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hey_itsshelby's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This book wasn’t quite a 4 star but felt too good to be a 3.5. The story of autumn and how she overcame the struggles and learned about her family and returned home just grew to me. The picture of this beach town is somewhere I feel like I’ve been and need to return to and I loved the writing style of this author. So thankful I picked up this on the Amazon book sale on kindle.
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak is a multifaceted novel. Autumn’s husband disappeared eighteen months ago, and she has exhausted every avenue trying to locate him. Autumn along with her two teenage children are heading to her mother’s beachside town for the summer. It will give them a chance to relax, be together, and heal. Autumn’s oldest child, Taylor is having a tough time. Taylor feels emotionally unconnected plus she has a secret she is keeping from her family. Mary, Autumn’s mother, has kept something from Autumn her whole life. Mary is afraid her daughter will learn the truth, but she does not feel it is the right time to share. Autumn reconnects with her high school crush and old feelings resurface. What should happen, though, if her husband returns? The novel contained good writing with realistic characters. The author packed a lot into the book with a missing husband, a teen questioning her sexuality, a woman with cancer, a woman with a hidden past, a second chance romance, a teen pregnancy, a criminal ex-wife, and expansion of the bookstore. It was easy to follow the various storylines once I got into the book. I did feel the ending was abrupt and needed an epilogue to make it feel complete. I enjoyed the descriptions of the bookstore, the beach, and Mary’s cottage. This story allows us to follow one family and the issues they are encountering over the course of a summer. This is a dramatic tale about one family’s drama. The Bookstore on the Beach is a good book to read while sitting beside a pool.
booksarefriends_notfood's review against another edition
Even though there were some compelling elements to this the book was just very dragged out. I found that the most compelling characters for me were Mary and Taylor but most of our page time is focused on Autumn.
jansbookcorner's review against another edition
2.0
I honestly went between 1 and 2 stars so I'm one of the few who did not like this book. I felt short changed - wanted to know more about Autumn and Nick, felt there were too many issues covered and found the ending abrupt but predictable.
eyackel's review against another edition
4.0
This book is about a woman finding herself after her husband goes missing and the life she puts together after his disappearance. The characters are lovable and the situations they become involved in are hard to comprehend how they could survive. It was an easy read, but with emotions all over the place.
alwaysbooking's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 all the drama and more stars
I feel like I have to preface this review with I have read many Brenda Novak books and loved each and every one of them. This one however was not my cup of tea. I struggled with character connection and the plot line. It had a great idea behind it, but it just had every single thing you could think of thrown into and the kitchen sink and it was just over done for me. Missing husband check, old high school romance check, psycho ex check, busy body in everyone’s business check, cancer patient check, someone questioning their sexuality check, underage pregnancy check, parent with super secret background story check, etc. etc. etc. Maybe if it would’ve had one or two and gone with it, I could’ve gotten more into the story. This book did have some fine moments between the characters that I did like, but for the most part it took me way to long to get through. Usually with Novak’s work I can hardly put it down and just love reading it in one day. As with any book I do not connect to, it may just be me so if you feel like this may be the book for you go ahead and pick it up, it just wasn’t for me this go around. I will still be recommending Brenda Novak to everyone.
Thank you to Brenda Novak and HQN for a copy in lieu of my honest review.
I feel like I have to preface this review with I have read many Brenda Novak books and loved each and every one of them. This one however was not my cup of tea. I struggled with character connection and the plot line. It had a great idea behind it, but it just had every single thing you could think of thrown into and the kitchen sink and it was just over done for me. Missing husband check, old high school romance check, psycho ex check, busy body in everyone’s business check, cancer patient check, someone questioning their sexuality check, underage pregnancy check, parent with super secret background story check, etc. etc. etc. Maybe if it would’ve had one or two and gone with it, I could’ve gotten more into the story. This book did have some fine moments between the characters that I did like, but for the most part it took me way to long to get through. Usually with Novak’s work I can hardly put it down and just love reading it in one day. As with any book I do not connect to, it may just be me so if you feel like this may be the book for you go ahead and pick it up, it just wasn’t for me this go around. I will still be recommending Brenda Novak to everyone.
Thank you to Brenda Novak and HQN for a copy in lieu of my honest review.
lezapal's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 stars rounded up. I gave it this high of a rating because there were some parts of the book I really liked. Some of the characters were very real and had interesting backgrounds. But I think the author tried to take on too many issues and didn’t really do any of them justice.
jillmlong's review against another edition
4.0
This book revolves around three generations of women and the secrets that they keep. I found the writing to be very good and the author does a great job tying all three story lines together. This is the first Brenda Novak novel for me and I look forward to reading more from her.
jfeine's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable read. Characters were interesting, a little stereotyped and the book has some difficulty handling the sexuality issues, but plot moved well. The ending sort of surprised me. Great way to spend a couple of days!
andrea_author's review against another edition
5.0
Autumn's husband has been missing for eighteen months. To help her teenage children cope, she takes them to spend the summer with her mother at a small town on the beach. There she meets up with her high school crush, who wants to date her. But can she move forward with her life when her husband's fate is uncertain? And what happens when she discovers the secrets her mother and daughter are keeping?
This is an engrossing women's fiction with well-developed characters and a vibrant setting. I felt immersed in the conflicts and obstacles the family faced. If the book had ended at the 90% mark, it would have been a wonderful, uplifting romance. But a new complication was added that took it out of the realm of romance for me, and put it solidly into women's fiction territory. That shouldn't discourage anyone from reading it—it's a wonderful book—but adjust your expectations accordingly.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This is an engrossing women's fiction with well-developed characters and a vibrant setting. I felt immersed in the conflicts and obstacles the family faced. If the book had ended at the 90% mark, it would have been a wonderful, uplifting romance. But a new complication was added that took it out of the realm of romance for me, and put it solidly into women's fiction territory. That shouldn't discourage anyone from reading it—it's a wonderful book—but adjust your expectations accordingly.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.