Sally is a strange person formed by her past, where the story hints at abuse and neglect. She's been working the reception desk at a large hotel for 15 years and has a few unusual quirks.
Specific hair ribbons to match specific elements of her outfit.
Speaking to the flowers on her desk and the lobby mirror at work and her stuffed toys at home because they are her only friends.
The book covers three working days in Sally's life and her interactions and conversations, both out loud and internally, with guests checking in or out; hotel staff and of course her flowers and the mirror.
It's all pretty mundane events, but somehow you are kept interested in the bits of gossip and information Sally gathers over the course of the three days.
I honestly did not see the ending happening in the way it does. It sets the stage perfectly for the planned trilogy the author mentions he is working on. Am looking forward to reading those.

I did not finish this book. From the very first page, I just could not get engaged with the characters or style of writing.

I really liked the plot synopsis of this book when I read it. But the book itself I found to be slow and long. The story was good, but I felt like it took forever to get to the point.

After reading At Reception's description, I was definitely curious how the book would go. I was intrigued by the idea of the different characters Sally would meet throughout her shifts at the hotel. After finishing the book in one day, I have some mixed feelings. While Sally could be relatable at times, sometimes she came off as a little too petty. Overall I liked her though, as I think we all have our moments. I appreciated the authors descriptions of the guests when they came back to the front desk because I'm not great at remembering names. I thought Sally's stress coping mechanisms were interesting. She was quite a character. I wish she had a little more growth throughout the story. And I'll be honest, after spending so much time sympathizing with her, the ending felt like a bit of a betrayal. I would be interested in reading the next book in this world.