This book is exactly my cup of tea. Everything I love. The setting is eerie and intense. Love the dual timeline. Love the characters and how everything shaped them to their present self... easy read even if it's slower pace. Five star easily

Unsettling and devastating mystery that proves Mumford can write anything!

Louise Mumford has become known as a brilliant psychological thriller writer who can expertly weave a dystopian thread through her books. Her first two novels were both in the vein and throughly excellent. It therefore may surprise you that The Hotel is a departure from this mould. But let me tell you up front that it is a BRILLIANT one! Blending psychological thriller and horror vibes, Mumford confirms that she can lend her hand to any type of crime novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could not see where it was going. This book is steeped in atmosphere, peril, dread and tension. The Ravencliffe hotel is so evocatively written that I genuinely had chills down my spine on a number of occasions. The imagery is incredibly creepy and I could really picture this dilapidated and abandoned location. It’s ironic that the plot involves a horror film, because this book would translate to the screen so well. The central mystery is tautly plotted and really suspenseful, but it was also alive with the very real human emotions of it. This is something Mumford does really well, blend the plot and the characters.

In her previous books, a strong mother/daughter relationship has been central to the narrative. This is something that Mumford has crafted really well, so I really enjoyed the comical relationship between Bex and her mum, which in some ways felt like a tongue in cheek acknowledgment of her previous depictions. It’s also representative of another aspect of the novel that I really enjoyed: the humour. Mumford laces this narrative with a superb wit and moments of dark comedy. This makes her writing so accessible and is a wonderful relief from the dark and unnerving imagery that proliferates. The interaction between the characters is really well developed and I loved how Mumford explored the youthful friendship between them and how the mysterious events of their trip and the aftermath deteriorated these relationships. It’s a brilliant character study and I really enjoyed witnessing the interaction between the remaining friends.

If you enjoy creepy, unsettling psychological thrillers that are beautifully written (this book is both poetic and lyrical in places), I can’t recommend this book enough!

I could not put this one down! This was dark, twisty and addictive. I can not wait to read more by this author.

"The Hotel" started really good for me, but after the first 1/3 of the book, things got a little slow.
From the beginning of the book my interest and curiosity were captured, as the author very well presents the mystery to the reader, without saying almost anything about what happened, leaving me to collect the pieces of the puzzle myself during reading until the climax. Mumford's writing style is generally fascinating and detailed, but it was this insight into the details that made reading a little slower and harder.
The atmosphere is suffocating and oppressive throughout the whole book and has been conveyed so well that it made me feel its suffocating grip every time I started reading. Each and every character of the book is deeply build, even if there’s only one POV through which I had the opportunity to get to know the others. And the two timelines give the reader small crumbs of what happened in the terrible night of the disappearance of Leo, without ever helping the reader with where the story would go. Honestly - up to a point, somewhere in the middle, I thought there would be some supernatural elements, because that's where things went, but then they went in a completely different direction, so the book remains within the framework of a normal thriller. The action is not very dynamic, things are slowly developing, which made me not want to reach for the book very often, but at the same time, I was interested to find out what had happened.
And I admit - some revelations were a huge surprise to me, because the answers to what had happened is very different from any of the theories that were spinning in my head. It shows in a very interesting way how something, seemingly stupid, can lead to horrific consequences.
I really liked that one of the mysteries was right under my nose the whole time, and I hadn't even noticed it and didn't know that I should have paid attention to it until it was revealed.
The climax surprised me pleasantly, as it was very good, full of tension and there was no unnecessary stretching of the action for book volume.
The ending is also nice - fair and trustworthy.
~~~
Rating: 3/5

This started off a little slow and a little muddled, it did start to pick up more at the half way point and I did really like the setting. Some of it felt a quite predictable but it still kept my attention.
As with Louise’s last book I really enjoyed her writing and her descriptions and metaphors are top notch.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the chance to read this arc.

Four teenagers have an exciting idea that turns into a nightmare that charts their lives for the next ten years when it all unravels.
   An abandoned hotel seems like a great place to make a movie. “Ravenwood" comes complete with in-house ghost, it's original furnishings and a history that has been embellished over the years. What more could they ask for until the actual day of filming becomes deadly.
   In spite of the dire outcome of that day, the live filming of those bizarre events results in a cult following that leave questions of ghostly activity which spurs on yet more fame and followers. Now 10 years later there is a reunion of the original cast that will play out in yet another movie now being filmed by a serious studio, not eighteen year olds. This one is to relive what actually happened that night in the words of those present.
   This psychological mystery unfolds in increments, meant to keep the reader glued to the page. While you may decipher early on who is responsible for the outcome of that fateful day, you’ll be surprised when the final and most accurate story of the Ravenwood is revealed.

I loved this authors ability to describe a scene which created beautiful atmospheres and atmospheric scenes.
I enjoyed the narration and found the jumps between ‘film’ and recreation cleverly worked.
A great little plot twist and an enjoyable read,

Brilliant page turner, spooky setting with a great, twisty plot. I likeď the modern found footage concept set against the Victorian gothic Hotel with the cursed legend. The characters and setting were very well drawn, I could picture where we were and how they looked. The story was well set up in the first part of the book, what had happened when they were all 18, then it really gets going and I enjoyed seeing how I thought it was going to play out with what then happened. Will definitely read more from Louise Mumford and highly recommend.

This had a great description sounded supernatural its not. its atmospheric and nicely written I did figure out who but not what but I read it to the end and I enjoyed its not really a thriller in that it races along but the story kept me interested so I would recommend for young and older it was a nice book to read thank you to net gallery and the publishers this is my honest opinion folks

Four of them went to the hotel. Only three of them came back. Ten years later, they return one last time.

This book had an incredibly slow start. I struggled to get through this book as it wasn’t keeping my attention and I feel like not much happens. I like the alternating timelines but I was more interested in the 10 years previous timeline. I didn’t feel surprised by any of the plot twists. I really liked the last 20% because it felt like something was finally happening and I was interested to read on just to see what happened. I did like the ending and thought it was a fitting conclusion for the book.

⚠️ CWs: suicide, gun use, alcohol use, profanity, derogatory language, fire, blood, stigmatised views on mental health, confinement, person with alcohol use disorder, death, murder, mentions relapse (alcohol), drug use, cancer and body horror ⚠️

I really enjoyed this book.

Leo was killed in the hotel 10 years ago now friends have gone back.

This book is fast paced with moats of twists and turns. The book is atmospheric and very creepy

Great read

This was a good creepy read, not so much of a crime mystery for me as I saw what was coming early on. Over all a good crime book, strong characters.

WELL THAT WAS CREEPY!!! I so wish I'd read this at Halloween because I work so hrd to find truly scary. thrilling books at that time of year! This was definitely unsettling and will have you on the edge of your seat!

An intriguing thriller. Some of the twists were easy to see but I wasn’t expecting the final reveal. Raced through this book on holiday

Ten years ago Leo was killed in a hotel.

Ten years later the group of friends go back to the hotel.

This is a very creepy and eerie read, very much a page turner as we are taken through the events surrounding Leo's death.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book this is my honest opinion.

Ten years ago, Beck,Richard, Oscar and Leo travel to a derelict hotel to make a horror video. Leo disappears and his body is never found.

A decade later the friends have drifted apart, but as the 10 year anniversary looms a return to the hotel is proposed. Will we finally find out what happened to Leo?

I was gripped from the start and loved the eerie Victorian hotel and location. A great creepy book that I read in one sitting, holding my breath as I quickly turned the pages!!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book.

The book took me a while to read because I have been in a massive reading slump.

At the start of the book a group of friends go to a hotel that has a bad history in order to film a film for their university applications then things go wrong. Told in the past and 10 years later it goes between the two times keeping you at the edge of your seat. Kept trying to guess where this story would take me and loved it when I was wrong.

I can't recommend this book enough and look forward to buying a physical copy.

I received an eArc copy of this through Netgalley.

An accident that took place in the past, is coming back and haunting three friends in the present. A great psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Four of them went to the hotel.

Only three of them came back.

Ten years later, they return one last time.

This book was so good. Part horror story and psychological thriller, I was on the edge of my seat the entire read. The character development was so great you either really cheered for someone or really despised a person. If you love a book with a great twist, I highly recommend you read The Hotel. Super creepy vibes for the win!

I appreciate @netgalley and @louisemumfordauthor for allowing me to review The Hotel.

This is a very eerie and well written story, I can’t say I loved it as much as others appear to have done.