The Sun Down Motel – Published 2020
“The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel ensnare a young woman, just as they did her aunt thirty-five years before, in this new atmospheric suspense novel from the national bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.
Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn’t right at the Sun Down, and before long she’s determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…” – Goodreads
WHAT I LIKED
I have always loved mystery/thrillers. I remember reading Where are the Children? on the floor of my mom’s room scared out of my mind. But now that I am older, it’s an entirely different kind of fear. The fear of being murdered, raped, or abducted is stronger than when you’re a kid, because when you’re a kid you have adults to block some of that fear. So, this book legitimately scared me at many points. Additionally, my son also wakes up many times during the night, so ghost stories at 2am aren’t exactly a good idea on my part, but there I was, under the covers with a hoodie pulled over my head and a flashlight stuck next to my ear as I frantically tried to read it before I fell asleep, afraid to even get out of bed to use the bathroom.
This book reminds me a lot of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder because it has a young MC trying to go back and figure out what really happened to someone else, this time it being her aunt. And this time, there were a lot more victims, and the town was a lot more seedy.
The book is told in two perspectives, Vivian, the girl who disappeared in 1982, and Carly, her niece who is trying to figure out what happened, 35 years later in 2017. Carly travels back to Fell, the small town where it all happened, and unknowingly experiences many of the things her aunt experienced decades before. It has real murder, paranormal activity, stories of unlikely friendships, mystery, and an even a little bit of romance. I loved it!
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE
Suspense was built so well throughout the book, that when the ending came I felt it was abrupt. That being said, I read a few reviews where people didn’t like the ending. I liked it. I think I needed that ending after how scared I was (it’s been a minute since I’ve read many thrillers, guys…), but I just felt like it needed a little more development. It came kinda fast.
Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend! 5 stars!
Give Me Coffee and Books 