Set aboard an enormous high class space hotel, this book follows the various members of staff working at the Hotel Abeona and their back stories as to why they've ended up working on a ship travelling around the universe. This is a cosy slice of life sci-fi story which is slow-paced but I enjoyed being in the world iof Carl and his crew.

This seemed like a lovely story and I did try my best to engage with it - but for some reason, it didn't stick with me. I kept putting it down and finding it hard to return to. Sadly a DNF; I'll be trying again one day, no doubt.

"Floating Hotel" is one of the first books by Grace Curtis and is a good start into her ideas and what she likes to experiment with in her novels.

The namesake of this novel is a big spaceship that travels a programmed route and harbours not only interesting hotel guests but also a really extraordinary constellation of ship crew. And the strongest part of this book are the characters we follow even if not every single one is equally interesting for everyone. But in the handful of persons we get to know better there is somebody that feels special for everybody.

With this concept there is a strong correlation with Becky Chambers Wayfarer series. And even as I was able to see parallels Grace Curtis couldn't quite make it there. But that isn't something negative in my opinion. A second Chambers would be boring and Curtis has her own strength in writing.

Interesting was the mystery that expanded over the chapters and the single characters. How Curtis approached the mystery of the Lamplighter and who killed someone (and is there even a dead body?) was intriguing! I really liked how this got the same pacing as the story itself and inserted itself snuggly into the route of the Floating Hotel.

But even as I liked a lot of elements it couldn't grab me as a story totally. One point that pulled me out of the story at several points was the (self)description of certain characters. Especially Reggie who seems to be autistic had some very nasty thoughts about his past self. But there were some other descriptions had me cringe a little bit because they were not handled well.
As this is Curtis first book I think this can only improve over time as she learns to nuance stuff like that better. As there were so many fantastic nuances in this book I'm perfectly optimistic.

I think I will gladly check the other book by Grace Curtis out and am really grateful for the chance of reading "Floating Hotel"

I loved how each chapter in this book followed a different character within a story linking them all together. I also loved the idea of the wonderful floating hotel, and the gentle (although at times dark) story. I haven't yet read Frontier, but am keen to do so now, along with any other book written by Grace Curtis.

The found family elements and cosiness (which is what this book promises!) definitely delivered. I thought that each of the characters were interesting in their own unique way, however I did think there was too much perspective shifting. I would have loved to hear more about each character over a series of novels or novellas, as I felt like I never got to know any of them as much as I'd like. I really loved the diversity in the cast and the best part of this novel were their interactions with each other, that felt very real and natural.

I'd like to visit more of Grace Curtis' worlds in the future :)

In the beginning, I wasn't quite sure what I thought of the format, with each chapter taking up the story of a different character. So it took some time to get into the book, as you start to get a picture of the different personalities at play, and how they make the floating hotel the marvel it is. Must say, though I found the idea of the hotel itself, and the worldbuilding around it fascinating.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

"Cozy" scifi and fantasty is relatively popular right now thanks to Becky Chambers and Travis Baldree, and certainly when you describe a book as "The Grand Budapest Hotel in space" my interest is piqued. And this story does what it says on the tin: delivering a low-stakes enjoyable romp through the stars with a cast of quirky, amusing, lovable (and not so lovable) characters.

I enjoyed the "country manor" setting in the aging, creaking hulk of a genteel aging spaceliner, and certainly it made it obvious why our little hotel family bond together in that way that only people in customer service who spend more hours with their workmates than their families can. With a diverse and large cast of characters, it was an easy read flipping between their various perspectives and gently exploring their lives.

Recommended if you want a stress-free read about space and the people that float around in it without the burden of too much action or galaxy-saving heroics.

I got a couple of chapters into this book and realised that it was not for me, I am quite new to 'cosy' reads, and didn't feel invested in the story due to the focus on different characters rather than 1 or 2 main characters.

I am rating this 4 stars as I enjoyed the writing style and the idea is great, it just wasn't for me personally.

I didn't realise this was a cosy sci-fi when I requested it and that's on me I guess - I don't like cosy fantasy/sci-fi so I don't feel like I can properly rate and review this.

The writing and characterisation (up until I put it down) were good, though. No problems with the writing at all, it was descriptive and nice to read. The characters and all of their backstories were fun, and the worldbuilding was well thought out and interesting. Just 100% not my subgenre.

I think this was a case of wrong time, right book. I wanted to enjoy this, having loved the author's previous book, but it didn't gel with me. It was beautifully written but a little too slow paced for me.

Imagine a book written from the perspectives of the people living on the space ship in Wall:E during the first few years before it started getting a bit mad, add to that the intriguing masterpiece of the grand marigold hotel mix in a fully realised dystopian future in which humans have taken to space travel, there is an emperor and thought-police levels of control and you have this book. I really enjoyed every second of it. The characters are incredible. My only complaint is that I need more!

Today is my stop on the tour for Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis! Thank you so much to the lovely @pridebooktours & @hodderscape for my beautiful copy and for having me on the tour!

I loved the concept of this book! The idea of a ragtag group of people finding safety together in a floating hotel screams found family vibes to me which you all know I love!

The characters were very interesting and I really liked getting to know each of them with a POV chapter dedicated to each person. It was so cool to see how each of them came to the hotel and where they all came to fit in. And whilst I really liked the worldbuilding in the book, I would’ve loved a little more just to round it out and get fully immersed into it!

Floating Hotel is a very cute and quick read with some very interesting characters! 💖

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance reader copy.

I think that a lot of people will enjoy this book due to it being within the cosy fantasy genre. The book is a collection of stories surrounding the staff and visitors of a space hotel and their experiences.

I think personally cosy fantasy isn’t a genre that I enjoy a lot which is what has affected my rating of the book.

I found the writing was well done, but being thrown into varying stories left me a little disjointed whilst reading because I was want able to settle into a story.

Overall, if you like this genre it is well written but unfortunately wasn’t a book I enjoyed.

I found this book quite enjoyable! It offered a thrilling space adventure with a diverse array of characters hailing from various backgrounds, each offering their unique perspective. While some sections initially felt a tad sluggish, the pace picked up significantly towards the end, leaving me thoroughly engaged. Overall, it was a delightful, brief read that left a lasting impression.

The Grand Abeona Hotel is a luxury hotel, a spaceship that travels the galaxy and offers the finest of everything. It is love at first sight for 12-year-old Carl who runs away to join it. 40 years later he is the manager. Mysteries and secrets surround guests and staff while the Abeona itself is its own enigma. There are things happening beyond Carl's power, things in the galaxy that affect them. That are dangerous for the hotel. Is the Abeona's future in jeopardy?

Lush writing with a whimsical flair, quite clever in its comfy value, harboring sparks of intensity. So many wondrous details to sate our imagination. The descriptions and servings of info are mostly wordy, a welcome sensory feast. The ins and outs of a hotel are always fascinating to witness and this one takes the cake. Odd things that pique your curiosity like love poems appearing through the tube system, the Problem Solver's Conference and who drives the ship!

If you like stories of multiple characters, oftentimes with their own chapters, learning their origins and then having them interwoven into the main story, you will love this. It is a great source of material for someone to study and ponder human nature. The interjections between chapters about what is really happening in the Empire amp up the intrigue as does the idea that the notion of alien lifeforms is illegal and their possible existence considered absurd.

There is unevenness to the book in as to some parts don't reach the level of interest of others. Or better said some stories are much longer than others, taking more time (maybe too long) to get to the point. Sometimes parts of the character chapters feel a little too disjointed from the main thread of the plot, the back and forth between past and present a bit jarring.

The phrase that came to mind reading this book was "different folks. different strokes". We all belong to a society but we are also each our own universe. We have encounters with humanity's superiority complex and the constant, unfortunate need for a societal system where some are considered better than others. But the hotel is one big, content, found family.

Can a story be charming even in gut-wrenching moments, with a humorous demeanor yet ominous and simultaneously introspective? Yes, if it's this story with its intimate grasp on human behavior. It is intriguing while hinting at adventure, just like a floating hotel should be. The Floating Hotel is a cozy sci-fi with teeth.

This is a very slow burn read. I found it quite relaxing and I also took my time reading through it. It’s a lovely story, nothing traumatic, just a story of a luxury cruise ship in space with a mystery going on in the background.

I liked it!

My thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book! It was a fun space adventure with lots of different characters, all from various backgrounds, and it was fun to read all of their POVs. Although some parts seemed a little bit slow to start, I found it really picked up by the end and I loved the short but sweet read.

I love Becky Chamber's books and when I saw that Floating Hotel has the same vibes as her books, I was interested straight away in requesting. And for one, it truly is! This was a charming book and I enjoyed reading it immensely. This book was cozy, heartwarming and wholesome at times, and at the second half, fun due to the "mystery" subplot. I really liked the multi character POV but it definitely made it harder for me to get attached to the characters (although I have soft spots for Ooly, Azad, Daphne, Dunk and Carl). However, I still think that the execution was great because although we are reading from different points of views and about different lives all the time, there was still a thread connecting these POVs together with the other characters popping up (of this, I'm comparing it with another book that also has a multi character POV that I've read once and didn't like, because it wasn't able to add anything to the story at all. So I really appreciate Floating Hotel for that).

Although framed as a science-fiction novel and set aboard a hotel floating in space and to a degree living on past glories, this could just as easily have been set on an ocean liner in the 1920s, and would perhaps have been the better for it - there is precious little here to appeal to sci-fi fans, whereas readers of the likes of GK Chesterton or Graham Greene would probably find a lot to recommend this title.

The plot, such as it is, revolves around the search for a mysterious character who is attempting to undermine the galactic empire, and is nicely told through the eyes of various characters. However, the main character in the book is probably the hotel itself, which is nicely described. The other characters - other than a couple - are less well drawn. The story is developed nicely throughout the book with information being drip-fed.

The author has tried to be inclusive, one of the characters using the 'they' pronoun - however, this looks like a late addition to the story as there is at least one place in the novel where the character is referred to as 'he'.

An enjoyable read, but don't expect hard sci-fi, this is more of a lightweight, enjoyable read, but better drawn characters would have earned an extra star.

Delightfully bittersweet, soft science fiction tale for fans of Becky Chambers. Character driven with a touch of suspense!

I loved this from start to finish! In a lot of ways this is like a love letter to folks in the service industry: the magic they create, the community they share, the good and the bad days. This is an exploration of the magic of connections between loved ones, enemies, strangers, and friends.

The narration is so lovely. There are achingly pretty lines:

"Sometimes when Azad was translating she could almost feel a human presence on the other side of the paper, like the shape and warmth of a stranger's hand against a pane of frosted glass."

There are also abruptly funny moments:

"Mataz sighed. 'Don't you think it's sexy when a man doesn't know what's going on?'"

If you want a delightful read that is curious and whimsical while grounded in great character work, please pick this one up!