The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand on June 14, 2022
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 416
Goodreads
FINAL DECISION: This is a good beach read. It’s not particularly compelling but the different storylines keeps the book interesting. As a romance reader, I would have preferred more about Lizbet and Mario, but overall I enjoyed the book.
THE STORY: The Hotel Nantucket reopens after years of being abandoned. In 1922, a chambermaid was killed in a fire, and her spirit remains at the hotel. Purchased by a billionaire who wants the hotel to receive a coveted 5th Key by a reviewer, the hotel opens under the management of Lizbet Keaton. Lizbet, recovering from the breakup of a longtime relationship, puts together a ragtag set of skeleton staff to run the hotel. The book tells the stories of all the people at Hotel Nantucket.
OPINION: The large cast of this book made it interesting to read each individual story, but I also cared less about each character. But that makes this good as the kind of read that works for short bursts and interruptions because the story can be read in chapters and not lose any momentum.
While the “main” story is about Lizbet, there is little more in that story than the others, but that is the romance in the book. I really loved her story, and my main complaint is that I would have liked more about her and less about the other characters. There are stories about the each of the two women on the front desk, a young man from a wealthy family who takes a job cleaning rooms, the night auditor, the housekeeper, the bellmen, and, of course, the ghost.
At the same time, I did enjoy this book more than I expected. I thought that the story was engaging, although not very deep or significant. The book never leaves the surface level, but it really worked to read while sitting next to the pool.
WORTH MENTIONING: There is a 35-page Nantucket travel guide in the back of this book (at least the hardcover edition).
CONNECTED BOOKS: THE HOTEL NANTUCKET is a standalone.
STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.