ninij's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
hthill25's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed this contemporary romance, especially the references to the setting, as I currently live in the area. The relationship between the main characters was lovely. I just wish the ending hadn’t felt so rushed.
katreadsalot's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved the second installment in this series, focusing on the elder Beck sister, Rachel. It was a beautiful trip to the Midwest, and I loved rooting for Rachel and Mason as they worked through their respective challenges. Doller handles extremely difficult topics with grace and depth, and somehow manages to find a happy ending.
catreader18's review
5.0
The Suite Spot is Rachel’s story. Rachel is Anna’s sister from The Float Plan. There are references to Anna and her story but if you have not read it, you won’t be lost.
I loved this book and learning more about Anna and Rachel’s family. It is not a large part of either book but I enjoyed the tie.
Rachel and her young daughter, Maise, move from Florida to north US for a job. Rachel is leaving behind her ex, her family, her comfort. Maise’s innocence is so appealing and real. She might be my favorite character in the book. I read this book quickly as I didn’t want to put it down. If you enjoyed The Float Plan, you will enjoy this book!
I loved this book and learning more about Anna and Rachel’s family. It is not a large part of either book but I enjoyed the tie.
Rachel and her young daughter, Maise, move from Florida to north US for a job. Rachel is leaving behind her ex, her family, her comfort. Maise’s innocence is so appealing and real. She might be my favorite character in the book. I read this book quickly as I didn’t want to put it down. If you enjoyed The Float Plan, you will enjoy this book!
beckhs's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
becky_m8's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
magnoliapigeonbookblurbs's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this story! Super quick read about a single mom, small town, grumpy cat and new beginnings. 4/5⭐️
doseofromance's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.25
I know this is incredibly petty, but one thing that bothered me immensely was the brewing, specifically "Berliner weiße". For those of you unfamiliar, it's a particular kind of beer, mostly popular in Berlin. While not originally a mixed beer, it's become popular in the last decades to drink with flavored syrup, like raspberry. Mason brews a Berliner Weiße with Hibiscus for Rachel and later has it on tab in the brewery. While it's true that Berliner Weiße is typically a tab beer rather than a bottle beer, there are several mistakes here. The flavoring (here Hibiscus) would added to the finished beer as a syrup in the glass when you drink it from a tab. You can buy it bottled with flavoring, but the "correct/traditional" way adds syrup at the bottom of a wide glass and then filling it up with the beer. The term Berliner Weiße is also a protected name and can only be used by breweries located in Berlin. It is legally protected, Mason would be at the risk of getting sued for calling his beer Berliner Weiße. Again, I know it's petty, but if you insist on making the brewing process such a central aspect of the story, the average person shouldn't be noticing glaring mistakes (I'm not a beer fanatic, just German).
Beyond the beer thing, the story as a whole is somewhat inconsistent, especially in regards to Rachel. As far as I could tell without re-reading, Rachel's relationship with her daughter's dad contradicts itself. At first it was described like a one night stand resulting in an accidental pregnancy, then a casual relationship, then on and off,... You get the point. And towards the end Rachel mentions dating someone seriously after the father, which was never brought up before and makes zero sense in the timeline of everything. It just seemed sloppy.
The relationship between the leads wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been and Mason wasn't really all that thought out either. It just seemed like Rachel was suddenly in love with him without any lead-up at all. It felt stilted and inorganic.
Beyond the beer thing, the story as a whole is somewhat inconsistent, especially in regards to Rachel. As far as I could tell without re-reading, Rachel's relationship with her daughter's dad contradicts itself. At first it was described like a one night stand resulting in an accidental pregnancy, then a casual relationship, then on and off,... You get the point. And towards the end Rachel mentions dating someone seriously after the father, which was never brought up before and makes zero sense in the timeline of everything. It just seemed sloppy.
The relationship between the leads wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been and Mason wasn't really all that thought out either. It just seemed like Rachel was suddenly in love with him without any lead-up at all. It felt stilted and inorganic.
Spoiler
Lastly, the third act breakup/conflict. My god, why? Rachel gets a letter about custody and is immediately I need to move back home, there is no other choice. Consult a lawyer!! When you're served with any kind of legal papers, the very first thing you do is call a lawyer! Which is exactly what Mason tells her as well, but no, she packs up and leaves. From Ohio to Florida, no less. Obviously all turns out well in the end, with minimal conflict and Rachel actually thought she had to apologize to the father. Absolute bullshit. Imagine your baby daddy - who has put zero effort into parenting, jerks you around emotionally, and never made an attempt to visit his child after she moved away - goddamn sues you for parental rights (which he never did before). And then it turns out it was mainly his mom behind the whole thing. Instead of at least suggesting shared custody or saying hey, I want more time with my child, let's work something out, they just fucking sue her. And the real kicker here is that the dad didn't even want shared custody. It boggles the mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Racism
Brewing beer is very much a central theme. And if you're a traditional beer drinker, be prepared for peach beer.capannemazing's review
4.0
I adored Float Plan and it was an emotional heavy hitter. I was expecting that same punch with The Suite Spot but for me it didn't deliver. This book was full of romance and interaction between the couple but it seemed equally important to the development of the heroine, Rachel, that we see her success as a hotel manager and we don't get to see the end result on page in the ARC. I appreciated that we were there for her journey but I would have loved to see her success too. The last act of the book is instead devoted to a custody battle that almost comes out of left field, there are whispers in the second act but nothing that would suggest that amount of attachment from the father until it happens in the third act.
I appreciate so much of what Doller did with this book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Float Plan.
I appreciate so much of what Doller did with this book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Float Plan.
sunshower12's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A really cute romance book. I am very picky when it comes to this genre and I thought the writing was very good. It was not a long read, but a good read. The story was very cozy and the world the author built was vivid. I felt like I was right there with all of the characters.