Cinnamon Scott has issues. She has woken up in someone else’s bed, and a hangover is about to kick in. The more pressing concern is that she is about to miss her flight to London to help her very pregnant sister, who is now on bedrest. As per her usual, Cinnamon gets herself where she needs to be, dragging her problems along like a carry-on that needs to be repaired.

Once Cinnamon and Rosemary --- their parents owned a bakery and sold it for a fortune --- are reunited and checked into London’s glamorous and decadent Savoy Hotel, the settling in begins and Cinnamon becomes restless. While her sister rests, she heads down to get a drink at the hotel’s American Bar, where American-style cocktails are popularized for a London crowd.

"LAST CALL AT THE SAVOY is a wonderful book. It’s a lovely story of people finding themselves, leaning on others, and loving those individuals who pull us through when we need them most."

As she drinks away her boredom and worries about Rosie, Cinnamon meets a late-night bartender who tells her about the establishment’s first female bartender, Ada Coleman, who crafted many of the cocktails she’s imbibing. An aspiring writer who hasn’t written since the tragic death of her parents --- for which she blames herself --- Cinnamon longs to learn more about Ada and why she’s not mentioned anywhere in the history of the hotel, especially in the famous Savoy Cocktail handbook.

As Rosemary's pregnancy carries on, Cinnamon finds solace not only in the bar but in the company of a handsome historian who is researching the hotel. While Cinnamon might have suppressed her love of writing and literature, others do remember her talent. When an ex-boyfriend and a new author arrives at the Savoy for a book reading and launch, Cinnamon’s world, which has been on the brink for years, finally collapses.

I love that Brisa Carleton’s debut novel takes place at a hotel. It makes you feel as if the characters’ problems, while big, are still in transit and not insurmountable. The sisters are dealing with job changes, relocating to a new country, divorce, unresolved grief and more. There are a few unexplained encounters that offer Cinnamon the courage to finally start dealing with her troubled past and the grief she’s carrying. I like that these experiences go unexplained. It’s as if they’re there to help her find her way, not explain how to get there.

I was fascinated by the history of the Savoy, and especially by Ada Coleman, who made headlines, brought people to the bar, and was a favorite among patrons. Her story, forgotten over time and rewritten by the men with whom she worked, helps Cinnamon focus while wandering around and wondering about her own place in this world. It allows her to begin coping with the massive feelings of loss for her parents, her writing career, and a future that could have been but wasn’t.

LAST CALL AT THE SAVOY is a wonderful book. It’s a lovely story of people finding themselves, leaning on others, and loving those individuals who pull us through when we need them most.