Published By: Del Rey
Pages: 400
Released On: 28/10/2025
‘Have you travelled a long way?’ she asked carefully. A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.
‘Well, yes,” he said slowly. ‘Yes, you could say that. But it was worth the wait.’
When reclusive art appraiser Eve Shaw shakes the hand of a silver-haired gentleman in her London office, the warmth of his palm sends a spark through her.
His name is Max Everly – curiously, the same name as Eve’s favourite composer, born one hundred sixteen years prior. And she can’t shake the feeling that she’s held his hand before . . . but where, and when?
The White Octopus Hotel, 1935. In this Belle Epoch building high in the snowy mountains, Eve and a young Max Everly wander the winding halls, lost in time.
Each of them has been through the trenches – Eve in a family accident and Max on the battlefields of the Great War – but for an impossible moment, love and healing are just a room away . . . if only they have the courage to step through the door.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Dell Rey for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I have read a couple of Alexandra’s books before and I have a couple waiting on my shelf, and so I already knew I liked her writing style.
This has 53 chapters across 400 pages which is roughly 7 pages a chapter, which is good as I much prefer shorter chapters, it helps keep the book exciting and fast to read.
This had me hooked instantly, it was so fabulous.
The first half is set in the present time, with some flashbacks to Eve as a child and young woman, and then the latter half is the 1930s. It was really interesting to see how Alexandra balanced the two different timelines and showed how they interlinked.
Alexandra….what she’s done with the settings, the description of place and space and time, it’s just phenomenal. You are fully sucked in no matter what time period that bit is set in, it all feels so real like you’re being drawn into their world, and I didn’t want to leave.
I have a fear of Octopuses and so I was concerned how prevalent they might be in this book. Even though I know there’s no photos, the way she’s depicted them in various forms, they almost felt like fantasy creatures that I’d find in a fairy tale rather than real living animals. Oh, and on that note, it should be octopuses because the word originates from the Greek, not the Latin, and so octopi is wrong. If I’m being really picky, it should actually be octopodes if using the proper Greek plural, but that’s a conversation for another time
Eve is an interesting main character. She feels very real, if not a bit magical. She’s grieving and she’s alone, but she’s curious and passionate. There’s clearly more going on with her than meets the eye but I was thrilled to go on this journey with her. There are many other characters but for me this is Eve’s story form start to finish and she steals every page.
Something I am really impressed by is her use of clothes. Every clothing change, every outfit is described so perfectly you can practically feel the silk flowing through your fingers.
It’s sad and tragic and hopeful and magical and beautiful and tender and absolutely gorgeous. It is a beautiful, delicious story and it will definitely be on my “favourite books of 2025” list come the end of the year.
Books By Your Bedside 