Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by paperbacksandsketchbooks
The Girl from the Grand Hotel by Camille Aubray
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Thank you Bibliolifestyle and Blackstone Publishing for the gifted review copy!
I thought this was a very unique historical fiction novel. It covered a lot of ground in only 300 pages, and the story was told well.
Annabelle works for her uncle at the Grand Hotel in France. The summer of 1939, Hollywood stars are visiting due to the inaugural Cannes Film Festival. Europe is also on the brink of war. This leads to an interesting summer for Annabelle, who gets to play assistant to a writer and an actor. Only there are many secrets floating around this hotel, and Annabelle ends up uncovering some of them.
I thought the idea of Annabelle "working" for a couple of important Hollywood people was a unique concept, and it was done well. There were some parts of this story that left me wondering why they were included. Even the epilogue didn't explain some things, so we're left with a couple loose ends which isn't ideal. However, the overarching theme of the book was executed well and the epilogue explained the more important things that needed to be cleared up.
There was a lot happening in this book. There was a focus on Annabelle's love life, and then there was a focus on espionage. I wish these two things had more of a connection because it ended up feeling like two different stories put together. Did they work together? Sort of, but not really in my opinion. The espionage was super interesting to read about, but I feel like it would have worked better if it was introduced earlier in the story.
Overall, this book held my interest all the way through and I thought the Hollywood meets France aspect was super well done. Did I love everything about this? No, but I still think this is worth the read especially if you enjoy romance and historical fiction.
I thought this was a very unique historical fiction novel. It covered a lot of ground in only 300 pages, and the story was told well.
Annabelle works for her uncle at the Grand Hotel in France. The summer of 1939, Hollywood stars are visiting due to the inaugural Cannes Film Festival. Europe is also on the brink of war. This leads to an interesting summer for Annabelle, who gets to play assistant to a writer and an actor. Only there are many secrets floating around this hotel, and Annabelle ends up uncovering some of them.
I thought the idea of Annabelle "working" for a couple of important Hollywood people was a unique concept, and it was done well. There were some parts of this story that left me wondering why they were included. Even the epilogue didn't explain some things, so we're left with a couple loose ends which isn't ideal. However, the overarching theme of the book was executed well and the epilogue explained the more important things that needed to be cleared up.
There was a lot happening in this book. There was a focus on Annabelle's love life, and then there was a focus on espionage. I wish these two things had more of a connection because it ended up feeling like two different stories put together. Did they work together? Sort of, but not really in my opinion. The espionage was super interesting to read about, but I feel like it would have worked better if it was introduced earlier in the story.
Overall, this book held my interest all the way through and I thought the Hollywood meets France aspect was super well done. Did I love everything about this? No, but I still think this is worth the read especially if you enjoy romance and historical fiction.