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The Sun Down Motel
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2020)The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel ensnare a young woman, just as they did her aunt thirty-five years before, in this new atmospheric suspense novel from the national bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.
Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…
Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…
327 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 2020
About the author
Simone St. James
11 books16.1k followersSimone St. James is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Book of Cold Cases, The Sun Down Motel, The Broken Girls and The Haunting of Maddy Clare, which won two RITA awards from Romance Writers of America and an Arthur Ellis Award from Crime Writers of Canada. She wrote her first ghost story, about a haunted library, when she was in high school, and spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time. She lives outside Toronto, Canada with her husband and a spoiled cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 19,839 reviews
October 14, 2023
This is one of my favorite horror reads of the year and so far it’s my favorite novel of the author!
Twilight zone’s intro music blasting out in my mind: nananana!!!! I’m in the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition and I’m at the dimension of imagination….Nanana!!!
I cannot sleep! I cannot move! I cannot breathe! When I was younger so much younger than today I never needed anybody’s help in anyway but even all ghost members of Beatles cannot save me! I’m numb, terrified! I’m speechless! I’m about to do something in my pants but I don’t! I barely hold myself! Thankfully, I wore diapers before reading something sooooo scary! So I’m giving my 5 gaazzzzzillion ssstaaarss (I cannot even speak or properly write, this book is so horrifying! I wish I hold my childhood Teddy bear to gather my wits but I already ripped its head when I was nine, reading Salem’s Lot! Dammit!)
It’s midnight in LA, even my 24/7 partying neighbor is sleeping. My husband is still making entire Jurassic World’s sound effects by snoring loudly. But I’m alert! Eyes shut open! Already all lights in the house are turned on! I’m at the verge of hysterical breakdown, waiting to see Sun Down Motel’s ghosts banging on the door.
Is this smoke I smell right now? Is this a salesman walking toward me? Who keeps knock, knock my heavenly house’s doors? Eric Clapton! Daattt! Freddy Mercury! Nope! He will rock not knock! Okay, I can’t stand anymore, dear lovely occupants of Sun Down Motel, I’m not night clerk, I’m just regular reader who loves your stories (I’m not talking about one of your friendly one named “Casper”, I actually find it overrated!) and Simone St. James did an amazing job because I didn’t eat for 8 hours, I didn’t move an inch and now my legs turned into jellies that I couldn’t move them, they’re useless right now. And of course I had limited booze service from my husband (you can imagine drinking and empty stomach could be definition of living dangerously!) I didn’t blink and I think my face is also paralyzed! I’m just looking like a survivor after over botox injections. I didn’t even visit to bathroom so my bladder already performing “Under Pressure” as a tribute to Bowie and Mercury.
As a summary: This book is mind blowing, horrifying and so much better than entire horror movies I’ve watched lately. It’s better than Bad Times at the El Royale (I wish salesman Simon could dance like Chris Hemsworth but you cannot get what you want all the time!), entertaining as Bates Motel (this time night clerks are women and innocent, but we cannot say the same for the deceased occupants of the place whose souls stayed there for their unfinished businesses!) and they’re as creepy, spooky, disturbing as Overlook occupants.
So we have an amazing gem is an impressive combination of Vacancy, Inkeepers and Poltergeist.
In 1982 Viv Delaney, night clerk of Sun Down hotel, vanishes into thin air. They never find her corpse. Nobody knows her whereabouts. Till in the present time her niece Carly, arrives at the hotel, getting the same job her missing aunt had performed decades ago. After her mom’s sudden death because of big C, Carly is so adamant to find out what has happened to her aunt. By getting rid of the burden of the past, she feels like she may designate her own path for her own future steps.
As soon as Carly arrives to Fell and starts her new gig, she’s going to find out, she’s living ten times worse experience of Paranormal Activity movie sequels and she knows who she is gonna call (of course Ghostbusters!) but there is bad reception at the hotel.
The story is narrated by two people and two timelines. We move back and forth between 1982 and today. We have Viv and her niece Carly as narrators. They’re so interestingly similar each other, only their zones are different but both of them brave, smart, risk taker, loner, introverted, happy with their own terms and small things kind of ladies. ( I thought too many times, Carly could be daughter of Viv. Their instincts and approaches to the events, their actions are so similar.)
Carly is too determined to find the secrets about the hotel and what happened to her aunt which puts her life in danger because she literally has to deal with the supernatural entities who could help her show the truth!!!!
There are so many amazing characters such as Helen ( I visualized as Billie Lourd, only Carrie Fisher’s talented daughter could handle this creepy, weird but also loveable character.) And of course nobody knows what is like to be the sad man behind blue eyes Nick is also memorable character, hiding from his traumatic past, a great partner of crime to help Carly to solve the puzzle.
I had great, terrifying time and I truly enjoyed every second of it by reading this book.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group to share this best ARC COPY and give me early Christmas gift in exchange my honest review. And honestly guys, PLEASE READ IT, READ IT, READ IT!
And special thanks to Simone St. James for creating this amazing, memorable, stunning, mind blowing masterpiece!
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Twilight zone’s intro music blasting out in my mind: nananana!!!! I’m in the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition and I’m at the dimension of imagination….Nanana!!!
I cannot sleep! I cannot move! I cannot breathe! When I was younger so much younger than today I never needed anybody’s help in anyway but even all ghost members of Beatles cannot save me! I’m numb, terrified! I’m speechless! I’m about to do something in my pants but I don’t! I barely hold myself! Thankfully, I wore diapers before reading something sooooo scary! So I’m giving my 5 gaazzzzzillion ssstaaarss (I cannot even speak or properly write, this book is so horrifying! I wish I hold my childhood Teddy bear to gather my wits but I already ripped its head when I was nine, reading Salem’s Lot! Dammit!)
It’s midnight in LA, even my 24/7 partying neighbor is sleeping. My husband is still making entire Jurassic World’s sound effects by snoring loudly. But I’m alert! Eyes shut open! Already all lights in the house are turned on! I’m at the verge of hysterical breakdown, waiting to see Sun Down Motel’s ghosts banging on the door.
Is this smoke I smell right now? Is this a salesman walking toward me? Who keeps knock, knock my heavenly house’s doors? Eric Clapton! Daattt! Freddy Mercury! Nope! He will rock not knock! Okay, I can’t stand anymore, dear lovely occupants of Sun Down Motel, I’m not night clerk, I’m just regular reader who loves your stories (I’m not talking about one of your friendly one named “Casper”, I actually find it overrated!) and Simone St. James did an amazing job because I didn’t eat for 8 hours, I didn’t move an inch and now my legs turned into jellies that I couldn’t move them, they’re useless right now. And of course I had limited booze service from my husband (you can imagine drinking and empty stomach could be definition of living dangerously!) I didn’t blink and I think my face is also paralyzed! I’m just looking like a survivor after over botox injections. I didn’t even visit to bathroom so my bladder already performing “Under Pressure” as a tribute to Bowie and Mercury.
As a summary: This book is mind blowing, horrifying and so much better than entire horror movies I’ve watched lately. It’s better than Bad Times at the El Royale (I wish salesman Simon could dance like Chris Hemsworth but you cannot get what you want all the time!), entertaining as Bates Motel (this time night clerks are women and innocent, but we cannot say the same for the deceased occupants of the place whose souls stayed there for their unfinished businesses!) and they’re as creepy, spooky, disturbing as Overlook occupants.
So we have an amazing gem is an impressive combination of Vacancy, Inkeepers and Poltergeist.
In 1982 Viv Delaney, night clerk of Sun Down hotel, vanishes into thin air. They never find her corpse. Nobody knows her whereabouts. Till in the present time her niece Carly, arrives at the hotel, getting the same job her missing aunt had performed decades ago. After her mom’s sudden death because of big C, Carly is so adamant to find out what has happened to her aunt. By getting rid of the burden of the past, she feels like she may designate her own path for her own future steps.
As soon as Carly arrives to Fell and starts her new gig, she’s going to find out, she’s living ten times worse experience of Paranormal Activity movie sequels and she knows who she is gonna call (of course Ghostbusters!) but there is bad reception at the hotel.
The story is narrated by two people and two timelines. We move back and forth between 1982 and today. We have Viv and her niece Carly as narrators. They’re so interestingly similar each other, only their zones are different but both of them brave, smart, risk taker, loner, introverted, happy with their own terms and small things kind of ladies. ( I thought too many times, Carly could be daughter of Viv. Their instincts and approaches to the events, their actions are so similar.)
Carly is too determined to find the secrets about the hotel and what happened to her aunt which puts her life in danger because she literally has to deal with the supernatural entities who could help her show the truth!!!!
There are so many amazing characters such as Helen ( I visualized as Billie Lourd, only Carrie Fisher’s talented daughter could handle this creepy, weird but also loveable character.) And of course nobody knows what is like to be the sad man behind blue eyes Nick is also memorable character, hiding from his traumatic past, a great partner of crime to help Carly to solve the puzzle.
I had great, terrifying time and I truly enjoyed every second of it by reading this book.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group to share this best ARC COPY and give me early Christmas gift in exchange my honest review. And honestly guys, PLEASE READ IT, READ IT, READ IT!
And special thanks to Simone St. James for creating this amazing, memorable, stunning, mind blowing masterpiece!
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July 12, 2024
Going into this, I simply hoped I would love it as much as The Broken Girls. Somehow, I managed to love it more!!!
While The Broken Girls dipped a toe into the realm of the supernatural, The Sun Down Motel dives in headfirst and these cold waters run deep!
In 1982, Viv Delaney ends up in Fell, New York, completely by chance.
Her original destination was New York City, but after stopping in Fell, she ends up staying and working the night shift at a seedy roadside motel.
Never one to shy away from the macabre, Viv isn't scared off when she notices mysterious occurrences happening around her workplace.
The motel itself isn't the only scary part of her new life, however, the clientele of The Sun Down also leave a bit to be desired. Not to mention the many missing and murdered young women in the area.
Viv decides to begin an investigation. She's going to get to the bottom of what is going on at the motel, and with the missing girls, one way or another.
We follow Viv's perspective as her time at The Sun Down edges towards her final scene, a cold night in November when she disappears without a trace.
We also follow the perspective of Viv's niece, Carly, who arrives at The Sun Down thirty-five years later.
Things fall into place fairly rapidly for Carly. It's almost like she was meant to be there.
She gets hired to work the night shift at the motel, just like her Aunt Viv, and ends up living in Viv's old apartment.
Carly, who is actively researching her Aunt's disappearance, will end up discovering way more than she initially bargained for.
I absolutely loved every second I spent reading this book.
I was a fan of St. James before, but this was magic for my mind. The alternating perspectives were fantastic. I felt drawn to each woman and comfortable listening to their stories being told in their time.
The pacing was excellent. There's no filler to get through; just meat. It was perfectly-plotted as you race towards the ultimate conclusion.
The side characters were well-developed and each added their own dimension to the story. Both Viv and Carly had allies in their search for answers, even though they often felt alone in their missions.
Of course, the atmosphere was fantastic as well, something St. James definitely excels at.
Additionally, I enjoyed the theme of dangers particular to women and how that can make you feel powerless to know you always have to have your guard up; that you can be harmed at another's will.
At the end of the day, St. James is an autobuy author for me. I hope she continues down this same path for a long time to come. She has such a great gift for eerie storytelling and I'm here for it!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me a copy of this to read and review.
I truly appreciate it and have since purchased a finished copy for my shelves. I look forward to seeing what twisted tale St. James will think of next!
While The Broken Girls dipped a toe into the realm of the supernatural, The Sun Down Motel dives in headfirst and these cold waters run deep!
In 1982, Viv Delaney ends up in Fell, New York, completely by chance.
Her original destination was New York City, but after stopping in Fell, she ends up staying and working the night shift at a seedy roadside motel.
Never one to shy away from the macabre, Viv isn't scared off when she notices mysterious occurrences happening around her workplace.
The motel itself isn't the only scary part of her new life, however, the clientele of The Sun Down also leave a bit to be desired. Not to mention the many missing and murdered young women in the area.
Viv decides to begin an investigation. She's going to get to the bottom of what is going on at the motel, and with the missing girls, one way or another.
We follow Viv's perspective as her time at The Sun Down edges towards her final scene, a cold night in November when she disappears without a trace.
We also follow the perspective of Viv's niece, Carly, who arrives at The Sun Down thirty-five years later.
Things fall into place fairly rapidly for Carly. It's almost like she was meant to be there.
She gets hired to work the night shift at the motel, just like her Aunt Viv, and ends up living in Viv's old apartment.
Carly, who is actively researching her Aunt's disappearance, will end up discovering way more than she initially bargained for.
I absolutely loved every second I spent reading this book.
I was a fan of St. James before, but this was magic for my mind. The alternating perspectives were fantastic. I felt drawn to each woman and comfortable listening to their stories being told in their time.
The pacing was excellent. There's no filler to get through; just meat. It was perfectly-plotted as you race towards the ultimate conclusion.
The side characters were well-developed and each added their own dimension to the story. Both Viv and Carly had allies in their search for answers, even though they often felt alone in their missions.
Of course, the atmosphere was fantastic as well, something St. James definitely excels at.
Additionally, I enjoyed the theme of dangers particular to women and how that can make you feel powerless to know you always have to have your guard up; that you can be harmed at another's will.
At the end of the day, St. James is an autobuy author for me. I hope she continues down this same path for a long time to come. She has such a great gift for eerie storytelling and I'm here for it!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me a copy of this to read and review.
I truly appreciate it and have since purchased a finished copy for my shelves. I look forward to seeing what twisted tale St. James will think of next!
April 30, 2022
Can a ghost story be boring? Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
In The Sun Down Motel, Vivian works the night shift at the front desk of a creepy motel. She sees some ghosts haunting the place and starts digging around. Soon she realizes that some of the deaths around town may be connected. But one night, she disappears without a trace. Thirty-five years later, her niece Carly shows up, hoping to figure out what happened to her aunt. Carly also gets a job as a front desk clerk on the night shift. Soon she's digging around and being haunted by ghosts too.
This story bored me to sleep, literally. The problem is, if you take out the ghosts, not much happens. And the ghosts were mostly only there in the beginning of the story to precipitate the two girls' investigations.
The majority of the story centers around Vivian and Carly, each in their own timeline, putting their lives on hold to bumble around, sticking their noses where they don't belong. In Vivian's case, she zeroes in on a guy solely because she has a gut feeling that he's a bad person. Let's think about this for a second. If he really was the guilty party, then she's going around following a killer. If he's not guilty, then she's just harassing and stalking an innocent person. I know stories have to have some sort of premise in order to tell their tale, but this just stretched beyond credibility.
The two girls' parallel storylines have a lot of overlap, so it often feels like I'm being told something I already know. And it doesn't help that the two women have pretty much the same personality (extremely nosy and weirdly obsessed with digging into people's deaths beyond what is safe or healthy). More than once, I forgot whose point of view I was reading and it didn't really matter.
It's like watching a campy horror movie where you could see the main characters doing one stupid thing after another, and they just get more and more into trouble. And it's not clear why they are doing these things. Both can leave at anytime, especially when weird stuff starts happening. I don't understand their motivations, and it prevented me from connecting with them.
And even when the plot mercifully seems to have wrapped up, it somehow kept going on some more. There were extra unnecessary characters and ghosts who seem to have no purpose other than to make the story longer and more convoluted.
Lots of people loved this book, so this was clearly a case of it not being the right match for me. I trudged on when I should have quit. I thought it would get better, but it never did. I just couldn't get into it. The whole thing was unbelievable, and it exhausted me.
In The Sun Down Motel, Vivian works the night shift at the front desk of a creepy motel. She sees some ghosts haunting the place and starts digging around. Soon she realizes that some of the deaths around town may be connected. But one night, she disappears without a trace. Thirty-five years later, her niece Carly shows up, hoping to figure out what happened to her aunt. Carly also gets a job as a front desk clerk on the night shift. Soon she's digging around and being haunted by ghosts too.
This story bored me to sleep, literally. The problem is, if you take out the ghosts, not much happens. And the ghosts were mostly only there in the beginning of the story to precipitate the two girls' investigations.
The majority of the story centers around Vivian and Carly, each in their own timeline, putting their lives on hold to bumble around, sticking their noses where they don't belong. In Vivian's case, she zeroes in on a guy solely because she has a gut feeling that he's a bad person. Let's think about this for a second. If he really was the guilty party, then she's going around following a killer. If he's not guilty, then she's just harassing and stalking an innocent person. I know stories have to have some sort of premise in order to tell their tale, but this just stretched beyond credibility.
The two girls' parallel storylines have a lot of overlap, so it often feels like I'm being told something I already know. And it doesn't help that the two women have pretty much the same personality (extremely nosy and weirdly obsessed with digging into people's deaths beyond what is safe or healthy). More than once, I forgot whose point of view I was reading and it didn't really matter.
It's like watching a campy horror movie where you could see the main characters doing one stupid thing after another, and they just get more and more into trouble. And it's not clear why they are doing these things. Both can leave at anytime, especially when weird stuff starts happening. I don't understand their motivations, and it prevented me from connecting with them.
And even when the plot mercifully seems to have wrapped up, it somehow kept going on some more. There were extra unnecessary characters and ghosts who seem to have no purpose other than to make the story longer and more convoluted.
Lots of people loved this book, so this was clearly a case of it not being the right match for me. I trudged on when I should have quit. I thought it would get better, but it never did. I just couldn't get into it. The whole thing was unbelievable, and it exhausted me.
July 12, 2020
O.M.G. 😱😱😱!!!! This was a GREAT book! I’m not one to hand out 5 star ratings. But I loved this creepy story!! ❤️
For me a 5 star equals:
Great characters
Great setting
Great story
Plus: I don’t want to put it down and I think about the story even when not reading it, because it’s just that great!!
This was told on two time lines:
Viv in the early 80’s
Carly (Viv’s niece) in present day
They both worked the night shift at a very haunted motel. But obviously there’s even more to this mysterious story. It really sucked me in... I just loved it!!
I listened to this very creepy audiobook, which was narrated very well, btw. Anyway, I was finishing it up well past bedtime last night and I had to keep pausing it because every sound in the house was creeping me out!!
Highly recommend this one, if you like ghost stories/mysteries! ❤️📚
For me a 5 star equals:
Great characters
Great setting
Great story
Plus: I don’t want to put it down and I think about the story even when not reading it, because it’s just that great!!
This was told on two time lines:
Viv in the early 80’s
Carly (Viv’s niece) in present day
They both worked the night shift at a very haunted motel. But obviously there’s even more to this mysterious story. It really sucked me in... I just loved it!!
I listened to this very creepy audiobook, which was narrated very well, btw. Anyway, I was finishing it up well past bedtime last night and I had to keep pausing it because every sound in the house was creeping me out!!
Highly recommend this one, if you like ghost stories/mysteries! ❤️📚
August 10, 2022
There is a video I came across on Twitter a couple months ago, of a woman giving other women tips on how to protect themselves and stay safe if they have to venture outside at night (complete with how many clothes to layer on your body, where to best hide a pepper spray, and how to wield your keys like you would a knife). There was urgency and fear in the woman’s voice, and a haunted look to her eyes that struck such a fundamental chord with me. The women in the replies were empathetic, understanding, grateful. The men were bewildered at best, skeptical and deriding at worst. “Isn’t she exaggerating?” Some of them asked. “It can’t really be that bad.” But this is the lesson every woman comes to learn in her life: there are no safe places, not when a man has decided you were to die.
20-year-old Carly Kirk, the protagonist of St. James’ horrifying but compelling novel, is well-versed in the language of fear, native to every woman. Carly’s aunt—Viv Delaney—had vanished into thin air from the seedy upstate New York motel she worked the night shifts at, and her disappearance remained deeply seared on Carly’s mind, a permanent mental hangnail. Though all Carly has to remember her aunt by was a newspaper clipping from 1982 and the grief in her heart, she sets out from her Illinois hometown to Fell, N.Y., to find answers to her aunt's disappearance. In Fell, Carly tries to piece together an aunt who is gone from a few clues, scattered across a small town where secrets collected inside like black soot. Carly’s quest gives her meek, unwelcome fear time to fuse into something cold, and when she blows the closet open, the skeletons spill out like blood at her feet.
What follows is a twisty flashback/flashforward narrative that balances two central and interlinked mysteries, shifting in ways that no decent reviewer should disclose. Although they don't exist simultaneously, Carly and Viv’s stories run in eerie parallels. This illuminates the terrible gulf of years between twenty and fifty, but it also reminds us that this story has happened for generations, is happening right now, and will most certainly happen again. New grievances seem to always have a way of following old fault lines.
It’s hard not to feel, in the baser part of yourself, a savage snarl of rage while reading this novel. That sudden swoop of the stomach, the all-too-familiar coursing anger—at the gratuitous, unavenged deaths of so many young women. I stepped out of this book feeling sick with that feeling, turned inside out. I still do, to be honest.
If I have to point out a flaw in this novel, it would be the ending, a jarring reveal that although fully justifies the obscuring of truth and arrangement of clues that leads up to it, feels abrupt to the point of coming across as rushed, and I felt somewhat cheated of a more dramatic showdown that would have resonated more deeply. That one quibble aside, I still highly recommend this novel!
20-year-old Carly Kirk, the protagonist of St. James’ horrifying but compelling novel, is well-versed in the language of fear, native to every woman. Carly’s aunt—Viv Delaney—had vanished into thin air from the seedy upstate New York motel she worked the night shifts at, and her disappearance remained deeply seared on Carly’s mind, a permanent mental hangnail. Though all Carly has to remember her aunt by was a newspaper clipping from 1982 and the grief in her heart, she sets out from her Illinois hometown to Fell, N.Y., to find answers to her aunt's disappearance. In Fell, Carly tries to piece together an aunt who is gone from a few clues, scattered across a small town where secrets collected inside like black soot. Carly’s quest gives her meek, unwelcome fear time to fuse into something cold, and when she blows the closet open, the skeletons spill out like blood at her feet.
What follows is a twisty flashback/flashforward narrative that balances two central and interlinked mysteries, shifting in ways that no decent reviewer should disclose. Although they don't exist simultaneously, Carly and Viv’s stories run in eerie parallels. This illuminates the terrible gulf of years between twenty and fifty, but it also reminds us that this story has happened for generations, is happening right now, and will most certainly happen again. New grievances seem to always have a way of following old fault lines.
It’s hard not to feel, in the baser part of yourself, a savage snarl of rage while reading this novel. That sudden swoop of the stomach, the all-too-familiar coursing anger—at the gratuitous, unavenged deaths of so many young women. I stepped out of this book feeling sick with that feeling, turned inside out. I still do, to be honest.
If I have to point out a flaw in this novel, it would be the ending, a jarring reveal that although fully justifies the obscuring of truth and arrangement of clues that leads up to it, feels abrupt to the point of coming across as rushed, and I felt somewhat cheated of a more dramatic showdown that would have resonated more deeply. That one quibble aside, I still highly recommend this novel!
April 22, 2021
So excited about this Booktube video - all about the Top 10 Books of 2020 (so far).
There's a terrible secret hidden within the walls of the run down motel just outside of Fell, New York.
"Sun Down Motel, can I help you?"
Nothing. Just the faint sound of breathing.
Thirty-five years ago, Viv Delaney began experiencing...disturbances during the night shift at the Sun Down Motel.
Ones that had her questioning everything she's ever known and reality itself.
What if everything I've seen, everything I think, is true?And just like that...she disappeared.
She felt like crying. She felt like screaming. She felt sick.In modern-day, Carly spent her life watching how that disappearance affected her mother. And when Carly's mother dies, Carly is drawn to Fell - the last known location of her Aunt Viv.
At first Carly tells herself that she wants to do just a little bit of exploration - perhaps even find out what happened to her aunt.
But...what started out as an innocent curiosity quickly became something much more.
"Some of us like the dark. It's what we know."And almost without realizing it, Carly finds herself drawn to the location of Viv's disappearance... only realizing too late that there was something else drawing her there.
...all she could hear was her own breath sawing in and out of her lungs.Oh man.
Ohhhh man.
This was a wild one.
First and foremost - the Sun Down Motel provided just the perfect backdrop for a truly spine-chilling tale. It had so many creepy little things and really set up the entire book.
I loved the alternating view points (and this is something I don't say too often!). They were so well balanced and really gave the story that extra pop.
Viv's perspective had so much mystery and played out beautifully. And I truly had no idea where Carly's view point was going - which just made me absolutely addicted to this story.
The way Simone St. James interwove ghost stories and the other terrifying elements definitely brought everything together.
All in all - this was a FABULOUS buddy read with Tucker the Reader!
With thanks to the author and Berkley Publishing for a free copy in exchange for an honest review
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September 7, 2022
The night it all ended, Vivian was alone... She felt like crying. She felt like screaming. She felt sick.
"I don't want to go in there. But I will. Because I always do."
Obviously flashy psychological thrillers are still trendy, but have you ever picked up a mystery that is simply well-written, to the point where you can just bask in that book's quiet glory and subtle power? That's precisely how I felt regarding The Sun Down Motel. It's receiving copious amounts of hype, and rightly so, due to it's gorgeous cover art being splashed across social media, it's feature as a January 2020 pick for Book of the Month, and the many lists that it has been featured on prior to publication. Did I mention it's a BOTM pick for January? The tricky part is convincing those readers who typically steer clear of any mention of the supernatural to pick up this book, and I truly believe some of you will love it regardless of this inclusion, because the paranormal aspect plays a rather small role in the overarching story.
In my humble opinion, the feature that makes The Sun Down Motel a stand out novel is the incredibly eerie atmosphere. The upstate New York setting was a character of its own, and the ability to fully immerse myself in this oppressive motel that was off the beaten path is what kept my mind constantly circling around the story, even when I wasn't reading it. The intentionally claustrophobic writing was key to keeping both the past and the present storylines married to one another, and I'll be a monkey's uncle if it wasn't one of the most brilliant tactics I've seen recently. While this could be considered a slow burning mystery, due to the heavy emphasis on the amateur detective work playing a large part of the narrative, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened next.
There were two reasons why this book wasn't a 5 star read for me: the repetitive nature of the past and present chapters, and the underwhelming, rushed climax of the book. While I wholly appreciate and understand the need for establishing plot progression in both tenses, many passages read almost word for word as the same conversations, which slowed the pacing down. I feel like maybe some fade to black moments, or implied info dumps off page would have kept the accuracy in tact while saving the reader from experiencing the same dialogue twice, and perhaps exchanging information reveals in an alternating style between tenses would have been helpful. Once the ending came, the last 50 pages felt so rushed as such a slow and steady build up, and while I was pleased with the way all the stories tied up, I could have used a bit more extension in that portion. Overall, a fabulous read and one that makes me look forward to future books from the author.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy via NetGalley.
"I don't want to go in there. But I will. Because I always do."
Obviously flashy psychological thrillers are still trendy, but have you ever picked up a mystery that is simply well-written, to the point where you can just bask in that book's quiet glory and subtle power? That's precisely how I felt regarding The Sun Down Motel. It's receiving copious amounts of hype, and rightly so, due to it's gorgeous cover art being splashed across social media, it's feature as a January 2020 pick for Book of the Month, and the many lists that it has been featured on prior to publication. Did I mention it's a BOTM pick for January? The tricky part is convincing those readers who typically steer clear of any mention of the supernatural to pick up this book, and I truly believe some of you will love it regardless of this inclusion, because the paranormal aspect plays a rather small role in the overarching story.
In my humble opinion, the feature that makes The Sun Down Motel a stand out novel is the incredibly eerie atmosphere. The upstate New York setting was a character of its own, and the ability to fully immerse myself in this oppressive motel that was off the beaten path is what kept my mind constantly circling around the story, even when I wasn't reading it. The intentionally claustrophobic writing was key to keeping both the past and the present storylines married to one another, and I'll be a monkey's uncle if it wasn't one of the most brilliant tactics I've seen recently. While this could be considered a slow burning mystery, due to the heavy emphasis on the amateur detective work playing a large part of the narrative, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened next.
There were two reasons why this book wasn't a 5 star read for me: the repetitive nature of the past and present chapters, and the underwhelming, rushed climax of the book. While I wholly appreciate and understand the need for establishing plot progression in both tenses, many passages read almost word for word as the same conversations, which slowed the pacing down. I feel like maybe some fade to black moments, or implied info dumps off page would have kept the accuracy in tact while saving the reader from experiencing the same dialogue twice, and perhaps exchanging information reveals in an alternating style between tenses would have been helpful. Once the ending came, the last 50 pages felt so rushed as such a slow and steady build up, and while I was pleased with the way all the stories tied up, I could have used a bit more extension in that portion. Overall, a fabulous read and one that makes me look forward to future books from the author.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy via NetGalley.
January 15, 2020
OMG I am speechless! Well not really..but can I give this book 10 stars??!!! Adding this to my list of all time favorite thrillers. Yes, it was that good. So many good things about this book, where do I even start?
I think what made this book so special was the feelings it gave me. The creepy, chills down my spine- feelings I had the entire book! I am not sure how an author can manage to spin such an atmospheric feel with words that you are entirely caught up in the whole vibe. How is this really possible? It is though...trust me. I was at the Sun Down Motel..yep I was. I could hear the ice maker rattling down the hallway, I could smell the musty smell of years of neglect. I could feel myself gearing up for fight or flight as I knew something really bad was going to happen. I could visualize the dirty carpet and thin, stained bedspreads....Eww....
That is just one of the many factors that made this book absolutely fantastic. The story line was so interesting that I was captivated the whole time. With a dual time line of an aunt that had gone missing in 1982 and her niece who wanted answers to questions in 2017, it constantly kept you are your toes. Especially when Carly decides to work at the Sun Down Motel doing the exact same job as her aunt Viv did twenty years prior. Did I mention Viv went to work one night and never came home? Not much has changed at The Sun Down Motel. No flipping way would I last one single night there.....hells to the NO!
As you guessed it, I loved this book. Perhaps going to be my favorite book of the year? Okay I hear you, it is only January 15th but I guarantee we will be having this same conversation at the end of the year. This book is that good.
I think what made this book so special was the feelings it gave me. The creepy, chills down my spine- feelings I had the entire book! I am not sure how an author can manage to spin such an atmospheric feel with words that you are entirely caught up in the whole vibe. How is this really possible? It is though...trust me. I was at the Sun Down Motel..yep I was. I could hear the ice maker rattling down the hallway, I could smell the musty smell of years of neglect. I could feel myself gearing up for fight or flight as I knew something really bad was going to happen. I could visualize the dirty carpet and thin, stained bedspreads....Eww....
That is just one of the many factors that made this book absolutely fantastic. The story line was so interesting that I was captivated the whole time. With a dual time line of an aunt that had gone missing in 1982 and her niece who wanted answers to questions in 2017, it constantly kept you are your toes. Especially when Carly decides to work at the Sun Down Motel doing the exact same job as her aunt Viv did twenty years prior. Did I mention Viv went to work one night and never came home? Not much has changed at The Sun Down Motel. No flipping way would I last one single night there.....hells to the NO!
As you guessed it, I loved this book. Perhaps going to be my favorite book of the year? Okay I hear you, it is only January 15th but I guarantee we will be having this same conversation at the end of the year. This book is that good.
February 16, 2021
4.5 Creepy Spooky Stars
Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…
I loved this book. I did love The Broken Girls by this author and this one is just as good. I loved the atmosphere and the spooky creepy vibe. The motel really had the creep factor going on. The Sun Down Motel is haunted and it has very creepy customers. The whole town of Fell is so spooky. This is the perfect Halloween book.
It hooked me straight from the beginning and didn't let go until the end. I loved the ghost story and how it then turned into a thriller and mystery. The suspense kept me turning the pages and kept me reading into the early hours of the morning. There are several twists and turns that have me surprises. I loved the plot. I was intrigued and couldnt wait to find out what was going to happen next. I loved the two timelines and loved Viv's the best.
The characters were so well developed and it was very well written. I felt so sorry for Viv.
I loved Carly, she made a great investigator. Also loved Alma the cop too. The Traveling Salesman freaked me out as much as the ghosts did and then when Callum came into the story, he was scary too.
I loved the ending and I highly recommend this book to those that love a spooky thriller.
This was a Traveling Sister Read.
I want to thank Berkley, Edelweiss and the author for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…
I loved this book. I did love The Broken Girls by this author and this one is just as good. I loved the atmosphere and the spooky creepy vibe. The motel really had the creep factor going on. The Sun Down Motel is haunted and it has very creepy customers. The whole town of Fell is so spooky. This is the perfect Halloween book.
It hooked me straight from the beginning and didn't let go until the end. I loved the ghost story and how it then turned into a thriller and mystery. The suspense kept me turning the pages and kept me reading into the early hours of the morning. There are several twists and turns that have me surprises. I loved the plot. I was intrigued and couldnt wait to find out what was going to happen next. I loved the two timelines and loved Viv's the best.
The characters were so well developed and it was very well written. I felt so sorry for Viv.
I loved Carly, she made a great investigator. Also loved Alma the cop too. The Traveling Salesman freaked me out as much as the ghosts did and then when Callum came into the story, he was scary too.
I loved the ending and I highly recommend this book to those that love a spooky thriller.
This was a Traveling Sister Read.
I want to thank Berkley, Edelweiss and the author for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
April 18, 2020
DNF. This book just wasn't for me. I have to have the Fictive Dream, I have to be immersed in it. It just wasn't here. Great concept, though. This book has two different points of view in two different time periods. It's hard enough for an author to maintain character, cadence and forward motion of the story in one time period and hold the reader's attention. With the two pov's and time periods this becomes two separate books. And in this case I kept getting dumped out of the story. Part of it was a coincidence needed to make a plot point work. I'm not big on any form of coincidence in novels, even though they do occur in real life. The other part that I didn't care for was the closing of the doors without a logical explanation. Which, is fine in itself but the character, in my view didn't have the correct reaction (M.A.R). Motivation Action, Reaction.
This is the second book in a row that I did not finish. I bought the hardcovers for both. I will keep this one and give it another try down the road. Later, I may be in a different place emotionally, especially with whats going on out in the real world.
d.
This is the second book in a row that I did not finish. I bought the hardcovers for both. I will keep this one and give it another try down the road. Later, I may be in a different place emotionally, especially with whats going on out in the real world.
d.
April 1, 2022
As crazy as it sounds for two young women, in different times, to work at a motel that they know is haunted, I have friends who would jump at a chance to do so. Those friends are both true crime buffs and also interested in the paranormal. I have similar interests but will go only so far as to read about such things, whereas the two main characters in this book dove right into the heart of the crime and ghost mysteries.
The town of Fell, NY is a place stuck in the past. Even when Viv, the first 20 year old character, stopped there and took a job at the Sun Down Motel, the place was lost in a time past. And bad things were happening in Fell, young women were being brutally murdered. Small town Fell was not a safe place for a woman to be alone, not on the streets or in her own home. Then Viv disappears, without anyone noticing for four days, and very little is done to find her, with anyone who knew about her attributing her disappearance to the murderer of the other women.
Thirty-five years later true crime fan Carly, Viv's niece, arrives in Fell to look into the disappearance of her aunt. Finding that the same night shift that her aunt worked at the Sun Down Motel needed a clerk, Carly takes the job and we get to read alternating timelines as both Viv and Carly take very similar paths as they investigate the long ago murders and also the very creepy happenings at the motel. The motel really is haunted and both Viv and Caryl see dead people, people who lost their lives at the motel. Things happen that shouldn't happen and it's all tied into the first murder victim that they are investigating, Betty, whose ravaged and tattered body was found on the construction site of the motel, right before it was completed.
It was a challenge to keep the two timelines straight since Carly's investigation mirrored Viv's so closely but I enjoyed this story and the people in the story. I felt like I was there, as doors slammed, footsteps echoed, lights flickered, and shadows became human.
Published February 18, 2020
Thank you to Berkley/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
The town of Fell, NY is a place stuck in the past. Even when Viv, the first 20 year old character, stopped there and took a job at the Sun Down Motel, the place was lost in a time past. And bad things were happening in Fell, young women were being brutally murdered. Small town Fell was not a safe place for a woman to be alone, not on the streets or in her own home. Then Viv disappears, without anyone noticing for four days, and very little is done to find her, with anyone who knew about her attributing her disappearance to the murderer of the other women.
Thirty-five years later true crime fan Carly, Viv's niece, arrives in Fell to look into the disappearance of her aunt. Finding that the same night shift that her aunt worked at the Sun Down Motel needed a clerk, Carly takes the job and we get to read alternating timelines as both Viv and Carly take very similar paths as they investigate the long ago murders and also the very creepy happenings at the motel. The motel really is haunted and both Viv and Caryl see dead people, people who lost their lives at the motel. Things happen that shouldn't happen and it's all tied into the first murder victim that they are investigating, Betty, whose ravaged and tattered body was found on the construction site of the motel, right before it was completed.
It was a challenge to keep the two timelines straight since Carly's investigation mirrored Viv's so closely but I enjoyed this story and the people in the story. I felt like I was there, as doors slammed, footsteps echoed, lights flickered, and shadows became human.
Published February 18, 2020
Thank you to Berkley/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
October 16, 2021
You know those rundown , L-shaped motels that you pass on road trips, despite the fact that you are so bone tired, that you are not sure that you could drive another mile...
The ones with the buzzing signs, that blink, Vacancy! Cable TV!
The REALLY CREEPY ones?
Welcome to the Sun Down Motel!
Located in Fell, a small town in upstate, NY- A town too small to have this many DEAD GIRLS.
Viv Delaney was just passing through in 1982. Running out of money before she could reach New York City, with dreams of becoming an actress, she takes a job as the night clerk at The Sun Down.
Cigarette smoke...
The doors to locked rooms swinging open one by one..
a whiff of perfume..
And, a woman in a floral dress warning her to RUN!
Compelled to investigate, till she too disappears..
2017: Viv's niece Carly is drawn to Fell, NY after her mother's death.
She wants to find out what happened to Vivian and ends up following in her Aunt's footsteps.
She too takes a job at The Sun Down as a night clerk-
SOME things never change..
I wanted an atmospheric, ghost story for Halloween, and I got one!
I grew up reading Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew books, so Viv and Carly playing amateur detective, was right up my alley!
Some readers may feel that some of the chapters seem repetitive as first one sleuth, and than the other, makes her discoveries, 35 years apart, but it did not bother me, as Viv's chapters in the 80's felt so nostalgic that their voices were distinct to me.
Reading this book in my dark backyard last night, my IPAD screen glowing, and the hairs on my arms standing up, I couldn't go to sleep till I found out if Carly would get justice for Vivian..
Thank You to Edelweiss, Berkley Publishing and Simone St. James for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review.
If you enjoyed 'The Broken Girls" this one will not disappoint you!
I LOVED this one!! ❤️
MY VOTE FOR BEST MYSTERY/SUSPENSE for GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 2020!!
The ones with the buzzing signs, that blink, Vacancy! Cable TV!
The REALLY CREEPY ones?
Welcome to the Sun Down Motel!
Located in Fell, a small town in upstate, NY- A town too small to have this many DEAD GIRLS.
Viv Delaney was just passing through in 1982. Running out of money before she could reach New York City, with dreams of becoming an actress, she takes a job as the night clerk at The Sun Down.
Cigarette smoke...
The doors to locked rooms swinging open one by one..
a whiff of perfume..
And, a woman in a floral dress warning her to RUN!
Compelled to investigate, till she too disappears..
2017: Viv's niece Carly is drawn to Fell, NY after her mother's death.
She wants to find out what happened to Vivian and ends up following in her Aunt's footsteps.
She too takes a job at The Sun Down as a night clerk-
SOME things never change..
I wanted an atmospheric, ghost story for Halloween, and I got one!
I grew up reading Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew books, so Viv and Carly playing amateur detective, was right up my alley!
Some readers may feel that some of the chapters seem repetitive as first one sleuth, and than the other, makes her discoveries, 35 years apart, but it did not bother me, as Viv's chapters in the 80's felt so nostalgic that their voices were distinct to me.
Reading this book in my dark backyard last night, my IPAD screen glowing, and the hairs on my arms standing up, I couldn't go to sleep till I found out if Carly would get justice for Vivian..
Thank You to Edelweiss, Berkley Publishing and Simone St. James for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review.
If you enjoyed 'The Broken Girls" this one will not disappoint you!
I LOVED this one!! ❤️
MY VOTE FOR BEST MYSTERY/SUSPENSE for GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 2020!!
September 19, 2019
Dark, Ghostly, & So Good!
Something strange is going on at The Sun Down Motel.
In 1982, 20-year-old Vivian Delaney stumbles upon a job opening as the night shift clerk at The Sun Down Motel, located in eerie Fell, New York. During her shifts, Vivian begins to notice some inexplicable occurrences at the rundown motel: doors randomly opening and closing, strange phone calls, the smell of cigarette smoke when no one is present. It seems that the Sun Down is haunted. Making things even more dramatic are the creepy customers who come to stay. At the same time, young women in Fell are being murdered. Vivian plays investigator and when she comes up with a lead, she vanishes without a trace.
Fast forward to 2017, Vivian’s 20-year-old niece, Carly, arrives in Fell seeking answers about her aunt Vivian’s disappearance. Carly finds herself doing Vivian’s old job at the Sun Down and also begins to notice the strange happenings at the motel. As she investigates her aunt’s disappearance, she finds herself in extreme danger.
There are so many things I loved about this book. Simone St. James transported me to Fell, NY. The atmosphere is rife with eeriness. The whole time I was reading this, I kept thinking that it would make for the perfect Halloween read. The supernatural plays a large role--I am not the most tolerant when it comes to the supernatural, but it works in this book. The ghosts serve a purpose--not to scare, but to remind of events from the past. Vivian and Carly share some of the same characteristics, but their voices are distinct. The mystery is intriguing and while the plot is not the most complex, I was riveted and could not put this book down.
It was a little rocky in the beginning and felt like a cheesy tv movie, but the more the better it got. I was wholly entertained by The Sun Down Motel and I highly recommend to those who enjoy creepy, atmospheric mysteries.
I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Something strange is going on at The Sun Down Motel.
In 1982, 20-year-old Vivian Delaney stumbles upon a job opening as the night shift clerk at The Sun Down Motel, located in eerie Fell, New York. During her shifts, Vivian begins to notice some inexplicable occurrences at the rundown motel: doors randomly opening and closing, strange phone calls, the smell of cigarette smoke when no one is present. It seems that the Sun Down is haunted. Making things even more dramatic are the creepy customers who come to stay. At the same time, young women in Fell are being murdered. Vivian plays investigator and when she comes up with a lead, she vanishes without a trace.
Fast forward to 2017, Vivian’s 20-year-old niece, Carly, arrives in Fell seeking answers about her aunt Vivian’s disappearance. Carly finds herself doing Vivian’s old job at the Sun Down and also begins to notice the strange happenings at the motel. As she investigates her aunt’s disappearance, she finds herself in extreme danger.
There are so many things I loved about this book. Simone St. James transported me to Fell, NY. The atmosphere is rife with eeriness. The whole time I was reading this, I kept thinking that it would make for the perfect Halloween read. The supernatural plays a large role--I am not the most tolerant when it comes to the supernatural, but it works in this book. The ghosts serve a purpose--not to scare, but to remind of events from the past. Vivian and Carly share some of the same characteristics, but their voices are distinct. The mystery is intriguing and while the plot is not the most complex, I was riveted and could not put this book down.
It was a little rocky in the beginning and felt like a cheesy tv movie, but the more the better it got. I was wholly entertained by The Sun Down Motel and I highly recommend to those who enjoy creepy, atmospheric mysteries.
I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
October 18, 2019
"I ain't afraid of no Ghost"
I don't know why upon finishing this book, I could not get Ray Parker Jr.'s theme song for Ghostbusters out of my head. "If there is something weird and it don't look good..." Thank you Simon St. James for that earworm and of course, for writing such an engrossing, creepy, haunting and riveting book.
The Sun Down Motel - an old Motel with secrets, ghosts and a dark tale to tell. Some get a room to sell drugs, some to drink themselves into oblivion, some to have a torrid affair, some to sleep for the night after a long day of driving, some for prostitution. But the Motel has a history, a history those in the town of Fell know about but aren't always so willing to talk about. A Motel where things really do go bump in the night.
Viv Delaney worked as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel and soon begins to notice things - that that aren't quite right. Things that are creepy, scary and strange. Intrigued, she begins to investigate the Motel's history, because that is what you do right, when doors open and close on their own (I'd be so out of there...just sayin'). But then one day, Viv isn't there anymore....
Carly arrives in the town of Fell, with questions. Her aunt Viv (Vivian) went missing after working as the Night Clerk at the Sun Down Motel. Her mother died never knowing what happened to her sister. Carly wants to know as well and as luck would have it, the Sun Down Motel needs a nigh clerk, so Carly accepts the position. As she begins to ask questions and look up the Motel's history, she too begins to hear, smell and see that things which go bump in the night.
Oh, how I love a good haunting! Simone St. James who knocked my socks off with The Haunting of Maddy Clare has done it again. This book played out like a movie in my mind. I could imagine everything happening. This book is eerie, atmospheric and chilling. She has created intriguing characters who can't quite help but to put themselves in intense situations because of their curiosity. Apparently, no one warned them about what curiosity did to the cat!
Initially, I did struggle keeping track of which young woman's storyline/timeline was being told, but I found my stride and had no problems after that. I found this to be an engaging, delightfully creepy haunting which delivered. I loved how everything came together in the end! This is the perfect book to read on a chilly October night as Halloween approaches.
Plus, how about that cover!
I don't know why upon finishing this book, I could not get Ray Parker Jr.'s theme song for Ghostbusters out of my head. "If there is something weird and it don't look good..." Thank you Simon St. James for that earworm and of course, for writing such an engrossing, creepy, haunting and riveting book.
The Sun Down Motel - an old Motel with secrets, ghosts and a dark tale to tell. Some get a room to sell drugs, some to drink themselves into oblivion, some to have a torrid affair, some to sleep for the night after a long day of driving, some for prostitution. But the Motel has a history, a history those in the town of Fell know about but aren't always so willing to talk about. A Motel where things really do go bump in the night.
Viv Delaney worked as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel and soon begins to notice things - that that aren't quite right. Things that are creepy, scary and strange. Intrigued, she begins to investigate the Motel's history, because that is what you do right, when doors open and close on their own (I'd be so out of there...just sayin'). But then one day, Viv isn't there anymore....
Carly arrives in the town of Fell, with questions. Her aunt Viv (Vivian) went missing after working as the Night Clerk at the Sun Down Motel. Her mother died never knowing what happened to her sister. Carly wants to know as well and as luck would have it, the Sun Down Motel needs a nigh clerk, so Carly accepts the position. As she begins to ask questions and look up the Motel's history, she too begins to hear, smell and see that things which go bump in the night.
Oh, how I love a good haunting! Simone St. James who knocked my socks off with The Haunting of Maddy Clare has done it again. This book played out like a movie in my mind. I could imagine everything happening. This book is eerie, atmospheric and chilling. She has created intriguing characters who can't quite help but to put themselves in intense situations because of their curiosity. Apparently, no one warned them about what curiosity did to the cat!
Initially, I did struggle keeping track of which young woman's storyline/timeline was being told, but I found my stride and had no problems after that. I found this to be an engaging, delightfully creepy haunting which delivered. I loved how everything came together in the end! This is the perfect book to read on a chilly October night as Halloween approaches.
Plus, how about that cover!
October 20, 2020
***NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK***
My first introduction to Simone St. James was reading her previous novel The Broken Girls, it was one of my top 10 books last year. I went into this with a crazy amount of anticipation and hoping been another 5* read.
The novel revolves around a young woman, Carly, searching for the answer for why her long dead aunt Vivian disappeared. The family never felt any kind of closure because her body was never found. She just vanished one night during her late night shift working at reception in The Sun Down Motel. In order to understand Carly’s point of view we must be taken back in time to when her aunt disappeared. Meanwhile Carly will get a job at the Sun Down herself in order to try and find an answer.
Here begin some of my problems with this book. Lots of situations happened around the same time in the women’s timelines. I also found situations were just too repetitive having to weave the two stories together. At first I was just a little confused about whose story I was reading. As I got into the story I did enjoy the ride but it wasn’t a page turner for me.
Ms. St. James’s writing here is top notch and the story is a good one. I found the characters to be well described but I did have trouble with believability. I asked myself so many times, why didn’t she just quit? Why would they intentionally put themselves in such danger? Who can anyone trust? In each storyline there is a good friend and a boyfriend.
This novel has Ms. St.Jame’s signature creation of a ghostly vibe and it’s a good mystery. There were lots of lights going on and off, doors opening and shutting on their own, “smoke scent in the air” and apparitions. Both Vivian and her niece Carly are looking for answers as to what is going on and putting themselves in grave danger.
The ending moved my rating up to a solid 4 and I can definitely recommend it. Ms. St. Jame’s followers won’t be disappointed.
I would recommend this as a “long sit” read in order to keep the timelines straight and to ratchet up the tension and vibe. This is a great Fall and Halloween read.
Publication is set for February 18, 2020.
I received a ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
This was a Traveling Sisters read :)
My first introduction to Simone St. James was reading her previous novel The Broken Girls, it was one of my top 10 books last year. I went into this with a crazy amount of anticipation and hoping been another 5* read.
The novel revolves around a young woman, Carly, searching for the answer for why her long dead aunt Vivian disappeared. The family never felt any kind of closure because her body was never found. She just vanished one night during her late night shift working at reception in The Sun Down Motel. In order to understand Carly’s point of view we must be taken back in time to when her aunt disappeared. Meanwhile Carly will get a job at the Sun Down herself in order to try and find an answer.
Here begin some of my problems with this book. Lots of situations happened around the same time in the women’s timelines. I also found situations were just too repetitive having to weave the two stories together. At first I was just a little confused about whose story I was reading. As I got into the story I did enjoy the ride but it wasn’t a page turner for me.
Ms. St. James’s writing here is top notch and the story is a good one. I found the characters to be well described but I did have trouble with believability. I asked myself so many times, why didn’t she just quit? Why would they intentionally put themselves in such danger? Who can anyone trust? In each storyline there is a good friend and a boyfriend.
This novel has Ms. St.Jame’s signature creation of a ghostly vibe and it’s a good mystery. There were lots of lights going on and off, doors opening and shutting on their own, “smoke scent in the air” and apparitions. Both Vivian and her niece Carly are looking for answers as to what is going on and putting themselves in grave danger.
The ending moved my rating up to a solid 4 and I can definitely recommend it. Ms. St. Jame’s followers won’t be disappointed.
I would recommend this as a “long sit” read in order to keep the timelines straight and to ratchet up the tension and vibe. This is a great Fall and Halloween read.
Publication is set for February 18, 2020.
I received a ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
This was a Traveling Sisters read :)
February 25, 2023
This is a Suspense Mystery/Thriller. This is so good. The book goes between Viv 1982 and Carly 2017. Viv started working nights at The Sun Down Motel after leaving her Mom's house, and the first night she worked there she know there was something wrong at the Motel. There was always weird noises and other weird things happening in the Motel. But, in time Viv solves the motel secret. The question does she get killed because she found out the secrets. Years later Carly goes to looking for what happen to her Aunt that what missing in the 1980's. And, In time Carly finds herself working at The Sun Down Motel. She also finds weird sounds, doors opening and closing on their own, and other weird things. She starts looking for the answers about the Motel as well as what happen to her Aunt. She also figures out a lot of women/girl have been killed in that small town. I could not put this book down. I guessed one of the twisted, but some I guessed wrong. I loved the ending of this book. This is the only book by Simone St. James I have read so far, but I have to read more book by this author. This book is so worth the hype it is getting.
This was my March pick for Book of the month books ( https://www.mybotm.com/zr12wnytgc8?sh... )
This was my March pick for Book of the month books ( https://www.mybotm.com/zr12wnytgc8?sh... )
May 25, 2020
Great compelling murder mystery with supernatural elements! Carly tries to find out why her aunt Viv vanished from Sun Down Motel 35 years ago. Was she murdered? Did she really die? When working as night shift at the Sun Down Motel herself, Carly comes across an intriguing story about a series of women being killed within a couple of years. Was it the same killer or were several killers involved? Who was the killer and why was the police not able to track him down? Why did Viv vanish without a trace? What about Alma, the night police officer and Marnie, the photographer and their involvement into the story? True crime at its best with a nail biting plot, an interesting narrative perspective (split between Viv's story set in 1982 and Carly's in 2017). I also liked the ending. If you're looking for a supernatural crime story with references to Stephen King, Amityville and of course Psycho this is the book you have to turn to. Spellbinding and highly recommended!
November 13, 2019
4.5 stars!
A dark, engrossing, chilling, gothic, suspenseful, atmospheric, mysterious thriller! Loved it!!!
After her mother’s death, Carly moves to the small town of Fell, to investigate the disappearance of her mothers sister, Vivian. Decades earlier, Carly’s aunt Vivian took a job as the night clerk at the remote Sun Down Motel. Unexplained strange things happen at this motel including the disappearance of Vivian from her shift one night. Police investigation provides no answers as to what happened to Vivian. Haunted by the tragedy that happened before she was born, Carly begins her search at the Sun Down Motel, only to be offered a job as the night clerk. Carly finds herself in the same role that her aunt Vivian had before she vanished. Will Carly be able to uncover the long buried secrets and get the answers she hopes for?
I loved this book! The atmosphere was thick! I felt every spine-tingling scare that Carly felt. I was with her there in that run down motel, holding my breath in anticipation of what would happen next. The author, Simone St. James, created a storyline that completely engrossed me within the suspense and mystery. I felt like I truly knew the characters, the small town and the motel. The story is brilliantly narrated in two timelines/perspectives - through Carly in 2017 and her aunt Vivian in 1982. Loved the pace and flow - it kept me curious and hungry to read “just one more chapter.” My one tiny critique is that I felt a couple things near the end were a stretch for me to accept.
I will warn you that this novel is quite ghost-y. I am not one who generally attracts to ghost-y type novels, however, this story simply felt so real and kept me fully immersed and invested that I never doubted the supernatural element.
I read and loved Simone St. James�� previous novel, The Broken Girls. This book was just as good! I’m a huge fan and look forward to what this author comes out with next! I must make note of how much I LOVE THIS COVER!!
Thank you to Berkley for sending me a physical copy to read and review with The Traveling Sisters!
Expected Publication Date: February 18, 2020.
A dark, engrossing, chilling, gothic, suspenseful, atmospheric, mysterious thriller! Loved it!!!
After her mother’s death, Carly moves to the small town of Fell, to investigate the disappearance of her mothers sister, Vivian. Decades earlier, Carly’s aunt Vivian took a job as the night clerk at the remote Sun Down Motel. Unexplained strange things happen at this motel including the disappearance of Vivian from her shift one night. Police investigation provides no answers as to what happened to Vivian. Haunted by the tragedy that happened before she was born, Carly begins her search at the Sun Down Motel, only to be offered a job as the night clerk. Carly finds herself in the same role that her aunt Vivian had before she vanished. Will Carly be able to uncover the long buried secrets and get the answers she hopes for?
I loved this book! The atmosphere was thick! I felt every spine-tingling scare that Carly felt. I was with her there in that run down motel, holding my breath in anticipation of what would happen next. The author, Simone St. James, created a storyline that completely engrossed me within the suspense and mystery. I felt like I truly knew the characters, the small town and the motel. The story is brilliantly narrated in two timelines/perspectives - through Carly in 2017 and her aunt Vivian in 1982. Loved the pace and flow - it kept me curious and hungry to read “just one more chapter.” My one tiny critique is that I felt a couple things near the end were a stretch for me to accept.
I will warn you that this novel is quite ghost-y. I am not one who generally attracts to ghost-y type novels, however, this story simply felt so real and kept me fully immersed and invested that I never doubted the supernatural element.
I read and loved Simone St. James�� previous novel, The Broken Girls. This book was just as good! I’m a huge fan and look forward to what this author comes out with next! I must make note of how much I LOVE THIS COVER!!
Thank you to Berkley for sending me a physical copy to read and review with The Traveling Sisters!
Expected Publication Date: February 18, 2020.
January 26, 2020
Thing that go bump in the night!
First things first - this was one of the most frightening books I’ve read in a very long time. I know, I can hear everyone’s snickers out there! But I just can’t handle horror. Paranormal scares the bejeebeezes out of me! And this book provided that in spades. Yet, I couldn’t put it down!
Told in two timelines.
1982: Viv left home at a young age to become the next shining star in New York. The problem was she never made it as far as the Big Apple. Instead, she found herself in Fell, New York. Just a minuscule dot on the map. With nearly no money, Viv takes the first and only job she finds. Tending the desk at the Sun Down Motel. Not exactly her Broadway dream.
Soon enough she discovers it’s not just her and the odd customers that frequent the place. There are occupants that awaken in the dark hours of the night! Is Viv safe tending the front desk of this spooky joint?
Present day: Carly has just walked away from College, as well as her only brother. She’s now in search of her long-lost Aunt Viv, who disappeared from the Sun Down Motel thirty five years ago. Oddly enough, Carly finds herself manning the same front desk her Aunt Viv did all those many years ago. And hello…it looks like those same haunting spirits have not gone anywhere!
Simone St. James writes a terrifying paranormal thriller that’ll have you reading with every possible light on in your house! At one point I had to stop for the night and wait to continue the next morning! (But that’s just this ‘ole faint-hearted reader).
A super spooky buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for an ARC to read and review.
First things first - this was one of the most frightening books I’ve read in a very long time. I know, I can hear everyone’s snickers out there! But I just can’t handle horror. Paranormal scares the bejeebeezes out of me! And this book provided that in spades. Yet, I couldn’t put it down!
Told in two timelines.
1982: Viv left home at a young age to become the next shining star in New York. The problem was she never made it as far as the Big Apple. Instead, she found herself in Fell, New York. Just a minuscule dot on the map. With nearly no money, Viv takes the first and only job she finds. Tending the desk at the Sun Down Motel. Not exactly her Broadway dream.
Soon enough she discovers it’s not just her and the odd customers that frequent the place. There are occupants that awaken in the dark hours of the night! Is Viv safe tending the front desk of this spooky joint?
Present day: Carly has just walked away from College, as well as her only brother. She’s now in search of her long-lost Aunt Viv, who disappeared from the Sun Down Motel thirty five years ago. Oddly enough, Carly finds herself manning the same front desk her Aunt Viv did all those many years ago. And hello…it looks like those same haunting spirits have not gone anywhere!
Simone St. James writes a terrifying paranormal thriller that’ll have you reading with every possible light on in your house! At one point I had to stop for the night and wait to continue the next morning! (But that’s just this ‘ole faint-hearted reader).
A super spooky buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for an ARC to read and review.
December 29, 2023
Three *eerie* stars ♨♥️
I did become engrossed in the mystery, and the idea of Nancy Drew meets Stephen King is not a bad one for a book. Thus, this work receives three stars rather than two. In fact, I felt that I wouldn't have bothered to finish this book if it hadn't included any eerie components. I realized, for example, that the book might vanish halfway through and I wouldn't feel compelled to obtain a new copy and finish it.
Let's get into the whole analysis now!
1. Plot / storyline / theme
My excessive passion for small town mysteries was fully satiated by this book, even though it didn't fully appease my bloodthirsty side!
Fell has a startlingly high number of murders, particularly of young women. This contributes to the book's frightening element since, at various points, both Viv and Carly consider how incredibly simple it is for someone to vanish, to be somewhere one minute and dead the next. Should they become the victims of a murderer, will anyone care? In a way, they could be any woman walking alone in the late evening on her way home, or alone in her house, or just alone at a time when no one would witness what occurred. Yep, that sent a shiver down my spine because don’t all women, in some corner of their minds and at some time, think this? The plot is tightly woven with a whopper of an opening teaser that Bad Things are going to happen. Though the plot wasn't something original or out of the box , it was highly predictable but I somehow enjoyed because of the characters and the authors writing style.
Apart from all the crime and ghostly appearances there was an innate meaning to it which talked about the friendship and an understanding among women. It was brilliantly portrayed how effectively the main character Vivian, the lady cop Alma and the freelance photographer Marnie uncovered the secrets of the murders taking place in Fell and how the three women bonded with time and helped each other.
2. CHARACTERS
*UGH*
I DISLIKED CARLY. She was just too much whatever the hell she is trying to be. I don't know when I last disliked a character as much as I disliked Carly and I started to build up a powerful resentment to her. Especially since the split timeline of the book meant that their was a lot of duplication of information between the two timelines. Viv was less annoying but still made some simply mind-blowingly stupid decisions. I feel like I spent most of the book wanting to yell 'what are you doing!' at the them. So by the time the plot is revealed it could have been the best ending in the history of the world and I would still have hated it.
3. Ending
From page 241 onwards the book became more exciting. Though, none of the revelations were a surprise. Like honestly I didn't wanted Viv to be alive and come out of nowhere to save Carly and then Carly went to the motel to save his friend whatever that shit was , that was stupid , okay like please get yourself some brain ! I guess the ending could have been better.
4. Writing
The only reason why I continued reading it , and I guess I will read her other books too , I love her writing style , easy to read , page turner and entertaining.
Recommended to people in love with small town mysteries, spooky thrillers.
I did become engrossed in the mystery, and the idea of Nancy Drew meets Stephen King is not a bad one for a book. Thus, this work receives three stars rather than two. In fact, I felt that I wouldn't have bothered to finish this book if it hadn't included any eerie components. I realized, for example, that the book might vanish halfway through and I wouldn't feel compelled to obtain a new copy and finish it.
Let's get into the whole analysis now!
1. Plot / storyline / theme
My excessive passion for small town mysteries was fully satiated by this book, even though it didn't fully appease my bloodthirsty side!
Fell has a startlingly high number of murders, particularly of young women. This contributes to the book's frightening element since, at various points, both Viv and Carly consider how incredibly simple it is for someone to vanish, to be somewhere one minute and dead the next. Should they become the victims of a murderer, will anyone care? In a way, they could be any woman walking alone in the late evening on her way home, or alone in her house, or just alone at a time when no one would witness what occurred. Yep, that sent a shiver down my spine because don’t all women, in some corner of their minds and at some time, think this? The plot is tightly woven with a whopper of an opening teaser that Bad Things are going to happen. Though the plot wasn't something original or out of the box , it was highly predictable but I somehow enjoyed because of the characters and the authors writing style.
Apart from all the crime and ghostly appearances there was an innate meaning to it which talked about the friendship and an understanding among women. It was brilliantly portrayed how effectively the main character Vivian, the lady cop Alma and the freelance photographer Marnie uncovered the secrets of the murders taking place in Fell and how the three women bonded with time and helped each other.
2. CHARACTERS
*UGH*
I DISLIKED CARLY. She was just too much whatever the hell she is trying to be. I don't know when I last disliked a character as much as I disliked Carly and I started to build up a powerful resentment to her. Especially since the split timeline of the book meant that their was a lot of duplication of information between the two timelines. Viv was less annoying but still made some simply mind-blowingly stupid decisions. I feel like I spent most of the book wanting to yell 'what are you doing!' at the them. So by the time the plot is revealed it could have been the best ending in the history of the world and I would still have hated it.
3. Ending
From page 241 onwards the book became more exciting. Though, none of the revelations were a surprise. Like honestly I didn't wanted Viv to be alive and come out of nowhere to save Carly and then Carly went to the motel to save his friend whatever that shit was , that was stupid , okay like please get yourself some brain ! I guess the ending could have been better.
4. Writing
The only reason why I continued reading it , and I guess I will read her other books too , I love her writing style , easy to read , page turner and entertaining.
Recommended to people in love with small town mysteries, spooky thrillers.
September 16, 2019
Can well all just take a moment and appreciate the perfection that is this cover???
So, so stunning. 😍
Now let me tell you why you all need to go out and grab a copy of this! Not only is Simone St. James an incredibly talented writer but she likes to get her spooky on and I'm a spooky kind of gal. My only regret is that I should have waited until closer to Halloween to sink my teeth into this one but patience is not a virtue of mine and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
Like in her previous book (the only one I have read - Now THIS I am ashamed of!), The Broken Girls, we have back and forth chapters, one in the present and one in the past.
1982:
Viv Delaney takes a job working the night shift at the Sun Down Motel. It appears not all is still and silent in the night and Viv sets out to discover the mysteries of the Sun Down.
Until the night she vanishes into thin air never to be found again.
Present:
Carly, having recently lost her mom to cancer, decides to investigate the mystery of her long lost Aunt Viv. Her mother mourned her sister until the day she died but never wanted to speak of her. Carly decides to go to Fell, NY and the Sun Down Motel in search of answers. Imagine her surprise to find out that the Sun Down Motel is looking for a night clerk and so she applies. Maybe working the same position at the same hotel in which her aunt disappeared will reveal some answers. She is about to get much more than she ever bargained for because the Sun Down Motel is restless at night.....
"Come on in the building seemed to say with it's jagged up-and-down lights, its blue and yellow neon cheeriness. Get some sleep. Take it easy until the sun comes up again. And if you see someone sitting at the end of your bed, pay them no mind. That's just one of my secrets. And I'm not going to tell."
4 *perfect for Halloween* stars!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
So, so stunning. 😍
Now let me tell you why you all need to go out and grab a copy of this! Not only is Simone St. James an incredibly talented writer but she likes to get her spooky on and I'm a spooky kind of gal. My only regret is that I should have waited until closer to Halloween to sink my teeth into this one but patience is not a virtue of mine and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
Like in her previous book (the only one I have read - Now THIS I am ashamed of!), The Broken Girls, we have back and forth chapters, one in the present and one in the past.
1982:
Viv Delaney takes a job working the night shift at the Sun Down Motel. It appears not all is still and silent in the night and Viv sets out to discover the mysteries of the Sun Down.
Until the night she vanishes into thin air never to be found again.
Present:
Carly, having recently lost her mom to cancer, decides to investigate the mystery of her long lost Aunt Viv. Her mother mourned her sister until the day she died but never wanted to speak of her. Carly decides to go to Fell, NY and the Sun Down Motel in search of answers. Imagine her surprise to find out that the Sun Down Motel is looking for a night clerk and so she applies. Maybe working the same position at the same hotel in which her aunt disappeared will reveal some answers. She is about to get much more than she ever bargained for because the Sun Down Motel is restless at night.....
"Come on in the building seemed to say with it's jagged up-and-down lights, its blue and yellow neon cheeriness. Get some sleep. Take it easy until the sun comes up again. And if you see someone sitting at the end of your bed, pay them no mind. That's just one of my secrets. And I'm not going to tell."
4 *perfect for Halloween* stars!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
March 6, 2020
HOT DAMN! This was SO GOOD!
Creepy, chilling, atmospheric, brilliant. Bravo Simone St. James! This book will make you believe in ghosts. Lights turning on and off, doors opening and closing, the smell of cigarette smoke in the air, a hint of perfume, a woman in a floral dress telling you to “run“. After the death of her mother Carly heads to upstate New York with the intention of solving a family mystery. In 1982 Carly‘s aunt Vivian disappeared from the town of Fell, New York never to be seen again. 37 years later and Carly finds herself not only living in the same apartment as her aunt, but also working at the same motel and encountering the same ghosts.
Told in dual timelines from the perspectives of both Carly and Viv. I loved how the two stories mimicked one another but they both had a unique voice to them. I thought that St. James did a marvelous job of showcasing how almost The same investigation was executed 37 years apart. All the technical advancements, computers, cell phones, Internet, however the Sun Down motel seems unchanged. Loved puzzling the Mystery together with both Carly and Viv. I have to say these ladies were either much braver or much stupider than me, because I would’ve been so out of there the minute I saw those doors opening and closing! They both really did put themselves in ridiculously dangerous positions, it’s like when you’re watching a scary movie and hoping the person just runs out of the house. I wouldn’t say this book was scary necessarily, but it was a whole lot of creepy! Exceptional storytelling that completely sucked me in and would not let me go until the last word.
This book in emojis 🏨 👻 📓 🚪 💼
*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
Creepy, chilling, atmospheric, brilliant. Bravo Simone St. James! This book will make you believe in ghosts. Lights turning on and off, doors opening and closing, the smell of cigarette smoke in the air, a hint of perfume, a woman in a floral dress telling you to “run“. After the death of her mother Carly heads to upstate New York with the intention of solving a family mystery. In 1982 Carly‘s aunt Vivian disappeared from the town of Fell, New York never to be seen again. 37 years later and Carly finds herself not only living in the same apartment as her aunt, but also working at the same motel and encountering the same ghosts.
Told in dual timelines from the perspectives of both Carly and Viv. I loved how the two stories mimicked one another but they both had a unique voice to them. I thought that St. James did a marvelous job of showcasing how almost The same investigation was executed 37 years apart. All the technical advancements, computers, cell phones, Internet, however the Sun Down motel seems unchanged. Loved puzzling the Mystery together with both Carly and Viv. I have to say these ladies were either much braver or much stupider than me, because I would’ve been so out of there the minute I saw those doors opening and closing! They both really did put themselves in ridiculously dangerous positions, it’s like when you’re watching a scary movie and hoping the person just runs out of the house. I wouldn’t say this book was scary necessarily, but it was a whole lot of creepy! Exceptional storytelling that completely sucked me in and would not let me go until the last word.
This book in emojis 🏨 👻 📓 🚪 💼
*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
February 23, 2020
Boo Hah! Hot spooktacular Diggity dang that was one fa-boo-lous scary good read that had me shaking my boo-ty to the creepy good vibe to this story. (I know how many puns can I get in one sentence) Hehee! It is one not to be missed!
The Sun Down Motel is an exciting, gripping, entertaining supernatural thriller, with one of the best characters here with the setting that I have read. The rundown motel takes on a life of its own and had me wanting to pull the covers over my eyes while reading it.
This is some excellent storytelling by Simone St. James that doesn't tell a story but draws you into the story and makes you feel you are living in it. It had my heart pounding right from the start with the suspense and tension that rises with each page. It has a cinematic feel to it that makes it exciting and entertaining.
The mystery and secrets hidden in the walls of this eerie and haunting setting are brilliantly woven together. The characters are interesting, quirky and are so fun and entertaining. I loved everything about this story!!
Read this one, eat, drink and be scared!! I highly recommend!
I received a copy directly from the publisher.
The Sun Down Motel is an exciting, gripping, entertaining supernatural thriller, with one of the best characters here with the setting that I have read. The rundown motel takes on a life of its own and had me wanting to pull the covers over my eyes while reading it.
This is some excellent storytelling by Simone St. James that doesn't tell a story but draws you into the story and makes you feel you are living in it. It had my heart pounding right from the start with the suspense and tension that rises with each page. It has a cinematic feel to it that makes it exciting and entertaining.
The mystery and secrets hidden in the walls of this eerie and haunting setting are brilliantly woven together. The characters are interesting, quirky and are so fun and entertaining. I loved everything about this story!!
Read this one, eat, drink and be scared!! I highly recommend!
I received a copy directly from the publisher.
December 5, 2019
This book should’ve been right up my alley - I loved The Broken Girls and I typically LOVE spooky thrillers that have paranormal vibes, but it took me days to finish this book which usually doesn’t happen for thrillers and I just didn’t care about these characters.
I felt like a lot of the story was really repetitive because we follow Viv in the 1980’s and then her niece Carly in 2017, and it was kind of hard to tell their chapters apart. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style because something would happen and be revealed in Vivians chapters and then we would read about Carly discovering everything we had just read about in a previous chapter and it’s like you’re just waiting for her to catch up because you already know and because of that some of this book dragged.
I started skimming after the 200 page mark because I was losing interest but the ending definitely redeemed itself, and there were two good plot twists that I didn’t see coming, so the book definitely gets credit for that, but this thriller was just okay for me. I didn’t love it the same way I loved The Broken Girls, which is sad but oh well.
Huge thanks to Berkley for sending me an ARC!
I felt like a lot of the story was really repetitive because we follow Viv in the 1980’s and then her niece Carly in 2017, and it was kind of hard to tell their chapters apart. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style because something would happen and be revealed in Vivians chapters and then we would read about Carly discovering everything we had just read about in a previous chapter and it’s like you’re just waiting for her to catch up because you already know and because of that some of this book dragged.
I started skimming after the 200 page mark because I was losing interest but the ending definitely redeemed itself, and there were two good plot twists that I didn’t see coming, so the book definitely gets credit for that, but this thriller was just okay for me. I didn’t love it the same way I loved The Broken Girls, which is sad but oh well.
Huge thanks to Berkley for sending me an ARC!
February 18, 2020
Spooky, spine-tingling suspense, and creepy!
THE SUN DOWN MOTEL by SIMONE ST. JAMES is an engrossing, dark, gripping, chilling, and fabulous gothic mystery/thriller that I was immediately drawn into. I was totally immersed in this tale and completely devoured the supernatural aspects in this story. The story was so darn entertaining with that creepy and eerie haunted motel setting that I found this to be absolutely irresistible and un-put-down-able!!!!
SIMONE ST. JAMES delivers quite the atmospheric, captivating, engaging, mysterious, suspenseful and well-written story here told in dual timelines and perspectives between the past and the present. I sometimes enjoy one timeline and perspective over another but this one I am happy to say that they both equally intrigued and fascinated me.
Expected On Sale Date: February 18, 2020.
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: That cover is absolutely perfect for a creepy and haunting story!! I think it is such a striking & welcoming design that immediately caught my eye and definitely enticed me into needing to read this book.
Title: A simply perfect, chilling, impactful and fabulous representation to storyline.
Writing/Prose: Well-written, fluid, suspenseful, and engaging.
Plot: Engrossing, creepy, captivating, haunting, interesting, riveting, fast-paced, and entertaining.
Ending: Whoa! Absolutely loved it!
Overall: 4.5 Stars! This was an all around fabulous book for me and the perfect ghost story! Would highly recommend!
Thank you so much to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for gifting me a physical copy of this highly absorbing book! It was an absolute pleasure being spooked out by this one.
This review can also be found at Two Sisters Lost in a Coulee Reading book blog:
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/
THE SUN DOWN MOTEL by SIMONE ST. JAMES is an engrossing, dark, gripping, chilling, and fabulous gothic mystery/thriller that I was immediately drawn into. I was totally immersed in this tale and completely devoured the supernatural aspects in this story. The story was so darn entertaining with that creepy and eerie haunted motel setting that I found this to be absolutely irresistible and un-put-down-able!!!!
SIMONE ST. JAMES delivers quite the atmospheric, captivating, engaging, mysterious, suspenseful and well-written story here told in dual timelines and perspectives between the past and the present. I sometimes enjoy one timeline and perspective over another but this one I am happy to say that they both equally intrigued and fascinated me.
Expected On Sale Date: February 18, 2020.
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: That cover is absolutely perfect for a creepy and haunting story!! I think it is such a striking & welcoming design that immediately caught my eye and definitely enticed me into needing to read this book.
Title: A simply perfect, chilling, impactful and fabulous representation to storyline.
Writing/Prose: Well-written, fluid, suspenseful, and engaging.
Plot: Engrossing, creepy, captivating, haunting, interesting, riveting, fast-paced, and entertaining.
Ending: Whoa! Absolutely loved it!
Overall: 4.5 Stars! This was an all around fabulous book for me and the perfect ghost story! Would highly recommend!
Thank you so much to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for gifting me a physical copy of this highly absorbing book! It was an absolute pleasure being spooked out by this one.
This review can also be found at Two Sisters Lost in a Coulee Reading book blog:
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/
October 3, 2020
Many thanks to Danielle at Berkley Publishing Group for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
I’ve lived in this town all my life. Gone is gone.
I have to admit… this book was much scarier than I expected it to be. I went in expecting a classic mystery/thriller but this ended up being a lot more than that.
So, what’s this book about?
Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets.
Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden. But before she can uncover the truth, she disappears, never to be seen again.
Years later, her niece Carly has come to fell and is exploring the same mysteries. Only time will tell if she reveals the truth or disappears just like her aunt did.
From the synopsis, I went into this novel expecting a straightforward mystery but this book went a lot deeper than that.
There were quite a few supernatural elements sprinkled throughout the novel so that it had an eerie, creepy tone which I loved.
This novel also has two different storylines. Viv’s and Carly’s. Viv is in the past and Carly is in the present. The author did an excellent job of weaving the storylines together and using the to expertly reveal twists.
Overall, this novel was eerie, twisty, and very well paced!
Bottom Line:
4 Stars
Age Rating - [ R ]
Content Screening (Mild Spoilers)
Educational Value (2/5) - [Digitizing information, Police procedurals]
Positive Messages (2/5) - [Persistence, Avengement?]
Violence (4/5) - [Murder, Sexual Abuse, Injury]
Sex (0/0)
Language (3/5) - [F**k, sh*t, d*mn]
Drinking/Drugs (3/5) - [Alcohol consumption]
Publication Date:
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
---------------------
4 stars! Review to come!
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➵ Buddy Read with Miranda Reads
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October 27, 2019
This old, seedy roadside motel setting had me running to grab this one!
This creepy, haunted motel has a past that it won't let go... slamming doors, traveling salesmen, and many unanswered questions.
I loved the atmospheric setting and couldn't help but think of the Bates Motel. The same type of place you wouldn't necessarily want to check into! I was also picturing the Scooby Doo van about to roll up at any moment to help this girl Carly out.
The two timelines meshed together to solve a 35 year old mystery made this an entertaining who-dunnit. Carly was the amateur detective and was determined to get answers.
While it was a spooky read, I was hoping for a little more spine-chilling twists and creepy turns. For me this one was more of a spooky adventure where Carly is on a mission.
If you are looking for a unique crime read with some ghostly happenings, this one is quite entertaining and perfect for the season.
OUT on Feb. 18, 2020
Thanks to the publisher and NG for my review copy.
This creepy, haunted motel has a past that it won't let go... slamming doors, traveling salesmen, and many unanswered questions.
I loved the atmospheric setting and couldn't help but think of the Bates Motel. The same type of place you wouldn't necessarily want to check into! I was also picturing the Scooby Doo van about to roll up at any moment to help this girl Carly out.
The two timelines meshed together to solve a 35 year old mystery made this an entertaining who-dunnit. Carly was the amateur detective and was determined to get answers.
While it was a spooky read, I was hoping for a little more spine-chilling twists and creepy turns. For me this one was more of a spooky adventure where Carly is on a mission.
If you are looking for a unique crime read with some ghostly happenings, this one is quite entertaining and perfect for the season.
OUT on Feb. 18, 2020
Thanks to the publisher and NG for my review copy.
March 28, 2020
A stunning cover, an unsolved mystery and a motel harboring both secrets and ghosts = another winning read by Simone St. James!
I absolutely devoured this book and with good reason. Once you start reading, you just can't stop! It's such a page turner!!! Simone St. James has captured all those creepy thoughts we all have about those roadside, seedy looking motels and turned things ALL the way up. Talk about a place you want to run far away from!
The story is told via 2 POVs. The past - it's 1982 and Viv Delaney has dreams of making it in NY as an actress but she ends up in Fell as a night clerk at the Sun Down Motel. What starts out as a temporary stop ends up being the last place anyone ever sees her. One night she simply vanishes and her family never hear from her again. The present - Viv's niece Carly is drawn to Fell after the death of her mother. She is determined to find out what happened to her aunt Viv. The two stories mesh together, to reveal the truth of the Sound Down Motel.
I love how St. James weaves ghosts into her stories and this one was really well done. It added such a spooky element to the storyline and a great twist to the mystery. This story was totally up my alley - a 80s vibe, creepy motel with ghosts and spooky happenings, a Nancy Drew-esque vibe with the main characters and it even had a hot guy! Needless to say, I enjoyed this so much! A highly recommended read for my fellow mystery and thriller fans.
Thank you Simone St. James, Berkley & Penguin Publishing and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this arc. All thoughts are completely my own.
I absolutely devoured this book and with good reason. Once you start reading, you just can't stop! It's such a page turner!!! Simone St. James has captured all those creepy thoughts we all have about those roadside, seedy looking motels and turned things ALL the way up. Talk about a place you want to run far away from!
The story is told via 2 POVs. The past - it's 1982 and Viv Delaney has dreams of making it in NY as an actress but she ends up in Fell as a night clerk at the Sun Down Motel. What starts out as a temporary stop ends up being the last place anyone ever sees her. One night she simply vanishes and her family never hear from her again. The present - Viv's niece Carly is drawn to Fell after the death of her mother. She is determined to find out what happened to her aunt Viv. The two stories mesh together, to reveal the truth of the Sound Down Motel.
I love how St. James weaves ghosts into her stories and this one was really well done. It added such a spooky element to the storyline and a great twist to the mystery. This story was totally up my alley - a 80s vibe, creepy motel with ghosts and spooky happenings, a Nancy Drew-esque vibe with the main characters and it even had a hot guy! Needless to say, I enjoyed this so much! A highly recommended read for my fellow mystery and thriller fans.
Thank you Simone St. James, Berkley & Penguin Publishing and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this arc. All thoughts are completely my own.
September 29, 2023
The Sun Down Motel: an eerie, rundown motel looming in a small town in Upstate NY called Fell. Carly, fascinated by this place and its connection to her aunt Viv's disappearance, arrives at the motel determined to find out what really happened in the summer of 1982, but quickly discovers the motel is holding far more secrets than she could have imagined deep in its walls..and the ghosts from its troubled past have not 'checked out'.
Told in alternating storylines between the past and present, we get a glimpse into both Vivian's perspective as a young woman working the creepy motel in her early 20s and Carly's journey to suss out the truth with the assistance of some new acquaintances who are also searching for the terrible truth about the horrors in Fell. What she finds is a trail of mysterious murders of the young women of Fell, dating back as far as 20 years from her aunt's last night at the motel. Can Carly discover the terrifying truth before the ghosts claim her too?
This book started with a bang, aided by the fantastic and atmospheric cover that instantly put me in the right frame of mind to imagine just what this hotel might look like (and certainly was evocative of the classic 'creepy' motel in Psycho!) and I loved the set-up and premise of the story. Unfortunately, as in The Broken Girls, I felt the middle of the book got a bit heavy-handed and really relied on a suspension of disbelief on the reader's part. As in the last Simone St. James book I read, I really loved the ghosts in the story and all of the associated scares.
While I enjoyed the book, it did read a bit like longer YA (not sure why her books come across this way), and I think she could potentially have cut a bit of story out without losing any punch. The action picked up again in the last 30% of the book, though, and I felt the conclusion was spooky and satisfying. All in all, Simone St. James is still one of the few authors who writes ghosts right and I will definitely pick up her next book to get my fix! 👻
3.5 ⭐️
Told in alternating storylines between the past and present, we get a glimpse into both Vivian's perspective as a young woman working the creepy motel in her early 20s and Carly's journey to suss out the truth with the assistance of some new acquaintances who are also searching for the terrible truth about the horrors in Fell. What she finds is a trail of mysterious murders of the young women of Fell, dating back as far as 20 years from her aunt's last night at the motel. Can Carly discover the terrifying truth before the ghosts claim her too?
This book started with a bang, aided by the fantastic and atmospheric cover that instantly put me in the right frame of mind to imagine just what this hotel might look like (and certainly was evocative of the classic 'creepy' motel in Psycho!) and I loved the set-up and premise of the story. Unfortunately, as in The Broken Girls, I felt the middle of the book got a bit heavy-handed and really relied on a suspension of disbelief on the reader's part. As in the last Simone St. James book I read, I really loved the ghosts in the story and all of the associated scares.
While I enjoyed the book, it did read a bit like longer YA (not sure why her books come across this way), and I think she could potentially have cut a bit of story out without losing any punch. The action picked up again in the last 30% of the book, though, and I felt the conclusion was spooky and satisfying. All in all, Simone St. James is still one of the few authors who writes ghosts right and I will definitely pick up her next book to get my fix! 👻
3.5 ⭐️
July 7, 2020
I was so very lucky to win this on a First Reads giveaway and I'd like to thank Berkley Publishing (Penguin Random House) and Goodreads for the opportunity to read this Advanced Reader Copy.
What a spine-tingling tale! I was breathlessly anticipating each chapter. This is a ghost story/mystery that had a perfect setting...a run down old Motel on the outskirts of a small town in upstate NY. The descriptions were just creepy enough to cause some hair-raising moments...and what a cover. Absolutely love it!
The story is told in two points of view. Present time (2017) by Carly and the past (1982) by Viv. I enjoyed both stories equally.
I think this is the best book from 2020 that I've read so far this year. If you enjoy a good murder mystery tinged with a ghost story this is the book for you! Excellent writing!
What a spine-tingling tale! I was breathlessly anticipating each chapter. This is a ghost story/mystery that had a perfect setting...a run down old Motel on the outskirts of a small town in upstate NY. The descriptions were just creepy enough to cause some hair-raising moments...and what a cover. Absolutely love it!
The story is told in two points of view. Present time (2017) by Carly and the past (1982) by Viv. I enjoyed both stories equally.
I think this is the best book from 2020 that I've read so far this year. If you enjoy a good murder mystery tinged with a ghost story this is the book for you! Excellent writing!
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