Annie Marlow has suffered an incredible tragedy. She has lost her entire family to a mudslide. For the last 17 months she has been in a deep depression, just going thru the motions. She goes away to the beach where her family spent time every summer and experiences a feeling of peace for the first time since the tragedy. She decides to move there.

This is a story about loss, healing, friendship and romance. In the end this is mostly a story about friendship and sweet romances. It will tug on your heart strings. I would give this book 4 1/2 stars. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy of this book.

Debbie Macomber never disappoints with her books. She definitely knows how to weave a story involving the intricacies of families and friendships. Love, faith and healing are all a big part of this book.

Although this book on the surface has the usual broken characters who find their other half who make them stronger, it is such much more as well. Annie, a young physician's assistant, loses her entire family in a freak mudslide. Over a year later she is still struggling of course, and her cousin tells her to think of her happy place. A a kid, her family always went to spend a week at Oceanside, renting a small house. Going there, she finds a job, and also finds the little house of her memories, although it has been neglected. Keaton, who remembers her from the past, soon becomes her friend and more, and Mellie, her landlord, runs hot and cold, fighting her own demons. Again, the basics are similar to other books, but the writing and character development here was so strong that I found it hard to put this one down. A sweet story and one with a HEA that made my smile. A great summer book, and one I highly recommend.

I love Debbie's books. She draws you in and makes you feel like you're a part of the story. Dealing with grief isn't easy nor is dealing with abuse. The way both subjects were broached was well thought out and done in such a way that makes you think about how you would deal with each situation.

This was a delightful read full of love, faith and family. After a horrendous tragedy, Annie is lost and trying to get through each day one step at a time. Discovering a place of happy childhood memories leads to a whole new world of friendships and possibilities for Annie. For a feel good, make you happy to be alive read....I highly recommend this book.

In a fog of depression since losing her family in a tragic mudslide, Annie heads to the seaside cottage of her childhood summers. There, residents of the small Pacific Northwest town, and a certain painter, help her heal. Warms like summer’s sun.

Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber is an emotional story of the relationships and disappointments we may face in life.
Annie’s family rented the same beach cottage for a week each August for several years. Several years later, after her family was all lost in a tragic accident, she returns. She accepts a position as physician’s assistant at the local clinic and rents the cottage again seeking a happy place to remember, grieve and recover. The original owners have passed away and their granddaughter, Mellie, lives in the main house on the property and is not happy to have Annie and has only agreed to the rental after being convinced by Keaton who remembers Annie and her family and has always had feelings her even though they had barely spoken years ago. Keaton does errands for Mellie who never leaves the house and rarely allows anyone but Keaton in. What tragedy has occurred in Mellie’s life to make her this way? Will she and Annie be able to face their pain together and heal?
I loved this book. Debbie Macomber makes the characters seem so real they jump off the page. It was hard to put this book down without finishing it. There is sadness in this very emotional story and at times it is laugh out loud funny; just like real life. At other times I just wanted to give the characters a hug and encourage them to keep going. There are many characters in addition to Annie, Mellie and Keaton. Each have their own struggles and hardships which, through the love and acceptance of Annie, they attempt to overcome. I give this book 5 of 5 stars and recommend to everyone who enjoys reading realistic, true to life fiction.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the change to read Cottage by the Sea. Another 5 star book!

Grab your hanky, find a nice comfy spot and prepare yourself for a treat better than dessert. Fans of Debbie Macomber and contemporary romance, hold on to your hats! I think this is one of the best romance novels I’ve read in a long time! Beautiful story and plenty of broken-lovable characters will have you reading long into the night. Annie is suffering after a huge tragedy in her life and must leave Seattle for a “happy place”. She goes back to the beach town where her family spent many summer vacations enjoying themselves. Annie finds healing, love, friendship and heartache all in a short time as she tries to get her life back together. A huge recommendation for all readers!

Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber will be available July 17, 2018 by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House Publishing Group. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I liked this one but I didn't love it. I can't pinpoint why exactly but the central story dragged for me on this one. I wanted to know why the landlord was a recluse and never found out.

There are not enough words to describe how much I love this book. A phrase I feel I use a lot regarding Debbie Macomber's books. Here's the thing though, they NEVER disappoint me. This book was SO beautiful and raw and I loved it from beginning to end. Keaton is the sweetest main male character I have read (since Rocco) and I love his and Annie's relationship. I love that they are mutually beneficial to one another. Just absolutely stunning. Impossible to put down. I finished it in one day.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review "Cottage By the Sea". Annie Marlow has suffered a horrific family tragedy and is having difficulty with moving on with her life.until she returns to her 'happy place" from her childhood. She relocates back to a cottage that she and her family would vacation in when she was a child. With the help of some quirky friends, she is able to heal and live a happy new life.

The first chapter told me this book was going to be a winner. I was a crying fool. When an author can have me so attached to the characters like that, you can’t miss. This romance was angst, healing, saving and sweet. Wow, a great inspirational story! Book provided by NetGalley.

Awesome story of loss and love.
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When you pick up a book by a favorite author like Debbie Macomber, you tend to know what you’re going to get. Similar themes and that warm sweet romance that we love.

However, this book was something so much more than that. It literally grabbed me from the beginning and never let me go. I feel like I was either crying or smiling throughout the entire story.

We all have heartbreak in our life but not the type of heartbreak that this book is about. However, the author took a deep and highly emotional story and created a main character that was barely living and breathed new life into her.

The author also created a big, strong man who could bear the weight of her brokenness and pain and give her strength, love, and caring. And she also gave him the same. The connection these two characters had was amazing.

Trust me when I say this book will be difficult to forget. Cottage by the Sea has left a deep impression on me as well as a longing to find my own happiness by the sea. This is definitely a book you will read again and again. Fabulous story.

I love Debbie Macomber’s books. They always make me feel so good and happy. I know that I can always finish her books feeling good about the ending. This book was no exception. I was drawn in right away and finished it way quicker than I wanted because I just couldn’t help myself. When I pick up a new book by her, I always tell myself I will take my time and enjoy the story, which lasted about 3 pages.


This story is about love, loss, and healing, and nobody does these things better than Debbie Macomber. She has a talent for bringing characters together is such a touching and profound way that you can’t help but get goose bumps.

Recommendation: I highly recommend this book to ANYONE! This is a book you will not regret reading.

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.*

COTTAGE BY THE SEA is a stand-alone contemporary romance.

Debbie Macomber is on my list of all-time favorite authors. It’s not Christmas unless I watch Mrs. Miracle on Hallmark Channel. While I have read many, many books from Debbie Macomber, I haven’t reviewed all that many. Why? I started reading them long before I had a blog or knew anything about reviews from anywhere but big publications. I didn’t know that *I* could write a review and others might actually read it!

So, what did I think of COTTAGE BY THE SEA? In a word – adored! I couldn’t stop reading it.

After the tragedy of losing her family every page of Annie's story was filled with love, hope, compassion, or dreams realized.

Poor Annie is suffering survivor’s guilt and knows she must rebuild herself and her life. I couldn’t help but to cheer for her every step in the right direction and hold my breath for the steps backwards until she found her footing again. It is so hard to find the light again after being pushed into such darkness, but the rewards are immense. We don’t “get over it.” We don’t “get passed it.” There is no “other side” of the trouble. Instead, we learn to appreciate the time we did have and to cherish the good that comes again after even more than those who have never experienced such a horrid circumstance. That is my experience and I think Ms. Macomber did an excellent job of conveying the spiral of grief as Annie came to acceptance and moving forward with her own joy.

If I haven’t been clear, let me tell you now: I loved this story. It is a feel good, life-affirming, story of hope and love. Smiles, tears, and more smiles… just what I love about a Debbie Macomber story.

Note: while I was given this book as a gifted ARC, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Debbie Macomber is one of my favorite authors, so naturally I LOVE her books. This book is no exception. I loved the book from start to finish. I can't wait to read more of her work.

This book was amazing ! One can hear the waves reach the shore and smell the salt air within the pages!
This is the story of Annie, a young PA Who lost her whole family in a tragic accident. Through her grief process she is told to think of a happy time, well she does more than that, she moves there!
Having spent some time during the summer with her family in Oceanside, she applies for a job and manages to rent the cottage they stayed in.
This brings her comfort and healing along with a collection of people who need Annie just as much as Annie needs them!
Annie connects with Keaton ( a lifetime resident ) Keaton fell in love at first sight with Annie when she wa 14.
I loved Annie and Keaton as well as all the residents in this town and I would love to revisit Oceanside over and over !

♥♥ 4 Healing Stars ♥♥

After unspeakable tragedy, Annie is left reeling and trying to find a way through her grief. She's been barely making it through everyday life for over a year when she decides to get out her haze and find her "happy place". Remembering her childhood vacations to a cottage in a sleepy beach town, she decides to see if she can find meaning in her life again there. Annie insinuates into her new town and slowly ingrains herself into the lives and hearts of those around her. 

While this story definitely has romance going on, it's all very PG. I haven't read that much by Ms. Macomber, so I'm not sure if this is part of her writing style or not, but I was really hoping for at least a couple hot sex scenes. I think Keaton had the potential to be a really hot brooding alpha male type guy, but he was much more reserved and gentle than expected. That being said, he still gave me those gooey feelings and was super sexy when he got all protective of Annie. I felt that while the story focused more on Annie's journey to healing more than the romantic development between Annie and Keaton, Annie didn't seem to address her past basically at all. The tragedy is what brought her to the town and allowed her to connect with so many others, but it's not until almost the end of the book that she talks about her past with someone, and it's not even with Keaton! And when Keaton finds out, he's so blasé about it and they don't even talk about what happened. For this to be the whole premise of the book, I felt like it was basically just a sidetone by the end of the book. 

Overall, I thought this was a fairly easy and light read (with the exception of the first couple chapters). It's not often that I find myself interested in the lives of the secondary characters, but I found myself almost caring more about the others' development than the main characters'!

This was a tear jerker. When Annie loses her entire family in a disaster how will she go on living? Trying to deal with guilt of not being with her family when they died and the heartbreak of going on is not easy. She needs to find a place with good memories and that is where the cottage by the sea comes in. Annie wanting to start over where no one know her disaster and the calming effect of the sea might be just what she needs. When healing your heart leads to the discovery that helping others makes life worth living.

Debbie Macomber always writes stories that warm your heart and show us that there is hope. Death isn’t something easy to deal with but people can find something that makes life more bearable without your loved ones. Add this book to your TBR pile and let me know what you think. I enjoyed it even if I did have a tear or two.