Hotel Ruby

by 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.

• ISBN10: 1481423002
• ISBN13: 9781481423007
• Publish Date: 3 November 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon Pulse
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

Another YA with a long dull beginning. Needed to be way shorter, making it snappy with tension and suspense. As it is, it's a party girl being emo stuck on repeat while staggering around a luxury hotel for a couple days before things get interesting. For the reader it's so obvious from the beginning something is off, paranormal and ghostly, so it needs to hit the ground running. Instead Audrey drunkenly stumbles around in denial for 150 pages. Do people think teens are that slow-witted to not realize it or did someone just need the extra pennies per word?

Making it this long stretches the content too thin, shows how little substance there is to the background characters and the insta-connections. Audrey can just do the right thing without insta-love, or a friend group, or hell, even a family connection since it's the right goddamn thing. That's kinda the fucking point!

And what is with calling the grandma a DNA matched stranger when it wasn't a hunt to find someone to take them, like sometimes happens to literal orphans. They've met this grandma before, she's a known entity. Maybe a strange stranger one, but calling her a DNA matched stranger gives off different vibes I'm not okay with using in this case

[Kelly]

Hotel for The Lost is haunting and peculiarly entertaining, a concoction of mystery and paranormal with the opulence of a charming historical fiction novel. The hotel was magnificent, the protagonist, not so much.

Audrey's destructive behaviour after her mother's passing sees Audrey and Daniel being taken in by their estranged grandmother, their father not able to care for his children and since the death of his wife months prior. Audrey and Daniel continue to emotionally support one another, their own grief internalised while their father continues to withdraw from society. Audrey was incredibly judgemental of others, her honesty was often disrespectful and not as charming which may have been seemingly intended.

Weary, Audrey's father decides to reserve three rooms at the grand Hotel Ruby, continuing with their journey once the sun rises. The Hotel Ruby was vividly imagined, beautifully breathtaking and indulgent, her colourful patrons a blend of wealthy elites or travellers resting before their final destinations. The hotel herself is a mystery, captivating my interest until the final page. Intoxicating for both patrons and readers alike.

The secondary characters and hotel personnel were cursory but incredibly charismatic and engaging, breathing life into the old establishment. Elias was absolutely lovely, a boyish rogue and philanderer who's family once owned the Ruby. Although Audrey had only recently ended a long term relationship with a young man she disregarded, she now finds herself attracted to Elias, a handsome distraction for the night. The romance didn't appeal to me unfortunately. I enjoyed the passion and attraction between Audrey and Elias but Audrey conceding she was falling in love after only a few moments together felt insincere. She was generally more concerned with Elias and gallivanting around the Hotel Ruby, than the absence of emotional responses from her Daniel and her father, besides her hallucinations.

Nevertheless, it was engaging, entertaining and unexpected, holding me captive until the final page.

[girlinthepages]

*2.5 Stars*

Hotel Ruby was another coveted addition to my collection thanks to ALA this summer in San Francisco. I had heard some buzz about the book prior to the event, and the cover was absolutely stunning. When I found out that Suzanne Young was going to be signing ARCs of either Hotel Ruby or her "The Program" books, I knew I wanted to opt for Hotel Ruby because it has a total Tower of Terror Vibe to it from the synopsis (I am a huge fan of the Tower of Terror ride at the Disney resorts, and I love the haunting and art-deco atmosphere, which I was hoping would come across in this novel). I started the book on Halloween weekend and was prepared for an eerie, glamorous tale. Unfortunately, while Hotel Ruby provided vivid imagery and a creative concept, the plot and mystery elements were predictable and one-dimensional.

Setting

I'm all about giving credit where credit is due, and though I may have been underwhelmed overall by this book, the setting that Suzanne Young created was very atmospheric to read about, from the lavish hotel lobby to the decadent parties and opulent guest rooms. The gilded elevator doors on the book's cover promise a mysterious, beautifully haunting setting and Suzanne Young delivers. I enjoyed seeing the different levels of the hotels and the bits of history that made up each one.

Plot

A common theme I've come across in most bloggers' reviews of Hotel Ruby is that they guessed the "twist" early on. While this was definitely true for me, I wasn't too disappointed by that fact because I sort of went into the novel already assuming I was supposed to know what the twist was. I don't think a book's worth is solely determined by how predictable or not the plot twist is, but rather on how well the plot is executed. However, the plot really felt clumsy to me. I felt that not only did it take an extraordinarily long time for Audrey to figure out what was going on despite some glaring clues, but there was no real explanation for the paranormal elements. They just happened, and even those apart of the paranormal elements really didn't know why they were or how the rules of the book's universe functioned further than "we're just on separate dimensional planes." Characters also kept mentioning that the Ruby was alive and had a will of it's own, but there were never any details expanded upon that either (there's so much that could be done with a beautiful, haunted, passive-aggressive hotel!) When I read a thriller that's going to delve into the paranormal I demand that a thorough explanation is given, even if it's one not plausible in "real life." An author has so much creative license in their work to develop any sort of world building rules that they want, and it's a shame to see such a missed opportunity in Hotel Ruby.

Romance

This book probably falls under my list of "top ten book offenders of insta love." While I know that with a book set only over a few days the author had less time to develop a romance, it felt so inauthentic that I found my eyes glazing over at the romance scenes. This book really didn't need a romance, it could've focused more on the mystery and tragedy without having to add a obligatory teenage infatuation I-just-met-you-but-I-would-die-for-you situation. I haven't read Suzanne's "The Program" series, but I hope that the romance is more believable that it was in Hotel Ruby.

Characters

None of the characters in Hotel Ruby were particularly likeable, which is not always a bad thing when it comes to fiction. Oftentimes, the unlikable characters are those who bring the compelling element to a plot, inciting a passionate rage in readers (Umbridge, anyone?) However, most of the characters in Hotel Ruby were unlikable either because they were boring, or they were rather irritating and annoying. Audrey is shunned by most of the glamorous guests at the Ruby and therefore starts hanging out with the staff. They're supposed to be her "friends" but most of them are snarky at best and downright rude at worst. While I appreciated her closeness with her brother Daniel, his overbearing protectiveness anytime Audrey interacted with a male character was rather demeaning and regressive. Finally, Audrey constantly references past relationships in her life that she's lost (her deceased mother, her ex boyfriend) and obsesses over how they ended constantly, but those characters are not given enough backstory or depth to mean much to readers or evoke much compassion.

The Ending

I suppose it deserves points for not having the semi-happy ending route that most YA novels tend to take.

Overall: This book held so much potential, it could have been a glamorous yet sinister read with Gatsby-like opulence and eerie undertones. This would have been a book that I would have bought based on the cover and synopsis, and a healthy dose of hope. However, I'm glad I didn't purchase my own copy of Hotel Ruby because it let me down in almost all aspects but the setting, with predictable plot elements, insta-love, and a lot of wandering around the (admittedly beautiful) hotel without explaining any concrete world building or reasoning for its paranormal elements or outcome.

[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

[shannonmiz]

This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
Hotel Ruby has a very unique premise, no? I mean, have their even been any books set in strange old luxury hotels? Certainly none that I've read. Most of the book was strong and entertaining. I only had a few mild gripes. So let's highlight all that, shall we?

The good:

• Audrey's family interaction and relationships were basically the main focus of the book. "What!?", you exclaim. "A book that actually focuses on the family?" To which I reply with a solemn "yes" and a head nod, as though we have stumbled upon the keys to the universe. In seriousness though, it is so intriguing (and so sad) to see the different ways Audrey's family has dealt with their grief. Basically, they haven't, honestly. Especially her father, who probably should try to get his act together for the poor kids who just lost their mom, but he is an absolute wreck. They all are, really, and Audrey seems to be the only one willing to talk about it, which hurts even more.


• The atmosphere is on point. Oh, you can totally feel that you are in a creepy old hotel. No question. The author does an amazing job of setting the scene, and I could vividly imagine the whole place. And throughout the story, I just felt a sense of... unease, perhaps? And I definitely wanted to know all the things about this hotel and its occupants. Quite well done.


• The hotel guests and employees were extremely well developed. I cared about them quite a bit by the end of the book, which was surprising since Audrey had only been at the hotel for a short time. But they were likable and unique, and I couldn't help but adore them. The love interest, Elias, also piqued my curiosity quite a bit. I enjoyed the relationship between Audrey and Elias, even if it was kind of quick. I don't think I'd call it insta-love exactly, because I don't think it was love, just some intense like.


• The plot was unsettling and intriguing and pretty fabulous. In this case, unsettling plots are a good thing, of course. There was a lot of information to be uncovered about the hotel, its history, what was actually going on in there, how/if Audrey and her family were going to pull themselves together again, the unhappiness of the hotel employees... I could go on and on. There was a lot going on, but never too much.

The not as good:

• I did figure out some stuff pretty quickly. Not all the stuff. But some stuff. It didn't really lessen my enjoyment of the book, but perhaps my anticipation, just a bit. There were still things that I had no idea about, so that was good.


• I would have liked a bit more backstory on Audrey's life. I mean, we do get a little bit of backstory, but I could have used just a bit more, just to make me feel more connected to Audrey.

The Bottom Line: My complaints are only minor, because I really did enjoy this book. Between the creepy atmosphere and the family dynamics, I was never bored.