3.5 stars.
This was an intriguing ”haunted motel” story. A young woman, Viv, “b>went missing while working a night shift in 1982 and it seems that no one put that much effort into looking for her. 35 years later, nearly everyone is afraid to speak about the woman’s disappearance. Viv’s niece feels that something doesn’t sit right with all of this, so he opens an investigation of her own.

The writing is clear and descriptive and I thought the author really perfected the dialogue style. However, I thought the book could’ve been trimmed down a bit in order to avoid the repetitiveness which at some point made me skeptical about the outcome of the story, but if that aspect doesn’t bother you, then you’re in for a treat.

The identity of the perpetrator regarding the murders in the story was guessable because the list of suspects was very slim, but the final chapters did have a smart conclusion to the mystery behind the disappearance, which made for a satisfactory ending.

Very enjoyable and a quick read! Once you start it is hard to put down because you can't wait to find out all the secrets that longer at the Sun Down Mottel and through out the town of Fell

I really enjoyed St. James’s last novel, The Broken Girls. When I saw her new novel was about a haunted motel, I had to read it.

This is a dual timeline novel set in the 1980s and current days. A young woman who worked the night shift at the motel goes missing in the 1980s. Thirty years later, the niece of the missing woman ends up in the same upstate NY town and takes a job working the night shift at the same motel.

That’s creepy enough. But the niece soon finds out there have also been three women murdered in this small town. Is there a connection to her aunt’s disappearance? What do the ghosts of the motel have to do with it all?

The dual storyline works well in this story but there was some repetition between both stories that I grew a bit impatient with. I saw St. James in conversation with Jennifer McMahon at the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT the week the novel came out. McMahon mentioned that she liked what she called “the echo” between the two storylines. Her way of looking at the repetition intrigued me and has caused me to think back on my reading in a new light.

This is not a hardcore horror novel. It is more of a mystery/thriller with ghosts, but it is creepy and scary enough for those who enjoy some ghost action.

A mystery to delight those interested in the why! Well written and easy to follow! Years of searching for the loss of her Aunt in a mysterious death and those in in the circle of people the town! Who was the murder??

#TheSunDownMotel by @simonestjames is a haunting paranormal murder mystery you won't be able to put down. It's told in alternating timelines between 1982 Viv and 2017 Carly. The story will keep you on the edge of your seat for sure between the murders, the investigation by these two women, the haunted motel and its ghosts. There were times when I'd want to yell at them to "GET OUT OF THERE!!" lol ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Highly, highly recommend it. It's eerie and awesome. Don't pass it up!⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟱/𝟱

4.5 *s. Simone St. James does a great job with the creepy mystery. While I loved her previous novel, "The Broken Girls", I think this one was even better. I love that they have supernatural elements. The Sun Down Motel is one scary place. I love St. James' use of split time periods. In this case both the past and present story lines were equally intriguing.

This story is mystery meets ghost story and or an absolute page turner. Love the dual timeline and points of view and the creepy factor felt through every page. The mystery behind what was going on was so intriguing... I absolutely couldn’t put this down. Truly felt the haunting of the hotel through the writing. Love the characters and can’t wait to read more from this author!!!

After reading Broken Girls which was AMAZING, I was so excited to see another book by Simone St. James. This book did not disappoint. I loved the story line and the two different viewpoints. The characters were developed well and I equally enjoyed Carly and Viv's chapters. I don't want to give anything away, I will just say there were some twists and turns that kept you guessing. I had a feeling it may turn out the way it did but wasn't completely sure. Highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t tell you how absolutely ecstatic I was to get approved for an ARC of Simone St. James’ latest, The Sun Down Motel. She is an amazing author who I didn’t discover until last year but have been quickly catching up on. Her books are atmospheric, thoughtful, spooky, and ultimately hopeful. The mysteries are well-crafted and leave you guessing. This latest one is just as good as her previous books, and because I’m partial to spooky stories set in hotels, this is my very favorite of hers (though The Broken Girls is definitely a very close second). Also, can we talk about how gorgeous that cover is? I’m a sucker for a great cover, and this one captures the personality of the book so perfectly. I’ll be highly recommending this book to everyone I meet.

In 1982, Vivian was twenty years old and ran away from home to Fell, New York where she ended up taking the job as the night shift clerk at Sun Down Motel . At the same time, young women in Fell were being murdered. Vivian decided to play investigator and when she came up with a lead, she vanished without a trace.Fast forward to 2017, Viv’s niece Carly goes to Fell, New York, to find out what happened to her mother’s sister thirty-five years earlier. She too lands up working at the Sun Down Motel as the night clerk. Like her aunt, she spends her days investigating the murders of the three women that happened before Viv’s disappearance but ends up putting her life at risk . Will she suffer the same fate Viv did or be able to finally unmask the killer ?

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is a suspenseful eerie read.Told in alternating chapters and POV’s a fun ghostly mystery read that I enjoyed thoroughly and just can’t put it down until I reached the last page.

I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

The Sun Down Motel is an addictive, chilling paranormal mystery and thriller of a book. It also has a true crime vibe. The story is told in dual time periods with Viv in 1982 and her niece in 2017. set in Fell, NY . Carly has to find out what happened to her aunt Viv long go when she worked at the motel. Is she still alive or not? The spooky setting and creepy customers keep you reading..
The atmosphere that the author created was amazing. I could truly feel like I was at the rundown Sun Down Motel during 1982. I could visualize the ramshackle building and the sound of the creaking sign.. The ghost stories sounded very real and they gave off some eerie feelings .I only read this book during the day initially lol then had to read at night since I couldn’t put it down. This book was a haunting page turner. The doors open and close .The motel lights go off and on The sign goes out as well at times. There is also no internet. I did love the old times feel of this book .Carly is braver than me for choosing to work at the Sun Down to find out the mystery surrounding her aunt Viv. I would have been out of there very quickly lol. I recommend this one if you love a mystery/ murder with some paranormal thrown in. I will look for more of this author’s writing. I actually read this based on how good it sounded on Goodreads and NetGalley.
Thanks you to NetGalley , the author Simone St James and Berkeley Publishing for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One of the very first supernatural books that I have read and it did not disappoint. It was almost as though one of the ghosts was constantly throwing the book in my face because I could not stop thinking about it or reading it. I really enjoyed the character development of young Carly and the plot twists throughout the book. The plot twists were not as big as I had anticipated, but still, a five star read that I will continuously recommend.

4.5/5 stars!

Fell, New York is the home to the Sun Down Motel, a rundown roadside motel frequented by a seedy group of clientele. Over the years a series of young women have been murdered. One of those women was Viv Delaney, former night front desk clerk for the Sun Down. Thirty-five years ago in 1982, she vanished, leaving behind her purse and car without a clue to what may have happened to her.

Carly has spent the last year watching her mother slowly succumb to cancer. One of her biggest regrets was never asking her mother more about what happened to her sister, Viv and her disappearance. Carly now finds herself in Fell searching for answers and working the same job her aunt held. As Carly starts to settle into her search, strange things start to happen at the Sun Down. Could the motel be linked to why her aunt disappeared? Is the Sun Down haunted?

I absolutely loved Simone St. James’ THE BROKEN GIRLS and was thrilled to see that she had a new book coming out this year! When I heard the story line, which feels ripped from a true crime documentary combined with a ghost story, I immediately couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy!

Simone St. James is back in THE SUN DOWN MOTEL with a story that alternates between two timelines and two narrators. The section from 1982 gives the reader a firsthand experience with Viv and the events that led to her disappearance. Mixed in is a present day narrative set thirty-five years in the future following Carly and her journey to Fell, New York to track down the truth about what happened to Viv. One of my absolute favorite features in books are alternating timelines and narratives. I love when they’re done individually and combined.

The main characters of Viv and Carly were both extremely relatable and easy to bond with. They’re both young women who are feeling lost and searching for a sense of purpose and connection in their lives. I think that feeling is something that everyone struggles with at some point, which made it easy to bond with both of these characters. The secondary characters who interact with Viv and Carly are heavily featured and fully-developed, which is one of the features that helps to round out the story completely.

I did end up docking off a half a star on this one because I felt the pacing was a bit off for me. I was in the mindset that this book would be intensely fast-paced, but there were some parts that lulled for me. Overall, the pacing was very consistent and kept my attention throughout.

I really enjoyed the entire concept of THE SUN DOWN MOTEL and can’t wait to see what Simone St. James comes up with next!

A huge thank you to Berkley for sending me my free copy!

Wow! The ghosts came out and all the lights went on in my house. Then I realized lights don’t work against ghost and I almost cried. This book was a roller coaster ride between intrigue and horror. I wanted to know about the ghosts even though I was terrified of them. The mystery is layered. Ghosts. Murdered women. Missing women. It is told from two views, Viv in 1982 and Carly in 2017. They both are looking for answers. They both are haunted by the ghosts.
As a child I traveled a lot in summers with my family. We stayed at many of these type motels. Some of them scared me. They just looked bad and gave me the heebie jeebies. Even now, I hate walking the hallways in hotels and corridors of motels. After reading this I’m not sure that’s going to continue to be a problem. I’m not certain I could sleep in one now.
I was able to picture the Sun Down perfectly. I could totally see all the ghostly happenings in my mind. I loved the chills it gave me. I found the mysteries interesting. I wasn’t certain either Viv or Carly would get the answers they sought. There were several people involved that I wouldn’t trust. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded as well as the twists and turns it took. I would definitely recommend this to my friends who were looking for a good story. I might even tell them it’s a good book to read on vacation..in a motel, because I’m funny like that.
I received an electronic uncorrected copy of this book, from NetGalley, for review purposes. I voluntarily reviewed it. I recommend it because I really had a hard time putting it down.

So..let me start by saying that I don’t ever get creeped out or scared by books. I love horror movies, haunted houses the whole nine. I read thrillers and books that other deem as “creepy” and I am normally underwhelmed on the scare factor. However, this book has proved to be my exception. This is the first time as a reader that I have read a book and found myself not wanting to read it close to going to sleep. That made this book a home run for me.

This book is a combination..it is thriller/mystery/ghost story all tied up in a nice little package. If you don’t like books with an undertone of ghosts and a murder mystery this may not be for you. If those genres tick all of your boxes than cozy up and settle in.

Simone St. James incorporated some of my favorite writing styles in this book. We had a dual timeline and a multiple perspective story that followed two head strong female characters. I appreciated these two characters and I found it very smart they way that they paralleled each other. I will say that because their stories were similar it was slightly difficult to keep track of what was going on at certain points and I would find myself getting turned around trying to recall whose story I was reading. All that to say, it still worked for me. I was still engrossed in both stories. I cared equally about the outcome of both of these characters lives.

The atmosphere that St. James created within this story was astounding. I truly felt like I was at the run down Sun Down Motel in Upstate, NY in 1982. I could visualize the ramshackle building and I could hear the sound of the creaking neon sign. The spine-tingling moments she created had me glaring around my living room double checking everything…multiple times I had to remind myself it was my own dog! If you are a mystery/thriller reader who enjoys a rich atmosphere, strong characters and dual timelines I recommend picking up The Sun Down Motel..just make sure to leave the light on.

Usually when I hear or feel like a book is going have a supernatural side to it I stand clear. It is not really my thing but THE SUN DOWN MOTEL was not that. Yes, it has a slight role but it was not the main premise which worked for me.

The story bounces back and forth from 1982 with Viv Delaney to 2017 with Carly Kirk. In 1982, Viv was working at the Sun Down Motel and suddenly disappeared. Something about Viv’s disappearance has always bother Carly so she decides to look into her Aunt’s background a little more. She even finds herself working at the motel and something is certainly not right about the place…Will she be able to uncover what really happened there in 1982?

I found it a bit repetitive which lead me to only give a 4 star rating. It bothered me that I felt like I was rereading the same chapters and then when you finally get to the “meat” of the plot it felt rushed. Also, as I mentioned, I typically do not read books with a supernatural feel to them so I think I was bound to not completely love this one where other readers may.

But do not get me wrong, I think Simone St. James did a great job with this book. Just the paranormal stuff isn’t really for me.

The night it all ended, Vivian was alone.
[Opening line of The Sun Down Motel]

WOW!

It has been a long time since I’ve soaked up an eerie, creepy, spine-tingling story that had me looking over my shoulder, peering around corners, and watching for shadows at every turn. What a deliciously spooky dual-time-period page-turner!

This isn’t my usual genre…not even close…but wow! I’m so glad I ventured out and trekked down this road with Viv and Carly, the two heroines of this book. It took literally seconds to draw me into their stories. There were times I had to force myself to slow down so I could soak in every nuance, every emotion, and allow them to linger for a bit so the story wouldn’t be over too quickly. I truly didn’t want the book to end.

I loved the nostalgic feel Viv’s side of the story carried, tugging me back to the early 80s, the days of my youth. And I admired Carly’s drive and compassion as she braved so much to find the answers she longed for. The supporting characters were also interesting, and the Sun Down Motel was the most memorable setting I’ve read in forever!

I’m sold on anything Simone St. James has written in the past or will write in the future. This is the first story I’ve read by this author, but I’ll now seek out her mysterious, unsettling, and brilliant storytelling with a blend of hunger, thirst, and stomach-churning unease.

This is a ten-star read on a five-star scale!
A mysterious, suspenseful, skin-tingling story written by a master storyteller.

☆☆☆☆☆
☆☆☆☆☆

#2020favorite #sundownmotel #simonestjames #berkley #coverlove
I received a complimentary copy of this book.

The Sun Down Motel is a scary place to be. Ghost inhabit the grounds and if you're lucky like Carly Kirk, perhaps they will give you some idea of what happened to your family who disappeared from the hotel many years ago.

Carly is looking for her mother's sister, Aunt Viv. In the wake of her mother's untimely death, Carly chooses to move to Fell, NY, to track down her aunt who has been missing for 25 years. Taking the same job her aunt held as the night clerk at the Sun Down motel, Carly is hoping to find clues to explain Viv's sudden disappearance. As it plays out, Carly finds herself unsure of who to trust, who has information, and if Viv is still alive or not.

A very twisted mystery, highly recommended.

Truly a book for the murderinos out there, as St. James writes in her dedication.
This was a fast, fun but dark story about a haunted motel and a young woman determined to find out what happened to her aunt who went missing 35 years earlier.
Dual narratives flashing back and forth between 1982 and 2017;
For a story about murder, this was very innocent and actually less disturbing than “Sadie” and “The Female of the Species.” The characters are 20 years old, virgins, slightly naive but smart and brave. It’s a great crossover title for well read, older teens.
I liked this a lot !

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A creeptastic tale filled with murder, ghosts, and the search for answers.

What can I say about THE SUN DOWN MOTEL? This book is a positively addictive read capturing the essence of a true-crime investigation, an eerie ghost story, and a nail-biting thriller. The author has given us a gift with this one.

Bottom line, I loved this book. There were so many elements that just worked. The one I am always nervous about is traveling in time. However, the back and forth between the past with Viv and the present with Carly complemented each other in a way that enhanced the suspense. It also drew parallels between the characters and increased their bond even though they had never met. Then, there was the unraveling of the murders of young women. St. James allows her readers to down the rabbit hole with Viv. With each new tidbit of information uncovered, the truth slowly comes forth, creating an utterly compelling read. Finally, there was the Sun Down Motel itself. It’s the one element that permeates the narrative with its dark and eerie existence.

I cannot stress enough how fabulously strange, thrilling, and spellbinding this book is. It is part ghost story, part murder mystery, and part search for one's self through looking at the past. A must-read!