The Big Dreams Beach Hotel (The Lilly Bartlett Cosy Romance Collection, #1)

by Lilly Bartlett and Michele Gorman

[Leah]

It’s been quite a year for Michele Gorman – she’s released three novels so far and it’s only August, which is some pretty decent output (it’s insanely good, actually). The creation of her new pseudonym Lilly Bartlett has breathed new life into my love for Michele as an author – I loved her books before, but I love her new Lilly books so, so much. The Carlton Square books and now this stand-alone. I didn’t love The Big Dreams Beach Hotel as much as I loved the Carlton Square duology, but it was a pretty great read.

The Big Dreams Beach Hotel is set in Scarborough, and is all about Rosie, who has moved home after a disastrous time in New York, and whose career as a hotelie (this is a real thing apparently) has stagnated. She’s manager of a run-down seaside hotel, that has more permanent residents than guests and she’s wondering if this is all her life has cracked up to be, until some American owners take over and all of a sudden the hotel is getting a very dramatic (and very OTT) make-over, as well as the addition of a hotel transition manager, Rory. The new owners want entirely different things compared to how the hotel was run in the past and Rosie just isn’t sure this Americanised version of the hotel is for her…

I love that this book was set up North – not quite as up North as I would prefer (north east FTW) but you can’t complain at a book set in North Yorkshire, because at least it’s not bloody London, eh! Scarborough is a brilliant seaside town and it was nice to see it as the setting for this book, although much of the book takes place inside the actual hotel so you don’t see much of actual Scarborough (boo!). I loved the eccentric characters – especially Peter and Barry the dog, and Lill, and Chef, and Rosie and Rory. Rosie’s clearly had a hard time and as her New York story unfolded I just felt so bad for her. Part of me wanted to be furious that she’d been had, but the other part of me didn’t see it coming either so #morefoolme.

The Big Dreams Beach Hotel is another quick, enjoyable read from Gorman. I do love her writing ability so much – she just writes the kinds of books I love to read and she really makes you care for her characters. I loved the setting, I cringed at the whole Americans being clueless as to how different England actually is, and I just raced through the book so quickly. I can’t wait for the next Lilly Bartlett or Michele Gorman novel, they just go by so quickly yet they’re so enjoyable. It’s the perfect escapist fiction and now, I would quite like to go on holiday to Scarborough, ta very much!