I lived in Brighton for several years before I met my OH and settled down elsewhere, and this book which is set there for the majority of the book brings back strong memories of the place.

This is a wonderful Book.  Interesting, complex and full of wonderfully flawed people, a masterclass in writing character led fiction.

Told in two timelines, a third person account from young Tilly, aged around 6 at the beginning of the tale and a first-person narration by Tilda, all grown up but haunted by her childhood losses in ways she doesn't yet understand.

It all starts when Tilda's mother dies and leaves her the Brighton flat and all of her worldly possessions.  Tilda's life before this must have been pretty lonely as she ups and moves into her mothers flat from an unnamed town without much of a thought.  Working from home has advantages I guess. Amongst her mother's things, she finds diaries which she reads when she plucks up the courage, and we are introduced to Grace.  Grace, Tilda's mum is a complex, mentally ill and very real woman who made some difficult choices and had to live with the consequences.  Her excessive drinking is an ill-advised coping strategy.

In Tilly's timeline, we see her losing her father without understanding why and life with a lonely alcoholic mother.  Then they go on holiday to Brighton to the Paradise hotel of the title, and suddenly her mother has a job and they live there leaving her old life and friends behind.  Queenie's is full of characters that would be implausible in anywhere but Brighton.  If you have never lived in Brighton you may not realise but it's a place where you can be wildly eccentric and fit in just fine, in fact, you can belong.  And that is the Brighton of this book, which is part of why I love it so much.

Ohh and there is a romance, it's not the focus of the book, and blossoms around halfway in but it's an essential part of the book.

This book reminded me of a couple of other wonderful books that I have read over the past couple of years.  It has the feel of Eleanor Oliphant by Gail Honeyman and The Hoarder by Jess Kidd, but it is not a pale copy of either.

I am not sure if it was intentional but the character of Queenie Malone herself was more in the background of the book.  She is talked about by other characters, both in life and death, but doesn't say much herself, I guess this could be a homage to works such as the great gatsby which uses this technique widely.

To sum it all up: Highly recommended, an easy read but one that can have you laughing and crying, all in the same paragraph.

Although I have the first two books by this author they are currently on my to read list and after reading Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel - I hope they turn out to be as good as this book. It is a tale of a lost childhood and a search for answers. The reader is drawn into the past by a series of memories documented in the diaries of Tilda's mum (following her death) as well as following Tilda in present time as she delves into her past and forges new relationships in the search for her father who left when she was aged 6. Tilda goes on a journey which helps her to come to terms with the actions of her mother many years ago. This was a great read and I am looking forward to reading the other books!

Tilly is returning to Brighton after the death of her mum, with whom she had a somewhat complicated relationship. There is a very sad story in here, as we discover why Tilly was estranged from her mum and what happened to her dad. A key feature of this story is the magical realism, I personally found that quite enchanting but it may disturb other readers. This is my second Ruth Hogan novel and I really enjoyed it. An easy read, didn’t require lots of effort and discipline. Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read in exchange for an honest review.

Heartfelt, quirky, enjoyable, easy to read and one of those novels that just draws you in. Well crafted, highly recommended.

Beautifully written, gorgeously sumptuous, totally sublime. This will be my book of the year for sure. Peopled with fabulous, linger in the memory characters. Nothing in this book hits a false note, I was captivated from the first page and desperately didn't want it to end. At times laugh-out-loud funny and at others, heartbreakingly sad. It also made me desperate to revisit Brighton. No superlative is too much for this book, it will be a runaway success.

Tilly is an unusual little girl, she lives with her mummy and daddy. One day her adored daddy disappears. She keeps hoping he will return. Her mummy is beautiful but does not know how to connect with Tilly. Daddy used to take Tilly with him to pubs where he gives spiritual readings. Tilly goes everywhere with her dog, sadly only she sees him. One day mummy takes her on holiday to Brighton, they stay at Queenie Malones Paradise Hotel, a very over the top and quirky place. Tilly loves it and is so happy when mummy tells her she has been offered a live in job by her great friend Queenie. Unfortunately, after a while, for no apparent reason Tilly is sent off to boarding school, she is deverstated and misses everyone at the hotel. Many years later, as an adult, Tilly returns to Brighton, her mother dies leaving Tilly her apartment. Whilst clearing out Tilly finds the diaries her mother has left her. The story of her life unfolds, things were not as Tilly thought.

Ruth Hogan does it again! This novel about Tilda, a little girl whose life isn't easy with her gift, a gift her father had and her mother disapproves of it. The characters as always are a delight and you picture each and every one in your mind because the descriptions are marvellous.
This would make a great film. I loved it. Dear Ruth please write another soon.

An enjoyable story which is both charming and touching at times. The main character Tilda has a troubled relationship with her mother who on her death leaves her diaries for Tilda to read hoping to shed light on their family life.

I absolutely adored this quirky, magical, funny, slightly sad book. One of those books I didn't want to read too quickly as it would be over too soon.

Tilda has come to her Mother's home in Brighton to clear it out as her Mother has recently died. Tilda always had a very strained relationship with her Mother and after she'd sent Tilda to boarding school, and away from the only place she was ever really happy, their relationship was never the same. Tilda's Mother was a troubled woman who had been in an asylum and had electric shock treatment. There she had met Queenie, of the title of the book, and they had stayed friends. So when Tilda's Dad left to find work elsewhere and didn't come back Tilda and her Mother moved to Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel in Brighton, and soon were part of the mad, dysfunctional (very funny!) group of people who lived there.

The story flicked back and forth between when Tilda was younger and the present day. In the present day, while clearing out her Mother's paperwork, Tilda found a box of diaries which she slowly read through, and these explained what actually happened when Tilda was younger, why they moved to Brighton and why her Mother felt she had to send Tilda away to boarding school. Quite sad in places but very revealing.

I don't want to say too much about the book and ruin things but there are definitely a few surprises along the way, more towards the latter half of the book. Tilda as a child was delightful and absolutely hilarious with her take on certain words and phrases. I was laughing a lot in this book! Bermondsey was one of my favourites - '... apart from dissecting my food with geometric precision, a phobia of boiled eggs, growing windmills in the back garden and believing that God sent sinners to Bermondsey, I was completely normal', just about sums up Tilda.

I can't express how absolutely delightful, magical and funny I found this book, definitely a keeper.

I've had a couple of Ruth Hogan books on my TBR list for a while, but reading this has definitely made me a Ruth Hogan fan and I will be digging the other two out of the pile. Highly recommended.

Another study of characters and likeable, sympathetic people by Ruth Hogan. She really draws you in to the story and the people.

Told from two perspectives, Tilda and Tilly, Tilda's childhood is re-written when she discovers her mothers' diaries after her death. Everything Tilda believes and perceives has to be re-written as she discovers her mothers secrets.

What made her send Tilly away from such a happy place?

I loved Tilda's relationship with Daniel, his easy-going manner and the fabulous Joseph Geronimo. A joy to read.

Ruth Hogan has done it again! Another great read. I loved Tilly, she made me laugh out loud, especially when she put her own words in the Christmas Carols. Brilliant!

You get what you come for with this book, a light hearted charm and a dollop of fuzzy sentiment, and although I didn’t read Sally With The Red Shoes (or something like that) from this author I did read The Keeper Of Lost Things and this follows the same vein of sweetness.
Plus I wanted to be friends with Queenie she’s probably be a riot in that hotel bubble.
Fans of A Man Called Ove, and other soft and lovely reads are sure to enjoy this too.

It was so easy to love this book and each and everyone of the characters therein.

Tilly is a child who observes everything through her 6 year old eyes but doesn’t quite understand what it all means. After the death of her mother, the grown up and reborn Tilda, finds her diaries and sets about piecing together her life through her mother’s eyes.

The vivid descriptions of the places and people within this story put a smile on my face and my feet firmly in the footsteps of Tilly/Tilda. The split timelines used the voices of the 6 year old and the adult so brilliantly and had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion.

Full of youthful wondering, adult angst and with the touch of magic that you would expect from Ruth Hogan, this was so charming I didn’t want it to end.

This story of two people, who are one and the same only decades apart, holds a secret that both poignant and disturbing. Young Tilly suffered because of her well-intentioned but mentally undone mother and absent father. Adult Tilda must peer through the fog that hides the truth, both living and dead. Warmly written, the two stories wind together bringing along a cast of colorful characters to brighten the gray tone of sorrow.

What a wonderful read filled with endearing, unforgettable characters.
One person, two perspectives. Tilly the child whose understanding is fuelled with innocent hilarious malapropisms and Tilda trying to understand her personal, at times heart-breaking, journey to adulthood through reading her late mother's diaries.
The journey takes us to Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel and from this moment the book flies as we encounter so many gloriously flamboyantly eccentric characters. The hotel is indeed a paradise for misfits. Mental health issues, relationships and wrong perceptions begin to be understood in this magical setting. So many characters I will remember, particularly Queenie Malone, Joseph Geronimo, Mrs O'Flaherty, Miss Dale and above all Eli, Tilly's faithful dog who watches over her through the bad times and the good.
There is so much substance in this novel. There is so much love. Days after reading it I am still taking it apart in my mind as I walk my own dog. I know I have to go back and read it again.

Beautifully written

The narration of this compelling story switches between bright, lively 6-7 year old Tilly and her adult self. The fragile grownup Tilda slowly makes sense of her childhood through her dead mother's diaries.

At times laugh out loud funny yet also by turns poignantly sad.

A beautifully written and compelling story.

Strongly recommended.

(To be posted on Amazon when released).

I enjoyed the previous book, but I found this one hard to get into, jumping from young Tilly to Tilda and the ensuing story of what happened with her relationship with her mother. Throw in a dog that only she can see and a story does start to unfold, one of understanding why things happened in her past. I liked the characters but found it hard going.

Storytelling at its best. The sadness of Tilly's 7 year old self was hard to read but her interpretation of adult behaviour was light hearted and funny, albeit a challenge to decipher the reality behind her interpretation sometimes. It was a shame her childish percetion of events in her family prevented her from being close to her mother and revealing what happened to her beloved Daddy too late . The characters in the hotel and of her childhood in Brighton were less than ordinarybut lovely how they became her family.
I loved this sad funny and heartwarming story.

Ruth Hogan has done it again with her third book. I loved this story about Tilly which is set in the current day (first person) and during her childhood (third person). It is told from two perspectives, Tilly's, and her mother's through diaries found after her death. There are many laugh out loud moments and quite a few almost-made-me-weep moments. It is a very touching story about love, loss, mental health, acceptance and never giving up hope which is told in a very well crafted way. With wonderful characters, a great story and some memorable quotes this is my first five-star review of the year. But I don't think I'll ever try Tilly's birthday breakfast sandwich idea. I read an e-ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Thank you

Brilliant. Lots of laugh out loud moments also sadness, a completely unusual theme and a very enjoyable read.