This was a mixed of horror and thriller and to be honest, I was hoping for more of a horror vibe but it never quite followed through on that. As a thriller however, it was quite a good read.

There is definitely a tense, eerie atmosphere that's carefully crafted through the story. You are never quite sure what or who to believe.

The characters were well written and original. They veered a bit too much into characters from a drama for my liking, rather than being thriller characters but I'm sure that level of character depth and insight will appeal to plenty of readers. I prefer more action and less emotion maybe lol.

The book also paints some vivid images of the surroundings and the tension in the air whoch again, will appeal to a lot of readers, but I prefer more actual plot movement and things happening to just pages and pages of description.

It's a really good book and it does deliver if you're looking for a drama or a thriller. Perfect for those who enjoy character led stories

The Hotel, by Louise Mumford, is an enjoyable, mysterious and creepy book! Ten years ago, student Bex and her best friend Leo decide to go to the abandoned, ghostly and Victorian Ravencliffe Hotel to shoot a movie with their handheld cameras. Richard, Bex’s somewhat boyfriend, and his friend Oscar invite themselves along. Tensions abound, unexplainable things occur and Leo dies. The film they create inspires a cult following with merchandise and conventions. Ten years later, Bex is a recluse, unable to accept the loss of Leo and convinced the others were involved with his death. She agrees to attend the ten year anniversary after receiving a strange package. A film crew follows the three survivors to Ravencliffe, where strange events begin to happen.

The author’s descriptions provide a chilling and atmospheric setting. The reader can imagine the layout of the estate and feel the suspense. The characters are well-defined yet their personalities are ambiguous enough to question what really happened. Highly recommended!

With thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
Goodreads
Amazon

As a ghost story it failed to send shivers down my spine but as a mystery thriller it worked quite well. Four young people at the latter end of their teens decide upon a Blair Witch type project set in a deserted hotel. The hotel had a grim past and never functioned as a hotel. These amateur film makers were hoping to capture the essence of the place and maybe flush out a ghost or two. However, during their night time escapade, it appeared the hotel had other business with them. One of the four never came away from the place!
The obvious possibility of a jolly jape was all too evident and spoiled what could have been a better mystery thriller. For the life of me I couldn't work out how you could capture footage of the hotel in the pitch black. Other than head torches there was no mention of lighting rigs and specialist cameras, whether using visible or infrared light. Anyway, that aside they seemed to have captured enough to keep 'fans' intrigued for ten years, having created quite a following. So, on the tenth anniversary they revisited the hotel, this time with a professional film crew and a promise of 'revelations'.
It was entertaining but disappointing too.

Four friends go to Ravencliffe to discover it’s mysteries, but only three of them return. Now ten years on, they are back to try and find out once and for all what happened that night, a decade ago.
Fast paced and absolutely gripping!
An intriguing mystery thriller, with a very creepy vibe.
I loved this book! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was okay for me! The premise was interesting but parts fell flat. Overall a 3 star read for me.

This was great a bit of a mix of mystery and horror which I don’t usually read but I really enjoyed this book.

18 year old Bex vowed never to return to the eerie old clifftop hotel after the events which happened ten years ago. She had been there with a group of student friends, one of whom disappeared and was never seen again. This traumatised Bex. Now ten years on the same group minus one return to the hotel will they find out what happened when they were last here.

This was great very creepy but kept me hooked until the very end. Will definitely recommend this to everyone. Excellent!

10 years after the disappearance of Leo, Bex returns to the strange old hotel where it all happened.
Whilst I found the story engaging, it was also quite frustrating and I didn't feel it was explained well . The end was disappointing.

This wasn’t for me at all- it seemed to be trying to be too many things at once: mystery, horror, melodrama in the vein of The Secret History but it never really took off. I couldn’t make myself care about the outcome because I couldn’t believe there would be a cult obsession with the random disappearance of a random Welsh teenager. Even scandalously violent multiple murders don’t engender that level of consistent interest for 10 years. If Leo had been a celebrity or there was some topical focus on podcast true crime detectives, I could’ve seen some sort of social media campaign ramping up the curiosity but we were just going to have to believe that hundreds of people would convene at the same place every year for 10 years to discuss something that just wasn’t that fascinating? Not enough for me.

A gripping, entertaining and well written novel, with satisfying twists and turns. Four 18 year old students explore an abandoned hotel, with a tragic history. Their plan to make a film succeeds beyond their wildest dreams, but only because their story also ends in mystery and probable tragedy. Returning to the hotel, after 10 years, to make a follow up documentary is a bold move for three of the original group. Following the success of their film none of them has found peace of mind. Their hope is that returning will give them the answers to the unsolved mystery. Cleverly interweaving the original events with the present day reunion, the characters are forced to re-examine their memories. I enjoyed this unusual story and would happily read more by this author.

A taut and suspenseful thriller. Bex vowed never to return to the eerie old clifftop hotel. Ten years ago she had been there with a group of student friends, one of whom disappeared and was never seen again. The event split their friendship and traumatised Bex. Now she has a chance to go back with her former friends and find out what really happened. Well-drawn characters, a spooky setting and a gripping, twisty plot make this a great read.

It’s a great feeling when you read a really good book by an author you’ve not read before and you discover they have written other books. So it was when I finished The Hotel and I found more by Louise Mumford waiting for me to explore.
The Hotel is an excellent thriller with a very evocative and atmospheric setting. The hotel itself is set high upon a cliff top on the rugged coast of West Wales and this is really brought to life as the story progresses. The four main characters are an interesting group with plenty of history between them so there is friction which adds to the tension. There are many surprises and twists along the way and this really keeps you reading as you do not know where the story is going or how it is all going to unfold.
The story flits between the events at Ravenclyffe, the abandoned hotel, ten years ago and the present day. A film crew returns to the hotel to “celebrate” the tenth anniversary of what happened. This brings back many unwelcome memories for this involved and, through the flashbacks, we discover what happened then.
There are some lighthearted moments involving film crew members which relieve the tension somewhat and these really add to the story. There is a part where Bex is remembering holidays with her parents and a particular line describing these holidays had me laughing out loud. (You’ll just have to read the book yourselves!)
I would really recommend The Hotel; it is well written, it has an excellent storyline and I am now looking forward to reading Louise’s other books.

With many thanks to Netgalley and HQ for this free ARC and I am leaving this review voluntarily
So Louise Mumford was on my list of ‘ new authors to read this year’ and I was not disappointed. The Hotel is a creepy twisty gripping read - the chapter where Bex is in the tunnel was so well written I almost felt claustrophobic myself! Good solid characters some more likeable than others. Bex whose pov the story is told from is portrayed brilliantly and the way the story goes back and forth in time is done very well. Not as a dramatic ending as I would have liked but nevertheless it was done really well and had a definitive end to the story. Very enjoyable read

Thanks for the ARC HQ and NetGalley, I was enthralled with this one!

Bex has been living the past ten years as a recluse, staying inside her place in the city to talk to her plants and a wild raven. Mostly to stay away from reporters, or fans- footage from that night turned into a movie that became a cult classic. But also because she can't move on from the tragedy of that night, the malignant presence she felt, that she still feels, everyday. Her friend, who is presumed dead, though a body has never been found, is a mystery holding her back from moving on from that place. Is there a logical explanation, or has the hotel simply claimed another soul?

Ravencliffe Hotel is a multilevel Victorian estate, complete with rolling cliffs of gardens, woods, and the view of the sea. There's grand fountains, chandeliers and ballrooms, and an enormous maze in the front. The Hotel is no stranger to misfortune and death. The Hotel waits.

Louise Mumford creates such an atmospheric backdrop to this twisty, goosebumps-enduring journey. I couldn't put the book down, I was intrigued every step of the way. I would recommend it!

The story is a good one but the book failed to grab me. The start was very slow-going, and it was difficult to become involved in the main character. It all felt a bit formulaic, which was a shame.

Description
‘Heart-pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat… Definitely one of the best books this year.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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…

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy. I was so excited to read this and it did not disappoint

Four teenagers are looking for adventure in those halcyon days between finals and results. Bex discovers a story about an old haunted hotel not too far from where the friends live, so a plan is made to investigate. All their adventures and horrors are filmed by Rich and Leo. When the night takes an unexpected twist, the film becomes the holy grail for ghost hunters and horror fans. Ten years later, ready for the big reunion, the remaining members agree to a return to Ravencliffe Hotel to relive their youth, though Bex is very reluctant to do so. What happens next is more than their fans, the Ravens, could have hoped for.

I love horror, and after reading the blurb thought this was definitely one for me.

A long, slow start that really took time in warming up. About halfway through the story became more interesting, but it still lacked any wow factor. The denouement was limp, though I did like the Holly twist.

Writing and plot were good, but more could have been done. The slowness was a downer for me.

An ok read, but not a great one, too slow and lacking in macabre. If you are writing horror, really go for it, readers do appreciate it more.

2.5*

Thank you NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a really good read. It definitely kept me wondering till the end and I wasn’t at all expecting the ending. Bex was a likeable main character, though I didn’t much care for Oscar and Richard.
Loved the atmosphere.

Sorry this one just wasn’t for me and I gave up at around the half way mark. I can see that others enjoyed it but the storyline was too slow paced for me and I decided to call it quits

Oh my word! It is 1:30 in the morning because I couldn’t put this book down.
What a well written story. I could feel myself in Bex’s shoes. Feel the hotel around me.
A brilliant story.
I must find more by this author.

I can see why people enjoy this/will enjoy this. I just wasn't ever hooked by this story. Until around the halfway mark, nothing exceptionally strange or spooky happens, so I just found my interest really waning. I think that the writing and idea were good, but the pacing really lowered my enjoyment of the story.