This was an interesting novel mainly about the artist colony in Laguna Beach, CA, after the war.

I had never read about this environment before, and not much else about art and artists, but the characters definitely fit the stereotype I expected. Hanson, the reclusive artist who has hidden from society after being unfairly portrayed in a tragedy. Edgar, ladies man and evil villain extraordinaire. Jimmy, sweet kid, bartender at the hotel after being discharged from the Army, and the main character Hazel, at odds career-wise after working in the aircraft industry during the war and then summarily displaced when the men came home.

The location itself was a supporting character in the book, as were the residents of the area. I enjoyed reading about it and the mystery of the lost painting. Decent historical fiction based in reality.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

In 1942, 19-year-old Hazel Frances left her hometown of Wichita, Kansas and headed to California to help in the war effort working on building bombers for the military at Douglas Aircraft. Once the war ends, Hazel and all the other women lose their jobs. Having a hard time finding work, Hazel secures a job in Laguna Beach working for the famous and eccentric artist Hanson Radcliff as his model and assistant. Hazel is introduced to the area's bohemian art scene, finds friendship at the Hotel Laguna and starts to uncover the secrets of the reclusive artist she works for. She also starts to find her own identity and strength.

Author Nicola Harrison's Hotel Laguna is a very enjoyable book which captured the post-war period well and detailed what it must have been like to be in Laguna Beach during that time. Some romance and mystery added to the appeal. For fans of historical fiction, it's a great choice for a summer read.

Rated 4.25 stars.

Love the cover art!!

A wonderful read about Hazel, who worked in a factory during WW2, and how she found herself to Laguna Beach when the war ended. Not only did she find initial purpose there but truly found herself, which is what she was seeking all along. Interesting from cover to cover, and heartwarming, I truly loved reading this story! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press for the advanced reader copy in return for a review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun summer time read that is rich in descriptions that pull the reader into the story. After WWII ends and all the men come home, Hazel is stuck after leaving her Rosie the Riveter job. She makes her way to California and finds a job working with famous artist Hanson Radcliff. As she settles in, she fights to remain on her employer’s good side while fighting with what she really wants to do - fly airplanes. She’s torn on what her next steps should be. I enjoyed getting lost in this book. Hazel is a great main character and I really enjoyed her story. Great book to pick up this summer!

I loved this story so much! I have to be honest that I'm not an avid reader of historical fiction, but now I feel like I need to get the genre in my rotation more regularly. It was magical to be swept away to Laguna Beach and in the hands of such a capable heroine like Hazel Francis. Her journey was sweet and empowering and peppered with a cast of characters that I won't soon forget. Big fan of Nicola Harrison and can't wait to get to her backlist plus anything she writes in the future.

I picked up Hotel Laguna because I had not read a “Rosie the Riveter” story yet and so I was interested in this historical perspective. The main character, Hazel is a somewhat adrift young woman during WWII who finds her purpose when the men leave and she is allowed to work in the factories. However, when the men come home, her new freedom is shut down and she is expected to go back to the pre-war ways and find herself a nice husband and start a family. Instead, she finds the artist community of Laguna Beach, and a job posing for a famous artist.

I thought this was a fun historical fiction summer read; that being said – it is a beach read as the story, while thoroughly enjoyable, is a bit predictable.

This is a 3.5 rating for me, but because it was fun to read it’s rounded up to a 4.

I love reading historical fiction set in places I’ve traveled!

Several years ago we stopped at Laguna Beach during an epic west coast summer road trip to Ashland (Oregon), the Redwoods, San Francisco, and Disneyland. As I obsessively planned this vacation, I kept adding stops, and I realized I didn’t want to miss out on seeing a beach! So I picked Laguna because it seemed artsy and low key.

In addition to my travel memories, this new book’s title is reminiscent of my last blog post on Hotel Cuba!

Having worked as a riveter and other roles building fighter planes during WWII, Hazel feels aimless when the war ends and the men are back for their jobs. Not wanting to return to Kansas (which we also learn about at the beginning of the story), she ends up in the art colony of Laguna Beach where she has to start completely over with no family or friends, job, lodging, etc. Desperate, she takes a job as an “assistant” to a famous/infamous artist, which will provide adventure and stress, as she tries to find a renewed purpose and decides whether Laguna is a place she can stay.

Whether or not you’ve been to Laguna Beach yourself, this is a good summer read!

After working at an airplane factory in California during the war and with nothing to return to Kansas for, Hazel Francis moves to Laguna Beach looking for work and a new life. Desperate she takes a job working for a local renowned artist as an assistant and model. After a rough start, Hazel finds herself at home in this community and enjoying a life she never expected. It's a lovely book in all regards

I thoroughly enjoyed this peak into live in So Cal right after WWII. It’s the perfect background for this tale of renewal and hope. That’s what this story is all about - Hope. The author gives a great feel for the era while bringing in the unique culture of the area. Mix in a fantastic storyline filled with adventure and romance and it is a brilliant book escape. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early read. Add it to you TBR list asap!

Hotel Laguna is first experience of reading a novel written by Nicola Harrison. I was completely captivated by this book which is a mix of historical fiction, romance, mystery and coming of age. The characters are eccentric and quirky. The plot is compelling.....a page turner! Intend to read more of Ms. Harrison's novels. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Started out strong. I was interested and intrigued. I liked that the time period was almost like its own character in the story. I really liked Hazel and her strong personality, but actually found there were things that happened throughout the book that made me dislike her. I found that she almost became weak and boring and indecisive. Not outstanding, but would recommend.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison, but I really enjoyed this book set in 1940s Laguna Beach.

Hazel left Kansas in 1942 for California to help the war effort. She became a "Rosie the Riveter" and worked in an airplane factory. When the war ended, so did her job but she wasn't ready to return home or to be a wife/mother. She ends up in Laguna Beach and takes a job as an artist's assistant. She quickly falls in love with the community and starts to wonder if this could be real.

I loved Hazel. That she loved working and was independent. Her working relationship with Hanson (the artist she was working for) and wanting to help everyone she met. The cast of characters were all so well developed and I loved the descriptions of both the town and everyone.

This was a unique mix of historical fiction with women's fiction and I can't wait for others to read this so I can talk about this book. Highly recommend for a summer beach read!

I really enjoyed this book. I switched between e-book and audiobook and both were fabulous. I loved learning about the challenges women faced after WWII - their strength, resilience and desire to make a change. The many different personalities and relationships in the book were incredible. I really felt that I got to know many different characters, their strengths and weaknesses. The romance and mystery parts of the book only added to my joy of this book. A really well done historical fiction book - with some romance and even a little mystery thrown in.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader (and audio!) copies.

During the war, Hazel moved out to California to work in a factory making airplanes. She discovered she loved the work, but now that the war is over, women are no longer needed in the factories. Broke and unsure what to do, she ends up in Laguna and gets a job with infamous artist, Hanson Radcliff. Hazel falls in love with the community and discovers this might be the place for her.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! I really liked the writing style and found the characters really compelling. I do think we didn’t need whole chapters of flashbacks especially sincere there were only a few at the beginning. I think these could’ve been incorporated into other chapters to make the flow better. Also, based on the synopsis, I thought there was going to be a lot more push-pull between Hazel wanting to work on planes and her life in Laguna. However, that is a really minor plot point outside of the beginning and a little toward the end of the book. This is more of a woman finding her place in a society rather than a reckoning between dreams. Despite that, I think this is a good historical fiction novel that is different than others!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the atmospheric writing and the characterization in this story. It was a very enjoyable read!
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
WWII fiction in an utterly unique way: from the point of view of a woman. She find the gorgeous Laguna Beach and finds her self and her self worth. I really enjoyed this book I could not put it down.

I've never been a historical fiction fan but this book surprised me. We meet Hazel Francis, a determined woman who leaves her hometown in Kansas to head to California to help where she can with the war efforts. She becomes a living "Rosie the Riveter" and does her part. Once the war is over, the men come back to take over the job she was doing. Left feeling like she wasn't doing anything, Hazel heads to Laguna Beach to try and make something of herself. She ends up doing becoming an assistant to an artist which is not what she's used to. Along the way, she meets some unexpected people and doesn't expect to fall in love with the hotel bartender. An amazing story with and amazing ending. I was genuinely surprsied I loved this so much, I would definitely recommond to any historical fiction lovers.

This book explores the value of women during the war and the important position they played in the factories to support the troops. However, this changed once the men came home and they became the predominate workforce. Hazel, a very determined woman, was seeking change in her life during the war and afterwards. She takes a job with a well known artist in Laguna Beach and transforms her life. The setting, time period and secondary characters were throughly enjoyable. The descriptions of the art world were also sentimental to me as my dad went to art school after the war. A good story with of course some romance in the mix. #HotelLaguna #NicolaHarrison #NetGalley

Shirt synopsis: During the war Hazel worked on planes, now the war is over she’s trying to find her way. She end up working as an assistant to the famous artist Hanson Radcliff in the beautiful city of Laguna Beach.

My thoughts: This is my first by this author, and I really enjoyed the characters, setting, and overall storyline.

This was very character driven, and while I enjoyed the storyline overall I expected a bit more action. That being said, it was interesting to get a glimpse into the life women faced while the men were at war, and how as soon as the war was over they were expected to resume their regular roles as homemakers. I bet Hazel wasn’t alone I’m enjoying the manual labor and wishing to keep doing “men’s work,” and it was such a fun addition to the historical novel.

I especially enjoyed the art in the story, and the Pageant of the Masters at the end of the book!

Read if you love:
- Historical stories set during WWII
- The war effort
- Fine art and artists
- Character driven stories
- Beautiful settings
- Small towns

This was my first book by this author and I loved this story! I was hooked from the first page and adored these characters! Highly highly recommend