Hotel Laguna was my 3rd novel by Nicola Harrison. I love how Harrison drops you right into historical fiction and you immediately feel as though you are living in the same time period and you are part of the story! I can see myself on the boardwalk and having a drink at Hotel Laguna!

While I did enjoy this novel, it was not my favorite of hers. I had a little bit of a hard time keeping up with where the story was actually going and what was important to keep track of. Fun, easy beach read that makes me want to jet off to my next adventure!

3.5 stars.

This was a slow burn of a book that gained momentum as it went on. I personally love historical fiction in more creative settings and this one is the art world. With a likeable protagonist, a beautiful grumpy/sunshine mentor/mentee relationship, and a dash of romance, I was hooked by the end.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Nicola Harrison, St. Martin's Press, and NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book!

This is the second book that I have read by Nicola Harrison and it will not be the last! I so loved this book as it beautifully depicted Laguna Beach the way that I understand it was in the 1940s. It was a bit of a slight mystery to figure out a huge secret having to do with a famous author. I did NOT figure out the solution correctly. Not even close.

I love the descriptions of the beauty of Laguna Beach, Laguna Canyon, and the various local beaches. In my younger days, I frequently traveled to the beautiful city of Laguna Beach. I could picture how Laguna Beach USED to look and it is still as gorgeous now!!

It was fascinating to learn about the Pageant of the Masters as well as the huge art scene that blossomed there after WWII.

It was a lovely, lovely book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

The story has good tension, character development, and a cast of characters. Hazel, the main character, is ambitious and doe-eyed. Her arc elevates her from naive to new experiences and possibilities.

The writing, in parts, reads as unfulfilling. I remembered that I am in someone else's story. This is a slow-burn story. Hazel has experiences where she has to think quickly, which aids in the story moving quicker.

The setting of the era creates a true tapestry that provides mystery, romance, and history. Body agency and female empowerment are prevalent.

Hazel Francis agreed to marry a boy going off to fight in the war and she regrets it from the moment she said yes to being his wife. To escape living with his family while he is away at war, she decides to sneak away and go to California to work at Douglas Aircraft and do her part for the war effort. While working there, she realizes that she loves what she is doing and knows that she can never go back to her original life and be just a wife and mother.

However, once the war is finally over, women are no longer needed in the workforce and the jobs are being given to the "boys" returning from war. No matter where she turns, she is told to go home and be a wife and mother. Hazel decides she is going to try her luck in Laguna Beach. Through a strange set 0f circumstances, she ends up working for Hanson Radcliff, a famous artist. Although Hanson is loved by his community, he is extremely difficult to work for and Hazel finds herself on the outs or in trouble numerous times.

As the story unfolds, we watch Hazel become engrained in the Laguna community and developing relationships. However, despites the best intentions, Hazel keeps getting herself into difficult situations.

Hazel is a strong, female character who is struggling to find her "what's next" in a world that expects her to behave a certain way. Maybe Hazel will end up in Laguna Beach or maybe she won't, but whatever Hazel does, you know she is in charge of her destiny.

If you love strong female characters, historical fiction, complicated relationships and some mystery, you will love Laguna Beach.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I read this as an ArC from the publisher and Netgalley. I really enjoyed this novel and this spin on historical fiction! It includes a bit of romance, friendship and mystery! Would definitely recommend to historical fiction fans!

•Hotel Laguna ⛱️•

📚Genre: historical fiction
🤔Rating: 🍺🍺🍺🍺(4/5)
#️⃣ of pages: 288
👯‍♀️ read if you like: girl power, WWII, books about Art & beach reads
Publishing Date: June 20,2023

👍🏼:
•I just loved Hazel Francis! The author did a great job developing her character in this story
•lots of rich history! I don’t read historical fiction all the time but when I do, I loveeeee it!
•what a beautiful setting! The author paints an amazing picture of the setting of this book

👎🏼:
•the ending was good, but I wanted a little more

Overall…
What an enjoyable read! I reality need to make myself read more historical fiction because I so enjoy it when I do! The character development was great in this story. I loved Hazel and her willingness to fight for women. This plot had so many layers and was presented in a gripping way that I just couldn’t put it down; almost like a thriller! The only reason I went 4 stars instead of 5 was simply because I just felt like I needed a *little* more out of it.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review!

Great book! This is a well-written historical fiction novel with bits of romance, mystery and friendship mixed in. I love books that make me truly understand and feel both for and with the character, and Hotel Laguna does both. The main character, Hazel, is a strong female lead and so easy to root for. One of the best things about this book is the setting, Laguna Beach in the 1940's. Living in Orange County, I found myself swept up in the history of the area, from the town greeter, pagent of the masters to the Hotel Laguna itself.

I got an early copy of Hotel Laguna and I couldn't put it down!

Nicola Harrison, one of my very favorite authors, always nails the balance of historical detail and page-turning plot, and this book is no exception. The characters are so well-developed and you can't help but root for them.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, or just a good story.

I absolutely adored Hotel Laguna. Historical fiction that steps away from the war zone. The war is mentioned, but the action that we see is with Hazel and her struggles with life and what she wants to do.
I love the art world of the late 40s and this novel captures such vivid imagery.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I’ve read every Nicola Harrison novel, and they just get better. I really enjoyed this historical novel of a young woman, Hazel Francis finds herself at loose ends, when she loses her job building airplanes, as WWII comes to an end. Out of work and with no family to return to, she makes her way to Laguna Beach and finds a job with an elderly broken artist. She has to learn to deal with his eccentric personality, but finds comfort in the people she meets in the small beach town.
As she slowly learns his story, she tries to help this broken man and finds it very difficult not to feel affection with him. She’s young a naive and gets herself into more than one mess, but slowly adapts to the lifestyle and involves herself in the community, falling for a local young man, Jimmy.
Nicola Harrison develops interesting , likable characters and these were no different. A warm hearted story that I enjoyed to the final page.
My thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press and the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I found the language bordering on caricature and not historically accurate. Thank you for the opportunity.

From the very beginning, this book is lush with descriptions that engrossed the reader and puts them in the locations.

I think Harrison is off to a good start here, but it’s nowhere near being a finished product. The idea is great, the characters are great. It all just needs to be fleshed out. The book also can’t decide whether it’s character-driven or plot-driven, and that makes it a bit jumbled. Hazel’s character arc is super weak, too.

This book gave me the same vibes as Beatriz Williams and Dirty Dancing. Super nostalgic historical fiction, a second round purchase for most libraries.

Hotel Laguna was a perfect historical beach read. Its unique storyline should not be missed by historical fiction lovers. I had not read any novels that put a spotlight on women taking over the men’s work after deployment. I felt it was an honest portrayal of after the war ending; Hazel Francis was feeling lost. And most novels don’t shine this issue regarding the women. The men came back for their original jobs and Hazel being an independent woman had to start anew. She took a leap of faith moving to Laguna Beach as she lost her job, and did not want to return home to avoid past guilt and shame she had endured.
This novel is perfect for:
-summer reading
-fresh take on historical fiction
-immersive backdrop
-coming of age story

My critique would be the fast ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an advanced copy for an honest review.

First and foremost I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

Hazel has always marched to the beat of her own drum, but when WWII rocks the country; she dives straight into the work force.

Pained with grief over the loss of her fiancé whom she never loved to begin with, she run away to California to join thousands of women working to build planes for US troops.

Once the war is over, Hazel struggles to figure out what she should do with her life. She can’t return home nor can she return to the workforce; as the men who fought would be coming back to their jobs. Hazel settles for an assistant job in Laguna Beach working for a very famous and scandalous artist.

Though their friendship takes weeks to form, Hazel easily sees that she cares deeply for the older artist and wants to not only show she can do the job but get the tabloids off his case about a very scandalous relationship that happened decades ago.

I love the plot line of this novel, it showed how Hazel was so hard driven during the recovering time after the war, how determined she was to succeed for not only herself but the people around her.

This was enjoyable and the setting was so convinving. I think the issue here...is me. I am just not one who loved Historical Fiction. I found myself ready for this to be over and again nothing wrong with the book, just not what I prefer to read.

Hazel Francis moves to California to help the WWII effort by working on airplanes. When the war ends and the men return, the women are sent "home". Hazel doesn't have a home, and needs work, so she goes to Laguna Beach in hopes of getting a job working as an assistant to a well-known but reclusive artist with a mysterious past.

This is a very good read with wonderfully rich and memorable characters. You've just got to love Hazel who won't take no for an answer and never gives up!

My thanks to St. Martin's Press for allowing me access to a digital review copy via NetGalley. Publication is set for 6/20/23. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Such a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I feel like Nicola always gets me to feel all the emotions and transports me to different places so easily. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!