Cottage by the Sea is pure Debbie Macomber - and it was so good! I ended up listening to a finalized audiobook, which I really enjoyed. the characters leap off the pages, and their ever changing relationships with each other, the town, and the houses on the beach kept me turning pages until the end.

Classic Debbie Macomber - love grows as the characters grows. This story started out so tragic and sad, but it contains all the elements of why a reader picks up a novel by Maccomber. I actually enjoyed this story very much and would recommend it. Losing family members may be a trigger for some readers.

I read this novel through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a powerful book about starting over after tragedy strikes. The poise of Annie to move on is admirable.

“Find your happy place.” I found it by reading this tender story of Debbie Macomber. A beautiful story of allowing oneself to be open to fellowmen (and animals) to allow others to help heal you. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an opportunity to read this touching story. A review is on Goodreads and Amazon.

In another winner from Debbie Macomber, Annie heads to the one place that she feels best, the Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest. Annie meets some wonderful people and she beings to heal. When events threated to tear everything apart, she must work with her new friends to find happiness and keep everything together.

Hallmark’s next big summer movie! Debbie Macomber never fails to tug at your heartstrings! An amazing story of grief, survival, hope, love, and finding... home. Relatable, scarred characters that made me laugh and cry. My new favorite of Debbie’s novels. Have some tissues handy!

Thank you Debbie Macomber for creating amazing characters to care about. The story focuses on hope, love and healing. The main character discovers that by helping others it will help her to heal, grow and move on in her life. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Annie Marlow is recovering from a horrible loss in her personal life. She returns to a happy destinations from her childhood to try and heal. She is offered the opportunity of a lifetime and has to make a decision whether or not she will follow her heart. This was an enjoyable read and once you start it, you won't want to put it down.

Annie’s life Changes when an accident happens so she retreats to Oceanside where her family used to spend summers. ARC from NetGalley.

Synopsis:

Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy, she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family vacations when Annie was a teenager.

Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit, thanks in part to the folks she meets: a local painter, Keaton, whose large frame is equal to his big heart—and who helps Annie fix up her rental cottage by the sea; Mellie, the reclusive, prickly landlord Annie is determined to befriend; and Britt, a teenager with a terrible secret. But it is Keaton to whom Annie feels most drawn. His quiet, peaceful nature offers her both comfort and reprieve from her grief, and the two begin to grow closer.

Then events threaten to undo the idyll Annie has come to enjoy. And when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in her lap, she is torn between the excitement of a new journey toward success and the safe and secure arms of the haven—and the man—she’s come to call home.

In this heartwarming tale, Annie finds that the surest way to fix what is damaged within is to help others rise above their pain and find a way to heal. (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Annie has been through an unthinkable tragedy and she is having trouble getting through it. She returns to the place that she was very happy, a place where her and her family were happy, Oceanside. There she meets Keaton and Mellie, two of the residents in Oceanside. Mellie is the landlord that Annie has to deal with to rent the cottage that her family rented. And Keaton is a man who helps Annie fix up the cottage. I enjoyed getting to meet them, but I thought that Mellie and Keaton were a little too much. Keaton could hardly talk and Mellie was a nasty woman. That became a little over the top for me. That is only my opinion and others might disagree with me.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me right to the cottage by the sea. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author made me feel sad, made me feel happy and made me care about the characters and that is a hard thing for an author to do.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted women’s contemporary. Any time that I get to read a book by this author, I know I am in for a real treat.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

I love reading books by this author. The story is a sweet romance. You want to see the happy ending a with the main characters, through all the bumps in the road.

I loved, loved, loved this book. Did I say that I loved this book?

The characters in this title all had alot that they had to overcome in order to be happy. I loved how easy it was to relate to each of them. This book will make you cry and laugh and fall in love. I highly recommend it.

Thank you netgalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read this title for an honest review.

This is one of my all time favorite reads by author Debbie Macomber. I have loved almost every book she's ever published, (Except for one of the Christmas books) but this one has become a favorite of mine. I loved the characters and the plot. The setting is just wow. So much love for this book.

I enjoyed this book. It is a very sweet relaxing read. The characters were likable. I really did like this book.

This wasn't my favorite book by Debbie Macomber, but it was sweet and checked all of the boxes of a gentle romance. I love the setting of this book most of all, a seaside cottage is perfect for this type of story, and I love the idea it being a place to renew and recharge. Fans of Macomber will enjoy this.

Annie Marlow lost her entire family in a mud slide that destroyed over 40 homes. A year after the tragedy, she realizes she needs to find a "happy place" to pull her out of the depression and survivor's guilt she is experiencing. She goes back to the seaside town her family vacationed at during her childhood. Once there, she discovers that life does go on and she can still be happy.

Debbie Macomber is a master when it comes to writing about relationships between people. Whether it be friendships, romances, or even negative relationships, she captures them all so well. This novel is no exception. Macomber based this book off of the Mudslide in Washington in 2014 that destroyed so much property and took 43 lives. She wondered what it would feel like to lose your entire family and then have to go on living without them. I think because this was based on an actual event, the emotions in this book were even more real.

I don't want to say too much about the characters because learning about each of them during the book was one of the more enjoyable parts for me. Seeing people develop and how they react under certain situations made this book what it was. I can't recommend this book enough. Macomber is one of my favorite authors and I would put this up in my favorites from her. 4.5 out of 5 stars for me!

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 Stars

Cottage by the Sea is my first Macomber book and I have to say I was on the fence most of the time. This was one of those reads that had me contemplating a DNF a few times and then the author would hit me with something that would keep my attention until the next struggle.

While the premises was intriguing and the characters likable, to an extent, the over all book moved rather slow and was repetitive. I found myself skimming or distracted. I'd say it was around 50% when it felt as though the pacing picked up, some. But then that's around the time the conflict between Keaton and Annie kind of started. Might have been closer to 60% or so. Either way, the second half moved quicker than the first, for me. This is where I found myself a bit more invested in their outcomes.

Speaking of Keaton and Annie, I loved them together. I felt like they were exactly what the other needed. He was the peanut butter to her jelly. I wanted to see a hell of a lot more of them and their sweet kisses together. With that said and with all my love for our leading man, for a good chunk toward the end, I wanted to slap the hell out of Keaton. I get he was all kinds of broody and silent but when he completely shut down and refused to work out the issue...ugh! I felt like it was wasted time and I missed the man who gave this book its light. I missed the man who could say a 1000 words with his silence. The man who when he did speak showed us another side of him, a poignant side.

My only other wish was I wanted the author to delve more into the PTSD Keaton suffered from childhood, Britt and Jimmy's meeting with the adoptive parents during the choosing process, and Mellie's self-induced agoraphobia. I felt like these things were just kind of quickly glossed over.

While I did struggle, I would give Macomber another try.

Debbie Macomber has delivered another fantastic read. Her fans will definitely not be disappointed! Cottage By the Sea tugs at the heart and takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster. This is a beautiful story that's sure to stay with you for a long time.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

After Annie's immediate family dies in a Thanksgiving morning tragedy, she falls into a deep depression. Her cousin suggests that Annie go to her happy place by remembering something from her life that made her happy. This leads Annie to move to Oceanside, where her family vacationed in summers while she was growing up. Keaton first noticed Annie when she vacationed in his hometown in high school. He can't believe that she has come to live in Oceanside. Keaton is able to help Annie rent the same cottage she stayed in when she vacationed with her family, and the two become close.

I usually love Debbie Macomber novels, but this one left me cold. Almost all of the characters seemed like caricatures rather than real people. It also creeped me out at the beginning of the book that Keaton, who at that point was an adult and out of school, was attracted to Annie, who he estimated to be 14 or 15 at the time. Their age difference was fine as adults but not at that age.

No surprised here. This is a classic Debbie Macomber novel...which is not a bad thing. Great character development and a predictable but comfortable storyline that kept me entertained until the end. I will probably always be a Macomber fan as she provides me with relaxing reads that amuse me and give me a little mental vacation. Great beach read, even if you are only at the beach in your mind!