Thank you Berkley for my free ARC of The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel — available today, Sep 24!

» READ IF YOU «
📽️ enjoy classic Hitchcock films (the art, not the man)
🐦‍⬛ are looking for a fast-paced mystery with dark themes
☠️ love stories with twisty secrets and toxic friendships

» SYNOPSIS «
Alfred has worked hard to renovate his hotel and completely refurbish it, in an eccentric film-based style that Hitchcock himself would have swooned over. Now, it's time to set his sinister plans in motion, starting with a private retreat for some of his oldest friends. But secrets abound among the group, and before long, somebody's clock will run out...

» REVIEW «
This was a fun read, if a smidge predictable. I personally think Hitchcock is a scumbag, but it's hard to discount the fact that he was a talented director. All the hotel decor and events based on the movies was fun! And I do enjoy a toxic college friend-group with secrets, so this was right up my alley. I don't think there was anything overly groundbreaking or jaw-dropping in here, but it was a fun popcorn read, and perfect for spooky season!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was a decent book, decent read, but it ended up fizzling out for me towards the end. Lots and lots of telling and not much showing.

Intriguing premise: Alfred (named after the man himself) Smettle has been a Hitchcock fan his entire life, his mother introduced him to Hitchcock's work and now he has opened a themed hotel dedicated to the man and his films. For the first anniversary of its opening, he invites a group of people who used to be his closest friends in college and who he has basically lost touch with over the last sixteen years (for reasons revealed later). When they all arrive, things begin to happen that may be tied to their past history together.

Like I said, the idea behind this was good, but there were no worthwhile characters to root for. They were all terrible people, and I couldn't figure out why any of them would have attended this "reunion" and after creepy things started happening I would have been the first to jump in my car and get the heck out of there, but no, they all stayed for some idiotic reason.

So much of the narrative relied on reveals from the past. The characters all knowing what went on, but the reader gets the info doled out very slowly with vague references. In the end, when the very unsurprising culprit is revealed, it ends with the "villain monologue" about the hows and whys everything occurred.

I do think many people will enjoy this book. Just go into it suspending a bit of disbelief and go with the flow, and the story is entertaining enough, especially for Hitchcock fans (and beware, there are lots of spoilers so if you haven't watched his movies and you plan to, you might want to do so before reading this).

First, let’s all take a moment to appreciate the utter perfection that is the cover of The Hitchcock Hotel. Flawless, immaculate, no notes.

What’s inside that cover, however, turned out to be a mixed bag for me. The plot of this novel spoke to me in a major way: A man invites his five college friends to the Alfred Hitchcock-themed hotel he owns in the Vermont mountains. And this man, also named Alfred, may be seeking something more nefarious than a reunion among friends. Doesn’t that just sound so…I don’t know…Hitchcockian? I’d hoped The Hitchcock Hotel would be steeped in Gothic atmosphere and have intense noir vibes, but the execution was disappointing.

I really enjoyed the portrayal of Alfred’s character; he was so strange and intense and shifty and obsessive, with motivations that I couldn’t figure out, and at first I was riveted to the page to see how everything unfolded. But I didn’t find the supporting characters equally as interesting, unfortunately, so the chapters from their perspectives dragged for me. Although I was happy there wasn’t a straightforward past and present format (a method of storytelling I’ve grown weary of), the sections of the book focused on backstory slowed the narrative down. These sections were important, but a lot of the backstory wasn’t very interesting, especially since I didn’t feel that connection to the characters. The mystery and the motives behind it were well-thought-out (if not quite as dark and seedy as this reader wanted), and it all unfolded in a very Hitchcockian way. It just didn’t hold my attention as much as I’d hoped it would, and I think this is partly due to the fact that the writing is all telling and not a lot of showing. The reveals didn’t seem like they happened organically; everything felt laid out like a list of bullet points.

The highlights for me were the nods to Hitchcock – the descriptions of the hotel, the callbacks to his work. It’s such an engaging concept, even if it's not utilized to its fullest potential, and I think The Hitchcock Hotel will appeal to lots of readers who enjoy revenge plots and locked room mysteries. Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the early reading opportunity.

I am a huge fan of Wrobel's writing and THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL was no exception! The pacing teetered between slow and fast and really built up the suspense. There is a trope that I wish I knew about before I read it (I won't mention it here because it is kinda a spoiler because the plot does rely on it), but despite that it was a good fall read

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Stephanie Wrobel for giving me the opportunity to read this book ahead of its publication.

First and foremost, I loved this book. Truly, 100%, no grifting. I have been hard pressed to find a mystery book that succeeds in keeping me hooked to the end and this book did just that. Was this a particularly sophisticated read? No, not really. But it was what I needed to get out of a very deep reading slump.

I’m not the most versed when it comes to anything Hitchcock related. I’m not a purveyor of his work outside of Psycho, and by proxy, Bates Motel. BM is one of my comfort shows, oddly enough. So that alone compelled me to give this book a chance. As I read, I couldn’t help but picture Alfred as Freddie Highmore’s Norman. The verbiage and imagined tone fit that of BM’s Norman; unassumingly vindictive and dangerous, with the right amount of social awkwardness. Always watching and observing.

None of the characters were very likable, to be fully transparent. This is something that would typically garner a star or two being knocked off of my overall rating. I normally need at least one character that either redeems themself or is likable from start to finish as a personality palette cleanser of sorts. After a few chapters, I concluded that likability wasn’t something that would be make or break for me for this book. I actually enjoyed the (in the most respectful way possible) shitty personalities of the characters. In a whodunit, I don’t think likability is necessarily important; there’s supposed to be doubt cast everywhere you look. In defense of the characters, actually, I think the various POV switches aided in justifying any unlikable trait or action. There were many reasons for why the characters were the way they were. Outside of Alfred, I enjoyed Julius’ story and development the most out of the ensemble.

I think this is the only situation where I can say that I liked being gaslit throughout the book. My opinions changed chapter to chapter and when the twists were revealed, my jaw actually dropped on a couple occasions -- namely Danny’s involvement, Samira’s, as well as Grace’s. I thought each ensemble character was going to be sacrificed for Alfred’s plan at one point or another, cycling through them after something new was revealed as the story progressed. But to say I was shocked when the symbols finally clashed together would be an understatement.

I genuinely did not see the ending coming, and I found myself surprisingly, desperately, wanting more at the end of the book.

I look forward to reading more from Wrobel and I’m glad she continued with this idea she had instead of listening to her husband and writing something else. (I say that all in jest, I promise.)

Thank you again to NetGalley, Berkley, and Stephanie Wrobel.

Rating: 3.5/5
Review: This book is meant for you if you're an Alfred Hitchcock fan. Besides Psycho, l'm not too familiar with his films, but I can imagine l'd appreciate this work a lot more if I were. The thriller and mystery aspects were lacking for me, and I think it could've gone in a different direction. The ending was the best part. It's a fun revenge story with hints of romance, perfect for all readers, I think.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Alfred Smettle is a HUGE Hitchcock fan. He loves the films and has purchased and renovated a Hitch themed hotel complete with memorabilia from the films or actors. In college, he and a group of friends went through some traumatic events and now 16 years later, he invites them all to his hotel. We as readers don’t yet know the BIG secret that is hanging over the group, but we know Alfred has an agenda, and we know SOMEONE will die!

The storyline was a little slow moving and none of the characters were likeable or seemed to have any redeeming qualities, but I loved the creepiness and suspense factor. There were so many secrets between the group. When I started reading, I instantly pegged who I thought would be the “villain” but didn’t know how/why/what they would do, and their motive and the end game definitely surprised me!

The writing was a little juvenile, but I don’t think this is a Young Adult book. It was definitely suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat, but it wasn’t terribly gruesome or a horror novel. If you’re a huge Hitch fan and enjoy mysteries, you should give it a go!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for an advance copy. These are my own opinions.

Alfred has a special project-The Hitchcock Hotel-filled with tributes, including actual props and memorabilia . He invites his former best friends from college to come to the hotel and experience all it has to offer-and then some.

The author plays so well with the creepiness and suspense inherent to anything Hitchcock, while still making the book their own. I had to keep turning pages to know what was going to happen. The ending completely blindsided me, which I loved. I would recommend this book.

I'm officially checking out of The Hitchcock Hotel @ 20%. No rating.

I have never been so bored. All these characters are terrible people and I couldn't care less about their past or whether or not they live to see a future.

Title: The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel
Publication Date- 09/24/24
Publisher- Berkley Publishing
Overall Rating- 5 out of 5 stars

Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: This was a surprisingly good time. I had never watched a Hitchcock film, but this inspired me to and I’m so glad I did.

The Hitchcock Hotel is a well rounded, very enjoyable mystery. The author takes time to build suspense and a wide range of characters. The story goes between past and present, back to their college days. Because of this, we are slowly building a suspenseful narrative one in which you can feel the impending doom coming in the present day.

There is plenty of drama between the characters but it didn’t feel emotionally immature or unrealistic. There were vibes of And Then There Were None and The Secret History. This book was almost like if you mashed those two up and it totally worked.

Something unique and interesting this book adds are these almost interludes where we get literary essays and analysis on how Alfred Hitchcock influenced the genre. They talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of his influence which I really enjoyed learning about.

I highly suggest you pick this book up, it’s great for a fall read, just an all around good time.

This book kept me guessing the whole way through. I really loved it. Fantastic twists! Highly recommend for thriller lovers out there.

This was such a fun and entertaining thriller to read and kick off spooky season! I’ve only seen one Alfred Hitchcock movie but now I definitely want to watch more. I loved the unreliable narrators and that this story kept me guessing until the very end, I had no idea what was going to happen. Overall, it wasn’t my favorite thriller I’ve ever read but it was good and very interesting!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received a gifted galley of THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL by Stephanie Wrobel for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, PRH Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL is set at a hotel themed after the suspense movie master. Alfred is a Hitchcock fanatic and a year ago he created the hotel in a Victorian House with a bit of a shady past of its own. For the first anniversary, Alfred has invited a bunch of old friends from his college film club. Something happened sixteen years and he hasn’t seen them since. They seem the perfect group to celebrate the anniversary… and to possibly add some bodies to the horror setting.

I thought this was a really fun twist on a typical thriller with the really fun Hitchcock Hotel setting. The book opens with the POV with a bird which was a fun surprise and the birds do come up throughout the book. I was using this book as part of a bird theme for a vlog so it really worked out well for me!

The friend group here is pretty toxic in a lot of ways, but this makes for a lot of drama. There aren’t so many likable characters in the mix, but I found it fun in this case! The mystery and thriller aspects of this took some twists that I didn’t expect which made for a fun reading experience as well!

This was a fun, bingeable read and one I would recommend!

This book was absolutely incredible. It was a twisty thriller with the perfect build up of suspense leading to a jaw dropping twist. I absolutely loved it and I’ll be reading more from this author!

The Hitchcock Hotel was a character in itself... famous film memorabilia, a creepy attic, a Psycho-esque Victorian farmhouse setting, and a feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong. I really liked the film references and Hitchcock quotes interspersed throughout and felt they set the right atmosphere. For me, the book started off very strong. College friends who had some sort of falling out senior year meet for an impromptu reunion at the hotel owned by one in their group. But clearly there are a lot of secrets and subplots afloat. You don't know who to trust or who to like and find yourself sympathizing with the underdogs. But then the second half of the book came to be. However, it almost felt like a different book after it switched from mood setting to college reflections. There was just too much telling and reminiscing and not enough current action for my taste. What started off as creepy and atmospheric (I was hoping for real horror) turned into (dare I say it) a cozy mystery. For me, it didn't quite pack the punch I thought I was getting. But, if you like your mysteries/trillers more off-stage, definitely check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel, The book has college friends Grace, Zoe, TJ, Julius and Serena all going back to their college town to see their old friend Alfred‘s new hotel “the Hitchcock hotel.“ they all have problems at home but thanks to Grace encouraging everyone to go they’re taking the weekend to visit the hotel despite the fact most of them wouldn’t of went otherwise. It seems the hotel is equipped with all kinds of Hitchcock memorabilia and he even has an attacking crow and a strange made to boot in Danny. Alfred has always been strange but he is also handsome he has many plans for his friends but sadly plans don’t always go the way you expect them to. I was really looking forward to this book and although it was nowhere near what I expected I still enjoyed it
I liked the story and all the information about Hitchcock but I was mostly happy to see that she wrote about Alma his wife who doesn’t get nowhere near as much attention as she should. Having said that this was a good book with a surprising ending. First of all it was surprising because as mentioned in the book even Hitchcock didn’t like a who done it but number two it was surprising because I was guessing until the end I thought I knew what happened or what was happening and on both accounts I had no clue.#NetGalley, #BerkeleyPublishing, #StephanieWrobel, #TheHitchcockHotel,

This was an excellent, twisty mystery. Every time I thought I had it figured out I would be surprised again. The final twist provided the perfect resolution in my opinion. I had so much fun reading about this weekend full of secrets and revenge.

3.5⭐️
A book for Hitchcock fans! You’ll appreciate the references.
Alfred is the owner of a hotel themed after Alfred Hitchcock. He invites his estranged college friends from film club to celebrate the year anniversary of the hotel opening for the weekend. It has been 16 years but they owe it to him to come with what they did…Things take a dark turn and someone ends up dead.
The premise was fun and the atmospheric setting was on point with being creepy and tense. I wish it went even darker and at times was a bit drawn out. But I had fun with this one and finding out all the secrets/ twists.

Being an Alfred Hitchcock fan, I couldn't resist Stephanie Wrobel's The Hitchcock Hotel, and for the most part, it delivers the goods. The plot twists, the unfolding of the backstory, the Hitchcock tie-ins... all of these make this book fun to read.

So does the cast of characters. We get to hear from them all-- Alfred, Zoe, Grace, Samira, TJ, and Julius. Even the elderly housekeeper, Danny. Each time we hear from the characters, another piece is added to the puzzle. I may not have liked any of the characters, but the story was still fun-- and I couldn't believe that I didn't figure out what was going on!

What a fun ride! The Hitchcock Hotel is a suspenseful ride, taking place in a fictional hotel dedicated to the master of suspense himself - Alfred Hitchcock. I am ashamed to admit that the only of Hitchcock’s 53 movies that I have seen is Psycho. After learning quite a bit about the man from this book, I can’t decide if I am more or less inclined to seek out more of his movies to try.

When Alfred (the fictional character, not the producer) invites a group of his college friends for a free stay at his new Hitchcock themed hotel, they all know there is something off about the invitation. Unfortunately, they all have their own motivations to attend.

What starts as a tense and awkward weekend only gets worse as the old friends realize they don’t have any common ground with each other anymore. And to make matters worse - there is a creepy housekeeper and an aviary full of angry crows.

The Hitchcock Hotel is a fun and suspenseful ride and I really enjoyed the writing and the pacing. I will be sure to catch anything else that Wrobel puts out in the future! I was drawn to this book earlier in the year when it was announced and am so thankful to have received an early copy from Berkley Pub.

Check this one out if you enjoy horror, suspense, and Alfred Hitchcock!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Pub for the eARC of this title and to Berkley Pub for the finished copy!**