Character Driven…
Character driven tale of the Hotel Belvedere, the guests and the staff. A more gentle style as the tale progresses and the initial drama of the start lessens coupled with solid historical detail and a good sense of time and place. Who is the villain here? As a storm mounts, the truth will out.

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Found it hard to get through this book, especially after a pretty revolting scene in the prologue itself which made me want to retch as it was just that kind of hard (should've come with a trigger warning - seriously!) This already dampened my desire to read this book, and sadly, the rest did not do much to make me get past that distressing moment.. The writing was a tad stilted, the whole jumping between characters made for some weird reader whiplash, and the characters themselves just weren't likable as the pace dragged. My view could've been clouded by that very first prologue incident, but again, that should have come with a trigger warning!

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An interesting idea behind the story and I especially like the setting being a hotel. The writing is good and the beginning very dramatic.
However, it slows down after that with the introduction of MC who see to be there to act as a backdrop for many scandals which the author uses as a plot even though the story lacks a cohesive structure.
An. OK read.

Odile left her beloved Swiss Mountain home to work in an old-money hotel. As she settle into her job, she begins to uncover the drama, schemes and scandals of the "One Big Family" Hotel Belvedere.

There were many satisfying story leads in this book: the missing twin, the doctor with a secret, the heir's sordid love affair, and everything Odile. I think Odile was what kept me reading the book hoping that she would emerge as a more prominent character. I felt like she was supposed to be the main character, but often felt she was eclipsed by the foibles of the Family. The storylines were drawn out satisfactorily, but the ending came to a screeching halt with every climax happening in two pages (it seemed.). I was literally trying to turn the page on my eReader because I was sure there had to be a few more pages or at least an epilogue.

This was a quick read, but I was sorely disappointed by the ending.

This book has a really promising premise, and delivers with it’s opening on a huge and shocking secret. I really enjoyed the setting and the descriptions made the beautiful hotel come alive, along with the staff who worked there.

However, the book does seem to drop off and doesn’t ever quite return to it’s excellent opening. Perhaps more work on some of the characters would have been helpful as I struggled to connect to anyone and felt like the book was waiting a long while for some drama after the opening.

Having said that, the book was very readable and absolutely has an excellent premise and potential.

I really wanted to like this book. The start is quite explosive but the drama peters out though the rest of the book and leaves the story quite flat. I found the ending quite abrupt to my taste with a few loose ends unaccounted for. The story and premise is intriguing but overall the book doesn’t quite deliver.

Thank you Netgalley

I was drawn to this book based on its beautiful cover and setting, and it started off pretty promisingly with a hugely shocking secret from 30 years ago that remains buried in the past.

However, after the first couple of chapters, the quality of the writing seemed to decrease sharply. None of the characters were particularly likeable. Even though the setting was beautiful (there's a reason that books set in hotels are popular) and I enjoyed the upstairs/downstairs vibe, I struggled to connect with any of the characters. Most of them are pretty awful people -- either privileged and bitter, or unprivileged and bitter. The ones we are supposed to be rooting for are one-dimensional and meek. The dialogue was weirdly stilted and unnatural at times, making me wonder if this book was translated from another language (it takes place in Switzerland).

This book wasn't the worst I've ever read, but it fell far short of its potential.

It took a while to get into this story, despite the atmosphere and the big secret being present from the very start. But the characters were rather flat and boring. Furthermore, the story was entirely predictable and moved along very slowly. I guess I was just expecting something slightly different.

Thank you to Netgalley and Barbara Kastelin for my copy of Hotel Belvedere, for an honest review. The Hotel Belvedere is a family owned and operated hotel on Lake Geneva. The hotel is like a family member. It holds secrets, good and bad memories and the promise of better things to come.. The Kruger family has owned and worked at the hotel for years. They are quirky and each have a story to tell. As outsiders interact with the family even more twists and turns happen. As well as a 30 plus year old secret which is getting ready to be told.. The cast of characters is great and the story had some surprising moments. This was a four star read for me and I have recommended it to friends and family.

I’m always attracted to hotel settings, though I don’t know why exactly. This one in particular was disappointing.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of Hotel Belvedere.

This is a strange book, I had to keep reminding myself that it was set in 1999 because such were the portrayasl of the characters and the hotels that it felt to more of a historical novel, very old fashioned at the very least.

The descriptions of the workings of the hotels were very interesting but again seemed out of date. I enjoyed learning about Odile's background too and her sister was like a breath of fresh air.

The plot, however, was very obvious and I found myself frustrated that the family could not see the villain of the peace for what he was and indeed, they put him on a pedestal. The love lives of the various couples were also very unsatisfying.

Pleasant enough but not enthralling.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I struggled to get going with this as I didn't particularly like any of the characters, however I ploughed on and in the end it was ok. Not my favourite, but by no means the worst book I've ever read.

I was excited to ready this book, however it didn’t play the part I wanted it to! It took a while to get into the story and then I just lost interest in the middle, took more time to finish it!

This book initially appealed to me because it was set in a Switzerland. The first third was interesting as it was well described and the characters were introduced. The last third was wonderful as the storm arrived and all of the secrets revealed. Honestly, I struggled with middle. It didn’t interest me and I found myself skipping over pages.

Overall it was a decent read.

I wanted to read this book because it was set in a part of Switzerland I know and like. The beginning was interesting as the hotel life was described and characters were introduced. The ending was interesting too as The storm descended and secrets were revealed. I just struggled with the middle part of the book, which didn’t hold my interest and seemed to take a long time to get to what was predictable.

I wanted this to be a Wes Anderson movie in book form. A hotel, secrets, a European country....

It just...didn't deliver my hopes of cuteness.

90% of the plot is in the last chapter. Think: hatfield and McCoys and Romeo and Juliet.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

🌻 REVIEW 🌻 Hotel Belvedere

I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded so promising - a dazzling setting, Switzerland, two rival hotel families, a secret connecting the two families. An adorable cover that was painted by the author! Amazing, right?!

However, this just didn’t deliver. The storyline itself was predictable and somewhat slow, the characters flat and uninteresting.

I will say that the beginning of this story was atmospheric, and I liked reading about the daily ins and outs of a hotel (especially since we can’t go anywhere).

Odile is a teenager who comes down from the rural Alps for a job as a chambermaid at the Belvedere. There was a play of “upstairs downstairs” dynamics here reminiscent of Downton Abbey between the hotel owners and guests and the staff. Noel is a waiter who comes over to work at the Belvedere from the Excelsior. Their relationship is cute, but Odile is extremely naive. Their relationship is also reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, a forbidden love per say because of generations old family feuds and rivalries.

The bulk of the action happens in the last chapter at the very end of the book. It takes forever to get there.

🌻🌻/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Matador for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: August 28 2020


#HotelBelvedere #NetGalley #Review #bookreview #Switzerland #hotels #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #ARC #AugustPublication #Matador #troubadourpublishing #newrelease #fictionreads #kindle

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

At the beginning of the book, there’s an unexpected arrival and a secret is kept unbeknown to the others.

As the story progresses, Odile, a goatherd’s daughter, arrives to become a chambermaid.

The secret from 30 years earlier, which now emerges, when English waiter, Noel, currently working at the Excelsior moved to the Belvedere.

Both hotels work towards the Millennium celebrations, but as rivalries mount, those mysteries surface, and romance springs.

Storm Lothar descends and brings one death and clarity/resolution with it.