The idea of getting together for a book club vacation with best friends is of course an instant pull for book lovers and The Book Club Hotel surpassed my hopes! I absolutely loved this book it was the perfect mix of a heart warming and wholesome story of friendship along with an intriguing plot. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this book! I liked this read however, there were many characters to follow which got confusing at times. However, it was a sweet premise! Read for themes of female friendship and bookclubs!

I received a copy of this book as an eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a few of Sarah Morgan's books and she delivers again with this one. She balances wintery/Christmassy vibes and real, complex female relationships/life experiences well. If you are in the mood for a warm, cozy, kind of fluffy, HEA book, Sarah Morgan will deliver every time. And this book is no exception.

This book is set over just a couple of weeks in December when three close friends choose an inn in Vermont to hold their friends book club. Anna is almost 40, a stay at home mom, and the epitome of empathy and kindness. Claudia is also almost 40 and a chef whose boyfriend of 10 years left her for a 26 year old and she's still grappling with what she wants from life. And Erica just turned 40 and is a successful motivational speaker who jetsets all over for work and crisis management consulting gigs. They are best friends since college and get together once a year for a book club to spend time together.

There is a 4th main character, Hattie, the 28-year old widow who owns the Inn that the women decide to have their book club at.

I don't want to spoil much of the book so I won't share much else, but if you're looking for a holiday cozy book with women who are fully formed characters and each have complete story arcs as well as showing love and support for each other, I recommend this book. Sarah Morgan has a simple but effective writing style. Everything in this story feels realistic and the characters are interesting. I also like that it's friends in their 49s because it seems like those plots are rare to come across.

The Book Club Hotel was a sweet premise, just too many characters to follow. Plus, with all these characters, each plot line was so and repetitive.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

The Book Blub Hotel by Sarah Morgan is a lovely story of deep, longstanding friendship, moving on from the loss of relationships, unexpected family, and new love. The setting is the Maple Sugar Inn in Vermont and the descriptions of it made me wish I could visit and spend time in the library with the fire going while wrapped in a blanket feeling all comfy. This book takes place around Christmas and is the perfect book to put you in the spirit of Christmas, but could also be enjoyed year-round. I did read a few reviews with complaints that some of the wording is British and inappropriate for an American to say, it took the reader out of the story. That wasn't my experience. I did notice the dialect but figured it was how people said things in Vermont and found it to be endearing. Overall, the story left me feeling warm and cozy.

I loved this sweet story of Hattie and her daughter Delphi and how they rebuild their lives after the death of Brent, Hattie’s husband and Delphi’s father. Not only does Hattie heal her heart but she becomes quite the innovative entrepreneur, taking over the hotel business for her late husband. There are wonderful surprises in store throughout the book and it’s such a feel good story. Highly recommend!

There were so many things I loved about this book. There were twists I didn't expect, ones that I expected but happened in ways differently than anticipated, and the characters were all so fun I still want to check in on them and see how the Hotel is doing. It was such an interesting read to look at mourning and moving on, what it means to be strong, what defines family and how its ok to let relationships be what looks right to the people in them.

#arc
#netgalley
#thebookclubhotel

3 stars.
I liked the book. And would recommend it to others. But it was a bit slow paced for me. I do enjoy books about books and book clubs.

The Book Club Hotel is the perfect Christmas read. I loved the characters, they were engaging and you become invested in their outcome. It was an interesting storyline, I loved the themes of female friendship.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this fun engaging book.

I chose this book because I love books about books so a book club hotel sounded like a fun read. And it was a fun read.

It started off a bit slow as the 4 main characters were introduced: Hattie, Erika, Claudia, and Anna. But it picked up just before the halfway mark. Then I couldn't put it down. I'm so glad that I'm on Christmas vacation from work so I could stay up late reading.

The story is told in 3rd person, but in rotating chapters, we get "inside the head" of one of the female characters. I liked this style as it was easy to keep up with whose eyes we were seeing in the story through in each chapter.

While there is a bit of romance, the story is more about friendship and family. It reminded me of one of my favorite Christmas books: The Christmas Swap by Sandy Barker.

The setting is very Christmasy as it is in Vermont and the town is all decked out. But Christmas is sort of in the background as the various relationships and life issues of the main characters take front and center.

The characters are great - I want to be their friend. It makes me want to plan a trip with my college best friends.

The Book Club Hotel is the perfect book for fans of character-focused stories. It is also feel-good story. There is a little bit of conflict but it is a really light read. It would be perfect to read on a sunny beach or lodge on a snow-top mountain.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Friday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/12/2-christmas-books-you-dont-want-to-miss.html

This was the perfect seasonal read, and one of my favorites by Sarah Morgan to date! It's a lovely story about friendship, healing from loss, finding your own path.

I loved the main characters - they were very different, but their friendship was really well developed. I particularly connected with Anna's character, and appreciated her growth over the course of the story.

I received a free copy of, The Book Club Hotel, by Sarah Morgan, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book tells the stories of Hattie, Anna, Erica, and Claudia. It took me awhile to warm up to Erica, but she grew a lot through the book. I loved Hattie and Delphi. This is a really good story, I really enjoyed getting to know the ladies.

Hattie has been in crisis mode since her husband died in an accident a couple of years ago and left her with a small child, Chloe, and a historic inn to run. They had renovated and made the Maple Sugar Inn a dream destination for travelers but Hattie didn’t know how much longer she could suffer the willful nature of her employees. If it weren’t for her good friends and small community she wouldn’t know what to do. In the midst of more employee drama, she’s just reserved a three rooms for a group of women who are coming to stay at her inn for a week for their annual book club meeting.

Anna, Claudia and Erica have been lifelong friends and meet up annually for a week devoted to talking about books and catching up on their life. Typically they are in some bustling city so when Erica suggests the Maple Sugar Inn, Anna and Claudia feel like something is behind this decision but each one is also dealing with a turning point in their lives. Anna who’s always had the picture perfect life is at a loss realizing her children will soon be leaving home to go to college and then what becomes of her? Meanwhile, Claudia doesn’t know if she wants to be a chef any longer after losing her job and being dumped by her boyfriend of 10 years. She probably can’t afford this vacation with her friends but she needs them.

Erica has always been aloof when it comes to relationships but she’s a successful career woman but she needs to visit the inn and meet the woman who runs it to find out more about herself. This was such an enjoyable read. Yes, a bit predictable but that’s not always a bad thing. There’s a bit of romance and most of all a story about the enduring friendships. Of course the setting is charming and I especially liked the details about the town bookstore and the Maple Sugar Inn’s library. Now where can I find this delightful place to go there myself?

THE BOOK CLUB HOTEL - Sarah Morgan

Great characters and friendship! - 5 stars

Plot - 4.5 stars - Maple Sugar Inn is considered a winter destination. As the holidays approach, the inn is fully booked with guests looking for their dream vacation. But exhausted from juggling the hotel and with being a single mom, Hattie Coleman dreams only of making it through the festive season. When Erica, Claudia and Anna—lifelong friends who seem to have it all—check in for a girlfriends’ book club holiday, it changes everything. Their close friendship and shared love of books have carried them through life's ups and downs. But Hattie can see they're also packing some major emotional baggage, and nothing prepares her for how deeply her own story is about to become entwined in theirs.

Writing - 5 stars - I was caught up in the story right from the first page. Morgan is a new-to-me author, and I found her writing to be comfortable and easy to read, building great characters that I want to be friends with myself. I especially enjoyed the format in which each chapter focuses on one character. Of course, the other characters are involved in all chapters, but each one allows us an inner peek into the featured character's thoughts so we get to know them from the inside out.

Characters - 5 stars - This is where the story particularly shone for me. Each character is a strong woman in her own right, although none of them fully recognize their own strengths and inner beauty. Hattie seems fragile, but we soon discover that she has a strong inner core. Erika is just the opposite, seemingly tough as nails on the outside, but she's really kind and considerate on the inside. Anna's marriage and homelife appear to be perfect, but of course there are cracks in every relationship, and I was somewhat surprised that the other women didn't recognize that. Claudia has had a couple of recent blows, and it's nice to see her blossom and renew her life. I quickly became involved in these women's lives, and I was fascinated in watching their growth. It was heart-warming to see them helping each other to weather storms as well as each of them enjoying and sharing each other's happiness.

Title - 4 stars - It sounds a little odd at first, but as soon as you discover the reason for the get-together, you understand exactly what it means.

Cover - 5 stars - This is a beautiful seasonal cover that put me right into the mood of a Vermont inn in the winter.

Overall - 5 stars - Each of these women has vulnerabilities and disappointments in their own lives, but their outer personalities are strong, making them seem totally put together. But, of course, everyone has problems, and we get to see inside them to discover what their secret dreams and wishes are. I loved watching the friendships involved. Three of them have been friends for years, and their easy comfort and understanding with each other was warm and comforting. But it was also enjoyable to see them building a new friendship with Hattie, recognizing their compatibility as they get to know each other. This was a book that recognizes that people are multi-faceted, with strengths and quirks. And strong friendships recognize those idiosyncrasies and celebrates them, making their friendships even stronger.

Feel good cozy Christmas read about friends, family, small town, books, new beginnings and love. I’d love to book a room please!

couldn't get into this one enough to finish it, but I will not write off Sarah Morgan since I've enjoyed another of her books!

Like being wrapped in a cozy throw in front of a roaring fire, cup of cocoa at the ready, The Book Club Hotel is a delightful story that wraps you in the comforting warmth of friendship, while acknowledging that change will come. At its heart the story reminds us that as long as you’re surrounded by those you love nothing is impossible, and that opening ourselves to each other brings joy and hope and connection that is worth more than any present under the tree!

3.5 stars [liked it]
I had really high hopes for this one. I absolutely love books about books but this wasn’t my fave. I loved the characters and concept of this story but I just felt like it could have been executed better. Sometimes I felt bored or thought it was dragging on but overall I still liked it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

What a feel good story.
Hattie is unsure of herself and the decisions she makes about the inn while Noah the Xmas tree guy waits in the wings for her to see past the tinsel.
Anna, Erica, and Claudia are all facing major life changes and purposefully go to Hattie’s inn to get away.
Part of the story is predictable which I find comforting but I was wrong about Erica’s reason for seeking out the inn.
I was happy to get a Xmas book read before the actual day.

I didn’t read the summary for this book before reading it so I went into it completely blind.
I loved this book. The four different perspectives kept the book moving. I liked getting the different views from each person. It was slow to start but definitely picked up. I was so happy to see Hattie learn to stick up for herself. Erica, Claudia, and Anna make me want to go out and find friends as good as they are and join a book club. Definitely a book worth reading!!!