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nickitaylor915's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James is a gripping and spooky mystery novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The story follows a young woman named Viv who inherits a rundown motel from her grandmother. As she begins to unravel the motel's dark past, she realizes that the ghosts of the past are still haunting the motel and its guests. The characters are well-developed and the writing is atmospheric and haunting. The book is a perfect blend of mystery and horror that will leave you wanting more. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thrilling read that will keep you up at night.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
bek67's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Definitely some creep factor with this book which is just what I wanted. I liked the time line, switching back between 1982 and 2017. Definitely a twist I wasn't expecting in regard to missing Aunt Vivian. I did get irritated with some of the ridiculously stupid decisions made by Vivian and Carly, hence only 3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Stalking, Violence, and Death
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
madalinejs's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Cancer, Infidelity, Mental illness, Stalking, Death, Grief, Murder, and Blood
slintangel's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Gore, and Rape
Moderate: Cancer
mel_s_bookshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Stalking, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Child death, and Confinement
air92302's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder, Death, and Stalking
Moderate: Child death
emeraldsanto's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Cancer, Child death, Infidelity, Rape, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction
ashleyj_reads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death
keeganrb's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Child death
Minor: Death of parent and Cancer
outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Fell, a small town in Upstate New York, 1982 sees young Vivian Delaney take a room for the night at the Sun Down Motel to get away from the creepy man who picked her up hitchhiking. Viv plans on making it all the way to New York itself to become an actress but finds herself taking the job as the night clerk at the motel. The Sun Down is a strange place, originally built to take advantage of the foot traffic visiting an amusement park planned nearby, but the park was never built. There are few customers & Viv is there alone most nights. The lights go off & on, doors open & close by themselves, she smells cigarette smoke but no-one is there, & hears the voice of a young child near the pool but the pool has been closed for years & there are no children staying at the motel.
Thirty five years in 2017, Carly Kirk arrives in Fell to find out what happened to her aunt Viv, who disappeared from the Sun Down Motel in 1982 & was never heard from again. With a little bit of luck, Carly manages to move in with Heather for a few weeks, a girl who also has a fascination with cold cases & there seem to have been a lot of them in Fell over the years, all young women. The Sun Down motel is still open & history repeats itself as Carly gets a job on the night shift, thinking she can snoop around, but she has no idea just what she is going to find.
I enjoyed this more than The Book of Cold Cases. It has a dual time line with the narrative told from both Viv & Carly's points of view. I found Viv to be a much more interesting character than Carly, who is a bit bland. The plot itself is fantastic, it's a thriller with a paranormal edge & at times it sent a bit of shiver down my back. Running through this is the message that the world can be a dangerous place for girls & women due to the predators circling unseen in our communities. It was all very well done, so why wasn't this the full 5 stars? The ending - for me it was a little too cut & dry, too pat, & a bit too flat considering the brilliance of the rest of the book, so I had to knock half a star off for that, making it 4.5 stars.
Thirty five years in 2017, Carly Kirk arrives in Fell to find out what happened to her aunt Viv, who disappeared from the Sun Down Motel in 1982 & was never heard from again. With a little bit of luck, Carly manages to move in with Heather for a few weeks, a girl who also has a fascination with cold cases & there seem to have been a lot of them in Fell over the years, all young women. The Sun Down motel is still open & history repeats itself as Carly gets a job on the night shift, thinking she can snoop around, but she has no idea just what she is going to find.
I enjoyed this more than The Book of Cold Cases. It has a dual time line with the narrative told from both Viv & Carly's points of view. I found Viv to be a much more interesting character than Carly, who is a bit bland. The plot itself is fantastic, it's a thriller with a paranormal edge & at times it sent a bit of shiver down my back. Running through this is the message that the world can be a dangerous place for girls & women due to the predators circling unseen in our communities. It was all very well done, so why wasn't this the full 5 stars? The ending - for me it was a little too cut & dry, too pat, & a bit too flat considering the brilliance of the rest of the book, so I had to knock half a star off for that, making it 4.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Death
Moderate: Infidelity and Child death