This was excellent. Feel-good but also exciting, and with definite nods to other authors including Becky Chambers and even Agatha Christie while feeling wholly new as well.

Another surprise find for me.
I’d definitely recommend it too!
This is a rush review as I’m waiting for the delivery guy the deliver my pizza.

Floating Hotel is an out-of-this world delight. Equal parts cosy and grotesque, Curtis writes with a warmth and a wit that takes pulpy sci-fi concepts and creates something unforgettably beautiful with them. This is The Bear or Ted Lasso in space, where the stakes are relatively low but your investment in them is absolute. Come meet Carl and the gang and orbit the universe in a hotel that’s seen better days – you won’t regret it.

A magical and well-thought out novel set in space with the premise of for fans of The Grand Budapest Hotel (also the vibes really reminded me of The Maid).
The story is engaging and what makes it completely unique (apart from the space setting of this hotel) are the characters. Rebels, wealthy patrons, you name it, they are abroad. Following the building relationships was so entertaining, moreover I loved the found family which was portrayed marveolously!

Thanks to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately drawn into this tale of rebels, misfits and found family. Grace writes with detail and flourish about the lives of all the characters in this tale cosy sci-fi fantasy, with a splash of mystery sprinkled in.

I am definitely going to be on the lookout for more by this author and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a decent sci-fi/fantasy novel.

Grace Curtis is so good at creating unique structures and making novels feel fresh and different. I do, however, feel it's difficult to become truly invested in characters when you spend so little time with them. The setting and story were enjoyable and well crafted.

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Floating Hotel.]

Rating: 3.5/5

Reading this book was a strange experience in a lot of ways because I knew from an early point that I wasn’t going to love it. So, as I write this review, I’m keeping in mind that although I could recognise that Floating Hotel wasn’t the book for me, it was still a genuinely great book. I didn’t love the structure (which I think will be polarising for a lot of readers), but I really appreciated how different it was from other books I’ve read, and that in turn kept me pretty invested in the story.

Floating Hotel is a cosy sci-fi described as The Grand Budapest Hotel in space, and despite not falling in love with this story, there’s still something undeniably special about it. The story is set on a hotel which is basically the outer space equivalent of a cruise, and within this opulent hotel we meet the staff that keep the show running. A lot of the story felt like a love letter to the hospitality industry as we see some of the highs and lows of what the staff deal with, but alongside that there’s also an intriguing mystery plot ticking over in the background that pieces itself together within the various POVs of the staff. Little morsels of information are sprinkled throughout the book and I enjoyed trying to work out what it all meant, and how everything connected.

Floating Hotel is very character driven but as we don’t get to spend a long time with each of them, I often felt a little disconnected from what was going on. Generally I’m used to a more linear format where we get all the introductory information out of the way at the beginning, but with this book you’re finding out a new backstory in most chapters and a lot of that information certainly helps you understand the character more, but it doesn’t have a massive impact on the story. That being said, knowing more about each member of staff such as their history, motives and ambitions helped with piecing together the mystery, and that’s something I can definitely appreciate.

The hotel, in a way, felt like its own character, often spoken about in the way that most majestic examples of technology are. For some people it was simply a holiday destination but for others it was a place to call home, a place that would wrap you in its arms and keep you safe. I loved imagining it in my head and would love to be able to visit somewhere like it – although I think I’d be rather terrified at the prospect of floating through space.

So yes, this isn’t a book I loved, but it’s definitely a book I’m glad I read. Floating Hotel is incredibly charming and clever, and I’ve no doubt that a lot of people will fall in love with it. If you love the found family trope and you enjoy a cosy mystery, this is one to check out. (On a side note, I think this would make an AMAZING TV show – someone needs to pick it up asap!)

I absolutely adored Curtis's first novel Frontier, and was so excited to read this new one. I think Curtis has taken what she accomplished in her first novel and really honed in on it and made a stunning novel.

This is a story of the many people who live and work about the space shop hotel the Aboena. Just like her first novel, Curtis has taken these characters and given us episodes of their lives in such a way that they feel real and tangible and relatable.

The underlying tale is slowly brought to life until a crescendo at the end, which is so well crafted, I was hooked and could not put it down. Genuinely one of the best books I've read this year, and if you like Becky Chambers of This is How You Lose The Time War, you will adore this book. Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for the advanced reading copy.

This is a beautiful and fun novel for lovers of character- or plot-driven stories!

In Floating Hotel, we meet a diverse cast of characters who all get a chance to have a share of the limelight. The structure of this book is unusual in that each character (bar one) only gets one POV chapter. While each character only has a short time in the spotlight, we learn about all of them more as the supporting roles in each others' stories, so each one feels fully formed and fleshed out. This structure gives the book a feeling of an anthology or series of vignettes, but the major narrative takes place over a period of time of just a few weeks and is contained mainly in the setting of the hotel, which keeps the book cohesive.

This is a perfect book for a lover of mystery - there are secrets to be unravelled and revealed, and these are happening as we are gradually learning more about the empire in which our characters live. These common threads weave all the parts of the story together and kept me hooked!

My favourite aspect of this novel were the characters. Whether kind and loving, or abrasive, or just downright evil, these characters were incredibly well written! The bonds that developed between them as a bunch of misfits and runaways were moving and tender. I particularly loved the development of Professor Azad, who begins the novel as someone very jaded.

I would absolutely recommend for a fan of cozy sci-fi and fantasy! The overall feel of the novel is warm, but there is darkness creeping in at the edges.

Loved loved loved this book! The mysterious parts of it and the ultimate plot twist was fantastic! Book is perfect for fans of Necky Chambers and Jay Kristoff.

This book felt like a warm hug. It gives off Becky Chambers vibes! It's a story about a fancy hotel that travels through space and the people who make the hotel what it is and keep it running. I loved getting to know all of the characters and learning about their pasts, how they came to work in the hotel, and the secrets they keep. The mystery was more of a lowkey part of the book, it happens in the background and the revelation isn't anything too unexpected as this is a character driven book but it does end on a lovely note. I loved the writing style and I will definitely check out any other books the author comes out with!

This was a book full of mystery and intrigue set inside a floating hotel that travels the various realms and planets of space, It discussed important issues such as environmental impact and the chase of capitalism destroying planets. It has mystery with rebels, governmental issues, illegal acts and spies. Overall the concept is incredibly unique and an interesting story but i wish the writing had given me more. This book put me in a month long slump and the reading style was a bit hard to follow as sometimes it used the first word/name of someone as the title of a chapter which could be confusing at times but overall i think its a great scifi mystery with political intrigue, found family and rebellion but just wasnt a book targetted for me.

If you enjoy Becky Chambers, then you definitely have to pick up this book. Grand Budapest Hotel in space, what more could you possibly want?

Huge thanks to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really was fascinated by Floating Hotel, I loved meeting all of the characters, the.backstories, the detail. It was. just unique and brilliant. I. love Grace Curtis’s book Frontier, so this was another five stars for me.

For a while, I thought I was going to have to DNF this book. Not because of the writing, or the characters, but it just took a really long time to get to the plot. In hindsight, now I have finished the book, I can see that this was more of a story about the people aboard the hotel and getting to know them, rather than any overarching story. There is a plot, there is a mystery unravelling, but it takes a little while and fizzes along in the background.

The strength of this book is truly the characters. They're fully fleshed out, with backstories and personalities that feel vibrant and real. Through them we get to know the history of the universe Grace Curtis has built, and that is truly wonderful world building. The world was fascinating, and that was what kept me engaged and kept me coming back to read it.

Overall, an enjoyable book, and I think I'd love it more a second time knowing what I was getting into.

I really liked this!

I usually get very sceptical when people are saying it's the next Becky Chambers book, but this one... It really made it!

There was a wide range of characters with different backgrounds and motivations, all ending up in the Grand Abeona Hotel. The story was very character driven with a great mystery going on in the background.
I really couldn't guess the answer until the end.

The book is super easy to read, very low effort and kinda cozy, and I wish it was a series so I could read more!

Floating Hotel is the story of a glamorous high tech hotel which has had many decades to settle into her bones and become home to a host of muddled and messy folks.

In each chapter you hear a little more of the story of a staff member or visitor of the hotel, learning a snapshot of their life. The world in which it is set is effortlessly queer which is always glorious to read. The hotel has become a meeting place and a comfort for wonderful connections to take place.

I really enjoyed this book. I found many of the characters to be refreshingly original and quirky and I was intrigued to learn more about them and about the fate of the Abeona, the ship.

I found the marketing a little inaccurate to my experience. I was really hoping for cosy, but a number of the scenes were too far from that description for the book to be warm and easy to read throughout. Nonetheless I am very glad I read it, and I think I am likely to read Grace Curtis' previous book in my near future.

I really enjoyed the format of this book . Loved how each chapter was another characters story and point of view. A real mystery to solve of which I did not guess it correctly ,would love to read more from this universe

I received and ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having heard only vague but lovely things about Frontier, I was very excited to see Floating Hotel come available, and I think Curtis very handily lived up to her budding reputation and the Becky Chambers comparisons.

I adored the narrative structure of this novel, much to my own surprise. Having each chapter from a different POV, with little exception, sounds incredibly difficult to pull off, but Curtis does so with fluid elegance and believability. Each chapter’s narrator feels distinct, but somehow the reading experience isn’t disjointed whatsoever. I absolutely loved the experience of spending a little time in so many people’s heads: seeing characters we’d got to know through narration filtered through the eyes of others, or jumping into the POV of someone unexpected, or who you’d been hoping to inhabit. Moreover, you will wholeheartedly love everyone you spend time with, however short, in a way that is fundamental to themes of the novel. Curtis writes with such astounding empathy, and her strength of imagination goes beyond the interior lives of others…

…Floating Hotel also features, for such a short and character driven novel, some extremely impressive, inventive, and honestly fun worldbuilding- all of which is delivered so seamlessly, you hardly even notice it. The more immediate setting feels like its own lovable character, and despite being short, the pace of this book is pleasantly leisurely: with a few twists and turns along the way. Curtis’ prose is uncomplicated, and often very lovely. Early on in the reading experience, I was inclined to think of this novel as “cosy sci-fi,” but as the stakes were revealed I wondered if it could truly be described that way! Still, as someone who has never read a cosy murder mystery, I feel like this book might have something of that atmosphere- real stakes, but with a beautiful backdrop and a pervasive sense that everything is going to be okay in the end. (Mostly.)

Speaking of the end… I suspect that this is going to be a mostly personal opinion, so please take it with a grain of salt, but I wanted a little more out of the resolution- which is why this is a four star read for me. I appreciated the thematic implications, absolutely, but with so many moving parts to the story, I was really holding out for everything to line up in a beautifully satisfying and surprising way- and yet, the mystery, if you’d call it that, resolved pretty much precisely according to my suspicions, and not in a “aha, I’ve picked up on your clever clues!” way, but more in a “yeah, I figured that made the most sense” way, which was disappointing. If the moments where everything came together were as graceful as the rest of this novel is, I’d award it five stars in a heartbeat. And maybe Curtis’ consistently excellent prose and canny ability to conjure up atmosphere actually lets her down here- an underwhelming ending wouldn’t be nearly so noticeable in a less impressive novel.

Ending aside, Floating Hotel is utterly worth your time. It’s beautifully written, and beautifully imagined, and beautifully human, and I’m fairly confident I’ll seek it out again for a reread sooner than even I think.

Thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful little story, which drew me in immediately and didn't let go. I loved the writing style and characters, and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!