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drealovesbooks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
bookswithnopictures's review against another edition
4.0
Sandcastle Beach is a perfect beach read. It has all sorts of funny moments and hate-to-love, love-to-hate banter. I just need to meet this group of friends that can doctor me, feed me, and entertain me.
Maya and Law are annoyed by each other's presence. They constantly prank one another and go out of their way to be pests. But those wiley, nosey townsfolk keep pitting them against each other. Or pushing them together? It comes to a head when they both decide to apply for the same grant.
This is my third - and favorite - Jenny read. I had a book club meeting on zoom that she attended and I can completely see how she adheres to the cute cheesy Hallmark vibes we all love in an obviously funny way. I feel like I need a closet full of converse and a trip to Canada.
TW: language, steam
Thank you Forever for the gifted copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Maya and Law are annoyed by each other's presence. They constantly prank one another and go out of their way to be pests. But those wiley, nosey townsfolk keep pitting them against each other. Or pushing them together? It comes to a head when they both decide to apply for the same grant.
This is my third - and favorite - Jenny read. I had a book club meeting on zoom that she attended and I can completely see how she adheres to the cute cheesy Hallmark vibes we all love in an obviously funny way. I feel like I need a closet full of converse and a trip to Canada.
TW: language, steam
Thank you Forever for the gifted copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
fringebookreviews's review against another edition
4.0
✨If a group of elderly matchmakers were trying to set me up, I simply wouldn’t refuse.✨
I took a chance with this one because I’d loved another Jenny Holiday book and wanted to try another of hers. I really liked the premise of the meddling oldies because that’s exactly my life goal when I’m 72. However, this book just didn’t feel like a romance to me until halfway through, which in a 400 page book. I was invested in the relationship, but I got bogged down before I could truly root for the two.
Part of my problem is probably that I haven’t read the first two in the series and wasn’t in love with the main characters. Normally I enjoy guessing relationships and seeing them in the background of the other books in the series, so I did miss out on that. I also maybe missed out on the size of the town, because I got major small town vibes, but it’s gotta be bigger than I’m imagining. I just can’t see a theater being economically viable, or a grant award of that size being available.
The book was pretty long, and spanned a good chunk of time—there were “6 months later” breaks and such. The time jumps just made the book a little too lengthy and a little too slow burn for my taste. I also just don’t like the spurned-in-highschool-so-there’s-a-decade-old-grudge-that-the-other-person-has-no-clue-about trope. Seriously Ben had no clue why Maya was so angry, and it was barely even his fault. This bit reminded me of The Dating Plan, but not as all-consuming which was a relief.
I also found some repeated words that just drove me nuts. One, I have never, and I mean never, called my Converse All-Stars “Cons,” like seriously never. If I’m going to abbreviate them, it’s gotta be “Chucks.” I was just irrationally angry every time I read “Cons.” Also there were like three chapters where Maya said “hooboy” 100 times and hadn’t said it before those random chapters—the frequency was rather alarming. I do say “hooboy” now though, so who’s the real winner here?
I know I'm listing my grievances, but I did enjoy a majority of this book! I enjoyed the background characters and once the two got together, I definitely had a good time. I enjoyed the second half more than the first for that reason. Thank you to Forever for this advanced review copy! Review is honest and opinions are my own.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
I took a chance with this one because I’d loved another Jenny Holiday book and wanted to try another of hers. I really liked the premise of the meddling oldies because that’s exactly my life goal when I’m 72. However, this book just didn’t feel like a romance to me until halfway through, which in a 400 page book. I was invested in the relationship, but I got bogged down before I could truly root for the two.
Part of my problem is probably that I haven’t read the first two in the series and wasn’t in love with the main characters. Normally I enjoy guessing relationships and seeing them in the background of the other books in the series, so I did miss out on that. I also maybe missed out on the size of the town, because I got major small town vibes, but it’s gotta be bigger than I’m imagining. I just can’t see a theater being economically viable, or a grant award of that size being available.
The book was pretty long, and spanned a good chunk of time—there were “6 months later” breaks and such. The time jumps just made the book a little too lengthy and a little too slow burn for my taste. I also just don’t like the spurned-in-highschool-so-there’s-a-decade-old-grudge-that-the-other-person-has-no-clue-about trope. Seriously Ben had no clue why Maya was so angry, and it was barely even his fault. This bit reminded me of The Dating Plan, but not as all-consuming which was a relief.
I also found some repeated words that just drove me nuts. One, I have never, and I mean never, called my Converse All-Stars “Cons,” like seriously never. If I’m going to abbreviate them, it’s gotta be “Chucks.” I was just irrationally angry every time I read “Cons.” Also there were like three chapters where Maya said “hooboy” 100 times and hadn’t said it before those random chapters—the frequency was rather alarming. I do say “hooboy” now though, so who’s the real winner here?
I know I'm listing my grievances, but I did enjoy a majority of this book! I enjoyed the background characters and once the two got together, I definitely had a good time. I enjoyed the second half more than the first for that reason. Thank you to Forever for this advanced review copy! Review is honest and opinions are my own.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
sm_almon's review against another edition
5.0
I was really looking forward to Maya & Benjamin's story, and it was great - definitely worth the wait. I kept expecting some pivotal moment, some sort of a blowup, which would tip the balance and throw them together, given how antagonistic their relationship was shown to be in the previous two books, but the story subverted my expectations; they kind of fell in together without much friction as between themselves, and much of the conflict ends up being external, which I didn't expect but totally worked.
bookmarklit's review against another edition
5.0
Man this series is perfect. Jenny Holiday became my breakout favorite author of 2020 and clearly that has continued with the final (wahhhhh) installment of this series. I’m glad I still have another series to read by her but I’ll miss this setting. There are at least 3 new characters that totally could get their own books! I loved Maya and Law - def saw this romance coming from a mile away and it did not disappoint. Holiday writes low-drama romances without a stupid miscommunication or something to ruin everything, which I SO appreciate.
jcmbank's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-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
4.0
pageswithpayten's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you NetGalley, Forever Grand Central Publishing and Jenny Holiday for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
In June I read book # 2 in Jenny Holiday’s Matchmaker Bay series, Paradise Cove, and I LOVED it! I’m such a sucker for good enemies to lovers / friends to lovers romance, throw in a fun cast of side characters and unique main characters and I’m sold! You can read any of the books in this series as stand alones but the story timelines are woven together a bit and it would help to read them in order for no spoilers. I loved Jake and Nora so much and I enjoyed getting little hints of them throughout Maya and Law’s story!.
I was looking forward to reading their story after watching them bicker throughout the first two books, but I was a little bored after a while. This was a very slow burn and the chemistry just never quite got there for me. They just felt like good friends trying to convince themselves their sexual attraction was also love. Meh. I also didn’t love Maya here. Her attitude got old after a while, especially after being proven wrong over and over.
In June I read book # 2 in Jenny Holiday’s Matchmaker Bay series, Paradise Cove, and I LOVED it! I’m such a sucker for good enemies to lovers / friends to lovers romance, throw in a fun cast of side characters and unique main characters and I’m sold! You can read any of the books in this series as stand alones but the story timelines are woven together a bit and it would help to read them in order for no spoilers. I loved Jake and Nora so much and I enjoyed getting little hints of them throughout Maya and Law’s story!.
I was looking forward to reading their story after watching them bicker throughout the first two books, but I was a little bored after a while. This was a very slow burn and the chemistry just never quite got there for me. They just felt like good friends trying to convince themselves their sexual attraction was also love. Meh. I also didn’t love Maya here. Her attitude got old after a while, especially after being proven wrong over and over.
jmrlarsen's review against another edition
3.0
#3 of a trilogy....tough to live up to. Just had lost so much of the fun, witty banter that I loved from the first two.
cara_reads_2022's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.5
hjhill_55's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’m loving this series and group of characters. I totally binged the 3 books and can only hope for more. I love the whole town created.