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A review by bookish_notes
Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young
5.0
This book has gone through a complete cover redesign and the title was changed when it went from the hardcover to the paperback version. Both are gorgeous covers. The hardcover is titled [b:Hotel Ruby|24465518|Hotel Ruby|Suzanne Young|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1421077785s/24465518.jpg|44058333], and the paperback is called [b:Hotel for the Lost|32416539|Hotel for the Lost|Suzanne Young|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475535627s/32416539.jpg|53015690]. This is a standalone novel, so there’s no need to worry about the covers in a series not matching.
This book starts off with Audrey Casella and her older brother, Daniel, getting shipped off to live with their grandmother in Nevada. Their mother died three months before this story begins and their father decided he could no longer look after them in his grief. On the drive to their new living arrangements, they decide to stay the night at Hotel Ruby.
But then their stay is more than one night, and then it’s until the end of the week. There are mysterious happenings at the Ruby and their stay, even from the beginning, is a little strange. Audrey’s family has drifted apart since her mother’s death, but her brother and father are given separate rooms on the sixth floor while she alone is given a room on the thirteenth. There is black tie, invitation-only event in the hotel ballroom every evening and weird things start happening that only Audrey seems to notice.
This is a fantastic story for the Halloween season and [a:Suzanne Young|164576|Suzanne Young|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1357757103p2/164576.jpg] manages to make this story just spooky enough that I got chills reading it. I found the plot almost 99% predictable and managed to guess the plot early on in the book, but the story is enjoyable enough that it kept me engrossed to the very end. Audrey meets a boy named Elias, and a wide group of the Ruby staff during her short stay at the Ruby. Is it realistic that Audrey almost immediately falls for a boy she just met? Well, she is still grieving, coming off a two-year relationship, and sees him as a short, summer camp romance. I think for this story, the romance works and the author manages to make it seem believable.
Quite frankly, I loved all the characters. Well, maybe except the suspicious concierge, Kenneth. The ending left me in bawling. I was looking for a light-hearted, fun, spooky read, and the book delivered all on all that. BUT, it also winded up being a kick in the feels. At the heart of this story is a grieving family who doesn’t know how to move on from a devastating loss. Personally, I liked how the story ended, but I can see if some readers may not. Overall, this is a quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Hotel Ruby.
This book starts off with Audrey Casella and her older brother, Daniel, getting shipped off to live with their grandmother in Nevada. Their mother died three months before this story begins and their father decided he could no longer look after them in his grief. On the drive to their new living arrangements, they decide to stay the night at Hotel Ruby.
But then their stay is more than one night, and then it’s until the end of the week. There are mysterious happenings at the Ruby and their stay, even from the beginning, is a little strange. Audrey’s family has drifted apart since her mother’s death, but her brother and father are given separate rooms on the sixth floor while she alone is given a room on the thirteenth. There is black tie, invitation-only event in the hotel ballroom every evening and weird things start happening that only Audrey seems to notice.
This is a fantastic story for the Halloween season and [a:Suzanne Young|164576|Suzanne Young|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1357757103p2/164576.jpg] manages to make this story just spooky enough that I got chills reading it. I found the plot almost 99% predictable and managed to guess the plot early on in the book, but the story is enjoyable enough that it kept me engrossed to the very end. Audrey meets a boy named Elias, and a wide group of the Ruby staff during her short stay at the Ruby. Is it realistic that Audrey almost immediately falls for a boy she just met? Well, she is still grieving, coming off a two-year relationship, and sees him as a short, summer camp romance. I think for this story, the romance works and the author manages to make it seem believable.
Quite frankly, I loved all the characters. Well, maybe except the suspicious concierge, Kenneth. The ending left me in bawling. I was looking for a light-hearted, fun, spooky read, and the book delivered all on all that. BUT, it also winded up being a kick in the feels. At the heart of this story is a grieving family who doesn’t know how to move on from a devastating loss. Personally, I liked how the story ended, but I can see if some readers may not. Overall, this is a quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Hotel Ruby.