The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

The Sun Down Motel

by Simone St. James

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Something hasn’t been right at the roadside Sun Down Motel for a very long time, and Carly Kirk is about to find out why in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.


Upstate New York, 1982. Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. But something isnʼt right at the motel, something haunting and scary.

Upstate New York, 2017. Carly Kirk has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv, who mysteriously disappeared from the Sun Down before she was born. She decides to move to Fell and visit the motel, where she quickly learns that nothing has changed since 1982. And she soon finds herself ensnared in the same mysteries that claimed her aunt.

Reviewed by Kim Deister on

4.5 of 5 stars

Share

The story is told through the past (1982) and present (2017) timelines of Viv and Carly respectively, who are aunt and niece. Although Viv disappeared before Carly was born, she’s always wanted answers about what happened. Her mother refused to talk about it, so it wasn’t until after she died that Carly felt she could find the answers she needed. 

I loved the two women as main characters. Despite never having met or influenced each other, they are startingly similar to one another. Both are smart, independent women who live life on their own terms, taking risks in pursuit of their goals. Even their storylines parallel one another’s. But even with all of their similiarities, they are very different people, and that’s what makes the story so interesting. 

My full review is here: http://acuppabooks.kimdeister.com/the-sun-down-motel/

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • 21 September, 2022: Started reading
  • 26 September, 2022: Finished reading
  • 29 September, 2022: Reviewed