By: Elin Hilderbrand
ISBN: 978-0316258678
Publisher: Little Brown
Publication Date: 06/14/2022
Format: Other
Narrator: Erin Bennett
My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)
“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.
Praise
"Bring on the fresh-baked gougères and the hydrangea-blue cashmere throws: A classic fictional setting—the grand hotel—gets the Hilderbrand treatment. The beloved beach novelist’s 28th book is another tour de force...Honestly, who needs Nantucket. It could hardly be more fun than this book."
―Kirkus Reviews
An Amazon Best Book of June 2022: Elin Hilderbrand’s novels are like a cool glass of lemonade after a hot and salty day at the beach—you know it’s going to be refreshing and just what you wanted. The Hotel Nantucket is no exception, and her loyal fans will especially love the characters from other novels, including the beloved The Blue Bistro. In Hotel, a British financier purchases a run-down hotel, renovates it into a dream property, and hires a local to be the general manager. He’s trying to impress two women, one of whom is an anonymous hotel reviewer, and the other is a mystery that unfolds over the course of this delicious novel. The Hotel Nantucket has lots to love: great food, juicy gossip, secrets and scandals, and that special something that Hilderbrand delivers novel after novel. This will quench your thirst.
—Sarah Gelman, Amazon Editor
"Hilderbrand is the absolute queen of the beach reads, and her latest offering is dishy and fun, as a classic Nantucket hotel attempts to reinvent itself with a new billionaire owner. It might look glamorous on the outside, but behind closed doors, there is plenty of dysfunction among the staff, drama on the guest side, and a bad reputation the place can’t shake from a tragic fire in 1922."
―Mackenzie Dawson, New York Post
"Hilderbrand, who has perfected the romantic beach read, returns with a summer scandal at a Nantucket hotel, where fresh off a bad breakup, general manager Lizbet Keaton struggles to revive the storied but struggling business–and to write her own second act.”
―Barbara VanDenburgh, USA Today
"The Hotel Nantucket has lots to love: great food, juicy gossip, secrets and scandals, and that special something that Hilderbrand delivers novel after novel."
―Sarah Gelman, Business Insider
"It doesn’t feel like summer unless I read an Elin Hilderbrand book, which I’ve done every year for almost a decade....They’re full of secrets and romantic drama and beaches. I’ve read my fair share of novels involving magic and dragons, but fancy New England island living often feels more fantastical to me than anything from George R.R. Martin.”
―Gilbert Cruz, The New York Times
"It's not officially summer until Elin Hilderbrand drops her annual page-turner. In this one, novelist Vivi dies in a hit-and-run and ascends to the Beyond, where she learns she has three "nudges" to influence events on earth. In this touching, scenic story, we learn what it is to let go and let life go on."
―Good Housekeeping (on GOLDEN GIRL)
"I like Elin Hilderbrand. You should, too. Her latest is “The Hotel Nantucket” (Little Brown, $29), and like Stephen King, she brings knowing confidence to an abused genre."
―Christopher Borrelli, The Chicago Tribune
My Review
The "queen" of Nantucket beach reads, Elin Hilderbrand delivers her 28th novel—THE HOTEL NANTUCKET, a tribute to the beach island with the author's personal complete Blue Book guidebook, included. Fans will love this one.
One thing for sure, the author knows NANTUCKET!
The starring ghost is Grace Hadley, a teenage chambermaid who died under suspicious circumstances in a hotel fire in 1922.
The historic HOTEL NANTUCKET has been purchased and reopened ($30 million in renovations) by a London billionaire, Xavier Darling.
The goal is to attain five stars "Five Keys" from Shelly, an undercover hotel blogger called Hotel Confidential, who has not been awarded top honors to any spot visited thus far. She will be a tough one to crack.
Xavier hires Lizbet Keaton as the general manager. Lizbet is well-loved on the island. Lots of history and drama here as we learn about her past, all the new hires, the backstories, and their unique personalities.
The haunted hotel is something to be overcome and quite fun. Grace's 19-year-old body was found in the attic, and it alleged she was mistress to the hotel's owner, Mr. Bendict. They say her spirit still is in the building until it is proven Jackson's wife caused the fire that killed her.
From gossip, delicious food and wine, entertainment, intriguing guests, staff members, ghost, and lots of secrets! Multi-plotted, genre-bending drama with loads of scandal.
If you have read Elin's books, you will enjoy characters from previous books and landmarks. A lengthy book and a lot jam-packed in one book, but the Blue Book at the end is worth the read. If you have not visited Nantucket lately, you will be ready to board a plane to make the trip!
I was a VP for resort hotel groups worldwide, interior designer, B&B Inns, and sold hi-end condo hotels, so I always enjoy stories about intriguing hotels. There is always something fascinating going on.
Ironically, I read about the (real) fire on Nantucket Island this past weekend (July 10) online at the Veranda House historic hotel—a 17th-century building 18-room boutique hotel completely renovated in 2020. Appears there was a massive fire with severe damage to the building and others. Luckily it appears there were no fatalities. It is yet to be determined the cause of the fire and could not help thinking about the fire in the book and the ghosts.
If you enjoy historical hotel ghost stores, I highly recommend Camille di Maio's The Beautiful Strangers. Set in the legendary iconic Hotel Del Coronado in Southern California between the timeline of 1892 and 1958 with a little Hollywood she blends fact and fiction.
A special thank you to #LittleBrownandCo and #NetGalley for an ARC to read, review, and enjoy! I also purchased the audiobook narrated by Erin Bennett for a highly entertaining listening experience.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars 😎😎😎😎
Pub Date: 14 June 2022
About the Author
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. WEBSITE
