The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand: Audiobook Review

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From The Publisher:

After a tragic fire in 1922 that killed 19-year-old chambermaid, Grace Hadley, The Hotel Nantucket descended from a gilded age gem to a mediocre budget-friendly lodge to inevitably an abandoned eyesore — until it’s purchased and renovated top to bottom by London billionaire, Xavier Darling.  Xavier hires Nantucket sweetheart Lizbet Keaton as his general manager, and Lizbet, in turn, pulls together a charismatic, if inexperienced, staff who share the vision of turning the fate of the hotel around. They face challenges in getting along with one another (and with the guests), in overcoming the hotel’s bad reputation, and in surviving the (mostly) harmless shenanigans of Grace Hadley herself — who won’t stop haunting the hotel until her murder is acknowledged.

Filled with the emotional tension and multiple points of view that characterize Elin’s books (The Blue Bistro, Golden Girl) as well as an added touch of historical reality, Hotel Nantucket offers something for everyone in this summer drama for the ages. 

Audiobook Review:

I loved this book. It has all the elements I look for in a book: great character development, an interesting storyline, a bit of a mystery, romance and strong female characters. I didn’t want it to end.

I loved the insight into the world of hotel management. Fans of the author will remember the detailed information about the restaurant business in her book The Blue Bistro. Indeed, several of the characters in many of the author’s other books set in Nantucket are mentioned.

The hotel sat empty for many years until Xavier Darling, a billionaire from the U.K., buys the hotel and is on a quest to receive the elusive ”Fifth Key” from a renowned travel blogger. This blogger has never awarded the Fifth Key to any of the hotels she has visited around the world. No expense is spared in the redevelopment of the hotel. The splendour and ambience within the hotel are highly featured. The reader is allowed in the doors before the hotel’s grand re-opening.

We meet the hotel’s General Manager, Lizbet Keaton as she begins a new chapter in her life. She’s left a relationship and position with a local chef/restauranteur after his infidelity. As Lizbet interviews and hires her staff, we learn a little bit about them as individuals. We learn a whole lot more about them as the story progresses. We’re even introduced to the hotel’s resident ghost who gives us insight into what’s happening at the hotel like no other.

There are many interesting guests at the hotel including a woman and her two young children who stay for the entire summer. As the summer progresses, the staff begin to anticipate with each new check-in if this could be the anonymous blogger. Those readers who enjoy a bit of mystery will appreciate this. The author also refers to playlists which correspond with events that are happening in Lizbet’s life – I thought this was a lot of fun.

I chose to listen to The Hotel Nantucket in audiobook format because of its narrator Erin Bennett. Once again, her performance was highly entertaining and easy to listen to. She has captured the personality of the book and I highly recommend this version of the book to those that appreciate this format.

What I Liked:

• The well-developed, interesting characters
• The behind the scenes look at the hotel industry
• The elements of romance felt throughout the book

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for the honest review provided here.

Similar Books I’ve Reviewed:

The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand