✨ This was an eARC gifted to me by HQ Digital via @netgalley The following review is my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions. ✨

📚 The Hotel
📝 Louise Mumford
📌 Book 45/50 for 2023

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 (3.75)
𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘: Thriller 👻
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: 🚫

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 📖
Packed with action, suspenseful scenes, a creepy setting and an unexpected ending, this was a solid thriller that I enjoyed reading.
Some things I enjoyed about this read are:
🖤 The dual timeline. The flashbacks between present-day and “the night” made for a more suspenseful plot line.
🖤 The setting. The hotel and its descriptive scenes provide the perfect background for the creepy happenings in the story.
🖤 The twist. I enjoyed the unexpectedness of the ending, both with the twist in the story (there was actually a few twists), and the reveals that led to an action-packed close.
🖤 The plot. Overall, I felt that the premise of this story was very unique to the thriller scene and I enjoyed the show biz aspect of the plot in addition to the creepy happenings.

Some things I wasn’t too crazy about are:
🖤 The pacing. And this was the biggest downfall in my opinion. This read put me in a reading slump in the first half because the pacing was so slow and it took me way too long to get to the halfway point. Once I got there, however, I finished the second half in one day.
🖤 The characters. Other than Bex and Holly, I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, the fell a little flat for me.

Generally speaking, this was an entertaining story with a unique plot and great writing style. If this seems like something you’d enjoy, be sure to check it out!

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 ⤵️
paranormal suspense 👻, abandoned buildings 🏚, creepy backstories 💀, eagles and pigeons 🪶

The Hotel by Louise Mumford
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netglalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘You swore you’d never come back…now you might never leave…’

Four friends entered an abandoned hotel, only 3 left.
10 years on they reunite one last time after going their separate ways. However, once they return to the hotel things begin to go wrong.

I really wanted to love this! It sounded like the perfect mix for a great horror story but it was just too long and repetitive. It took way too long to actually get to the point and I was after losing interest. I came close to DNFing numerous times but made myself read on in case it livened up.

Pros: The descriptions were really vivid and I could picture Ravencliffe as I read along.
I liked Bex as a character. She was headstrong and feisty.
The setting of the hotel was creepy and it worked well with the story.
Cons: The descriptions, while they are vivid and help to picture the scene, go on a bit too much and I found myself skimming through some of it.

Due for release on 22nd June 2023.

A stand-alone psychological thriller with a touch of horror/paranormal. A good well paced read set in two timelines, the present and 10 years earlier when 4 school friends went to visit an abandoned hotel called Ravencliffe. The hotel has become a bit of a myth with tales of murders and suicides and the teens are going to make a film about it. But only three of them leave, Leo has disappeared without trace.

Briefly, go the 10 year anniversary a film company want to make a follow up documentary to what was an unexpected film hit 10 years earlier resulting in a large cult following. Bex has been hiding away since Leo, her best friend, went missing but is persuaded to return alongside Richard and Oscar. She is determined to find out what happened to her friend. But as soon as they arrive at the site with the film crew strange things start to happen again…

Bex is a great character. She appears to be broken, and who could blame her, but underneath there is a strong woman with an iron will. I thought I had guessed what had might have happened and although partially right my thoughts on who and their motivation were way off! There were some seriously creepy moments in both timelines and a really sad story from the past. An enjoyable atmospheric read full of hidden secrets and with an eerie setting to keep the chill factor high. Great read. 4.5⭐️

Another thrilling read by louise Mumford
Had me total gripped .
The right amount of suspense and grit to keep the reader wanting more.
Loved it
Thank you NetGalley

Interesting premise but it never really grabbed me and I found myself wondering who the audience was for it, whether it was YA or what, and with so many characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

I enjoyed this one. Great atmosphere and setting and a decent plot with a creepy hotel with mystery about it. The characters are likeable. The ending was good, tying up the past and present.
An enjoyable slow paced read.
Thanks to #NetGallery @HQ @HQDigital for an eARC of #TheHotel in exchange for an honest review.
Book publishes 22June 2023.

This book took me a little while to get hooked.
But…… it’s well worth sticking with. Once I’d read about 1/3. I was hooked and it turned out to be a good creepy enthralling read.

Sorry not my cup of tea at all.
Written in the style of a teenage book, both the writing and the story was a bit cliched and not to my interest.
A bit predictable and trying too hard.
Ending as expected.
I won’t be reviewing negatively far and wide.
This is just not a book I would enjoy reading.
2 stars for effort.
Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This book while it seemed to have promise, dragged for me. About 75% in, it started getting good. I almost DNFed it but the ending was great and that's why i gave ut 3 stars. Just wished the beginning held on and kept the interest.

Overall, I think everyone should read it for their own POV!!!

Ravencliffe is an abandoned hotel, perched high on steep cliffs on the coast of Wales. Rumoured to be haunted, four friends, aspiring film students, take a trip to explore it, hoping to create a video of the hard-to-reach, yet creepily appealing site. A series of unexplainable and terrifying incidents results in only three of them leaving the hotel. Leo vanishes, never to be seen again.

Ten years on the friends are scattered, friends no longer. Richard is an alcoholic, struggling to function. Oscar makes public appearances, selling his story to anyone who will listen. And Bex just wants to keep hiding from the world. Leo was her best friend since childhood, and her heart was broken when he vanished. But then comes an opportunity Bex can’t refuse. One she thought she would never accept - a chance to return to Ravencliffe. Bex thought returning in the manner in which they do is safe. Plenty of people, plenty of cameras. However, it is not long before things start to go wrong again. Serious accidents, people getting badly injured. Bex starts to wonder what is going on, and if Richard and Oscar know more than they admitted about what really happened the night Leo went missing.

Bex was a brilliant character. Tough, yet vulnerable, determined to finally find out the truth about her friend. Walking into situations that most would run from. Hello creepy maze at nighttime by yourself? She struggled with who to trust, and as the story progressed this trust was continually eroded. The plot twists eroded all our trust in each character, so we were in as much doubt as Bex herself. The time jumping from present to past worked well, and built up the tension well. Then, just as we think we know where the ending is going - the rug gets pulled from under our feet. An enjoyable creepy mystery read.

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

Ten years ago, Bex, Leo, Oscar, and Richard headed to Ravencliffe, an eerie hotel with a haunted history, to film a Blair Witch Project type movie. Only three of them survive that night and their home movie skyrockets. Now, the three remaining friends are brought back to Ravencliffe for a reunion show and odd things start happening, leading Bex to believe that someone knows more than they’ll admit.

THE HOTEL by Louise Mumford was a fast-paced, atmospheric mystery!

I was immediately hooked by the opening chapter and found Bex to be such an easy character to root for! I loved the alternating timelines between present day and ten years prior and the way they were interwoven.

The hotel and its location were so creepy and ghosty and just provided the perfect setting for these characters to go exploring.

Such a quick, spooky, and heartfelt read for all thriller and mystery fans!

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: June 22

The Hotel held my attention throughout, I especially enjoyed the journey Bex experienced as she began to face up to what happened.

I just about wet my pants while reading The Hotel. Not just from the fact that I refused to get up to go in fear of missing just a second of this book to the fact that it nearly scared it right out of me...

Louise Mumford, does an incredible job pulling you right in early on. The Hotel never loses pace, gets boring or repetitive. My attention was captivated from the beginning and didn't even lose hold after I concluded. I just COULD NOT stop thinking about this one.

The Hotel is jam packed with twists, Mumford does not allow you to catch your breath before throwing you for another.

If you're curious to see what has my heart in a tizzy, check out this teaser and then head on over to your favorite bookstore to purchase this book!

Teaser:

Four of them went to the hotel

Four students travel to Ravencliffe, an eerie abandoned hotel perched on steep cliffs on the Welsh coast. After a series of unexplained accidents, only three of them leave. The fourth, Leo, disappears, and is never seen again.

Only three of them came back

A decade on, the friends have lost contact. Oscar is fame-hungry, making public appearances and selling his story. Richard sank into alcoholism and is only just recovering. Bex just wants to forget – until one last opportunity to go back offers the chance to find out what really happened to Leo.

Ten years later, they return one last time

But as soon as they get to the hotel things start going wrong again. Objects mysteriously disappear and reappear. Accidents happen. And Bex realises that her former friends know far more than they are letting on about the true events at Ravencliffe that night…

This book took me a few chapters to get into it but once I did I was absolutely hooked!! It took some turns I was not expecting at all and I found it to be a really unique and interesting read! The setting itself was such a strong point for this book, it was creepy and unsettling and added to the overall feel of the story. I found the pacing to be absolutely perfect, fast paced while still being able to keep track of all the details, which the descriptive writing kept me engaged and feeling like I was right there alongside the characters! I found this to be a very entertaining and enthralling thriller!!

I quite enjoyed the book and the characters were well thought out. It did slow down a bit but it still kept me hooked. Great story line.

I struggled to get into this one as I didn’t really like the main character. I’m glad I stuck with it though as it got me curious as to what happened that fateful night and I wasn’t disappointed. I thought the story flowed well and it has a good ending. Thank you #netgalley

A really gripping, slightly supernatural mystery, I struggled a little bit at the start to get into it but it soon had me gripped and was read in a couple of sittings. Very creepy storyline but very enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book

It took me a few chapters to understand and get into it, but once you hit the part where they are talking about the film, and decide to go back to the hotel, I was hooked. The ending has a few great twists I didn’t see coming. The writing style was awesome, I loved that the story was mostly from Bex’s view. I think with the actual book formatting it will be easier to get into and readers of thrillers will love it! The characters were all great, I loved the way it kept a lot of secrets until the very end.

"The Hotel" by Louise Mumford is a gripping and atmospheric psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. With its intricate web of secrets, eerie setting, and compelling characters, this book delivers a suspenseful reading experience that will leave you guessing until the very end.

One of the standout features of "The Hotel" is the atmospheric setting. Mumford skillfully creates a sense of foreboding and claustrophobia within the confines of the hotel. The descriptions of its dark corridors, labyrinthine layout, and the lingering sense of something sinister lurking in the shadows contribute to a chilling ambiance that permeates the entire story. The author's ability to evoke a palpable sense of unease adds an extra layer of tension to the narrative.

The characters in this novel are well-drawn and complex, each harboring their own secrets and motivations. The protagonist, protagonist Kate, is a relatable and determined character whose vulnerability and determination drive the story forward. The cast of supporting characters, including the enigmatic hotel guests and staff, adds depth and intrigue to the plot. Mumford expertly weaves their stories together, creating a web of suspicion and uncertainty that keeps readers guessing.

The narrative unfolds at a brisk pace, with alternating timelines that gradually reveal the dark history of the hotel. The author's skillful use of suspense and plot twists keeps readers engaged and eager to uncover the truth. The tension builds steadily throughout the story, culminating in a satisfying and surprising conclusion that ties together the various threads of the plot.

Mumford's writing style is engaging and evocative, with vivid descriptions and a strong sense of atmosphere. The dialogue is well-crafted, providing insight into the characters' motivations and adding depth to their interactions. The author's ability to create a sense of unease and anticipation through her prose is commendable, further heightening the suspenseful nature of the story.

While "The Hotel" is an enthralling and well-executed thriller, it does have a few minor drawbacks. Some readers may find certain plot developments to be slightly predictable or reminiscent of other entries in the genre. Additionally, a few secondary characters could have been further developed to enhance their impact on the story.

In conclusion, "The Hotel" is a riveting psychological thriller that will keep readers captivated from beginning to end. Louise Mumford's skillful storytelling, atmospheric setting, and complex characters make for an engaging and suspenseful read. Despite a few minor shortcomings, this book is recommended for fans of the genre who are looking for a thrilling and immersive experience that will leave them questioning the nature of reality and the depths of human darkness.

This was the first thriller in a while that actually had my heart racing at some points. I enjoyed the timeline jump to give a full story of the movie without having to explain it in the present chapters. One thing that bugged me about the time line shift however, was the change in perspective. It was a bit jarring to go from third to first. While it did help reinforce that the past chapters were more in line with what happened in the movie, it took awhile to adjust to the narrative changing.

I loved how fast paced the action was written. It gave the sense of urgency needed to make the scene feel intense. As well as set the tone for each scene following, building in tension until the climax. I kept trying to guess the “who done it”, gathering clues and aha moments, only to have it all be blown away with the ending.

The characters were well written, each one dealing with their trauma in different ways. Bex wasn’t a typical plucky lead, she was snarky and blunt, as well as determined to find out what happened to Leo. She was a breath of fresh air in that sense. Was nice to have a main character with a no nonsense attitude, who wasn’t also a damsel in distress as well. She took charge in her own ways throughout the story.

Overall this was a good thriller that will get your heart racing and have you scrambling to solve the mystery before the story is over.