Let me start off by saying that I adored the previous book I read by Robson - Our Darkest Night. I did enjoy Coronation Year, but thought it left a lot to be desired and I was just left wanting a hit more. That said, it didn’t take me long to read and I was invested throughout.

I loved the talk of the Blue Lion Inn and it’s history, but I thought all of the other elements, specifically the character development and romance, left a lot to be desired. The romance felt unrealistic and the mystery aspect felt forced and a little silly. As usually happens with multiple perspectives, I enjoyed one more than the other, but did enjoy parts of each.

The setting is London, 1953, prior to the Queen’s coronation. Edie is the owner of the Blue Lion, an inn on the procession route. Owned by her family for over 400 years, Edie is struggling to keep the inn profitable. Stella is a Holocaust survivor, who finds a job as a photographer and moves into the Blue Lion. Jamie is an artist who served as a bomb detonator during the war, moving in to the Blue Lion for its views of the procession. The characters interaction, along with some of the quirky inn residents, creates a charming story for Anglophiles like me. I felt like I was living in the inn with these people, in anticipation of the big day. Highly recommended for a totally enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

In Jennifer Robson’s newest novel, it’s centered around a historic hotel that is located on the Queen’s parade to her coronation. Edie is the owner and the Blue Lion hotel has been in her family for centuries. It’s also down on its luck and Edie is hoping it make a good profit from tourist who want to see the Queen. She’s been doing everything she can to spruce up the hotel and bring in lots of new business.

Among her guests are several long time boarders and the daughter of a family friend from Italy, Stella. She has been hired by a local paper as a photographer for the coronation. She also has Jamie, an artist who was hired by a local business to celebrate a milestone anniversary and the coronation in one stunning painting. I love the author added some depth to these characters as Stella is Jewish and survived the holocaust, however her parents did not. She still carries a lot of grief for her family. And Jamie is born and raised in Scotland, but his mother is Indian. Despite having served in the war for the UK, he faces a lot of racism and disrespect.

This group of character becomes friends as the coronation gets closer. The hotel is filling up with reservations when the police stop by with some threatening letters in the hotel’s letterhead. Who would do such a thing? A guest? An employee? With all that’s going on with the preparations, this is the last thing Edie needs.

I’ve read several of Jennifer’s books and each one is so good. She uses lots of detail in her books that make you feel like you are right there with the characters. I especially liked how she links previously books together just a little bit- in this book, Stella is friends with Nina and Nico from Our Darkest Night.

Thank you @uplitreads @authorjenniferrobson and @williammorrowbooks for my gifted book.

A miracle is needed to acquire money needed to update and repair the Blue Lion hotel. Edie can't believe her luck when she learns that her hotel will be on the coronation route. This character-driven novel is set shortly before the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth. I thought the setting seemed authentic, and I could imagine the Blue Lion. I was surprised that there was a mystery/thriller component to the story, but I enjoyed it.

This was a lovely historical fiction story about Queen Elizabeth's coronation. It creates the world of the Blue Lion, a hotel set in the backdrop of the Queen's route to the coronation. Although fictional, the Blue Lion and its characters are amazingly created. Robson makes it easy to fall for Edwina, the love story, and the Blue Lion's residents.

Coronation Year is another fantastic book by Jennifer Robson, whose previous novel was The Gown, a behind the scenes look at the women who embroidered Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown.

This story takes place in 1953 London during the months leading up to the Queen's coronation. The setting is the Blue Lion Hotel which has been in Edie's family for centuries and fortuitously is on the coronation procession route. Edie has been struggling to make ends meet and is hoping for this event to boost her fortunes. The story also follows Stella, a young Holocaust survivor now photographer and Jamie an artist commissioned to paint a picture from the coronation procession. This novel is a nice bit of historical fiction with a built-in mystery as well. The characters are all well developed and engaging.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this novel.

The premise of this novel captured my attention: The Blue Lion hotel prepares for Queen Elizabeth's coronation. The procession will pass by the historic building, which just might save the struggling property. But I ended up finding it a bit lacking—I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and the mystery seemed far-fetched.

It is Coronation Year, 1953, and a new queen is about to be crowned. The people of London are in a mood to celebrate, none more so than the residents of the Blue Lion hotel.

Edie Howard, owner and operator of the floundering Blue Lion, has found the miracle she needs: on Coronation Day, Queen Elizabeth in her gold coach will pass by the hotel’s front door, allowing Edie to charge a fortune for rooms and, barring disaster, save her beloved home from financial ruin. Edie’s luck might just be turning, all thanks to a young queen about her own age.

Stella Donati, a young Italian photographer and Holocaust survivor, has come to live at the Blue Lion while she takes up a coveted position at Picture Weekly magazine. London in celebration mode feels like a different world to her. As she learns the ins and outs of her new profession, Stella discovers a purpose and direction that honor her past and bring hope for her future.

James Geddes, a war hero and gifted artist, has struggled to make his mark in a world that disdains his Indian ancestry. At the Blue Lion, though, he is made to feel welcome and worthy. Yet even as his friendship with Edie deepens, he begins to suspect that something is badly amiss at his new home.

When anonymous threats focused on Coronation Day, the Blue Lion, and even the queen herself disrupt their mood of happy optimism, Edie and her friends must race to uncover the truth, save their home, and expose those who seek to erase the joy and promise of Coronation Year.

At the heart of this novel is a mystery involving those who are attempting to ruin Coronation Day for everyone involved. -Got tense at the end. Pleasant read, satisfying ending. Do get a bit of queen elizabeth herself in the story- but primarily about the characters involved. A HF buzzword is a women who bucks against expectations, and i think this worked. Also had a bit of an IRC- could feel that same tension and concern today.

Also fun to read as We have a coronation year this year. Saturday, May 6, 2023

Usually when I read about Her Majesty and it tells her story, in this book you hear the story of a hotel that is on the parade route. The struggles it has to stay afloat, and the way the coronation affects its tenants and the owner.

I enjoyed the characters and they strength of Edie, the hotel owner. She took her family hotel, which had been struggling for years, and was doing all that she could to keep it running. I could relate to how she felt the need to succeed and not let her parents down (my parents had their own family diner that I helped run). The variety of backgrounds from the other characters kept the story interesting with unique points of view.



Coronation Year is not a quick read but it is a book I would recommend. I love learning about the history of Queen Elizabeth and this book shows a unique look into the world around the coronation, not just the actual event.

Queen Elizabeth II plays a big part in this period drama about a small inn on the procession route to her coronation. Historical fiction fans will enjoy this peek into 1953 London.

Overall I did enjoy Coronation Year, although with 3 different narrators there were some sections that moved more slowly than others.

I really loved Jennifer’s book The Gown and this one was no exception.

This author is so detailed and so well researched! It really makes the historical fiction come to life in your mind while you read the stories of these three people.

I really loved the main character Edie. Her drive to keep her family legacy going sparked such a tenacious attitude in her. I would love to see this cute little inn!

I couldn’t put this one down once I started. It is a tad slow in the beginning but it didn’t deter me. Finding out the mystery of what was happening in the Blue Lion Inn kept me turning each page.

Coronation year is filled with history, excitement and a mystery that could change the future.


Jennifer Robson does not disappoint with Coronation Year, a story about a seemingly quiet old hotel that’s run into some hard times. What does the hotel owner, a war hero and an Italian photographer have to do with the coronation? Robson once again excels in her storytelling here of seemingly simple people living their ordinary lives who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

The story centers around Edie, the owner of the historic Blue Lion Hotel in London. Once famed and now struggling, Edie is hopeful that the Queen’s coronation, whose path will travel right by her hotel, will lift the hotel out of its potential ruin. She can’t explain why the hotel is struggling per se, but she is determined to try her best to keep her family heritage alive. With her parents gone and no other family and very few friends, the hotel is her whole life. The coronation draws some long-term borders to the hotel, including Stella Donati, a character readers will remember from Our Darkest Night. I was so delighted to see Stella again and see how she had not just survived but was learning to thrive after the terrors of the war. James Geddes, a war veteran and talented painter also moves in.

The borders are drawn into the inexplicable occurrences that are happening at the hotel as they seek to help out Edie. Edie, who is not used to depending on anyone, learns what it means to trust others. As she opens herself up to others she discovers that there's more to life than just doing her duty and fulfilling her family obligations. There can be fun, kindness and even love. Against her own will she falls for James, even though she can’t imagine how her life would look with someone in her life. Their romance is sweet and made my heart ache. They both have histories to overcome and trauma that they carry. I loved watching Edie learn to be vulnerable with James. He allowed her to discover herself and to dream about more than just the hotel.

Like The Gown, another favourite of mine by Jennifer, this book is not focused on the queen and pomp and circumstance, but rather about the ordinary people that live their lives, do their jobs and do their best to provide for their own lives and their country. Part mystery and part romance, Coronation Year is the perfect read as we prepare for another Coronation Year.

Jennifer Robson has amazing timing as an author; her book The Gown (about the wedding of then-Princess Elizabeth) was released a few months after the wedding of her grandson Harry, and now her latest book, about Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953, is out just as Britain is preparing for the coronation of her son. Coronation Year centers on a group of Londoners connected with the small Blue Lion hotel, fortuitously located on the route the new queen will take en route to Westminster Abbey. Edie Howard is the hotel’s owner, delighted at the opportunity the coronation event will provide to increase business which has been struggling. She takes in some new tenants as the occasion nears: an artist, James, war veteran and artist commissioned to paint a nearby building, and Stella, an Italian holocaust survivor and photographer beginning a new job at a London newspaper. Stress builds for all three characters as the big day nears, but things take a serious turn when threats against the ceremony are released. Storylines converge and romance blooms as Edie, James, and Stella work to save the hotel and the coronation. Readers acquainted with Robson’s other books will encounter a few familiar faces, but one need not have read them to thoroughly enjoy this offering. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

Coronation Year follows the happenings of the months leading up the Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 crowning ceremony. The story is told from three perspectives - a hotel owner, a photographer and an artist each with a backstory relating to the Great War.

This historical mystery gives into glimpses into the glitz and glamour of being a spot along the parade route. The Blue Lion Hotel has been around for more the 400 years, and its resurgence is predicated on the fact that the Queen will pass by their doors in her golden carriage. Only someone is out to sabotage the hotels livelihood. Between the owner and her guests they must play detective to uncover the "who" is out to destroy the rich history of this establishment.

This novel is perfect for fans of the Royal Family. The atmospheric build-up to the Coronation, was not just that of the hotel but a whole country. These characters were ALL truly living an ordinary life until the day the Queen picked her carriage route. These characters were all memorable from their backstories to the paths they take building-up to the Queens special day.

Thank you UpLitReads and William Morrow Books for the complimentary copy of this novel.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this cast of characters in this historical fiction set in the year leading up to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Told from alternating points of view, the story takes place at a fictional hotel with a historic past owned by a young woman named Edie who feels the duty and burden to keep the hotel open despite the cost and hardship of doing so. Like the new Queen of England, Edie was born into a role that she did not choose but feels an honour and obligation to fulfil. Edie takes great pride in preserving her family’s legacy and I admired her tenacity to do so. The cast of characters includes an Italian Holocaust survivor named Stella, and a Scottish painter and former war hero with Indian ancestry named Jamiie. Each character is well developed and likeable.

There is a mystery and a bit of suspense, a touch of romance and a window into the world of post-war London.

It is sure to be enjoyed by fans of historical fiction.

Thank you @uplitreads and @librofm for my physical and ALC copies of CORONATION YEAR! I flew through this book in a day using the print/audio combo. Pub date was April 4th, so it’s available now.

The book’s cover makes it seem like this book will center on the queen - but Robson took a different approach, instead telling the stories of three ordinary people leading up to the coronation. These stories converge at the Blue Lion hotel, fortunate to be on the parade route, but unfortunate to be the center of anonymous threats to the coronation. Hotel owner Edie, photographer Stella, and artist James must band together to make sure the queen and their hotel are safe.

I love historical fiction with a bit of mystery, and CORONATION YEAR delivered. Robson did a wonderful job creating Edie, Stella, and James, and I loved the detail of their characters and backstories. Sadly, the Blue Lion is not a real hotel, but it felt real to me in these pages.

I recommend both audio and print versions. If you listen to the audio, I bet you’ll enjoy the three narrators, one for each MC. Since the main timeline proceeds linearly, I think this is a historical fiction where audio only isn’t too confusing. I hope other historical fiction fans enjoy this one as much as I did!

Jennifer Robson has done it again! With the excitement of the current coronation coming up you can feel the energy. A cast of characters who are seemingly alone in the world pull together to stop what could have been a traumatic event on coronation day. These characters are so real and lovable that you can’t help but root for them in the recovery from experiencing loss, heartache and bigotry. Finding love, family, and peace brings the whole story together.

This book was a tad too slow and uninteresting for me. I was hoping it would be more about the coronation and royal family and less about a hotel and the inhabitants. I liked one storyline better than the others. Sadly, I couldn’t get into this one.

It’s Queen Elizabeth’s coronation but the story involves three residents of London’s historic Blue Lion hotel, a hotel that is on the Coronation Day parade route.

It’s a story told via Edie, the owner of the Blue Lion hotel, James, an artist that is commissioned to paint the queen as she drives by on Coronation Day and Stella, an Italian photographer.

I was fully engrossed and transported to 1953 London. I loved reading about each character and their back stories. It was a cozy read with a little bit of romance and a little bit of mystery. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

CW/TW: racism, Holocaust, war, mild violence

Coronation Year is a story told using three different points of view. Typically, such a method of storytelling can be confusing, but not here. Each chapter is told from a different POV, and the characters are different enough not to cause confusion. Edie owns the Blue Lion and has lived there her entire life. Jamie moves into the hotel to work on an art commission of the building across the street from the hotel. Stella is a survivor moving from Italy to England for a new job and a new future.

Coronation Year is set in the first six months of 1953, the months leading up to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The book is broken up into months, and within each month are different chapters that occur on different days.

The book’s first half establishes the characters and their story, both past and present. The second half of the book is where the mystery starts. I must say I guessed early on who the culprit was, but I was still stunned to learn the reason behind their actions.

Initially, I was drawn to this book because it was a look at Her Majesty, the Queen. I actually added it to my TBR before her passing. And reading the book mere weeks before the coronation of King Charles in May makes me interested in what will be the same and what will be different in the 70 years that separate the two events.

Do you enjoy reading historical fiction with a touch of romance and drama? Are you curious about the royal family and other people’s feelings about them? Then I think you should give Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson a read.