Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - The Sun Down Motel

The spooky, paranormal vibes in this are really good. They really did it for me. I was actually too scared to read this at night. The mystery, wasn't as shocking and revelatory as I wanted it to be, but it was still good. The story itself was a bit repetitve because of the two alternating timelines, the "this-happened-back-in-the-day-and-it's-happening-again-in-present-day" plotline. But the element I liked most was the portrayal of the fear of being a woman. What happened in this book is still the most real fear I, and every woman, has on a day-to-day basis. I think about these fears at least weekly and that's fucked up.

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taelights's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I loved this book so much. Both Viv and Carly's POVs held my interest throughout and I enjoyed seeing the connections between their stories. Listening to them piece together the same basic mystery but at different times and using different clues was actually really interesting! It never made me bored or felt repetitive at all. Also this book had so many twists I didn't see coming.

Also the mix between mystery, crime thriller, and supernatural horror was perfect. The author did an amazing job writing all of these elements, especially the creepy spooky ones. Adding in ghosts just added to the story and setting so well.

The only thing I didn't like was one element of the ending.

I was disappointed with Viv's ending. I don't think she should have confessed. Between her confessing and having cancer I thought her being revealed as alive was pointless. It's like oh cool this character I got attached to but thought was dead is actually alive! Yay! Oh wait… she's now either going to die soon from cancer or rot in prision for the rest of her life when she literally could and should have kept getting away with this crime.

But overall this was a very amazing read that I deeply enjoyed! I can't wait to check out more books by Simone St. James now as I definitely loved her writing style in this book.

Edit: I just looked up the author and saw she's cis het so it kind of makes me uncomfortable and not like her because she used lesbian slurs in her writing. Using the word dyke in her writing was unnecessary to begin with but knowing she's heterosexual and using it leaves a bit of a nasty taste in my mouth. I'll still read Book of Cold Cases through the library but I'm glad I didn't pick it as my BOTM like I almost did because I won't be financially supporting her.

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ggcd1981's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Eu estava interessada em ler algo de Simone St. James desde que ouvi que suas obras eram mistério com um toque supernatural. Nesse aspecto The Sun Down Motel não deixou a desejar. O livro se trata do mistério do desaparecimento da jovem Vivian (Viv) Delaney em 1982 e a investigação do caso em 2017 feita por Carly Kirk, sobrinha de Viv que deseja descobrir o que realente aconteceu com sua tia. Carly acaba descobrindo que houveram elementos sobrenaturais no caso da sua tia. Em 1982 Viv, deixando a casa de sua mãe com quem tinha um mal relacionamento acabou ficando na cidade de Fell no caminho para Nova York. Nessa cidade Viv arranjou, meio que sem querer, um emprego no Sun Down Motel como recepcionista da madrugada. Foi durante as noites na recepção do motel que Viv começou a ter experiências paranormais com fantasmas de pessoas que morreram no motel, uma criança, um homem fumante e uma mulher. Intrigada por estas experiências, especialmente com a mulher que era a mais agitada em suas aparições, e pelo alto número de mulheres estupradas e assassinadas na História recente de Fell, Viv começou a investigar esses assassinatos por conta própria. Devido a sua investigação amadora ela descobriu que a fantasma do hotel se chamava Betty Graham e ela havia sido estuprada e assassinada, seu corpo sendo deixado no terreno em que pouco tempo depois seria construído o Sun Down Motel. Viv sente que a mesma pessoa matou todas as vítimas mulheres de Fell e se torna obcecada por provar que um vendedor viajante que usa nomes falsos ao fazer check in no motel é na verdade um Serial Killer que vinha matando mulheres a anos na cidade. O livro tem alternância de capítulos entre a linha temporal de Viv e a de Carly. Quem conduz a investigação sobre o Serial Killer é Viv, já na linha temporal de Carly vemos a garota seguindo os passos da tia (se instalando em Fell no antigo apartamento de sua tia, se tornando recepcionista da madrugada no Sun Down Motel, se tornando obcecada pelos femicídios na história de Fell) e descobrindo finalmente o destino de sua tia desaparecida. Eu tive uma boa experiência com o livro, a história e atmosfera foram instigantes para mim. Contudo houveram pontos negativos que me impedem de dar uma nota mais alta. Primeiro a inserção na obra de um romance completamente desnecessário para a personagem Carly; Segundo a forma como a personagem Viv apenas sabia que os assassinatos estavam conectados, apesar do Modus operandi do assassino ser diferente para cada vítima e estas vítimas terem quase nada em comum (a única coisa que as conectava era “a solidão” e isso me parece muito subjetivo para ser gatilho de assassinato); Terceiro o ápice paranormal da história foi decepcionante tendo em vista que as duas personagens principais, Viv e Carly, haviam tido fortes experiências com os fantasmas do motel. Foi bastante decepcionante que a vingança de Betty contra o neto do seu assassino se passou fora da página, pois no momento em que supostamente os fantasmas do Motel estavam tão agressivos que, segundo descrição, arruinaram as fundações do motel deixando o prédio condenado, Carly e Viv estavam em uma lanchonete tomando sopa e conversando chegando apenas no motel após tudo ter acontecido e o neto do assassino ter sido morto. Elas não viram nada do que aconteceu e o leitor, infelizmente, também não; O quarto ponto negativo é a falta de explicação para os fantasmas do menino e do homem fumante. O menino morreu na piscina e foi encontrado pelo recepcionista fumante que meses depois morreu de ataque cardíaco na recepção do motel. A autora jogou esses dois fantasmas, mas não estabeleceu nenhuma relação entre eles e Betty, nem estabeleceu que Betty estava matando os hospedes, porque várias pessoas ao longo dos anos ficaram no hotel mas continuaram vivas. Então os fantasmas do menino e do fumante estavam completamente não relacionados com a trama o que foi estranho. Por causa desses elementos o final pareceu menos satisfatório apesar de ter tido vários pontos positivos. No fim se descobre que Viv estava viva o tempo todo e na verdade ela estava certa sobre o Serial Killer. Este confessou seus crimes antes dela o matar. Descobre-se também que Viv teve cumplices nas figuras de uma fotografa (Marnie) e uma policial (Alma) que sabiam de sua obsessão pelo assassino e ajudaram Viv encobrir o assassinato após comprovar que ela estava certa. Em geral o livro é bom entretenimento com mistério, elementos sobrenaturais, muita raiva e vingança feminina. Deixou a desejar um pouco nos aspectos sobrenaturais, mas ainda é um sólido 4 estrelas.

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lorie336's review

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dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

This took forever to read, but that was because I have been working hard which has been putting me to sleep. This was an interesting read and didn't take me long to find out who the killer was, but some of the other twists it took a moment. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the history of what the author was creating. This for me was a slow build thrill, but I enjoyed the two perspectives and how both were figuring out the mystery of The Sun Down Motel. Liked this and would recommend.

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kathkas's review

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dark emotional 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

5.0

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wordwilderness's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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readundancies's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

Amendment: 3.5 stars rounded down after finishing The Haunting of Maddy Clare by the same author because I liked this a bit more than that one and I firmly believe that it sits at a 3-star rating. And so this one must be altered accordingly from its previous 2.75-star status.

From What I Can Deign to Remember:

First half > second half
The plot twists had a lot left to be desired in that ‘oh, that’s the path you choose to let the plot putter down’ kinda way
The overall character diversity could have been improved
I felt a little like there was a question of genre identity going on - the supernatural vs thriller tone was missing something that I can’t exactly put a name to but still evidently noticed it was lacking in
I did enjoy how the middle of the book where the plot starts to pick up and begins to build towards a climax was incredibly engaging - I was invested and entertained in a way that felt not so much unexpected but rather an intriguing welcome because the middle parts of novels sometimes tend to be a slog to get through
‘That was easy.’ It really was though with respect to the reveal.

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rachelreadthese's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I LOVED this ghost story.

It completely unsettled me in the best way. I had goosebumps as the story unfurled. The compelling mystery at the center of the story was made even better by the addition of supernatural elements, dual timelines, and powerful female friendships.

It was fantastic.

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