I wasn't sure what to expect from this book since it's my first time reading anything by this author. However, after finishing it, I must say that I'd love to read more of her work.

During WWII, she worked for Douglas Aircraft, helping construct bombers for the US military. After the war, she refuses to return to a life where women couldn't do much. They were raised to be wives and mothers, but she wanted much more to herself.

That's when Hazel Francis moves to Laguna in search of independence. At first, her situation isn't really good. She has nowhere to live, and working with Hanson Radcliff is not what she expected. She's unsure of how long this will last and if she'll be able to survive this way. Luckily, Jimmy, the hotel bartender and her friend, is always around to give her advice and support when things get tough.

It was a great read. I could feel Hazel's emotions throughout the book. It's hard not to wonder what I would do in her position. She had to make so many difficult decisions and trust her gut so many times. She's a very strong woman.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC!

After spending most of the war working at Douglas Aircraft, Hazel Francis finds herself adrift and in desperate need of a job. She follows a lead in Laguna Beach to the home of an eccentric, and often inebriated, artist. Despite her reservations, she becomes his assistant and soon becomes involved in the thriving artists' community in Laguna Beach. She also is drawn to Jimmy, the bartender at the Hotel Laguna, who keeps her fed and safe when she first arrive. Hazel is crushed to learn he has a girlfriend and is even more crushed when she meets the beautiful but unappreciative woman.

Hazel soon discovers the source of Hanson's demons--a decades-old scandal that he cannot forget. She finds herself in a race against time to find a missing portrait before those with more nefarious goals beat her to it.

Author Nicola Harrison has crafted such a fabulous setting in 1946 Laguna Beach that I wanted to crawl into the book and live there for a while. The characters are also sympathetic. Just delightful. #HotelLaguna #NetGalley

Interesting story about Laguna Beach shortly after WWII. The story follows Hazel as she tries to find her place after losing work in the factories. The work Hazel finds has her exploring the artist community and while the characters were intriguing, the story was very slow and was difficult to get through. I was fascinated by the Pageant of the Masters but there wasn’t as much on this subject as there could have been. Hazel was a strong and resilient character but the book dragged on and could have been shorter.

Hotel Laguna, by Nicola Harrison, was one of the most enjoyable novels I have read all year. Set in California during the post-WWII, it provides insight on the women who stepped up to fill "men's" jobs and join the war effort when they were needed...and when they were no longer needed. More important, the plot is complex and combines love, coming of age, and mystery. The characters are memorable, unique and multi-dimensional. After so many novels populated by shallow, sniping characters, Hotel Laguna is a welcome change of pace. It is far from sweet, but it does recognize that most people are a mix of positives and negatives. I highly recommend this book. It won't change your life, but I hope readers will feel their time well spent. Five stars! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Marin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was my pleasure.

I was first attracted to Hotel Laguna when I read that the main character was a Rosie the Riveter. I can remember my grandmother showing me the pants she wore when she went to work in a factory during WWII. We first meet our main character, Hazel Francis, at the beginning of the war. Hazel leaves Kansas and gets a job at Douglas Aircraft in California. When the war ended, Douglas let the women go and replaced their jobs with soldiers that were returning home. Hazel had nothing to return home to in Kansas. Hazel takes what funds she has and decides to take a bus to Laguna Beach to find a job.

Laguna Beach offers love interests, mystery, Hanson, a cantankerous boss, who is a well-known artist, Jimmy, the bartender at Hotel Laguna, and several characters to make the story complete.

I think this book is a perfect “beach read.” I was totally surprised by the ending. I was not expecting it. Could there be a sequel? My thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

In 1942, Hazel Francis left Wichita, Kansas for California, excited to work for Douglas Aircraft, aiding the war effort. She became one of the “Rosie the Riveters,” helping construct bombers for the U. S. military. She found she was not only good at her job, but she loved it immensely. When the war ended, all of the women were let go, so that the men returning home would have jobs to return to. The women were just expected to go home and become good little wives and mothers, but that wasn't what Hazel wanted. Because there was no place for her there, she heads to Laguna Beach - a place she had heard mentioned many times before but didn't know much about - and tries to find a job there. She accepts a job as an assistant to famous artist Hanson Radcliff. Working hard to stay on her cantankerous employer’s good side, Hazel becomes a valued member of the community. She never expected to fall in love with the rhythms of life in Laguna, nor did she expect to find a kindred spirit in Jimmy, the hotel bartender whose friendship promises something more.

This book was excellent. It really transported me back to the 1940's. I loved Hazel, and how determined and industrious she was. I really liked Jimmy as well, and was rooting for the two of them to work their way towards each other. This was a fascinating book and if you are a fan of historical fiction then you will definitely want to put this on the top of your TBR pile. I also think this could make a really good beach read. I know reading about Hazel swimming in the ocean each morning made me wish I was at the beach right now.

I've loved Nicola’s books since her debut, and this is another amazing story of a woman going for what she wants and pursuing her dreams. It also centers around a 40-year-old scandal surrounding a mysterious missing painting and so, of course, I needed to paint it⁣

After the war Hazel is a bit lost. She loved being a “Rosie the Riveter” constructing bombers, but now that the men are home, they need their jobs back, and the women are directed to go back to “just being wives and mothers."⁣
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When she finds herself in Laguna Beach, a small bohemian artist town, she accepts the first job she finds - an assistant to a famous artist - and quickly becomes immersed the sunny art world of Southern California.⁣
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I am here for any story about art, and I really loved her vivid descriptions of not only place and time, but also of color, brush strokes, and light - such phenomenal writing where you can almost picture the paintings in front of you! ⁣
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Add in a hunky hotel bartender, her grumpy boss, a wannabe starlet, and a fun community of characters putting together a living art show - and we get a gorgeous story of found family, secrets and dreams, and finding change in yourself in a world changing around you.

Hotel Laguna is a historical fiction set in the period of 1942 and 1946. The story revolves around a young woman named Hazel and her struggles to find her own identity in a world where women were relegated to making a home after the war.

Hazel is a determined young woman and wants to be someone. She relocates to a new place after her work in the aviation comes to a halt after the war. She builds new relationships and is in the employ of Hanson, a famous painter with a notorious past.

I enjoyed this book. Hazel is imperfect, naive in a lot of ways. Her decisions are jaded and petty, but her heart is in the right place. I really wanted not to like her. But in the end, I understood her need for relationships and making decisions in the heat of the moment. If you are looking for historical fiction with a hint of mystery, small town, and community feel, pick up Hotel Laguna.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this book.

Hazel Francis wants out of her small town after her mother passes away. She sees an ad for “Rosie the riveter” and goes to California to help with war effort, making plane parts. She’s a little lost after the war ends and needs to figure out her next steps. Desperate for money, she takes an unconventional job as assistant to a local artist, Hanson Radcliff. He’s cranky and prone to mood swings, but Hazel just handles it well. She helps clean his studio, supplies, makes tea and sometimes models for him. She doesn’t know that he’s famous and now slightly reclusive.

She gets involved with the community art scene and makes a friend at the local hotel bar, Jimmy. She finds out her artist boss had painted a portrait of Isabella Rose who died suddenly after the painting was done. The artwork has been missing for many years and is considered very valuable.

I really liked how independent Hazel was. Each time life has thrown something at her, she rolled with it and made it work for her. It was interesting to see how the woman were used during the war, but that as soon as the war was over, they couldn’t get any factory jobs. The idea of community is a big one to Hazel. She has no family and no real friends so she loves her new adopted town of Laguna Beach.

Many thanks to @suzyapprovedbooktours and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy.

review will be posted on 6/21/23

Hazel Francis left her small town behind for California during WWII. She worked at Douglas Aircraft building aircraft for the military, but now that the war is over, so is her job. She is expected to return home. But what about all the women that did not want to return home to the status quo and wanted more for themselves? Well, Hazel is faced with that very problem as she doesn't want to return home, and happens upon Laguna Beach when looking for a new job. Laguna seems so promising with its artistic and boho vibe. Eventually, she does land a job as an assistant to Laguna's most successful artist, Hanson Radcliff. Hanson is mysterious and moody, but locally adored, so naturally Hazel finds him intriguing. As more time passes, Hazel becomes a member of Laguna's community, she finds a possible romance in Jimmy, a bartender, and perhaps her place in a post-WWII war. Nicola Harrison's Hotel Laguna is a solid historical read that highlights the struggles women experienced during this transitional time in America's history.

Hazel is a character you have to respect in Hotel Laguna. She stepped up to the plate during the war and built aircraft for the military and contributed to such an important cause. However, once the war was over, Hazel, like many American women, was dropped and just expected to return home to their former lives. While I am sure many women did happily, others wanted something else for themselves. Hotel Laguna highlights this struggle through Hazel's experiences post-war. I can't say I've read a book that details how difficult it was for women during the time, so this was a new concept for me and one that I appreciated wholeheartedly. I enjoyed her journey to finding something more for herself, a place in a new community, a possible love, and an unlikely friendship with her boss, Hanson.

The real star of the show in Hotel Laguna is Laguna Beach itself. Harrison did a wonderful job bringing it to life. The art show, the artistic community, the bohemian vibe, and the beautiful landscapes were done so well; it made me want to visit one day. If you love a memorable setting in your historical beach reads, look no further.

While Hotel Laguna wasn't a stand-out historical beach read, I still enjoyed Hazel's story and how it highlighted postwar America. It was a quick read (less than 300 pages), so it would be perfect for a long weekend at the beach.

Are you a fan of Nicola Harrison? Is Hotel Laguna on your TBR list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

4.5⭐️

As the story begins we meet our protagonist, Hazel Francis in 1946 as she lands up in the coastal town of Laguna Beach, California, out of work after being laid off from a job at Douglas Aircraft, (one of many “Rosie the Riveters”) helping build fighter planes. Hazel is a small-town girl from Wichita, Kansas, having left her hometown in 1942 to do her bit contributing to the war effort in a job she truly enjoyed. Now that WWII is over and the men have returned from the front and reclaimed their spot in the workforce, Hazel finds it difficult to secure employment in the kind of work she enjoys and is good at. With no family left to go back to she ventures out on her own hoping to find her place in the world. She ends up taking a job as an Assistant to renowned artist Hanson Radcliff, whose eccentric personality takes a while to get used to. Hazel’s job description includes everything from modeling for her employer to running errands and helping out with the local art festival (Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters, an actual event that was started in 1933, in which famous works of art are depicted through on-stage performances). Radcliffe is well respected in the art scene in the area and though their association is off to a bumpy start, Hazel develops a fondness for her elderly employer. With the help of Jimmy, the kind bartender at Hotel Laguna who befriends her and Hanson who eventually arranges for her to stay in an apartment behind the local art gallery in addition to her pay, Hazel begins to feel at home in Laguna Beach. As the narrative progresses we follow Hazel as she contends with her temperamental employer, comes to know of a scandal from Hanson's past that adversely impacted his reputation and continues to haunt him and tries to help Hanson cope with his past trauma and searches for a missing painting coveted by several individuals. Hazel has a lot on her plate, with the pageant coming up soon and her feelings for Jimmy complicating matters further.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison. Hazel is an endearing protagonist. Strong and willful, she does make questionable choices and does get into a fair share of trouble but you can’t help rooting for her as tries to find her way in a world where opportunities for women were limited. The author does a wonderful job of crafting a story that gives us a sense of both time and place. I would have liked it if the segment on Hazel’s life during her stint at Douglas Aircraft would have been covered in more detail but given that the story revolves around Hazel and Hansen’s friendship, I understand why the emphasis was on Hazel’s life after the war ends. I loved the vibrant setting of Laguna Beach and the interesting cast of characters who made up the community (even the unlikeable ones). The pacing and the plot development were well executed and the ending. though bittersweet, was satisfying. Overall, this is an emotional, feel-good read with an element of mystery that touches upon themes of friendship, love, creativity and community.

I paired my reading with the superb audio narration by Carlotta Brentan which made for an entertaining immersion reading experience.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital review copy of this novel. I would also like to thank Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I very much enjoyed this book!

Hazel is a young woman on the verge of adulthood in a world about to get hit by a world war. She has a wild night when a young man that goes to war and that night changes the course of her life. She ends up building parts for planes to help out the war effort until the boys come home. Enter the Hotel Laguna, a world of art, a young man and an older man with a mysterious past.

This book entered my life at just the right time. I needed a book that was a summer-type read, that would suck me in and let me finish at 1 or 2 settings (my time is very limited in the summer) and this fit the bill. The beach setting was perfect!

I am adding this book to my recommended books for the summer 2023 list.

The perfect summer read for historical-fiction lovers!

I enjoyed Hotel Laguna, led by independent Hazel, who is faced with navigating life after riveting during WWII. Author Nicola Harrison does a great job weaving in Hazel's background in Kansas and during the war, with the "present day" timeline. I found the supporting cast enjoyable and loved the care and detail given the Laguna Beach setting.

I also appreciated that this story focused on the "after," especially for women like Hazel who found themselves looking for meaningful work post-War.

While the storyline was slightly predictable, overall I found Hotel Laguna an enjoyable, easy read.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I felt quite a lot of sympathy for Hazel because she was alone in the world and had nothing to go back to in Kansas. She does have determination and grit, but I also shook my head at some of her decisions. She was very gullible and stupid at times and also possessed a penchant for running off selfishly. I couldn’t figure out her direction until the very end.
Jimmy was a sweetheart for the entire book; Hanson a cranky artist with many regrets; Edgar was very see through able and Scarlett had her moments.
It’s a good branch read about art, society, and finding yourself.

Fascinating read about the after effects of a woman no longer needed in the work force after WWII. It was quite amazing that they were praised for stepping up and taking on the jobs of men while they were off fighting but the day the war ended, they were no longer seen as good enough to continue this work or type of career path. They were expected to go back home and be good little house wives again or to find a husband and start having children. This novel follows Hazel on her quest to find work once again that gives her meaning in life. She loved working on the planes and was told she was one of the best, but now she is only good enough to get coffee and clean bathrooms. Having no family to go back home to, she finds herself in Laguna beach and on a whim takes a position with an artist that is known to be bold in his opinions and cannot keep an assistant to save his life. An unlikely friendship forms and Hazel is bound and determined to prove her worth and that she is doing something to change the world once again. She feels she has found a place amongst the arts, one of the last places should would have ever thought to look. Through this journey she has also learned to let go of her past, the biggest thing holding her back. Such a great historical read! Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite and to the author and publish for the free novel. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

Having just been let go from her riveting job, Hazel has nowhere to go. Unwilling and unable to go home to Kansas to conform to the life of a housewife and mother, Hazel decides to stay in California. Landing in Laguna, Hazel becomes the assistant to the reclusive artist Hanson Radcliff. Hazel didn’t expect to fall in love with the free spirit of Laguna, and she most definitely didn’t expect to become a vital member of the community. Laguna was only supposed to be a temporary place for Hazel to regroup and refocus on her plans- working on airplanes and eventually flying them. Will Hazel put down roots in Laguna? Or will she drift onto the next town, looking for her dream?

I have mentioned this before, but I am fascinated with anything World War II. I read anything that I can get my hands on it. But I rarely have read anything about what happened after World War II. So, when I read the Hotel Laguna blurb, I knew I needed to read it. Also, I am a massive fan of anything that Nicola Harrison writes. I am glad that I read this book because it was excellent!!

Hotel Laguna is a fast-paced book that is primarily set in the town of Laguna, California. The pacing of this book fits the storyline. But the book lagged a tiny bit toward the middle of the book. It didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book.

The main storyline in Hotel Laguna centers around Hazel. This was a well-written storyline that kept my attention on the book. Not only did I enjoy reading about Hazel’s past (and found her riveting experience fascinating), but I also liked seeing how her relationships with several of the characters in the book shaped her.

Several secondary storylines fed in and bolstered the main storyline. The main secondary storylines that stood out to me were the storyline about Hanson, Isabella Rose, the painting, and the scandal. The other storyline that stood out was the one with Jimmy, the hotel, and the Laguna community. Both storylines were well-written, and they added depth to the main storyline.

Hazel was an interesting character, and I liked that she didn’t always make the best choices. But she was a good person, and she did try for a long time to stay in a situation that didn’t make her happy. Hazel also did try to let her fiance down lightly when she couldn’t make things work anymore. And after that nasty letter from her fiance’s mother, she continued sending them money (for his funeral expenses). And in the present day (aka 1946), Hazel still didn’t make the best choices, but her heart was in the right place.

Hanson Radcliff was a compelling character, also. He was much older than Hazel, and I thought he didn’t care for her for most of the book. It wasn’t until the last half of the book that I saw that he cared for her like a daughter. I was slightly irritated that the author dragged out his story with Isabella Rose and the painting

There was a slight mystery angle in Hotel Laguna. It centered around the missing painting that Hanson did of Isabella Rose and where he hid it. There was a neat twist toward the end that I saw coming. Even though I saw the twist coming, it was still interesting to read.

The end of Hotel Laguna was bittersweet. But I don’t think that I would have written it any differently.

I recommend Hotel Laguna to anyone over 16. There is mild language, mild violence, and nongraphic sexual situations.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Nicola Harrison for allowing me to read and review Hotel Laguna. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

This book had a great setup, unfortunately at 60% i had to DNF as I had just lost all interest in the characters. Way too slow, with nothing really happening in the story. It had a lot of potential it just got a bit muddled in details that didn't seem important.

Hotel Laguna
Nicola Harrison

Wanting more than an average life in a small Kansas town, Hazel heads west to Los Angeles, where she finds work as a riveter, building planes for the war effort. Once World War 2 ends, she finds herself without a job but still determined to stay as far away from Kansas as possible. She finds herself in Laguna Beach, working as an assistant for a famous but reclusive artist with a sordid past.

In addition to the intriguing story line, I so appreciated the author’s ability to set a scene and make me feel completely immersed in the setting. Many times I found myself rereading sentences just to further appreciate their beauty.

Reading about post World War 2 brought on some post covid like vibes. While I imagine living in the time of covid was nothing like World War 2, both brought on a time when most normal experiences were suspended for a while and everything seemed different when life got back to normal.

I loved Harrison’s The Showgirl so I’m not surprised at all that I loved this one too!

I am a big historical fiction fan, and was looking forward to reading Hotel Laguna. Big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the ARC to read and review.

Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed it, but wanted more from it: particularly more character development, more nuance, and more surprises in the plot. I liked our leading lady Hazel, but I feel like we really only went surface level with her.

There was a lot of potential, and while it was perfectly enjoyable, I wish it had been more robust.

When Hazel left Kansas she said she was going to help the war effort but really she was running from an unwanted fiancé and his family. Having lost her mother Hazel was alone in the world and after making an impulsive decision she then became the fiancé of Bobby because he was fighting the war in France she couldn’t bring herself to tell him getting married was actually the last thing she wanted to do and when she did it would be the last letter she sent because soon after he would be one of the many victims of World War II. After being her own version of Rosie the riveter are in LA she wants again spontaneously decides to go to Laguna Beach. She heard it was a beautiful town and when she arrives she sees that it is sitting at a lunch desk she hears two women talk about a failed interview and decides to pick up the piece of paper the girl left on the counter with the details. When she calls the number on the slip this is how she meets the ornory Mr. Hanson Radcliffe and how she stays at hotel Laguna and meets bartender Jimmy. This book is bittersweet but leaves you with a heartwarming feeling and a definite five star read. I love historical fiction and this was a great one and although I wasn’t Hazel‘s biggest fan I found her pretty impulsive but also pretty likable. I disagreed with a lot of hazel‘s decisions but ultimately I love this book it was so good and is the reason why I look forward to reading the authors books. This is a great book and one I highly recommend. I received this book from NetGalley and Saint Martin’s pressg but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.