Carousel Beach, by Orly Konig, is a beautiful tapestry that explores the bond of family and the kind of love story that extends across decades.

In this story, Konig’s second published novel, the author has creatively painted a story as gorgeous and colorful as the carousel horses that her character, Maya, lovingly restores. I loved Maya the artist, and was captivated by how the carousel’s story, past and present, linked Maya closer to her grandmother. Konig does a spectacular job of weaving the past with the present as Maya unravels the story of the carousel.

As she coaxes the carousel to reveal its secrets, Maya uncovers the desires of her own heart, as well.

Filled with interesting and engaging characters, readers will be pulled into Maya’s story of heartbreak, inter-generational love, and healing.

Highly recommended. A story to savor.

This novel was one of those slow burns, where the healing and growth took the time it needed. There was something very natural and real about that, and I liked it. Not to be meant as a criticism, but I found the main character to be, at times, unlikable with how she acted in a self-absorbed manner with her husband and best friend. They were both very patient and understanding, especially her husband who always seemed to have a smile for her. But with Maya's past, I can understand/accept how her thoughts and actions centered on herself while she healed. It made her very human.

Orly's Konig's Carousel Beach is a powerful novel that untangles the secrets of love, heartbreak, and misunderstandings between three generations of women, perfect for summer beach reading and book clubs..
This one is very special, in that it hit home to me in several places. Lots of feels in this one and you will need a tissue. I adore carousels and the magic of them. Put this on your to be read list, you will be glad you did. Carousel It is a moving, beautiful book from page 1 to The End.. Very much a five star book for me.

After reading Carousel Beach by author Orly Konig, I have to admit that I enjoyed the story much more than I had anticipated I would. Based on the bookcover, I really thought I was in for a beach read, but it was so much more. I consider the books genre to be women’s fiction and I found all the characters to be very likable and easy to relate to. It’s a story about a young woman’s grief and guilt after the death of both her grandmother and her unborn child. It’s also a story of family secrets. One of the characters in the story has Alzheimer’s and I appreciated Orly working that into the storyline because it gives us readers more of an understanding of this disease. At the end, I was left feeling optimistic because it depicted how Maya, the main character, was starting to heal and carry on with her life again. Thank you to NetGalley, Forge Books, and author Orly Konig for giving me the chance to read an early copy of this book. It’s one I will definitely be recommending to all my reader friends.

Oh Maya, how I adore you!

Struggling to overcome the loss of her beloved grandmother and her baby, Maya loses herself in the restoration of an antique beach carousel -- a memory from her own childhood. When she finds an inscription on one of the horses, she meets Hank Hauser, an Alzheimer's patient who may (or may not) have the answers she needs.

The love triangle is compelling and I especially enjoyed how Maya needed to solve her own personal problems first. Konig has crafted a tight, compelling plot that kept me guessing for sure. I just HAD to know what would happen next. This is a beautiful story populated by lovable characters!

Oh, my! I loved this book and could not leave it alone. The writing alone is superb and it is combined with the heart touching story of a young woman trying to come to terms with two horrible and utterly sad events. One can just feel the heaviness of heart of Maya as she struggles daily to recapture a lost sense of wholeness and find a way back to the person she was. All along her troubled journey is her devoted husband, Vale, who tries his best to bring her back to the love, closeness and uniqueness that defined them. The true savior in the story is Hank, creator of the carousel that Maya is restoring. His connection to Maya and their conversations about the carousel and about Maya’s deceased grandmother reach the places in Maya that were closed off, effectively shutting her off from life and family.
This is an absolutely beautiful book.

What a nice easy read, just enough description. Maya has had a miscarriage and for a year she still can’t get over it. Her husband has been most supportive but he’s skating on thin ice. Maya has been commissioned to restore the towns old carousel which hold many memories for her. She comes across an inscription on the underbelly of the finale piece to be restored. She feels she must get to the bottom of who inscribed it and why and so this wonderful story continues. It involves lots of family secrets that will hopefully now be uncovered.

Maya Brice, thirty years old, cherished childhood memories with grandma, a weaver of magical stories. They took long walks on "Carousel" Beach, fondly named by locals. The boardwalk housed the historic wooden horse carousel originally installed in summer 1943. Salt air, minimal maintenance and disruption of funding contributed to the carousel's poor condition. Grandma and Maya could always feel the carousel's magic, especially when riding on their favorite horse, a Stander Horse. Grandma suggests that Maya petition the city to restore the carousel.

One year had passed since Grandma's death and the loss of Maya's baby. Maya felt responsible for these deaths. She became withdrawn and solitary, unable to move on. This caused a fissure in her marriage to husband, Vale. Maya and Vale communicated mainly by sticky notes. Once Maya, an art restorer, was able to win the contract to restore the carousel with a grand reopening looming near, she was constantly in her art studio. Each horse would have to be repaired, painstakingly detailed and repainted. When Maya started to restore her favorite, the big Bay Stander, she found an inscription on the horse's underside. Grandma always stated that carousel animals "know things".

Carousel Horse restoration entailed taking photos of the horses, diagramming every detail and intricacy of the bridles and breast plates, and refining the color palette. Maya was able to locate Hank Hauser, ninety years old, the master mind and builder of the carousel. She hoped to peruse Hank's notes on the project. Hank however, was an Alzheimer's patient in the Memory Support Center. He vacillated between sharing awesome memories and intermittent confusion. What secrets and magic might the carousel hold? What was the significance of the inscription on the Stander Horses's underbelly? Most important, can Maya stop shutting down, stop feeling sorrow and failure and move on with her husband, Vale?

As a lover of the magic of Carousel Horses, this reader enjoyed the journey of carousel restoration. Maya Brice, like many among us, had difficulty moving on after the death of a loved one. That said, the story was, at times, redundant and might have benefited from a shorter, novella length.

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Carousel Beach: A Novel".

Review for NetGalley

What a whimsical story of loss and love. The relationship between Maya and her grandmother reminded me of my own relationship with my grandmother. More best friends that grandparent and grandchild. This is a story about moving on, healing. I highly recommend!

This is a lovely, wrenching story of love, loss, family secrets and coming to grips with grief. Well written and utterly engaging.

Well written book I like the way the characters were developed throughout the storyline.
Grest desctiption about second chances and coming to term eith decisions made.
All in all a very pleasant summer reaf.