***I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.***
“The queen of beach reads” (New York Magazine) delivers an immensely satisfying page-turner in this tale about a summer of scandal at a storied Nantucket hotel.
Fresh off a bad breakup with a longtime boyfriend, Nantucket sweetheart Lizbet Keaton is desperately seeking a second act. When she’s named the new general manager of the Hotel Nantucket, a once Gilded Age gem turned abandoned eyesore, she hopes that her local expertise and charismatic staff can win the favor of their new London billionaire owner, Xavier Darling, as well as that of Shelly Carpenter, the wildly popular Instagram tastemaker who can help put them back on the map. And while the Hotel Nantucket appears to be a blissful paradise, complete with a celebrity chef-run restaurant and an idyllic wellness center, there’s a lot of drama behind closed doors. The staff (and guests) have complicated pasts, and the hotel can’t seem to overcome the bad reputation it earned in 1922 when a tragic fire killed nineteen-year-old chambermaid Grace Hadley. With Grace gleefully haunting the halls, a staff harboring all kinds of secrets, and Lizbet’s own romantic uncertainty, is the Hotel Nantucket destined for success or doom?
Filled with the emotional depth and multiple points of view that characterize Hilderbrand’s novels (The Blue Bistro, Golden Girl) as well as an added dash of Roaring Twenties history, The Hotel Nantucket offers something for everyone in this compelling summer drama.
The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand is a lovely summer book, with interesting characters and an even more exciting location. This heartwarming story includes a historic, infamous old hotel and the ghost that haunts it.
The Hotel Nantucket was once a thriving golden age hotel that catered to the rich and famous on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. After a fire, that killed a chambermaid, Grace, it fell into disrepair, and then became a budget friendly hotel, and eventually, it was abandoned and became a party place for teenagers and an eysore on the Island.
Now, the hotel has just been bought by a London billionaire, Xavier Darling, and he hires Lizbet as his hotel manager. He wants a high-end luxury hotel worthy of getting the elusive five keys from hotel reviewer and blogger Shelly Carpenter. Lizbet hires a small staff of interesting employees who all have their own secrets and motivations for wanting to work a The Hotel Nantucket. Oh, and the hotel is haunted too. The chambermaid that died in the fire back in 1922, Grace, haunts the hotel in hopes that someone finds out that she was actually murdered in the hotel.
I was highly anticipating this book, and I was not disappointed. First, I loved the setting. An old decrepit hotel on Nantucket Island is a wonderful place for a book. The author’s descriptions of the hotel made me feel like I was gliding through the rooms, just as Grace the ghost does throughout the story. I was transported to historic Nantucket Island for the summer along with the charming cast of characters.
The characters were all well developed, varied, and fascinating. They all had secrets that we get to discover as we read the story and get to know them all better. They are not the usual characters to work in a hotel, and that makes them so much better. It was easy to root for them all, and hope that the hotel gets the rating that they were after.
I highly recommend The Hotel Nantucket to anyone who enjoys women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
About Elin Hilderbrand
Elin Hilderbrand is the author of twenty-eight novels, including the forthcoming THE HOTEL NANTUCKET (June 14, 2022). She is a proud 1991 graduate of Johns Hopkins University where she majored in Writing Seminars. In her senior year at Hopkins, Elin had her first short story, "Misdirection," accepted for publication in Seventeen Magazine.
After a short stint working in publishing and teaching in New York City, she moved to Nantucket permanently in 1994. She attended the University of Iowa writers workshop and earned her MFA in 1998, and published her first novel, THE BEACH CLUB, in the summer of 2000. Her 2019 novel, SUMMER OF '69 was her first novel to debut at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. She is the mother of three children and loves riding the Peloton, cooking, and going to the beach. She will retire with her summer of 2024 book and plans on becoming a book influencer.
So glad this one met expectations! I love when that happens.
I loved this book too Wendy! I enjoyed revisiting some of the characters in the author’s earlier work. Thanks for sharing!
I love the sound of this–a hotel setting with some glimpses of its history and a ghost–perfect! Great review, Wendy 🙂
This sounds lovely. Great review, Wendy
Thank you, Nadene!
This sounds lovely.
Thank you, Nadene!
That setting is swoon-worthy and the story sounds delightful! Excellent review!
This sounds like a lot of fun. I love a good ghost story.
Nice review, Wendy! Sounds like a great story.
Great review 💕
A great review – I have added this book to my want to read list!
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/
Wonderful review Wendy. I just got this one today and I’m excited to get to it. I’ve been to Nantucket and it is a beautiful island🤗📚💜
I need to build my summer reading list, this sounds perfect
This is perfect for summer reading. Thanks Rae!
I love stories set on islands and Nantucket has always intrigued me. I’d love to visit one day…
I want to go there one day too! It sounds lovely