Noelle is an efficient and friendly hotel cleaner, a model employee. Or so she'd have you think. The trouble is that 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. And by the time the guest has noticed, she's long gone.

As she starts at her 21st hotel, she's determined to beat her record of one month in a five star hotel before suspicion falls on her. But when she meets her new colleagues, her plans are complicated. These women aren't just hands pushing carts down lonely hotel corridors: they are women with lives full of happiness and worry, pain and joy. The kind of lives Noelle has never known how to live. They make her wonder what it might be like to have real friends, people to stick around for…

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

A sharp and warm-hearted debut novel with an unforgettable protagonist you can’t help but root for.

Praise for Hotel 21

“A brilliantly original story . . . keep[s] a reader’s attention to the last. Rich is adept at creating that most elusive yet gratifying of literary characters: the badly behaved woman whom everyone will root for..As offbeat character studies go, this is as good as it gets”

The Irish Independent

“A fresh, funny and touching read about friendship, survival and the power of human connection. Beautifully drawn and wonderfully satisfying. I loved it”

Holly Miller, author of What Might Have Been

“Noelle is full of candour and complexity - it's impossible not to like her. Senta Rich also offers a fascinating insight into the world of hotels, including the camaraderie of the mostly cleaning staff”

The Weekend Australian

“Hotel 21 is the kind of poignant, thought-provoking page-turner you can fly through in a day”

Culturefly

“This story will warm your heart and is ideal for your summer reads list.”

Daily Mom

“Fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine won’t want to miss Hotel 21.”

Parade

“Senta Rich’s debut novel Hotel 21 tackles some big themes, from self-discovery, sexuality, and mental health to the complex bonds of female friendship.”

Paste Magazine

"Warm, funny, and sharply written debut . . . a strong and authentic voice. I want people to read this book—there’s sex, emotional intensity, love (both sisterly and romantic). . . . If there’s any justice in the world this will be a huge hit

The Sunday Independent

‘Don’t Miss This Week’ pick

Hello! Magazine

“Beautifully told, this is a heart-warming and thought-provoking read”

Heat magazine, 5 star review

“a dark and joyous character driven book that will have you questioning what it is to be human”

Woman’s Weekly

“A sharp, easy summer read, ideal for readers looking for escape”

The Irish Times

“ A sharp, funny, poignant and completely heart-warming story about female friendship and kick ass women”

Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost Things

“Read it in two days. Loved it. Noelle is my new hero, she quietly but firmly stole my heart”

Ericka Waller, author of Dig Days

“Wonderful!”

Daily Mail

“I raced through this book I couldn't put it down. It was well written with a captivating storyline and well developed characters who I loved. I found that it was hopeful at times and emotive at others but whatever emotion it was making me feel, I loved it”

Netgalley reviewer