The lives of strangers and friends intertwine when they enter the Hotel Portofino. O’Connell skillfully maneuvers multiple storylines while maintaining entertaining prose and vibrant imagery. With so many characters the author takes the opportunity to shed light on topics relevant today (racism, classism, sexuality, domestic abuse, etc), and takes care to do so without it coming across as excessive tokenism. Most of the characters are distinguishable from each other and are well developed, allowing the reader to emotionally connect with their journeys in the plot.
This isn’t a story that I see myself rereading in the future, but would gladly recommend it to readers looking to entertain themselves with the convoluted lives of 1920s tourists and hoteliers on the Italian coast.

First and foremost, I think everyone can gather this much from the cover, but the setting is stunning. The way the hotel and landscape is described is magical and I could envision the details down to the wallpaper in the hotel rooms. While third person narration is not my favorite, I do think the author did a great job especially with so many characters. Speaking of characters.. these people are a hot mess! Bella is probably one of my favorite characters I have been introduced to in awhile! That being said.. she is surrounded by idiots😂. Her husband is a walking turd in every possible way, and her (grown) kids don't seem to understand boundaries with other humans or have any perspective on how their behavior affects those around them. That is not even getting into the guests and their issues. Talk about drama! I do wish we saw more of the side characters such as Melissa and Betty. I enjoyed the use of several Italian words throughout the book and found myself using google and learning about the culture. I am looking forward to the show that will air on PBS and will be thinking of Bella for awhile!

The beautiful cover drew my attention to this book. Unfortunately, that is where my interest ended. I felt as though this book was extremely slow. The beginning seemed rushed to introduce the characters all at once. Then the plot moved at a snail's pace. There were a lot of love interests in this book and every single one was boring. I was confused about what the fascists had to do with anything, it was as if that part was randomly thrown in. The ending was left with things undone -it seemed as if a lot of things were left undone. I think the hotel location, the outfits from that time period, and the numerous characters will make this a better show than a book. The book was too scattered and did not feel well thought out to me.

I really enjoyed Hotel Portofino, a historical fiction novel that takes place in Italy in 1926 during the rise of Mussolini. This character-driven novel follows Bella Ainsworth, an Englishwoman who has moved her family to the sun-drenched Italian coast to run a small hotel. The Ainsworth family dramas play out alongside the dramas and intrigues of their guests and staff amid the political strife occurring at the time. The book has many glamorous characters, multiple subplots, conflicts, secrets, and a mystery, which will likely play well in the PBS adaptation airing in 2022. Perhaps these elements will play out even better on-screen as it was occasionally difficult to keep up with so many characters. However, in a book about a hotel with several guests, that is to be expected. I am looking forward to seeing how the tv show films this, because of the way it was written, the setting comes across as elegant and gorgeous. The hotel, food, and coastline descriptions were just so beautifully depicted. Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I enjoyed this novel even though I somehow didn't see a real point to it. Yes, it is about Bella and her dream of living in Italy and running the hotel in spite of her good for nothing husband. The characters are all very entertaining, each one with their won quirks and eccentricities which make for an interesting read. What I didn't like was the ending. It simply ends, abruptly, like the author quit writing mid-paragraph or mid-chapter, and that was theat, the end. I feel it could have ended any number of ways except for the way it did. Aside from that it is an entertaining, interesting, fast paced read that most should enjoy.
Thank you to the publishers at Blackstone Publishing and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

This is the story of an English family who open a hotel on the Italian coast . The time period is just before the rise of Mussolini and we get a bit of an insight into what his rise to power may have been like.
We meet the family, Bella , Cecil , Lucian and Alice as well as their staff at the hotel. A number of diverse guests come to occupy the hotel over the course of the book. We also meet some of the townspeople who seem uniformly odious. This is ultimately a romance novel with some historical context.

There are an almost overwhelming number of characters and sub plots going on in this book. It seems it would make a better screen play and is ripe for follow ups. The ending felt abrupt and unsatisfying.

While the hotel is well described and quite charming, I would have enjoyed more about the beautiful setting and the history that was unfolding.
This is a light read that will appeal to many readers.
Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the chance to preview this book.

A villa hotel on the coast of Italy is the scene for secrets, lies, trickery, deception and snobbery among the guests and owners. The lives intertwine and weave a story of surprise in the time period between WWI and WWII.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hotel Portofino is open, but it's already causing a ton of problems for Bella Ainsworth. Her personal life is struggling too, and they're still recovering from the Great War.

I wanted to love this novel so much and the cover is stunning, but I was so bored the whole time.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

This story takes place in Portofino, Italy, which was what drew me to this story, an area I have not but would like to visit. A couple, Cecil and Bella Aisworth purchases a hotel to try and make a new life for their family after the Great War. Cecil is not excited about the new adventure and is not very supportive of Bella. In the 1920’s this type of treatment of women was not uncommon and being a British aristocrat doesn’t put him in vane to be supportive either.

The book is very character driven with a multitude of various types of people staying at the hotel. This leaves the reader wanting more from the story because the characters were so numerous they lacked development and there was no real connection to any of them. Since this is going to be a tv series the screenwriter will have the opportunity to develop these characters more so the viewer might feel a stronger connection to the story.

Another drawback I had about the book was the lack of descriptions of Portofino or the surrounding areas. The reader never gets a feel for the beauty of this area of Italy. Lucian took Rose to Genoa to see the sites but the author didn’t give much detail that made the reader feel like they were there.

An English couple run hotel in Italy and some drama pretty much sums up this book.

There were so many characters in this book and a lot of switching between them. I wished that there was more background and character development. There were so many characters that I didn't feel that connection that I was hoping for.

This book felt like a soap opera set in Italy. I enjoyed the drama, but the substance was lacking. Maybe it was just not my style of preferred reading.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

As someone who enjoys historical fiction and some more chick lit/mystery, this was a good blend of genres! I could have gone for a bit more history but, did some reading on Mussolini while I went as most of my historical fiction has been themed around Nazi Germany. I liked the relationships between characters and the surprise abt the painting - I had not been expecting!

"Hotel Portofino" by J. P. O'Connell is set on the extraordinary Italian Rivera in 1926 during Mussolini's reign. Bella Ainsworth age forty-eight and her husband Cecil purchase the Hotel Portofino looking for a new beginning after the war. Bella and Cecil's children (Alice and Lucian) help with day-to-day activities. The hotel employs a large staff with individual personalities that definitely help bring the book to life in vivid detail. Additional aspect's in O'Connell's writing includes all the guest's storylines about staying at the hotel. They add so much humor and drama for the reader. .

The cast of characters and situations in the novel are much for the reader to keep up with, but eventually you will get them all straight and are able to follow along. I enjoyed reading this book. "Hotel Portofino" will published January 18,2022.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this free e-book.

Delicious drama of a family and hotel. I would give this book 5 stars based on the scenery alone. Add in a captivating story that pulls on your heartstrings among the jetset. Loved it!

I enjoyed reading Hotel Portofino, by J. P. O'Connell. For me, the book started out really slowly and I felt bogged down with the detailed descriptions. I stuck with it and found those descriptions/details were painting vivid pictures in my head, drawing me into the story. I ended up disappointed when it ended. I am looking forward to seeing what PBS does with this! Thank you Netgalley, and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook version of this novel for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Bella Ainsworth and her family are still reeling from the aftershocks of the Great War. Bella decides that they all need a fresh start, and she has purchased a hotel, Hotel Portofino, on the Italian Riviera. She brings her husband Cecil; her son Lucien, a WWI veteran still healing from his horrendous injuries; and her widowed daughter Alice along with Alice's daughter Lottie. Bella transforms Hotel Portofino into a luxury hotel catering to English guests. All seems perfect, but soon the difficulties arise. Cecil is stealing money from the hotel to support his many bad habits; some of the guests are demanding and difficult; and a local politician, one of Mussolini's black shirts, is blackmailing Bella. The most difficult guest is Lady Julia Drummond-Ward whose daughter Rose has been chosen by Cecil to be Lucien's wife.

Set in the turbulent times of 1920s Italy and Mussolini's rise to power, Hotel Portofino has all the elements of a great drama-a diverse cast of characters, intrigue, politics, romance, and tragedy. The backdrop of the stunning Italian coast; and lush descriptions of food, wine and luxury will make this a must read for fans of Downton Abbey and The Crown; and there is just enough history and mystery for fans of those genres as well.

I had no idea what to expect when I started reading Hotel Portofino, but I was pleasantly surprised with the depth & complexities of these characters. A charming British family moves to the Italian Riviera & opens a hotel, for a “fresh start” in 1926 after losing their oldest son in World War 2, which may not sound exciting… but the dynamic between this family and their hotel guests is quite entertaining! It was a little slow paced at the beginning and I found the ending to be a little underwhelming. But I loved how so many important issues like: sexual identity, racism, feminism, PTSD/mental health, Fascism/dictatorship vs. Socialism, and even police brutality, were addressed in such a powerful way.

“Nonsense, my dear! It is the 1920s, you know.’ She squeezed Bella’s hand. ‘The
world is changing. For the better, I hope.”
Over 100 years later and this quote is still so relevant.

I was originally interested when I found out they’re filming a show based on this book that will be released next year on PBS. It’s being recommended to fans of The Crown, and Downton Abbey, but I would also recommend if you liked The Durrell’s in Corfu. Loved the overall Italian Great Gatsby feel, and can’t wait to see how this translates to the screen.

Thank you to J. P. O’Connell, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An absolute jewel of a book! I couldn't put it down! The descriptions and characters were so vivid and I was so disappointed when I finished, because I didn't want it to end. Only critique would be the narrative jumped around a lot and was sometimes hard to follow, but other than that, truly wonderful !

Mixed feelings about this one. Love the premise, but that Carrie’s much of the novel. There are many little dramas, but they are a bit scattershot and not very focused into a coherent whole. This novel shines best around the interesting characters that the author develops here.

Dazzlingly beautiful read. Gatsby meets history meets glamour all in one book. I couldn’t put it down!

Although I enjoyed this book I found it difficult to follow. I craved more depth from every character and conversation within the storyline.

I loved the depiction of the hotel and countryside but again felt myself wanting more.

I found this book to be interesting but also forgettable.