The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

It's hard to believe, but this week teachers go back to school!  As such, this is my last review under my summer horror theme.  My sister was sure I would like it and loaned it to me.

I loved it!  So much so I'm putting it on our new wish list as soon as I get done writing this review. 

The story is told in alternating viewpoints of Vivian in 1982 and her niece Carly in 2017.  Vivian, the troublemaker daughter of her mother's two, takes off from Illinois for New York City to become an actress, but hitchhiking gets her to upstate NY instead.  She takes a night shift desk job at a run down motel.  In November of 1982, she vanishes without a trace, leaving her purse and car behind.  The small police force does a compulsory brief search, but it fizzles and Vivian is forgotten by the locals.  

In 2017, Vivian's sister dies of cancer.  Carly decides to take a break from college and see if she can find out anything about what happened to her aunt Viv, who no one wants to talk about.  She drives to Fell, NY and finds the land that time forgot, including the barely standing but still open motel, now owned by the original owner's son.  

OK, so this is definitely sounding like the set up for a Nancy Drew style whodunit, and it totally is, but the Sun Down Motel is haunted, and not by Viv.  Assorted ghosts of those who have died in the sketchy motel make their displeasure and unrest known.

I don't want to spoil any more!  This was a great read, that held my interest to stay up and finish it!  Hopefully I can get this on an order in the near future!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

This was the Teachers and Friends Book Club selection for July.  If you've read any of my reviews for Book Club choices, you know we try to match characters/settings to our meeting location.  Originally the plan was to do a "beachy read" and meet on the beach.  But, that week turned out to be oppressively hot and humid, so others asked we postpone.  Our meeting is tonight at Oak Beach Grill, so at least we got the "beach" part in even though it's raining.  

I'll be the first to admit, when this came I kinda eye rolled.  I just knew this wasn't going to be my cup of tea.  It looked romancey and "girl reinvents herself"ish.  However, the cover flap blurb said one of our main characters is the hotel's resident ghost, so I figured I'd try to get through it.

I was so very wrong.  I loved this book.

The titular hotel has been in disrepair for some time. Once a grand vacation spot, a fire in the 1920s left it damaged and supposedly (actually) haunted.  A series of owners, less invested than the last, have left the property in ruins.  Until a British billionaire decides to make it his pet project.  He hires a local woman, most recently a restaurant manager fresh off a bad breakup, to manage with the goal of an elusive 5 star review from a social media influencer.  

This was both funny and heartwarming (especially as Grace the ghost learns modern colloquialisms).  From a giant pitbull to a child chess prodigy to a rich kid turned maid to a show tune signing gay bellman, I smiled way more than I thought I would, and did not roll my eyes once. This was Fawlty Towers meets The Birdcage meets Clue. 

I'll be adding this to our collection when we return!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.