Member Reviews
THIS NEEDS TO BE MADE INTO A TV SERIES NOW!!
What a beautiful book that totally took me by suprise!
Feom the first page I was sucked in with such beautiful writing, the scenes painted by the author made me feel like I was there with the characters who I absolutely fell in love with.
This book is just a beautiful madness from start to finish but in the best way possible, it's allows your imagination to run wild, pretty sure Id been spiked with some hallucinogenics at one point! Beautiful madness! what with the ghosts, talking fox, the inn and the spiders... Oh how I want a spider in croched jumpers!
I so want to be a part of this Inn, it seems so cheerful, friendly and magical and that is beautifully translated by author through a strong use of imagery, I do love being able to immerse myself in the scene and that's exactly what this book does from the get go, I am literally there with Pippi and her guests.
I m genuinely sad that this book ended, I did cry... But in a wholesome way, nothing. This book has good feels from start to finish! Perfection in such an unexpected way for me!
I've seen comparisons to TJ Klune's "Under the Whispering Door" for "Pippi's Inn for Wandering Spirits," and while there are similarities, they are quite different in terms of storytelling, voice, and overall mood. This book is good in its own right, but since it's much cozier than Klune's, I'm not sure it's fair to compare.
Pippi is called to take over ownership of the family inn, whose clientele is solely the recently departed. At the inn, the family and friends left behind can call and speak to the dead, but the dead cannot answer in return. Pippi's job is to manage the inn and answer the calls from the living, day and night. She's just finding her feet when life happens, and her new job is put in jeopardy.
This is a sweet story about love and loss and finding who you are. Pippi doesn't think she can do the job, but she wants the best for her charges, as well as her new neighbors in town. The stories for the ghosts are, of course, sad, but also hopeful, because they do go on after passing from this phase of existence.
There's a villain, a threat to the town, a romance, and lots of flora and fauna to meet and enjoy. The end made me a little misty, but also made me so happy.
Why you should read this book: Pippi is charming and goofy and kind and hardworking. She really cares about others and tries her best to make things good for everyone. You'll really enjoy spending time with her and the rest of the characters. The inn is decidedly sentient, and not shy about expressing itself. Pippi has some unusual staff to help her with the residents. Knitters may appreciate the attic-dwellers.
Why you might not want to read this: There were a few places where the pacing was a bit off, and we could probably have lost focus on a ghost or two without feeling the lack.
4 out of 5 stars. Recommended.
I received an advance copy from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoy ghost stories with a touch of tragedy, but this book is a cozy, feel-good read that's perfect for rainy days. I adored the friendly ghosts and their interactions with the innkeeper. The spirits were charming and had distinct personalities, and the depiction of the inner workings of the inn felt genuinely magical.
The author has been successful in delivering a prose that is best suited for warm blankets, hot chocolates and small personal smiles.
Pippin as a character is on her feet, go-getter, with a positive yet nervous temperament. She is the embodiment of self realization and self acceptance. Other characters like Hazel, Cecil, and John provide a connection between the living and the dead through their own understanding of the paranormal world. All of them have a brilliant character arc which fueled the story in their own right.
What do the dead feel for their loved ones left behind? This question had my heart sour, aching, and uncomfortable throughout the story. I could not laugh or cry. The story is not deep enough in its discussion of a character’s grief. The grief is addressed in the tertiary view. When it enters the protagonist, Pippin’s life, it is fleeting. After the critical turn of the story and its fantastic midpoint twist, the pace breaks, snuggling back into slow motion. There is slight palpation in this new rhythm, but that is it.
The climax fell within expectation and, after the midpoint twist, felt a little less exciting. In the end, I rushed through the post climax instead of relishing the end of everyone’s journeys.
Pippi inherits an inn for ghosts from her aunt. Her aunt is reincarnated as a talking fox and helps her learn the ways of the inn. On a ghost field trip, Pippi meets Cecil, a ghost explorer. He figures out where the inn is and comes to visit her. She has to figure out how to host both ghosts and a human guest.
This is a quirky, different kind of book. I loved the cosy feel of it and the interesting concept of the afterlife. The giant spiders who live in the attic were my favourite characters. I want a sequel so I can have more scenes with them.
The book made me tear up a few times as people and ghosts deal with grief and loss. The moments were heartfelt, but restrained. The author never gets saccharine or emotionally manipulative.
I wanted a little more relationship building between Pippi and Cecil. I liked the scenes we got but didn’t feel completely invested in their relationship.
This is a charming, cosy read that I highly recommend to lovers of magical realism and fantasy. The book has lots of heart and makes me smile whenever I think of it.
The title of Pippi's Inn for Wandering Spirits drew me in instantly. I was very curious about how an inn for spirits would work and how the world would be build in this. I have to say that I'm a bit dissapointed on that end.
We meet Pippi as she heads towards the inn of her aunt. Her aunt just passed and the inn was left to her. As one of the few others in her family who can see spirits it is now her responsibility to take care of this very peculiar inn. An inn for spirits. Ghosts.
This is meant to be a cozy fantasy I'm sure. But Pippi reads like a older teen, 18-19. I was surprised to read that she was well into her twenties. The spirits that reside in the inn are all a bit one dimensional. If this is about her learning how to run the inn a good deal should have been with dealing with the spirits. But a lot is about her relationship with her aunt, random bits on Pippi and then the second half is mostly about the romance.
I liked Cecil but I did not think the chemistry was there on the page. It didn't feel like it deepened a whole lot between them. They kind of fancied each other which was fine. But then it became a forced something which was not a pleasant read.
The world building was a bit off in places. Some things were explained like how they came to the inn. But the whole organization behind it is one big mystery and mess. I also found it a bit too wholesome with the ghosts. No ghosts objects of course and no ghosts gets angry. They are all wonderfully pleasant. If I was suddenly dead and put in an inn I don't think I would be wonderfully pleasant. Also it pertains the idea that the living have to let go before they can move on. But I think it is about the ghost that needs to let go. Sometimes it might be the living, a mix if you will, but not the way that this book shows it.
I also struggled with some other things. The inn decided for Pippi what she would wear and what she would eat (apparently based on her dreams...). It made me wonder how many choices Pippi would have for the rest of her life. Not that many it looks like. And even worse, the ghosts and the inn kind of kidnapped Pippi to force Cecil to save her. Excuse you, how is that okay? And this was just glossed over. Not talked about. Just shrugged about.
I did love seeing how Pippi opened up her inn to the towns folk when they were all without electricity and food. I think that was one of the stronger bits and choices in the book.
All in all it was an okay cozy read. If you don't look too closely this can be an enjoyable read, especially nearing winter.
*REVIEW*
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Pippi's Inn for Wandering Spirits by Erin Ritch
Set in the PNW, this imaginative tale follows Pippi's journey after inheriting an inn for spirits from her aunt Hazel. These inn's can be found all across the world and are available for spirits that are waiting to move on. Humans are not allowed at the inn's, with the exception of the host, which is always a female relative of the previous host.
This is a lighthearted story that explores death and the afterlife in a beautiful and sensitive way. Featuring a magical inn that is sentient, talking foxes, ghostly shenanigans, a kind human host and a sweet love story. This is a great book for those who enjoy a fun, whimsical read.
This book is listed in the women's fiction category but is also appropriate for older adolescent readers. I tend to read books with more mature content, but this is a book I could recommend to my grandma and not have to worry about being banned from any holiday gatherings. I thought it was a sweet story and a refreshing read between more intense fantasy books.
Thank you Erin Ritch and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This cozy paranormal book is perfect for anyone looking for a pre-spooky season read! I love the mix of a budding romance with an inn that’s literally alive that is there to serve the dead… at least that’s how it starts. Set in the PNW, this book has a lovely setting and even more amazing characters. Pippy and Cecil’s romance and the ghosts who help it along make for a great sub story to the plot of Pippy inheriting the inn and needing to figure it out. Without giving too much away, this motley crew learns from each other and brings out the best in each other and in every situation they come across and also save a whole town in the process! Highly recommend to those who love a good book with multiple problems for the cast of characters to solve!
3.5 stars. I don’t read supernatural cozies often but I tend to enjoy them when I do, and this was no different. Pippi’s Inn for Wandering Spirits is an extremely cozy, wholesome, and whimsical tale of a woman who can see ghosts and inherits her aunts’ (sentient) inn for spirits as they transition through the afterlife. I loved the vibes, cozy to the extreme through all seasons. All the main characters were likeable, but I could’ve done with a little more character development, especially for the guests. There are lots of conflicts, mostly low-stakes but still nice that it wasn’t just one looming predictable conflict. There are lots of complex family dynamics as well. The love story was sweet and wholesome but a little too underdeveloped, bordering on instalove. All in all this was a lovely, enjoyable, cozy read! Thanks to netgalley for the arc.
First off thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
Next, this book is perfect for those who love Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune. It gets you in the feels and you get sucked into a story about Pippi who becomes an Inn keeper after her aunt passes. This isn’t an ordinary inn though. This is an Inn for spirits who have passed and are not fully ready to move on. You get to go on the adventure of Pippi learning how to do this new job and she ends up meeting a man on an outing. He ends up showing up at her Inn and staying believing that the place is haunted, of course they end up in a bind but everything gets sorted out.
Lastly, I love how engrossed I got within this story. You fell in love with the characters and everything else involved. I loved the fact of how magical it is. I think this is a great book for those who have lost someone they love because this shows that it takes them a minute to move on as well. I like how the author portrayed that even in death you in a sense can still live a life and even travel if you want. I have lost several loved ones that I was close with and I would like to think that they got to live the life they wanted in death that they couldn’t get in life. So I praise to the author for writing something so magically beautiful.
Wasn't really sold on this. Didn't seem to catch or keep my attention. The subject isn't something that unusual. Since the topic has been written a million times, the first couple of chapters should have been more captivating.
Pippi's Inn for Wandering Spirits is a quaint cozy fantasy that is low in the action department but really shines in the characters and the Inn itself. Pippi can see ghosts, which makes her uniquely qualified to take over an Inn that isn't for the living but for the dead. A waystation where they can hang out, see, and do everything they never got to do in life and get messages from their loved ones.
The Inn is full of some amazing characters, that in no time you are completely invested in and miss when they move on.
There was this part at the end of chapter 27 that hit me right in the feels, and made me love this story even more.
I will absolutely be checking out this author's other works.
I was disappointed with this book. It started out so promising with the whimsy of a vacation inn for ghosts with some simple rules for the innkeeper. Pippi seems determined to break them all, although she acts like every time it is the right thing to do.
The Inn is handed down through Pippi's family through generations, always an aunt to a niece. Pippi's mother never wanted her to take the job in the first place, though Pippi feels it is her familial duty and her love of her aunt Hazel, the prior innkeeper. Hazel has returned in the form of a fox to guide her niece through learning to run the inn. And then a ghost hunter comes along and Pippi somehow allows him to come to the inn.
Sure this one is different since he is not in it for fame and glory, though he has a podcast. Once he realizes the delicate nature of the situation, he decides not to pursue the podcast but the damage has been done.
I don't want to give away spoilers but when I got to 75% complete I was completely disgusted, though why I feel so strongly I cannot really say. I guess it is the old adage no good deed goes unpunished. I had really liked the book in the beginning but I was just so disappointed with the near ending that it cost me my enjoyment of the story.
Thank you, NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC! This was a sweet, tender cozy fantasy book that navigates grief in such a great and respectful way. This was a charming, enjoyable read with characters you'll love!
This was such a fun, engaging read. I can't remember the last time a book made me smile like this one did. Which is no small feat when you consider that it's a book about an inn for people who have passed away.
It's so much more than that though. Pippi inherits the inn from her Aunt and learns all the ins and outs of running an inn for the dearly departed. The inn itself is a sentient being and does it's best to help out and keep her on the right track. There is also an attic full of giant spiders that are friendly and also want to help.
Pippi is a terrific character and grows and gains confidence in her role as time goes on, realizing how important her job is to help the spirits prepare for transition to the afterlife. She meets a man named Cecil who is studying paranormal activity and although she likes him, she doesn't want to jeopardize the inn or it's guests.
A great Summer read in a world where things often feel too heavy. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advance copy. It comes out June 11th and I'll also be looking for more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Pippi Jennings inherits an inn for holidaying spirits from her Aunt Hazel. The inn acts as a conduit for the recently departed and their loved ones via a phone. The sentient inn, Aunt Hazel in fox form, the ghost guests, and the giant attic spiders all seem to be especially curious about Pippi and her potential attachment to a visiting ghost hunter named Cecil.
What I liked: the idea was sweet, kind of a mix between "Under the Whispering Door" and "The Innkeeper Chronicles". Some of the prose was absolutely divine; Ms. Ritch can certainly paint a picture with words!
What didn't work for me: it felt exaggerated, in a juvenile fiction type of way. All the scenarios were over the top, and any issues were neatly fixed rather quickly. It didn't help that I didn't bond with any of the characters. I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.
I would recommend this to people who like mild stories with a touch of magic or mature middle schoolers.
I really enjoyed this story. This felt like a comfy fantasy to me. I loved the theme of this book. A woman taking over a sentient inn for ghosts from her aunt after she passes. We follow her through learning the ropes of the inn while learning her own confidence. I would love to see this book as a series.
ARC Book Review!
Pipi’s inn for wandering spirits by Erin Ritch
4.5 / 5⭐️
I loved the vibes of this book! It was such a supportive feel good read. Pipi’s dedication to helping others while transitioning into a new role is something most people can relate to (although minus the ghosts 😅). There is a twist in the book that had my jaw dropping and a tear or two threatening to escape. And I adored pipis themed outfits. It was such a cute touch.
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I would first like to say: Thank you to NetGalley and Erin Ritch for the opportunity to read this before the publication date.
What do a woman who can see ghosts, Spirits on a holiday, and giant spiders have in common? Why a sentient, larger on the inside Inn for Spirits hidden in a small town in Oregon of course! Pippi, has inherited her late Aunts job of Innkeeper in this cozy low fantasy set in present day Oregon. The only catch is that the Inn is not for the living but the dead. The reader joins Pippi and her guests on learning the ropes, learning to trust each other, and dealing with some heavy issues revolving around death acceptance for both the dead and the living.
I gave this a solid 4.5 stars based off the CAWPILE grading system. I would have liked to see more, just more! I loved this book and everything about it, and didn't want it to end at all.
The Introduction was everything! I loved that the author not only introduced her book but also hinted at things that could trigger readers. I hope to see more authors doing this in the future.
The writing style was a light and airy and wasn't overfilled with Prose and flowery words which I really enjoyed as it flowed nicely. The characters (yes including the above mentioned giant spiders!) and their antics made me both laugh out loud in some parts and shed tears in others (which is a plus in my opinion.) I always love it when fictional characters can make me go through a course of emotions instead of having them feel stagnant. I would have liked to see the book talk more about the grieving process, but I also understand that might be too heavy for a low stakes cozy fantasy. But I really think that it would have made the book even more enjoyable as there were times where I felt more filler should have been added to the plot.
My overall enjoyment of this book was astronomical, and I really hope to see more from Pippi and her guests in the future.
When Pippi's aunt dies, she inherits the Maine Inn that has been run by women in her family for years. Sounds normal, but Pippi's Inn is anything but. Her inn provides a resting spot for the spirits of the dead who are not ready to move on. They can travel for as long as they like, staying in Inn's like Pippi's while they wait for the people they left behind to no longer need them. While at these Inns, they can receive phone calls from their loved ones and it brings them comfort.
I loved the Maine setting of this book and the peaceful feeling of Pippi and her guests. It is just one isolated Inn, but I loved the world building of the Inn. There are helpful spiders in the attic, the inn is a great cook and provides Pippi with her outfit each day.
I totally recommend you pick up this book, which comes out June 11 and will be available on Kindle Unlimited. However, I would save Pippi for the fall. With the Maine setting and the spiders and ghosts, this just feels like a fall book to me.