Reviews

Jess is a high profile lawyer with the same firm as her husband in Charleston. Their adult daughter, Caitlin, is at loose ends after losing a job and a boyfriend. Jess takes a long vacation when she learns her husband has been having an affair and is now expecting a child with his mistress. Jess and Caitlin plan to spend the summer on Cape Cod with her best friend, Alison, and her daughter, Julia. When Jess and Alison learn that their favorite bookshop is being closed. They put together a plan to purchase and operate the shop. The two friends reopen the bookshop with a coffee cafe and persuade Caitlin to run it.

There is a lot going on in this book. With four women’s stories being told, there is some confusion in the individual storylines. The book is perfect for a vacation read. The long term friendship between Jess and Alison provides a solid base on which the partnership in the bookshop and their personal lives is built on. Their strong friendship is at the core of this book. It also tells the story of two mother-daughter relationships, and the summer that changed all their lives. I enjoyed this book and recommend to readers of contemporary romance, women’s fiction, books-about-books, family, summer and beaches.

jillmlong's review

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2.0

I found this book to be ok. Overall I liked the story but it just felt flat. One reason is that there were too many characters and they all seemed like the same person. Another reason is that there was nothing exciting in the story.

addicted2books's review

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.0

angieshep's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

danadoesbooks's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC of Bookshop By The Bay! All opinions in this review are my own.

I was first drawn to Bookshop By The Bay because of the synopsis. After Jess finds out her husband is having an affair, she invests in a bookstore with her best friend on Cape Cod. While I like the premise of this book, I found the execution to be a little lacking. The writing is very dialogue heavy, which is not my favorite. Also, what I thought was going to end up being the big conflict of the novel was resolved quickly and without much drama. Overall, this is still a good friendship story and would be a great summer beach read!

judithdcollins's review

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4.0

Pamela Kelly's THE BOOKSHOP BY THE BAY is a charming summer beach read featuring two friends, two daughters, a book and coffee shop, and a summer of change and new beginnings!

Set in a quaint seaside town of New England —Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a heartwarming generational tale of mothers, daughters, friendship, and strong women.

Jess is a high-profile lawyer in Charleston. Her husband, Parker, has been cheating on her with his assistant, and she is pregnant.

She accompanies her daughter, Caitlin, age 30, to the childhood home on Cape Cod in Chatham. Caitlin has not found her passion, so she and her mom, Jess, are here for the summer.

Allison is Jess's friend, and her career takes a hit when her editor's job at a Chatham magazine goes part-time and is ultimately cut due to the economy and online business. Her daughter Julia has her own jewelry shop that she loves.

Allison discovers her local bookstore wants to sell, which has been her big dream. Jess helps her with the financial end, and they go into business together—a place of fond memories of their childhood.

With the help of these friends and their daughters, they open the bookstore and the adjacent coffee shop with new ideas and new beginnings.

No matter your age, it is never too late to start over. The women come together with new friends, new business, good food, and wine—finding Cape Cod the perfect place for second chances. These women drink a lot of WINE!

THE BOOKSHOP BY THE BAY is a light, breezy beach read about mother-daughter relationships, friendships, family, romance, and taking chances.

Who doesn't love quaint bookshops, coffee shops, and charming beach towns?

For fans of Sherryl Woods, Viola Shipman, Susan Wiggs, Mariah Stewart, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Debbie Macomber.

I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker for an engaging beach escape.

Thanks to #Macmillan Audio #StMartinsPress #StMartinsGriffin #NetGalley for a gifted ARC and ALC for review purposes. #SMPInfluencers

Blog review posted @

JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: June 6, 2023
June 2023 Must-Read Books

smalltownbookmom's review

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3.0

A feel-good beach read that sees a group of women working together to save a beloved Cape Cod bookstore. Told from alternating POVs we get to know four women at different stages of their lives. One is going through a painful divorce, her daughter is trying to decide what she wants to do with her life, her daughter's friend is trying to decide if she wants to follow her boyfriend to Nashville. All of these women have big decisions to make over the course of one life-changing summer. Good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

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