Member Reviews
A sweet story about two people who help each other to begin to heal and move beyond the traumas holding them back. I loved the characters and the small island home. A great escape , just as the author intended.
Breweries aren't my thing, but sign me up for a weekend there! I loved how Rachel adapted, was brave, and stepped into herself during this title. The way the small town embraced her was beautiful. I loved this story so much and can't wait for the next Doller title!
I enjoyed Float Plan (Beck Sisters #1), and was excited to read the follow-up, THE SUITE SPOT. Sweet indeed.
𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴: Single Mom Rachel and her young daughter Maisie find themselves starting over at a brewery hotel on a small island on Lake Erie. They are joined by Mason, a somewhat reclusive brew master and would-be hotelier.
WHAT I LOVED:
- Real: The story felt realistic. The conversations, the relationship, personal struggles, the community- all felt very real. Even the young daughter felt authentic vs. overly cutesy.
- Beer: I love beer, so the brewery aspect made me crave a seasonal brew and I was here for it.
- A simple, sweet story of love and second chances with a heartfelt, genuine tone.
- Not too steamy. There was certainly an element of romance, but it was more about self discovery. and leaning into a new life.
WHAT I DIDN'T:
- The end felt rushed.. I wish more time was spent developing the culmination of the story.
CW: Loss of child, attempted sexual assault, single parent.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.
I loved this book! I fell in love with the authors writing of The Float Plan and this follow up book did not disappoint one bit. I love how we get to read a book that the characters are living a sunshine and roses type of life. We get to connect with real characters and see them grow and develop and yes get their happy ending. But Trish takes us on a realistic journey of love and romance.
There is something so genuine about Ms Doller's books. The emotion and connection she makes me feel for these fictional characters is so strong, I dont think Ive ever experienced it before when reading.
You know they say the sophomore book from an author always seems to be a flop. This couldnt. be further from the truth. Reading about Mason and Maisie and her mom, Rachel in the second book of the Beck sisters was just as good as when I read Float Plan with Anna and Keane. The story just flows effortlessly and was a joy to read. This author really gets me excited about reading a GOOD BOOK.
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the complimentary arc in exchange for my honest review.
I can’t pinpoint exactly why I fell in love with this book, but as I read it, it just spoke to me.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Now be warned, this isn’t a spicy book. Its more of a character development which I KNOW! I typically don’t like. Anyway… huge thank you to @netgalley and @st for the advanced read and to @trish for writing it.
Rachel is a single mom to Maisie living in Florida. Maisie’s father is local, but not in the picture reliably. Rachel is also plus sized, which has caused her to go for guys that show her any attention.
So when Rachel is improperly fired and a friend has a lead in Ohio for a new hotel attached to a microbrewery. Rachel figured why not.
After a road trip from Florida to Ohio Rachel and Maisie meet Mason, the quiet owner who has more microbrewery, less hotel. The situation is not what Mason has described, but Rachel sees the potential.
Eventually Mason opens up to Rachel and his past and Rachel hers.
I saw the twist coming and knew what it was, but I was thankful it didn’t become a huge thing. I saw that some had trouble with the end, but I thought it was perfect based on the characters and the story.
Loved how Kelleys Island was both a character and location. The town and people were a perfect balance.
#bookreview #bookstagram #thesuitespot #netgalley
I enjoyed reading Float Plan and was excited to have an opportunity to read The Suite Spot. I liked it even more. I appreciated the unique setting (I don't know that I've even read a romance that takes place in Lake Erie). Also, at this time I wanted to read something a little lighter than what I'd been reading, and this fit my needs.
This book was like one big hug! I absolutely LOVED Trish Doller's Float plan and was beyond excited to get approved for an early review copy of The suite spot, featuring Anna's sister Rachel.
Rachel is a single mom with a young daughter Maisie. Living with her mother in Florida she gets fired from her hotel job after being sexually harassed by one of the guests. Feeling a little lost she takes a chance when an opportunity arises to run a boutique hotel brewery on a small Ohio island.
Uprooting her whole life, Rachel and her daughter drive to Kelleys Island where they meet Mason, the owner and set down roots in this close knit island community. Full of small town charm and an island setting that reminded my so much of Manitoulin island, this book was a huge breath of fresh air. I LOVED these utterly relatable characters and fell in love with them alongside Rachel. The island book club reminded me of my own amazing bookish friends who support and celebrate one another's life events.
My only critique (and it's a minor one) was that the story is only told from Rachel's perspective. However, Mason is such a wonderful man, grieving the end of his marriage and the loss of his young daughter, with Rachel's help he learns to start living again, finding love along the way.
This was an absolute delight I didn't want to end! I will read anything Trish Doller writes. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended, especially for fans of Float plan or The dating dare (another book featuring a craft brewery and Asian American characters). Much thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance review copy!
This was a really cute book and it had more romance in it than I originally thought which was a nice surprise. Seeing Rachel's journey was very interesting and I adore the romance between her and Mason but I feel like I needed more of an ending. When I got to the acknowledgements it just felt like the book had a very abrupt ending.
I received a copy from netgalley.
Rachel is a single mom working as a night reservations manager in a luxury hotel in Miami Beach and dreams of designing and operating her own hotel. After she's suddenly fired and blacklisted by her malicious, sleazy boss, she impulsively takes a management position at a new brewery-hotel on an island in Lake Erie and strikes a close relationship with her new boss, Mason, a grumpy beer specialist also seeking to rebuild his life after the sudden death of his young daughter and his marriage subsequently crumbles.
It's a cute, heartfelt contemporary romance with a much lighter tone than its predecessor, Float Plan. The characters are inclusive, the story is warm and light, the chemistry between the MC is believable and unfolds slowly but naturally.
The ending was really rushed and the conflict felt unnecessary. The writing was too overexplanatory for my taste, I would've liked to see more show and less tell, and it made the book feel a bit dull and not memorable. (Though, again, that's probably just personal taste.)
Fans of Float Plan will be happy to see Anna and Keane have extensive cameos in this and will surely be happy to see Rachel's story being told!
3.5, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Pub date: March 22, 2022
🌿Quick hits: single, first person POV; slow burn, grump vs sunshine, small town contemporary romance; intelligent, ambitious, type A, curvy single mom FMC vs grumpy, tender hearted MMC who enjoys crafting his own beer; tons of brewing terminology, great for beer lovers; light, warm read. 🌿
I love Trish Doller. She can do no wrong. Float Plan was a real delight, and Trish dealt with grief in a realistic and moving way in that book even as the characters went to far-flung places and fell in love. This new romance novel similarly deals with serious topics while also being funny, sweet, and romantic. The opening scenes when Rachel is sexually harassed at work by an older white man was disturbing, but also rang true. The way that Rachel braves it, and raises her daughter Maisie while dealing with an absent and irresponsible baby daddy is admirable. In comes the woodsy setting and our handsome protagonist, Mason. He is, of course, gruff on the outside, and also dealing with the loss of a child and the end of his marriage. I love the way Rachel and Mason gently get to know each other and fall in love. They also handle their responsibilities with work and family beautifully. The drama isn't even really drama in the end--you know that these two belong together and will figure out a way to make it work. Overall, a great book to cozy up to. Highly recommend.
Trish Doller can write. After having read Float Plan by her earlier this year, The Suite Spot was a must read for me and honestly should be for you too. It’s amazing. Float Plan was about grief and finding yourself afterwards, this was the opposite. It was how to help someone through grief and how to take chances on your life although you’ve been the steady and safe one. There are content warnings at the beginning of the book and I’m just going to repeat them here: mention of child’s death, sexual assault, and suicide. It isn’t super descriptive, but be aware that it is there. I’m also going to put this up front; I liked this book more than the first.
Loves:
- The writing and plot were just top notch. There’s something subtle and charming about the way that Doller writes that sucks you completely in and makes you fall in love with the characters and the setting. The writing creeps in and makes you feel so much. Doller has become one of my favorite authors because of this incredible skill. Plus the plot is so much more than what the synopsis gives, I mean it’s pretty close to the depth that Doller takes everything is amazing. Plus none of the characters were really villains which I also greatly appreciated with her writing.
-Rachel felt so real and honest. Her conflictions, her anger, her grief, her character arc were all so vivid. I loved her interactions with all of the characters. Rachel and Maisie were adorable, I felt so much for her with ex and the stringing along that happened. Plus her personal insecurities were real and kept in line with the whole of the book.
-Mason needs everything in life and I love him. His journey through grief and rediscovery of himself was truly the best part of the book. His beer making was absolute perfection. I do wish that both he and Rachel would have discussed their relationship more with how things would look because that could get messy quickly, but he is quickly ascended to the top of cinnamon roll heros whom I love. I mean Mason and his mother, come on.
-OH-IO setting made my little buckeye heart so happy. I mean BGSU was mentioned and no one ever mentions BGSU and my sister goes there so I was so happy. Plus the representation of Kelleys Island and all of the NW Ohio goodness. Loved it.
Meh:
-I’m still a little confused about the ending/plot issue at the end. Not going into any specifics, but it felt off. Like Rachel ignored Mason’s suggestions about calling ahead, but Rachel was just do before think and it didn’t seem like her character. IDK, it was odd and not my favorite.
Long Story Short:
Read this book. I am so thankful and happy that I was able to read this early and I know I’m going to be recommending it to everyone. SUCH AN AMAZING NOVEL. I already want to reread it. But seriously, heed the caution of the content warnings, and pre-order/read this novel because it’s so good. Also, FYI to the romance readers I would consider this to be a closed door romance, but there is more than in Float Plan.
I really liked this book. I enjoyed her first book, float plan a lot too. I really like reading about hotels and businesses in the city so this book was perfect for me. I loved the friendships the banter and the romance! This author is a definite must read for me in the future
The story was slow and sweet and comfortable. It just felt like a natural progression.
The last 10% felt rushed and contrived like drama just needed to be created. I would have liked the ending to take the same pace and feel more natural. (Sort of a spoiler: Brian could have just called and asked to visit or have Maisie visit and the last 10% could have just been the awkward newness of it all…)
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.
The Suite Spot exists in the Float Plan's universe, starring Anna's sister Rachel! Moving from Miami to Ohio to work for a small brewery hotel, Rachel begins a new journey with her daughter. It didn't feel as BIG as Float Plan, but I was still enthralled with this story. Mason is a total grump, which is a trope I do love, and their relationship was super fun to watch unfold.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC! The Suite Spot is a sweet read and the dynamic between Rachel and Mason is fairly cute, but I don't think there's anything particularly memorable about either. Rachel's daughter Maisie is by far my favorite character in the novel. Well-written toddlers are always a win for me. All in all, I wouldn't say anyone HAS to read this book, but I wouldn't caution anyone against it, either.
Y’all already know that I loved Float Plan SO MUCH so I was ecstatic when I saw @trishdoller was coming out with another book. Well unbeknownst to me (and unsure how I didn’t put two and two together 🤣), it’s about Anna’s sister, Rachel! I love it so much when authors do this -looking at youuuuu Abby Jimenez & Sarah J. Maas- because sometimes I’m just not ready to leave the world they created. The little cameos of Anna and Keane gave me LIFE while allowing me to see deeper into the Beck sisters and fall in love with these new characters. This book was so so so good and I loved everything about it! I had a harder time loving Mason in the beginning than I did Keane because he was so broody and just rude at times. But he grew on me and this story about finding yourself, loss/grief of someone you love & real-life struggles, squeezes your heart so so good.
If you’re looking for a sweet second-chance romance or if you loved Float Plan as much as I did, put this on your list! It comes out March 8, 2022 and you won’t want to miss it! ✨
In Trish Doller's new novel "The Suite Spot", love becomes an unexpected destination at the end of a bumpy ride. When single mother Rachel Beck loses her job at one of the best luxury hotels in Miami, her options for future work are slim. That is until a former colleague recommends that she apply to a small brewery hotel in Ohio. Deciding to take a chance, she packs up her daughter and her life and jumps into the unknown. What follows is a joy of a journey with plenty of twists and turns, beautifully written characters, and a place you wish existed in real life. Filled with love, laughter and plenty of heart, this is a book worth keeping.
Thank you to net galley for the arc. I really enjoyed this book. It was a sequel however you did not have to read the first one to get into the second. Although, the first one is wonderful as well. This is a very endearing book about love, healing, and family. It doesn’t focus on just the romance aspect. I loved all the characters.I really liked how sweet it was.If anything I wish that the book would have gone on a little bit longer. All opinions on my own.
This is the perfect contemporary romance! Everything from story line to characters had me hooked! From Miami to Lake Erie it took me on a wild ride that left my romance cup feeling full!