Terri at Bookly Matters loved Secrets of the Hotel Maisonneuve, and this review landed in my inbox during a difficult month, proving to be the perfect balm after several exhausting months. I hope she doesn't mind that I swiped her review photo because I loved it just that much! Rich with warm and wonderful characters, magical developing relationships, Vietnamese cooking lessons, – as well as insights into the horrors of abuse, discrimination, the safety and succor provided by a loving family (Jacob’s family just may be the best ever captured on paper) and the life-altering glow of empathy, discovered – this book also provides a compelling and fascinating look at historical events, including life in Montreal in the time leading up to WW1, the Vietnam War, and the fall of Saigon.
I loved this book – finding myself tearing up in places and smiling with delight in others – hard-pressed to remember a more rewarding middle-grade reading experience.