This book has a really interesting premise and I enjoyed reading about the hotels and reasons for Noelle’s kleptomania. The characters are feisty and interesting.
If I have one criticism it is that the description of Noelle’s bedsit and the disastrous meal she made for Phil just went on too long and into too much detail.

I was inspired to read Hotel 21 after finishing the Maid by Nita Prose, and wanted more hotel drama.

Hotel 21 centres on Noelle, a young woman working as a hotel maid, who also has kleptomania. She moves from hotel to hotel when staff/guests become suspicious after their things go missing. She generally only takes small things that might not even be missed--nail clippers, tweezers, lip balms ...

I found this novel interesting and it was definitely a new venture for me, but at times I found it a little choppy and repetitive. Noelle mentioned the high she experienced from stealing many times, and the background into the different hotels she worked in sometimes felt like reading the same thing over and over.

With those mentioned, I found the characters and relationships heart-warming, and I was rooting for Noelle, even with her many flaws.

All in all, I rate this book 2.5 stars.

*I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly I would like to thank Bloomsbury Publishing and the author Senta Rich for access to Hotel 21.

The review I am going to make is an honest review regardless of the access I received for this book. It should be noted I was not paid for this review and ensure honesty in all my reviews.

You meet the character Noelle who is a hotel cleaner but she likes to take things from peoples room as souvenirs as she cleans (to note these are often small unvaluable things). She starts to work in Hotel 21 and has never lasted more than a month at previous jobs.

This book is thought provoking and illustrates challenges people face such as poverty, addiction and mental illness. The author is very sensitive when portraying these challenges in her characters and it feels very real and relatable.
The chapters in this book are short – meaning you can pick it up and quickly read a chapter in between tasks you are doing. I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

A thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that explores the lives of people living on the margins of society. The story follows the lives of several residents of a low-budget hotel in a gritty urban neighborhood, including a struggling musician, a teenage runaway, and a former convict.

One of the strengths of this novel is the way it shines a light on the challenges faced by people living in poverty and struggling with addiction, mental illness, and other societal ills. The author does an excellent job of portraying the complexities of these issues with sensitivity and compassion, and the characters' struggles feel authentic and relatable.

The writing style is engaging and descriptive, with well-crafted imagery and realistic dialogue that bring the characters and setting to life. The characters are multi-dimensional and sympathetic, with their own unique strengths and flaws, and the relationships between them are complex and nuanced.

Noelle is a hotel cleaner, and is excited to start a new job at the 5 star Magnolia Hotel, 'working in larger hotels. The anonymity is always nice, for a while anyway'. Set in 2019.

London 'big another city to get lost in'. 
Talks about all of the hotels she works in and what's she's stolen from them, little bits from each one. She keeps a notebook stating how long she worked there for and what she stole while she was there keeps it all locked up in trunk.

New Hotel manager says 'we're like one big family here', will this be her undoing?

Descibtions of other characters, especially the team who will work with her on 'floor seven' such as fatima. Mali, Rose Gaby and Phil. She has to make a decision on who can she trust. Julia is the housekeepers superviser.
'Hotel is the height of luxury', yet their is no wider viewpoint given.

Noelle rents a very cheep bedsit in London as she never stays anywhere very long, so has no ties to any particular area and no great belongings. She has lived like this for 8 years 'taking things'

We are briefly introduced to Francesco King, after he takes a drug overdoses, he is Gabi's son, will he ever change and not take drugs. Moreover will be ever said up? But I don't feel this part adds any more depth to the novel.

Novell is getting closer and closer to Phil, Noelle has eve invited him to come for dinner at her bedsit. Which she has never done before. However we later learn, Freddie and Phil have know each other since childhood, but see other people. Phil stays over night as was to drunk to go anywhere.

Opening the trunk will open up the real Noelle. Tells Phil the truth, shows her inside it. Needs to break her pattern and then Phil whats her to stay at hotel 31.
'As long as she's my saviour' Noelle says about Phil. What's to remain here with all the other girl's. They now described their relationship as being 'Soul makes with Phil now as she knows Noelles secrets'.
But is Noelle just Phil's project, 'can cope on my own'? How long can this type of relationship last?

Short chapters and this moves the story along very quickly. I enjoyed the group of housekeepers and how fast their friendship grows, and how long can They all remain friends?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a complementary digital copy of this ebook in exchange for a full frank and honest review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

I found this book really interesting, with a unique take on kleptomania and a more in depth view of what can lead people to obsession. I really liked learning about Noelle and what happened in her past to make her the way she is "today" and seeing her emotional journey and arc and having finding friendship in the other ladies from floor 7 and gaining a found family. Hotel 21 was a lot more heart-warming that I expected and it was filled with really sweet scenes. I also liked "seeing" how Noelle thinks and the dual timelines seeing her childhood, which was heart-breaking. Overall this was a really intriguing book and I would highly recommend, it's incredibly absorbing with really unique POV's you don't encounter in most books.

Thank you, Bloomsbury UK for approving my request for an ARC. I actually saw you recommend Hotel 21 on your Twitter profile twice before requesting, the comps really intrigued me. I think they describe the novel well and will attract the readers familiar with those and who will appreciate Noelle’s story.

I found it really interesting and unusual what the author did with Noelle’s kleptomania. The buzz of taking something and not getting caught making Noelle feel happy because she doesn’t know what happiness is. Kleptomania as a result of childhood trauma giving Noelle’s life meaning until she meets Phil, Rose, Mali and Gaby.

Interesting take on identity and how Noelle calls herself “always a fake Noelle”, how she chooses what Noelle to be in each hotel, how she’s taught herself to cry or blush on cue to avoid getting caught. The author connects this back to Noelle’s mother, which I thought was very smart.

By the end of the novel, I felt that Phil’s character has been left a little obscure. I wasn’t sure about her motivation towards Noelle. Why did she really want to help her? Why was she so shallow with her romantic relationships? Fatima, for instance, kind of appeared and disappeared in this sense. There was a hint at Rose and Phil’s past romance, which wasn’t fully explained. However, I really liked how the author put a spotlight on each of the Magnolia girls and how it intertwined with Noelle’s character arc.
Overall, given Noelle’s personality and her avoiding getting too close to people, what the reader finds out about Phil and her new friends is plenty compared to Noelle’s previous relationships (aside from her mother). So I think Phil remaining a bit of a mystery is in line with Noelle’s personality as she is the narrator and the POV character, who only learns how to let people into her heart.

This was a really great read and I would definitely recommend it! I’m glad I saw this on Twitter :)

I really like the main character of Noelle and found her fascinating. As the story progresses, we learn about her abusive mother and her need to distance herself from everyone. Her moments of joy arise from taking small, insignificant things from the hotel rooms she cleans.

When Noelle arrives to work at Hotel Magnolia, her 21st hotel, things start to change for her. She makes friends with a group of other cleaners for the first time as they try to include her in life outside the Hotel. Noelle sees that all these different characters at the Magnolia have trouble in their own lives, but by sticking together and supporting each other they get through difficult times. Nothing is perfect but they have each other as a means of support.

I think this would make a great Book Club read, I like how the happiness comes from friendship with a group of disparate women, I think that is a really strong message to be out there. I can imagine lots of discussion arising from this book, it’s a real bittersweet read, and I'd definitely be recommending it for our libraries book groups

This is a warm fuzzy hug of a book. A flawed character, damaged by her childhood experiences, a kleptomaniac. She flits from one hotel cleaner job to the next as soon as she is threatened with being exposed. But then comes Hotel 21 and with it a whole gaggle of characters…
Chick lit…yes, but the very enjoyable sort!

This book started out really well I thought the plot and setting was fresh and interesting but by about chapter 10 it wasn’t what I thought it was is going be. There is a lot going on this book, personally I think too much and because of this a lot the importance of some the issues get swept aside and not followed up. I feel half way becomes a completely different type of book, I hate to say it but bad boring chick lit, this was a big let down. The story and characters don’t ring true for me which is real shame as there was a lot of potential for it to be great.
I have given it three stars, one being for the promising start and they way the author seamlessly moves though periods of time the other two stars for the fact I finished it and it wasn’t the worse book I’ve read just a bit Meh
On a plus it shows the power of good friends but in the case I thought it was a bit much to believe in this friendship group it was too rushed but good try

Hotel 21 – 4.5 Star

Senta Rich’s writing is just wonderful to read. I initially requested this ARC thinking it was going to be a relatively shallow (sorry!) read, with a happily-ever after story about a troubled main character. What I actually got was a thoughtful, well-paced, beautifully character driven novel about an unexpectedly well-developed cast of characters.

Rich’s ability to show every side of their characters – the unpleasant, nitty gritty, and flawed, as well as the beautiful, vulnerable and struggling is just extraordinary. This was wonderful, and I felt incredibly engaged throughout. Hotel 21 was not a happily ever story about a troubled woman, but instead a stunning take on what it means to be human, and the impact of the connections we make every day. Seeing the dynamics between characters grow and change was just beautiful.

This isn’t a book I’d usually pick up as I’m very much a fantasy/magical realism/historical reader, but I’m so grateful that I did. I cannot recommend this enough.

This is a thoughtful character-driven novel about a woman struggling to develop connections and overcome the trauma of her past to lead a more fulfilling life. The main character, as well as the other cleaners, are well-developed, three-dimensional characters and the author does an excellent job of bringing the reader into their world.

A really great read with an original plot. I liked finding out more about the main character. I liked the way the book unfolded and the personal growth and development of the characters.

The author's ability to pace her writing is extraordinary. This is a measured book with a memorable protagonist fully fleshed out by a gifted and insightful author. Rich is not afraid to show the unlikeable, truly human side of her characters without show-and-tell caveats; this is rarer than you might think. I was so invested in her character's happiness by the middle of the novel but I did not require redemption. I loved it.

Hotel 21 by Senta Rich is a stunning character driven novel. It is the kind of book that is both difficult to put down and leaves a lasting impact upon its reader.

Hotel 21 is the story of Noelle, a hotel cleaner who takes a great deal of pride in her job and appears to be a model employee. Or so she’d have you think. The trouble, however, is that Noelle is also a kleptomaniac and cannot help but take little souvenirs as she cleans. As Noelle begins at her 21st hotel she’s simply hoping to beat her five star record of lasting more than a month, and yet things grow more complicated when she meets her new colleagues. The women of floor 7 are a vibrant crew, with lives full of happiness and worry, pain and joy. The kind of lives Noelle has never known how to live. They make her wonder what it might be like to have real friends, people to stick around for…

Written in the first person Hotel 21 immediately drawers you into Noelle’s world. As the novel progresses we learn more and more about her as she recalls her previous hotel experiences and what it was like to grow up with her mother. Noelle’s life is complicated and deeply tragic, and though she does things you would at first consider ‘bad’ you simply cannot help but deeply feel for her.

I’d argue that this is a novel that deserves to be read blind, with a little prior information as possible. It is so very rich and so emotive, it’s the kind of story you want to experience exactly as it comes. Noelle and the women of floor 7 had me laughing out loud but also in floods of tears. It really is a beautiful novel about what it is to be human, to be so deeply alone and the significance and importance of connecting with others.

I’d thoroughly recommend Hotel 21.

I raced through this book I couldn't put it down. It was well written with a captivating storyline and well developed characters who I loved. I found that it was hopeful at times and emotive at others but whatever emotion it was making me feel, I loved it.