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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Hitchcock Hotel is officially my favorite Stephanie Wrobel book to date and I'm not even a Hitchcock fan! I loved the quotes and other things that were all about Hitchcock including what I'm sure is a lot of nods to his movies throughout the book. I initially liked some of the characters, but as the book went on, I realized this “friend” group was not very nice. To each other and their general behavior. The more secrets that were revealed the viler you will think these people are, but man were they entertaining.
The audiobook really makes this story shine, and I loved Michael Crouch, Gail Shalan & Helen Lloyd as the narrators. While there aren’t any fun sound effects or things like that, the way the voices were blended into the experience were fantastic and I can’t imagine reading it would have hit quite the same way. Wrobel really nailed her twists in the book, and I was impressed by so many. Just when you think you know what is coming the tables get turned and it created that 🤯 factor. Even if you’ve never seen a Hitchcock film in your life, I would recommend The Hitchcock Hotel to lovers of twists, mysteries, and bad behavior.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The audiobook really makes this story shine, and I loved Michael Crouch, Gail Shalan & Helen Lloyd as the narrators. While there aren’t any fun sound effects or things like that, the way the voices were blended into the experience were fantastic and I can’t imagine reading it would have hit quite the same way. Wrobel really nailed her twists in the book, and I was impressed by so many. Just when you think you know what is coming the tables get turned and it created that 🤯 factor. Even if you’ve never seen a Hitchcock film in your life, I would recommend The Hitchcock Hotel to lovers of twists, mysteries, and bad behavior.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Hitchcock movies so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it just was not working for me.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Classism
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wrobel keeps surprising me with her well crafted, suspenseful popcorn thrillers, and this is no exception.
Will the trope of estranged friends gathered in an isolated old house ever get old? No.
Everyone is believably either an asshole or pathetic, making everyone a liking victim...or a likely murderer!!!
Just lots of fun, even if the conclusion isn't the most believable.
Will the trope of estranged friends gathered in an isolated old house ever get old? No.
Everyone is believably either an asshole or pathetic, making everyone a liking victim...or a likely murderer!!!
Just lots of fun, even if the conclusion isn't the most believable.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When Libby alerted me that my hold was ready on this book, I was so excited. I had heard a little bit about this book and knew it was up my alley, but it was so much better than I expected.
Alfred is a man who is used to putting on a show. He's showing his guests a wonderful time, he makes sure that social media and magazines have positive things to say about his new hotel. But as the one-year anniversary of the hotel's opening approaches, Alfred decides to invite his old friends from college to stay for a weekend. He lets the majority of his staff have the weekend off, and his assistant, Dani, stays on to help with anything he or his guests may need.
Throughout the story, we see the story from each friend's perspective: Alfred, Zoe, Grace, TJ, Julius, and Samira. As the weekend continues, strange things happen. Tensions rise, and more secrets start to be revealed to the reader.
I really enjoyed the Hitchcock references in this story. I haven't seen another story like this and it was interesting to see the different movie references throughout. This book feels a bit like an ode to Hitchcock, especially with all of the memorabilia that's in the hotel, as well as the discussions the group has.
One of the main aspects I enjoyed was that all of the characters were awful. All in varying degrees, but generally speaking, all are awful and have done terrible things. It's interesting because you wouldn't really call them unreliable narrators. They know they're not proud of their actions, but no one ever makes an apology for it.
The ending did feel a bit anti-climactic for me. It seemed like there was a lot of build-up and then it was just done. Everything is resolved, but I think it just needed a little more. Maybe I wanted someone to figure it out, or see where the characters ended up once the weekend was over.
If you are an Alfred Hitchcock fan and love old friends keeping dark secrets, you'll enjoy this one from Stephanie Wrobel.
Alfred is a man who is used to putting on a show. He's showing his guests a wonderful time, he makes sure that social media and magazines have positive things to say about his new hotel. But as the one-year anniversary of the hotel's opening approaches, Alfred decides to invite his old friends from college to stay for a weekend. He lets the majority of his staff have the weekend off, and his assistant, Dani, stays on to help with anything he or his guests may need.
Throughout the story, we see the story from each friend's perspective: Alfred, Zoe, Grace, TJ, Julius, and Samira. As the weekend continues, strange things happen. Tensions rise, and more secrets start to be revealed to the reader.
I really enjoyed the Hitchcock references in this story. I haven't seen another story like this and it was interesting to see the different movie references throughout. This book feels a bit like an ode to Hitchcock, especially with all of the memorabilia that's in the hotel, as well as the discussions the group has.
One of the main aspects I enjoyed was that all of the characters were awful. All in varying degrees, but generally speaking, all are awful and have done terrible things. It's interesting because you wouldn't really call them unreliable narrators. They know they're not proud of their actions, but no one ever makes an apology for it.
The ending did feel a bit anti-climactic for me. It seemed like there was a lot of build-up and then it was just done. Everything is resolved, but I think it just needed a little more. Maybe I wanted someone to figure it out, or see where the characters ended up once the weekend was over.
If you are an Alfred Hitchcock fan and love old friends keeping dark secrets, you'll enjoy this one from Stephanie Wrobel.