Morgan is one of my go-to Christmas authors and a new book from her always brings joy. I love her female friendships and adult characters who eventually step up to have hard conversations. I wish the Book Club Hotel were real because I would be making reservations.

When I open the cover of Sarah Morgan's annual holiday novel each year, I know I'm about to be immersed into a story filled with friendship, love, complex relationships, emotional depth, and a heartfelt, deeply satisfying conclusion. Morgan's newest offering, The Book Club Hotel, brings all that and more.

Morgan creates a setting for this newest book that is so vibrant and realistic that I'm sure it has to be nestled in a quaint New England town waiting for readers to arrive. I want to explore the town, spend too much money on new sweaters, take way too many photos of the lovely decorations, then enjoy a leisurely walk back to the Maple Sugar Inn before cuddling up in the Inn's library with hot chocolate, a cozy blanket, and a good book. I want to do it all and I want to do it with the four women - and one little girl - who make this book shine.

Sarah Morgan is a master of characterization. The women in this novel, both primary and secondary, are beautifully developed, continuing to grow and evolve as their intertwined stories unfold. I love the ebb and flow of the friendships, both old and new, that are explored, especially the inter-generational relationships that form among characters ranging from forty to five. The five-year-old is a special delight!

While there are (enjoyable) romance threads with happy outcomes, the primary focus of this book is on the journeys of these women, on the themes of friendship and found family, of forgiveness, of discovering your path, your joy, and moving forward to claim it. I laughed with them, cried with them, and couldn't bring myself to set their story aside until I reached the final page. Then, all I wanted to do was go back to the beginning and experience it all over again.

I highly recommend adding The Book Club Hotel to your holiday reading list. It's a charming, heart-tugging, gift to yourself that readers should not miss.

Advance copy received from publisher via NetGalley. Fair and unbiased review.

This is the perfect book to sit down with on a fall night (or day). It is nicely written and plotted and the characters are people whom readers will wish to know. (Too bad, they can’t come for a real visit).

The Vermont based Maple Sugar Inn, an important part of the book, just seems like the perfect place to visit. It has a beautiful location, inviting rooms, a library, many nice guests, and an inn keeper who cares about them..even as she has her own struggles.

Inn owner, Hattie is carrying on the dream of her husband which was to run this inn. Readers learn early in the book that Hattie’s spouse died in a freak accident, leaving her a widow and a very young one at that. She is raising her young daughter and doing her best (while sometimes frustrated with officious staff) at keeping the inn a going proposition. Will she want to make some changes?

Three friends are going to visit for a book club holiday. They are Erica, Claudia and Anna. The lives of these women are quite different from one another’s but their relationships go back years and are deep. One is single, very successful, a world traveler and a woman who has kept serious relationships at a distance. Another is a harried mom who loves her family, while the third is a chef in the process of a divorce. Clearly, they will have lots to talk about when they meet up! Their lives will also intersect with Hattie’s. What will happen as a result? It was a pleasure to find out.

I truly enjoyed this one. It will be a welcome title for those who enjoy women’s fiction. Readers should pull it out when they feel a real need to exhale.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

A fun, uplifting read! I loved Maple Sugar Inn and wish I could book myself a stay there for the holidays!

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

All at pivotal points in their lives, The Book Club Hotel centers on four women, whose lives intersect at the Maple Sugar Inn in Vermont just when they need it the most. We meet twenty-eight-year-old Hattie, who is running the Inn by herself and trying to raise her five-year-old daughter after the loss of her husband. And there’s college best friends Erica, Claudia and Anna, who vacation together yearly for their book club. While they typically venture to 5-star hotels, Erica has picked this cozy boutique hotel for some mysterious reason.

Sprinkle in a little holiday magic in a dreamy winter wonderland setting and you have yourself one feel-good read to cozy up with for the holiday season.

Thank you to Sarah Morgan, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book for an honest review.

The Book Club Hotel centers on four women, all at a pivotal time, each of their lives intersecting at the Maple Sugar Inn in Vermont.

Twenty-eight-year-old Hattie is running the Maple Sugar Inn by herself and barely getting by. It was her late husband’s dream to renovate and run the beautiful Vermont inn, but with his tragic death, Hattie feels like she’s drowning while trying to raise their five-year-old daughter on her own.

Erica, Claudia, and Anna, best friends since college, have their yearly vacation book club meeting and Erica has chosen the Maple Sugar Inn as their meet up. This is very unlike Erica, who usually wants a 5-star hotel, not a quaint, picturesque inn, but there’s more to that story.

Anna’s eighteen-year-old twins are gearing up to go to college and she’s so very sad, already missing them. She’s been a stay-at-home mom so she’s not sure what’s next.

Claudia not only parted from her boyfriend of ten years, but she’s also just been laid off. Since then, she hasn’t wanted to look at a recipe, much less find another job as a chef.

The Book Club Hotel was so lovely and heartwarming! When Hattie, Erica, Anna, and Claudia meet up, each are struggling a bit, and I felt for each character! I was moved to see them help and support each other. There’s a bit of romance for three of the four characters as well, which was just icing on the cake for me. The Maple Sugar Inn sounded like a dreamy winter wonderland, a magical place to sort out troubles!

I also thought it was fun they were reading a Catherine Swift novel for their book club, since she was one of the main characters in Morgan’s previous book, The Island Villa.

I look forward to every new Sarah Morgan book and The Book Club Hotel didn’t disappoint! It was an uplifting story that filled my heart with joy! A definite recommend!

The Book Club Hotel is a story of friendship, women supporting women, and a bookish getaway.

Three college friends have a long tradition of meeting once a year for “book club” at a lovely resort hotel. This year is a bit different because the organizer chooses the cozy Maple Sugar Inn in Vermont. The owner and manager of the inn becomes acquainted with the three friends and shares their love of books. Soon their lives become intertwined in unexpected ways.

Who dreams of a wintry week with your best friends at a cozy, historic Vermont inn that features gourmet meals and a well-stocked library?

During my reading experience, I pictured the cozy and charming Dragonfly Inn of Gilmore Girls fame! If you love snow, hot chocolate, warm blankets, and rural country inns, you will appreciate the setting. Of course, the cozy inn has a library!

In alternating chapters, we hear from the three friends and the hotel manager. Each is around the same age (40) and has unique life circumstances. Claudia is a chef who is experiencing a recent breakup and unemployment; Anna is a happily married, stay-at-home mom of young adult twins; Erica is a high-powered businesswoman with a mystery to solve; and Hattie is a widow, a mother of a five-year-old daughter, and the owner and manager of the Maple Sugar Inn. It’s a bit of a mystery to her friends why Erica has chosen this particular rural Inn in snowy Vermont. When Hattie has difficulty with her staff, the three friends offer their unique expertise. In a story told from four perspectives, readers will find much to love about these relatable characters.

I love strong themes of women supporting women and friendship. If you do as well, you will enjoy the multilayered storylines in The Book Club Hotel. Other thoughtful themes include new beginnings, the empty nest, sister relationships, family secrets, grief, career women, and a sweet side of romance.

Overall, The Book Club Hotel is an engaging read that fans of Sarah Morgan will definitely enjoy. Readers who appreciate warmhearted stories featuring strong women will find much to love here. Bookclubs will also find this discussable.

Thanks #NetGalley @HarperCollins @HTP_Books #CanaryStreetPress for a complimentary e ARC of #TheBookClubHotel upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC.

Hattie Colman, the sole owner of Maple Tree Inn, is struggling with the loss of her husband and how to move forward in life and love. Three friends from childhood, Erica, Claudia, and Anna, choose the Maple Tree Inn as their book club getaway trip - right before Christmas. With the three of them, comes a lot of baggage (figuratively) as they are all at turning points in their lives - kids going to college, settling down, broken relationships, job changes, etc. What ensues is a sweet story of lives intertwining and women supporting women.

I'm not going to lie... with a Sarah Morgan novel, I expected more (much more) romance. This is a much more tame novel of women taking control of their lives and supporting each other. It was a quick read, although I wasn't crazy about the four different points of view. The Christmas setting was nice. I'd love to visit an inn like Maple Tree Inn. I recommend, as long as you know what you're getting into.

Erica, Claudia and Anna have been friends since college. They get together every year for a book club meeting. This year they missed their summer retreat so they decided to get together at Christmas. They book a quaint hotel called The Maple Sugar Inn. But, Erica has a big secret she is not sharing.

Hattie is a single mom and owner of The Maple Sugar Inn. She knew immediately who Erica was when she showed up at her Inn. But, things do not go as well as she expected.

I have read Sarah Morgan’s Christmas books for years and this is her best one yet! And I am trying really hard not to give away a spoiler. But y’all need to read this! Trust me…it will put you in a fabulous mood for Christmas. The quaint inn, the wonderful library, the great characters all create a festive tale!

Need an adorable Christmas novel for the book lover…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The Book Club Hotel by Sara Morgan is a cozy read with a charming inn, good food, friends, a book club, a precocious child, and holiday cheer. I found The Book Club Hotel to be easy to read. We get to meet a group of people who are realistic and relatable. The story is told from alternating points of view. It is easy to differentiate between each voice. I loved the Maple Sugar Inn which is brimming with coziness and charm. It is the type of place you do not want to leave. There is a small town nearby that provides a large circle of friends (a family) for Hattie and her daughter. There is a bookshop where I could spend hours browsing and reading. I liked how close Erica, Clauda, and Anna were. They had been friends since college. They were there for each other through the good and the bad. Of course, they can only help if you share what is bothering you. One of them has a secret and she will need her friends when the truth comes to light. There is some romance as well. I like that the story had little angst (you do not want too much drama in a holiday story). I did feel that the story was a tad long (368 pages). The Book Club Hotel is a good book to read on a rainy or snowy afternoon while nestled in a comfy chair with a cup of hot chocolate and a soft blanket. The Book Club Hotel is a heartfelt tale with loving friends, a surprising secret, a precocious child, an appealing inn, fantastic food, and a happy holiday.

Set in Vermont, perfect for a sweet Christmas story to fill your heart with friendship, family and lots of love.  The hotel that Hattie runs - the Maple Sugar Inn, is there perfect setting, its the kind of place that guests are welcomed and cared for.

Three women come to stay a week at the Maple Sugar Inn, and as the first chapter was told from Hattie's point of view and I felt I was just getting to know her, I resented then having to stop and meet each of the women and get some of their back story.

But the resentment didn't hang around for that long as they reached the Inn and soon became part of the life there. Each has a story and present day challenge and it's just wonderful to see each of them grapple with those challenges and reach resolution. Of course a small five year old has quite a hand in what goes down.

So if you are wanting a delightful story, set in Vermont, characters that worm your way into your heart and eventually all reaching their "happy ever afters" pick up this one.

The perfect feel-good cozy read for the Christmas season.
I'll be recommending this one to anyone overwhelmed due to the holiday season.
Plus, the cover is so pretty.

My first Christmas book of 2023!! And it was a total winner.

Have you ever dreamed of taking a vacation with your best girlfriends and relaxing, drinking wine and talking about books? What could be better?

Erica, Claudia and Anna are college friends who take a trip like this every year. This year they check out the Maple Sugar Inn in Vermont. Each of them have their own problems they try to check out from while away. But nothing is better than talking things out with your besties so they soon help each other.

They also meet the innkeeper and her young daughter who are struggling to make the business successful after the tragic death of her husband. The ladies can’t help but get to work and help Hattie too. This was such a sweet book and the perfect start to holiday reading.

Thank you so much @canarystreetpress @htpbooks and @sarahmorganwrites for my gifted copy. If you enjoy hallmark Christmas movies, this book is perfect for you.

Vermont - Present Day

For Hattie Coleman, a young widow with a five-year-old daughter, the Maple Sugar Inn is not only her home, but it's her responsibility since her husband's tragic death. She is struggling to keep it afloat, and with a full booking for the holidays, things are stressful. With an overbearing housekeeper who bullies Hattie more than working for her, and a testy, but very popular chef, Hattie is finding her life spiraling out of control. And now her chef has walked out!

Despite the difficulties, Hattie still greets her customers warmly, wondering how she will find a chef. When her housekeeper starts attacking her again over how Hattie's husband wouldn't approve of decisions she's made, Hattie fires the woman. This happens just as three women arrive for a week, hoping to enjoy the classic inn, and have their annual book club get together.

Erica is a top executive who has always put her work first. Raised by a single mother when her father deserted them at Erica's birth, she has learned not to rely on anyone, not to let her emotions show, and to be wary of commitment. But she is also at the inn for a separate reason that she hasn't revealed to her friends.

Claudia has just been dumped by her boyfriend of ten years, and has lost her chef's job in California. Unsure of what her future brings, she is hoping for a week with her friends, and to recover, if possible, from all of the hurt she's going through. Claudia used to love cooking, but is considering finding another way to make a living.

For Anna, being away from home during the Christmas season is difficult. Especially since her twins will soon be flying the nest as they move on to college. Anna has always relished being a mother, and caring for her family. She and her husband, Pete, are the envy of Erica and Claudia who think of them as the perfect couple. But are they as happy as they seem?

THE BOOK CLUB HOTEL is a sweet, emotionally packed story of four women coming together at stressful parts of their lives. Will they be able to help each other through their various issues? The Maple Sugar Inn is a magical place, especially during the holiday season - will that magic cure their woes?

The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan is an amazing, moving, emotional tale that focuses on friendship, families, belonging and love. Written using multiple POVs, giving insight into each of the four main women in the story, lives and thoughts, how they all intertwined, and getting to see their own challenges and journeys. This is a story of three friends, nearing forty, who met in college and have maintained their friendship since. Each year they get together for a week, discuss a chosen book, as well as catching up on each other’s lives. Events in their lives moved this year’s summer adventure to December and Erica booked a quaint inn, in Vermont, with all the holiday feels of a Christmas. Claudia and Anna are overjoyed with the Maple Sugar Inn but wonder why Erica has chosen this place; it’s quite unlike her. Each friend is dealing with life changing issues that the others are unaware of, but as each dilemma is revealed, the true meaning of friendship carries them through. Hattie is the Maple Sugar Inn's owner and is dealing with issues of her own; shortly after opening the inn her husband died in a freak accident. She is now struggling to keep his dream alive while dealing with temperamental staff and the stresses that go along with running the inn on her own, while also raising her five year old daughter, Delphi. When more crises develop and she is at her breaking point, Erica, Anna and Claudia step up to help. Secrets are revealed, new bonds are made, friendships develop, a found family is created and love is discovered; having been there all along. This is a wonderful story with amazing characters that will make you wish you belonged to their book club.

Ms. Morgan wrote a story that illustrated the soul and growth of her characters. I loved this wonderful, heartwarming, humorous tale of friendships, family and romance. A lovely, cozy, holiday read, I highly recommend The Book Club Hotel to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

The Book Club Hotel was such a fun women's friendship holiday book set at an amazing inn in Vermont. I liked each of the 4 women's stories and while there was a little romance, this book was more about personal growth and friendship.

The December setting and talking about Christmas was enough for me to get into the holiday spirit but I wouldn't necessarily call this a holiday book.

If you love women's fiction check out The Book Club Hotel!

This was a cozy Christmas-y read with nice characters who have all in one way or another found solace through reading. All four of these women - Erica, Claudia, Anna and Hattie - are all at watershed moments of their lives. They're four different women who have all chosen very different paths yet I couldn't help but feel connected with each one of them.

The setting could not be more gorgeous. My only complaint is that I wish Maple Sugar Inn really existed. Between the Christmas trees and the library and all the other details it sounds like the absolute perfect place to spend a holiday.

This is a cozy story about found family and facing change while finding out what you really want and it made for a delightful read. This book just demands a cozy chair, a fluffy blanket, a nice hot mug of tea (or maybe hot chocolate), and a crackling fire.

It's September now and even though it's still very warm in many places, you can cool off with a Christmas themed-book and Sarah Morgan's charming The Book Club Hotel is a great place to start.

Hattie is a 28 year-old widowed mom of a five year-old daughter and owner of the Sugar Maple Inn in a small town in Vermont. Christmas season is upon her and while the inn is full, Hattie is feeling overwhelmed. Her head housekeeper gives her constant grief, and the celebrity chef her late husband hired has an ego and temper that makes the kitchen an unhappy place to be.

Three 40-year old best friends- Erica, Anna and Claudia- are planning their annual Book Club Hotel week at the Maple Sugar Inn this year. Erica, a hard-charging workaholic consultant, chose the Maple Sugar Inn this year for their week, surprising Anna and Claudia, as she usually wants to stay at a big city hotel.

Anna is dreading becoming an empty-nester when her twin son and daughter head off to college next year. Claudia is blindsided by her live-in boyfriend of ten years when he leaves her for a younger woman, and then she loses her job as a chef.

Sarah Morgan draws the reader right into these characters lives, we want to know more about them. Hattie is attracted to her handsome and kind neighbor Noah, who would love nothing more than to become Hattie's boyfriend. Anna needs to find a way to cope with her sad feelings, and Claudia's has to figure out where she goes from here.

We gather that Erica is hiding the true the reason why she chose the Maple Sugar Inn, but readers should be able to figure it out before it is revealed (or her friends figure it out).

Many readers will relate to the longtime friendship of the three women, how they care about each other and know each other so well. We can also relate to the stage of life they are in.

The description of the Maple Sugar Inn sounds so charming that I wanted to immediately go online and book a holiday week. I especially want to spend time in Hattie's library, it sounds so cozy.

My only criticism of this delightful novel is that since Sarah is a British author, she uses many words and phrases that Americans don't. While Hattie is British and would use words like range cooker for stove, advert for ad, and tv presenter for tv personality, Erica, Anna and Claudia are Americans and would not use those words. It can be a bit jarring.

I loved The Book Club Hotel, and I plan on picking up more of Sarah Morgan's novels. It's a wonderful book club choice for the holiday season, and the descriptions of food had me nearly drooling. It would be fun to recreate some of the recipes for a book club meeting. I highly recommend The Book Club Hotel.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2023 Blog Tours.

What a charming and insightful book! The story of widow Hattie Coleman who runs the Maple Sugar Inn and her dynamic meeting of three lifelong friends is one that was memorable, bringing tears to my eyes as the four women learn to live life in the best way as friends. Erica, Anna and Claudia are friends and each year take a trip together to discuss a book. This year, instead of their usual summer trip, they plan a Christmastime trip to a rural inn, complete with snow and hot chocolate and all of the decorations that anyone could want to have. The town near the inn is picture perfect and is a magnificent backdrop to the inn itself and the drama that unfolds in the lives of these young women. This is the first book that I have read by Sarah Morgan and I am a totally enraptured new reader of her style and the way she drew me into the story, making me second guess as what some of the surprising outcomes would be. I really enjoyed getting to know the three friends, but my favorite was Hattie because she is a strong and vulnerable young woman who has had to overcome many challenges, not the least of which is being a widowed mother of a young, intuitive girl. Delphi, the child, made the story sing with realism as she added her loving wisdom to some of the most dramatic scenes. The story was well-paced, engaging and a winsome look at how all of us would like our friendships to be. I loved the realistic characterization that let me know the real hearts of the main characters and the setting was a place that I would like to step into and visit. My first book by Sarah Morgan will definitely not be my last as I sped through this novel and enjoyed every minute I spent getting to know the characters and the places that they hold dear. The themes of friendship and being willing to step out of your comfort zone are evident and well portrayed in this delightful and winsomely magical book.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

The owner of the Maple Sugar Inn is Hattie, a tired, widowed mother. When a trio of book club friends to stay, her life takes a new turn as she finds her story is intertwined with theirs.

This would be a good resort read (instead of beach since it takes place in winter). It has that easy to read, lightness while still tackling deeper meaning.