“How fast it happened. The world turning from calm to calamity. That fissure that existed at the center of life cracking open. You are always, always on the brink. How wide will it be this time, how far-reaching?”

This book was not at all what I expected. When I read the synopsis I thought it would be a thriller or mystery, but it was more of a satire….which now makes sense, when I look back on the description. In the end it reminded me a bit of the TV show The White Lotus.

Kit and Keith are newly married. They don’t have much money for a honeymoon so when the manager of The Pink Hotel in LA invites them to stay, as he would like to recruit Keith to work there, they can’t believe their luck.

Their honeymoon doesn’t last long though, as Keith spends most of his time trying to prove he’s worth hiring. Tensions run high as fires start burning in California and the staff has to keep the guests entertained. The guests are all super wealthy and so far removed from reality it’s almost comical. Kit is struggling to fit in and having second thoughts about the wedding, almost from the beginning.

I struggled with the structure of this book and the ridiculousness of the characters. I don’t usually mind reading about wealthy unlikeable characters but this was just…too much! I did appreciate the social commentary but in the end this book really wasn’t for me.

A bit of a slow read but nonetheless I still enjoyed it. The complete different scale of classes portrayed in this book made for an interesting read. I would recommend!

The cover and the blurb really caught my eye and I was intrigued about this book. However unfortunately, for me it just didn't hit the mark. I don't know if it was because of the storyline or the weirdness of the setting or the characters but I just didn't get it. It felt like nothing got further than the surface and I don't understand what the plot was.

Timely and sensational novel about socio-economic class differences. This is going to be a recommendation for beach reads this summer, for sure. While the characters are mostly caricatures, this kept me engaged and curious. Eat the rich, indeed.

“How decadent is this? Outside it’s roasting.”

The Pink Hotel is a captivating glimpse into an extravagant hotel where the disgustingly wealthy go to escape their already luxurious lives, while wildfires are raging on outside the hotels grounds. The focus is on Keith and Kit Collins, who’ve been gifted a honeymoon stay, and Keith is given the opportunity to prove himself as a desirable new hotel staff hire. We’re immediately thrown into this lush jungle of a hotel and meet the very colorful guests and staff.

What I love about the writing is that you’re whisked around as a fly on the wall, locking on to everyone’s ridiculous conversations and gossip. The guests at the Pink Hotel party non-stop and the momentum throughout the book becomes increasingly chaotic as the parties get larger, the entertainment demands get more bizarre and the danger of the wildfires get closer. I’ve seen others liken the atmosphere to Gatsby and I completely agree. You’re getting a vignette into the lives of rich socialites full of gossip, extravagance and the dark things they’ll do for entertainment and indulgence. The setting and environment is so strong in The Pink Hotel, I would definitely recommend as a summer read if you’re looking for something dark and atmospheric.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc!

Thank you to #NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux/MCD for providing me an advance copy of Liska Jacobs’s literary fiction novel, The Pink Hotel, in exchange for an honest review.

#ThePinkHotel is a literary fiction novel set in modern day at a glam hotel that is not unlike the real world version of the candy-coated Beverly Hills. Overflowing with vivid descriptions and characters who indulge in endless nights of debauchery, this novel is for readers who can handle characters with personalities that are the epitome of the worst high-profile clientele and enjoy a side of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with their Gatsby origin story.

Newlyweds Keith and Kit Collins are invited to stay at The Pink Hotel while Keith is vetted for an assistant manager position. The married couple is nowhere near as wealthy or as refined as the guests they are surrounded by for the entire duration of their honeymoon. Though Keith aspires to join the upper echelons of society and will do whatever it takes to get there (including sharing his own wife), Kit is of the opposite mindset and is miserable when she discovers married life and her honeymoon have fallen short of normal expectations. Kit yearns to return to a simpler life with kinder people. Her eye continuously wanders towards an onsite construction worker who is more her speed, making Keith jealous in the process.

I neither cared for the characters and this follows the same pointless patterns as most literary fiction, however, the author’s writing style is captivating and the reader cannot help needing to know how the novel ends. Judging from the reviews, this book will surely be a mixed bag for some, but for this reviewer, it was top-notch for the genre. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Jacobs in the future. Bravo on capturing our dystopian decade sans Sci-Fi elements!

Thank you to #NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux/MCD for providing me an advance copy of Liska Jacobs’s literary fiction novel, The Pink Hotel, in exchange for an honest review.

#ThePinkHotel is a literary fiction novel set in contemporary times at a luxury hotel in Beverly Hills. The plot focuses on newlyweds, Kit and Keith Collins, and their tumultuous honeymoon during which Keith is temporarily hired for a much-coveted assistant hotelier position where both the reader and the newlyweds are introduced to an eccentric and increasingly savage cast of characters—aka the rich guests of The Pink Hotel. The story also takes place in the midst of blazing wildfires that force the employees and the guests to endure lockdown conditions.

From the ratings alone, #ThePinkHotel is bound to polarize readers. I too struggled to write a coherent review. On the one hand, the novel is clearly well-written literary fiction that is reminiscent of a modern day Gatsby with the smatterings of another classic novel that I cannot put my finger on at the moment (Lord of the Flies, perhaps? At least, the savagery components). The imagery is enticing and the behavior of nearly every character is so abhorrent it is difficult for the reader to tear their eyes from the page.

On the other hand, reading the first fortyish pages was akin to slogging through mud. It felt more like a classic literary fiction novel, as opposed to a contemporary; save for some allusions to posting videos on social media. I also did not care for the ending, and I completely missed the parts that were supposedly satire. None of this read like satire. At best, it was a slight perversion of what is occurring in an already relatively perverted society. Truly, none of the characters’ behaviors were shocking to me and I would not be surprised if they were ripped straight from the author’s own experiences or news headlines (with liberties of course).

TLDR: Basically, if you enjoy reading about obscenely wealthy individuals who have revolting personalities with zero redeeming qualities, then you will like this novel. If you care for literary fiction, gorgeous imagery, social commentary on chaos in times of crisis, and unsatisfying or untidy endings, then hop to it!

I rarely ever say this, but this might be one of those rare instances where the story is better suited for a movie adaptation than a novel. I am picturing Baz Luhrmann’s speed scenes (cinematic term?) in Moulin Rouge for the parties or the explanations in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes.

Compulsively readable with excellent descriptions. Perfect summer book pick, great for any vacation reads.

In Liska Jacobs' blistering, dark social satire The Pink Hotel, a young newlywed couple, Keith and Kit Collins, is trapped in an opulent Beverly Hills hotel during a raging wild bush fire, as tensions between the wealthy guests and the staff escalate.

In a bid to get Keith hired, the general manager of the Pink Hotel invites newlyweds Keith and Kit Collins for a luxurious stay at the hotel. Although Keith has always craved a more luxurious lifestyle, he feels right at home in the hotel's glistening, lily-scented lobby.

It takes a bit to get into the novel at first, it reminds me of young love, hard at first and sometimes you have to go through disasters to see if it is true love. It is revealed that the Pink Hotel has a tenuous class system within its walls, which deteriorates as the city burns. Liska Jacobs explores the corrosive nature of greed and the concept of true love while hurling the reader towards a certain disaster in her barbed and provocative novel.

Before long, the surrounding hills are engulfed in flames as riots break out amid rolling blackouts, making Los Angeles a pressure cooker. Guests of the Pink Hotel, which is no longer open to "outsiders," are forced to share the hotel with a beleaguered, disgruntled staff and an increasing number of eccentric, ultra-wealthy, dangerously idle guests.


I really enjoyed the descriptions that Lisa Jacobs used of aesthetics, smells and especially plants and flowers (being a plant lover myself). This really set some scenes and made it feel quite real to read.

I quite enjoyed the diversity of characters that Liska Jacobs used in the novel, I especially loved the use of Kit. Kit was unpredictable at times and Liska Jacobs opened her up like a flower as things unfolded, I kept wanting to turn the pages.

I would recommend this book to young adults that are interested in an easy read.

This book has an eye catching cover and interesting plot. It was not a horrible read but it was quite long and drawn out. I kept waiting for more action. There was some good drama at the end but it seemed like it took forever to get there.

A newly married couple honeymoon at a hotel in California. It isn't just a honeymoon though, The husband, Keith Collins, is hoping to impress the hotel's owner in hopes he can land a job at the hotel.

I enjoyed the writing style of The Pink Hotel, and I really enjoyed the slowly constructed characterization. I thought both of these story elements were top of their game, but these two components weren't enough to win me over. Despite my predilection for slow-burn fiction, I found The Pink Hotel's pacing to be excruciatingly slow. It took this book a while to get going in any particular direction, and by the time it started to take off, I stopped caring enough to really appreciate this novel. I liked the idea of exploring the lives of hotel guests and staff more than the execution of this idea. There wasn't enough sustenance for me to sink my teeth into and I did not enjoy my experience reading this book at all.

The Pink Hotel is a really good choice for anyone who enjoys a social commentary on the rich and those that serve them. It wasn't for me and that is okay!

THE PINK HOTEL by Liska Jacobs follows a middle class, newlywed couple as they’re granted a stay at The Pink Hotel, where only the wealthiest reside. Rampant forest fires cause tensions to rise and chaos ensues within the confines of the hotel.

I’ll start by saying that I love books with large casts of unlikeable characters, especially characters that are so detached from reality, however, there was something about this one that just didn’t do it for me.

I went into this hoping for a White Lotus experience, and got something with a very different (yet still chaotic) energy. I had a hard time finding a single character to root for or relate to, as even the most humane ones had qualities that made me squirm, and everything was so fast-moving that it was difficult to be a voyeur as well as a reader.

The final chapter was beautifully done, and it made me wish that that final character was one we got to really get inside the head of more.

I’ll still be thinking about this one for a while, but maybe only pick this one up if you’re ready for something morbidly dark with some of the sh*ttiest rich people in existence.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: July 19, 2022

The young newlyweds Kit and Keith are spending their honeymoon at the Pink Hotel, courtesy of Mr. Beaumont, the owner of the hotel, who wants to hire Keith.

From the beginning, you can feel that tension is in the air, as can be seen by Kit repeatedly biting her nails. Employees and other guests are watching and judging the young couple and Keith seems to adjust to this more quickly than his wife does. Kit eventually gets whisked away by a rich French girl, Marguerite, to get a manicure and is consequently introduced to the lifestyle of the wealthy.

While the rest of California is being devastated by many deathly fires, the guests of The Pink Hotel barely register this tragedy. They feel safe, which according to Mr. Beaumont is the combination of anonymity and consistency.

The storytelling is very slow and it was hard for me to connect with the characters. Neither husband and wife, nor the other filthy rich guests of the Pink Hotel were particularly interesting characters to read about. While the premise of the story sounded really exciting, the actual execution didn't convince me. I kept waiting for something to happen but it never really did. I also think it's quite confusing that the point of view keeps changing from Kit to Keith to the hotel's employees and to the other guests

What I did like was that the uncomfortable feeling of the Pink Hotel came across very well, especially through Kit's character.

Overall, this book wasn't the one for me but I'm sure there are others out there who might enjoy it!

The plot didn't manage to live up to the hype the synopsis created. The characters seemed too shallow, the plot was barely moving, the ending seemed to be all over the place, and the book, all in all, seemed never-ending and impossible to finish.

Thanks NetGalley for the early edition of this book.
It read fast and easy but left me confused by the ending.

This book had some really important themes including class and natural disasters but it wasn’t for me. I felt confused throughout and was unsure what was important to focus on. I didn’t connect with the characters which could be because of the confusion on the story line. The premise sounded so good but it wasn’t excecuted how I would thought it would have been.

Love the idea and it had so much potential as sort of a modern, LA Agatha Christie type story but man was it flat! I didn’t know anything about the characters or care about any of them. I felt like it was supposed to be satire but it never rose to that.

I am not sure if I liked The Pink Hotel. It was a very well written examination of the haves and have nots in modern American.
A young, upwardly mobile couple take their honeymoon at a luxury hotel in Los Angeles. The honeymoon is really an audition though. Keith and Kit are two rubes trying to make it in hotel management amongst the grotesqueries of the cruel and thoughtless idle rich.
During their stay, Keith, and to a lesser extent, Kit have their heads turned by the obscene behaviour of the hotel guests and you begin to wonder if they will even survive their honeymoon.

I had such high hopes for this book as it sounded so interesting, however, it had so many issues. I didn’t like these characters whatsoever and didn’t care for them. There were some issues with the overall storyline and I felt like this book was rushed.

This is my first time experiencing Jacobs' writing, but I knew it was about time I gave her a go as soon as I read the blurb for her latest novel: a dark social satire that delves into class and social injustice? It sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, I did not have a good experience with The Pink Hotel, and I don't believe I will be checking Jacobs' previous or future novels.

First, I struggled with Jacobs' writing style and the narrative's structure. I did not appreciate the third-person omniscient narrator that changed perspectives between paragraphs. Changing points of view between chapters is already tricky enough to accomplish, but switching perspectives between paragraphs is too taxing and unnecessarily confusing.

Second, the characterisation was as caricaturesque and stereotyped as it could get. The main characters, Keith and Kit (what's with the names, by the way?), are assigned one characteristic each: he is ambitious, and she is clueless. But, in all honesty, that is all there is to them. The rest of the characters are defined by their social status and money. They are all superficial, bland, and incapable of caring for anyone or anything, especially while the wildfires that occur during their stay at the hotel.

Third, I celebrate the author's idea for a story that attempts to contrast social classes; sadly, her great idea was poorly executed and, thus, unsuccessful. This story has no nuance, and the absence of thought-provoking passages or scenes was significant. I certainly expected way more, given the premise of contrasting realities between those poor and ambitious and those wealthy and careless.

At the end of the day, I could not bring myself to sympathise with any character. Plot-wise, nothing significant happened, and I was genuinely anxious to be done with the story.

Overall, The Pink Hotel was not my cup of tea. It is a bland, sluggish, and unsuccessful attempt to reflect on social class and climate change thanks to stereotyped and undeveloped characters. I would not recommend this novel.