Hotel 21
The 'funny, poignant and completely heart-warming' debut novel
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
'Beautifully told, this is a heart-warming and thought-provoking read.' Heat
'A sharp, funny, poignant and completely heart-warming story about female friendship and kick-ass women. I truly loved it!' Ruth Hogan
'I have a first-day rule. Any sign of trouble, even a whiff of a problem, and I walk.'
Noelle is an efficient and friendly hotel cleaner, a model employee. Or so she'd have you think. The trouble is that she can't help taking little 'souvenirs' as she cleans. Nothing of value, just tokens of happy, normal lives: a lipstick, a hair clip, some tweezers. And by the time the guest has noticed, she's long gone.
As she starts at her 21st hotel, she's determined to beat her record of one month in a five star hotel before suspicion falls on her. But when she meets her new colleagues, her plans are complicated. These women aren't just hands pushing carts down lonely hotel corridors: they are women with lives full of happiness and worry, pain and joy. The kind of lives Noelle has never known how to live. They make her wonder what it might be like to have real friends, people to stick around for…
Will the women at Hotel 21 give her the courage to claim the life she deserves, or will her old habits come back to haunt her?
'Wonderful!' Daily Mail
Customer Reviews
Refreshing & Uplifting
Senta Rich's "Hotel 21" is a refreshing, uplifting and unputdownable read! At first, it took time for me to warm up to the pacing and the writing style, but I couldn't help but root for the growth of Noelle, our endearing yet troubled protagonist.
Noelle has a PhD in doing things by herself and leaving a mark by presenting different versions depending on the type of managers and supervisors across her employment in 20 Hotels. It is evident that Noelle is a kleptomaniac, but there's a lot of discover and unpack between the lines. The crossroads between old habits, healing, secrets and acceptance comes into the fold when Noelle is employed at the Magnolia (Hotel 21), and her paths cross with Gabi, Rose, Mali and Phil. Noelle is pushed out of her comfort zone as she explores her instant yet complicated connection with Phil and witnesses the camaraderie between Gabi and Mali and the perseverance of Rose.
Senta Rich delivers a simple plot with complex characters with grace and excellence. The humaneness of all the characters shines brightly throughout the book. The testament to friendships, support, and humour is well presented, and the ending tugged at my heartstrings. Please be warned that elements of child abuse are briefly mentioned. I recommend this book if you're a fan of "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman.
Thank you, Union Square & Co and NetGalley, for giving me an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.