Juliet Blackwell used t9 have a haunted house series that reminded me of this book. The scenes in the hotel/asylum were good scary, and I enjoyed the tension in those scenes. The rest of the book was okay, but seemed uneven and a little all over the place.

I’m going to be up front and say this was not what I was expecting. It looked like it would be this intense thriller but honestly, it felt more like a cozy mystery and I wasn’t mad about it. I thought the writing was good, the characters were pretty well developed and the mystery of The Hotel Seabrink kept my interest. I mean, who doesn’t love a story about a potentially haunted and abandoned hotel (that may or may not be cursed)?! If you’re looking for an atmospheric mystery that isn’t gory and has touch of romance and some female friendship, definitely check this out!

I did enjoy this book although it lost my attention a couple times. It was very detailed and had a spooky aspect to it just a bit boring at times

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley!
This book had all the components I love in an eerie thriller: abandoned asylum, isolated grounds, historical background, and of course ghosts. The author is incredible at setting the scene and they obviously did their research when writing descriptive details. I like our main character but the side characters weren’t as memorable to me. I also would have liked more of the suspense element throughout but overall I was engaged and enjoyed the story.

Aubrey Spencer who loves to takes photographs of old and abandoned places. Aubrey stumbles upon the Hotel Seabrink, that was the "IT" place for celebrites in the 1920's. The Seabrink is eeriely untouched by looters and only by the elements of the weather and time. Aubrey thought she was alone in the hotel until she starts to hear strange noises. A piano playing and a flute. As Aubrey acends the grand staircase to the upper floors she runs into Dimitri Petroff, who has a YouTube channel about abandoned places. Aubrey knows that she has seen him before but can't put her finger on where. Then it comes to her and they begain chatting. The continue together as they finish touring the hotel and end up in the basement where the famous mineral baths are. The next morning Dimitri is found dead and Aubrey can't believe that he would kill himself. As she digs deeper into the Hotel Seabrink, the more Aubrey feels that someone is after her. This was a quick read full of mystery, curses, and a history that you could not even imagine. I absoultely loved this book from the first chapter. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Berkley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

Ohhhhh this was spooky! And perfect for my little thriller heart. This was fast paced and love that when it comes to thrillers. Very twisty and kept me guessing throughout.

This book was dark, atmospheric and twisty. I enjoyed every minute spent in it's pages and I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to see what this author does next!

This one had all the spooky, seaside, haunted hotel vibes I love. Aubrey is a photographer obsessed with old buildings (relatable), and the Seabrink Hotel? Creepy perfection. It’s abandoned, falling apart, and packed with rumors of ghosts, tragedies, and a whole lot of stuff that doesn’t want to stay buried.

The story really kicks off when Aubrey snaps a photo of the hotel and sees something—or someone—in the shot that wasn’t there before. Then a guy she just met (Dimitri, fellow abandoned-building nerd) ends up dead, and suddenly it’s clear this is way more than just urban exploration gone wrong.

There’s murder, there’s local folklore, there’s even a dark twist about the hotel’s past as an asylum. It gave me the perfect mix of eerie and twisty. I loved that the book didn’t go full-on supernatural, but kept that edge of “maybe there’s more going on here than just old buildings and bad memories.”

A few parts slowed down a bit while Aubrey was piecing together the backstory, but it was still super readable. And the ending? Satisfyingly dark with just the right amount of closure.

If you’re into crumbling buildings, ghost stories, and amateur sleuths who can’t leave things alone (even when they definitely should), this one’s a solid pick. Just maybe don’t go exploring abandoned hotels alone.

The building has a long history of different uses and curses. Now it isn't quite as abandoned because there is a firm that wants to resurrect its usefulness. But there's still the death curse and the ghosts. The photographer trespasses with others and comes to feel a deep need to investigate the death of a man she met there. The story is twisty and atmospheric and good to read on a dark and stormy night.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected digital proof from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. Pub Date Jul 29, 2025
#AsylumHotel by @julietblackwellauthor #NetGalley @berkleypub @penguinrandomhouse #thriller
#supernatural #mysteries #abandonedbuilding #atmospheric #scary #spooky #eerie #photographer

A great premise with the delightfully creepy setting of an abandoned hotel/former asylum, but the protagonist fell a little flat for me. I liked the supporting characters, and I liked the story, but the dialogue frequently felt a little heavy handed.

All in all, I would recommend it- it’s another a solid stand alone novel by Juliet Blackwell, who I like a lot.

3.5 stars, rounded up to four.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a great story! Very suspenseful and interesting. I really enjoyed reading it! I would definitely recommend.

Asylum Hotel is a unique blend of mystery, history, and the supernatural. The world building was very well done, making it easy to picture the eerie charm of the old hotel.

I did feel that several of the chapters and side stories didn’t lead anywhere, leaving me with several unanswered questions. Other than that, the story was engaging and fast-paced.

If you love gothic mysteries with a richly woven history and a few well-placed chills, Asylum Hotel is a must-read.

While photographing the abandoned Seabrink Hotel, Aubrey meets Dimitri Petroff, a YouTube star who films abandoned sites for his channel. As they tour the old hotel grounds, they quickly hit it off with their love of old buildings. When he is found dead the next morning, the police are quick to rule his death as a suicide, but Aubrey believes his death might be related to the Hotel. As Aubrey digs further into the Hotel's dark past, she discovers information on another murder several decades before Dimitri's death. Aubrey is determined to find the truth about both murders, but someone will stop at nothing to keep Aubrey from discovering the truth.

When it comes to the world building of the Seabrink Hotel, this book is beautifully done. I loved the history that went into this story and the description of the abandoned hotel makes me want to visit the hotel myself. Aubrey's investigation into Dimitri's death brings the dark history of the hotel to life and makes you question if someone murdered Dimitri or if a paranormal force is responsible for Dimitri's death. My only disappointment with this book was the ending. The conclusion seemed rushed and the explanation unconvincing. Overall, I enjoyed reading Asylum Hotel and even with my disappointment in the ending, I truly enjoyed the mystery of the Seabrink Hotel.

Asylum Hotel comes out July 29th.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to review Asylum Hotel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Creepy, emotional, and totally gripping—Asylum Hotel pulls you into a decaying old hotel with a dark past (it used to be an asylum, of course), and doesn’t let go. Sarah, the main character, comes back to confront her past and ends up uncovering way more than she bargained for.

The vibes are gothic and eerie, with just enough supernatural weirdness to keep you guessing. But it’s not just about ghosts—it’s also about trauma, mental health, and how the past sticks with us. Juliet Blackwell writes with a lot of heart, and the twists near the end are worth the slow burn.

Rating: 4 ⭐️
Perfect if you’re into moody mysteries with a psychological edge and a touch of the paranormal.

Thank you to #netgalley, #julietblackwell and #berkleynewyork for this ARC

The story was fast paced, intriguing, beautifully descriptive, and a had spook spook element. While it did feel a bit slow in the middle with a bunch of running around, it tied in pretty well. The cover caught my eye and I’m glad I was able to read these. I will definitely be checking out some of the authors other work

The world building is done with so much care that I felt like I had checked into the hotel. The woods, the Gatsby era decaying building and various shops were alive with sound and scenery descriptions. The story itself was lacking in the same complexity. I could not keep the supporting characters straight without multiple instances of backtracking. The clues leading the reader to the climax of the story were so sparse that I barely remembered reading them. I would have preferred this book without the supernatural elements, but the concept had potential if executed differently.

This book surprised me. It’s incredibly descriptive—at times even bordering on overly flowery (I mean, “elegiac”? Bold choice)—but once I settled into the rhythm, I found it easy to read and genuinely hard to put down.

The characters felt grounded and real, especially in how they interacted. Conversations felt natural, and Aubrey, our protagonist, was refreshingly sharp and relatable. That said, it did get a little confusing when she was referred to as “Spencer” in third-person—it took me a beat to realize we were still talking about the same person.

One unexpected bonus? I now know what a “poor house” is. There’s a lot of hidden history here, and the family secrets woven throughout the plot are wild. Think tangled family trees, illicit relationships, and the kind of generational mess you just know is going to unravel poorly. And it does—in the best way.

Some standout characters (especially “the quiet girl”) helped add depth, while others (cough Ty) had me visibly scowling. I was genuinely invested in figuring out how all the timelines, ghosts, and mysteries would come together.

The vibe is very much haunted-house-meets-historical-mystery, and while not groundbreaking, it’s definitely entertaining. If you’re into gothic-tinged thrillers that don’t require too much mental heavy lifting, this one’s a fast, twisty, satisfying read.

I loved the historical fiction component to this book along with the paranormal element. I enjoyed the characters and the strong female lead. This book was intriguing from the beginning and kept my interest and wanting to find out what happened next.

Aubrey takes what should have been a relaxing vacation after a difficult loss. While doing one of her favorite things, exploring & photographing an abandoned hotel, she encounters a person with whom she finds a connection but a tragic event sends her down a rabbit hole that results in her vacation being anything but relaxing as she fights to unravel many a mystery about this person and this hotel’s sordid past.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

In Asylum Hotel, Juliet Blackwell delivers a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling, deftly weaving together mystery, history, and the supernatural within the hauntingly beautiful ruins of a once-grand Art Deco seaside hotel. Set against the rugged Northern California coastline, the narrative unfurls with the elegance and intrigue of old Hollywood, as whispers of curses and ghostly presences echo through cobwebbed corridors and overgrown grounds. Blackwell’s meticulous attention to detail breathes life into the decaying glamour of the setting, rendering it as much a character in the story as the people who inhabit it.

At the heart of the novel is Aubrey, a photographer tasked with documenting the Seabrink Hotel ahead of its restoration. Her arrival marks the beginning of a journey that deftly straddles the boundary between past and present, reality and myth. The narrative takes a sharp turn when she encounters the enigmatic Dimitri—an apparent kindred spirit—only to discover his lifeless body the following day. From this moment, Blackwell propels the reader into a gripping mystery marked by eerie coincidences and unsettling revelations.

Blackwell’s talent lies not only in constructing an engaging plot but in her ability to sustain a tone of suspense that is both intellectually compelling and emotionally resonant. Her prose is richly descriptive, imbuing each scene with a cinematic quality that invites the reader to inhabit the novel’s eerie, shadowed world. Characters are drawn with psychological depth and nuance, particularly Aubrey, whose inner conflict mirrors the novel’s central tension: the pull between rationality and the inexplicable.

With a narrative that continuously teases the line between logical deduction and supernatural possibility, The Asylum Hotel challenges readers to question the nature of truth and perception. It is a story that rewards careful reading, rich in folklore and layered with meaning, all while maintaining a taut pace and a sense of unease that lingers long after the final page. In this work, Blackwell proves herself a masterful storyteller whose command of tone, setting, and character elevates the novel beyond mere genre fiction into something truly memorable.

The premise is fantastic. A glamorous old hotel mired in mysterious deaths, ghost sightings and curses. Add in potential illegitimate heirs, missing jewels, and rich land developers and it's like a modern day Scooby Doo episode!

The world building and setting descriptions are beautifully done. The little towns sound so charming you'll want to visit. The hotel is described in loving detail, creating a creepy, atmospheric backdrop.

Unfortunately the execution got mired in far too many side plots, most of which ultimately didn't matter. Chapters are devoted to leads that never go anywhere, and serve no purpose in furthering the story. Several aspects are barely explained or wrapped up. The villain reveal comes out of nowhere, souring the ending. And the clunky dialogue didn't help any of these matters. There were a lot of very unnatural and unrealistic conversations that took me out of the action.

Ultimately this book is like the Seabrink Hotel itself...great bones, intricately detailed, but with grand ambitions that didn't quite pan out.