A review by eliajor
Hotel 21 by Senta Rich

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

0.5

It's 2023, why are we still letting mediocre authors write this stale crap. 

At first I thought this reminded me of 'eleanor oliphant is completely fine' where there is a hopeful ending of friendship and understanding of people with a traumatic past. This is the worse version. The author forced the narrative that Noelle could finally find a place where she can makes friends. However none of her co-workers were likeable. Phil is an exploitive and manipulative girl with a savior complex pretending that she could 'save' Noelle when she blatantly disregarded her romantic feelings. What a disgustingly enabling trope the author used to make the love interest. Perhaps it's to highlight that Noelle, who never had friends, is prone to falling for people who gives her the slightest attention. But it's done so poorly. Not only did Phil intrude into her apartment without Noelle's consent, but she brought her boyfriend behind Noelle's back. I would've given this book 0 stars if possible, but Noelle's backstory was the only redeeming factor. Mali has no likeability and serves only to be that sassy, tough girl who in fact is a nuisance because she inserts herself in everything. The funeral for Noelle's mother was handled so poorly I felt like the author was making a point that all people should have a genuine connection to their parents, even if they treated you like shit. 'Abusers should get sympathy' is probably what she thought writing this. The only personality that her coworkers have is going to the bar or the hospital where the condition of Gaby's son was glossed over. All this trauma dumping feels like it was made for comedic sake rather than a nuanced discussion