Hi everyone

I hope you’ve all started the weekend off well and you’re enjoying some beautiful weather wherever you may be. This doesn’t happen often, but I’m here with a review; two days on the bounce. My TBR list is very pleased with me right now.

Book 📖

I actually got this book as an ARC, but I’ve been so far behind I didn’t get around to reading it in a timely fashion. Beach House Summer by Sarah Morgan was one of my delayed reviews that I really did look forward to reading so I thought it only fair that I purchase a copy myself. The book was published on 26th May 2022 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

Joanna Whitman may be divorced from her celebrity chef ex husband, but it doesn’t mean that she is out of the spotlight. So when he dies in a car accident, Joanna braces herself for the onslaught of media attention. There is also an added complexity; there was a woman in the car with Cliff and she’s pregnant.

Ashley Blake is in shock when Joanna shows up in her hospital room offering her help and support. She should be angry with her, not trying to help her. Instead, Joanna offers to whisk Ashley away to her beach house so that both of them can evade the press.

Joanna may be able to stay out of the media limelight in the small town where her beach house is located but it’s a small community and she can’t avoid the old familiar faces. She has to face reunions she’s not ready for and Ashley has to prepare for the arrival of her baby. Will this unlikely friendship blossom and will the two women be able to help each other?

General Thoughts 🤔

I was looking for a great beach read and this book ticked all of the boxes. It had drama, friendships, romance, comedy and a happy ending. This is everything I wanted from an easy going beach read that I didn’t have to think too hard about and could just allow myself to be swept away in the story.

I loved the setting for this book more than anything. The small coastal town in California sounded so quaint and idyllic, I was picturing myself there whilst I read. I’d love to know if this was based on an actual town.

Characters 👫👬👭

The main characters in the story were Joanna and Ashley. I really liked them both but I would say I was rooting for Joanna the most. Although Ashley had her troubles, she was young and she had a very positive outlook on life. Joanna however had some pretty deep rooted issues and so I became very invested in her happy ever after.

I enjoyed the relationship between Mel and her daughter Eden. This was a bit of a side plot but I found it really interesting. It was a mother-daughter dynamic that I imagine is very common and I recognised some of it from when I was younger. It was good to have that played back to me and made me remember that as young adults, we don’t always realise how much our parents keep from us.

Writing Style ✍️

I loved that the author kept the structure of this book simple and easy to follow. There was no need for complications, the story was good enough to read as it was. The book was a mixture of Joanna’s and Ashley’s perspectives which was good for understanding their personal feelings as well as how they felt about each other and their friendship.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

This was a fantastic holiday read and I thoroughly enjoyed being swept away with the story. If you’re looking for something to get lost in whether you’re on a beach or want to be transported to one, you should dive straight into this book.

😍😍😍😍😫