Title: The Heartbreak Hotel
Author: Ellen O’Clover
Publication: September 23, 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pages: 352

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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)

Louisa Walsh emerged from a tumultuous childhood with a degree in counseling, a wealthy boyfriend, and her sunny outlook on life mostly intact. But that optimism is tested when she’s dumped and left unable to afford rent on their gorgeous house in the mountains of Colorado. Even with her life in disarray, Lou knows losing the one stable place she’s ever called home is not an option.

She asks her reclusive landlord, Henry Rhodes, to let her stay for free in exchange for renting out the house’s many rooms as a bed-and-breakfast. She’s shocked when he agrees to her terms, and even more surprised to discover Henry is a handsome thirtysomething veterinarian with silver at his temples and sadness in his eyes. One who does not take it well when Lou starts marketing her B and B as a retreat for the recently heartbroken.

But as the Comeback Inn opens its doors to its weary, hopeful guests, Lou and Henry find themselves dancing around both their undeniable connection and the closely held secrets that threaten to topple this fragile new start. A chance at love, here, could be too close to home…or it could be exactly where their hearts finally heal.

REVIEW:

When the admins for my book club were picking out our reads for 2026, someone recommended this book.  I honestly couldn’t remember who now at the moment.  However, upon reading the blurb about it as we were picking my interest was piqued.  It was a romance-check, had some sort of “drama”-check and based upon the cover it looked cute-check check and check.  I did put myself on a book buying ban for the year till I get some of my TBR personal books (currently over 1,100) read in my house.  However, this seemed like a reason to break it since I am currently not using my kindle and while partially my fault my audiobook listening is down as well. I blame an advancement in my career and my now lack of driving all over the place.  SO I purchased the book and was looking forward to starting it when I finished my then current read. 

Louisa has it all, she has a boyfriend that loves her albeit has drifted a little.  She chaulks that up to him now being a huge musical star that tours the world singing for the fans.  She has a song named after her even.  She has a gorgeous home that she has made into their little escape from the world.  She has a degree but after a failure in the license exam she is scared to try again.  All of that comes crashing down around her when she finds out that her boyfriend Nate has been cheating on her for some time.  He has just been too scared to tell her.  They part their separate ways but not before Lou demands that she gets to keep the house.  The place that has become her refuge and shelter.  The place that she can finally call home and feel safe in.  The problem is how is she going to pay for the rent?  The idea that she comes up with will change her life in ways she didn’t know possible. 

This book was so good. I read it in 4 days and that wasn’t me sitting down and powering through.  That was a handful of chapters at a time.  The only reason I gave it 4 stars was I thought that the persistent trauma and bad luck that people had was a little much at some points.  Some of it could have been left out.  I understand that it was because Lou was a trained therapist but struggling to pass her exam.  I get that the hotel was a sanctuary for those who had heartbreak of some kind to rest and recharge their batteries.  I just thought it was superfluous at some moments.  Otherwise I really enjoyed the book.  The character lines were well rounded and some of the issues that they dealt with were actually thought provoking on my end and made me stop and think about some things in my life.  I totally understood her panic and stress over the license exam, I was the same way with my Paramedic Exam.  I passed, but the workup to get there was insane.  The descriptions in the book of the house and the surrounding area were amazing.  I could see the hotel in my mind and feel the fresh air coming down from the mountains.  That is one place I need to visit and haven’t yet.  Maybe someday, but the descriptions made me able to see it.  I am glad I read this book and honestly I could see it turning into a movie for sure.