I love reading historical fiction set in places I’ve traveled!

Several years ago we stopped at Laguna Beach during an epic west coast summer road trip to Ashland (Oregon), the Redwoods, San Francisco, and Disneyland. As I obsessively planned this vacation, I kept adding stops, and I realized I didn’t want to miss out on seeing a beach! So I picked Laguna because it seemed artsy and low key.

In addition to my travel memories, this new book’s title is reminiscent of my last blog post on Hotel Cuba!

Having worked as a riveter and other roles building fighter planes during WWII, Hazel feels aimless when the war ends and the men are back for their jobs. Not wanting to return to Kansas (which we also learn about at the beginning of the story), she ends up in the art colony of Laguna Beach where she has to start completely over with no family or friends, job, lodging, etc. Desperate, she takes a job as an “assistant” to a famous/infamous artist, which will provide adventure and stress, as she tries to find a renewed purpose and decides whether Laguna is a place she can stay.

Whether or not you’ve been to Laguna Beach yourself, this is a good summer read!

After working at an airplane factory in California during the war and with nothing to return to Kansas for, Hazel Francis moves to Laguna Beach looking for work and a new life. Desperate she takes a job working for a local renowned artist as an assistant and model. After a rough start, Hazel finds herself at home in this community and enjoying a life she never expected. It's a lovely book in all regards

I thoroughly enjoyed this peak into live in So Cal right after WWII. It’s the perfect background for this tale of renewal and hope. That’s what this story is all about - Hope. The author gives a great feel for the era while bringing in the unique culture of the area. Mix in a fantastic storyline filled with adventure and romance and it is a brilliant book escape. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early read. Add it to you TBR list asap!

Hotel Laguna is first experience of reading a novel written by Nicola Harrison. I was completely captivated by this book which is a mix of historical fiction, romance, mystery and coming of age. The characters are eccentric and quirky. The plot is compelling.....a page turner! Intend to read more of Ms. Harrison's novels. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Started out strong. I was interested and intrigued. I liked that the time period was almost like its own character in the story. I really liked Hazel and her strong personality, but actually found there were things that happened throughout the book that made me dislike her. I found that she almost became weak and boring and indecisive. Not outstanding, but would recommend.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison, but I really enjoyed this book set in 1940s Laguna Beach.

Hazel left Kansas in 1942 for California to help the war effort. She became a "Rosie the Riveter" and worked in an airplane factory. When the war ended, so did her job but she wasn't ready to return home or to be a wife/mother. She ends up in Laguna Beach and takes a job as an artist's assistant. She quickly falls in love with the community and starts to wonder if this could be real.

I loved Hazel. That she loved working and was independent. Her working relationship with Hanson (the artist she was working for) and wanting to help everyone she met. The cast of characters were all so well developed and I loved the descriptions of both the town and everyone.

This was a unique mix of historical fiction with women's fiction and I can't wait for others to read this so I can talk about this book. Highly recommend for a summer beach read!

I really enjoyed this book. I switched between e-book and audiobook and both were fabulous. I loved learning about the challenges women faced after WWII - their strength, resilience and desire to make a change. The many different personalities and relationships in the book were incredible. I really felt that I got to know many different characters, their strengths and weaknesses. The romance and mystery parts of the book only added to my joy of this book. A really well done historical fiction book - with some romance and even a little mystery thrown in.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader (and audio!) copies.

During the war, Hazel moved out to California to work in a factory making airplanes. She discovered she loved the work, but now that the war is over, women are no longer needed in the factories. Broke and unsure what to do, she ends up in Laguna and gets a job with infamous artist, Hanson Radcliff. Hazel falls in love with the community and discovers this might be the place for her.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! I really liked the writing style and found the characters really compelling. I do think we didn’t need whole chapters of flashbacks especially sincere there were only a few at the beginning. I think these could’ve been incorporated into other chapters to make the flow better. Also, based on the synopsis, I thought there was going to be a lot more push-pull between Hazel wanting to work on planes and her life in Laguna. However, that is a really minor plot point outside of the beginning and a little toward the end of the book. This is more of a woman finding her place in a society rather than a reckoning between dreams. Despite that, I think this is a good historical fiction novel that is different than others!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the atmospheric writing and the characterization in this story. It was a very enjoyable read!
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
WWII fiction in an utterly unique way: from the point of view of a woman. She find the gorgeous Laguna Beach and finds her self and her self worth. I really enjoyed this book I could not put it down.

I've never been a historical fiction fan but this book surprised me. We meet Hazel Francis, a determined woman who leaves her hometown in Kansas to head to California to help where she can with the war efforts. She becomes a living "Rosie the Riveter" and does her part. Once the war is over, the men come back to take over the job she was doing. Left feeling like she wasn't doing anything, Hazel heads to Laguna Beach to try and make something of herself. She ends up doing becoming an assistant to an artist which is not what she's used to. Along the way, she meets some unexpected people and doesn't expect to fall in love with the hotel bartender. An amazing story with and amazing ending. I was genuinely surprsied I loved this so much, I would definitely recommond to any historical fiction lovers.

This book explores the value of women during the war and the important position they played in the factories to support the troops. However, this changed once the men came home and they became the predominate workforce. Hazel, a very determined woman, was seeking change in her life during the war and afterwards. She takes a job with a well known artist in Laguna Beach and transforms her life. The setting, time period and secondary characters were throughly enjoyable. The descriptions of the art world were also sentimental to me as my dad went to art school after the war. A good story with of course some romance in the mix. #HotelLaguna #NicolaHarrison #NetGalley

Shirt synopsis: During the war Hazel worked on planes, now the war is over she’s trying to find her way. She end up working as an assistant to the famous artist Hanson Radcliff in the beautiful city of Laguna Beach.

My thoughts: This is my first by this author, and I really enjoyed the characters, setting, and overall storyline.

This was very character driven, and while I enjoyed the storyline overall I expected a bit more action. That being said, it was interesting to get a glimpse into the life women faced while the men were at war, and how as soon as the war was over they were expected to resume their regular roles as homemakers. I bet Hazel wasn’t alone I’m enjoying the manual labor and wishing to keep doing “men’s work,” and it was such a fun addition to the historical novel.

I especially enjoyed the art in the story, and the Pageant of the Masters at the end of the book!

Read if you love:
- Historical stories set during WWII
- The war effort
- Fine art and artists
- Character driven stories
- Beautiful settings
- Small towns

This was my first book by this author and I loved this story! I was hooked from the first page and adored these characters! Highly highly recommend

During World War II, Hazel Francis from Wichita, Kansas, heads to California to find a job that would contribute to the war effort in Nicola Harrison’s latest historical fiction Hotel Laguna due out June 20. Hazel becomes one of the “Rosie the Riveters” at Douglas Aircraft until the end of the war brings the end of her job with men returning to their places constructing airplanes. Sad because she really enjoyed her job, she hopes that some day she will once again be working on airplanes, perhaps maybe learning to fly them.

Hazel stays behind in California, winding up in the small town of Laguna Beach, home to an art crowd. She becomes an assistant to the famous artist Hanson Radcliff, a job that can mean anything from posing nude to running errands to working in a gallery he supports. Cantankerous Radcliff is beloved by the town because of his contributions to the art scene even though he lives with the anguish of a disgrace that occurred earlier in his life.

While her boss gives her constant grief, the community embraces Hazel who represents Radcliff at community meetings, finding herself becoming a key player in Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters, an actual event in which “classical and contemporary works of art are transformed by real people through costumes, makeup, headdresses, lighting, props, and backgrounds.” The annual pageant was started in 1933 interrupted only by World War II and the Covid pandemic.

As Hazel becomes more involved with the artist and the mysterious incident that keeps him home except for regular visits to the bar at Hotel Laguna, she turns to the library to find articles from 35 years ago that might shed more light on the scandal that has crippled him emotionally and driven him to drink . She learns that Radcliff had been the personal artist for fictional actress Isabella Rose, and when she died under mysterious circumstances, he and his shocking portrait of Isabella disappeared.

Was it possible that Radcliff had something to do with his benefactor’s death? Where was the famous painting that no one had seen since 1910? What can Hazel do to help her employer find peace in his declining years?

Nicola Harrison’s first book of historical fiction, Montauk, in 2019 was inspired by the many summers she visited there, and I found it to be a beautiful debut novel. A Hampshire, England, native, Harrison moved to California as a teenager and studied literature at UCLA. After spending 17 years in NYC in the magazine publishing field, she returned to California where she settled with her family.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting June 6, 2023.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

Hazel is a character with flaws which I really appreciated (I don’t care for characters who are perfect) but I found the story lacking depth. It felt like I was waiting the whole time for the story to begin. I had expected more. The ending felt rushed and everything that were resolved were too neatly.

The best part are the descriptions of Laguna Beach. I’m such an armchair traveler when I read books with settings in inspiring locations… I just want to book my plane ticket 😂

In Laguna Beach by Nicola Harrison, we are first introduced to Hazel Francis. When a misunderstanding in her hometown of Wichita, Kansas, causes Hazel to decide to leave, she answers an ad for workers in an aircraft plant in California. Soon Hazel finds herself in Los Angeles helping with the war effort. After the war when the ladies of the plant are let go, she finds her way to Laguna Beach where her adventures begin. Hazel needs to work so again; she answers an ad. Enter Hanson Radcliff. Mr. Radcliff needs an assistant. He is a well know artist, who is a recluse with a deep secret. Hanson has a reputation as a curmudgeon, hard to please and even harder to like. Hazel takes the job and soon a great friendship develops between Hazel and Hanson. They help each find answers to questions in their lives. Hazel is looking for stability and love. Hanson is looking to put to rest a rumor that he was responsible for someone’s death. Together they embark on a journey of self-discovery and understanding. They discover a true friendship and caring for each other in a way that is foreign to both. Along the way, there is a mystery to solve and many characters who help and hinder the journey of Hazel and Hanson. A good book. I enjoyed it very much.

I’m not sure what got into me, or if I just unlocked something I’ve never known about myself, but I am becoming a huge historical fiction fan and this book hit just the right spot! 😍 It’s a perfect read for a hot summer day, best read by the beach or pool, or sprinkler because my husband refuses to get a pool that would take away his beautiful lawn 🙄

After soldiers returned from WWII, women workers were forced to give back the “man’s work” and return to the homes. Women except for Hazel Francis, who made her way to Laguna Beach to find a woman’s place in a man’s world. Finding work with a local renowned artist with a secret past of his own, she finds herself torn between her love of airplanes or trading it for a world of paintbrushes and art shows. 🖼️

I completely escaped into this one. Picturing the beautiful beach and small town of Laguna in 1946. Getting lost in Hazel’s world was a dream. About halfway, maybe a bit before, a mystery starts to develop that really drew my interest. Between Hazel finding her way and discovering secrets from the past, I did not want it to end!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review! Full review on my IG @manis.and.manuscripts prior to pub day!

Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison

Hazel Francis has had some hard times. At nineteen, with both parents dead, she gets herself in a bind, gets herself out of the bind by fleeing, but has deep regrets for her words and actions. Her good luck is that she finds a job at Douglas Aircraft as one of the many “Rosie the Riveters”. Hazel excels at this work and is rewarded for her hard work by getting more aircraft work that challenges and satisfies her. While most of the women she works with look forward to getting back to their men, their families and their more traditional pre war lives, Hazel would love to keep on doing what she is doing and learning more skills. Alas, once the men come home, all the woman are told to go home and leave the men's work to the men. Now twenty four years old, about all Hazel can find is cleaning jobs or other "women's work", she has no where to go since she's a pariah in her hometown, and her money is running out fast.

By a stroke of good luck, Hazel ends up in Laguna Beach and is hired as an assistant by a famous grumpy artist, a man who is demanding one moment yet generous and entertaining the next. Walking on eggshells around this man seems like good idea but Hazel seems to put her foot in it constantly while working for this man. Often she goes home (a small room that comes with the job) wondering is she still has a job. Part of Hazel's job is helping with the Pageant of Arts and I spent a lot of time reading about the real thing and looking at amazing photographs of past festivals.

Hazel spends her spare time with handsome bartender, Jimmy. She even thinks there might be a future there until she finds out that isn't so. Having that friendship turn precarious and never knowing for sure if she's going to lose her assistant job, Hazel longs for her days in the aviation industry. She's determined not to be forced into a traditional women's mold but she's not sure what she can really do in the future.

Personally, I kept longing for the story to have spent most of its time during the days when Hazel was employed at Douglas Aircraft but that is all in the past by the time the book starts. What the women did during the war, taking of the industrial, high precision jobs of men, is so interesting to me. When it comes to art, the artworld, and artists, I can't help my mind wandering and that's what happened here for me. Hazel is so determined and persistent and I liked her a lot, she is a very admirable character. Jimmy is a catch if he was available to be caught and he makes for a great friend if feelings can get over being hurt. I'm very happy with how the story ends. 3.5 rounded up to 4

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

A post war story that includes the sense of found family in the midst of an acclaimed art world! It was wholesome and a bit healing at times.

This was a really interesting read but I felt like I didn’t feel overly connected with the characters which made it hard for me to love.