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deanapotter's review against another edition
4.0
There is nothing better than an enemies to lovers story. Sandcastle Beach is a fun and witty slow burn romance.
If you have read any of the previous books in the series or even if you are a newcomer, you will soon find that the witty banter and the enemies to no end are just the steppingstones to the beginnings of this romance.
Maya and Law have been going back-and-forth with each other for years. They’re witty banter and constant rivalry makes you truly wonder what emotions they have for each other underneath. When a competition for a large amount of money happens within their small town to help out a small business it’s game on for both of them. It’s a fine line between love and hate and these two may have just stepped over the line.
Jenny Holiday will make you laugh and fall in love all of the same time. Maya and Law are riot together. Their constant going at each other built so much tension in so many ways. Crossing that line just maybe the best thing for them. Maya and Law find their way together in a way that only they could do. Jenny Holiday gives readers another entertaining visit to Matchmaker Bay.
If you have read any of the previous books in the series or even if you are a newcomer, you will soon find that the witty banter and the enemies to no end are just the steppingstones to the beginnings of this romance.
Maya and Law have been going back-and-forth with each other for years. They’re witty banter and constant rivalry makes you truly wonder what emotions they have for each other underneath. When a competition for a large amount of money happens within their small town to help out a small business it’s game on for both of them. It’s a fine line between love and hate and these two may have just stepped over the line.
Jenny Holiday will make you laugh and fall in love all of the same time. Maya and Law are riot together. Their constant going at each other built so much tension in so many ways. Crossing that line just maybe the best thing for them. Maya and Law find their way together in a way that only they could do. Jenny Holiday gives readers another entertaining visit to Matchmaker Bay.
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
This trilogy was exactly what I needed the past two weeks. Entertaining in the moment but not something that lingers.
tiggeruo's review against another edition
4.0
I will start off saying I did not read book one of this series but I did two and three now and I still fill like I love the matchmakers they are hilarious. In this book they are back to there "manipulation" . I really liked the banter between Law and Maya they have a love hate relationship and you can't help but to get invested into it and laugh. I was not a fan at all of Holden, he just rubbed me the wrong way and I was so over him with in a few minutes into his story. There is sexual content and adult language through out this book so may not be suitable for all. I would say I thought this was a fun book I hope this is not it for this series and we get to find out what happens with more of the fun characters we have meet through out this story and the other books. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
jaimejustreadsromance's review against another edition
4.0
I love a good enemies to lovers romance. Especially when one or both of the mc's are oblivious to the fact that they are basically already in love with the other.
The banter between Law and Maya was fun. I understand that there was history for Maya and why she was not-so-nice to Law from the beginning but it was interesting how Law just sort of accepted their feud and went with it without understanding why they were supposed to dislike each other.
As expected when you read a small-town romance, there was some interference from the locals but it didn't feel like overkill. Some of my favorite scenes were of Law with his friends who gave him a hard time about his feelings for Maya, more specifically that he didn't realize he HAD feelings for Maya.
Overall, this was just a really fun, sweet romance and I highly recommend it!
Note: Somehow I missed out on reading the second book in this series but after getting a glimpse of Nora and Jake's relationship, I will definitely be going back to read it!!
*I received an ARC from the publisher for voluntary review
The banter between Law and Maya was fun. I understand that there was history for Maya and why she was not-so-nice to Law from the beginning but it was interesting how Law just sort of accepted their feud and went with it without understanding why they were supposed to dislike each other.
As expected when you read a small-town romance, there was some interference from the locals but it didn't feel like overkill. Some of my favorite scenes were of Law with his friends who gave him a hard time about his feelings for Maya, more specifically that he didn't realize he HAD feelings for Maya.
Overall, this was just a really fun, sweet romance and I highly recommend it!
Note: Somehow I missed out on reading the second book in this series but after getting a glimpse of Nora and Jake's relationship, I will definitely be going back to read it!!
*I received an ARC from the publisher for voluntary review
themaritimereader14's review against another edition
4.0
This is the third and final book in the Matchmaker Bay series, and although I believe Paradise Cove is maybe my favourite of the three, this was a solid finish and a great story about "enemies" to lovers. I'd enjoyed both Maya and Law in the previous two books and was so excited to see where this story took them. A few things I loved in this book: all of the village elders did some seriously fun meddling, there was some fun Shakespeare moments, the talk of delicious pizza, grilled cheese, and Riesling was fun :), and the friendships in this little town are sweet and fun to read about. I've really enjoyed this series and will likely pick up anything Jenny Holiday writes next.
Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
_basicbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Maya and Law have grown up in the same small town and have been enemies as long as they can remember. Occasionally they’ll call a truce to watch soccer together, but other than that you can usually find them bickering. When the town starts a contest for a small business grant this competition between them increases. Maya wants to win to save her community theater and Law wants it to expand his bar. Of course there’s a thin line between love and hate and that line seems to be getting blurrier each day.
Jenny Holiday is the queen of the small town romance. If you are looking for a light, sweet, story with all the Hallmark vibes, look no further. This book is so heartwarming and cute! This was the perfect example of a enemies to lovers romance. It’s the 3rd in a series but I read it as a standalone, and did not feel confused. However, I do want to go back and read the first two to get the other characters’ story lines as well! This would be a great vacation read (or mental vacation thanks to covid).
Thanks to Forever Publishing for the gifted copy of this book!
Jenny Holiday is the queen of the small town romance. If you are looking for a light, sweet, story with all the Hallmark vibes, look no further. This book is so heartwarming and cute! This was the perfect example of a enemies to lovers romance. It’s the 3rd in a series but I read it as a standalone, and did not feel confused. However, I do want to go back and read the first two to get the other characters’ story lines as well! This would be a great vacation read (or mental vacation thanks to covid).
Thanks to Forever Publishing for the gifted copy of this book!
thefriscobay's review against another edition
4.0
About the book:
Maya Mehta loves the stage - always has. So after college when she's able to come back home to run the community theater in town, she gladly takes on the challenge. Years on, though, she needs money (and fast!) to keep the space alive. All she has to do is win the town's new business grant. But obviously nothing is that simple. She's got competition, in the form of her long time nemesis Ben Lawson, who wants to win the grant to help expand his family's generations-run bar. As the stakes raise for Ben and Maya with their respective businesses, growing interest also threatens to come to the surface. Is their collective pride greater than their burgeoning romance? And can they come up with solutions for their businesses that let them both win?
TL;DR:
- Content warnings: ongoing sexual badgering by side character
- 4 stars
- Adorable small-town, enemies to lovers story. Worth reading if you're into low/no conflict, meddling but loving townsfolk, SLOWWWW burn romance.
Loved:
- Maya was so strong and wonderful and I really appreciated her. There wasn't much depth to her character from a cultural perspective (it's mentioned that her parents immigrated from India but this isn't integral to her story at all) which was a bit of a bummer as an Indian American but not a dealbreaker.
- I really loved how despite the fact that despite the fact that these two were "enemies" it was clear there were lines they wouldn't cross and that they actually did care for each other even through the arguing. I love this trope when executed more like this. I have read many an enemies to lovers and that is not always the case. Like the ones where the leads are straight up mean to one another, or their enemy background comes from something legit evil. Not here. Ben (more than Maya) was so absolutely SWEET to Maya no matter what. There was snark for sure, but what a sweetie.
- This book is the first romance I think I have EVER read in my whole life with no conflict. I didn't know you could just? Skip the conflict? You could just... make the romance so slow burn that you don't need there to be an issue? SIGN ME UP!! More of this forever.
Less into:
- I really hated that idiot celebrity whose name I cannot even remember. He continually I think the story could have done without him.
Overall I did really enjoy this one. It was like a warm hug, which I really really needed this year. Didn't we all? Highly recommend you pick this one up next year.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Maya Mehta loves the stage - always has. So after college when she's able to come back home to run the community theater in town, she gladly takes on the challenge. Years on, though, she needs money (and fast!) to keep the space alive. All she has to do is win the town's new business grant. But obviously nothing is that simple. She's got competition, in the form of her long time nemesis Ben Lawson, who wants to win the grant to help expand his family's generations-run bar. As the stakes raise for Ben and Maya with their respective businesses, growing interest also threatens to come to the surface. Is their collective pride greater than their burgeoning romance? And can they come up with solutions for their businesses that let them both win?
TL;DR:
- Content warnings: ongoing sexual badgering by side character
- 4 stars
- Adorable small-town, enemies to lovers story. Worth reading if you're into low/no conflict, meddling but loving townsfolk, SLOWWWW burn romance.
Loved:
- Maya was so strong and wonderful and I really appreciated her. There wasn't much depth to her character from a cultural perspective (it's mentioned that her parents immigrated from India but this isn't integral to her story at all) which was a bit of a bummer as an Indian American but not a dealbreaker.
- I really loved how despite the fact that despite the fact that these two were "enemies" it was clear there were lines they wouldn't cross and that they actually did care for each other even through the arguing. I love this trope when executed more like this. I have read many an enemies to lovers and that is not always the case. Like the ones where the leads are straight up mean to one another, or their enemy background comes from something legit evil. Not here. Ben (more than Maya) was so absolutely SWEET to Maya no matter what. There was snark for sure, but what a sweetie.
- This book is the first romance I think I have EVER read in my whole life with no conflict. I didn't know you could just? Skip the conflict? You could just... make the romance so slow burn that you don't need there to be an issue? SIGN ME UP!! More of this forever.
Less into:
- I really hated that idiot celebrity whose name I cannot even remember. He continually
Spoiler
badgers Maya to date him and when rebuffed acts like a big freaking baby? And it's just kind of glossed over? He also almost ruins her show because of his desire to be in a Hollywood movie with a known predator - which is treated like a bigger deal. What a gross person.Overall I did really enjoy this one. It was like a warm hug, which I really really needed this year. Didn't we all? Highly recommend you pick this one up next year.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
jove64's review against another edition
5.0
I'd already read the first 2 books in the series and was eagerly awaiting Maya and Law's story. I will admit to being disappointed they weren't in line for #2 so it is obviously well trailed. It's a slow burn enemies-to-lovers story and we finally find out what the cause of the animosity is (long before Law does, actually).
This is also another story in which a woman's work and career are central to the story. Both characters grew up in this small town and both have parents with businesses to hand down. They made different decisions about that opportunity but the aftermath of the decision isn't straightforward for either of them.
The one thing that didn't ring quite true was the fact that there is some very obvious meddling from the elderly town meddlers to throw them together that you'd expect 2 people who've grown up in this town and are wise to their tendency to meddle would have spotted. It doesn't really spoil the story but it did give me a bit of an English panto moment of wanting to shout at them from the audience.
There is also some very appropriate detail about being a woman of colour in small-town Ontario, especially a tourist town. The fact that we've known Maya through the first 2 books of the series helps a lot here but learning more of her backstory is nice.
I've really enjoyed this series. It reminded me a bit of [a:Rachael Herron|19117196|Rachael Herron|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s Darling Songbirds series ([b:The Darling Songbirds|28408919|The Darling Songbirds (The Songbirds of Darling Bay, #1)|Rachael Herron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451558336l/28408919._SX50_.jpg|48510178][b:The Darling Songbirds|28408919|The Darling Songbirds (The Songbirds of Darling Bay, #1)|Rachael Herron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451558336l/28408919._SX50_.jpg|48510178]) in the style of small town romance.
(I didn't read the bonus novella.)
This is also another story in which a woman's work and career are central to the story. Both characters grew up in this small town and both have parents with businesses to hand down. They made different decisions about that opportunity but the aftermath of the decision isn't straightforward for either of them.
The one thing that didn't ring quite true was the fact that there is some very obvious meddling from the elderly town meddlers to throw them together that you'd expect 2 people who've grown up in this town and are wise to their tendency to meddle would have spotted. It doesn't really spoil the story but it did give me a bit of an English panto moment of wanting to shout at them from the audience.
There is also some very appropriate detail about being a woman of colour in small-town Ontario, especially a tourist town. The fact that we've known Maya through the first 2 books of the series helps a lot here but learning more of her backstory is nice.
I've really enjoyed this series. It reminded me a bit of [a:Rachael Herron|19117196|Rachael Herron|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s Darling Songbirds series ([b:The Darling Songbirds|28408919|The Darling Songbirds (The Songbirds of Darling Bay, #1)|Rachael Herron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451558336l/28408919._SX50_.jpg|48510178][b:The Darling Songbirds|28408919|The Darling Songbirds (The Songbirds of Darling Bay, #1)|Rachael Herron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451558336l/28408919._SX50_.jpg|48510178]) in the style of small town romance.
(I didn't read the bonus novella.)
mybooksandkidsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Sandcastle Beach By Jenny Holiday
Ben and Maya are owners of rivalling businesses in small town Ontario. They’ve argued and battled for years and their chemistry was crazy! Of course they eventually realize that their efforts might be better used as a team rather than against each other. I loved the Canadian setting and small town feel. It’s like I was stepping into a place I’ve been coming to for years.
This would be the perfect beach read, unfortunately I read it in my cozy house with snow falling (that’s spring in Calgary!). I loved Jenny Holiday’s writing and look forward to reading more of her books! She definitely knows how to write witty banter and chemistry. I loved how the romance wasn’t rushed!
Thank you to @readforeverpub for my copy!
Ben and Maya are owners of rivalling businesses in small town Ontario. They’ve argued and battled for years and their chemistry was crazy! Of course they eventually realize that their efforts might be better used as a team rather than against each other. I loved the Canadian setting and small town feel. It’s like I was stepping into a place I’ve been coming to for years.
This would be the perfect beach read, unfortunately I read it in my cozy house with snow falling (that’s spring in Calgary!). I loved Jenny Holiday’s writing and look forward to reading more of her books! She definitely knows how to write witty banter and chemistry. I loved how the romance wasn’t rushed!
Thank you to @readforeverpub for my copy!
kaitface's review against another edition
3.5
I picked this book up for a fun read during vacation. Holiday’s writing is enjoyable, the characters are entertaining, and it was a quick, easy, engrossing read - perfect for the beach and pool!
The story was predictable, which I anticipated from the genre and a quick flip through. The only truly unbelievable moment came with the reveal that Maya regularly wore her theater costumes TO THE BAR. I’ve been involved with various levels of theater for over 25 years and there are a few hard, fast, and spoken rules of theater. One of them is to never eat or drink in costume. Honestly, this moment took me completely out of the book. I can suspend disbelief for a lot of things but this is a very basic theater rule that was ignored.
The story was predictable, which I anticipated from the genre and a quick flip through. The only truly unbelievable moment came with the reveal that Maya regularly wore her theater costumes TO THE BAR. I’ve been involved with various levels of theater for over 25 years and there are a few hard, fast, and spoken rules of theater. One of them is to never eat or drink in costume. Honestly, this moment took me completely out of the book. I can suspend disbelief for a lot of things but this is a very basic theater rule that was ignored.