The Hitchcock Hotel follows the story of a man who, down on his luck after expulsion from college, works his way to a dream of owning an Alfred Hitchcock themed hotel. Can you say creative?
On the one year anniversary of the hotel’s opening, he invites his college friends to stay for a weekend reunion that ends in catastrophe. Eerie!
The characters were complex, with fleshed out personalities and deep histories both together and as individuals. The story pacing was slow but it worked with reveals being just when they needed to be.
I’m not a huge Hitchcock fan, but I loved all the references and the idea of this.
The Hitchcock Hotel builds the suspense and slowly builds up the terror. This is a good mystery novel. I enjoyed it!
Expected publication date: 9/24/24
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley publishing for the ARC of The Hitchcock Hotel in exchange for an honest review.

The title and cover caught my eye and being a fan of Hitchcock, I knew I had to read this. I loved the setting in this book. I could picture the old hotel, the creaky floors, and the creepy vibe the whole place gave off. When you add in the owner, who is mysterious and a bit creepy himself, you get this suspense-filled thriller. This book is reminiscent of Hitchcock’s films. Tension that builds, characters you can’t trust and so many plot twists.

The characters each carry their own dark secrets, and they are slowly revealed throughout the story. By the end, everything is wide open, and tragedy has struck. Unfortunately, I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. It was interesting to see how all their secrets ended up connecting in some way, but I just feel like there could have been more to them. When things started falling apart for them, I didn’t really care because I felt nothing for any of them. They all seemed like phony friends. The rest was great. Wrobel did a wonderful job with the Hitchcockian vibes in the book and even mentioned a few of his movies. Despite the character issues, it was still an enjoyable read for me because I’m already a fan of Hitchcock and I can appreciate everything else the author put into this book. If I was given the chance to reserve a room at the Hitchcock Hotel, I’d be all over it!

I have been a fan of Stephanie Wrobel ever since _Darling Rose Gold_. She has a way of taking the most bizarre storylines and turning them into entertaining books that are clever and funny and truly enjoyable. For the most part, I felt exactly the same about _The Hitchcock Hotel_. As a fan of Hitchcock's films myself, I loved the whole vibe of creating a hotel as an homage to his work.

Wrobel channeled Hitchcock's storytelling style in a way that is both a tribute to the legendary filmmaker and also all her own at the same time. It was clear from the outset how carefully she was constructing this story. Alfred is downright creepy, as he's meant to be, and the other characters are obnoxious and insufferable. They slide right into the tropes that Hitchcock often gave his characters, but Wrobel also gave them depth and three-dimensional stories.

I had one major problem with the book, though, which has to do with the first major twist that comes along and concerns Alfred. Taking the whole book into account, the twist was brilliant. Again, Wrobel did exactly what Hitch would have done, and she leaves readers running to catch up.

But I feel like the twist came way, way too early. Wrobel does such a phenomenal job of setting up Alfred's character that I kept expecting him to jump out and scare the living daylights out of the other characters later. When the second twist happens -- again, brilliantly plotted -- the first twist made way more sense. It just, in my opinion, came at the wrong time.

Regardless, as I said Stephanie Wrobel is brilliant. I can't wait to read her next book. Her novels don't fall into any single neat category, and I think that's one of the things I love the most about them. This one is good all the way around.

Alfred Smettle owns and operates an inn that is completely dedicated to Alfred Hitchcock, thus dubbing it, "The Hitchcock Hotel". While it has had its share of customers, Alfred decides to host his dear friends from college, in hopes of putting the hotel on the map. Alfred invites his former friends, all of which are hesitant to visit. The group agrees to stay for a long weekend, and mysterious things begin to happen to the guests. As tensions rise and more secrets are discovered, will anyone leave alive?

The Hitchcock Hotel was a solid 4 stars from me, and I was hooked from start to finish. The pacing of the book was fun, and it easily kept me chugging along. I love a locked room-esq mystery, and this delivered the perfect setting.


Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC!

I had read “Darling Rose Gold” by this same author and enjoyed it quite a bit and was excited to try The Hitchcock Hotel.” While I didn’t enjoy as much as the previous novel, I still had a good time!

The novel held my attention and gave me a few twists I didn’t see coming, but toward the end everything seemed to get a little convoluted. The e characters also left me a little cold-I couldn’t even really picture Alfred, the main character, in my head though I’m sure a description was given somewhere that I missed. All of the characters were also sort of nasty-I had a hard time believing any of them would actually ever be friends with each other since they all seemed to secretly despise each other.

On the whole, though, the mystery kept me intrigued and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. I will definitely keep reading Stephanie Wrobel!

This book was so creepy! I was sucked in from the start on what Alfred had planned for his former friends. I was intrigued by the dynamic of all of them together. There was clearly a lot of tension and issues they had with each other. Then everything did a 180 and I had no clue what to expect. The ending kept me on the edge of my seat and I never saw the final twist coming.

This read like a classic whodunnit full of unreliable characters, misleading encounters, spooky tension, and a truly ominous setting.

The Hitchcock Hotel follows the story of a man who, down on his luck after expulsion from college, works his way to a dream of owning an Alfred Hitchcock themed hotel. On the one year anniversary of the hotel’s opening, he invites his college friends to stay for a weekend reunion that ends in catastrophe.

I had so much fun with this story. Every POV was met with revelations, ideas and contradicting thoughts and motives, until the bottom falls out of the weekend with a murder. Who had the motive to kill? Where were you at midnight? What was that sound on the third floor? With every page turned, you are hit with another doozy. Chapters left in bold statements that physically keep you from putting this book down.

This was an absurdly fun ride in the likes of Freida McFadden with a twist at the end that will leave you saying “what did I just read?” Paced wonderfully and unputdownable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the pre-release copy of The Hitchcock Hotel. It was a fun ride! Below is my honest review.

What a super fun mystery novel! I loved the theme and the atmosphere. Hitchcock might not have been the best guy, but his movies were always top notch, and this novel really captured that style and modernized it.

The characters were complex, with fleshed out personalities and deep histories both together and as individuals. The story was paced well, with reveals being just when they needed to be. And while I guessed a bit of the twist, the ending still got me on some of the major points, which is hard for mysteries to do for me anymore, so I was thrilled!

All in all, really fun, great characters, great atmosphere, great pacing, great story. Highly recommended.

I am a huge Alfred Hitchcock fan, so when this came up I jumped to read it! Luckily I was approved because I was ready to offer my first born for the chance! lol
This was such a fun book! I hope something similar opens, I'll be the first customer! The references were fantastic, and there are some minor spoilers, but if you haven't watched the movies yet that's on you, you've had plenty of time!
Alfred Smettle opens a hotel entirely dedicated to Hitchcock. He's the slightly odd man out of a group of six from college. You know the kind, he doesn't quite fit in, but he's always there and loyal. He invites the other five for a reunion to celebrate the one year anniversary. His friends reluctantly show up but aren't quite thrilled. None of these characters are likeable, including Alfred. Though honestly that makes no difference to me. Just when you figure it out another twist shows up! Pour yourself a glass of milk and enjoy :D

Thank you to Stephanie Wrobel and Berkley Publishing for my copy of this book! It was about a group of friends all meeting for a reunion weekend at a hotel that one of them recently opened. Alfred is the founder, owner, and manager of the Hitchcock hotel, a victorian mansion dedicated to Alfred Hitchcock himself. There are movie props, constant movie showings, and even an aviary full of crows.

To celebrate the first anniversary of the hotel, Alfred invites his former friends from Film Club for a reunion. Even though he hasn’t spoken tot hem in sixteen years, he knows they will come. How could they not after what the did to him? And Alfred isn’t one to forgive or forget. The weekend will end as any good Hickcock film does, with a dead body.

Thoughts: The premise of this book was so much fun. I’m not a huge Hitchcock fan,but I loved all the references and the idea of this hotel. Alfred is horrible, as well as all the other characters actually were. It’s hard to root for any of them, especially once you learn about each of their pasts. They are all so self-righteous, and there are no characters you want to escape unscathed.

The concept and plot of this book are amazing, however the story was very underwhelming. I wanted her to go much darker, but it was all very Scooby Doo and surface level. The reveal was so obvious and there were far too many things that just seemed to fall into place. 3-stars for this one.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. The ending was good and was a nice plot twist, but the rest of the book I couldn’t get into it.

“What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out” - Alfred Hitchcock

I had high hopes for The Hitchcock Hotel as I had enjoyed Wrobel’s debut Darling Rose Gold and was intrigued by this plot and creepy book cover. What transpired was a a slog of a read until the halfway mark. Wrobel should have paid more attention to Hitchcock’s writing methods because the dull bits needed to be cut out.

I don’t particularly enjoy books about college age protagonists, and the first half the book was spent introducing the six main characters ad nauseum. None of them are very sympathetic so I didn’t really have anyone to get behind. While some of this explanation is necessary for the plot, the simple writing didn’t work for me, causing me to contemplate not finishing the book.

However, I persevered and was pleasantly surprised with the second half of the book. The mystery was clever, included many red herrings, and twists and turns. I did guess the big twist, but maybe that is because I read a lot of books in this genre. I give the first half 2.5 stars and the second half 3.75 stars.

Warning: This book includes spoilers for many of Hitchcock’s films!

3.25/5 stars rounded down

Expected publication date: 9/24/24

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley publishing for the ARC of The Hitchcock Hotel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super fun read, full of lots of twists and thrills, and even some laugh out loud moments. I loved the clever play on Hitchocockian themed and would totally love to stay in a hotel like this— murder mystery aside!

OH MY.

I just finished reading The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel, which I received early thanks to Net Galley and the publisher, and it was fantastic.

The Hitchcock Hotel is a mystery that'll keep you guessing. Alfred, a fan of Hitchcock who was named after the director, invites his college friends to his Alfred Hitchcock themed hotel. Right from the start, you know he's up to something. You know his friends are not his friends anymore. They share a past. Alfred is up to no good. Things go downhill throughout the book.

I won't say anymore about the plot. I don't want to give away any of the twists and turns. I did not see the final reveals coming though. This book is not all what I predicted. It kept me guessing. It kept me in suspense. This book felt very much like an Alfred Hitchcock inspired movie. Here's hoping someone turns it into one because it would be wonderful.

Stephanie Wrobel is an excellent writer. She gets into the heads of all of the characters and you feel like you are apart of the story. What'll happen next? I did not want to put this book down.

I also loved the Hitchcock references. Not all of them are spelled out. Many of them are, but there are some subtle ones too. I'm sure I didn't catch them all because I haven't seen every Hitchcock movie. I have seen a few of them though and he's one of my favorite directors. So yes, thats another reason I loved The Hitchcock Hotel.

Overall, The Hitchcock Hotel builds the suspense and slowly builds up the terror. This is an excellent mystery novel. I enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you to the publisher Berkley and Net Galley for providing a digital copy of this book for review. The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel releases on September 24th, 2024.

I quite enjoyed this book! A thriller, whodunnit, dual-timeline Hitchcockian banger. Rope is my favorite Hitchcock film and this story was a nice companion to it. If you like a character-focused mystery and are familiar with Hitchcock I would recommend this for sure.

“Let us begin with an establishing shot. ”
Here are reasons to read the Thriller book:

Themed Hotel - Alfred has always been a huge Hitchcock fan. So he creates a hotel experience based around the director.
College Friends - For his one year anniversary, he invites his college friends for a free weekend experience
Secrets - But there are a lot of secrets in this group - as usual
One less - and this weekend ends with one less friend

While this book does come out for another month, I love this author and the theme, so I was super excited to read it. And it did not disappoint. In fact, it left me wanting to do a re-watch of some Hitchcock films. The book is very fast paced, and you never know who or what to expect. It is different from her other body horror books and is not that graphic. But if you are a fan of that Hitchcock suspense, you can get it here.

If you're a Hitchcock enthusiast, this book is a must read.
The story is cold, cunning and calculated, much like the master himself. There are devious characters doing devious things. Secrets upon secrets and plenty of on the edge of your seat mystery and suspense. And, despite all this, I'm actually upset the Hitchcock Hotel isn't real because I wouldn't absolutely stay there-crazy characters and all.

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

[Snack-Size Review] The Hitchcock Hotel, by Stephanie Wrobel

Quick Bite: The Breakfast Club, but it’s 20 years later and they are all trying to kill each other.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

What It’s About: Alfred Smettle was a loner, a loser obsessed with Alfred Hitchcock, when he finally found his people - a group of five other students who became his best friends and chosen family. But everyone is messy in their early 20’s, and hurts, betrayals, and one [spoiler] all happen senior year. Now it’s 16 years later, and Alfred has opened the Hitchcock Hotel, a B&B themed around his hero. What better place for a reunion, and maybe some revenge?

A Word From The Nerd: There are going to be thousands of reviews comparing this book to some of Hitch’s classics, and deservedly so. Lots of secrets, backstabbing, unlikeable characters, and one final-act twist that explains everything. I felt like the pacing was just a little too uneven though, too much held back and hinted at for too long. But that final quarter made the long journey worth it.

The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and literally any one of the meals at the hotel, they all sounded amazing.)

Now thissssss is how you do locked room mystery. Every character sucks and it makes it SO much better because it heightens your suspicions and anyone could be the killer.

Stephanie Wrobel’s books have been hit or miss for me but this is my favourite by a landslide. Keep in mind I’m a sucker for locked room mysteries and atmospheric creepy hotels so it was the perfect storm for me.

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel is a book about six college freinds that spend the weekend at Alfred's themed hotel that is based on the life and works of Alfred Hitchcock. The group has not seen each other for over 16 years and now it the time that Alfred is going to seek his revenge on them for not standing by his side when he was expelled his senior year of college. No one wanted to go in the first place but Grace some how conveniced them that it would be fun to see each again. They all have secrets of their own that if the others found out it would ruin their lives forever. When Alfred is found dead in the supply closet they are all to happy about it however, the killer is the one person you will not expect. This was a fast read and like My Darling Rose Gold is hard to put down. I loved the concept of book and how Alfred turned a house into a themed hotel with a theater and bird aviary. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Berkley for letting me read an advanced copy of this novel.