Member Reviews
Regan as the answer to all her dreams - the winning lottery ticket.
Or so she thinks.
It turns out that all her actions from holding that ticket are about to come back and haunt her.
She finds herself, jobless, homeless, boyfriendless and frankly quite helpless. Her laissez-faire attitude to everything has got her into this mess and only some hard work and seizing the day is going to get her out of it.
Regan has to start again and relying on the kindness of strangers she starts to fulfill some of the things she has always wanted to do and perhaps you don't always need a big lottery win to tick some of the things off your bucket list!
One of those strangers is Charlie, who stops her from doing injury to herself and others. Charlie reminds her that she needs to live her life here and now. Stop waiting for it to happen to you - he knows all about the choices he has made.
Slowly and with some very funny false starts Regan begins to get involved in the community and find her way in life. When certain events and revelations which she cannot control (unlike her silly pranks that got her into her original mess) start to affect Regan on a more personal level she starts to realise that perhaps life could have more meaning and purpose if she had more meaning and purpose.
The setting to me was not obvious as a "seaside community", Brighton in fact. It took me a while to work out the relevance of the title to the story and I am still perhaps not sure. For me it could have been a bit more clearer and I felt it was dropped into the plot a clunky fashion and made no real difference to the overall story. However that is being particularly picky because the story was great and kept me reading because I wanted to see what Regan was goign to get up to next!
An uplifting feel good read with a good dose of humour to lift the spirits.
Feel-good story about second chances and how winning the lottery may change your life not the way you thought it would!
„Meet Me at Pebble Beach” follows Regan whose life is, let’s call it for what it is, boring and uneventful. She works a dull job she has no enthusiasm for and lives with a boyfriend that scolds her like a child for morning mess at their shared apartment. The only relief are the pranks she and her collegue Alex play on one another. Until they aren’t. Until Regan, thinking she won the lottery, ends up jobless, boyfriendless, apartmentless.
I went into this book expecting a sweet, soft story heavy on the romance. Instead I got one about major life changes and reinventing oneself. The romance component was there, and pretty early on, but there was a twist to it, a bitter-sweet one and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t give me whiplash.
There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with this book but it wasn’t entirely for me. At least not now as I just wasn’t in a mood for this kind of story. I had a bit of a problem connecting to any of the characters. It wasn’t the pacing’s fault because the structure was well thought-through and every twist and turn made sense at the time it happened in the book.
Unfortunately I felt like Regan as the main character was the epitome of naive. Which, really, should have been fine because it was her journey and her time to rediscover herself. Mistakes are made and then we improve upon them – that’s basically how story crafting goes! At the same time I just couldn’t quite understand her. Especially when it came to her love interest. Her decisions and reasoning behind them seemed shallow to me and I couldn’t fully get behind them. Again, that’s a very subjective view and other readers looking for different things could completely disagree with me.
The book is set in Brighton, UK and as soon as I realized that I felt transported back there. As a high school student I had the amazing opportunity of going there on a language course, several times as a matter of fact, and my memories of those stays are one of the fondest I have from teenage years. I recognized some of the places Regan talks about or visits. It was a joy to revisit them on book pages. Because of that I can also attest to the writing quality. Bella Osborne wrote a lovely story about belated self-discovery that had me feeling warm, cozy and craving some of that special unicorn jam, to be honest!
„Meet Me at Pebble Beach” didn’t bring me to my knees or anything but I spent a nice time reading it. Some of the novel’s plot components seemed a bit forced to me, like some boxes had to be ticked off and that is how they were found in the story in the first place. I just would have liked a somewhat more natural transition between the not having a clue and finding out. Then again, it could have been a case of me not reading in between the lines enough.
All in all, I would recommend it to anyone who feels like reading about major life changes, a character who clearly has no idea how to fix her life but starts doing it nonetheless and… Brighton, I guess? For sentimental value, haha. Enjoy!
**massive thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
This book follows the story of Regan and how her life changed when she wins the lottery! She leaves her job and her boyfriend, and tells them both what she thinks of them! The only problem is the lottery ticket was a joke, swapped by her friend for a laugh! Regan is now jobless, homeless and without a boyfriend. Obviously, life can’t get any lower for her, so when she meets fireman, Charlie surely things can only be on the way up…?
I originally read this book when it was serialised into four parts, but it was great to read it again as one full length story without having to wait for each part to be released!! Regan is a great character and one which everyone can relate to in some way!! She’s clumsy, messy and never on time, but for all her faults she has twice as many good qualities!! She’s obviously unhappy both in work and her relationship so when she thinks she’s won the lottery she does what most of us would probably do and tells them both where to go!!! As soon as I started reading this part however, you just knew that it was a prank and I gingerly continued to read knowing full well what would happen on the turn of the page!
Meeting Charlie when Regan was at her lowest may have seemed like a positive to her, but Charlie also came with his own personal baggage. Without revealing any spoilers, as the story moves on, they both end up supporting each other, despite that being really difficult for both of them. This book certainly takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions, having you giggling through their antics one minute and wiping away the tears the next. Supported by a great selection of other characters, their stories will certainly leave you gripped to the pages! I also have to say that I think my favourite character, albeit a four legged one, is Elvis the dog and the visions of him tied to a market stall had me laughing out loud!!
The storyline is fast paced and holds your attention right from the first page! It is full of chapter cliff-hangers and little mysteries about certain characters, which are all tied up nicely by the conclusion. Whilst it is a fun read for the majority of the book, it also has some serious storylines and these certainly pull at your heartstrings, giving you a few lessons in love, friendship, loss and trust. The characters were perfect, the location was stunning (great images of sitting under the pier!) and a storyline that kept you hooked! As usual with this author’s books, this was a heart-warming read, filled with plenty of love, laughter and tears. Would definitely recommend!!
Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Just what I needed to read in these strange times, light hearted, great characters and good story line. An escapism read. Really like everything this author has written as well
I was delighted to be given the chance to review this book for netgalley and the publishers as I have read lots if good reviews for this author.
Reagan thinks she has won the lottery and wastes no time in ending her relationship and quiting her job. Unfortunately the lottery win was a prank by one of her work colleagues. So she is now jobless and homeless.
The story follows her turning things around with the help of friends, good luck, a new relationship and a dog.
It is a nice story worth reading.
Read this book as the four parts were released and couldn't wait until the next part arrived. A lot of unexpected things happen, certainly didn't see many of them coming. A mixture of genres in this book which makes it a little bit different. Well done Bella
This is the best book that I have read by this author so far.
What would you do if your colleague made you think you’d won the lottery and then admitted to you that you’d been pranked? Regan has already quit her job and dumped her boyfriend before she finds out she’s been duped. Where can Regan go from here?
The story follows Regan as she attempts to get back on her feet. With no job and nowhere to live, she needs to seriously consider what her future holds. But with members of the local community and hunky fireman Charlie on her side, can she overcome her problems and find the fresh start she is looking for?
A lovely lighthearted story which made for the perfect read.
On a whim, Regan purchases a lottery ticket, even though she know her boyfriend won’t approve. When her coworker, Alex, tells her she’s won, Regan says good-bye to both her boyfriend and her job. She’s ready to tackle her lottery bucket list, only to learn Alex has played a prank on her. She finds her self jobless, boyfriend less, and homeless within a matter of minutes.
I loved this book! Regan is kindhearted, generous, maybe to a fault. She is determined to make her lottery dreams come true even without winning the lottery.
I’m so excited that this is the first book in a series of four!
I really enjoyed this. Regan's life is ticking along. Boring boyfriend and a job where her and her colleague Alex play practical jokes on each other until one goes too far. And so Regan's life dramatically changed. No job, no boyfriend and no home. She then meets Charlie who opens her eyes to all possibilities. An easy heartwarming read.
Thank you to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Without a doubt this is up there with my all time favourite books that I have read. I must clarify, I read the book in its four parts, then read the entire book afterwards. I make this point because reading an individual book in the series, it usually left on a cliffhanger style ending. So, this book is absolutely brilliant from start to finish. I am in no way going to spoil it for anybody by giving a retelling of the story. This book will take you on an absolute rollercoaster of a journey. Its hilarious, moving, totally absorbing, twists to the story you may not have thought were coming. Full of really brilliantly picked characters and of course a few four legged adorable creatures that really add a special touch. In my opinion, this is an absolute must read book, I absolutely devoured it.
What a sweet story. Regan Regan has a bit of tough luck until she meets Charlie, unfortunately Charlie has a brain tumor. He helps Regan live a better life. I really enjoyed this book.
This was an ARC from netgalley.
'Meet Me at Pebble Beach' is Bella Osborne's latest book to be released, and what a joyous story it was! Originally released as a four-part series, 'Meet Me at Pebble Beach' is the complete book, and I couldn't wait to splash into the pages because it sounded like just the ticket for a warm, witty and amusing escape to Brighton alongside Osborne's leading lady, Regan.
In 'Meet Me at Pebble Beach', readers are introduced to the lovely Regan. Unorganised, clumsy, a little bit untidy but utterly hilarious, the story opens with an amusing chapter in which Regan is, yet again, running late for work, and is cuddled up in bed next to a half-eaten kebab. This pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the book, because Regan comes across as being pretty chaotic, and as we begin to discover later on in her story, so is her life. In this first chapter, we also have the pleasure of meeting Regan's boyfriend, Jarvis, who is, to put it lightly, a bit of an a******e, and who I took an instant disliking to. Condescending, grumpy, and an utter fusspot of a perfectionist, these two couldn't have been more opposite to each other if they'd tried to be. I couldn't help feeling that Regan's breeziness and ability to let things go was the main reason their relationship had survived as long as it had. I think, too, that how Regan handles the constant nagging and sly remarks says a lot about her personality in this book. She's bold and not afraid to be herself, and I felt that she was a very 'take it or leave it' sort of person. She wasn't sensitive, but instead confident in who she was as a person with no apologies for it, and I loved that about her. Still, I don't think that I personally could have dealt with Jarvis for as long as Regan managed to. He grated on me the second he opened his mouth.
As Regan's story progresses, more of her world opens up to us and we get to meet the people and places Regan interacts with on a daily basis, the 'Hug in a Mug' coffee shop a particular favourite of mine. There's Penny, who runs the coffee shop, and Cleo, Regan's beautiful best-friend who is a successful and well-known artist, and who has a life even celebs would be jealous of. There's also Kevin, a warm and friendly homeless man who Regan hands a fresh coffee to daily, and Alex, Regan's annoying colleague who, in a roundabout way, gets the ball rolling with Regan's life changes. I really loved all of Osborne's characters in this book. They were all so entertaining in their own ways and truly brought the book to life. Osborne does a fantastic job of making them leap right off the page and into your imagination, and I felt as if I knew them myself by the time I turned the final page.
I think the pace of this book really picks up when Regan's lottery ticket comes into play. On a whim, she decides to buy a ticket and alongside Alex, they both make a list of what they'd do if they were to win the lottery. I loved this aspect of the story, because we see Regan think about what she truly wants from life, if only money wasn't an issue. Well known for pranking each other, Alex manages to trick Regan into thinking she's won the lottery. It is here that Regan finally feels brave enough, with nothing to hold her back, to get rid of anything that doesn't bring happiness to her life, and brave enough to deal with the things she's been wanting to deal with for quite a while. She end's her relationship with Jarvis, and quits her job, because she's won the lottery so what the hell! There's no stopping her now. That is until Alex appears, and reveals that it's all a big joke, and she hasn't won the lottery after all. This part of the book made me laugh so much, and I found the whole idea absolutely hilarious. It truly entertained me and I think it was a genius move on Bella's part, because not only is it funny, but it puts Regan's character in a position of losing everything in one fell swoop, and suddenly she's faced with trying to put her life back together, all in the matter of an hour.
This was a highly-entertaining, yet warm and emotional novel by Bella Osborne. It made me laugh and it made me want to cry, and it made me think about what I'd ever do if I won the lottery. I mean, I think first of all I'd make sure it was real, after reading this book, but it also made me think, why do we let money hold us back? Why not tick things off our wish lists in a different way? Not every goal or wish needs money to be achieved and I really loved that message. There's also romance by the plenty too. We meet Charlie, a handsome firefighter, and he helps Regan in her mission to achieve her lottery wish-list, which led to some pretty adorable scenes in the book, those of which melted my heart. It really was a lovely little package of a novel, and one I really enjoyed reading. The only thing I would say is that I hoped there be more beachy scenes, but there's so much more going on in the book, it's enough to keep you busy throughout.
All in all, this was a delightful, empowering story about taking charge of your life, and granting your own wishes instead of waiting on the lottery to do it for you. It was a book about friendship, goals, and discovering that there's more to life, if you're brave enough to break away from the things that tie you down. Completely uplifting, playful and left me with a smile on my face, 'Meet Me at Pebble Beach' by Bella Osborne will make a lovely sunshiney read this year, sure to lift your spirits and leave you thinking about what you'd put on your own lottery wish list.
The Book Babe is awarding 'Meet Me at Pebble Beach' by Bella Osborne with a four out of five star rating. With thanks to Avon for the advance reading copy of this book, that of which has no reflection on my giving a fair and honest review.
This was an absolutley brilliant book. I love it from start to finish, I will definitely be reading more Bella Osborne in the future.
Absolutely loved this book! I really didn’t want it to end. There were several places that left you on a cliffhanger and wanting more (especially if you read it in the four parts). Pure tale of true life with ups and downs along the way and proving that life is what you make it! Sadly bad things do happen to good people. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but you won’t be disappointed and it will leave you wanting to read more! Highly recommended!
You know when you read a book that you really like, this was the book for me, it made my heart sing. I had everything I wanted food, animals, romance. I really liked Regan as she was all about everyone else apart from herself. I saw myself in her a few times trying to do good for other people. I loved hearing about Elvis the dog, I think he was the star of the show, I can't believe what he had gone through. But good job Regan was there. I think what this story has showed me is that never give up on your dreams. If there is a will, there is a way.
A thought provoking, bitter sweet book. Whilst it has a lovely cover I don't feel it does the story justice.
I started this book thinking it would be a 'feel good' easy to read book. And it was that but so much more too. Thought provoking and emotional.
Meet Me at Pebble Beach by Bella Osborn, published by Avon Books, is a full length, stand-alone romance novel.
Meet Me at Pebble Beach was originally published as a four-part serial. This is the complete story in one package. - the author.
Regan is a heroine who's difficult to like at first. She's high maintenance, annoying, full of self pity. And she loves to prank her co-worker. But when the prank fires back on her, she's out of all, no job, no boyfriendand no home anymore. What to do?? Easy peesy, go home to daddy - nope doesn't work either.
Then she meets a real good guy, only he has his own baggage to carry - and oh girl, what baggage that is, sorry not sorry, no spoilers here. Only so much, he' the perfect flawed boyfriend and I want one of my own.
Meet Me at Pebble Beach is a high on drama, fast paced read that let me fall in love with maybe 50 precent of the characters and 100 percent of the story. I liked the meet-cute and the plott-wist just fine. It's a wonderful book with a touching story.
I recommend the book, 4,75 stars.
I found it a slow start and I was unsure, then bang I could not stop reading it. So many twists. It was brilliant. . Did not see the twist in her father's story or how Alex turned out. .The part about Kevin and his dog, made you sad and think. The book covered so many topics. I could rave on. Just buy it and enjoy
This is a humerus lighthearted read perfect for taking your mind off what’s happening in the world currently!
Regan thinks she has won the lottery! In haste she quits her job and her relationship with her boyfriend and makes a list of things she will do! Unfortunately the lottery win was a prank from her work colleague, so regan is actually now homeless and jobless!fortunately with some good luck and amazing friends regan slowly begins to rebuild her life and in doing so opens her head and heart to new experiences which show her how the simple things in life can be the most important, surrounded by great friends, a new relationship, a mad dog and a new outlook on life regan has it all!
Thank you net galley for this early read.