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The Bookstore on the Beach

Brenda Novak (Goodreads Author)

4.19 · Rating details · 759 ratings · 242 reviews

How do you start a new chapter when you haven’t closed the book on the last one?

Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac’s husband went missing. Her desperate search has yielded no answers—she still has no idea where he went or why. After being happily married for twenty years, she can’t imagine moving forward without him, but for the sake of their two teenage children, she has t ...more

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Kindle Edition, 373 pages

Published April 6th 2021 by MIRA

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Apr 12, 2021 Jonetta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: publisher-review-request, 2021-audiobook-challenge, 2021-in-2021, contemporary-romance, blog-tour, audiobook, 5000-2021

Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac’s husband of twenty years disappeared after a trip to the Ukraine. She’s spent those months tirelessly searching for him in vain and decides to return to her hometown for the summer. Autumn and her two teenaged children stay with her mother, Mary Langford, who operates a bookstore on the beach along with her sister Laurie. She’s looking for a respite after the despair of husband Nick’s disappearance but runs into a bit of turmoil when her high school “first,” Qu ...more

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Apr 02, 2021 Melissa (LifeFullyBooked) rated it liked it · review of another edition

2.5 stars, rounded up
I picked this book up for two reasons: one, that the main character Autumn's husband had disappeared without a trace eighteen months previously and she was trying to find him and what had happened to him. Two, it featured a bookstore and books about books/bookstores/libraries are some of my favorites. This book turned out to be an overall decent read, but it definitely has some shortcomings.

The main thing wrong with this book is that it is so incredibly uneven and tries to i 2.5 stars, rounded up
I picked this book up for two reasons: one, that the main character Autumn's husband had disappeared without a trace eighteen months previously and she was trying to find him and what had happened to him. Two, it featured a bookstore and books about books/bookstores/libraries are some of my favorites. This book turned out to be an overall decent read, but it definitely has some shortcomings.

The main thing wrong with this book is that it is so incredibly uneven and tries to introduce far too many "issues" and none of them are dealt with very well. In addition to the missing husband there are also threads of kidnapping/sexual abuse, sexual identity, teen pregnancy, attempted murder of a spouse, rekindling lost love, and quite a few other things. It ends up being more of a mess than an cohesive story.
A problem I have with general fiction that attempts to introduce a mystery storyline is that it is generally not paced well, and the missing husband plot point suffers from that. We never get to know the husband before he is missing, so the reader can't form a connection to him or to his relationship with Autumn and the kids. When there is eventually some resolution, we have nothing to root for other than the relationship that happens on the page between Autumn and Quinn, even though the relationship with her husband is longer and more complex. Then the ending of the book is totally abrupt and the book feels very unfinished.

Mary's past should have been revealed to the reader much earlier than it is, because all of her insistence on keeping things from Autumn over and over gets annoying. Again with the uneven pacing, if the reader was let in on it sooner I think I might have been more on Mary's side.
I did like Taylor's storyline and it seemed authentic, but there was just way too much going on in this book to give any of it the thoughtful consideration it needed for such heavy topics.

Lastly, there was very little mention of books and the bookstore. Just vaguely in passing and I was disappointed that it wasn't a bigger part of the story. Overall this is a decent book, if you can set aside the pacing and the over abundance of issues. The characters are interesting and there are some meaningful situations.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own. ...more

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Mar 24, 2021 Chris C - A Midlife Wife rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, womens-fiction, romance, harlequin, contemporary-fiction, reviews

That ending... not cool. I needed more there. ☹️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This book is filled with scenarios that just really tug at your emotions. Who can even comprehend how they would feel let alone emotionally handle someone who was just missing.

There are a lot of different layers in this story and totally not just about a bookstore and the lives involved there. It is a much deeper story with it’s complexity. It’s about heartbreak and learning how to move past and try to live your life.

It’s a ...more

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Feb 14, 2021 Brenda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-2021

I’m kind of stuck on how I feel about this book hence the 3 stars. I wasn’t completely in love with all parts of the story. When I started the story I wasn’t pulled in. I kept reading but it took a bit of time to get me to the point that I didn’t want to put it down. Usually it takes me about 5-7 days to read a good book. This one was double that.
At a point a little over half way through, I lost that connection and started skipping paragraphs, then pages. There was just so much drama for one sm ...more

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Jan 30, 2021 Sherri Thacker rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-books, great-books-but-not-quite-5-star-bo

This book has a lot going on and a lot of characters to keep track of. I enjoyed this book and would love to own a book store on the beach. What could be better than that? It was fast paced and it made me feel like i really was on the beach living this story. This author never disappoints. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

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Jan 09, 2021 Michelle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-about-book-lovers, giveaway-or-galleys, beach-books

This book might look like a cute beach book but there’s a lot of extra drama too. I’ve never read this author before and wouldn’t have known what to expect.

Three generations of women spend the summer together at the beach.
Mary is happy that her daughter Autumn and her great children Taylor and Caden are going to come spend the summer again. Autumn hasn’t brought the family out recently because her husband disappeared and she’s been trying so hard to find him.

Each of the three women has been thro ...more

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Jan 09, 2021 Leah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book has a little something for everyone. There’s a little mystery, a little romance, contemporary issues and great character development. This book was hard to put down for long.

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Jan 07, 2021 Monica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is more of a women's fiction book than romance. Yes there is a romance in the book but the book is more centered around three women. There are a lot of secrets that are unearthed during this summer. I did enjoy this book a lot. Who wouldn't want to own a bookstore right on the beach. I would love that. There is a lot of emotion in this book. A lot of fear of the unknown too. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. I felt it was too short and left the reader guessing on a lot of things. ...more

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Apr 01, 2021 "Avonna rated it liked it

Shelves: gifted-from-publisher, net-galley

Check out all of my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com

THE BOOKSTORE ON THE BEACH by Brenda Novak is a women’s fiction story featuring three generations of women in one family. Each woman is facing emotional secrets and decisions which can break apart a family as well as heal it with understanding and forgiveness. This is a standalone read.

I am very torn about how I feel about this book. I love the setting and I love any book centered around a bookstore. The three women all have storie ...more

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Jan 08, 2021 Janelle rated it liked it · review of another edition

How much drama can you pack into one story? A missing husband, a past family scandal, a second chance romance, cancer, an unexpected pregnancy, etc. This book has it all. Easy to follow even with three main narratives. Autumn's husband has been missing for 18 months when she travels to her hometown with her 2 kids for a summer visit with her mother. She runs into a past love and reconnects. Mary, her mother, has hidden scandal that comes to head that summer.

I received an ARC of this book from N ...more

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Feb 23, 2021 BookgirlonGoodreads rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Full disclosure...I requested The Bookstore on the Beach from NetGalley based entirely on the title. I was not familiar with the author and I did not read the description. I just love books, bookstores, and beaches, so figured why not! Well, the "why not" is that this is just not my type of book. It's melodramatic to the extreme, with so many dramatic plot threads that it becomes unbelievable. However, I think this would likely appeal to some women - yes, I think this is absolutely "chick lit."

T Full disclosure...I requested The Bookstore on the Beach from NetGalley based entirely on the title. I was not familiar with the author and I did not read the description. I just love books, bookstores, and beaches, so figured why not! Well, the "why not" is that this is just not my type of book. It's melodramatic to the extreme, with so many dramatic plot threads that it becomes unbelievable. However, I think this would likely appeal to some women - yes, I think this is absolutely "chick lit."

The story revolves around three generations of women and one summer they spend together at the beach in Virginia. That's a nice premise. However, each woman is dealing with issues that are so extreme it stretches credibility. We have all of the following: abduction, rape, teenage pregnancy from the rape, imprisonment and an escape, espionage, a missing person (this is NOT the person who was abducted but a totally different storyline), another imprisonment, another teenage pregnancy this time due to poor decisions, sexual identity questions, depression, a resurrected high school love, a parent dying of cancer, a stabbing and attempted murder by a jealous spouse, a possible case of child abuse, and a gossipmonger spreading rumors. All coming to a head in one summer. I'm exhausted just writing all of that!

It's not a "beach read" the way I think of them, despite the title, as there are no picturesque descriptions of the town, the beach, summer days. I think of other writers who have written family sagas set at the beach with success - Colony and Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons come to mind - but the drama in those books is more balanced, plus there are glorious descriptions of beach communities, beach views, beach life in general that make the location part of the story as much as any character.. The Bookstore at the Beach has none of that. I can't even remember the name of the beach town.

In this book it's just all drama all the time. It's not a style of book I like but I am sure will appeal to its target audience. ...more

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Mar 16, 2021 Vickie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The story of three women, all of whom face huge challenges in life, was written with so much powerful emotion that it carried me along, much as the tide carries the shells with it. Mary, the mother of Autumn and grandmother of Taylor, is hiding a terrible secret that she fears others will discover. Autumn’s husband of a couple of decades is missing after a trip to Ukraine and she is undone by his disappearance. Finally, Taylor, Autumn’s daughter, has some serious drama of her own to deal with. J ...more

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Jan 24, 2021 Annette rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-2021

This book had a lot going on. Three generations of women all having a secret to deal with. It was hard to put down this book, at times I couldn’t read fast enough. I enjoyed the book! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

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Jan 14, 2021 Lyndi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-2021

After 18 months of searching for her husband who's gone missing and finding fewer clues as time goes on, Autumn packs up her two teenage children and goes to her mother's house in Sable Point for the summer. The women in this story- Autumn, her mother Mary, and daughter Taylor- all have secrets to keep. And when the truth is finally revealed it will change everything.
This felt more like a family drama than a romance story. There was a romantic element involved, but the main story revolved aroun ...more

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Jan 18, 2021 Jamie Degler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow! You think oh what a cute and cozy little book this is. I couldn’t put it down! It took so many turns and went down roads you never imagined. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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Jan 07, 2021 Diane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak is filled with interwoven depths of love along with many levels of drama. There are three generations of women, and each is facing life-changing events in their lives. Mary, Autumn, and Taylor have secrets they are not sharing and life seems to be forcing them to come to terms with new decisions,
Mary has a past she does not want her daughter Autumn to know about. Is it fair to keep her parentage a secret? Mary wants to wait just a bit longer before tell ...more

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Apr 06, 2021 Liz rated it really liked it

I am not sure where to begin with my review for The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak. The story was about grief, loss, family, second chances and so much more. Autumn’s husband has been missing for over a year. I can’t even imagine how that would feel. In her case, she felt as if she was in limbo, but in the end, she has to think of her children. So she goes to visit her family and the bookstore they run to find some peace. And yet, life seems to throw more at her at every turn. Now she is ...more

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Feb 12, 2021 ROBIN RUIZ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

You can never go wrong with a Brenda Novak book and this one is no exception.

Autumn’s husband has been missing for over a year, this has not only affected her but her children, Taylor and Caden as well. Hoping for a change of scenery as well as much needed down time, they head to her mothers house in Sable Beach for the summer.
While this will be a chance to think how to move forward, situations and life will move faster than they want. Everyone including her mother has secrets that are about to ...more

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Apr 06, 2021 Jodi Golis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Don’t be deceived by the cute title... There is a lot going on in this book! Autumn and her high school children are trying to navigate a new normal with their husband/dad missing for over two years. They are summering at the beach where their mother/grandmother, Mary, owns a bookstore with her sister.

In this book, when it rains it pours. Each character has her/his own major drama going on. I expected this to be much fluffier of a read than it was and was pleasantly surprised that the storyline ...more

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Apr 08, 2021 Andra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I started The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak and within 3 pages I was hooked. The stories and the characters are so well done. The stories run concurrently are interwoven so well. There are many twists and quite a few oh no’s and bated breathe moments. Oh, there were some tears as well.
This is a book of family, love and relationships. There are struggles that test the characters’ mettle. I was able to identify with the characters as the book progressed. I highly recommend this book. It h ...more

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Apr 01, 2021 Tiffany www.instagram.com/tiffs_bookshelf rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book is an emotional rollercoaster that you just can't get off until you find out how it ends up. This story and all the secrets & challenges that the family in it face were just wow!!!!!!! Totally blow you're mind wow!!!!!!!!!!! I loved this book so much!!!!!!!! I highly highly highly recommend this book to everyone of every genre fans. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin, Mira Edition for my honest review ...more

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Dec 27, 2020 Sarah Bittel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is everything you want in a Brenda Novak romance. In this story, secrets are being kept by many of the characters and they are slowly revealed by the author. Set in a beach town, this story has all the elements of a good romance, but the mystery drives it along. I enjoyed the story and it was prefect for what I was hoping to read right now. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Feb 07, 2021 Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, contemporary, 2021-coyer, harlequin, romance, 2021-new-release-challenge, 2021-releases, adult, review-books, netgalley

*I received a free copy of The Bookstore on the Beach from Harlequin MIRA via NetGalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review which is honest and unbiased.*

There was a lot to enjoy in this novel, compelling characters, a main story line that was quite strong, and a setting that was so nice I want to travel there.
However, there were also several things that didn't work for me completely.

Full review to come. ...more

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Apr 08, 2021 Kat rated it liked it · review of another edition

Bookstore. Beach. That's all I needed to know I wanted to read it. Reading the description made it sound like it would be a sweet, heartwarming second chance at romance kind of story. I really liked that it involved a love interest from a very formative point in her younger life. I was really looking forward to a grown woman coming to terms with a sudden and tragic change to her life and family and finding the courage to open her heart again. At least, that's what the description made me think. ...more

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Dec 28, 2020 Maryanne/MA rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was my first Brenda Novak but won’t be my last. So many interwoven storylines and lots of suspense! I was really worried about the ending but it all ended the way I wanted - in the last 1%!

Some of the dialogue was a little stilted. As a high school teacher, I found the teenagers voices to be a little inauthentic.

Thankful to NetGalley for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

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Mar 31, 2021 Marlene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Originally published at Reading Reality

The bookstore on the beach in Sable Beach belongs to, let’s call them late-middle-aged sisters Mary and Lauren. As this tumultuous summer opens, Mary is waiting for her grown-up daughter Autumn to arrive for one last summer with her kids, her daughter Taylor and son Caden.

There’s more than a bit of bittersweetness in Mary’s anticipation, and in Autumn’s as well as she makes the drive up from her home in Tampa. Taylor will be a senior in high school in the f ...more

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Feb 15, 2021 Nancy Lepri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I have reviewed this title for New York Journal of Books where it will be posted on their site the evening prior to the release date.

"The Bookstore on the Beach" by Brenda Novak
MIRA
April 6, 2021
10-0778361055
448 Pages
Women's Contemporary Fiction

Autumn Divac has been living in limbo for more than 18 months. Her husband Nick, who allegedly worked with the Security Service in the Ukraine, never returned from his assignment. Residing in Tampa with her teenage children, Taylor, age 17, and Caden, 16, ...more

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Apr 07, 2021 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, ebook, 2021-books-read, first-reads-review-copies

This was an emotional roller-coaster of a book, a story of three generations of women at crossroads in their lives. Each woman faces a life-changing decision that will impact her and those around her. Though the combination of events stretched likelihood, I felt that each one was handled realistically.

Autumn, the mom, needs a break. Her husband Nick disappeared a year and a half earlier while on a business trip to Ukraine. She spent the time since then using every means at her disposal to find This was an emotional roller-coaster of a book, a story of three generations of women at crossroads in their lives. Each woman faces a life-changing decision that will impact her and those around her. Though the combination of events stretched likelihood, I felt that each one was handled realistically.

Autumn, the mom, needs a break. Her husband Nick disappeared a year and a half earlier while on a business trip to Ukraine. She spent the time since then using every means at her disposal to find him but with no success. Nick's disappearance has been hard on their son Caden and daughter Taylor also. Autumn feels they need to get away from the memories at home and takes them to her hometown for the summer. Time at the beach and with their grandmother will be good for all of them. She never expected to run into her high school crush and feel the stirrings of old feelings.

Autumn's mom, Mary, loves having her family there for the summer, but this summer, she is on edge. A secret that haunted her for many years could hurt her family if exposed. She doesn't know whether to come clean about it or try to bury it even deeper.

Meanwhile, Autumn's daughter Taylor doesn't know what to do. She loves her father, and his disappearance left her feeling emotionally adrift. In an attempt to feel some emotion, Taylor did something she regrets but can't be undone. A chance to enjoy her summer appeals, but the consequences of her actions make that enjoyment problematical. A new friend both helps and complicates the turmoil Taylor feels.

The last central character is Quinn. After his divorce and his wife's imprisonment for attempting to kill him over imagined infidelities, he returned to his hometown. Quinn helps his parents with their restaurant as his mother battles cancer. Autumn's arrival brings some light to a dark time in his life.

I loved the interweaving of the storylines as the summer progressed. Each character and their problems were vividly portrayed with realistic thoughts and actions. I liked following each one as they slowly worked through their problems, knowing that their family would be there when needed. Mary broke my heart as she dealt with her past. The horror she survived and overcame was devastating and amazed me with what she accomplished. Her overprotectiveness with Autumn and the children made sense. I could feel her fear when she learned about the private investigator and her reluctance to do anything about it. There were some unexpected twists as she faced the past, but in the end, she was stronger than she knew.

Taylor's situation wasn't uncommon for a teenager but had some added complications. Depression over her father's disappearance led to drinking too much at a party and contributed to the mistake of sleeping with her brother's ex-best friend. Now she faces the consequences of that mistake and the potential of hurting her brother in the process. Never one to make friends easily, Taylor is surprised by how quickly she connects with a local girl, Sierra. Sierra is a bit of an outcast, rough around the edges but amazingly sensitive and supportive. It was easy to see where their friendship was headed, and I thought it was beautifully handled. Sierra's support also helped Taylor deal with the boy in question (a first-class jerk) and face her family. I loved how it worked out, though there were a few bumps along the way.

The most significant part of the story belonged to Autumn and Quinn. They saw each other for the first time since high school on Autumn's first day in town. Her memories of that high school encounter still embarrass her, but Quinn tries to put her at ease. She intrigues and attracts him, but her wariness forces him to be patient. Autumn is exhausted, mentally and physically, from long months of uncertainty. She doesn't know if she's still married or a widow, whether she should keep searching or let go and move on. The more time Autumn spends with Quinn, the more she realizes the differences in her feelings for him and her feelings for Nick. Quinn is a nice guy, patient, and kind, but also determined to show Autumn how much she means to him. Autumn's internal battle with herself was hard-fought, but she couldn't deny how he made her feel. I liked watching her slowly let go of her fears and open herself to the possibilities. Not everything was sunshine and roses, as various family issues added to Autumn's stress. Quinn has some great scenes with the kids, a couple of which have the potential for disaster. There was a bit of a hiccup when Quinn confessed a secret, but that was handled quickly. I loved seeing Autumn take hold of the future with optimism while wondering if fate was done with her. The intensity of the ending had me glued to the pages until it was all over. I wish there had been an epilogue as I would like to have seen them a couple of years down the road.

#netgalley ...more

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Mar 22, 2021 Sophia rated it really liked it

Shelves: net-galley-reads, 2021-coyer-seasons, contemporary-romance, womens-fiction, 2021-coyer-community

A summer at the beach, brings more heartbreak and healing than can be imagined for a woman and her family. Heartfelt, family-focused, and another chance at love fill this latest of the author's books and challenge the reader to feel so much.

The standalone The Bookstore on the Beach begins when Autumn Divac reaches a decision. Her husband left on a business trip and disappeared more than eighteen months before and this has been her primary focus at the expense of her two teenage children and hers A summer at the beach, brings more heartbreak and healing than can be imagined for a woman and her family. Heartfelt, family-focused, and another chance at love fill this latest of the author's books and challenge the reader to feel so much.

The standalone The Bookstore on the Beach begins when Autumn Divac reaches a decision. Her husband left on a business trip and disappeared more than eighteen months before and this has been her primary focus at the expense of her two teenage children and herself. They will leave Tampa and go north to the beach and bookstore where she grew up and spend the summer with her mother Mary after all these years of her mother wanting her back for a visit.

But, if Autumn thought she'd find some peace and enjoyment, her daughter has a huge secret and her mother has an equally big one, but then there is her own complicated situation when her old high school crush returns to town after his own troubled past to be his parents and help out since his mom is dying. The journey of life isn't easy for any of the women in Autumn's family, but their summer on the beach pulls them together and they learn to face the difficulties and find their way through.

The Bookstore on the Beach caught my eye for the cover and title. Brenda Novak was an author I had read twice before and was happy to pick up another of her books. I read the blurb and thought, oh good, there will be a suspense element, some women's fiction, and a lovely second chance romance against a fun summer backdrop.

Mmhmm... about that. I got something of a surprise once I started reading. That old aphorism, 'if it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all' kept running through my mind. Every single member of that family and Quinn the love interest have some serious hardships and that does not even count having Nick Divac missing and presumed dead. This was no frolicking light summer read. I had to adjust, and, I had to go with what I thought was way more drama than any one book should hold. Right down to the end, the hits just kept coming. I'm still reeling.

After I got on track with the book and not my preconceptions, I discovered that I loved the little town, the family and friends around them, and I most definitely engaged with the characters. Autumn was the principal character, but her mom, Mary, her daughter, Taylor, and Quinn got plenty of narration time and had their own strong plot threads as well. The multiple generations of women facing their trials and relying on each other was probably my favorite part though, yes, I did love the romance of Autumn and Quinn.

There was much to break my heart or leave me unsure how I felt about it, but there were also joyful and beautiful moments, too. I am choosing not to get specific about these women's secrets, but Mary's lead towards the horrific and tragic while Taylor's are complex between big troubles and confusion that many teens face and try to hide.

The book is full and longer because of multiple storylines, but I never felt it drag though I did once in a while wish that there was less going on in their lives because so much trauma felt unreal after a bit. The teenage issues particularly with the brother and his best friend was probably least appealing. I was vested though and had to know what happened once everything was introduced. I had my suspicions about one last late curveball and I really hoped I was wrong after everything else that had already happened and was happening, but there it was- my least favorite romance trope showed up and I was too invested in the story so had to weather that one through and hope for the outcome I wanted even though either way there would be deep sacrifice. But, I think what actually dissatisfied me was the end. Yes, the main threads were tied up and I had a general idea what was going to happen, but I had the feeling the story simply stopped. I felt it needed more- an epilogue to balance the events preceding.

All in all, The Bookstore on the Beach took me on an emotional trip of the heart through the lives of a strong family of women. I was glad to get the story and fell in love with the characters and wanted them to find their way to happy. Those who enjoy Contemporary Romance crossed with Women's Fiction and want a book with all the feels should definitely give this one a go.

My thanks to Harlequin MIRA for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Mar 31, 2021 WycEd Reader rated it really liked it

Shelves: women-s-fiction, arc-blog-tour, arc-netgalley, second-chance-romance, arc-publisher, contemporary-romance, coming-of-age

Check out our full post for THE BOOKSTORE ON THE BEACH on Wicked Reads, which includes a Q&A with the author.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆
As with most Brenda Novak stories, there is a lot going on in this great story. Autumn and her children are going to her mother's for the summer. After her husband has been missing for 18 months, she thinks it might be time to let him go, that he might be gone forever.

Mary, Autumn's mother, and her Aunt Laura own a bookstore on a beach i ...more

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About Brenda Novak

Brenda Novak

5,282 followers

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.

“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”

However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a ...more