I couldn’t put this down once I started reading and I finished it the same day. I loved all the twists and turns with the different characters. It has deceit, infidelity, blackmail and murder. Abby is the main character, who owns the Saltside B&B with her husband Mark and quickly became my favorite. Her level of patience and planning is impressive and I became invested in seeing her come out on top. Chelsea’s character, the teenage daughter of the family staying at the B&B, was the most unexpected and shocking for me with the “Bad Seed” vibes. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to read more by this author Emily Shiner.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in return for my voluntary and honest review. #TheHotel #Netgalley

Abby knew her husband was hiding something, she knew he had a secret, she just needed to figure out what it was (or did she?). The book starts off immediately, you know there is a problem with Abby and Marks B&B, you just don’t know what or how bad things are. It took me a bit to get into the story, but once the guests arrive at the B&B things start moving. I wanted to know what the secret was, and what was going to happen. I had it figured out on my own, I just didn’t know how it was going to work out. The middle, the end - I had no idea. I can’t put my finger what threw this book off for me, but I don’t feel it is a 5-star, but it’s definitely a 4. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy to read and review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Based on some reviews I read before starting I really had higher expectations for this book.
It was good, it just wasn’t great.
I really enjoyed the overall story but I found the twist too predictable, and the characters not quite likeable.

I will definitely check out more by Emily in the future because I really did enjoy her writing style, this book just wasn’t my favourite.

Atmospheric, hostile, claustrophobic, chilling… Maine’s cliffs in winter are the setting of this twisty thriller where nothing is as it seems and everyone has an agenda. The story is primarily told by Abby, owner of a clifftop B&B, though we also hear from her husband Mark and the three strangers who reserve a long and exclusive stay. As inconsistencies start to emerge and motives become apparent, the reader is taken on a rollercoaster ride.

I particularly liked the way that the location was so integral to the story and took on its own personality. The small cast of characters held my attention, and the short chapters which often ended in a cliffhanger kept me up at night needing to find out what happened next. Emily Shiner is the queen of the slow reveals!

I wish I had felt a bit more invested in Abby - perhaps because of the different voices throughout there wasn’t quite enough space for the main character to develop into someone I could really root for. I also felt that the ending was a little rushed, but the final pages were a delicious final twist.

All in all, I’d recommend this book for those looking for a twisty tale with a vividly described setting and an abundance of unreliable narrators. I will seek out Emily Shiner’s first novel and would be eager to see what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for sharing an ARC of this atmospheric thriller with me. Publication date: 7 Sep.

This was too slow to hold my interest. A lot weird behaviour by everyone and none of it really made sense. Abby was so annoying.
I dnf'ed.

I saved this book to read while vacationing in Maine for obvious reasons! The story started off slow but quickly picked up and was full of drama! I love a good revenge novel and this seemed to have it all. Great characters, great plot, twists, turns, and suspense. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The hotel by Emily shiner is a quick paced thriller novel with some twists and turns.

Abby and Mark are a picture perfect couple who own a bed and breakfast in remote Oyster, Maine. Though margins have been tight lately, Abby has an idea for a way to boost their profits with a promotional advertisement. To her surprise, a family books the entire b&b for three weeks before the end of the year. What she doesn’t know, however, are the secrets hiding behind the reason for the booking.

I enjoyed this book, though some of the reveals were not as surprising as they were meant to be. There was a fair bit I was able to guess. The characters seemed likable at first, and then by the end I wasn’t as fond of them. The only completely blameless character was the baby, and I hated that his safety was put at risk, especially as I have my own two year old. It did heighten the tension, and increased my reading speed, but it also made me very anxious. Overall, 3 stars for this thriller.

Quite good for the first half but then I feel it really dragged and it was quite obvious what was going on. The premise was great but unfortunately none of the characters were particularly pleasant and the story become more and more far fetched when it got past the half way point. I ended up racing through to see what happened at the end.

Sadly The Hotel didn't quite work for me.

The premise is intriguing at first glance: Abby and Mark own a secluded B&B and are struggling financially. They're delighted when the Rowes book the whole place out during the winter - this should be a real opportunity for them and their young child. The only problem is that everyone's keeping secrets...

Ultimately, for me, this premise was simply too thin to sustain a whole story. I guessed the core secret early on, which informs everything else. The characters aren't particularly likeable, no one ever has a decent conversation/confrontation and it's all dragged out a bit. There is a decent level of tension but it left me with a desire to rush through rather than savour the moment. Sorry to say that this wasn't the holiday blockbuster I was looking for. Some of the right elements were there, but simply missing a level of depth that turns a thriller into a must-read.

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book to review)
******************************************************

As we welcome the Rowe family to our beautiful clifftop hotel, a shadow passes over my husband’s face. At that moment I see my husband is hiding a terrible secret. Has he put us all in danger?

Mark and I pride ourselves on giving visitors to our hotel, high on the rugged Maine cliffs with views of the ocean, a vacation they won’t forget. But the Rowes are strangely over-familiar when they arrive with their teenage daughter. The wife puts a hand on Mark’s forearm and her husband meets my eyes with a knowing look as I hold my little son tight. They gush that they loved their previous stay here… But I’m certain I’ve never seen them before.

Mark reassures me that the Rowes are just being friendly. We have so many visitors, maybe we forgot meeting them. When I am locked in the master bedroom for over an hour, he later soothes my panic and says it was just an accident. But I know one of the Rowes was out in the hallway listening to me cry for help. I hear one of them whispering a lullaby to my baby on his monitor. I cannot trust these people.

But as the relentless icy rain gives way to the biggest blizzard of the season and we become cut off, I realize my son and I are trapped. Mark knows more about the Rowes than he’s letting on. I’ll do anything to protect my gorgeous baby boy. But how far will I have to go, to keep him safe?

I liked this book but at times its use of flowery language made me laugh (gorgeous baby boy? Too gushy.) But overall, it wasn’t a bad mystery-thriller. Nothing to write home about, but nonetheless enjoyable and I am sure that my domestic-thriller-fan kind of patrons will enjoy it: for me, it was a solid middle-of-the-road kind of book as it took too long to get to the point. Way too long: I kept waiting for something to happen and it did not.
#shortbutsweetreviews

Great twists throughout the entire book - definitely held my attention until the last page. I read this within 2 days! (My only thought is - why is it called "The Hotel" when it takes place at a B&B?) I highly recommend this book and will be reading more from this author! Quick paced and never boring.

An isolated hotel overlooking a cliff cut off from from the world during a snowstorm. When the hosts and guests are trapped together and secrets threaten to come to light tensions rise and dangers escalate.

This should have been right up my alley but unfortunately it was a miss for me. There was definitely potential though and I do think there is an audience for it. My biggest issue was with the characters. They were all incredibly unlikeable and unhinged in an odd over dramatic way.

One moment that really stuck out to me in early on in the novel was when the guests are driving up to the B&B and the mother starts panicking to herself about how the balconies are icy and someone could easily fall and how she should have warned her daughter about it. But, the whole family is still in the car.. She could say something right then and there, it’s not something to freak out about. (Also the icy balconies never even come into play.) That’s just one example of the baffling melodramatic behavior these characters exhibit throughout the novel. I wondered if there was a dark humor we were supposed to read into (maybe it was supposed to be satire??) but that wasn’t the impression I got.

About a quarter in, I decided to overlook the characters and just follow what was happening in the story. The actual plot and twists and turns were pretty fun. Was there some conflicting elements through the character povs and some plots holes? Yes there was. Putting everything aside, it had it’s entertaining moments.

I think I would recommend this to someone who is looking for something quick to read while traveling, who enjoys some melodrama and who likes a fast paced suspense mystery that can be read in one sitting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The entire time I read this book, all I could think was “what I’m the world is happening?” This book had so many twists and unknowns. I don’t think I predicted anything correctly.
I found myself rooting for Abby, but I’m not sure by the end if I should have?
Whatever the case, this book was a really good and quick read!

This book follows a husband and wife who own a B&B in a small town in Maine. While struggling financially Abby decides to promote the B&B offering a discount to entice bookings. That’s when the Rowe family show up and not everything is as it seems. Everything falls apart as a huge snowstorm hits the city and everyone is crammed in the house together, secrets and all.

What I loved:
✔️Small town vibes
✔️Multiple POVs
✔️Urgency to solve what’s happening
✔️Unreliable narrators

This book was great! I was hooked on the edge of my seat throughout the story. The author did a great job capturing my interest. What I enjoyed about it was the slow burn throughout the story that kept my interest. I was always asking myself “what’s going on?”

The story definitely had a feeling of an incline that something big was going to happen and the last portion of the book was very exciting and I couldn’t stop reading to see how it ended.

The ending was something I couldn’t see coming. I had my own theories leading up to it but when everything came to light I was blown away!

I was gifted this ARC copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and had no obligation to post a review.

#thehotel #emilyshiner @netgalley #advancedreaderscopy #ARC #TBR #neverendingbooks #bookaddict

A deliciously addictive book by Emily Shiner starts up slow and then crescends to who can you trust. So full of characters you absolutely love to hate. Whilst reading you have no idea what is true or what isn't which just adds to the fun. This was an afternoon read as I just had to finish and then bereft until my next one.

I was given an advance copy by bookoutre and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

Absolutely amazing! I read it in one night.... and I do literally mean I stayed up all night reading it and have absolutely no regrets! It's got plenty twists and turns. The characters are well written and it's not obvious where the story is going fronlm the start so i was desperate to see how it would all play out. Absolutely brilliant thriller

I found this a bit slow to start with but once it ramped up I absolutely loved it. This has characters you will love to hate, lots of twists and a great reveal.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Hotel. This took me a looooong time to get happy that I was reading this book But when it finally clicked in after almost 50%, I did NOT WANT IT TO END!!!! This is the second book I read by Emily Shiner, what is up with these youngsters????? What a story this turned out to be! I really liked the heroine, WOW what a planner she was. Stick with it, even if you might struggle, you will be very happy with the twists.

This book hooked me from page 1! I guessed a little of what happened but definitely not all of it! Everyone needs to read this one!

The Hotel
Emily Shiner
☆☆☆☆☆
9/7/23
Bookouture

Mark and Abby run a hotel in a gorgeous yet secluded area. Abby takes care of the finances and notices the hotel isn't doing as well as it used to. To remedy this, Abby and Mark decide to run an anniversary deal on booking at the hotel. The guests who show up though, will make them question how good of an idea they had.

I loved the descriptive language in this book, it painted crisp and clear pictures in my mind. The pace of the story was consistent and fantastic, pulling me in and keeping a tight hold on me. It only got better the farther I progressed, to the point where I struggled to put it down to get back to work! This is a great book, and it's one I would definitely purchase a physical copy of for my bookshelf.

Thank you to Bookouture for approving me to read this through netgalley!

Snag this breathtaking thriller on or after 9/7/23 for a crazy ride!

#netgalleyarc #thehotel #emilyshiner #bookouture #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreader #readeveryday