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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Creepy small-town vibes, ghosts in the hallways, and a dual timeline that kept me flipping pages late into the night. A chilling, atmospheric read that blended mystery with the paranormal beautifully.
Just couldn't get into the plot and the switching pov's of the characters was confusing.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
With the ratings this had I thought it would be better than it was.
challenging
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:
Yes
Pretty good ghost story. Mildly creeping but not much suspense. Really weird virginity random notes
I don’t usually venture into true-crime novels but this one was different for my liking and it paid off. I loved the twists in this book and did not find them predictable. The characters were interesting and I was invested in the plot. At times it felt like the niece and aunt perspectives/chapters were overlapping and redundant but it wasn’t a prolonged issue throughout the book. I recommended this to my friend who likes true crime and am eager to hear what she thinks.
Viv and Carly both needed fleshing out - it wasn’t really clear what was motivating either of them while they both put themselves in harm’s way.
A bit slow and the reveals felt underwhelming. But still a good concept and somewhat interesting story.
The Callum thing felt forced and I found it a bit weird that seeing ghosts was treated like a chill every day occurrence, as a number of the characters can see them and none of them act like it’s weird.
A bit slow and the reveals felt underwhelming. But still a good concept and somewhat interesting story.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Carly Kirk has always been haunted by her family’s dark history. Her aunt, Viv Delaney, vanished in 1982 at the same age Carly is now. The family filed it away under “not dealing with this,” but Carly can’t let it go.
She heads to Viv’s last known location — The Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. The place is exactly the kind of dive only a desperate traveler would stop at: run-down, eerie, and radiating secrets. As Carly digs into what happened, the story splits into two timelines — Carly in the present, Viv in the past — both uncovering the motel’s supernatural underbelly, 35 years apart.
This was a fun read. It’s not groundbreaking or particularly unique, but it’s an entertaining blend of mystery and ghost story. The dual timeline trope is a bit overused lately, but it works here, and both Viv and Carly are compelling leads. The supernatural horror elements are creepy enough to keep you turning pages, though I personally found many twists predictable and the ending safe — the obvious choice, rather than the most exciting one.
That said, I think this would make an excellent horror movie. The eerie visuals the book hints at might pop far more effectively on screen. On the page, they’re interesting but don’t quite land with the impact they could.
Overall, it’s worth picking up if you want a quick, atmospheric ghost mystery — just don’t expect to be blown away.
⭐⭐⭐ — 3 out of 5 stars
Thank you for reading,
Even if Nobody did.
Carly Kirk has always been haunted by her family’s dark history. Her aunt, Viv Delaney, vanished in 1982 at the same age Carly is now. The family filed it away under “not dealing with this,” but Carly can’t let it go.
She heads to Viv’s last known location — The Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. The place is exactly the kind of dive only a desperate traveler would stop at: run-down, eerie, and radiating secrets. As Carly digs into what happened, the story splits into two timelines — Carly in the present, Viv in the past — both uncovering the motel’s supernatural underbelly, 35 years apart.
This was a fun read. It’s not groundbreaking or particularly unique, but it’s an entertaining blend of mystery and ghost story. The dual timeline trope is a bit overused lately, but it works here, and both Viv and Carly are compelling leads. The supernatural horror elements are creepy enough to keep you turning pages, though I personally found many twists predictable and the ending safe — the obvious choice, rather than the most exciting one.
That said, I think this would make an excellent horror movie. The eerie visuals the book hints at might pop far more effectively on screen. On the page, they’re interesting but don’t quite land with the impact they could.
Overall, it’s worth picking up if you want a quick, atmospheric ghost mystery — just don’t expect to be blown away.
⭐⭐⭐ — 3 out of 5 stars
Thank you for reading,
Even if Nobody did.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced