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!

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