Ten years ago, four eighteen-year-olds decided to make a film in a spooky old wreck of a Hotel. Only three came back – but the film became a sensation and spawned an international fan club. The Hotel, Ravencliffe, situated on a cliff side on the road to nowhere, had been built in 1838 by a rich speculator, Reginald Morwood, who anticipated the Railway coming to Cardigan, in Wales, bringing with it rich holidaymakers. Only the railway line was never built and the hotel, became pointless. Morwood shot himself, the place fell into ruin, populated by the ghosts of Morwood and a carpenter who had died falling from the cliff during the construction. The three survivors, Bex, Richard and Oscar, had gone their separate ways, haunted by the memory of their missing companion, Leo – missing assumed dead to be exact as no body was found. Caught on film is his last moment as he topples over the edge of the cliff, witnessed by Bex who can confirm that he just disappeared, because there was nothing to see when she looked over the edge. Richard and Oscar had created a short film of this and other strange events and posted it on the internet where it had “gone viral”, hence the fan club. The tenth Ravencliffe Con is thrilled to learn that an anniversary reunion is planned, which will be filmed by Echelon, the company that now owns the original. Bex has lived as a recluse for the last decade and is not at all thrilled, but is persuaded by the other two survivors. So they return to the Hotel; Oscar to polish his fame, Richard for the money, Bex to solve the mystery.
The story is told almost entirely from Bex’s viewpoint and is well written, but the pace is erratic and often quite slow, especially the early chapters. It is also quite repetitive, reiterating details which the reader should not need repeating. On the other hand, Mumford certainly has a way with metaphors. As a plot it has great potential but it doesn’t really fulfil it; it isn’t ghostly enough for a ghost story, terrifying enough for a horror story, mysterious enough for a mystery story. I spotted the solution quite early on, although one or two twist were surprising.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Well, this one was just full of shocks and surprises!

Ten years ago, four students thought it would be a good idea to explore Ravencliffe, an abandoned hotel on the sheer cliffs on the Welsh coast. Four arrived, only three left. Ten years later, they are no longer in contact but are offered a chance to go back, for a sum of money one of them badly needs. For Bex, it's not the money but the chance to find out what happened to her childhood friend, Leo, but as soon as they return strange things begin to happen and Bex realises that the others know far more about previous events than she does. With a vigilant tv crew tracking their every movement, will it be possible to find out what really happened ten years ago?

Let me first say that this is a tad darker than my usual reads, but I enjoyed this author's previous novels and wasn't going to miss her latest. However, I can assure you that nothing - absolutely nothing - would get me into an abandoned house, and most definitely, NOT EVER, one on a cliff! This story sucked me in and it didn't take long before I, too, wanted to find out what happened to Leo. Lying in the dark, reading by the light of my kindle, there were times I wished I had stuck to daylight hours! A riveting read, which I'm happy to recommend and, for me, 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Four friends decide to visit a haunted hotel, but only 3 come back out. What happened to Leo. Ten years later Bex, Richard and Oscar go back to Ravencliffe hotel with a film crew, but what will they uncover.

This was a creepy story and dark in places. The plot was interesting and kept me reading. All the characters was described well and the whole hotel was detailed great.

A creepy, dark story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Bex Harrison is a 28-year-old social recluse, originally from Wales, but now living in London.

When she was 18, her and her three friends, Richard, Oscar, and Leo, equipped with handheld cameras, travelled to West Wales to film the supposedly haunted Ravencliffe Hotel.

Leo, who was Bex’s childhood friend, never returned home. He suffered a fall, but was it accidental or was he pushed?

Their film, which was released soon after Leo’s accident, became an overnight sensation, a new Blair Witch Project.

Now, as the tenth anniversary of Leo’s disappearance is looming, the trio return to Ravencliffe once more…

Ooh I really enjoyed this tense, eerie thriller. The secluded location of the hotel reminded me of The Overlook Hotel from The Shining.

I enjoyed Bex as a character, she was relatable and likeable. She really felt responsible for her friend’s disappearance and she couldn’t move on.

I enjoyed the background story of the Ravencliffe Hotel: a Victorian man with a vision, which is thwarted by a series of misfortunes and then the lack of funds; and his wife, which he only married for her money.

Thanks to HQ for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this title.

I liked this sinister mystery from Mumford and some points really had my toes curling because of the vivid description. At the same time, it did take me a while to get interested in the story because of its slow start.

We are first introduced to Bex, a recluse who is clearing suffering from some sort of emotional trauma. Hidden away from the world, it is soon revealed that she has become an internet sensation following her visit to Ravencliffe a decade earlier. A visit that saw the disappearance of her best friend, Bex’s infamy has caused her to hide away from society, whilst still torturing herself about the events that took place.

As the narrative progresses, I liked how Mumford returns the story to the night in question. It was refreshing to watch events unfold in real-time, rather than seeing clues from Bex and her her friends. Furthermore, I enjoyed how Mumford links the present day timeline with the previous story, showing how the past still haunts the present – especially for Bex. Because Bex has returned to Ravencliffe after all this time, after receiving mysterious messages that the truth about Leo’s disappearance will be revealed – and she can’t leave that to chance.

The reunion show that the three friends become involved with sounded incredibly awkward. They have all moved on but are irrevocably drawn back to Ravencliffe – albeit for different reasons. Bex, however, remains determined to find more answers about the night that she cannot forget and I liked how this triggered chapters to move into the past. In fact, there were times when I found this earlier narrative to be more interesting than the present – especially when we find more about Richard’s accident – yuk!

This is a haunted house mystery that will provide plenty of escapism and will be particularly chilling during the winter months. I loved the plot surprises that Mumford added and found this made the story even more unsettling and atmospheric. The personification of the abandoned hotel was terrifying and deep down I knew it couldn’t be true, but I found I was still second guessing the presence of ghosts. Could the previous victims and the hotel itself be warning people to still stay away, especially with its bloody history?

I really enjoyed this suspenseful read and my only criticism is that some points lacked pace and excitement. It was an interesting story and I was curious to see what the truth was behind this disturbing night a Ravencliffe – a hotel that never leaves you.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Hotel, by Louise Mumford, is an enjoyable, mysterious and creepy book! Ten years ago, student Bex and her best friend Leo decide to go to the abandoned, ghostly and Victorian Ravencliffe Hotel to shoot a movie with their handheld cameras. Richard, Bex’s somewhat boyfriend, and his friend Oscar invite themselves along. Tensions abound, unexplainable things occur and Leo dies. The film they create inspires a cult following with merchandise and conventions. Ten years later, Bex is a recluse, unable to accept the loss of Leo and convinced the others were involved with his death. She agrees to attend the ten year anniversary after receiving a strange package. A film crew follows the three survivors to Ravencliffe, where strange events begin to happen. The author’s descriptions provide a chilling and atmospheric setting. The reader can imagine the layout of the estate and feel the suspense. The characters are well-defined yet their personalities are ambiguous enough to question what really happened. Highly recommended!

Thank you to HQ Digital & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book

It’s publication week for The Hotel as I sit to write my review. I will cut straight to the chase on this – I really, really enjoyed this thriller/chiller by Louise Mumford and I’m recommending you seek it out. Seriously entertaining. My kind of book which gave me feels of a Dean Koontz tale. Shades of horror, a thumping good mystery and plenty of cryptic suggestions as to what may have ocurred in an old (possibly haunted) buiding which four teenagers felt compelled to visit one dark evening – lives were changed forever.

Ten years ago four friends made a trip to Ravencliffe. High on the rocks above the Welsh coast sat an old hotel, long since abandoned, but fabled to be haunted with stories of a murder on site and strange stories of former residents. The friends (Bex, Richard, Oscar and Leo) took a video camera with them. As horror fans they planned to record their trip and make a feature from it. Little could they know their film would become a cult horror classic – one of their number (Leo) never returned from the expedition and the three surviging friends could not explain much of what occurred that fateful evening.

Ten years on we meet Bex, living in the bustle of London where the crowds give her a degree of anonymity. Oscar is boucing between public appearances at various “cons” where fans of their film regularly gather to discuss the film which told the story of that night at Ravencliffe. Having one of the friends there is a big deal for the fans but Oscar, for reasons which become clear, isn’t the draw which Bex or Richard would be. Richard has battled his own demons over the last Decade – at the time the film was recorded he and Bex were an item but that created a degree of friction within the group.

The defining image of the movie, which had been watched in the minutest detail by an army of fans was that of Leo vanishing from the sheer cliff steps in a flurry of blurred pictures, shouts of panic from Bex and then nothing. What happened to Leo? He hasn’t been seen since that fateful evening and no body was ever found either. It’s had fans speculating for ten years, theories on what happened to Leo, could Bex have treated him better? Did Richard have a problem with Leo? All incredibly difficult for Bex to cope with as Leo had been her oldest friend. She dreads the tenth anniversary of Leo’s disappearance and suspects someone may try to make something of the event.

Bex’s instincts are correct – the film company want to bring the three friends together, back at the Ravencliffe, to make a follow up feature which will revisit their adventure and address some of the speculation. Bex is reluctant until something arrives at her house. Something only one of the four friends could have known about and something which hasn’t been seen for ten years. Steeling all her resolve Bex agrees to participate in the reunion fiming and we go back to the Hotel with a new film crew in tow.

Through a narrative set in present day and also in flashback the reader will hear more about what the four friends faced on their first visit. We also experience shocks and unexplained incidents in the present day. It’s a really effective use of a dual timeline and Louise Mumford makes this a terrific read as you just want to keep reading so you can get to the bottom of what actually ocurred.

As I said at the top of this review – The Hotel comes highly recommended. Not a full on horror tale but a chilling thriller that I gobbled up in quick time.

Secrets on top of secrets, I couldn’t put this book down, loved every page! I enjoy reading Louise’s books and I cant wait to read her next one,

This was a sort of Blair Witch but in Wales. Bex survived that night in Ravencliffe and 10 years later is forced to revisit for a 10 year anniversary. We discover what happened back then and how it's repeating itself now.
I enjoyed this part scary story, part who done it. It kept me interested.

As teenagers, a group of four friends visited Ravencliffe, an ancient dilapidated hotel. Everything goes wrong when they experience unimaginable horrors and one of their group disappears. When the remaining three friends return to Ravencliffe ten years later, terrible things happen again but they are determined to uncover the truth about what happened before.

The Hotel is an incredibly gripping thriller that you must read.

I absolutely loved this plot. The very idea of a remote abandoned hotel was so intriguing, it had my mind whirring with possibilities and theories about what had really happened. I found myself scrambling to read the words on the page because I couldn't read fast enough. It definitely kept me guessing until the end.

The hotel setting was so well-written, Louise Mumford created such a tense atmosphere that I felt like I was right there with the characters. There were some brilliant spine-chilling moments where it felt like my stomach actually flipped!

A thoroughly addictive book that I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A two timeline story that is brilliant. Who doesn’t love a creepy hotel story. I couldn’t read this on my own as it’s very atmospheric and had to put it to one side when it’s dark. But absolutely loved it.

Who doesn't like a creepy hotel believed to be haunted and four students that decided to take a visit there.
Ten years ago Bex,Leo,Oscar and Richard decide to visit Ravenwood hotel to see if they can film the ghostly goings on for a student project.
But when tragedy strikes and only three come home who is telling the truth about what really happened that night?

Ravenwood 'the movie ' has a huge cult following since that fateful night but all Bex wants to do is completely forgot about it, but as the tenth anniversary looms she receives something in the post and to find out the answers to what happened that night she needs to return to Ravenwood with the other two survivors.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book it has a great ghostly vibe to it and it had a great ending.

Ten years ago four teens (Bex, Oscar, Richard, and Leo) went to explore Ravencliffe, an abandoned haunted hotel, but only 3 made it out. They’d filmed their exploration and it was cobbled into a film that became a cult classic, spawning a rabid fanbase. Now ten years later they are returning to Ravencliffe, this time with a professional film crew in tow. Some see it as a chance to cash in on the tragedy, but for Bex it’s her chance to confront her past and maybe finally find out what happened to Leo. As a fan of ‘found footage’ films like The Blair Witch Project I was instantly drawn to the idea of a story centered around a ‘real life’ event. This is a solid thriller. Atmospheric with a solid cast and intriguing storyline. This is the second book I’ve read by Louise Mumford and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next. I’d like to thank HQ, HQ Digital and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Hotel.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1KI1C2T9364RB/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

The story is set in two timelines, 10 years apart in a dilapidated old Victorian hotel set on a cliff edge in Wales. The author has written many books with different themes and genres and so you are never quite sure what type of story you will be reading. This one has ghostly overtones to it however for me it is a classic example of Arthur Conan Doyle's quote that " once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains , no matter how improbable, must be the truth.". It did give me the who but not the why and how I will add !! Another great tale from L.M.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

Is it possible to disappear in plain sight? Aged 18, Bex, Richard, Oscar and Leo decide to visit an old hotel and Leo seemingly vanishes in front of their eyes.

The story focuses on Bex, Richard and Oscar 10 years later. Will the secrets of that night be revealed and will Leo ever be found? You'll just have to buy a copy to find out!

Compelling, tense and an absolute page turner, I was captivated right until the end.

I loved how the book explored the impact of losing a friend all those years ago and how each friend dealt with this. Each character was unique and appeared to have developed their own coping mechanisms.

I thought the use of a documentary/reality show/ 10 year anniversary convention was genius. It was the perfect way to help Bex and the reader revisit what happened that night and attempt to find the answers they needed.

Love, friendship, jealousy and egos all play a part and I love that we get an in sight in to who previously owned the Hotel, all adding to the spooky vibe!

Refreshing and memorable, I loved it

The Hotel had so much. It had tension and it had mystery. Buy it and read it for that alone. You want more? Put yourself in the position of each teen from the original story. What would you do? At that age?

✨ This was an eARC gifted to me by HQ Digital via @netgalley The following review is my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions. ✨

📚 The Hotel
📝 Louise Mumford
📌 Book 45/50 for 2023

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 (3.75)
𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘: Thriller 👻
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: 🚫

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 📖
Packed with action, suspenseful scenes, a creepy setting and an unexpected ending, this was a solid thriller that I enjoyed reading.
Some things I enjoyed about this read are:
🖤 The dual timeline. The flashbacks between present-day and “the night” made for a more suspenseful plot line.
🖤 The setting. The hotel and its descriptive scenes provide the perfect background for the creepy happenings in the story.
🖤 The twist. I enjoyed the unexpectedness of the ending, both with the twist in the story (there was actually a few twists), and the reveals that led to an action-packed close.
🖤 The plot. Overall, I felt that the premise of this story was very unique to the thriller scene and I enjoyed the show biz aspect of the plot in addition to the creepy happenings.

Some things I wasn’t too crazy about are:
🖤 The pacing. And this was the biggest downfall in my opinion. This read put me in a reading slump in the first half because the pacing was so slow and it took me way too long to get to the halfway point. Once I got there, however, I finished the second half in one day.
🖤 The characters. Other than Bex and Holly, I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, the fell a little flat for me.

Generally speaking, this was an entertaining story with a unique plot and great writing style. If this seems like something you’d enjoy, be sure to check it out!

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 ⤵️
paranormal suspense 👻, abandoned buildings 🏚, creepy backstories 💀, eagles and pigeons 🪶

The Hotel by Louise Mumford
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netglalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘You swore you’d never come back…now you might never leave…’

Four friends entered an abandoned hotel, only 3 left.
10 years on they reunite one last time after going their separate ways. However, once they return to the hotel things begin to go wrong.

I really wanted to love this! It sounded like the perfect mix for a great horror story but it was just too long and repetitive. It took way too long to actually get to the point and I was after losing interest. I came close to DNFing numerous times but made myself read on in case it livened up.

Pros: The descriptions were really vivid and I could picture Ravencliffe as I read along.
I liked Bex as a character. She was headstrong and feisty.
The setting of the hotel was creepy and it worked well with the story.
Cons: The descriptions, while they are vivid and help to picture the scene, go on a bit too much and I found myself skimming through some of it.

Due for release on 22nd June 2023.

A stand-alone psychological thriller with a touch of horror/paranormal. A good well paced read set in two timelines, the present and 10 years earlier when 4 school friends went to visit an abandoned hotel called Ravencliffe. The hotel has become a bit of a myth with tales of murders and suicides and the teens are going to make a film about it. But only three of them leave, Leo has disappeared without trace.

Briefly, go the 10 year anniversary a film company want to make a follow up documentary to what was an unexpected film hit 10 years earlier resulting in a large cult following. Bex has been hiding away since Leo, her best friend, went missing but is persuaded to return alongside Richard and Oscar. She is determined to find out what happened to her friend. But as soon as they arrive at the site with the film crew strange things start to happen again…

Bex is a great character. She appears to be broken, and who could blame her, but underneath there is a strong woman with an iron will. I thought I had guessed what had might have happened and although partially right my thoughts on who and their motivation were way off! There were some seriously creepy moments in both timelines and a really sad story from the past. An enjoyable atmospheric read full of hidden secrets and with an eerie setting to keep the chill factor high. Great read. 4.5⭐️

Another thrilling read by louise Mumford
Had me total gripped .
The right amount of suspense and grit to keep the reader wanting more.
Loved it
Thank you NetGalley