Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Storiesfor the ARC of this book.

Great read. Fast paced and great characters lead to an interesting and page turning read. Had no idea of the ending at all but it didn’t disappoint. Only thing I did think was that perhaps it would be better for the young adult readers.

Definitely recommend you read.

This is not the book I thought it would be. From the cover and the blurb, I assumed it was a locked-in thriller which it is not, but that said it was an interesting read. Told over two timelines it's part murder mystery, part horror, and part coming-of-age tale, as three friends return to the isolated hotel where 10 years previously four friends went on an adventure but one didn't return

A fairly tried and tested format. Four students are staying in a remote hotel on cliff tops and after some but one of them seemingly disappears, not to be seen again.
Fast forward ten years and the remaining three are reunited after years of having drifted apart and finding their own very different ways to cope with the tragedy. Once back together mysterious things start to happen again and we begin to suspect that some of them know more about what happened originally than they’re maybe letting on. As I said a fairly solid concept and story framework and this read well enough but I wasn’t quite as gripped and captivated as I could’ve been. A reasonable read nether the less and worthwhile.

Unfortunately I DNFd this book. It just wasn’t pulling me in like I wanted it to. The original event just didn’t make sense to me. He fell off a staircase at the edge of the cliff. There didn’t seem to be that many outcomes that could lead to enough mystery or doubt for there to be any question of what happened. Maybe it’s me, maybe I just don’t see it.

The Hotel is a 3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️
The book is set n Wales UK, it’s based around four eighteen year olds, Bex, Leo, Richard and Oscar. Ten years ago they went to an abandoned hotel that was said to be haunted by its owner. They filmed there time there ending with Leo disappearing. They never found out what happened but they are reuniting to film a ten year special. Bex vowed never to go back and with the three of them estranged it makes this time harder as they are all so different. A package comes for Bex and it’s contents ensures she returns.
The beginning to this book confused me, I had to reread it in case it was me but I decided it wasn’t. The book is slow at the beginning but does pick up some speed around halfway. Bex was a character I liked and if you are after something with a creepy atmosphere this is your book. I liked how the book went from ten years ago to present day, I just wish it had been faster paced all the way through.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ, HQ Digital for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley and publicity the Arc of The Hotel by Louise Mumford.

Wow!!! The epitome of a psychological thriller right here, that will have you perched on the edge of your seat until you finish it.

Loved every page! 5/5

Wow what a book, I loved it.
Part thriller with elements of horror ( and I don't like horror) I was gripped!
The dual timeline between present and ten years ago helped to flesh out the story but never gave too much away and kept the reader guessing all along. I really had no idea how the book would end but it was all drawn to a satisfying conclusion with no loose ends.
The characters were believable and well drawn and the writing style kept the reader fully engaged.
First class!

The Hotel by Louise Mumford is a highly recommended thriller.

Ten years ago four eighteen-year-old students travel to Ravencliffe, an abandoned hotel rumored to be haunted on the Welsh coast, but only three returned. Bex, Leo, Richard, and Oscar go to the hotel and film themselves exploring the spooky setting. Something happens and Leo disappears, never to be seen again. The footage they filmed goes on to become a cult horror movie with a large fan following and an annual convention for fans, RavenCon.

Since her life-long friend Leo disappeared, Bix has hidden herself away and wants nothing openly to do with fans. However, she does attend the RavenCons just to see what is going on with the fans. It is there, on the tenth anniversary, she learns that Oscar, Richard, and, apparently, herself are going back to Ravencliffe and filming again. She doesn't want to, but a package she receives in the mail guilts her into participating and returning to the setting of her nightmares.

The narrative covers what happened ten years previously during the filming of the original Ravencliffe film that went viral and the current time period during the re-visiting of the movie sight. Mumford does an excellent job capturing the chilling terror in the original cult movie and the behavior of rabid fans, which creates the tension in the anticipation of what may happen in the re-boot. The creepy, apprehensive atmosphere will pull you into the story.

Bix is a sympathetic character and readers will like her. The pace is slow, especially at the start. It eventually picks up, but it does slow down the appreciation of the plot. Keep at it and the mystery is solved, but the writing could have been tightened up a bit the keep a faster pace. I did like the alternating between decades in the narrative to tell the story of the films in both time periods.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

I liked the concept of the book, and it started well, however I found it was quite slow towards the end and took me some time to finish.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I don't read a lot of horror, but the description for this one caught my attention. I decided to give it a try, and overall, I thought it was a pretty good book. The beginning, though, was a bit confusing, even re-reading didn't really help to clarify some of the points. But as the book went on, I could get into the story line and the characters.

3 stars for "I liked it"

Four students travel to Ravencliffe, an eerie abandoned hotel perched on steep cliffs on the Welsh coast. After a series of unexplained accidents, only three of them leave. The fourth, Leo, disappears, and is never seen again.

A decade on, the friends have lost contact. Oscar is fame-hungry, making public appearances and selling his story. Richard sank into alcoholism and is only just recovering. Bex just wants to forget -- until one last opportunity to go back offers the chance to find out what really happened to Leo.

This is a well-written story with good, believable characters. Although the story flicks between the original filming and the present day it is well signposted so it's easy to keep on track. In parts, I find it a little too “spoon-fed” as I like to make my own mind up at what’s happening but on the whole, it’s a good read.

The Hotel by Louise Mumford is the story of four teenagers who take a daring trip to the mysterious Ravencliffe Hotel. Perched upon the top of a cliff, the hotel was supposed to be for the elite, however, the hotels construction was never completed and the place has been shrouded in stories of workers’ deaths. To add to the mystery, the owner is known to have shot himself in his study. The teenagers recorded footage is made into a film which has launched them into stardom.

The story is told from two timelines, one in the present day where the remaining members of the group are reunited to try to make sense of what happened during their visit, and one set ten years ago, where a series on unexplainable events result in one of the group going missing.

I feel like this one took a little while to get going but once it did the story really took off. I liked the two timelines as it helped answer present day questions and created a depth to the story. In terms of the characters, they are flawed and relatable. Their negative aspects made them feel more real. I like that I still have unanswered questions about the building and its history, as you would about most old buildings- the quirks weren’t all neatly wrapped up, but left an air of mystery.

I had one little gripe about this one in that I got a little frustrated with the amount of entrances ending in ‘...’ It felt like every sentence contained it and once I’d noticed it I was fixated. But overall I really enjoyed reading this.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. This will be published June 22nd 2023 and I can’t wait to see what you all think!

The gothic atmosphere in this novel creeps alongside you until your caught in a crescendo of tension trying to figure out what's going on.

Such great writing combined with authentic characters and a multilayered narrative that kept you turning pages. And a plot that was brilliantly unique and clever.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A fabulous psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

When 4 friends decide to make a short film of them investigating an abandoned hotel on the edge of a cliff they don’t imagine what could befall them. Cut to 10 years later and they are offered the chance of a reunion to try and resolve what happened that night, much to the delight of their cult fans.

I just could not put this book down. Read it!

10 years ago, four friends go over to Ravencliffe hotel for a film project. Ravencliffe never opened as it has been said to be haunted and have back luck surrounding it. This become apparent when only 3 of the 4 friends return after visiting the hotel.
The story then comes back to the present day and the friends are reuniting at the hotel, will they find the answers they have never found!
I found this book a little slow to begin with but it definitely keeps you intrigued to find out exactly what happened. There are some twists a long the way as the story unfolds. It kept me wanting to know more. I will definitely read more books from this author.

Ten years ago four young adults went to a derelict hotel on the Welsh coast on a filming exhibition but only three returned. Leo disappeared without trace. The hotel, Ravenscliffe, had its own macabre history and the group of friends decided it was a good idea to get some filming done to try and capture the atmosphere. The film turned out to be a huge hit and had a cult following.
As a result of losing Leo, Bex became a virtual recluse however when a film company wanted to do a tenth anniversary filming she saw it as a means to an end and an opportunity to find out what happened to Leo. The other two friends, Richard and Oscar had other reasons for wanting to go back and it became apparent that they maybe knew more than they were letting on as to the happenings of ten years previous.
On returning to Ravenscliffe it was as though the building didn't want people back and certain things started going amiss and lives were endangered.
This is a fast paced thriller with many twists and turns. It is most certainly a page turner! Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bex can’t leave the past behind her as she is reminded every year for the last 10 years at “RavenCon” where the sad story of her friend Leo’s life ended so tragically. The event was all caught on camera and sold to a movie company. Now after 10 years she is doing a one off, back where it all started with Richard and Oscar the other 2 people that were there that night. After receiving a lighter than belonged to her old friend is the truth really what everyone thought? Or has a lie been told this whole time? Who can Bet trust and who will show their true colours one last time. Can Leo finally be put to rest?

I had high hopes for this mystery book and I was not disappointed. Throughout the book I kept thinking what could be happening and I was mistaken most of the time. The final kicker I didn’t even see coming. I did have moments where I didn’t understand the break between present and past but I knock that down to the format I read it on. Bex was portrayed as a heroine and she done just that, never giving up and wanting to figure out the truth. She was a kickers slueth and would do anything to unveil what happened that night and the past history of the hotel. The minor characters played their roles well and added to the storyline to give another perspective. I am glad to have been given the opportunity to read this ARC from @.

This was a good story which was surprisingly creepy. I love a thriller that has a specific setting (like The Sanctuary), so the hotel in this one was a great setting and I really liked it. Super creepy, in the middle of nowhere, and abandoned for hundreds of years. All of the things you could want in a thriller setting! I really loved how there was the past and present POV, but also that there was the mystery of Leo and the original mystery of the hotel with the death of the owner and one of the workers.

So, I enjoyed this one, but for me the plot wasn't anything mindblowing. The reason for this is that, usually I am TERRIBLE at guessing thriller/mystery plot twists. But in this one, a miracle happened. I managed to guess every single plot twist that happened! I have no idea how this happened, but it meant that I wasn't shocked and gasping at the plot twists. Obviously at the start I didn't know what to expect or what had happened, but I quite quickly came up with my own theory which turned out to be absolutely correct.

None of the characters were exactly likeable, although this isn't unusual for a thriller book. I did feel sympathetic for the main character Bex as she lost her closest friend and didn't know what happened to him for 10 years. However, sometimes I thought she was a bit dodgy (especially to Holly her assistant) but by the end I liked their relationship. I feel like we didn't get to know Richard or Oscar that much as it was all told from Bex's POV and she thought of them as suspects. The other side characters were a bit ignored, which was fine because they weren't a massive part of the story.

Overall this was a good story, an interesting plot and a very creepy setting. I loved the idea that they filmed their trip to the hotel and it got made into a movie. However, it was a bit predictable for me and I didn't love the characters.

I devoured this one in one sitting!
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If your thing is suspenseful writing with the imagery of a place coming through so strong in the words that you feel like you’re there, then you will be in for an absolute treat with this one!!
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Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

I raced through this in a day! I found it very edge of your seat and just couldn’t put it down. I loved the gothic imagery of the hotel and the descriptions of the cliffs surrounding it really created an intimidating backdrop to the story. There were twists and turns galore and the story kept me guessing until it’s dramatic conclusion. I’ll be recommending this book to everyone. 5 stars from me.