Reviews

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

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asuna1930's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Content Warnings

jess_mango's review against another edition

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4.0

Somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars... more review later.

cxffee_addxct's review against another edition

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4.0

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!

The way that Simone St. James writes dual POV and writes across two timelines is so easy to follow, and the story was compelling from the very beginning. I was completely hooked and rooting for our heroines the whole time. You have no IDEA how relieved I felt when it turned out that Viv wasn't the one who died, but instead she was the one who killed the killer and avenged Betty.

Again, I wish Goodreads would allow half-star ratings, because this was a solid 4.5 star read. The only thing that knocked it down was the fact that imo Viv shouldn't have turned herself in at the end.

jlcisme's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

namitakhanna's review against another edition

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4.0

In 1982, Vivian was twenty years old and ran away from home to Fell, New York where she ended up taking the job as the night shift clerk at Sun Down Motel . At the same time, young women in Fell were being murdered. Vivian decided to play investigator and when she came up with a lead, she vanished without a trace.Fast forward to 2017, Viv’s niece Carly goes to Fell, New York, to find out what happened to her mother’s sister thirty-five years earlier. She too lands up working at the Sun Down Motel as the night clerk. Like her aunt, she spends her days investigating the murders of the three women that happened before Viv’s disappearance but ends up putting her life at risk . Will she suffer the same fate Viv did or be able to finally unmask the killer ?

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is a suspenseful eerie read.Told in alternating chapters and POV’s a fun ghostly mystery read that I enjoyed thoroughly and just can't put it down until I reached the last page.

I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

cutenanya's review against another edition

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4.0

I can help you write an English book review for “Sun Down Motel” by Simone St. James. Here is a possible draft based on your synopsis and opinions:

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is a gripping mystery thriller that alternates between two timelines: 1982 and 2017. In 1982, Viv Delaney works as a night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York, where she encounters strange and terrifying phenomena. She also becomes obsessed with solving a series of murders that plague the town. In 2017, Carly Kirk, Viv’s niece, retraces her aunt’s footsteps after she vanished from the motel 35 years ago. She uncovers dark secrets and faces the same dangers that haunted Viv.

This is one of St. James’s best works, as she masterfully blends suspense, horror, and romance in a captivating story.

Spoiler

The dual narrative allows the readers to view the events from two different perspectives and to appreciate the parallels and contrasts between the two eras. The characters are well developed, especially the three women in 1982: Viv, Alma, and Marnie. I love how smart and determined Viv was to find the killer, and how she defied the gender norms and expectations of her time. I share her pain when all she did failed to save the girl she knew was targeted by the culprit. I am horrified by the inaction of the police and the corruption that pervaded the town. I hate the gender discrimination in the police force, though I know it was very real back in the 80s and probably still is today. I also love the fact that when the female lead is faced with a problem, she doesn’t go whining and find a man to help her. Instead, the ladies face the challenge head on and solve the problem by themselves.

I am disappointed, though, by the existence of the character Callum. I think this character is redundant and adds nothing to the development of the story. Given the limited amount of plot that the author can fit into this book, it would have been better if she had focused more on the relationship between Carly and Nick, or between Viv and Alma.