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frombethanysbookshelf's review
5.0
Genre: Romance | Romantic Comedy
Release Date: Expected 30th June 2021
Publisher: One More Chapter | Harper Collins
Content Warning: Some sexual imagery, mentions of death, mentions of cheating.
Lottie Watt loves book club - until she has to make a very sudden and not graceful exit for not following the rules. So now she wants to bring the fun back to book club and decides to start her own - where the fun, the cake and the laughter is far more important than rules, where you can read 'books we'd want to take on holiday, and books that take us on holiday.'
And so, The Beach Reads Book Club is born and have their first meeting at Books By The Bay, a very cute bookshop cafe that was reluctantly offered by Matthew Steele, the gorgeous but slightly prickly owner and his family. As far as first meetings go, it's one for the history books.
But as the pages start to turn, Lottie starts to learn that maybe Matt isn't so scary after all, maybe he's just got another story that's waiting for the right person to read it.
Kathryn Freeman always has a way of bringing strong, beautiful women and mouth watering romance together in a winning combination that's always impossible to put down. Right from the beginning, I was sucked in and needed to know more about not just Lottie and Matt, but the whole eclectic cast of the Beach Reads Book Club. From Audrey, a lonely retiree with a skill to always find the best sex scenes, to Sam who's been desperate for adult conversation since they had a baby, to Gira who is convinced her marriage is falling apart around her - each character was so full of life and love that as each chapter went by they felt more like old friends.
Without even knowing it, Lottie was forming a community- not just a club. It was a place all of our characters came together and learned to be better friends, better people, and just have fun.
And while the friendships of this story were absolutely wonderful - of course there's the prospect of romance in the air. But Lottie knows despite how many epic romances she's read, nothing is ever simple when it comes to matters of the heart - there's always baggage, unresolved exes, or a dog who doesn't like you very much getting in the way.
"If you think that's what romance books are all about, you've clearly never read one. They're about hope, about joy. About handling adversity and coming through the other side stronger. Yes, they're also about love, the most powerful emotion you'll ever experience."
I so badly want to be a part of this club, and finding out what they were reading about every month was an absolute delight - I was so happy when they discussed books I'd already read (Love Square was brilliant) and I'll definitely be checking out the rest of their reading list now too. As I've said before, I'm a sucker for books about books, and this one was the gin and the tonic.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Kathryn Freeman and One More Chapter for inviting me to read this ARC in return for an honest review.
pipsbooks's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
cris3ma's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
renrevelous's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The structure for the book following the timeline along with the book club reads is such a fun take. I’d read some of the books they read, which made it fun to know what book they were discussing and the subtle references made about it. Matthew and Lottie are opposites in so many ways, but they both care deeply for the friends and family in their life. When Henry returns I hated seeing Matthew take a step back, but also loved him more for it. The book has a Notting Hill vibe and even references the film at one point, which really sealed how much I loved the whole story.
annarella's review
5.0
An enjoyable, poignant and heartwarming story that made me smile and and wish I could join the book club.
It's a well written story, a romance between two relatable and fleshed out characters, and an interesting list of books I could read.
This is a debut and I cannot wait for the next book by this author as she's talented.
There's humour, there're emotions and some very interesting observations.
I thoroughly enjoyed, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
PS: sorry for the late review
It's a well written story, a romance between two relatable and fleshed out characters, and an interesting list of books I could read.
This is a debut and I cannot wait for the next book by this author as she's talented.
There's humour, there're emotions and some very interesting observations.
I thoroughly enjoyed, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
PS: sorry for the late review
amj5113's review
3.0
A fun, charming story about a book loving book club. This was an easy summer read with many likable characters, except both main characters fell a little flat for me. I didn’t love the relationship between Lottie and Matt but I enjoyed the way they interacted with others in the story. Cute story, just not for me.
kirstysbookshelf's review
3.0
I received a copy via Net Galley.
After Lottie is asked to leave her book club she decides to start up the Beach Read Book Club dedicated to reading romance books. She convinces local book store owner Matt to allow her to use the cafe in his book shop to host the book club.
I really liked the characters in the book club and the friendships that were formed between the women. I really liked that the book club read romance books and the author mentioned some popular titles. I found the discussions that the book club had to be really entertaining and a lot of fun to read.
Whilst I really enjoyed this element of the story I didn't love the romance portion. I didn't feel any spark between Matt and Lottie although I knew from the start they were going to end up together.
Overall I thought that this was a fun read and will be a perfect summer read for any book lover.
After Lottie is asked to leave her book club she decides to start up the Beach Read Book Club dedicated to reading romance books. She convinces local book store owner Matt to allow her to use the cafe in his book shop to host the book club.
I really liked the characters in the book club and the friendships that were formed between the women. I really liked that the book club read romance books and the author mentioned some popular titles. I found the discussions that the book club had to be really entertaining and a lot of fun to read.
Whilst I really enjoyed this element of the story I didn't love the romance portion. I didn't feel any spark between Matt and Lottie although I knew from the start they were going to end up together.
Overall I thought that this was a fun read and will be a perfect summer read for any book lover.
sarahfett's review
3.0
I really enjoyed the characters in this light romance. They were fun and interesting and had room for depth. There wasn't much to the story, however, and it quickly became repetitive.
readwithcatriona's review
3.0
This is my first read from this author and it definitely won’t be my last!
The Beach Reads Book Club is a witty and fun story about a lovable electrician, Lottie, who walks out of her bookclub having lost her love of reading due to its boring structure and heavy monthly picks. She decides to start her own club with her friends “The Beach Reads Book Club” - you know the kind of books you want to take on holiday and sit by the pool. The new and charmingly handsome bookshop owner agrees she can use her space but the sparks between them cannot go unnoticed!
The characters were honestly so relatable, I absolutely loved them! Was so heartwarming to see them sticking together when spying on Gira’s potentially unfaithful husband and chipping in for Lottie’s van. The twist of Henry coming back definitely put a spanner in the works, I can understand Matt’s reasons for allowing things to unfold but in reality, the happy ending doesn’t always plan out by doing that.
I felt as though something was missing between Lottie and Matt’s relationship. They start off to be anxious and fumbling round each other and then Matt proceeds to act awkward and release mixed signals and then suddenly they are into an established routine with each other. I just felt that the author lacked an important conversation or turning point in the relationship so that the readers could feel that deep connection between the characters start to unfold.
I also felt that the relationship between Matt and his family. I would have liked to have seen more of a resolution between the three of them rather than a gradual build like what we saw in the book. The author could have went deeper with the themes of grief adding to a much more compelling and gripping read rather than a “Beach Read”.
Overall, a very fun and enjoyable read. Definitely wish I had saved this for reading by the beach
The Beach Reads Book Club is a witty and fun story about a lovable electrician, Lottie, who walks out of her bookclub having lost her love of reading due to its boring structure and heavy monthly picks. She decides to start her own club with her friends “The Beach Reads Book Club” - you know the kind of books you want to take on holiday and sit by the pool. The new and charmingly handsome bookshop owner agrees she can use her space but the sparks between them cannot go unnoticed!
The characters were honestly so relatable, I absolutely loved them! Was so heartwarming to see them sticking together when spying on Gira’s potentially unfaithful husband and chipping in for Lottie’s van. The twist of Henry coming back definitely put a spanner in the works, I can understand Matt’s reasons for allowing things to unfold but in reality, the happy ending doesn’t always plan out by doing that.
I felt as though something was missing between Lottie and Matt’s relationship. They start off to be anxious and fumbling round each other and then Matt proceeds to act awkward and release mixed signals and then suddenly they are into an established routine with each other. I just felt that the author lacked an important conversation or turning point in the relationship so that the readers could feel that deep connection between the characters start to unfold.
I also felt that the relationship between Matt and his family. I would have liked to have seen more of a resolution between the three of them rather than a gradual build like what we saw in the book. The author could have went deeper with the themes of grief adding to a much more compelling and gripping read rather than a “Beach Read”.
Overall, a very fun and enjoyable read. Definitely wish I had saved this for reading by the beach
rute_cuca's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
I LOVED this book, it was so fun and full of love, it felt like the sun was always shining on me while reading it.
Lottie and Matt are very different. Lottie is fun, extrovert, makes friends easily…Matt on the other hand is reserved, doesn’t like to talk much about him and for him it is hard to express his feelings.
But when bubbly Lottie starts a Book Club and asks Matt to use his bookstore for the meeting…sparks start. They get to know each other and little by little Matt starts to open up, and Lottie that was just looking for fun starts to fall for him. And when everything was looking fine…Henry (Lottie’s ex) gets back.
It was a wonderful read, all characters are awesome (well I was not a fan of Henry) and it makes me want to start a book club.
Lottie and Matt are very different. Lottie is fun, extrovert, makes friends easily…Matt on the other hand is reserved, doesn’t like to talk much about him and for him it is hard to express his feelings.
But when bubbly Lottie starts a Book Club and asks Matt to use his bookstore for the meeting…sparks start. They get to know each other and little by little Matt starts to open up, and Lottie that was just looking for fun starts to fall for him. And when everything was looking fine…Henry (Lottie’s ex) gets back.
It was a wonderful read, all characters are awesome (well I was not a fan of Henry) and it makes me want to start a book club.