I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read every novel by this author and I think this one is one of my favourites. She definitely delivered on this very dark, creepy, unsolved mystery. The plots are multi layered and the mystery of it all keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The story is told from two perspectives; one from the past and one from the present, the aunt and niece respectively. Both of them find themselves in Fell, a not so sleepy town with a sordid past. They both have jobs on the night shift at the Sun Down motel, see a series of excitable ghosts, and struggle to piece together a series of murders. The back stories and characteristics of the ghosts are great. I enjoyed that I could identify with them and that they weren’t made to be raunchy or gimmicky.

It was dark, creepy, and left me curious up t9 the end. Well done and I. Ant wait for this authors next book!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and Simone St James for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book - I loved it! 5 stars for a book you can't miss!

In 1982, Viv was a young girl escaping her family life and heading for NYC. Instead, she ended up in Fell, NY. She got a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel, where things are very creepy indeed. Then Viv disappears without a trace. In 2017, her niece, Carly, is also escaping from her life. Her mom just died and Viv was always the family secret. Carly is determined to get some answers to her aunt's disappearance so she heads to Fell and gets a job as the night clerk at the same motel. Both of these women are determined to investigate wrongs, even at their own peril. They aren't alone - this book is full of creepy ghosts haunting the motel and the pages of this book.

I really got lost in this book and the dual timelines/viewpoints of Viv and Carly. The writing is spot on - you can feel the nostalgia of the 80s and the creepy quiet of the motel. Highly recommended read!

This was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases, and I was ecstatic to receive an ARC - thank you!   What's a little strange to me is the fact that I'm not a big fan of supernatural books, and yet Simone St. James is 2 for 2 for me.  I have loved both books I've read by her, but this one is my favorite. I was struck by how seamlessly she weaved supernatural elements into the story in a way that felt believable. Add to that the fact that this book was bursting with atmosphere - early 80's/creepy roadside motel - and this book kept me awake far into the night, quaking at every little sound around me as I turned the pages. 

5 big, creeptastic ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for The Sun Down Motel!  

Release date:  February 18th

The Overlook Hotel and The Bates Motel are probably the most infamous hotel/motel in literary history. The characters who had the unfortunate luck of working and/or living in The Overlook Hotel and The Bates Motel did not fair very well. The same can be said of the characters employed at The Sun Down Motel.

The Sun Down Motel was built in the 70’s in anticipation of an amusement park which would boost Fell, New York’s economy ensuring the motel would be packed with customers. The amusement park never came to be, making the motel unneeded. Neglected and essentially abandoned by the owners who rarely checked up on the place; The Sun Down became the kind of motel in which shady dealings occurred.

Thirty-five years ago, 20 year old Vivian Delaney vanished from The Sun Down Motel during her night shift working the check in desk. Located in rural upstate New York, The Sun Down Motel has a dark history, full of tragedy and unexplained deaths.

Skip ahead to 2017 Vivian’s niece Carly, born after Vivian’s disappearance has decided to find out what happened to her aunt. Carly follows her aunt’s foot steps, working where she worked and living where she lived. Will Carly’s investigation lead her to the same fate which befell her aunt thirty-five years earlier?

The motel is as much a character of the story as Vivian and Carly. So much of their stories are linked to the motel. Located on outskirts of Fell and isolated from the town, the local residents tend to stir clear of The Sun Down. The motel is detached from the town and forgotten by most of the residents of Fell. Many times in the story Carly and Vivian are alone. When they are not alone their only company is a motel guest who is also a stranger. These feelings of exile are tangible and allow readers to fully understand the remoteness and sometimes loneliness Vivian and Carly are experiencing; allowing readers to feel fully immersed in the story.

I know some readers may be put off by the supernatural element. However readers should not be put off at all. The mystic element is extremely realistic and is not overly done. Although there are some mystic aspects at its core The Sun Down Motel is a mystery story. However the paranormal portions of the story are vivid and immersive. Readers will feel the chills Vivian feels when she smells cigarette smoke despite being a non-smoker and being alone in the hotel office.

The Sun Down Motel alternates between 1982 and 2017. Since Carly is mirroring Vivian’s life in Fell, sometimes it was difficult to tell who was narrating. St. James does offer some assistance with this by referencing things which could only be a part of life during certain time periods.

Last year St. James released The Broken Girls, which I absolutely loved. Many of the elements I loved in The Broken Girls can be found in The Sun Down Motel. A disappearance, a haunted building, and young women determined to uncover the truth no matter the danger. I believe St. James has found a recipe for a gripping and riveting crime novel.

Murder and Moore Rating:
4.5 out of 5 Stars

Simone St. James never fails to delight. The Sun Down Motel delivers a wonderfully ghosty story with the sensibility of two friends telling true crime stories to one another. For the murderinos, indeed.

WOW!!!! This was fantastic. I loved the duel timeline where we saw the mysteries unfold. It was legit creepy. I couldn’t read it at night because I got spooked. I love how everything tied together and it took time to do so. I was interested and intrigued the whole time. LOVED IT!

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "The Sun Down Motel" by Simone St. James, Berkley, February 2020

Simone St. James, Author of "The Sun Down Motel" has written a captivating, intense, intriguing, spooky, chilling thriller. The Genres for this Novel are Mystery, Suspense, Para-Normal, Thriller, and Fiction. There is a haunted, eerie, feeling, almost like that of "American Horror Story" in the episodes with the haunted hotel. There are twists and turns, danger, secrets, and murder. There are two timelines and two different main characters. The story takes place in the author's present and goes back to the past 35 years to the same town, Fell, New York. The author describes her characters as complex, complicated, quirky, and flawed. Some characters are vengeful and many could be suspect of any crime.

A young woman is drawn to Fell, New York to The  Sun Down Motel, the same place her aunt had been working and disappeared 35 years ago. Both women had been obsessed with certain activities and strange occurrences in both time periods at The Sun Down Motel.

I found myself glued to the story, and at the edge of my seat. There are a few "OMG" moments and a lot of tension and danger. I appreciate the vivid descriptions provided by the author. I would highly recommend this novel to those readers who enjoy suspenseful and thrilling stories.

Absolutely chilling and wondrous. Simone has a way to dive you into the paranormal and doesn’t hold you back. The intrigue and mystery was all there once again in this new addition. Highly recommend.

A haunted motel in Fell, NY, is the setting for this murder mystery covering two periods of time. In 1982 Viv works the night shift as the motel desk clerk, trying to figure out the person(s) responsible for recent murders. In 2017, her niece Carly has the same job while she investigates the disappearance of Aunt Viv. The writing is skillfully done so the creepy, ghostly, interesting story is clear, but it does run on a bit too long. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

I could not put this book down. It was so terrifying. I don’t usually read books this scary because I am a wimp. But it was really, really good. I may not sleep though. And I will never stay at a motel ever again.

Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney takes a job working the night shift to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn’t right at the Sun Down, and before long she’s determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden. Fast forward thirty-five years and Carly finds herself in Fell, New York trying to answer the same questions that her aunt Viv had many years prior. What will she find out & what secrets has the motel been holding all this time? review: Last year I read The Broken Girls by Simone St. James and was instantly hooked, so when I saw she had a new book, I immediately ordered it. The author does a great job at writing an atmospheric mysterious book that will make you feel as though you’re right in the town of Fell. I really enjoyed the writing style that kept me sufficiently creeped out and hooked to the very last page. The characters were well-developed and the book was a fast-paced gripping page turner. The story alternates between Viv in 1982 and Carly in 2017 and I found that this really kept me engaged and curious. There is paranormal activity in this book, but it’s done so well that I never even questioned it! I highly recommend this book and I promise you won’t be disappointed! rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️

1982: Viv has left home to go to New York but ends up instead in small Fell, New York. She is low on money so she takes a job working the night shift at a motel. That motel is not a normal motel.

2017: Carly has always wondered what happened to her aunt Viv who disappeared from the hotel she worked nights at. She goes to Fell and gets the same job that her aunt held.

This story is told in two different eras but Fell is sorta stuck in a time rut and it's almost like Carly is re-living her aunt Viv's time in Fell. So let's dish about the story right? The Sun Down Motel is one of those motels that was doomed from the start.


Even before it opened there was a girl's body dumped at the site. Then after opening the theme park that was coming to town never happened. A kid died at the pool and several girls were found in town murdered. But the motel stays open and a few people still check in.

This author tells this story perfectly. The sounds and smells she brings out with her writing puts you right at this motel with it's weird happenings. Which ended up scaring the crap out of me when I thought I would get a few minutes to read at work the other night. I work nights and the author completely hits on that 3 am feeling that you might not want to know who else is awake with you.


I wanted to yell at these people so many times to not go there and not do that! Does anyone not watch horror movies? You supposed to go home and hide under your covers like a normal person.


We won't talk about my dumb ass trying to read this at night.

Another thing the author does perfectly? The working at a hotel. I worked at hotels for years and the last one I worked at....it had some of the extra that the Sun Down Motel had too. Things that I NEVER imagined I would believe in. Like voices that happen when no one else is around? Cold spots that feel like someone is with you?
I just loved this story. I hope it gets hyped up more because everyone that just passes it over is going to miss out.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

I loved this book. From the very beginning, I was immediately hooked. Stayed up all night to finish it and am glad I did!

Best book I have read in a long time! Atmospheric, creepy, suspenseful, and so hard to put down! Told in dual narratives between Viv in 1982 and her niece Carly in 2017, this is the story of the Sun Down Motel, the town of Fell, NY, and a string of murdered girls with unsolved cases and unfinished business. I absolutely loved this book! Original, well-written, and unputdownable! It gave me chills at many points along the way.

The Sun Down Motel
by Simone St. James
Berkley Publishing Group
Berkley
Mystery & Thrillers
Read an Excerpt
Pub Date 18 Feb 2020 | Archive Date 18 Mar 2020

This book did not disappoint. I was concerned that with all the hype of this book , it would be a disappointment. Loved the story and the plot. Good read!

A riveting tale of missing girls, a haunted motel and a girl determined to put an end to the mystery of it all. I was completely enthralled with this book it was such an intense thrill ride it had me turning pages long into the night. The narrative goes back and forth between Carly in 2017 and that of her aunt Viv from 1982, which lends itself brilliantly to this style of story and added a great nostalgic feel to it. It has this feel of an overly embellished ghost story being told around a campfire blended with a famous true crime mystery, so unique I absolutely loved it. We come to realize as readers the town of Fell is full of plenty of secrets but it’s also full of intriguing characters that all play their parts perfectly as Carly unravels the trail of what really happened all those years ago in Fell. The way bits and pieces were brought to light a little at a time was perfectly orchestrated. All the ways everything connects together in the end was so satisfying it ended up being one of my favorite thrillers. It was so well constructed and the characters were amazingly put together especially the secondary characters which don’t often get as much detail. It left me with goosebumps and on the edge of my seat like only the creepiest of stories should, I loved everything about this one.

Outstandingly eerie and dark! Wow! This was my first Simone St. James book and it certainly won't be my last.

I always get a bit worried when a book is so hyped up, but The Sun Down Motel did not disappoint.

Fell, New York 1982. Viv Delaney is the new night clerk at the the Sun Down Motel. One night, she vanishes. Viv is never heard from again and her body is never found.

Fell, New York 2017. Carly Kirk is in town to investigate the unsolved disappearance of her aunt Viv. She, too, takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel, 35 years after her aunt vanished.

With help of her roommate, Heather (did I mention they live in the exact apartment Viv lived in 35 years ago?) and Nick, the boy with a troubled past, they begin to uncover secrets and coincidences from Fell's history.

I want to start out by saying I LOVED Carly and Heather's friendship. I really enjoyed having that bound in the midst of such a spooky book.

I was hooked from the first page. I read this book over the course of two days and there wasn't a point when I wasn't reading the book that I stopped thinking about it.

In some books, the back and forth between time periods and characters can be confusing, but this was not one of those.

My favorite parts were probably in 1982 when Viv was in the processing of investigating the other murders in tow. St. James made me feel like I was there with Viv in her car, following around Simon Hess.

I would also like to note, that I don't always love ghost story books. They usually have the tendency to be a bit too "much" if you know what I mean. This was perfect. The smell of smoke, flickering lights, doors opening and closing...it all felt so real.

My only complaints are as follows:

- I wanted more about Betty!! She was Hess's first victim, she haunted the motel, he claimed he killed her because he loved her so much...give me more!! Betty could've have been a whole story on her own.

- Heather! As much as a I loved Carly and Heather's relationship, I kind of wanted more from her, too. I kept going back to the fact that she was always cold, couldn't sleep, had a cabinet full of medication and was so affected by the past murders of Fell. More than once I thought she was either another ghost or was related to the murderer or victim in some way. I had my hopes up that maybe history was going to repeat itself 35 years later when Carly got to town, claiming more victims.

The Sun Down Motel was my first thriller of the year and it felt like the perfect fit. It was spooky and suspenseful!

THE SUN DOWN MOTEL • Simone St. James • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this book! However, I did not love it as much as a lot of other early readers seemed to. So many of my friends gave this book five-stars and while I absolutely think this is a book worth picking up, it was not a five-star read for me. I am starting to realize I am really picky with my thrillers!

Synopsis: This story unfolds through dual timelines between 1982 and 2017 by Vivian (Viv) and Carly. In 1982, Viv leaves her family home and ends up in the small town of Fell, New York, where she takes a night shift at the Sun Down Motel. Fell is filled with darkness and mystery, capturing Viv’s attention before she mysteriously disappears after just a few months in Fell. Fast-forward to 2017, Viv’s niece Carly is visiting Fell to learn more about what happened to her Aunt Viv. Carly quickly learns that not much has changed in Fell since 1982, and soon finds herself consumed by the same mysteries that claimed Viv several decades before.

What I Loved: This story reads like a true crime novel with a sprinkling of paranormal activity, which I felt was really well done. It was unique too. I cannot remember the last time I read a thriller with genuine ghosts. I would not call these parts scary, but they were far from corny! This book also had a very strong opening, which is always a plus! I was immediately pulled in to the story. Viv and Carly’s timelines are also clearly delineated by a labeled chapter, which is always appreciated in a story with dual timelines.

What Didn’t Work for Me: I was expecting this to be a really thrilling, dark mystery. That’s not what I got. For a book about death and ghosts, it did not really stand out as dark. I wanted more time with the ghosts! The weaving of the timelines also added a repetitive nature to the story that made it hard for the story to come across as thrilling. So essentially I was left with a “who done it” mystery that was fairly predictable. I also struggled telling the voices of Vivian and Carly apart. Despite the well-organized chapters, I would catch myself mid-chapter having to remember if this was Carly’s story or Vivian’s. It really ran together for me, especially because the other characters involved in both timelines are the same.


TL;DR: This was a decent read. The plot stood out from the average thriller plot/formula, and will no doubt be beloved by true crime fans. This was also a story that was filled with independent, badass women — a fantastic deviation from the male hero with his female sidekick or the unreliable heroine often featured in thrillers these days. I may have wanted more darkness and thrill, but there was always something moving the plot forward, which is ideal for readers who prefer fast-paced thrillers. To sum up, this book had great potential and I see why it is already so well loved! I am just picky and a few things prevented me from fulling loving this book.

**I will be posting this review on my Instagram (@lets.get.literate) on publication day! I have already posted it on my Goodreads account.

I really enjoyed this one! Very creepy, with a good mystery to keep my interest hooked and characters I was engaged in. Definitely glad there were ghosts. That made it so much better.

This review is scheduled to appear on my blog at https://phlipside.wordpress.com/ on March 4, 2020

A young woman goes in search of the aunt who disappeared without a trace thirty-five years before. In the upstate New York town of Fell, the trail begins in a rundown motel. A trail that takes through more mysteries than she could imagine.

I read very little in the horror genre. When I read Stephen King, I lean towards his more science fiction type titles (“The Stand”, “The Dead Zone”, “Firestarter”, although they are all pretty horrifying as well), rather than his classic “horror”, like “Salem’s Lot”. The description of this one sounded too good to pass up. Yeah, it’s a ghost story, but I decided to give it a try.

Oh. My. God.

“The Sun Down Motel” is a “go away, I’m reading” kind of book. Filled with twists and turns, amazing characters (both normal and paranormal), and some great writing. Describing the rough trade at the motel, Simon talks about people who have had “hard collisions with life”. A phrase I like so much I may steal it. Carly’s search for her mother’s only sister runs in parallel to what happened to Eva back in the ‘80s. The two young women share determined personalities, both working on mysteries that no one in Fell want to discuss.

A moment to discuss the little town of Fell, NY. Simon creates a fascinating little town that’s a fraction away from...something. Both the main characters feel as if they were inside a bubble in the town. It’s quiet, a little outdated, a little strange, and, for both of them, a place where they feel at home. This is the only book by this author I’ve read so far, but this little town feels set up as a regular backdrop for stories. And if she isn’t thinking about regular returns to Fell, she’s crazy. If you write them, I will read.

The book isn’t long, but I screamed through it in little more than a day. I read it at lunch, at bedtime, any time I could carve out more than a couple minutes to read. What would Carly find? What was going to happen to Eva? Were the people helping them friends, or was there something creepy happening in Fell that was waiting to snag them? (No spoiler to tell you the answer to that question is Yes)(Make that YES!)

“The SunDown Motel” checks all the boxes for me. Wonderful storytelling carried by solid writing. Characters I can connect to, caught in circumstances that feel real. And for a ghost story, spirits that touch me emotionally, while still being scary as hell.

Loved this book.