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A review by sharonleavy
The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Mary and Laurie are two friends who own a bookstore on the beautiful Sable Beach. Mary's daughter Autumn, along with Autumn's teenage son and daughter, are coming to stay for the Summer after a rough 18 months. Autumn's husband, Nick, is missing, presumed dead. He did some work for the Government and has vanished.
This is one of those books about a small town full of characters and secrets - Mary is hiding something enormous that someone could reveal before she has a chance to tell Autumn; Autumn's daughter Taylor is struggling with a number of things that she's not ready to talk about, and every other side character seems to have something going on too.
This, for me, was all almost too much at times. It felt a lot like a drama series that had been condensed down into one book. I mean, what are the odds of two private investigations going on in the same family at the same time but with two different people?!
I also really would have loved more of the actual bookstore. I don't think it warranted a spot in the title, we barely saw it and it wasn't really the central hub I thought it would be from the title.
It wasn't a bad book by any means, but it's the second one now that I've read by this author and thought "meh" at the end. If you DO make it to a beach at any stage this year, then this could be a great beach read.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy via Netgalley.
This is one of those books about a small town full of characters and secrets - Mary is hiding something enormous that someone could reveal before she has a chance to tell Autumn; Autumn's daughter Taylor is struggling with a number of things that she's not ready to talk about, and every other side character seems to have something going on too.
This, for me, was all almost too much at times. It felt a lot like a drama series that had been condensed down into one book. I mean, what are the odds of two private investigations going on in the same family at the same time but with two different people?!
I also really would have loved more of the actual bookstore. I don't think it warranted a spot in the title, we barely saw it and it wasn't really the central hub I thought it would be from the title.
It wasn't a bad book by any means, but it's the second one now that I've read by this author and thought "meh" at the end. If you DO make it to a beach at any stage this year, then this could be a great beach read.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy via Netgalley.