This is a story which ticks all the boxes fir a creepy murder mystery thriller, and does so convincingly. I loved the location which set the scene for a touch of mild creepy horror. Isolated, stark and you just knew things weren’t going to go well. The characters are great. Relatable, interesting and as the secrets are exposed and layers peeled away, it provides an unpredictable but carefully plotted storyline which I totally bought into.

There’s a dual timeline which works well and is easy to follow. Plenty of twists and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Four friends go to a haunted house. Three go back. Ten years later they return. Sounded intriguing enough. The characters were described well enough and there was a good atmosphere in the setting but I found the story a bit clunky and predictable. A good twist at the end though.

The promise of creepy hotel vibes with a gripping psychological thriller are what drew me to this book, but overall I was sadly disappointed. There was quite a bit of repetition and the slow build meant it took a while to get into and by that time I wasn’t as invested as I was hoping to be in the plot or the characters. However, the creepy atmosphere of the abandoned hotel Ravencliffe was enjoyable.

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 huge unexplained mystery - but with the events of much of that night recorded on film the remaining three students find themselves famous ... and rich ... and followed by a whole horde of Ravens, who want to know all about that night at Ravencliffe.

A decade on, Bex, Richard and Oscar have lost contact. Oscar is fame-hungry, making public appearances and selling his story. Richard sank into alcoholism and is only just recovering. Bex is searching for answers to Leo's disappearance, repeatedly watching and rewatching the video taken of that last night the four were together - but otherwise disengaged from the outer world. A reunion at Ravencliffe ultimately reveals just what happened that night ... but not before a good deal of intrigue and angst.

Ultimately a great story, just a shame that none of the main characters were particularly appealing, otherwise this might well have been a 5* for me.

As teenagers, best friends Bex and Leo shared practically everything, including a crazy plan to go to an abandoned hotel at night - to check out whether the stories of evil and ghosts are real. Bowing to peer pressure, they set out on the trip accompanied by Rich and Oscar, two media students.....what could be better than to film events as they unfold?
The mission seems to be under a cloud from the start but they forge on - getting deeper and deeper into the tangled web and misdirection waiting for them.
Ten years later, Bex lives the life of a hermit. A cult has grown around the events at the hotal which has been bought by a media company and who are demanding a ten year reunion for the fans. Nobody knows what really happened that night. Their missing friend has not been found.. Perhaps a reunion will force a reaction, a memory.....anything. But the fears and horrors of the hotel are not the only terrible things there, and sometimes danger looks you in the eye and smiles.

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
I really loved this concept. 4 friends going to an abandoned and haunted hotel and only 3 come back. Reuniting to find out the truth about what happened all those years ago. I was instantly intrigued. For some reason though I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters, except for Holly. The story itself kept me engaged enough to finish and I did like the twist in the end. Which was probably the most satisfying ending it could get, while still being unexpected. Overal an okay read for me, but there is definitely potential for others to like this more than I did.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Short chapters
Haunted Houses
Mysteries
Isolated environment

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
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.

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 was absolutely gripped by this one and it certainly kept me guessing until the end. There are some genuinely creepy moments in this that certainly made me gasp. Ten years ago 4 friends travel to the mysterious Ravencliffe to make a film, only 3 make it out. I loved how the story was told in flashbacks with mixed in footage from that night. It gave me serious Blair Witch vibes. A solid 5 stars from me, and I'd recomend this to those who like creepy mysteries.

A fantastic thriller that has all the atmosphere you could want, definitely keep the lights on for this one. A fab ending that I want expecting.

Wow, this was a spooky page turner! Packed with plenty of spine chilling, goose bump inducing moments throughout, I really didn’t see the big reveal coming as to what had happened to Leo on that night, ten years ago, when the four friends set out to make an amateur film about the haunted Ravencliffe Hotel. I enjoyed watching the mystery unfold as the storyline flicked between the past and the present. If you enjoy a creepy ghostly story, this one’s for you!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for a review.

Took me a little while to get into this book. But it did pick up towards the end half. Bit of a slow read for me.
Creepy storyline, surprises and mystery along the way.

Slightly predictable storyline. But overall I did enjoy it

It's a good story, well written and well plotted as it flows and it's fast paced.
It didn't work for me because I had a sense of deja vue, like I was re-reading a story.
I assume I read too many thriller using similar trope.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Wow what a great book! There was absolutely no way I could put this down.

Secrets, ghosts and a great p[lot line

Thanks for letting me read an ARC in exchange for me honest review.

An interesting concept with lots of plot twists. Four friends go to a local Welsh derelict hotel to try and summon the ghost of the owner and collect interesting material for their University applications for film and media. However it is not as simple as they thought as they are part of very spooky happenings. A very interesting plot and I liked the back story of the hotel combined with the up to date story of the students 10 years on.
A good story with interesting characters and it keeps your attention all the way through.

Really great book. Would definitely recommend this book. . It keeps you guessing.it was hard to put down.

Let me start by saying I'm a sucker for a horror book set in anything even remotely resembling a castle and this book fell into that aesthetic beautifully.

This book is dark, creepy, and downright terrifying at times. I found myself holding my breath and wondering what every little noise I heard was.

Four friends decided to take a trip, and three of them came back, everyone that was part of that trip dealt with what happened in their way, they went through something horrific that changed their lives.

Bex became a virtual recluse and just wanted to live her life, but she finds herself in a situation that allows her to go back and find out what happened ten years ago.

This book is a little bit of a slow start but it so makes up for it as you go through this story. I have to say I ended up loving it.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for providing a copy of this E-Book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the premise of this when I first heard about it.
The book has absolutely lived up to that elevator pitch.
Bex, Oscar, Richard and Leo went to check out a creepy abandoned hotel with stories of death and haunting following its story from when it was abandoned in the late 1800's.
When Leo goes missing on that fateful day, the 3 remaining all choose different paths. Bex locks herself away, hides behind high walls, plants and a mild case of OCD.
Rich falls into drink and drugs whereas Oscar decides he wants to milk the fame and adulation created by the cult popularity of the film.
10 years later they decide to film a reunion and Bex finally decides she needs to find the truth, about what happened to her childhood friend.
The story switches between Bex now and events ten years ago, and the sense of menace is present throughout. Your logical brain tells you it's not possible for there to be ghosts and hauntings, but yet....
As the truths begin to unravel and the real events of that night, they were both shocking and at times horrific.
Another stand out for me was Holly, ever bouncy and enthusiastic despite the coldness of her charge.
I loved the creepy setting, the description, the atmosphere created. The characters were great, and I think in particular that special relationship of a childhood friend was nailed beautifully.
A real triumph for me from the brilliant Louise.

Four students travel to an abandoned hotel , and only three of them return .
Ten years later the three of them return to the hotel and one of them Bex wants to investigate and find the truth behind Leo’s disappearance.
The writing is ok but the story moves at a slow pace and in places it is very repetitive.
I had high hopes for this book and I was left slightly disappointed.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ.

In that strange no-man's land between the end of A levels & starting at Uni, four friends decide to travel to the spooky Ravencliffe Hotel to make a film a la Blair Witch Project, exploring its spooky history. Four of them went but only three returned. Leo disappeared without trace. Bex, who considered him her closest friend, became a recluse. However the film became a sensation & attracted a huge number of followers resulting in conventions & constant speculation about what really happened! As the tenth anniversary approaches Bex, along with Richard & Oscar agree to go back with a film company & try to give a closure to the story.

This was a bit of a slow starter but as the story went on I became more & more hooked & had to find out the answers. The author certainly knows how to create a spooky atmosphere- I felt as if I was with Bex as she refused to give up. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I wasn’t sure what to think when I first started reading The Hotel by Louise Mumford. I was intrigued but I wasn’t entirely sold on the plot. It didn’t take long, however, for me to get sucked into the story. I read this book in less than a day. I stayed awake until my eyes couldn’t stay open any longer and then ended up having haunting dreams that night.
It was a thrilling and suspense filled story with a handful of shoutouts to Stephen King (and Peter Straub) that earned brownie points from me. The writing jumped back and forth between the past and present but it was easy to follow.
The FMC, Bex, is a sarcastic and derisive character that was easily likeable for me. Her self induced seclusion and the anxiety she has from trauma makes her a character that lots of readers will be able to relate to.

I am posting this review on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637824884

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https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctz45meLhOK/?igshid=YzcxN2Q2NzY0OA==

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Bex is a 28 year old recluse having lived in Wales she now lives in London. It is clear when you read that she had been through a horrific ordeal/ trauma!
It starts 10 years ago when she was 18 her and three friends decide to go to Ravencliffe an abandoned supposedly haunted hotel to do some filming. Only three of them come back! They have to get there by boat as it stands on the edge of a cliff, but Oscar has severe vertigo and says he'll stay with the boat, there is no way he will climb up the steep steps!
Lots of strange happenings occur whilst they are exploring the hotel and begins before they get in with a light coming from a window as they reach the hotel- turns out it's a candle, but who else is there? it's supposed to be abandoned!
Cue the creepy sightings, strange noises and doors banging shut on their own.... Could it be the ghost of Moorwood?
Richard and Bex hear Leo scream and him running, but are in a locked room even though they've just come through the door! They find a way out to see Leo running for the steps, so off they go after him. He suddenly stops and as Bex goes towards him to pull him away from the edge she sees him go over the cliff, but did he fall or jump? As she looks over there is no sign of him it's like he's vanished into thin air!
The police arrive and conduct a search Leo cannot be found anywhere. The filming they did turns into a n internet sensation and they have their own global fan base. Just what happened to Leo and why has he never been found? Ten year s on on the anniversary a film Company want them to go back and do some more filming. Bex isn't sure it's a good idea, but goes anyway as she wants answers to what happened.

Loved this thriller, kept me in the edge of my seat and could see it being made in to a film - definitely jump scares in it!!! Many thanks Net Galley for letting me read thi s in exchange for an honest review, will be recommending.