The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand on June 14, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Family Life / Marriage & Divorce, Fiction / Women
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Source: Book of the Month
“The queen of beach reads” (New York Magazine) and #1 New York Times bestselling author 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.
My Review
Okay, Reader, I must confess this is my very first Elin Hilderbrand book but I can assure you this will not be my last. This story in my opinion was a perfect summer read. The main character was likable and I couldn’t help but feel for her, especially with the way her break-up went. Oh, I probably should give a bit of a glimpse into what this book is about huh? One more thing before I get started this book may have you wanting to make a trip to Nantucket. I know I wanted to go and of course, meet Lizbeth Keaton not to mention the ghost called Grace.
This is the story of Lizbeth who is fresh out of a relationship that lasted for I want to say fifteen or eighteen years I can not remember exactly but either way, the breakup was heartbreaking for her. The story takes place on Nantucket a small island where Lizbeth moved to once she was fresh out of college. Lizbeth and JJ (her boyfriend at the time) opened up and ran a very popular restaurant called the Deck. When they split Lizbeth got the house and JJ got the restaurant. That leaves Lizbeth without a job and on her own for the first time in years.
It isn’t until she hears that the old hotel in town is going to be redone that she decides it is time for a career change. Xavier Darling a London-based billionaire decides that he is going to scoop the place up and renovate it to become one of the top spots according to Shelly Carpenter the face behind the blog TravelTattler Reviews. The blogger has only ever given four keys or below to any place that she has ever stayed but never five keys which is the highest that can be given. Xavier decides his hotel will be the first ever to receive this accomplishment so he has set out to find the perfect general manager to make sure this happens. Lizbeth is in search of a career change and is in desperate need of a job so she applies. Lo and behold she becomes the general manager for the newly renovated Hotel Nantucket.
The Hotel Nantucket is not like other establishments on the island. Yes, it has been renovated but the history of the place is a bit of a sad one with nineteen-year-old chambermaid Grace Hadley dying during the fire of 1922. The question is was the fire set on purpose or was it a complete accident? Grace knows the truth of what happened that night but no one seems to care to look into the case that is until a mystery-loving child stays at the hotel.
The newly acquired staff for the Hotel Nantucket have some mystery to them as well. Not only do they come from all different backgrounds and ages but their secrets are not exactly what you would expect. Lizbeth does her best throughout the story to get to know each employee including the restaurant staff in the hotel. She truly cares for the staff and the guests that stay with them throughout the summer season. It is her hope that they will want to come back for another season if the hotel does well in its first season.
This story is filled with wonderful descriptions of Nantucket and the hotel itself. The characters I felt were portrayed in a relatively realistic way and I enjoyed getting to know each of them. I loved how Grace the ghost had a role throughout the story and the antics that she got up to throughout the hotel. I also found the way she interacted with guests to be satisfying. The romance I found to be heartwarming and I enjoyed seeing how it all unfolded. There are some heavier topics in here beyond just breakups so please read the trigger warnings I list down below. However, if you are looking for a story that will transport you to a little island during the busy season of summer and give you all the vibes then please pick this one up. I think Elin Hilderbrand did an excellent job of writing what in my opinion is the perfect vacation read. I am very pleased to say that this will not be my last Elind Hilderbrand and in fact, I already have The Five-Star Weekend by her which I am hoping to get to sooner rather than later. Until next time Reader Happy Reading.
Trigger Warnings:
- Cheating
- Drug Use
- Attempted Rape
- Alcohol Use
- Death by Fire
- Mentions of Parental Death
- Mentions of Spousal Death