This one started out promising but then lost me at the end. All the switching back and forth in time had me struggling to keep it straight as well. I didn't really enjoy it, struggled to finish it and therefore wouldn't recommend the book.

This book was a rollercoaster of thrillers. Such a fun read. This was my first novel by this author and it won't be the last. I really enjoyed the storyline and I loved the supernatural part of it. I definitely wanna read more of her work.

3.5 Stars

Carly has come to Fell, New York, and the Sun Down motel in particular for answers. Her aunt disappeared whilst working as the night clerk at the Sun Down motel 35 years before. Now Carly is retracing her footsteps, including taking a job as a night clerk. But, she may be following too closely in her aunt’s footsteps. As things start getting more dangerous, will Carly be another victim to the sinister monsters that seem to haunt the Sun Down?

This was my first book by Simone St. James and I was looking forward to her deliverance of a tense and suspenseful mystery. I wanted to be kept on the edge of my seat, forever guessing what dreadful thing is just around the corner. Unfortunately this book wasn’t quite that exciting, but I did enjoy the story.

If you like a book that very slowly builds up the story, then you will enjoy this. However, I found that this too slow. There was too much build up before anything actually happened. And, although this build up did help contribute to the overall spooky atmosphere, I didn’t think that the pay off was exciting enough to be worth the wait.

Part of the reason it was slow to start is, perversely, one of the things I liked about this book. It was told from two separate timelines, Carly and her aunt Viv back in the early 80’s. You could see the parallels in the women’s stories as they investigated the strange goings on in the Sun Down motel. This worked well in showing the reader what they needed to know and keeping the tension up.

Over all, I liked this book, but I am not sure I would be in a rush to read St.James again. This was too slow to start and I had guessed at a lot of the story before it had happened.

I am a Simone. St. James fan. I find her writing engaging and easy to read.
THE SUN DOWN MOTEL did not disappoint. The story is told from two different points of view. The first voice is Viv Delaney’s. Desperate to leave home and follow her dreams the young Viv sets out for New York City. She ends up going the wrong way and lands in upstate New York. To make some money she takes a job as a night clerk at the Sun Down Motel. She soon finds that the motel has a dark and scary history.
The second voice belongs to Carly Kirk who is Vic’s niece. Now 2017 Carly is intrigued by the disappearance of her Aunt Viv in 1982 from the Sun Down Motel. Carly heads upstate to Fell New York to try to find some answers. Carly follows in her aunt’s footsteps and ends up working as the night clerk at the motel. No surprise nothing has changed.
I really liked THE SUN DOW MOTEL. I enjoy stories with multiple points of view. The story is well told. The characters were well drawn. I figured out the ending on the early side but i don’t think it took away from the story itself. It was more of the matter, “I was right.” Great escape reading.

I’m not sure why this book took me so long to pick up, but I greatly enjoyed it! It was very well written and thought out. I loved how creepy it was. I actually had to stop reading at night and resume in the morning because it was pretty scary. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five was for the paranormal aspect of it. It got a little confusing and didn’t fully tie in to the ending.

Simone St. James absolutely nails another one. With her unique ability to incorporate paranormal elements that are at once unsettling, deeply emotional, and entirely believable she weaves a thrilling tale on the premise of a haunted motel and two generations of amateur sleuths. Don’t sleep on this one.

Brilliant. Loved everything about this book.
A wonderful campy Southern tale of vampire slaying.
Fun. Funny. Will not disaspoint.
Thoroughly enjoyable.

You won't find many classically styled ghost stories like this anymore, and then St. James doubles down with a nefarious serial killer - come on!
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. If you can do it in one sitting, you won't regret it!
*Many thanks to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for an opportunity to read and review a free copy of this book.

A mystery...with ghosts! What's not to love? I knew I wanted to read this when I realized it was by the same author as The Broken Girls. She did not disappoint. This is another book with a story from the past and one from the present that completely mesh together, sometimes a little too much as I would occasionally confuse who knew what or whom. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Suspense abounds in St. James’ latest thriller. Those who visit the upstate New York Sun Down Motel will have experiences like no other and will be greeted by unsavory forces, both living and otherworldly. I found the plot to be both unique and refreshing, while holding my attention captive throughout. The ending was not typical but it really worked. The author shows both creativity and excellent writing skills. This is an all-round must-read for 2020.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Berkley and Simone St. James for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Even though I'm not a fan of supernatural, the mystery and suspense in this book kept me going! The correlations between Vivian, who disappeared in 1982, and her niece Carly who returns to Fell, NY to find out what happened to her aunt are well done. While there were enough hints to guess some of the mystery, the cast of creepy characters kept me on my toes! There were some minor editing issues (at one point Carly's cell phone is in the office, but with her in the truck; she enters the kitchen twice in the scene where she visits the local cop), but these didn't take away from the reading. I think the author could have written this book without all the ghosts and it would have been even more enjoyable (for me). Great atmospheric read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced reader's copy for review.

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/review/R7WM126CILF3E/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This book was predictable and too convenient. I am not a fan of books whose plots move forward only because the characters think of the right answer or the next step simply by guessing. This book felt like a waste of time. I thought the premise was promising, but unfortunately the characters, story line and execution were far less than sub par.

Spooky vibe and interesting characters...check. I am a fan of the author and absolutely loved her previous book, The Broken Girls. This book was also great. Not only is the book suspenseful, it is extremely well written. As long as Simone St James continues to write books, I will keep adding them to the top of my TBR list.

I was so excited to be approved for this title! A spooky read that’s perfect for anytime. This would be a scary show/movie.

A murder mystery with ghosts! Told in two time lines. A good, creepy story with very interesting characters.

The Sun Down Motel was an eerie and thoroughly engrossing read. It's a thrilling mystery with enough paranormal facets to please horror fans and enough cold crime investigation to interest true crime fans. This story has something for everyone.

This was such a creepy read. I had a bit of a hard time getting into it at first and felt like there was a lot of repetition. But once the story got going, it was a lot of fun and kept me guessing. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy thriller/suspense novels but just be prepared for a slow start. Thank you to netgalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review!

This was a 5 star for me...loved every minute of this thriller...kept you guessing until the end! Another great read from Simone St. James!!!

What a fun read! It was engaging, intriguing, and a fast read. Miss St. James knows how to spin a yarn to keep you turning the pages! While predictable, it doesn't detract from the story. We find out who the serial killer is pretty early on...and the fun is in getting to how everything shakes out. It's also pretty clear who the secondary villain is early on, as well...which is a little disappointing, because we don't get enough of that character and then their motive is ultimately rushed and then ends "off camera". The most interesting showdown the book had to offer wasn't witnessed by any of the characters, and is left to the imagination. While I'm okay with ambiguous moments like that, this particular story begged for us to see what happened and why. That's my one major downside to this story, and, if it gets picked up as a movie, I hope they fix.

Outside of that, this was a really good book and I will recommend it to my customers!

I loved everything about this. The atmosphere, the mystery, the female bonds and friendships, the ghosts, the twists and turns--everything was fabulous. This was a real treat.