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A review by coolbeans
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Well, well, well, what have we here? A mystery/psychological/supernatural mashup with relatable characters and an atmosphere you can sink your teeth into? You bet. I had read The Broken Girls by Simone St. James when it came out a couple of years ago. It had that same supernatural mystery type vibe as well. I liked it well enough and thought it was a solid story. The Sun Down Motel swoops past that story and soars off into the shadowy sunset by far for me.
With similar tools as her previous novel, this story alternates between two timelines, one in the 80s and one in 2017. In the 80s, Vivian is hitching her way to New York when she finds herself in Fell, New York working at The Sun Down Motel. Aptly titled because the place gets much of it's business and attention in our narrative during the dark shadows of the night. Viv hears about the strange murders of local women that have happened in the town across the years and decides to do some amateur sleuthing while working the night shift at the motel. In 2017, Carly, Viv's niece, rolls into town to amateur sleuth her way into another mystery, someone's disappearance all those decades ago. You guessed it, her Aunt Viv.
As the timelines alternate and slowly converge into each other, the lights start to turn on in your head and you see just how all of the elements the author threaded through the plot work to give you a haunting but powerful story. Of the seen and unseen. This story had great relatable main characters. Strong main and supporting characters that felt normal and real. Like you could pass them on the street. These heroines weren't superhuman sleuths or helpless princesses. Just normal young women pursuing a fault line that life had opened up at their feet. The setting and atmosphere were also wonderfully dreary and foreshadowing. All elements worked together well.
Spooky, mysterious, unsettling, and tense at times. Loved it. Didn't see a certain major plot piece when it hit the board and it was a game changer for my rating this book even higher. Would recommend if like Scooby Doo, you like your mysteries to be supernatural but also reveal the scary fact that sometimes the true monsters you should be afraid of are still alive and breathing. Blew up my expectations in a good way. Would read more of her books without blinking. 5 out of 5 stars.
I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.
With similar tools as her previous novel, this story alternates between two timelines, one in the 80s and one in 2017. In the 80s, Vivian is hitching her way to New York when she finds herself in Fell, New York working at The Sun Down Motel. Aptly titled because the place gets much of it's business and attention in our narrative during the dark shadows of the night. Viv hears about the strange murders of local women that have happened in the town across the years and decides to do some amateur sleuthing while working the night shift at the motel. In 2017, Carly, Viv's niece, rolls into town to amateur sleuth her way into another mystery, someone's disappearance all those decades ago. You guessed it, her Aunt Viv.
As the timelines alternate and slowly converge into each other, the lights start to turn on in your head and you see just how all of the elements the author threaded through the plot work to give you a haunting but powerful story. Of the seen and unseen. This story had great relatable main characters. Strong main and supporting characters that felt normal and real. Like you could pass them on the street. These heroines weren't superhuman sleuths or helpless princesses. Just normal young women pursuing a fault line that life had opened up at their feet. The setting and atmosphere were also wonderfully dreary and foreshadowing. All elements worked together well.
Spooky, mysterious, unsettling, and tense at times. Loved it. Didn't see a certain major plot piece when it hit the board and it was a game changer for my rating this book even higher. Would recommend if like Scooby Doo, you like your mysteries to be supernatural but also reveal the scary fact that sometimes the true monsters you should be afraid of are still alive and breathing. Blew up my expectations in a good way. Would read more of her books without blinking. 5 out of 5 stars.
I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Rape and Violence
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Grief, and Infidelity