I've tried to read this book a few times and it doesn't seem to stick with me. I definitely believe this is a case of the reader and not the book.

This gorgeous piece of historical fiction will appeal to many different types of people I'm sure. It is a mystery. It is a ghost story. It is a story about old Hollywood. (Marilyn Monroe makes several appearances). It is a romance. It is a coming-of-age story. It is a story of a beautiful historical and mystical Hotel, the hotel Del Coronado in California. It is a story of the sea. It really offer something to everybody.

Love a really good book that combines two different time periods in history. I like the going back in history and the present time aspect of the story. Two wonderful characters that have complex issues to deal with in each of their times. Hard to put this down. Good read.

What a beautiful story! The story of Kate Farmer Morgan will break your heart and also make your heart smile. Kate Morgan, granddaughter of George, is such a strong willed woman. I was extremely happy with the ending of this novel and had a smile on my face. This story had mystery, love, sadness and overall joy! Five stars all around.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

Another wonderful hisfic from Camille DiMaio - quick but rich read - loved the setting and mystery and romance!

What a lovely read! The mix of true historical elements in a gorgeous setting made me want to take my time with this story and I’m glad that I did. It’s rare that I’ll look up the real stories behind historical fiction as I go, but this book made me want to do just that as the real history of the hotel is just as alluring as Camille’s newest novel. A beautiful read.

3.5 Stars rounded up.

I received a reviewer copy of The Beautiful Strangers by Camille Di Maio from the publisher from Lake Union Publishing from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: The Hotel del Coronado is where "Some Like It Hot" is hiring to provide service for the filming. Kate Morgan's grandfather sees the advertisement and knowing she loves movies begs her to go and find "The Beautiful Stranger." Kate's grandfather is struggling with dementia and cannot communicate all the details, but in that moment she knows he's lucid. So Kate goes off to solve this mystery and falls in with the magical and romantic Hotel del Coronado. When she arrives she finds out there's a ghost that shares her name, what happened here and how does it relate to her grandfather?

What I Loved: Look, I wasn't expecting to love this book but I thought it was quite good. This book has a lot of elements I loved and it came together quite well. This book covers two generations stories, it follows the ghost, in the turn of the 20th century and then it follows Kate in 1958. This book has an amazing Hollywood feel, and it was fun to see Marilyn Monroe as a side character. I loved that there was a mystery element and I found it compelling to follow the mystery. I loved the little side romance. This was a great escapist read especially if you like Hollywood tales and historical fiction.

What I Didn't Like So Much: Look, I'm not a huge fans of ghosts and some of the origins of this storyline were hard for me to follow. There was an element later on that seemed unnecessary to the story and wasn't really paid off in anyway. Overall, this book is good light hearted historical fiction.

Who Should Read This: People who love old Hollywood stories. People who like light hearted historical fiction.

Quick Summary: A story of finding yourself and finding your history.

This was a fun and engaging read! Camille Di Maio never disappoints in her books! Grab this book now!

The book was written beautifully. It brought joy and vivid happiness with the richness of the book's writing. I greatly enjoy beach reads and this made me happy. She is a talented author.

A somewhat interesting novel set during "Some Like It Hot" being filmed at the Coronado. Unfortunately, "The Beautiful Strangers" doesn't really grab me that much. The mystery isn't very interesting for me. It's an overall okay historical fiction.

The Beautiful Strangers by Camille Di Maio

Brief Summary: Kate Morgan is looking for more than her current life as a waitress in the family restaurant offers. When her grandfather asks her to find the beautiful stranger and an opportunity to work on the movie set of Some Like It Hot at the Coronado Hotel presents; she takes a leap of faith. She learns that years ago a hotel guest dies tragically and finds more connections to this than she expected. This is my first book by Camille Di Maio. I was really excited to learn more about the beautiful and iconic Coronado Hotel I had the good fortune to visit a few years ago.

Highlights: For me, the best part of this book was the magic of the Coronado Hotel and what it was like during the filming of “Some Like It Hot.” Unfortunately, I was not caught up in the mystery.

Explanation of Rating: 3.5/5: History was interesting, mystery was okay.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I love her books. They are so beautifully written in such a well written story. You’ll fall in love with these characters. I will not give any spoilers. I totally recommend this to my friends and family. You should definitely check out this author.

What an amazing historical fiction novel. This story touches on many facets of life ... dementia, family relationships, new love, self discovery, coming of age, courage to seek more from life, and deep sense of loss. The inside view of Hollywood, the making of a film, and the movie star personalities was interesting and entertaining. The setting of the Hotel del Coronado was informative and had me doing my own research about the "Hollywood playground."

Though there is a ghost as part of the story, the character only adds to the intrigue and made the dual time line flow smoothly.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I have invested money in purchasing every book she has written. Her writing style and ability to bring history to life has made her one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Before I end this review, though, I have to point out that the end of the book ... and last page in particular ... are excellent! They were the perfect ending to a wonderful book!

I really wanted to be approved for this book but wasn't but did end up winning it via another website. It was a wonderful book and this won't be my first book by her. Set in 1958 (the year I was born), the main character goes to CA to find out things her grandfather told her. A book not to be missed. A favorite read of mine from 2019.

Really enjoyed the setting and premise of this one so much! Set during filming of Some Like It Hot at the Hotel Coronado in San Diego? Yes, please! This was my first from Di Maio, but it won't be my last. Really engaging writing and unique story.

Fantastic story! I am a huge fan of Camille Di Maio's books and this one is no different. Kate Morgan is such a wonderful character and you will laugh, smile and cry all while reading her story. The setting... wow. The imagery and true scene that was captured by the writing made the novel all that more realistic to me. This story had it all - love, mystery, sadness and so much happiness. I was just left in such a wonderful place after finishing. 4 big stars and this is perfect if you are a fan of The memory of Us then this is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

Dual timelines at the Coronado Hotel. The main character Kate Morgan travels to the hotel at the insistence of her grandfather during one of his lucid periods. She sells her grandmother’s engagement ring. “Some Like it Hot” starring Marilyn Monroe is being filmed when Kate arrives in 1958. The earlier time period is based on Kate Morton who might have committed suicide. It is said that her ghost reappears. I found this book to be delightful historical fiction. Thanks NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Movie stars. A ghost. A famous hotel. This story is magical. Young Kate's ailing grandfather sends her to Coronado to search for "the beautiful stranger." A journey like no other awaits Kate as she searches and finds out the truth behind the mysterious person. Being a helper to the stars of Hollywood is a dream she has always had, and at this famous, haunted hotel she finds herself following that dream. Who is the beautiful stranger? That is the one question that this book lays out. Kate will learn things about herself and her family that she could never have imagined.


This book was awesome. It has it all. A young girl following her dream, a ghost with her own story to tell, and it's all surrounded by movie stars and the magic of Hollywood. The characters and the stories they follow are so well written that it feels like you are there in the midst of the action. Kate was by far my favorite. She is humble and fun. A real down to earth likable character. The glitz and glamour of old movie stars and Hollywood shine from the pages. The is a story that is full of magic and mystery and touches of romance. I hated to put it down. It's merely captivating from the very first page. The ending gave me chills.


To put it simply, I loved this book! Camille did it again!

Kate Morgan’s life has been pretty dull, according to her. The days are all the same and she’s worried that the rest of her life will just be more of the same repetition. She works in her family’s restaurant. She has to. Everyone in the family works there, for practically no money, just trying to keep the restaurant running.

It’s 1958, Kate is young but never had any chance to go for her dreams. She’s not even sure what her dreams are.
But she feels herself drawn towards the movies. She’s not dreaming of being an actress, but she wants to be a part of that world somehow.

Kate’s grandfather is slipping into dementia. One day he shows Kate an ad for a job on the other side of California. It would take her closer to a movie set. It’s a job at the Hotel Del Coronado.
She doesn’t have the money to go. But her grandfather is so adamant that she go that he insists she sell his wife’s engagement ring to pay for the trip. He wants Kate to go to the hotel and find “the beautiful stranger”.

When Kate arrives, she learns very quickly that there’s a ghost at the hotel with her exact name. Kate doesn’t know how she could share a name with the rumored ghost of another Kate Morgan.
When she starts digging into the story, she wonders about her grandfather’s connection to this story.

I enjoyed this story. I liked Kate. I liked the story about the ghost. It was also fun having old Hollywood like Marilyn Monroe sprinkled into the story. I don’t think there was a big pay off to the storyline about who the “beautiful stranger” was to Kate’s grandfather. But I like where the quest to find answers led Kate.

I got an early copy of this ebook from NetGalley but just read it now, thanks to NetGalley for sharing it with me.