I didn't love this one as much as [b:The Address|33607640|The Address|Fiona Davis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494949882l/33607640._SY75_.jpg|54427214] but it was still enjoyable. I felt this one was much more soap opera dramatic to me which in the modern storyline isn't as enjoyable as it is in the historic. ( )

This book was so interesting! Going into it I didn't know that it was based on a real hotel/boarding house, and I ended up googling a lot of things. The only Barbizon I was familiar with was the modeling school, which seems to have no relation to the building.

The story was intriguing and heartbreaking, but also hopeful. I really enjoyed reading as the mystery slowly unfolded. ( )

An intriguing plot spoiled by amateurish writing... I wanted a deep look into the Barbizon and the 1950s; instead, I got a once-over lightly potboiler with a couple of sex scenes. ( )

Just loved this book, until I didn't, but still really liked it. I fell in love with these characters and they were so well developed I felt I knew them. Also, descriptions in the book made me feel I was there, smelling the smells, tasting the tastes without being too wordy. This was just the perfect balance for me.
I really enjoyed the parallel plots and flipping from 1952 to 2016 and felt the tidbits of information were perfectly laid to keep the reader wanting more.
Where it went wrong for me was a specific twist that felt unbelievable and forced. Due to accents and ethnicities I had a hard time buying it. It wasn't enough to put me off though, just bumped it down a bit on my ratings. ( )

Rose Lewin lives in the former Barbizon Hotel with her boyfriend. When he pulls the rug out from under her by going back to his family to help raise his sick child, Rose is left with nowhere to live and half the pay she used to receive. After running into a mysterious woman in the elevator, Rose speaks to one of the other women on the fourth floor, all former Barbizon Hotel residents, she realizes there is a story waiting to be told. As she delves into the secret of the woman who lives below her, she realizes that there may be more than meets the eye.

Darby McLaughlin moves into the Barbizon Hotel, a hotel strictly for women, with a placement in the Katherine Gibbs School to learn to become a secretary. One night she goes out with the Ford models on her floor and is attacked. After learning she had been set up, the hotel maid, Esme, comes to her defense and helps her get cleaned up. An unlikely friendship grows and Darby begins to see that maybe the goals her mother set for her are not all she is meant to do. When tragedy strikes everyone's lives are altered and their futures will never be the same.

In Fiona Davis' debut novel, she sets the 1952 scene in such a manner that you cannot help but fall into it. The main characters are people you would want to know in real life and their pasts make them someone the reader feels for. It was amazing to look at this book and some of Davis' newer novels and see the manner in which her storytelling has changed and grown. The last few chapters of this quick read were amazing and completely not what I thought was going to happen. I'm so glad I took the day to read this one! ( )