As an urban explorer who researched old buildings and dead people - this book spoke to my soul.
Bex has spent ten years of her life trying to figure out what happened to her best friend and ends up in the hotel where it all started. The hotel is a massive structure that was never used. It was a man's greatest ambition but then it just never happened.
It is compelling.

Intriguing Mystery Thriller
Well-written and well-plotted story with two timelines, ten years ago and the present day. Four school friends waiting for their A level results decide to explore a spooky old, abandoned hotel on the coast surrounded by rumours, myths and legends. They make a Blair Witch type of film and when one of them disappears only three return home. The film goes viral and the three are affected in different ways by their experiences and fame. Ten years later they agree to return for a reunion organised by a TV production company who make another documentary style film out of it. Strange things and several accidents happen as Bex tries to find out what happened to her best friend Leo while Oscar and Richard continue to cause problems. Bex tells the story and is a well-developed character desperate to uncover the truth and make amends. Overall a very enjoyable mystery.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Three friends who, a decade ago decided to visit a haunted, abandoned hotel, get the offer to relive their nightmare and hopefully find more answers.

This book had incredible potential, but fell incredibly short. Only about 35% of it took place at the actual hotel itself (I was 53% in before Bex, the MC, even arrived on sight). The beginning had a suspenseful build-up that made me look forward to some plot twists or scandelous mysteries, but nothing major happened. The parts that were supposed to be scary actually did have me glancing over my shoulder, but it wasn't enough. I wish the horror lasted until the very end, but we have a conclusion about 90% into the book, and the remainder is a disappointing and saddening close.

Overall, it's a mediocre read: has elements of horror and the paranormal, medium-paced, dual timelines for a portion of the book, focuses a lot of trust and friendships. An OK read, but don't expect too much out of it!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy of The Hotel!

The premise of this book is right up my alley. I mean, who doesn’t like a spooky abandoned hotel that could be haunted?
It took me a few chapters to really get into it, mainly because it was building up the hermit life of the main character, Bex. It picked up when she left to join the cast at the hotel, interest wise, but it still is a slow burner type of story. The last 25% of the the book picked up the pace and excitement quite a bit, which was good because I was struggling.
Overall I enjoyed the story, even though I struggled getting through it. SO, if you prefer a fast paced thriller, just know this one is going to take a bit longer. Stick with it, because the story really does pay off! I enjoyed the ending quite a bit, especially with the wrap up on Jane’s story.

At the end of the school year Bex, her boyfriend and friends decide to go and film are kind Ravencliffe hotel. A hotel that was newer finished and reportedly haunted by the man who built it. The gang reach the cliff side hotel on a boat and then set out to film the hotel. One of the group doesn’t make it home. In the ten years following the film the group made becomes legendary with a huge following. When a film crew buys the hotel a reunion is planned and the renaming 3 friends meet up to do over what happened to their friend. This story really didn’t grab me, I expected it to be a lot more creepy and atmospheric so was a little disappointed. I also wasn’t keen on the talk of some sort of sinister monster prowling the hotel. I did think the the last quarter of the book was more interesting and particularly liked the relationship between Bex and Holly.

I really enjoyed this story of mystery and intrigue. Ten years ago Leo had gone missing when him and some friends decide to make an amateur film about the mysterious hotel with its haunting history.
You are kept guessing as to what may have happened to him and who could be responsible. There are some good twists and suprises. My only criticism would be that I found it a bit long winded towards the end but this is only a minor gripe. Highly recommended. .

Ten years ago, 4 students travelled to an abandoned Victorian hotel to make a creepy film but what began as a bit of a laugh turned into a terrifying tragedy when unexplained sightings were followed by the disappearance of one of the four, Leo. The Ravencliffe 3 become famous when their film is released to the general public and develops cult status. On the tenth anniversary of their ordeal, a film company lures them back onto the island, where they are forced to consider their roles in Leo's disappearance. But not everything is at it seems and the final reveal changes everything. This is an exciting, well-written mystery thriller that kept me guessing until the end. I would certainly recommend this as a mystery thriller that is a bit different..

Exceptional! A true rollercoaster of a novel. Follow the friends as they go to Ravencliffe a remote, haunted and out of bounds hotel. You find yourself holding your breathe wondering what is going to happen next and what the outcome will be!

I do love horror, and I do also love horror based in a Hotel. I find hotels creepy at the very best of times, especially ones that are older than I am. So the chance to read this book had me chomping at the bit. And boy was it good.

The book is told from mostly the perspective of Bex: both currently and also ten years ago when the incident happened. She lives a reclusive life and is obviously still grieving the loss of a friend. As you read the story of what happened unfolds, and the new possibility that is coming Bex's way to get some answers.

It is well written, not overly descriptive or a style that leaves you struggling to figure out the meanings of the big words used. You genuinely feel sorry for Bex, for what happened to her, and her "friends" that are along with her on this journey.

It is a creepy book, full of atmosphere and that chill that you feel when you are not alone in the dark. I can only say again, read this book. You wont regret it.

An entertaining read. Author gave a lot of backstory. One part was a little confusing that doesn't get explained. Very twisty towards the end. Couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what happened.

#TheHotel #NetGalley
Good one.
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. 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. 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
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me an advance copy.

One of the best books I’ve read so far this year!

Louise Mumford has somehow taken a ‘typical’ horror trope of a supposed haunted hotel and turned it into something really special. At no time did this book underwhelm me or go down the line of the expected.
Certainly, we had the typical characters you might expect, as well as the teenage flashbacks and the current day situation, but everything felt authentic, especially the main character of Bex, and the turn of events was not something I could guess at as much as I wanted to!
I really enjoyed the way this book built up to the ending, you were continuously finding out new facts and the story didn’t slow down, yet it didn’t feel rushed either.

I will definitely be looking at more books by Mumford, and I definitely recommend this read to anyone who wants a thought-provoking, psychological mystery.

What really happened to Leo. Ten years on there is a reunion and a new film being made Three dysfunctional survivors come together,each with different reasons. This book was okay but felt it dragged a bit.

Took me a little time to get into this book about 4 friends and an abandoned house. However I did stick with it and so glad I did. An excellent thriller which I would definitely recommend.

Four teenage friends go to an abandoned country hotel to find opportunities to develop their interest in media. The hotel has an interesting history as its developer ran out of money and shot himself. One of the group, Leo, disappears. This has an effect on the remaining Beck, Richard and Oscar for the next ten years when they all go back to create a film of the mystery. The book is heavy on description and on the three survivors’ mental health issues. It is not a cliffhanger and does not have a surprising conclusion. It is a good enough read.

This is a well paced, twisty thriller that was very entertaining. I did see the plot twists coming quite far in advance but it’s to the books credit that this didn’t lessen the enjoyment. The dual timeline was fun and this book had just enough ‘creepy’ moments to disquiet me without being a horror. This is my second Louise Mumford book and I’ve rated both highly so I look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me engaged and I polished it off really quickly.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the author for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for providing me with an eARC of The Hotel in return for my honest review.

Louise Mumford thank you, you have helped me fall back in love with the Thriller/Suspense/Mystery Genre with this story! I have generally stayed away from these genres for a while because I struggled to find something that truly sucked me in and kept me guessing until the end of the book, but Mumford has achieved this with The Hotel.

The story bases itself around four teenagers who go ghost hunting at an abandoned hotel to film a horror documentary, unfortunately during the filming one of the teenagers goes missing and is never seen/or found. Ten years later, the film is cult classic and has it’s own yearly convention called “RavenCon”. At the 10th anniversary RavenCon it is announced that the three remaining members of the Ravencliffe ghost hunters are going to return to the Ravencliffe hotel and film and anniversary special. All three members have their own reasons for returning to the abandoned hotel, especially Bex, who is desperate to get to the bottom of what happened to her friend Leo. Unfortunately on their return to Ravencliffe, history starts repeating itself and strange things start to happen.

I throughly enjoyed this book, I felt that it was well paced and kept me guessing what happened to Leo until the very end. The conclusion is absolutely thrilling, I could not get enough, I ended up finishing it in the early hours of the morning because I could not put it down! I did not see three of the plot twists coming (I absolutely love to be shocked so this is definitely a bonus for me) and felt like there was just enough level of a creepy atmosphere and “spook” that I was on the edge of my seat but not scared spookless!

I enjoyed that the story went between current day and ten year ago so that we as the readers gained a true insight as to what happened the night of Leo’s disappearance and how that (and time) has effected Bex, Richard and Oscar.

Overall a fantastic read and I would highly recommend for lovers of suspense, thriller and mystery!

I really enjoyed The Hotel. Alternating between the present, and ten years ago, the story unfolds about what really happened when four friends go exploring and filming at an old abandoned hotel. Only three make it out, and they all have varying physical and emotional scars.

After agreeing to return and film again at the hotel, accidents start happening, and it's unclear if the sinister forces are human or otherworldly.

Kept me on the edge of my seat, I really liked the character of Bex, and how she grew over the course of the book. Thank you Netgalley and HQ Digital for the ARC!

When I read the back of this book I got do excited! It has everything that makes a great novel; a creepy hotel, a mysterious disappearance, an unsolved mystery, some video footage...wow!
Unfortunately upon finishing this novel I have realised it just wasn't for me. I am pretty sure there are a lot of people who like the writing style but I found it kind of dull. I couldn't really say I liked any of the characters either, and I found the complete lack of atmosphere distracting.
It was quite a fast paced thriller with a great permise, a few interesting twists, but I felt like I was missing something all way through and found it hard to keep my attention on the story.
Thank you for Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review