The Venice Hotel

In this strikingly tender, warm and nuanced novel, Tess Woods has combined a rich cast of characters with vivid imagery, thought-provoking topical themes and delicate moments of heartbreak. I unashamedly sobbed my way through the second half of this book late into the night and I will confess that I completely fell in love with the women of the Venice Hotel.

Nicola Moriarty

A love letter to a gorgeous city, its people and those who are drawn to it, crafted with such rich detail, I felt I knew every character to the core.

Melina Marchetta

I couldn't read THE VENICE HOTEL fast enough. It was the perfect combination of juicy drama and heartrending emotion. My only complaint is that I didn't write it myself!

Rachael Johns

'For the twelve days of Christmas, the lives of four very different women converge in a Venetian hotel. Against the watery backdrop of this most beautiful sinking city, old secrets emerge, new passions are revealed and deep bonds are formed, with both happy and dreadful consequences. This immersive, twisty tale of female solidarity and friendship is both mysterious and romantic. I loved it. '

Kate Eberlen

The Venice Hotel is a brilliantly told story that is as enlightening as it is entertaining.

author Louise Guy

Like a dreamy holiday in Italy with a side of tense, twisty drama - I got lost in The Venice Hotel. Somehow lush and gritty at the same time, I'm sure the pages just turned themselves. A treat of a book.

Holly Wainwright

With its atmospheric setting, The Venice Hotel is a journey of intrigue, romance and, ultimately, hope. Woods delivers a compelling narrative that highlights the strength found in the connections forged between women in times of adversity – for fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng.

Hannah Cartmel, Books + Publishing

‘The words of this book don’t just dance on the page, they jump off it and come to life in dramatic fashion. Vivid scenes play out before the reader’s eyes like a blockbuster movie…The Venice Hotel is one of those easy-to-read, hard-to-put-down novels with charming characters, a fast-paced plot and a deeper meaning…Tess is an artist. She paints pictures with her words, creating fully formed characters and building finely detailed settings.’

Alley Pascoe, Australian Women's Weekly

I have long been a fan of Tess Woods so this was one of those book choices where I read it without even looking at the blurb first. It must have been an epic task bringing together so many stories into one cohesive tale. But she does it seamlessly. …The brilliance of this book is that each one of these stories could have been a book on their own, so strong and believable were the backstories Tess created. But to then make them all meld into one another so perfectly was genius. It’s been several years since Tess released a book, but this was worth the wait. It’s filled with such genuine, real emotions – longing, fear, regret and even hatred – but ultimately it’s a book about hope and promise, about friendship, trust and love. A five-star read for me and my frontrunner for book of the year.

Mercedes Maguire, mercsbooknook

Each character is written with such depth and complexity that, by the end of the novel, they feel like old friends. With its atmospheric setting, The Venice Hotel is a journey of intrigue, romance and, ultimately, hope. Woods delivers a compelling narrative that highlights the strength found in the connections forged between women in times of adversity—for fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng.

Bookseller+Publisher

A masterpiece from Tess Woods and highly recommended!

Amanda Willimott

Woods is a natural storyteller, weaving together the lives of five very complex women and five equally complex men in a well crafted narrative with rapidly escalating tension. Echoing Donna Leon’s Brunetti novels, Woods love for, and intimate knowledge of, Venice, illuminate every page, assisting the willing suspension of disbelief for each scene. Her characters are as well drawn as Melina Marchetta’s and Maeve Binchy’s, with the revelation of their multiple layers and personal lives making them real and comprehensible...Tess Woods is a serious and engaging writer. I eagerly anticipate her next book .

Writing WA