Each chapter of Floating Hotel is from the POV of a different guest or employee on board the Grand Abeona Hotel, as it travels through the galaxy from planet to planet. The book is described as cosy, but there are definitely some darker moments that made me question that categorisation.

Whilst I do love a multi-cast book, this did feel a little excessive for my personal preferences. I would have liked to spend a little bit more time with each individual character to really develop that attachment and flesh them out more. And not only are there lots of characters but also lots of themes. We've got spies, orphans, puzzle-solving geniuses, murder, and more! I was reading this via audiobook and I do feel like I would've been able to process all of this better physically, but it was still a lot to be going on all at once.

There were a few different "big reveals" due to the multiple plots happening, and I do wish that they'd gotten a bit more time to develop and delve into the really interesting aspects and discussions they can bring up. But unfortunately, with the number of other characters and plots there just wasn't space and, for me, that was a pity.

This book does attempt to do too much, but there were engaging conversations, brilliant scenes, and I did enjoy the book overall. As mentioned earlier I think I would've been less confused reading this physically rather than listening to the single-narrator audiobook, but regardless I enjoyed my time on the Grand Abeona Hotel and I'm sad it's over.

This book had a really interesting premise to begin with - a spaceship hotel full of characters from different walks of life the mysterious lamplighter and their dispatches. The intrigue was just about enough to keep me going but I found it overwhelming that there were some many side plot lines entirely unrelated to the main plot. The backstories were interesting but their sheer amount was overwhelming and the jumps between past and present time were a bit confusing at times.
This would have all been well and good if it wasn’t for the fact that this kept going until we were about 80% through the book and the plot was developing at a snails pace and only picked up at around 80% too. I’m frankly still a little confused about some characters and wish we were given more chapters about their day to day life and the mystery of the lamp lighter dispatches and how the different planets and the universe that they live in worked. I found myself not caring for the characters or the plot very much and despite it being interesting enough to finish I just didn’t find the book particularly riveting.

I had to dnf this mostly due to the narrator. The performance isn't bad per say, but I couldn't stand how twee some of the American accents were and unfortunately the story wasn't interesting enough for me to push through it.

The Floating Hotel is a unique and charming book about an intergalactic hotel and the people that keep it running. I actually love reading these Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories that take a fairly simple concept, like following the staff members that work in a luxury hotel, and make it fantastical. Like in Legends and Lattes, we follow people as they go through their normal work tasks, but we also get introduced to some strange mysteries- like, who is driving the ship?!?

This novel follows a number of characters but my personal favourite is Carl, the manager of the Abeona. He has lived on the ship since childhood and has such a wonderful way of managing his patrons and staff. Despite the hotel facing a number of problems, ranging from small complaints to outrageous hijinks, he always has an idea of how to help. I liked a lot of the other characters, but I have to admit that I found it hard to get attached to most of them. Because the POV changes so often it’s hard to get to know anyone very well. To be honest, I get a bit annoyed by any book that has more than two different POV’s, but that’s just because I really like to get into the head of the main character.

Nonetheless, the audiobook narrator made it easier to follow the different characters and their stories. She was able to differentiate each character and their personality with her narration without making the book feel disjointed. There’s also something quite calming about her voice which matches the cosy nature of the book itself.

Overall, this is a sweet and whimsical story about a place and the people that make it. There are certainly bits of intrigue and action which make it more like a typical sci-fi book, but I would definitely still recommend it to fans of cosy fantasy and fiction.

I struggled with this one in all honesty (despite wanting to like it more). The hotel seemed to be the central strand running through multiple character explorations, but didn't see enough of a focus to cement it all together, and as such the different stories felt separate, bitty and disjointed. In essence, the plot elements were there to prove sufficient for a character-driven novel, but without adequate world-building and some shaky storytelling, it didn't quite deliver fully. Plus, I wanted more from the title - it didn't have a double meaning and was just simply a basic description of the "main" story element (but an uninspiring one). From title alone, I would not have been enamoured to pick it up.

All that being said, I did get on with the prose by and large, enjoyed the Lightlamper interludes (both in content and as a device) and had some curiosity about the hotel and its quirky inhabitants. The audiobook was well narrated overall, although I found it a little on the slow side which would have only worsened the stodgy feel to the momentum (thank goodness for speed settings).

A fun cosy sci-fi mystery set in a hotel travelling through space. While I enjoyed some viewpoints more than others, all of them were well written and developed, and I loved how they all came together. I'll definitely check out the author's next books.

The Floating Hotel is a charming and quirky space mystery with a lot of potential. The story is told through different characters' perspectives, which keeps things fresh, but it also makes it hard to connect with any one character. Some stories are more interesting than others, and when the chapters focus on minor characters, it feels like the pacing slows down. While I really enjoyed the audiobook and the narrator’s ability to give each character their own voice, I found myself wishing for more depth and focus. The book’s creative and cozy vibe, along with the queer-normative world, made it enjoyable, but the format could’ve used a bit more polish.

Floating Hotel's story builds up gradually, with hints to the overarching plot coming little by little throughout the chapters. Every chapter is told from the POV of a different character onboard the Abeona, a hotel spaceship floating through space. The chapters aren't short so it doesn't feel irritating to switch to a new character, since it isn't constantly happening. It is a slow burn but it's structured so well, and it was lovely to see all the different characters and find some favourites.

The audiobook format worked really well for this book. The narrator has a quite calming voice that's really good for carrying the story, but she can also really ramp up the tension and differentiate all the characters just using her voice.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Listener Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

I genuinely didn't expect to have as much of an emotional reaction that I did when I finished reading this, so I'm incredibly grateful to have been approved for an ARC of the audiobook.

There is an element of melancholia etched into each of the interwoven stories that struck a chord in me I didn't realise was there.

Whilst at times, it can be difficult to keep up with each individual in this ensemble cast, the story and interconnectedness is bolstered by each chapter, each backstory we uncover, each perspective we get to see. I adored seeing characters pop up in other people's POV and seeing the world from different perspectives.

I also loved that we, the reader, start to feel as much a part of the family of the Floating Hotel as the actual characters (found family is one of my favourite tropes).

Overall, 4.5 stars!!

DNF at 23%...

I wasn’t interested in this book, but one of the Popsugar prompts was space tourism, and that’s how I came across it. I’m not a sci-fi fan (at least not sci-fi set in space), but the “cozy” label piqued my interest. I was browsing NetGalley when I stumbled upon it again and decided to request it, thinking that if I got approved, I’d give it a chance.

Unfortunately, I have to say this book just isn’t for me. As I mentioned, I don’t enjoy books set in space, so I couldn’t really connect with it. But what bothered me even more was that nothing happened in the 23% I read. Each chapter introduced a different staff member, but I didn’t find them likable, and I wasn’t interested in their stories. I feel like it’s better to stop now because I’ve started having negative feelings just thinking about the book.

The Floating Hotel is recommended to the fans of Becky Chambers, but I struggle to see the similarities…

I won’t comment on the plot as there wasn’t much going on. Moreover, the characters didn’t stand out in any way, despite the fact that there were a lot of them. Some new ones were even introduced halfway through the book, and having many points of view made it difficult for me to keep track of everyone.

It was extremely easy to put down the book and not pick it up again. It was a struggle to go back to reading, however, having the audio version made it a bit easier. And speaking of the audio version: The narrator’s voice lacked the emotion I’ve grown used to, all of the reading was done in a very linear fashion, without any inflexions.

The book reads like an anthology through the perspectives of a large cast of characters experiencing a variety of roles in the story.

It’s a bit of a strange structure to the book and I think that hinders my enjoyment because it wasn’t what I went in expecting.

My favourite quality of this book is the characters. Each character has a distinct position in relation to the Abeona hotel sharing their lives which is how the story progresses- from new characters each chapter.
With a book that felt dependent on its characters rather than plot it struggled with hooking you in as we didn’t necessarily spend enough time with any character as an individual- although we did see some overlapping or appearances, which was an almost nostalgic experience seeing familiar characters pop up.

For the most part this has cozy space mystery vibes, some of the characters told us more interesting tales about this universe, whereas others were a little uninteresting to read about.
I think if the book was through a smaller cast of characters where the plot could be built up with those alone it would have made for a smoother and more enjoyable time.

The narrator of the audiobook did a wonderful job, having a distinct voice for characters and letting their personalities flow through her tone.

3 star ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ALC.

I was really looking forward to this but, unfortunately, it just was not for me. I struggled to get through it and probably wouldn't have finished it if it weren't an ALC.

The writing itself was well done and beautiful as I expect from Grace Curtis. And, the voice acting from the narrator was lovely.

However, it really just came down to the choppiness and hints at a plot despite never fully developing into one. I, also, was not a fan of the abrupt ending. And, where was the found family I was promised?? If felt more like colleagues who barely tolerated each other for the most part.

I will still be reading her next book but this one was not for me.

Floating Hotel is a charming, whimsical story about secret agents, aliens, found family, and the horrors of customer service. It was a great audiobook and I think the narrator did a great job of giving each character of this quite large cast a unique voice and personality. I enjoyed listening to it a lot!

I loved the way this was told more like an interconnected series of short stories than a novel. It really made you understand the complexity and chaos of a place like the Grand Abeona Hotel with so many things happening all at once. Noticing the ways all of the different plot threads overlapped and impacted each other was really fun. Seeing the same events from different character's POVs was so interesting and I always loved when characters I'd already met appeared in other characters' chapters, as seeing them from an outside perspective really offered more insight into them. This book absolutely had a lot of charm and I also loved the queer-normative world and the queer rep that was included.

However, I do think that the short-story style of this novel also worked against it in some ways. It worked best when the different plots were closely connected and were continued across multiple chapters, but when random chapters were assigned to characters that barely showed up again and were completely irrelevant to the overarching plot, it slowed the pacing a lot. In my opinion, none of the characters were developed enough. Moving between different plots and POVs every chapter was fun but left the time spent with each character a little rushed. I would get to know and love a character, and then never see them again in very much detail for the rest of the book. This also meant that plot twists didn't really have as much impact as they should have, as I didn't really remember or care much about the characters they were concerning by the time they happened. One big reveal in particular right at the end of the book felt so anti-climactic and empty because of how little I cared about the character, which was such a shame as it was one of the most interesting mysteries up until then. It felt especially frustrating when chapters that could have been used to fully flesh out more relevant characters were instead spent on side quests with characters that didn't impact the plot at all.

Overall, this was really cosy and offered a really fun escape into an intergalactic space hotel and the many secrets it holds. It had a great writing style and lots of things about it felt really creative and charming. However, I just think the format needed a little more work and the characters needed more development. Nonetheless, this is still something I would recommend for anyone looking for a cosy read, or anyone who enjoys queer-normative sci-fi.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author, for providing me with this Audio ARC in return for my honest review.

Grace Curtis has cemented her place as one of my favourite authors! Cosy vibes, found family, space, what more could one want in a book?! Fans of the Wayfarers books by Becky Chambers will feel right at home aboard the Grand Abeona Hotel!

Thank you to Netgalley and HodderScape for an advanced copy of this audiobook for review.

The narration for this audiobook was brilliant and I loved Lauryn Allman's narration style, she really brought this story to life. Every character was distinguished in some way or another and I really enjoyed getting to know a full cast.
There were so many sub storyline happening that at one point I wondered where all these extra people fit in.
Grace Curtis has a truly unique and wonderful way of converging storyline to a conclusion and I love, love, loved how this one ended.
I was a massive fan of Frontier and I'm so happy that I've listened to Floating Hotel as well now.
I had such a great time with this story and these characters. It's definitely a book I will be rereading.

This was one of my anticipated March releases, but unfortunately it really didn’t work for me.
It’s not even that long but I struggled so much with it that i ended up DNFing at 33%.

The beginning was promising, and I was intrigued by the cozy vibes, as that isn’t something I normally associate with sci-fi. However the author’s choice to write each chapter from a different POV makes for a very dispersed narrative thread in my opinion, which makes it hard to bond with the characters and get the sense of found family I think the book was meant to convey. It also makes for a fairly fragmented narrative thread so there was nothing reeling me in.

Pity, because the premise is very intriguing!

Floating Hotel is a cozy science fiction novel set aboard the Grand Abeona Hotel, a luxury spaceship that travels from planet to planet, offering the finest services in the galaxy. The story revolves around Carl, the hotel's manager and former stowaway, who has dedicated his life to the Abeona. As the ship hosts a diverse array of guests and crew members—each with their own secrets and stories—mysteries unfold, including anonymous love poems, potential Imperial spies, and the enigmatic purpose of the Problem Solver's conference. Amidst these intrigues, Carl faces profound questions about loyalty, identity, and the essence of home.

I am not typically a sci-fi enthusiast, as I often find that many books in this genre are very plot-focused and feel somewhat detached from the characters' emotions.
I hoped that since this is a cozy sci-fi book, it would be different, and overall, the story focused more on characters' backstories and dynamics, so I really enjoyed that.
The book was definitely released in response to the recent trend in "cozy fiction," which offers cute and comforting stories but always risks being boring.
In this case, the stakes weren't so low, and something was always going on, but changing POVs every chapter made the plot drag a lot.
Overall, I really enjoyed it, but I don't think it was particularly impressive.
I would recommend it only if you find the premise intriguing enough to get going!

Oh my god I LOVE this book!!!!! The characters are all so unique and hilarious. Curtis really knows how to create a diverse cast that are so entertaining you don't even mind that there's 20 different characters to keep track of. Set on a hotel-spaceship during a corporate conference, there are mysterious anonymous love letters being sent to staff, imperial spies on a mission, all while the hotel staff are just trying to do their jobs. I adored this.

The narrator, Lauryn Allman, is absolutely fantastic! Great accents and voices for each character which made the listening experience really enjoyable, especially since there are so many characters in the story. I loved the vibes of the floating hotel, and loved some of the characters in the book, unfortunately I felt that others where a little underdeveloped or we just weren't given enough time with, overall this meant that the conclusion of the story lost a little of it's impact. But a good time nonetheless, and would highly recommend listening to this one on audio!