The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James had me turning the pages quickly and staying up late until my eyes couldn’t stay open any longer. While most of the book didn’t give me the creeps, I did get chills towards the end with the little boy in the pool. I thought for sure it was going to get really dark, and I think if St. James had taken it that way, she and the reader could have had a lot of fun with that part of the story.

It’s a mystery that evolves into a second mystery 35 years later that is engulfed in the world of the supernatural. You also get feminist power and rage which grows more as the book goes on. At times I felt my own rage because women being gaslighted or not believed just because they are female has been going on forever. Even other women not being able to help because it would be detrimental to their own lives. It is so frustrating and Viv’s emotions were written so well in regards to this.

I kept thinking that Carly was actually a ghost reliving her past, and when the novel didn’t end up going in that direction I was pleasantly surprised. After reading The Sun Down Motel, I want to check out more of her books, especially The Broken Girls. Highly recommend!

Thank you @berkleypub #partner for an early copy of this for an honest review.

I walked into one of the best books of 2020! It was on point with a touch of horror, mystery, psychological thriller, all the works. The novel and the words were all beautifully woven together like a masterpiece! I could NOT put this book down if my life depended on it. I was truly sad when real life took me away from it. It gives you all the feels from beginning to end. The characters were relatable and heartfelt. So much so, you invested not only your heart, but everything you had into what they did. I can not recommend this novel enough!!! I give it a full blown 5 stars.

Once again Simone St. James has created a gripping and eerie mystery with both real life anxieties and supernatural elements. I absolutely adored THE SUN DOWN MOTEL for all of it's well plotted and paced intricacies. Both narratives, the first person POV of Carly in 2017 and the third person POV of Viv in 1982, were very effective and helped weave a web that built upon two mysteries: what happened to Viv, and why is the Sun Down Motel so haunted? Both mysteries were well conceived and kept me going, and when they came together, along with the past and the semi-present, I was very satisfied. I also liked the undercurrent of feminist rage that was on these pages, as missing women fall into the patterns that we see all too often in real life: they're portrayed as either whores or madonnas, when the case goes cold people stop caring, and they are always somehow blamed for their own victimhood.

THE SUN DOWN MOTEL is a great read and a fun, well done thriller. Fans of the genre need to pick it up!

Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured and loved the atmospheric The Broken Girls (published by St. James in 2018) - when I saw the cover, title, and synopsis of her latest novel, I HAD TO HAVE IT.

The year is 1982. Viv Delaney takes a job as the night clerk at The Sun Down Motel, and vanishes while trying to uncover the motel's dark secrets.

Fast forward to present day. Viv's niece, Carly, arrives in Fell and takes the night clerk position at The Sun Down Motel while on a hunt to learn what happened to her mother's sister so many years ago. The Sun Down Motel might not host many human travelers, but it sure is a busy place...(cue spooky music).

St. James is a master at setting the scene, and I give this eerie story a solid five stars. The slow build, the alternating storylines, the mystery...it was the perfect winter read. (Or save it for October!)

I give this book and overall rating of 4.5 stars

First off let me say, Simone St. James knows how to pull you into a story from the start and doesn't let go until the end. I've loved all the books I've read by her.

The Sun Down Motel is a story that follows two time lines; the first follows Vivian in 1982 and the other her niece Carly in 2017. It is very easy to follow and both story lines are fast paced and keep you in the story.

Vivian leaves her home due to problems with her family and heads to New York where she wants to become an actress. She ends up in Fell, New York however, and her life is changed with ghosts and unsolved murder. After living there for a short time she disappears and is never seen or heard from again.

Carly leaves home as her mother as just died and she has become determined to find out what happened to her aunt 35 years before. So,she too, ends up in Fell and starts searching for answers.

I loved the two time plot line and the characters were very believable. Yes, there are some parts that people may figure out quickly, but I think there are surprises to be found no matter who the reader is.

I would highly recommend The Sun Down Motel for those who like murder mysteries with some ghosty stuff thrown in. And I would also recommend Simone St. James other books as well, including The Broken Girls and The Haunting of Maddy Clare.

This was super creepy and very good! I devoured it all yesterday. I'm generally tired of the dual timeline thing, but it was done fairly well in this book (but didn't really feel necessary). The two timelines were so similar sometimes that it was hard to keep them straight, but that might have been an intentional part of the structure. There were some errors in some very minor details, mostly time period details, or things that just felt more later 1980s than 1982.

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is an intriguing mystery/thriller. Viv Delaney disappears without a trace while working nights at the Sun Down Motel in 1982. In 2017, Carly, her niece, comes to the Sun Down looking for answers about her missing aunt.

The story is told in a dual timeline. It alternates between Viv in 1982 and Carly in 2017. The town is mysterious and very much in the past. The motel is spooky. There are so many secrets in such a small that the author keeps the reader guessing for the entire book. Where is Viv? What is happening at the Sun Down Motel?

I do not like ghosts in books but I loved this book. The author keeps you on the edge and doesn't give the reader too much information but just enough to keep guessing. Each chapter made me want to read one more chapter.

This was a 5⭐ read for me even though I was disappointed in part of the ending. I understand it but I didnt like it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mystery & Thriller
Release Date: February 18, 2020

Viv takes a night shift job at a run down hotel, and her guest are more that just humans.. there are also ghosts. The motel seems to awaken when a certain guest signs in. She starts to do some research on the murders of this sleepy small town.

Fast forward 35 years and her niece Carly decides to find out what happened to Viv. What better way than to retrace her aunts foot steps? She take the night shift at the same motel. The dual times lines weaves together great. I loved the twist and the satisfying ending.

Simone St. James' latest thriller- The Sun Down Hotel- weaves an atmospheric tale of murder and the paranormal when a young woman decides to find out what happened to her aunt who disappeared 20 odd years ago. Alternating between the past and the present, St. James lets her imagination flow as she expertly builds a story rich in tension and fear. The unexpected bites of humor blend well with the layers of family, expectations, and small-town prejudice. Another winner from this author whose voice only continues to grow in this genre.

This was a story that took me back to my younger days. One summer I worked at a family-owned motel. I even worked the "grave yard" shift quite a few times. (Pun intended.) But thank goodness the place wasn't haunted. The detailed description of this motel made me think of the one where I worked.back in the 60"s. I liked the way the story went back and forth from Viv to Carley and back to Viv. I didn't feel it was that repetitive, just reviewing events. This is an eerie, spooky book, but one you may well enjoy. The violence is there, but not too graphic. The foul language fit the characters saying it. I didn't find it too offensive (like I usually do) and it wasn't that often. The ending is good. However, you want to scream at the author, "Aw, come on! Make them admit everything.!" This book is right up there with the Twilight Zone.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC for an honest review.

This book fulfilled all the creepy cravings I had for a mystery/thriller ghost story. The heroine was top-notch, the storyline was compelling and kep me up way after my bedtime and the setting of a haunted motel was perfection! If you like a good creep-out, pick this up right away!

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is quite possibly one of the best suspenseful ghost stories I’ve read in a long time. It jumps right in to the action and suspense, creating an eerie atmosphere combined with a chilling murderer and creepy things that go bump in the night.

"Come on in the building seemed to say with its 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."

Welcome to The Sun Down Motel located in Fell, New York. It’s 1982 and young Viv has started as night clerk to fund her dream of becoming an actress in New York City. But something just isn’t right at The Sun Down and as Viv digs deeper, she discovers the history it holds is ominous and dark.

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."

Jump forward to 2017 and 20-year-old Carly arrives in Fell, looking for answers to her Aunt Viv’s mysterious disappearance 35 years prior. A disappearance that was never solved and no one in Carly’s family ever talked about. Carly takes a job as The Sun Down Motels night clerk, the very same job her aunt held and starts to look for answers.

Cleverly written in alternating timelines, The Sun Down Motel is so compelling I had a hard time putting it down. The characters are beautifully well-written and developed; I quickly became invested in their plight and worried for their welfare. The weaving of the paranormal into the story is done brilliantly and just so freaking creepy that I had chills for most of the book.

This is a must read for any fan of thrillers, suspense, mystery, and a good ghost story!
A big thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Simone St. James for providing a DRC of The Sun Down Motel in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so far out of my normal read zone, but it was relentlessly compelling and addictive!!! The plot was juicy, the characters (both alive and dead) were breathing entities and you can't get much better of a setting than Fell, NY and the Sun Down Motel. I've already started to recommend it to fellow librarians and readers.

4 1/2 spooky stars for this 1/2 ghost story, 1/2 murder mystery. I really enjoyed The Broken Girls which was the 1st book I read by Simone St James so I was excited to see this book coming out and that it seemed that it would have a similar feel to it.

When Carly’s mom passes away she decides to do a little investigating on her own to see if she can figure out what happened to her Aunt Viv who disappeared in 1982. Everyone assumed she was dead. There were a string of girls killed in Fell, NY around the same time. The murders seemed to be unrelated. Carly ends up getting a job at the Sundown Motel just like her Aunt Viv did in 1982. Separately we read how they each start unraveling what really happened to all the murdered girls. All the while working in the very creepy Sundown Motel.

I have a new favorite author. Her first novel The Broken Girls made my top ten list and is one I continue to recommend. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James will them as well! Addictive, atmospheric, and original I could not set this down! - Caffeinated Reviewer

Full review will post February 18, 2020.

I am a huge fan of Simone St. James and have always enjoyed her books so I was super excited to receive an ARC of her newest book! I love the mix of spookiness and history that she creates (her last book, The Broken Girls was one of my favs of 2018!) and The Sun Down Motel was no exception.

Alternating between 2 women’s perspectives that parallel in many ways, between 1982 and 2017, this book hooked me from the start. St. James is amazing at creating spooky moments that make your heart speed up, while making you want to keep reading even through the fear. Working the nightshift alone at a haunted motel? There’s not enough money in the world that would make me take that job, but I loved reading Viv’s experiences that build up the increasingly pressing curiosity of what exactly happened to her?

I devoured this book in a weekend, thoroughly enjoying it. The spookiness, the mystery, the ending, all worked very well together!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️partner PUB DATE . Thanks to @netgalley and PENGUIN Publishing Group for the review copy.

I’m trying to be less stingy about giving 5⭐️ in 2020 and this book earned it. The story had a grungy, dark, eerie vibe and I absolutely loved it. Dual timelines, ghosts, murder and mystery led by two female leads who were equally bad ass and naive. I was gripped and could not wait to see where the story took me next.
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As an aside- we’ve all seen hotels like this. A bit run down, neglected and worse for the wear. Hotels that make the perfect setting for a thriller. I actually stayed in a nicer version of this hotel last fall to save a little money. After reading this book I vow- NEVER AGAIN. I will drop the extra coin for the ability to sleep at night.

Snag it from Book of the Month, preorder or place your library hold.

One creepy motel.
Two women searching for a new life direction and getting more than they bargained for.
And a bunch of dead women.
Mix them together and you have the basis of this new paranormal mystery.

This story is told in two timelines, with two narrators (in the third person).
1982, Viv Delaney
In this timeline, Viv has stumbled upon the Sun Down Motel, after making an attempt to get to NYC and finding herself alone in a small town in upstate NY. Short on money, she's accepts a job working the night shift at the motel, and quickly discovers its disturbing history. And we know from the prologue, that she disappears shortly thereafter.

2017, Carly Kirk
In this timeline, a young woman purposely goes to this same small town, Fell, to get answers on her aunt's disappearance years prior. She too agrees to work the same night shift offered to Viv, to learn about the secrets this motel holds within it and hopefully find out what happened to her aunt.

It is clear in both timelines that this motel has an ugly history, with several deaths occurring on its grounds, and it is fair to say that the spirits of those still haunt the place.
Random smells come and go (cigarette smoke, perfume).
Lights going out.
Doors opening on their own.
Any of the above would have sent me hightailing out of there, but these two women are clearly braver.

Adding to the mystery of the town is a series of unsolved murders of young women, which both narrators seem determined to solve. What's impressive with that part of the story was how Viv and Carly put together a possible suspect with very little to go on. They have some help along the way, but it is clear that without these women, the murders would remain a mystery.

The author did a good job building the two timelines so that the story-line flowed, as each woman narrowed down their search. There aren’t any huge twists in the book, but there were a couple surprises that helped tie everything together. Overall, this was an intriguing read, and perfect for anyone looking for a mystery with some supernatural elements.

It's 2017 and Carly's mom has passed away from cancer. Carly is grieving and just can't seem to get past it. Add to that an obsession she's had since she was little with her Aunt Vivian's disappearance back in 1982. Mom would never talk about it and it seems to Carly that no one ever really investigated properly. So, in an effort to change things up and pull herself out of the funk of grief, Carly takes a what's supposed to be a week off from her college classes to go see the Sun Down Motel for herself. Upon arriving in Fell, NY, Carly ends up accepting a position as a night clerk at the Sun Down, the same position Viv held when she disappeared. Eventually, Carly's obsession leads to more questions than answers and a week turns into months as Carly spirals down the rabbit hole.

Told in alternating chapters, timelines, and POVs between Viv in 1982 and Carly in 2017, we get a thriller that is part ghost story and part mystery. Lots of clues and a few red herrings will keep the reader guessing. I enjoyed the ride and the writing is excellent. I did get frustrated with the stupid, dangerous choices the characters made - but that's kind of par for the course in ghost stories and "horror" fiction.

If you enjoy thrillers, paranormal stuff, or ghost stories, I recommend this book.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Simone St. James has woven a great, dark tale between the 1980s and the present day, complete with a mysterious disappearance and ghosts.

I don’t want to give too much away, but this is definitely a four star read. I really liked this, but I also recognize that the ghostly aspect won’t be appreciated by everyone.

**Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for graciously providing me an ARC in exchange for review. My opinions are my own.**