This story follows Anna Alonso who always has everything planned out in her life, including her own family. After her sister gets married, and Anna learns her sister is moving away ruining all of Anna's plans, she heads home with her father and his friends when a tornado hits and they get into accident that only Anna can get out of the car and get help at the Houdini where they happened to crash. Anna enters the lobby and the inside is nothing like the outside and not anything she expected, plus there seems to be no one there until she meets a boy who tells her if she doesn't leave by the next midnight, she will be stuck in the Houdini forever.

This book is written in a way that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, The Night Circus, and The Starless Sea. It's quirky and almost all over the place, but I'm pretty sure that is the point. It's magical and makes you want to wander around this magical hotel that has new rooms you can keep discovering.

Anna was not my favorite, however, she grew on me as the story progressed. She definitely has a Type A personality, which drives me nuts, but I admire her tenacity, logical mind, stubbornness, and sense of love and loyalty. It was interesting to see her learn about magic when she has such a logical mind. it's just so hard for her to accept it, and then to be around this boy who just seems to have stars in his eyes whenever he looks at her, and yet she is wary of him since she's been hurt before by people, and has a hard time trusting. Seeing her grow was lovely to see.

Then there is Max. Poor Max. He is like this golden retriever learning about a world he's never been to, and learning about how lonely he has been. It breaks your heart to read about him and you just want to be there to help him and hug him.

The romance is definitely instalove, although in Max's case, maybe not so much. I liked it and also wasn't a huge fan of it. It was very cute, and sweet, just not my favorite.

A couple things that had me give this 4 stars: There was one scene in here that I was confused with Anna because one time the boy grabs her hand to have her follow him, and she tells him he can't just do that, just touch her like that. And then literally a couple pages over within her inner monologue, she is saying how much she wants him to touch her. She was contradictory like that, and with a subject like that, you're either okay with it or not, and I guess I did not understand that small incident. Maybe not a big deal to some, but I just thought this was a bit confusing.

Then the history of the hotel. This was not well explained at. all. There is a moment where you get an idea of how it came about, but there is no detail. I wish the history was more fleshed out and I got more information about how this hotel truly started and why. I would explain more about what I mean, but it would severely spoil the story. I will just say, I would have liked to learn more about the history of the hotel and the origin of its magic.

Overall, if you love The Night Circus or Alice in Wonderland, I think you would enjoy the magic and wonder of this book! I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I picked this book because of its title, figuring out that it had something to do with magic. And I was right: Anna Alonso was traumatized by this birthday party she attended back when she was a kid: her mom dressed her up in this super cute princessy outfit and all the girls at the party ended up making fun of her. After this major embarrassment, she focused on her academics, not going out, not hanging out with friends.,.. her only friend really was her big sister. Jumping forward to when Anna was 16: she plans her sister wedding. Everything is going great until Anna's dad makes this surprise announcement about offering the bride and her groom and condo in NY. Anna is devastated because this move made all her plans crash and burn. She hates her dad for pulling this on that special night that ends up in a never-seen-before thunderstorm. She is in a vehicle with her dad and two of her dad's best friends, Tony and Sebastian. her dad in this real estate mogul and they decide to take shelter in the closest building of theirs, which is the Houdini. The two friends are not thrilled to spend even a minute inside that old and dusty hotel, but Anna's dad wants them all safe, so that's where they're headed. And that's when the story really starts! This is all about the hotel, its mafic, what the backstory of this hotel is, how Anna's dad could even own a magical hotel, does the hotel want to hurt or protect Anna?, who are these people inhabiting the hotel?< can we exit this hotel?, is the hotel manipulating Anna, will Anna ever find her dad within the hotel?,.. I loved the backstory of the hotel and the people living in it, and the resolve was so good! You have to go blind into this book to enjoy the full experience of Houdini. I also enjoyed the Alice In Wonderland vibe throughout. So glad I read this one!

Thank you Net Galley and Delacorte Press for this e-ARC in exchange of a honest review.

Took me a while to get into this one, but when I did, I ended up loving the atmosphere and world-building. Intriguing premise and well-executed.

1/5 stars
DNF at 15%
Confusing and wasn't capturing my attention. I may come back to it in the future.

Midnight at the Houdini by @delilahsdawson is one of my favourite ARCs of 2023, courtesy of @netgalley 💫

A magical romance in a hotel stuck in another dimension, Midnight at the Houdini is a mystery with fantastic old-timey vibes 💜 I absolutely loved the vintage setting (and the old fashioned time interest) and the MC's, Anna, reaction to it!

I also loved Anna. A logical perfectionist, she has a hard time suspending disbelief but the magic- and Max- win her over.

The atmosphere stayed with me long after I finished, and I wish I could enter the pages of this book! On shelves tomorrow, if it sounds good, pick it up 💜

This book has an interesting premise, but the execution was lacking.

The pacing was off and modern setting didn't seem to work.

DNF @25%

I was looking forward to this one since the idea of a magic hotel is so interesting, but so far, I'm underwhelmed. I'm really struggling with the writing style, which feels very middle grade, and the plot doesn't feel very original. Unfortunately, I'm not invested enough to continue reading, but I'm sure others, especially fans of books like Caraval, will enjoy this one.

Midnight at the Houdini was such a mysterious, sometimes spooky, but also romantic read!

Anna and Max were great protagonists, and while Anna had her flaws (that were the premise of all of her character development), she wasn't annoying or unrealistic. Her need for control was based in something that was well established, so while I got frustrated at her need for logic sometimes, it was also really understandable. I would want logic, too, if I were trapped in a magical hotel. Max was absolutely precious and eager to learn about the outside world, and I loved him so much! I wanted to protect both of them so much throughout the whole book.

Overall, this book was so whimsical, a little dark, and right up my alley! I loved it so much!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delilah S. Dawson for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Midnight at the Houdini coming out September 5, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Life has gone pretty much according to plan for Anna. She chooses to stay in the background and her sister Emily, shine in the spotlight. But on Emily’s wedding night, Anna learns that her sister is moving away. She feels abandoned. Devastated, Anna leaves the reception in the middle of a raging storm, taking shelter in a hotel she’s never seen before: the Houdini.

The Houdini is no ordinary hotel, with its old time velvet couches, marble tiled floors, secret restaurants, winding passageways, and an undercurrent of magic in the air. And when Anna meets Max, who has lived his entire life inside its walls, she’s mesmerized. For the first time in her life, Anna is the main character, in an enchanting place that knows her every desire, with a boy who only sees her.

But there’s a horrifying secret hidden in the Houdini. When the grand clock strikes midnight, Anna will be trapped there forever unless she can escape from its dreamlike magic. But will she be able to, even if it means leaving Max?

I’ve read a couple stories about magical hotels stuck in time. I really enjoy the genre. This is my second book by this author and I really enjoy her writing. I thought the plot was really fascinating. I loved the idea of being trapped in a magical place and deciding whether to try and get out or stay. The romance was a little too instant for me, but I guess it’s part of being caught up in the magical world. The backstory with the parents was a little confusing and dark, but I really loved the plot with the magic hotel.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys time warp hotels!

Magical hotels-- have such promise at the beginning but I always find the execution of them lackluster. I mean, a death hotel a la HH Holmes, sure, I'm behind that but magical hotels haven't worked. In this one a jilted sister flees and ends up at the awkward midnight hotel, greeted by a rabbit in a cage and is sucked down into the hotel where disingenuous things have been happening controlled by a sinister woman who happens to be related to the boy she just befriended at the hotel.

There's a lot of narrative that doesn't paint a vivid portrait of this Houdini hotel to give me the atmospheric ambience that I was hoping for because I waited since the opening chapters of the story didn't quite pull me in either.

Conceptually, it worked but the execution didn't for me.

Less American Horror Story for YA and more Are You Afraid of The Dark for Middle Grade.

This was a fun read and I really loved the concept of the book especially from an imagination standpoint. If you were a child that loved the lands of Narnia, Wonderland and Oz (or are an adult who still does), I think you would find this to be a quick and enjoyable read.
I felt like the world building was well done, but I do wish the characters were a little more fleshed out. Other minor criticisms would be the lack of tension/conflict (or conflict being too easily resolved).

Great book! A little Alice and a littler modern too. I love it when there are twists!!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this title.

I absolutely LOVED this book!
It's like Ready Player One and The Shining had a literary love child born with a sprinkle of magic.
The romantic elements weren't sickly sweet, but heartwarming, the villains were unexpected and absolutely awful, and the twists and turns kept me reading all through the night.
People of all ages will love this one, as it hits the mark on so many levels.

Midnight at the Houdini filled a void I have been chasing since Caraval! The world building and setting was phenomenal and the main characters were intriguing as well. A very cute romance mixed in makes it a must read.

Wow, what a fun read! This had a zippy mystery that kept me on my toes, gorgeous descriptions that made me wish I could visit, and a super cute little love story.

This book was so good! It definitely gave Caraval vibes and I loved that the magic of the Houdini allowed Anna to open herself back up to the possibility of magic in the real world. Max was so sweet and wholesome and I loved everything about him.
The Houdini was so cool and magical and I loved wondering what it would do next.
The ending made me so happy and hopeful!
Overall, an amazing read.

I'm a bit torn on how to rate this one. I think the premise of this book was really fun and enjoyable. I just wasn't a fan of the execution of it. This is supposed to be a YA book but it ended up feeling like a middle grade read. The main character is 16 years old but I feel the way she acts doesn't reflect that. I also just felt like there was too much going on in the story. We kept getting a bunch of POVs. I always say I love a book with multiple POVs. However I just was struggling to follow along with them. Also some of them just felt unnecessary. It really is a shame because I wanted to like this. It just didn't do it for me like I thought it would. I probably will end up checking out another book from Delilah at some point. I always like giving authors second chances.

This really pulled me in! The setting was spectacular - it was almost like the hotel was it's own character. That said, the main characters were intriguing, and the romance was very sweet! I can see appeal to younger teens, as well, so it will be added to my reader's advisory list.

The writing style felt a bit impersonal and flat. I couldn't connect with the main character. However I did enjoy the premise of the story. The idea of a magic world so near to ours is intriguing. The ending chapter felt like a recap of information we as readers should already know. It seemed unnecessary.

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for allowing me to read and review this title.

This was a fun, fast paced read that allows you to take a trip into the magic and mystery of Houdini! I would put this at a younger YA novel and felt the interactions between the characters were appropriate. I think the author did a good job creating the world and it made it easy to imagine I was there following along.