Debut novel by Senta Rich

Published by Bloomsbury 27 April 2023
Cosmopolitan’s Best Books to Read in April
Apple Books’ Best of the Month in May
Optioned for TV by Orion TV (MGM)

‘Noelle is my new hero, she quietly but firmly stole my heart’ Ericka Waller

Noelle can tidy your room in 5 minutes. Tidying her life… that might take a team.

Noelle is a hotel cleaner and a model employee. Or so she’d have you think. The trouble is she can’t help taking ‘little souvenirs’ as she cleans. Nothing of value, just tokens of happy, normal lives: a lipstick, a hair clip, some tweezers. By the time the guest has noticed, she’s long gone.

But when she starts at her 21st hotel, her new colleagues complicate her plans. They’re not just hands pushing carts down hotel corridors: they’re women with lives full of happiness and worry, pain and joy. They make her wonder what it might be like to have real friends, people to stick around for…

Can the women at Hotel 21 give Noelle the courage to claim the life that she deserves, or will her old habits come back to haunt her?

Buy your copy here

Praise for Hotel 21

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‘A poignant page-turner which pulls at the heartstrings.’

Sue Leonard
Irish Examiner
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‘Senta Rich has created a wonderful cast of characters that will keep the reader engaged and rooting for them all.’

Elizabeth O’Neill
Sunday Business Post
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‘As offbeat character studies go, this is as good as it gets.’

Tanya Sweeney
The Irish Independent
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‘I want people to read this book – there’s sex, emotional intensity, love (both sisterly and romantic) and there’s acres of insight into the strength of female friendship.’

Estelle Birdy
Sunday Independent, Ireland
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‘A dark and joyous character-driven book.’

Woman's Weekly
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‘Don’t miss this week… Book – Hotel 21.’

Hello!
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‘Senta Rich’s writing is just wonderful to read.’

Reader review
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‘I raced through this book I couldn’t put it down… whatever emotion it was making me feel, I loved it.’

Reader review
{

‘It really is a beautiful novel about what it is to be human, to be so deeply alone and the significance and importance of connecting with others.’

Reader review
{

‘Wonderful!’

The Daily Mail
{

‘A poignant page-turner which pulls at the heartstrings.’

Sue Leonard
Irish Examiner
{

‘Senta Rich has created a wonderful cast of characters that will keep the reader engaged and rooting for them all.’

Elizabeth O’Neill
Sunday Business Post
{

‘As offbeat character studies go, this is as good as it gets.’

Tanya Sweeney
The Irish Independent
{

‘I want people to read this book – there’s sex, emotional intensity, love (both sisterly and romantic) and there’s acres of insight into the strength of female friendship.’

Estelle Birdy
Sunday Independent, Ireland
{

‘A dark and joyous character-driven book.’

Woman's Weekly
{

‘Don’t miss this week… Book – Hotel 21.’

Hello!
{

‘Senta Rich’s writing is just wonderful to read.’

Reader review
{

‘I raced through this book I couldn’t put it down… whatever emotion it was making me feel, I loved it.’

Reader review
{

‘It really is a beautiful novel about what it is to be human, to be so deeply alone and the significance and importance of connecting with others.’

Reader review
{

‘Wonderful!’

The Daily Mail

press & Podcasts Hotel 21

Senta Rich, author of ‘Hotel 21’ – Screenwriter and author discusses creative collaboration, character arcs, and how to keep believing

Get Booked – Senta Rich, Hotel 21

Write The Truth with Senta Rich – Joined Up Writing Podcast 

Hotel 21: Senta Rich on kleptomania and control – Behind The Spine S7E12

Senta Rich Chats How Her Interest In Psychology Helped Shape Hotel 21 – unitedbypop.com

Bonus Ep: The Last of Us, page to screen & special guest Senta Rich on her debut novel, Hotel 21

A Pair of Bookends – Debut spotlight 3 – Senta Rich

Senta Rich – 7 Things I’d Like My Readers To Know About Me. –

femalefirst.co.uk

Chapters 10 a chat with Hotel 21 Author, Senta Rich

Funny, Poignant and Kick-Ass: Read Our Review of Hotel 21 by Senta Rich – betterreading.com.au

Book Club Questions

If you are reading Hotel 21 in your book club, here are some topics and questions for discussion.

Spoiler Alert! Open for Book Club questions

Noelle refers to herself as a “taker of things” but is she really simply a thief? Do you forgive her? And if so, why?

Noelle’s unique kleptomania is a response to childhood trauma. If she hadn’t started “taking things” what do you think would have happened to her?

You could say this is a story about healing by becoming whole. Are Mali, Gaby, Phil, Rose, Julia, and Fatima aspects of Noelle’s personality that she needs to integrate in order to heal? If so, what are their roles?

What are the themes around parenting? Do they resonate with you?

What is Noelle’s final assessment of her mother, Erica, after she dies? What does this say about human nature and being a good person?

Hotel 21 is set in 2019. Given that the global pandemic crisis began in 2020, where do you think Noelle would be today? If she hadn’t met the women in Hotel 21, how do you think she would have coped with Covid and lockdowns?

What are the main themes in the book? And what do they say about the chaotic state of being human?

Other than being a love interest, what is Phil’s deeper role in Noelle’s journey?

What are the references to good and evil in the book and how do they impact Noelle’s journey?

Is Noelle brave? If so, why?

Noelle’s mother had the ability to pose as someone other than her true self in public, and, in essence, live a double life. Do you ever feel sympathy for her, and if so, why? Does she deserve our sympathy?

Noelle’s saving grace is her ability to read people (she has a very high emotional intelligence). Is this a natural ability or do you think she has been forced to develop these skills over time in order to serve her needs? Are human beings able to develop certain skills when it is a necessity to survive? Would she not be as good at reading people if she hadn’t experienced a traumatic childhood?

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Read an excerpt of Hotel 21

Buy your copy of Hotel 21 here

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