Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback. The first half I found slow, the pace picked up in the 2nd half. It ended stronger.

Review: The Baldwin Hotel ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | 2.5 ☆
Author: Lonnie Busch
Publication Date: 27 January 2022
Publisher: Books go Social
Mystery & Thrillers | Sci Fi & Fantasy

I received this book from Lonnie Busch and Books Go Social, as an advanced eArc for my honest review any opinions that come from this review are my own. Thank you to both the Author and the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I want to be honest in my review after several attempts to read this book I just could not get into it. The flow of the story didn't work for me it felt choppy and the character development was really weak. The book itself was confusing and I found myself going back and forth between pages to make sure I didn't miss anything and that's saying a lot because I am not a fast reader at all.

Rating: 3/5 Stars
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I did it, after being on my NetGalley list for over a year I finally sat down and read this one. The concept of this story is really cool and it’s what, talking about parallel universes and being able to change your destiny via a type of time travel of sorts. I was really vibing with this idea, I mean I was getting some serious Dr. Strange vibes) but the execution was where this one lacked that oomph for me.
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The story in and of itself felt a bit too choppy, there was a little bit of confusion at points for me. I will say though I think that the story was wrapped up nicely, mostly everything that was brought up throughout the book was explained in the end (except for a few minor things that I didn’t really care that much about). The characters were a bit one dimensional and I didn’t really care for most of them. I did like Theodore to a degree – I really think he is about the only character that had much growth throughout the story.
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For the most part I would say that The Baldwin Hotel is a slow burn. There are parts that are a little bit of a faster pace which helps with the momentum of the story. Once I got going with this one, I was, again, very interested in the whole concept of alternate reality and parallel universes that I really wanted to see where this went. This had some dark entities to it which made me like it more. I enjoyed the ending; I think this brought some great thought-provoking questions to mind. Overall, a different read and one that I would say I enjoyed.
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The Baldwin Hotel was released on 12/27/2022. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Lonnie Busch and BooksGoSocial for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an excellent book. I think the author should write more along this vein. While reading this book I could imagine being in the scenes. I read this book pretty consistently as to reach the end.

Great introduction to a new author for me, and a wonderful addition to our collection for our patrons. I look forward to more! THANK you!

After several attempts, I just could not get into this book. No review will be posted or references made to this book.

Thankyou to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this ARC.
If you love sci-fi thrillers and time travel books then this is for you.
It goes to show that you need to always make sure you are kind to others as you never know who can resurface in your future and play a pivotal role in your life and future.
It had a very unique story line which i really enjoyed.
Thankyou again.
5/5 stars

I really loved the Baldwin Hotel and its Chaotic plot starting in the very first chapter we are sucked into the chaos of Theodore's mind and time travel and the Baldwin Hotel and something having to do with a girl named Sarah. Boy was this a mind bender of a book that i enjoyed very much it read like a scifi film and i really like those. Lonnie has a very unique voice that i would like to read more of.

I'll be honest - I couldn't finish this book. I kept putting it on and off: I read through some sections while skipping others althogether and pausing my reading for weeks at a time. I wouldn’t consider it finished at all, I tried to delay my review, too - and now I'll just list what I can and can't remember, be it a good or bad thing.

The story revolves around Theodore Trombull who, at about age eleven, enters the doors of the titular Baldwin Hotel and finds himself a year back to his life - either time travelling or skipping through a parallel universe. This experience changes his life forever, influencing his future actions as well as bringing repercussions on his mental wellbeing. He literally cannot escape from his “past”, especially since he finds the same doors that brought this conundrum in his new life…

It’s interesting to see how ethics and moral codes could be applied to this sort of case – should he change the course of his actions? Will trying to save someone truly change the outcome and the final body count? Is money made already knowing what you’re investing in any different than blood money?

In theory, it would’ve been great. But the execution was lacking. As was lacking the characterisation: one-dimensional and not very well-developed, they felt more like caricatures than characters; we have so little insight into their motivations, backgrounds and desires, it is difficult to be invested in them. The women in particular are disturbingly over-described without contributing much to the plot.

I think it would've been a great concept - were it executed and developed differently.

This book is very original, and for a 'time travel,' it's approached uniquely. The erudite author shines through in their writing right from the beginning, leaving me to wonder if this was something I wanted to tackle mentally.
However, The Baldwin Hotel left me confused, unfulfilled, and wanting. This strange little book mixed time travel, mental illness, serial killers, and unreliable narrators into one messy jumbled package.
I found the flow of the story to be disjointed and often wondered if what I was reading was "real life" or the MC's internal conversations with himself.
The characters were all unlikeable. The characters made to be likable had so little development that I could not connect with what happened to them. Some parts were designed to be moving and emotional, but I didn't have the connection to the plot or characters to be affected by it.
I was hoping things would shake out, and I would get all the pieces to fit finally, but that never happened. Why include a serial killer? Why even name them if they have no involvement in the story beyond a marker in time? Who was the random "bad man" that Sarah had over at her house? Why did Edward/Theo/Theodore seem to have developmental limitations that were never addressed or mentioned, for that matter? How did "Theo" kill his dad? Did he even kill his dad? I don't know what I was reading, but I had to sit there while it happened to me.
2 Stars for the unique ideas. -3 for the poor execution.

A decent scifi mystery. I stated engaged overall, and enjoyed the plot and some of the characters. The story seemed flimsy at times, but hey it's a story.

Thanks very much for the free review copy for review!!

I read the description of the book and was hooked, I wanted to read it. I received the review copy and tried so hard to really get into the book but just could not. I did push myself to finish it, but it was honestly a struggle. I found that character development was lacking to such a point that the story seemed weak. Not understanding a character's motives and feelings or even where they are coming from or why they are the way they are makes it difficult. Further more flipping back and forth between worlds/times is so confusing for the reader.

I honestly think the idea behind the book and story was good but maybe needed to be developed a bit more before print.

A lot of time, authors will arrange the story in such a way to mimic the content of the novel; we might see a parts that are slow being told with unhurried, expansive prose or parts told out-of-order in order to create suspense, build tension, or create confusion for the reader that parallels the chaotic mind of a character.

Busch does a really good job of creating chaos in the story; the first chapter drops us smack dab in the middle of the plot and bounces us around across multiple timelines and states of consciousness of the main character, Theodore. So much of the story takes place only in Theo's mind that it is difficult to keep track of what is real and what is imagined. As stated earlier, I think this is done on purpose in order to make us feel the same madness that Theo is experiencing. However, I am not the biggest fan of books that don't conclude in a way that feels unresolved and Busch definitely employs this plot device. I don't mind questioning what I'm reading so long as the author concludes the novel in such a way that I feel some sort of resolution. I finished this book and found myself thinking, "What the heck did I just read?" and I spent days afterward trying to make the pieces of the story fit together.

I had a hard time rating this book, but I've decided to go 4 stars. I think that the concept was engaging and original. I think that Busch showed great skill as a writer in his execution of this novel. If it had a conclusion that made some of the rising action make sense, I would probably give it 5 stars. But because I don't like stories that end this way, I'm going with 4 stars. If you enjoy a story that is going to stay in your head long after you've finished it, I think you'll love "The Baldwin Hotel". If you prefer a tidy ending, read at your own risk.

This book was a little hard for me to follow. The book makes the past and future collide in the mind binding plunge into choices and consequences. Theodore Trumball meets his new boss, who has a connection to his past. The boss plays a pivotal role in determining Theodore’s future.

The name and description of this book caught my eye, but it didn't live up to what I had hoped for.

This one felt a lot like a duplicate of The Paradox Hotel at times. I preferred Paradox Hotel over this, though because I don't care for video games.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just as a forewarning, I am not a huge fan of Sci-Fi or time travel so my opinions may not be relevant to you. I just wasn't really into this book at all.

I had high hopes for it, but the whole book was too confusing. It could have been a pretty good story, despite of it was poorly developed.

This was a great concept but alas poor execution.

I really didn't like the writing and the way female characters were described in vivd detail, from their bodies to the way they dressed. I could not make myself read this book, and would honestly not recommend it to anyone. It started off confusing, and went downhill from there.

The Baldwin Hotel by Lonnie Busch is described as a scifi mystery but there wasn't anything mysterious about it. The story centers on Theodore Trumbull, who at age 11, seems to have an experience of time travel or intradimensional travel that influences the rest of his life. He grows up feeling disconnected from others and is described as though he is often trapped inside his own head. He stumbles into adulthood and seeks out a job in a video game industry. Unfortunately he discovers that the building where he is working houses the same revolving doors as the hotel where he experienced his time shift.
The story's idea of time shifts and quantum physic was a creative one. However, it was lost in the confusion and the repetitiveness of the plot. How many times do we have to read about his waking up to roaches or his going to work?
The characters were one dimensional, with stale dialog. Every conversation with Theodore was boring and the same conversations were had over and over again. For example, everyone kept asking him if he was listening or if he was alright. Theodore was described as an odd, lanky, bald, introvert with zero personality. Yet he managed to have two beautiful women interested in him. It didn't seem to fit.
I liked the idea that Theodore tried to change time for the betterment of others versus Cantwell trying to change for the betterment of himself. I liked the idea of the science. I just thought that the characters and plot could be developed in a way that was more exciting to the reader.
Thanks to Netgalley and UBiq Press for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

The description of this book sounded great, but I found it really hard to get into. It just didn't hold my interest, and I can't say I was that invested in any of the characters. Creative premise, but not for me, I guess, as I found it confusing and a little one-dimensional. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, tho!