Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

Evie is a travel agent, who attends a destination wedding in Nice, France,

A dead body turns up and she helps search for the killer. this was such a good read and I love reading about France. Made me feel like I was on vacation.

I found the writing style choppy, with unrealistic flow. The characters had inner dialogue and then said the opposite of what they were thinking. There was a murder of a family member, but the characters did not react in appropriate measures, the brother was more concerned with his next meal and even used the hotel patio where his brother was killed for morning coffee. The romance, mystery, and bad guys were not executed in any satisfactory ways. I had to force myself to finish this book and did not enjoy the time spent.

The Boutique Hotel is a murder mystery with a delightful bit of romance. It’s a fun, quick read. I appreciated Evie’s struggles to gain footing as a travel agent while navigating questionable dealings at the hotel. As well, the descriptions made me feel immersed in the setting. The book was highly relatable and one I would recommend.
Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read.

A destination thriller set around a wedding in Nice. It was an okay read but there were too many potholes and characters to get engaged with. Romance, murder and child Labour laws did not make and compelling mix.

Thank you Melissa D MacKinnon for an ARC of this book.

This book is sadly a DNF for me. I was really excited about the premise and tried my best to give it a shot. While the idea of the story really hooked me in I felt like the actual story was all over the place. Every character felt like they were in a different type of book. The insta love felt romance, the everyday struggles felt lit fic, the dead body felt thriller, and the friendship felt very coming of age- for me it didn’t work together. I do think this book will have an audience and be extremely loved but I don’t think it was for me.

Boutique Hotel

When my ARC request for this book was approved I was so excited. That excitement quickly dissipated, sadly. The underlying premise was interesting and the book was faced paced, for sure. But it tried to be too much: insta love, amateur detective, cinnamon roll MMC but damaged FMC not ready for MMC’s love, political commentary. And, I think I could have gotten past all of that except the dialogue reads like everyone has overdosed on Valium—it’s basically stream of consciousness and it becomes very grating very fast.

The premise is interesting: a new boutique budget hotel opens in Niece but the morning after a wedding a dead body is discovered. But this book just can’t decide what it’s going to be. Will it be contemporary fiction set at a beautiful location? Is it a murder mystery? Is it a social justice story exploring immigrant child exploitation? Or is it the hangover with characters potentially having been drugged (never addressed, just implied) trying to piece together a night out preceding a he murder? It’s totally unclear to me how any of these characters are connected at the onset of the story, any problem is instantly resolved, the damaged FMC goes from being weak and submissive for 50% of the book to automatically being assertive after one night of post-wedding drinks. And, upon seeing one another, 2 of the characters are madly and passionately in love. No, just no.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and opine.

I want to thank netgalley and the publisher for my copy of the book in exchange for my review. I loved the mystery aspect of this book. It’s a women's fiction book wrapped up in a mystery plot set in Nice, France. Evie’s struggle was palpable and her commitment to work and fear of not having money was so well put across. . I loved that a lot of other characters made their presence felt in the book and loved the way the mystery unfolded.

Her relationship with Jacob is slow-burning and did not work for me. It was at the edge of being good but the author always seemed to move away from that precipice. 😕
All in all, a good book if you love a woo-dun-it

This book was the opposite of what I expected.

Did I like it and would I recommend it? Yes.

It's a murder mystery....wrapped in a romance... and served with a side of bubbles, all set at a chic retreat in the South of France.....

...but this book also delves deep into the complex and uncomfortable landscape of child labor laws and how they are viewed and interpreted through different cultural lenses.

A thought provoking read and a great discussion contender for bookclubs.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I thought I would. It had someInteresting characters some twists along the way that I didnt see coming.
Thank you netgalley for being able to preview this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book!

A solid murder mystery with slight romance in the gorgeous and picturesque setting of a wedding in Nice, France.

I attempted to read this but it was very difficult to get into it. Every so many paragraphs, the font goes large and bold, and reads, “ A D V A N C E D R E A D E R COPY;” and goes on with the story, still large and bold. It then goes back to the original font size and begins a new paragraph saying, “No t f or R e sale or Dis tr ibu t ionKlara’s hunched on…” this goes on through all that I got through of the book. I understand why, but it is very distracting. I couldn’t finish this book.

Thank you this was a very fun easy read I stayed up all night reading till the very last day I’m over joyed with this story I live the setting beautiful wedding the destination was great yesssss

The Boutique Hotel is an overall enjoyable read that transports readers to the picturesque coasts of Nice, France. The vivid descriptions of the setting truly stood out—I felt like I was right there alongside Evie and Jacob, soaking in the ambiance. The plot was engaging, seamlessly weaving together elements of mystery and romance as Evie and Jacob join forces to investigate a murder.

However, I found the pacing a bit uneven at times; certain sections felt rushed with too many developments happening all at once. Additionally, I would have appreciated more background on Evie and Jacob’s past relationships earlier in the story. While it’s mentioned that both are coming out of previous relationships, more context up front would have deepened my investment in their budding romance.

Despite these minor critiques, The Boutique Hotel is a fun and quick read—perfect for the summertime!

Evie is a travel agent, who attends a destination wedding in Nice, France, but when a dead body turns up she helps search for the killer.

Interesting characters and several twists along the way. A very good read
Thank you to Melissa D MacKinnon, NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

This was a fun way to kick off a warm sunny weekend. A destination wedding in Nice, France brings together a mixed group of lawyers trying to get prenups squared away, a travel agent trying to mix business with pleasure and old college friends of the groom's brother. What starts off as a fun getaway at the newly renovated, budget priced Boutique Hotel of Nice, turns darker when children keep turning up, without seeming to belong to any guests, and then travel agent Evie finds a body in the bushes by the pool.

Two mysteries, a fancy wedding, hookups and love connections, annoying bosses, and the beautiful sun drenched south of France make this a good, quick read.

My only complaint, was that the "watermarks" on the free readers copy that I got, were very, VERY intrusive - often appearing in the middle of a sentence. And the first page was so messed up that I'm not entirely sure, exactly how the book actually begins. The transitions from character view points were also jarring and I imagine that's largely because of the odd page breaks, and watermarks due to the reader copy version.

The Boutique Hotel was overall an enjoyable book, transporting the readers to the coasts of Nice, France. I really enjoyed how descriptive the setting was, it really felt like I was there with Evie and Jacob. The plot was fun as well and it was great to have both mystery and romance tied into it as Evie and Jacob work together to investigate the murder. I do think that the pacing could have been a bit more consistent, sometimes it felt like too many things were happening at once. It also would've been nice to have more insight into Evie and Jacob's previous relationships right at the beginning of the book. It was just mentioned that they came out of relationships but having more context would've had me more invested in their love story from the get go. Regardless, this book is fun short read and is a perfect read for the summer time!

I just finished a great book. The Boutique Hotel by Melissa D Mackinnon is out this summer. Pick it up!

I absolutely adored this book. It’s a delicious blend of mystery, romance, and self-discovery wrapped in the glamorous, sun-soaked charm of Nice, France. Evie’s journey felt so relatable, trying to prove herself in her career while navigating heartbreak and unexpected danger. The way her relationship with Jacob unfolds is slow-burning and real, full of those awkward, tentative moments that make romance feel genuine and heartfelt. The themes of justice and personal growth resonated deeply with me. The twists kept me guessing and glued to the pages, but it was the emotional depth; the vulnerabilities and connections that truly made this story shine. I loved how the romance wasn’t rushed or forced; it grew naturally amidst the suspense, making the story feel balanced and real. This book reminded me that sometimes the greatest discoveries happen when we face the unexpected, and I couldn’t get enough.