The Collins are honeymooning at an extravagant hotel (while also there for some business) while partying with the rich and eccentric clientele and the long time staff. Meanwhile a wildfire rages through the city not far away as the group continues to live lavishly.

The characters were not too likable, but I feel it was intended to be that way. I expected the wildfire to be much more of the story. I often found myself bored in the first half, but the second half of the book I found more engaging and entertaining.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I wanted to read this book because I’m a Los Angeles native, and I enjoy glimpses into the crazy LA social scene. I thought that the premise of a behind the scenes look at an iconic hotel is an intriguing one. The writing is sharp and fresh. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this book. It didn’t hold my attention, and I had to force myself to keep going. I’m not opposed to things that are character-driven as opposed to plot-driven, but the problem was that I neither liked nor cared about any of the characters. Overall, I was not a fan of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I think that The Pink Hotel wasn’t for me. I just found the book, specifically the plot, very lacking. To me, I just felt that there was no plot at all which really disappointed me.
I also found that I did not like or dislike the characters. I just found it really confusing h0w one second it’s this characters POV then the POV changes completely and I know that’s how it usually is in a 3rd perspective story but the way that the author laid it out was overly complicated which I will mention later on.
Kit and Keith are a married couple, and I honestly don’t have any problem with them, I just found that they were very plain and boring and just needed more depth for me to like them.
One thing that I also disliked about the Pink Hotel was the writing and the plot layout. It just felt like the ending and cliffhangers weren’t planned out, and I am one that honestly dislikes slow stories that do not get to the point and it just felt too long which eventually made me bored.

It was really hard to find something good about The Pink Hotel which really disappointed me because the synopsis sounded really nice to be honest.

Close encounters to filthy rich people’s lives at an eccentric pink hotel located in Beverly Hills as the fires, riots occur outside of the surroundings which is so similar with political and logistical dynamics of today’s California.

Happy couple couldn’t be so wrong to choose this place to spend their romantic honeymoon vacation!

This book pushed me a little harder to get into it. I was hesitant to continue after the very slow beginning and the narration style disturbed my attention. I couldn’t connect with husband- wife so easily.

I still kept reading and thankfully in the middle I found some characters more likable. The book’s pace picked up and the direction of the story slowly hooked me up. I also easily connect with the sarcastic and smart tone of author’s story telling. I wanted to see how the author would wrap up the entire execution. Thankfully she did an impressive job. I liked the ending more than the entire development.

This was promising, interesting plot with less likable characterization ( at least I got most of them’s motives) overall: definitely worth your time! Especially good choice for slow burn dark social satire lovers!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux, MCD for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

i really enjoyed getting to read this book early. it was so much fun and such a sweet little romance. it made me feel good and that's something i really enjoy in my books. a lovely escape!

What a strange, delightful read this was. The writing style took a little bit to get used to, but once I did, I flew through this story. I’m not sure how it would be classified, domestic drama maybe? But The Pink Hotel was like a ball rolling down a steep hill: the further it went, the faster the pace was until the breathless conclusion. I loved it!

Although it's well written, I'm sorry to say THE PINK HOTEL was not for me. I'm generally a fan of literary fiction and a slow-moving plot doesn't bother me. However, I need characters to root for, or at least ones with whom I empathize. I want characters who seem real. Here, Kit and Keith seem more like caricatures and the same felt true (to varying degrees) with the hotel owners and employees. I kept waiting to care about them and finding the narrative somewhat empty. Perhaps it's the sharp satirical tone that got in the way. I'm sure other readers will enjoy this novel. Jacobs is clearly a very talented writer with a biting sense of humor and an unflinching gaze on society.

I loved this book! I love books with spoiled rich unlikable characters! Jacobs did an excellent job of transitioning the different POV’s
This is a book that will stick with me and I’ll likely buy a physical copy to reread in the future!

This book is one I'm going to be thinking about for a long time. Think of that frog-in-boiling-water analogy: it starts out relatively sedate -- a newly married couple honeymoons at The Pink Hotel in Hollywood, the somewhat obnoxious husband is hoping to ingratiate himself to management so he can work there and the placid wife is just going along to get-along -- and then it boils and gets ... *bonkers*, but you're in it already and you can't jump out because you need to find out what happens. I don't want to give it away, but as the new wife gradually finds her way back to herself, the husband loses himself to the hotel and the *insane* culture of the rich, and along the way, there are wild (and semi-tame) cats, wildfires, riots, gunshots, and a monkey. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time to come. I couldn't put it down. It was a wild ride!

This book was amazing!! From the first page, I was enamored. Liska Jacobs perfectly captures what it's like to be a newlywed on your honeymoon (even down to the dialogue!), and you immediately feel like you're right in the lobby of The Pink Hotel watching Kit and Keith Collins.

Jacobs' writing style is much different from other authors I've read, shifting perspectives throughout the chapters effortlessly! It was an interesting way for me as a reader to see into the minds of each of the characters, even for the briefest of moments, and you start to feel sympathy for each of the characters in surprising ways.

I will absolutely be purchasing this book when it's released in July. Highly recommend!

Special thanks to NetGalley for sharing this free digital copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Firstly, I like stories that take place in hotels, resorts, retreats, etc. I also like books with pretty pink covers filled with shiny golden fonts.
So those two points were a big selling point for me and that's why I went into this book blind. Little did I know that the story would be such a fascinating and compulsive read.
The story was slow at the beginning. The narration was a bit different than I am used to, so it took me a while to seat myself, The characters, the hotel, everything is so intricately described. The Pink Hotel has genuinely exemplified the concept of class divide.
The story is centered around Kit and Keith, but the narration comes from different characters both among the visitors and the resort staff and their interactions. It was as if I was placed in The Pink Hotel, watching it all happen for real. I am not going to go relay the plot here, but this is a must-read.

For the exceptional characterization and authentic storytelling, I have to laud this lovely author! She’s promising and I’m looking forward to reading more of her works!

Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the ebook. This is a wild novel where young newlyweds, Keith and Kit Collins, who work at a hotel in Northern California, are persuaded to spend their honeymoon in the very opulent Pink Hotel in Beverly Hills. This is also an extended interview to see if Keith will be hired on at this hotel. Kit is not sure this is the place for them. Everything starts out fine with rich meals and spa days, but there are wildfires raging in the surrounding hills and riots on the streets of Los Angeles. Soon the hotel closes it doors and all the rich clientele become bored and demand more and more entertainment, betting on fights among the staff, women wrestling. Kit and Keith become more estranged as the place becomes more and more unhinged and ultimately very violent. This is a great dark comedy, filled with over a dozen sharp characters.

Did not finish. Extraordinarily vapid rich people and hotel staff holing up in the Beverly Hills Hotel during the wildfires, oblivious of anything outside the compound. All competing for status, but of course the rich people strive harder because they are insecure.

“How fast it happened. The world turning from calm to calamity. That fissure that existed at the centre of life cracking open. You are always, always on the brink.”

The Pink Hotel follows Kit and Keith Collins as they spend their honeymoon at an upscale, Beverly Hills hotel. Soon after their arrival, wildfires begin to break out across the area and the entire city of Los Angeles becomes enveloped in flames, riots, and blackouts. Meanwhile, The Pink Hotel closes its doors to ‘outsiders’ and Kit and Keith find themselves confined with the anxious and unhappy staff, as well as a growing number of ultra-rich guests who come to the hotel looking for sanctuary, comfort, and entertainment.

What a breathtaking, phenomenal read this was. Much like the fires within the story, the story began slowly, taking its time, making intimate introductions to every character, describing the hotel in elaborate detail. Then the wind fanned the flames, and surely, the story became all encompassing, devastating, overwhelming, all-consuming. The Pink Hotel does an incredible job illustrating the class divide. With the ultra-wealthy safe, confined, immune from curfews and emergency laws, throwing balls, parties, and feasts. While everyone else is depicted evacuating, suffering from blackouts, forced into curfews, rioting for equality. The portrayal of the ultra-rich is similar to Nero fiddling while Rome burns or Marie Antoinette exclaiming “let them eat cake.” Although a work of fiction, The Pink Hotel provides a relatively true depiction of modern day America.

The style of narration really set this book apart, the book was written in the present tense. Although Kit and Keith are clearly intended to be the main focus, the narration follows multiple characters, storylines, conversations. It felt like watching a movie and having the camera get all the pieces of the story, including everything that might not be seen if the story simply followed one character’s point of view. This style of narration took some time to get used to, but the story was so much better for it. Every aspect of the story was captured, little quotes and reactions, different points of view, it felt like getting every piece of a really large story, it felt sweeping and all-encompassing.

The Pink Hotel was a magnificent, awe-inspiring dark social satire.

“Best to enjoy yourself before the apocalypse. Haven’t you heard, the whole world is burning.”

“The Pink Hotel” by Lisa Jacobs is a story of excess at its heart. Those who don’t have want, and those who have could really care less and always want more. Think of the court of Marie Antionette (both how the court folks didn’t care about the poor as long as the rich could have fun in excess) and Rich Kids of Instagram (or whatever it’s called) showing off their excess money, toys, drugs, parties, clothing, and etc. I feel this book was probably based upon the infamous Hollywood Hotel, but not knowing much other than “it’s a status symbol for the well-to-do with a long history,” what - precisely - that had to do with this book was missing for me.

The above being noted, the story - Keith and Kit Collins, newlyweds, were given the opportunity to honeymoon at The Pink Hotel by the managing couple. Keith believes, not incorrectly, that he needs to impress the manager so that he can get a managing job of his own there - which would be a step up from his current Booneville hotel job. Keith is immediately sucked into the world of excess, glam, perceived class, and wanting to be there - but also is working to impress his hopefully soon to be boss. Kit, on the other hand, while longing to return to her waitressing job in Booneville, gets sucked into the lifestyle of the guests at The Pink Hotel.

While there is talk about wildfires and people evacuating (some upper-ups relocate to the Hotel) and rioting in the city and surrounding areas, for the most part, a life of excess continues at The Pink Hotel. Again, think of Marie Antionette’s court - or Rome burning while Nero fiddled. While I suppose this book is a social commentary with a satirical bent, I could not care much about the story, the people, or - basically - much in this book. Even the last few chapters where some of the characters grew backbones (Kit) or came to realizations (Keith) couldn’t move me to care about their decisions. Maybe that was the point - to not care about these people with obvious excess … I’m not sure. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.