Suzanne Young

On the way to spend a summer with her grandmother after the sudden death of her mother, seventeen-year-old Audrey, her older brother Daniel, and their father happen upon the Hotel Ruby, a luxurious place filled with unusual guests and little chance of ever leaving.

Hotel Ruby

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights ReviewsAudrey, her brother Daniel and her father arrive very late at night at Hotel Ruby, just to pass the night and then be on their way to Audrey and Daniel's grandma's house to live. At first, Audrey is fascinated by the Ruby and she gets along very well with the employees but the Ruby has secrets and suddenly Audrey and her family are staying night after night. Audrey can't help but feel that something is wrong and maybe this hotel isn't safe for her family.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Before starting, I read a few negative reviews and that lowered my expectations but I am glad I didn't give up on it because the story was unique and very interesting. The characters were captivating. I loved Audrey's love for her family, especially for her brother Daniel—she would literally die for him. I got a tad frustrated with Audrey because she'd be naive and wouldn't keep on searching for answers—she would accept things as they were in the beginning and I wanted her to keep on going, to ask questions and figure out what was wrong. Still, it gave for a great ending and I loved how much she cared for all of the employees at the hotel as well.

I was skeptical of Elias' character. I wasn't sure of his true intentions but he surprised me... More than surprised me! Each of the supporting characters surprised me a lot. I actually liked all of them except two but one of them shall not be mentioned. The rest of the characters were fantastic. They brought an equal balance of joy and sadness to the story. I had kind of guessed one of the big secrets in the beginning (I say one because there was another that left me shocked) but wasn't completely sure so I pushed that thought aside but WOW! When I read it in the story, it felt real and emotional. The employees at the hotel are ghosts. They had died when the hotel caught on fire years ago.  The other thing that I have to mention about the supporting characters is that they brought many emotions to the story once one of the secrets was revealed. I had gotten so attached to them and when the reveal happened, I felt so many emotions at once and it's rare for that to happen to me with the supporting characters.

I give props to the author. Suzanne gave a new perspective to the hotel. It's like she made the hotel come to life with the way she worded everything about this hotel and its secrets. The descriptions of it gave the story a haunted feel and everything was so vividly descriptive! What I would have wanted to be added to the story was how Audrey and her family were before her mom passed away and after. Some scenes are present in the story but not dived into entirely and I wanted to learn more of her family as a whole and as individuals as well. Also, it could have probably been longer when it came to their stay at the hotel since relationships are formed very fast. Still, this didn't put me off from the story at all. I was captivated by it all and I wanted to know more.

Overall, this story was a success and it will keep you hooked until the end without letting go.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews

Beckah brooks

“Sometimes the beautiful memories are the saddest ones of all"
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-I struggle a little with giving it 3 stars, I would like to give it 3 1/2 at least. It’s good but not great, still worth the read-
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This book was so good! I’ll admit it took a lot longer to get into the book then I was expecting after reading Young’s other books. In the beginning it was kind of confusing, which I soon learned was because it’s the slow unravel till the last possible moment. However, once I got into the book(maybe half way) all bets were off, I devoured it. 
The book was so beautiful, once I realized what was happening. I will admit I bawled very much, complete with the hiccups. I won’t spoil the ending but it’s so freaking beautiful I loved it. This is the kind of book you want to go back a reread to see all of the clues. 
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In Hotel Ruby, Audrey, her brother(Daniel), and her father are on a cross country road trip to “visit” their grandparents for the summer. They both know that after their moms death their father is most likely dropping them off to stay. However, on the way there they take a detour and stop at Hotel Ruby, intending to stay only one night. Curious things start happening, there at or may not be a boy and new friends involved. I invite you to pick up this book and enjoy your stay at Hotel Ruby.

Elfie Jeong

As my first finished book of the new year, I had high hopes for Suzanne Young. I’ve loved every other book she’s written and the Hotel Ruby was no exception. While the story was a bit predictable ( I figured out what was going on early on ) the way it ended was still satisfying. The only real gripe I have with it, is that a lot of Suzanne’s works carry a similar pattern of the main female protagonist falling in love with a stranger very ( aka too ) quickly, in my opinion. Frankly, that’s a common theme with many authors though so I can’t say it was too shocking. 

All in all, the Hotel Ruby was interesting and beautiful, and maintained my expectations in Suzanne Young’s writing!

ashley hopkins

IN A NUTSHELL
When I first saw this book I knew it was something I wanted to read. The cover alone is pretty and enticing. I seem to have a good relationship with the books written by Suzanne Young as well so it was no surprise that I enjoyed it. Before I even started the book I figured out at least some of what was going to happen. What I didn't expect was for the (almost ending.) I don't know if this will be a proper review because so much of the story lies within the twists and the whats of the story.

SETTING
Hotel Ruby is the title so we know from that it's going to mainly take place in the hotel, but The Ruby is so much more than just the setting it's the soul of this book (along with other souls), it's a character in its self, it's a magnet for a special type of person.

A hotel can be an exciting setting because there's always a backstory to the the story. It can be a haunting one, an interesting one, or it can be a plain Jane one. The Ruby has a few stories, and the guests and employees tell it so beautifully if not a little creepy.

CHARACTERS
Despite the crap that Audrey was dealing with I think she showed how strong she was. The hotel was making her a bit crazy, but she more or less kept her shit together. Even when things started taking a turn for the worse she believed. I'm not sure what option I would have chosen had I been her.
Then we have Elias Lange, that mysterious, brooding boy who lives in a hotel.
Catherine who despite being an ice queen throughout the story suddenly warms up a bit.

ENDING
I knew some of the twists that happened, but I wasn't expecting the ending it had. I'm not sure if I was satisfied with it or not. I think it really showed who the characters were in the end.

SPOILER AHEAD SORT OF*
In a way this story has a similar feel to another contemporary YA. Do you want to know which one? It might be a small spoiler. The book I'm thinking of is If I Stay by Gayle Forman. If you read that then this has that vibe of which would be better life or death?

Viry

“Sometimes the beautiful memories are the saddest ones of all.”
  

WOW. I LOVED THIS BOOK A LOT. I acknowledge it might not be the most original idea in the world but it was such an entertaining fast read and left me satisfied. One thing I will say is, I appreciate how this book dealt with grief in a realistic way. Having lost someone in my family recently, I found myself relating a lot to how Audrey and her brother were coping with the passing of their mother and it was nice to see the arc of their grieving throughout the story. Side characters could've used a little work in the development/flatness aspect to them but overall, i'm a fan.

I really enjoy Young's story-telling but this book fell a little flat for me.

Perhaps it's because I have such high expectations of what I expect out of a horror/haunting story. But I was left a tad bit deflated by this story. Mostly because it was predictable and, while it did have some weaving of atmosphere, it didn't have the really spooky elements I was hoping for from a haunted hotel.

All in all, it was a fun audiobook to pass the day. But it was something of a diluted version of American Horror Story.

Haya

Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young. It's a mysterious, complex and a twisted book that talks about a grand hotel that the main character Audrey, her brother and father are staying in on their way to their grandmother house after their mother (wife) died. Hotel Ruby is not like any other hotel it's fancy, luxurious and also mysterious. While she's staying there she meets a hot guest called Elias and many other people but like I said before hotel Ruby is not like any hotel and it holds many secrets

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights ReviewsAudrey, her brother Daniel and her father arrive very late at night at Hotel Ruby, just to pass the night and then be on their way to Audrey and Daniel's grandma's house to live. At first, Audrey is fascinated by the Ruby and she gets along very well with the employees but the Ruby has secrets and suddenly Audrey and her family are staying night after night. Audrey can't help but feel that something is wrong and maybe this hotel isn't safe for her family.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Before starting, I read a few negative reviews and that lowered my expectations but I am glad I didn't give up on it because the story was unique and very interesting. The characters were captivating. I loved Audrey's love for her family, especially for her brother Daniel—she would literally die for him. I got a tad frustrated with Audrey because she'd be naive and wouldn't keep on searching for answers—she would accept things as they were in the beginning and I wanted her to keep on going, to ask questions and figure out what was wrong. Still, it gave for a great ending and I loved how much she cared for all of the employees at the hotel as well.

I was skeptical of Elias' character. I wasn't sure of his true intentions but he surprised me... More than surprised me! Each of the supporting characters surprised me a lot. I actually liked all of them except two but one of them shall not be mentioned. The rest of the characters were fantastic. They brought an equal balance of joy and sadness to the story. I had kind of guessed one of the big secrets in the beginning (I say one because there was another that left me shocked) but wasn't completely sure so I pushed that thought aside but WOW! When I read it in the story, it felt real and emotional. The employees at the hotel are ghosts. They had died when the hotel caught on fire years ago. The other thing that I have to mention about the supporting characters is that they brought many emotions to the story once one of the secrets was revealed. I had gotten so attached to them and when the reveal happened, I felt so many emotions at once and it's rare for that to happen to me with the supporting characters.

I give props to the author. Suzanne gave a new perspective to the hotel. It's like she made the hotel come to life with the way she worded everything about this hotel and its secrets. The descriptions of it gave the story a haunted feel and everything was so vividly descriptive! What I would have wanted to be added to the story was how Audrey and her family were before her mom passed away and after. Some scenes are present in the story but not dived into entirely and I wanted to learn more of her family as a whole and as individuals as well. Also, it could have probably been longer when it came to their stay at the hotel since relationships are formed very fast. Still, this didn't put me off from the story at all. I was captivated by it all and I wanted to know more.

Overall, this story was a success and it will keep you hooked until the end without letting go.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews