This book wasn't really for me, Sadie's backstory with Sam was very easy to relate to and there was great character development. However, I was left feeling like I had alot of unanswered questions as the book neared the end. So, it was just missing something.

I was looking forward to a nice creepy horror story.

Narrator: I did like the narrator I thought they did a great job changing their voice so I knew the different people that were talking. I think listening to the audio book helped the story because of the storytelling voice.

This book is set at a creepy hotel. A woman and her child have no where else to go and the woman gets a job at the hotel. Soon creepy things start happening. Sadie sees a woman struggling in the pool, but by the time she gets to here there is no one there. Guests go missing and then there are the noises and sounds that creepy her out.

The beginning of the story had me hooked. I will loving the set up, but it soon began really repetitive... I hope I never hear a child called "stinker" again. it was ridiculous the amount of times she called her child that...why no use there name?

Excellent pacing, graphic setting, wonderful cast of characters to both love and hate. Sadie's spiral into self doubt while slogging out of a troubled life touched poignantly while surrounded by real life monsters. Lake Erie was a foreboding menace - almost a character in the story by itself. Fantastic!

A thriller set in a creepy hotel with strange residents and eccentric employees. Great idea for a book. With some supernatural thrown in as well. Sadie made a great main character and I liked following her story from leaving an abusive relationship to ending up in a creepy hotel as a new employee. Great narration and I thought it was well written.

I struggled with how I wanted to rate this. As a domestic thriller following a FMC as she leaves an abusive relationship (majority of the first 75% of the book)this was pretty good. As a sci-fi/horror (the last 25%), it felt odd. And not just because of the “monsters”, but because it seemed clunky with the mixed genres.

I enjoyed the focus on Sadie’s psychological journey of leaving her abusive fiancé and managing her paranoia (is it triggered from her trauma or is it due to something actually happening at this hotel?). The lingering suspense and unease were intriguing. The flashbacks were well done as they were randomly triggered for Sadie. It felt realistic in showing how traumatizing abusive relationships are, days, weeks, months… after leaving. I wish the sci-fi aspect was better intertwined throughout the book.

Not gonna lie, I hate the cover 😆. I have a huge irrational fear of worm-like things. It was the synopsis that drew me in despite the cover. I also like when chapters are titled, so that was a plus. The narrator did a fabulous job!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Apr 08 2025

On Lake Erie there sits an old and prestigious hotel, though not as busy as it once was.
Sadie Miles finds herself a new member of the cast of characters that occupy the L'Arpin Hotel after escaping an abusive relationship with her young daughter and a baby-on-the-way. Sadie finds herself trapped due to circumstance and perhaps by sinister motivations from people around her--or is she just unpacking her trauma from the abuse afflicting by a manipulative and controlling ex? As Sadie comes to terms with and learns to cope with being an indeendent caregiver, she also has to question the reality of happenings around her. Who is a friend and who is out to get her? Or is it all just in her head from years of questioning herself?

This could almost be considered cozy horror, if it wasn't for all the times I felt unsettled by this story. I enjoyed the small and intimate cast and setting. And the things that bothered our main characters are things that I could envision happening to myself.

The narration was also excellent. Jenn Lee did justice to men and women of all ages, down to a very young girl. Definitely worth a listen!

This book got under my skin! The eerie hotel setting, unsettling disappearances, and creeping dread made for an intense, edge-of-your-seat read. Sadie is a strong protagonist, but wow, she did not make the best decisions. She ignored every red flag, which made her frustrating at times, and her kid? Such a drag. The supernatural horror elements, though, were chilling—this one will stay with me for a while.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

Annoying kid, spoiled little brat with bad parenting. There are so many signs that something isn’t right but the main character ignores them (I understand it’s so that the story drives forward but still). Interesting concept but it was slow and kinda boring until the last 30%. I did like the ending tho. The narration was really good.

Sadie’s is fleeing her abusive boyfriend with her 3 year old daughter. She finds a hotel to work at and live at. As she is working there weird things start happening. Odd people befriend her and her daughter.

I’m not a huge fan of cosmic horror, so I wasn’t sure if this book was for me. Still, I love stories set in hotels, so I gave it a try and I’m very glad that I did. The strength of this novel lies in its main character. Sadie was brave enough to escape a bad situation and, even if she may be in an even worse predicament, she still refuses to be a victim. Jenn Lee shows this in her audiobook narration, infusing her voice with steel. The other important character is her daughter Izzy, a toddler. Now, I dislike children in general, and especially in audiobooks. When reading a print book, you can skip their parts when they become annoying, but that’s not possible on audio. Jenn Lee also nails this part down, making Izzy as likable as a whining child can be. The setting is very creepy, and the horror grows gradually. At first, it’s hard to tell what’s happening but then it just swallows everything in its path. The last part is very suspenseful, even if I did see the main reveal coming. A solid horror novel.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Macmillan Audio.

A woman, with her toddler in tow flees an abusive relationship to take a position as housekeeper at a creepy old hotel. I had high hopes for this book, it had all the right elements. Unfortunately, a very drawn out, plot with a mother who continued to leave her three year old child unattended to rush off to explore strange sights and sounds, and a child that I actually hoped the monsters would eat because she was so annoying, made this less horror and more camp.