of the story particularly liked the OCD aspect nah hope the closure she got at the end helped her with it first book I've read by this author and really enjoyed it

I have enjoyed both of Ruth Hogan’s previous books, and Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel was equally charming. It is moving and thought provoking. It has relationships at it’s heart, particularly poignant were those between child and parent. There was also a touching love story. The book has excellent characters and included insightful and believable descriptions of a child’s world. 
I very much enjoyed it and recommend #QueenieMalonesParadiseHotel and thank #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this engaging book.

Enjoyed this book - it was an easy read with a good mix of feel good and tear jerked passages. Wasn't overly keen on the super natural element, but that didn't distract from my overall enjoyment

Well where to start with this book! Firstly it was so refreshingly different and not at all what I expected. I absolutely loved everything about it, from the characters to brilliant storyline!
When Tilly was a little girl she sadly lost her father and moved away with her mum to live in Queenie's hotel . Tilly had a wonderful time here and made so many interesting and unique friends that she loved as though they were family, although the happiness didn't last and years later after the death of Tilly's mum, she finally discovers the heart breaking truth about why she was sent away all those years ago. This book had me laughing out loud one minute then crying the next! Definitely a five star read!

Beautifully written ,the descriptions are so vividly shown. A very lighted-heart balance between childhood years and present day when Tilly is looking through her mother's diary.

A feel good book and easy read, filled with laughter, humour and satisfaction for Tilly eventually unveiling her past.

Her book continues to give me pleasure to read! I have read all her three novels.

I loved this book. I just adored all the characters who were very well-drawn.  I loved the quirkiness, the voice of the child was  truly believable. The portrayal of the mother/daughter relationship with all its difficulties and occasional joys was so touching and realistic. Definitely recommended.