Bex can’t leave the past behind her as she is reminded every year for the last 10 years at “RavenCon” where the sad story of her friend Leo’s life ended so tragically. The event was all caught on camera and sold to a movie company. Now after 10 years she is doing a one off, back where it all started with Richard and Oscar the other 2 people that were there that night. After receiving a lighter than belonged to her old friend is the truth really what everyone thought? Or has a lie been told this whole time? Who can Bet trust and who will show their true colours one last time. Can Leo finally be put to rest?

I had high hopes for this mystery book and I was not disappointed. Throughout the book I kept thinking what could be happening and I was mistaken most of the time. The final kicker I didn’t even see coming. I did have moments where I didn’t understand the break between present and past but I knock that down to the format I read it on. Bex was portrayed as a heroine and she done just that, never giving up and wanting to figure out the truth. She was a kickers slueth and would do anything to unveil what happened that night and the past history of the hotel. The minor characters played their roles well and added to the storyline to give another perspective. I am glad to have been given the opportunity to read this ARC from @.

This was a good story which was surprisingly creepy. I love a thriller that has a specific setting (like The Sanctuary), so the hotel in this one was a great setting and I really liked it. Super creepy, in the middle of nowhere, and abandoned for hundreds of years. All of the things you could want in a thriller setting! I really loved how there was the past and present POV, but also that there was the mystery of Leo and the original mystery of the hotel with the death of the owner and one of the workers.

So, I enjoyed this one, but for me the plot wasn't anything mindblowing. The reason for this is that, usually I am TERRIBLE at guessing thriller/mystery plot twists. But in this one, a miracle happened. I managed to guess every single plot twist that happened! I have no idea how this happened, but it meant that I wasn't shocked and gasping at the plot twists. Obviously at the start I didn't know what to expect or what had happened, but I quite quickly came up with my own theory which turned out to be absolutely correct.

None of the characters were exactly likeable, although this isn't unusual for a thriller book. I did feel sympathetic for the main character Bex as she lost her closest friend and didn't know what happened to him for 10 years. However, sometimes I thought she was a bit dodgy (especially to Holly her assistant) but by the end I liked their relationship. I feel like we didn't get to know Richard or Oscar that much as it was all told from Bex's POV and she thought of them as suspects. The other side characters were a bit ignored, which was fine because they weren't a massive part of the story.

Overall this was a good story, an interesting plot and a very creepy setting. I loved the idea that they filmed their trip to the hotel and it got made into a movie. However, it was a bit predictable for me and I didn't love the characters.

I devoured this one in one sitting!
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If your thing is suspenseful writing with the imagery of a place coming through so strong in the words that you feel like you’re there, then you will be in for an absolute treat with this one!!
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Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

I raced through this in a day! I found it very edge of your seat and just couldn’t put it down. I loved the gothic imagery of the hotel and the descriptions of the cliffs surrounding it really created an intimidating backdrop to the story. There were twists and turns galore and the story kept me guessing until it’s dramatic conclusion. I’ll be recommending this book to everyone. 5 stars from me.

I received a free copy from Netgalley, here is the blurb

"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…"

I found this book to be about 3.5 stars out of 5. It was reasonably ok but I can't say I really liked any of the characters. The setting is definitely a good horror setting with a gothic horror story feel to it and had potential but I felt left down a little by the ending. I didn't not enjoy reading it but just felt that it could have been even better especially if he perhaps had a duel element of the story running through it set in the past.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book a little slow and hard to get into. It felt bogged down with too much detail. However, I persevered and found the overall book an enjoyable read.

This was the first book I have read by this author and I found the story to be a little creepy.I did, however, find it a bit predictable in parts, guessing one of the final story lines quite mid-way through the book but that didn’t stop me enjoying it.

Four teenagers (Bex, Leo, Oscar and Richie)plan a night time summer trip to the abandoned and allegedly cursed Ravencliffe Hotel which sits high on the steep cliffs on the Welsh coast. The Hotel was built in the late 19th century as a luxury spa resort but disaster struck, the hotel was never completely finished and in despair the owner killed himself.

The group filmed their escapade little knowing that it would become a worldwide sensation. Four ventured out to the hotel but only three returned. For the last ten years there have been many theories about what happened to Leo.

Approaching the tenth anniversary, the film company are planning a reunion. Bex, now almost a recluse wants no part of it, until she receives a sign that means she can’t turn her back on this - she must find out what happened to Leo.

Almost as soon as the three get to the hotel and filming starts, things start to go wrong and Bex gets the feeling her two former friends might know more about what happened to Leo than they are admitting to.

The book itself is told in two timelines - the present day and then that night ten years ago.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good thriller. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This has been one of my top reads this year! This book had me hooked from page one and the plot is incredible. Bex is an amazing character and I loved every single page.

Set over two time periods, present day and 10 years earlier this book tells the story of what happens when 4 teenagers explore an empty, allegedly haunted hotel. They initially film events which reminded me of The Blair Witch movie. The book is very slow to get going but then the plot gathers pace.

An entertaining and atmospheric thriller, The Hotel is an enjoyable quick read with a creepy tone and a lot to uncover.

Told over two timelines - one during the group's first visit and the second during their present trip - I liked how the stories worked alongside each other to slowly reveal what happened in the past and what was really behind Leo's disappearance.

For me, everything needed to be heightened a touch more to have a bigger impact - there needed to be more mysterious things going on, the tension needed to be spookier, and the history of the hotel needed to be weaved in more often.

But everything was there, and there was definitely more atmosphere than I was expecting. The ending certainly came as a surprise, too, so it was definitely still an enjoyable thriller overall.

Bex, Oscar and Richard have born the weight of that night-the night that Leo disappeared from Ravencliffe-for 10 years, This moves back and forth in time to tell their story now that the three of them are back at the hotel. To be honest, the plot itself is a trope but Mumford has done a very good job with the characters and atmospherics. And the twist! Thanks to netgalley for the arc. A good read.

An OK read, but didn't live up to expectations. I didn't particularly like the main character, Bex. The two time lines were handled well but there seemed to be a lot of repetition and the thin plot drawn out unnecessarily. Unfortunately this book wasn't for me but I did stick with it to the unbelievable end.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. It was a great blend of creep, mystery, and a few twists. I love a good dual timeline story, and I thought it did really well to juxtapose the emotional, tense present day with the pending doom in the past.
I did not figure out the reveal towards the end, which is always a big bonus for me,
This isn't the type of thriller that I find myself wanting to talk about after, and its nothing that kept me up all night, but it was a good and quick read.

For those of us who consider ourselves a thrill seeker, this one had great promise!

I was immediately drawn to the fantastic cover and my eyes couldn’t stop roaming over the small details. Ravencliffe definitely gives creepy hotel vibes. I loved it!

Mumford also nailed the unsettling setting, set the tone for the story, established the mood and made me feel like I was part of the experience. Her setting was so well done that I felt part of the story and this added to the tension. Mumford also perfectly presented the reality of stardom. The mele surrounding the RavenCon10 and the stalking was expertly conveyed.

However, despite the great atmosphere and setting and a great plot, the pacing, for me, was the downfall of this book.

Mumord’s previous book, The Safe House, was a five-star read for me because of her writing style and her choice to make the home a character. I’ll continue to search out her writing, despite not enjoying this one as much as I’d hoped.

I was gifted this copy by HQ and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This book was something of a slow burner with too much detail at the beginning. It was worth persevering though because the action really ramped up about half way, once the group and film crew had returned to the hotel.

The plot was based around a central mystery over a teenager's disappearance 10 years ago but clearly there was someone manipulating events at the reunion - but who and why? I'm glad that all was explained by the end and there were no loose ends. My expectations about what had happened to the missing character (Leo) were completely wrong.

There were a few minor irritations for me - it was explained that the film was an internet sensation but I had no concept of how long the film was, or exactly what was in it (just snippets). Secondly, the hotel was remote but accessible (i.e. not on an island) so since there was such a big hoo-haa about the film, why were there no crowds of lookers and explorers visiting and disturbing the site during the intervening ten years? That just seemed a bit unlikely. Despite those points, a good read with some unexpected twists, and I'm glad I read it.

Was an okay read. Similar to the Blair Witch but I felt it was more of a read for tweens than adults.

This wasn’t the best book Ive ever read and was a bit boring in places . There wasn’t a lot of tension but enough of a story to keep you reading to the end . I wouldn’t really recommend this book and struggled to give it 3 stars . It was quite well written but unfortunately didn’t grab me enough . Thanks for the opportunity to read this book In return for my review.

Four friends become three when one disappears in mysterious circumstances a decade ago. Now older and with differing ideas about retelling their story – one is fame hungry and hasn’t an issue with being paid to recount what happened, other wants to stay in her house and make as little contact with the outside world as possible – they agree to return tot the Welsh hotel, in the hope of finding out what happened to their friend. Perhaps the question is: who happened to their friend?

There was just something about the blurb of The Hotel that caught my attention immediately. I love a good remote and creepy setting, and the abandoned hotel on top of the steep Welsh cliffs sounded like a perfect backdrop for an atmospheric story. Add a missing person and strange things happening before the disappearance, and I was very excited indeed to be picking up The Hotel. I fully expected to have a great time with this story, but unfortunately I ended up feeling mostly underwhelmed instead.

First of all, I have to say that I still love the setting. The descriptions of the abandoned hotel and its surroundings near the Welsh coast are both vivid and thorough, and it gave the story that gothic, creepy and atmospheric vibe. It was the perfect backdrop for this story, and the plot itself had so much potential. I think it was the hotel, its descriptions and the strange (possibly paranormal) things happening that kept me reading... Because I don't think the actual execution of the plot was what I thought it would be.

What do I mean with this? Well, I have to say that I can't ignore just how incredibly slow the pace is. The Hotel is the slowest of slow burns, and it took SO long for things to finally pick up... I found myself putting down my kindle to do other things multiple times, and that is never a good sign. The story somehow wasn't able to keep my attention, and I caught myself skimreading more than once just to make it to the final page. It's such a shame about the pace, because the premise itself has a lot of potential, and the setting should have been a goldmine.

I wasn't a fan of the characters either. There was just something about them that felt a bit flat, and I wasn't able to relate or warm up to any of them. As a result, I wasn't as invested in the things that happened to them, and I mostly kept reading just to know the ending so that I could move on to the next book. Sadly, the ending wasn't really satisfying either; after such a build up the final reveals were quite underwhelming to be honest (and I guessed most of it early on).

All in all The Hotel has a lot of potential and the setting itself is both vivid and atmospheric, but between the slow pace, lack of connection to the characters and lackluster ending I ended up having mostly mixed thoughts instead.

This book was wonderfully constructed, its definitely one of the best Thrillers I've read in a while. It had it all - mystery, suspense, a superb atmospheric setting, unpredictability and so much more.

The Hotel switches between the past and present tense which really added depth to the book and captivated my attention. With the alternating timelines we got to see the characters when they were young and naive but also we saw them older and perhaps wiser but also gripped in the throes of a tragedy that happened so long ago.

I imagined Ravencliffe hotel so vividly in my mind thanks to the many fantastic descriptions, it literally gave me the chills so many times throughout. It was eerie and spooky.

I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thriller. This book would be a great halloween read!! Just don't read it in a hotel.