I love Mary Kay Andrews and her writing, but I felt like this one was a little jumbled. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding Jazmyn but the other mystery from the past felt like it was just thrown in there. Other than that it was a good story with twists I did not see coming.

A nice easy beach read. You have a down on her luck 30 something starting over in the house her grandparents gave her in their will, and working for her lawyer father. Her father is also married to one of her childhood friends turned frenemy. She stumbles on a case that didn't get settled the way they would have liked so she takes it upon herself to investigate. Lots of twists, turns and high jinks.

Easy, quick read, with lots of interesting characters and two cases to solve. Some weird dynamics with some but didn't totally detract from the story.

Sunset Beach was women’s fiction filled that revolved around Drue’s life and two suspenseful mysteries she got invested on arriving at the Sunset Beach. A wonderful summer novel about cold-blooded murder, suffering of women in the male dominated fields, hotel management and their low ethics, domestic violence and some family drama and suspense.

Characters-

Drue was fabulous in whole book. She was 36 but I felt she was younger than that. At first she was complaining with life, because of her father, job, boyfriend and her injury that held her on the grounds away from her kite-boarding passion but as I read more she developed gradually and took grip of new life quite nicely. I liked the way she accepted Brice and Wendy’s marriage eventually, bonded with Jonah and Aliyah. She was natural in communication and investigation and I’m happy how she solved both cases.

All side characters were great. The team at Campbell firm, detective working on case, Jazmin’s family all made the book interesting.

What I Liked-

First few chapters were character and plot building. We got to know about Drue’s childhood filled with hurt feeling because of abandonment by her father-Brice, now a rich lawyer running a law firm. When she met him after a long time at her mother’s funeral he offered her a job and a key to her grandparent’s cottage she inherited at Sunset Beach. Looking at her jobless, homeless and relationship-less situation, she took up her father’s offer and joined his firm where she received a unsavory surprise. She met her father’s third wife, Wendy, her ex-best friend when she was 15. Another surprise came pretty soon. Once she moved back to cottage, she found two intriguing cases that she instantly hooked to – 1) a missing case of local beauty, a forty years old unsolved case and 2) the case of woman brutally murdered at the Gulf Vista hotel, the case for which victim’s mother hired Drue’s dad’s firm 2 years back but she got penny as a result. As soon as Drue started nosing around to solve the case story took many interesting turns.

It was third person narrative with wonderful picturesque beach town, ideal cottage, perfect sunsets and detailed case descriptions. Writing was easy to follow with interesting pieces of puzzle that I could easily follow but hardly could guess the conclusion. It was wonderful to read the way Drue turned her damaged uninhabitable cottage into beautiful dream house.

Some chapters were written in past, 1976, that told the life story of Colleen, how she was connected to Brice and Jimmy, how she went missing, what actually happened to her, and how the police file of the case ended up in the attic of Drue’s cottage. I could guess some points in Collen case but the way chapters were represented made me question my own theory. All chapters related to this case were tense and made me nervous. The conclusion was totally unpredictable. I didn’t like the way things settled for Colleen and all characters related to her.

In Jazmin’s case, I couldn’t pinpoint anything. Whole thing at that Gulf Vista was fishy. I could feel why Drue was so invested in this case. Aliyah was such adorable girl and as a mother I could imagine how devastating Jazmin’s mother might be. I was shocked how hotel management remained impassive and obstructive from the very beginning. And when mystery finally unraveled, I felt outrageous.

Both case’s file records were narrated with minute details. In both the cases things would have not taken nasty turns only of characters decided to act differently. Elements of sleuthing, mysteries, family drama, little bit of romance along with the theme of domestic violence and mistreatment of female employees was perfectly balanced.

Oh and those events after climax were mind boggling. This part shocked me more than all that happened previously. End was satisfactory. I loved author’s dream beach house note and recipes that you could enjoy during your summer vacation at beach.

Overall, it was suspenseful, engrossing, women’s fiction with cozy mystery, a perfect beach novel with great characterization and plot. I definitely recommend this book to read on you summer vacation.

I received a free copy of Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews from NetGalley for my honest review.

This is the first book I have ready by Mary Kay Andrews and I was very impressed.

Drue is 36 years old, has no career and her life is without purpose. She has lost her mother to cancer and Drue is just lost in life. Her estranged father suddenly offers her a job in his law firm.

Drue excepts the job, and returns home to where she grew up 20 years ago. Drue blames her dad for everything that has happened in the past. Drue also find out that her dad married her best friend from school Wendy.

Drue does get some good news. She finds out that the beachfront house she spent her summers in when she was young is now hers. One of the only places in her life that ever made her happy, is now hers.

While renovating her late grandparents’ cottage, she discovers police files from a missing person’s case from the 1980s. Colleen Hicks disappeared without a trace. She was a married woman with an abusive husband. She throws herself into information about the case and finds evidence that her own family might be involved in a 40-year old missing persons case. Drue throws into both of the investigations. Now Drue might have put herself in danger.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an electronic Advanced Readers Copy of Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews in exchange for an honest review.

"Pull up a lounge chair and have a cocktail at Sunset Beach – it comes with a twist."

A few years ago I was introduced to Mary Kay Andrews' novels and they have become my go-to beach read. Sunset Beach grabbed my attention from the first chapter. Drue, the main character, was fairly relatable and likeable, though I did have moments where I found her to be a little too much. The storyline was a bit predictable, but there were enough twists that kept me guessing and needing to know more.

Romance and some mystery is a great combination for a novel. I devoured this novel in less than 2 days. I can't wait to see what Mary Kay Andrews comes out with next.

Huge fan of Mary Kay Andrews! This book was not your typical romantic beach novel. It was suspenseful and full of fun. Love it and highly recommend

Happy Cinco De Mayo, lovely people! I know today is not Friday but the book that I’m reviewing comes out in a couple of days and I didn’t want to wait until after the book came out. So.. you’re asking yourself what book is it… The book I’m reviewing is Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews! I was so very fortunate to receive an advanced copy and I can tell you right now, it was great!
Here is the official synopsis of the book:
“Drue Campbell’s life is adrift. Out of a job and down on her luck, life doesn’t seem to be getting any better when her estranged father, Brice Campbell, a flamboyant personal injury attorney, shows up at her mother’s funeral after a twenty-year absence. Worse, he’s remarried – to Drue’s eighth grade frenemy, Wendy, now his office manager. And they’re offering her a job.
It seems like the job from hell, but the offer is sweetened by the news of her inheritance – her grandparents’ beach bungalow in the sleepy town of Sunset Beach, a charming but storm-damaged eyesore now surrounded by waterfront McMansions.
With no other prospects, Drue begrudgingly joins the firm, spending her days screening out the grifters whose phone calls flood the law office. Working with Wendy is no picnic either. But when a suspicious death at an exclusive beach resort nearby exposes possible corruption at her father’s firm, she goes from unwilling cubicle rat to unwitting investigator, and is drawn into a case that may – or may not – involve her father. With an office romance building, a decades-old missing persons case re-opened, and a cottage in rehab, one thing is for sure at Sunset Beach: there’s a storm on the horizon.”


This book is AMAZING! Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. It’s a good thing I had a whole weekend to do nothing but read this wonderful book. Drue hasn’t had the best life lately but she’s not letting that stop her from making a life at her newly inherited beach cottage.
Drue hasn’t had the best of luck lately, from losing her mom and job, injuring her knee doing something she loved and not being able to do it again, to her absentee father coming back into her life… Reluctantly, she takes him up on his offer of help with a job and a place to live. When Drue starts work at her father’s (Brice Campbell) office, finding personal injury cases for her father to represent, she becomes involved with a case that at first doesn’t have the best outcome. A housekeeper was murdered at a local resort and Brice was only able to get $150,000 from the resort because they claim the woman, Jazmin Mayes, was still on the clock when she was killed. Due to the fact that the resort says Jazmin was on the clock, her case is classified under workman’s comp and in Florida, there is a cap on the settlement Jazmin’s mother gets. Drue, having lost her own mother, sympathizes and takes it upon herself to do some more digging in the case despite her father’s and coworker’s request to let it go. Now, I’m not going to spoil what happens with the case, you’ll just have to read the book to find that out for yourself. Speaking of coworkers, all will say is Jonah and Ben: O-M-G. A plot twist that I didn’t see coming!
One of the more interesting plot points in the book has to deal with her father’s past mistress and life with his ex-wife, Drue’s mother. There are some chapters where it flashes back into the past and those deal with Brice, Drue’s mother, and Brice’s best friend. I must admit that I was a little confused as to why these chapters were relevant to the story, but the more I read, the more I realized that without those chapters, the ending of the book wouldn’t make any sense.
All in all, I would rate this book with 4.5 stars. [[ I had to take .5 off because the beginning read a little bit slow, but it definitely picked up by the third chapter]] It has romance, comedy, suspense- that makes it a true Mary Kay Andrews book. Now, I have been a fan of MKA for a very long time and she doesn’t disappoint with this book. Due yourself a favor and go out and buy this book, you won’t regret it.

Last year's The High Tide Club was my first exposure to Mary Kay Andrews and I really enjoyed the writing, the characters, the mystery and the sweet romance.

I'm happy to say that Sunset Beach solidfied my love of Andrews' books! Again, it had all the things I love in a book...solid characters, a little mystery (in this case two mysteries), humor and a sweet romance (though I would have like a little more of it).

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy; all opinions are my own.

Take this to the beach with you or read it with the lights out at night.

Andrews kept me engaged with the characters and plot twists throughout. This was my first book by this author but definitely not my last.

I loved Sunset Beach! Drue is a very likeable character and the way her story unfolds kept me reading. Drue Campbell heads to Sunset Beach to work for her father after her mother dies and gets swept up in a couple of local mysteries. She comes into her own as far as her career and personal life go as she learns who she can trust in her life as well as what she is good at.

You would have to be living under a rock to not know who this author is, but if so, come out and enjoy what the rest of us already know. She is a fantastic writer.

Each character is shown to have both good and bad actions or motives (except for Aliyah). Through this, we are kept off guard and it is more difficult to ascertain who the bad guys are. The reader is kept guessing until the end. The plot is convoluted with several bad deeds being the focus throughout.

I enjoyed the character of Drue. She started out immature, emotional and selfish but ended up determined, kind and understanding. Her transformation occurs throughout as she solves mysteries and reexamines the relationship she has known with her father.

Sunset Beach made me feel. Good, bad or indifferent, the story stuck with me even when I was away from the book. I think that having well developed characters, two or more mysteries and several new or old relationship minefields to navigate make this a particularly good story.


I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

Another reviewer called Sunset Beach “Favorite Deceptive Cover of 2019.” How true! Even though Sunset Beach does in fact feature a beach, it is definitely not the usual Mary Kay Andrews beach read. It’s edgier and kind of choppy, starts out more a thriller and mystery. All her books have some mystery and real danger, but sunset Beach ramps it up a notch with non-stop action and characters you keep changing your mind about trusting.

For a while when I started reading Sunset Beach I couldn’t decide if I liked it as much as Andrews previous books, but then the action and danger – and MKA’s signature romance and family and history – kicked in and I was hooked. And I realized that all her books have danger and suspense, just not to this intense degree.

Most of the characters are hard to like in the beginning. On the surface they are shallow or immature or deceitful or just plain mean. They all seem to have history that may be good or bad. But just wait until you get to know them. This is a rich, well-developed cast in a rich, well-developed plot.

Drue is devastated by her mother’s death, at loose ends because of her sports injury and not too eager to restart a relationship with her father. The lure of the beach house her grandfather built and her mother left to her is what draws her back – that, and the fact that she really doesn’t have any other option. She’s 36 years old but doesn’t have a lot to show for it. Her father seems caring and concerned, but she doesn’t trust him. And when she discovers her stepmother is in fact her ex-best friend who betrayed her and is therefore young enough to be her father’s daughter, she’s even less thrilled.

Drue turns out to be one stubborn, fearless, resourceful woman with a natural flair for detective work. She doesn’t like and isn’t good at her cube rat job at her father’s firm, but she latches on to an old case and becomes almost obsessed – well, obsessed – with getting justice she thought was denied. All under the radar and behind her father’s back, of course. There’s a lot more going on that is apparent on the surface and soon Drue and others are in danger and secrets people went to great lengths to keep are being revealed.

Somewhere along the line while reading I realized that although Sunset Beach is grittier and edgier and the mystery is more at the forefront, it is truly vintage Mary Kay Andrews, with the relationships, hidden secrets, and bumpy romance that make all her other books such great reads. The setting is enchanting, the cottage renovation fascinating and the food descriptions (and recipes at the end of the book) will make your mouth water.

Without giving away any spoilers, I’ll just say that I thoroughly enjoyed peeling away each layer of the mystery, I grew to love the characters whether they were lovable or not, and I was completely surprised by the ending that totally worked.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of Sunset Beach for my honest review. Mary Kay Andrews has another winner!

Drue is a 36-year-old server in a bar. She doesn't really like her job or her boss and is fired. Around this time, her estranged and successful father contacts her to let her know that she has inherited her maternal grandparents' rundown cottage due to the recent death of her mother. Plus he offers her a job in his law firm. With no other prospects, Drue moves into her grandparents cottage and works for her dad and his wife (Drue's former best friend but now enemy due to an incident in the grade eight). Answering the phones and trying to meet quotas isn't Drue's idea of excitement but at least it's paying the bills.

Drue's interest is piqued when Yvonne, a former client of her father's, comes into the law office demanding what's fair. Her daughter had been murdered on-the-job at the resort where she worked and Yvonne was awarded not a lot of money because it happened during work hours. Drue doesn't think this is fair so starts digging into the case. And in the meantime, she finds a box in her attic which included newspaper clippings about a woman named Connie who had disappeared 40 years ago. She becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her.

I've read quite a few books by this author and thought this one was just okay. It is written in third person perspective and as a head's up, there is swearing.

I found the story a bit convoluted with the two mysteries going on ... finding out what really happened to Yvonne's daughter and ensuring she had proper compensation and figuring out what happened to Connie 40 years ago. Considering she had no experience or inclination in the past, I found it a bit unbelievable that Drue could/would jump right into being an "investigator". The "whodunnit" in the present case came out of the blue and I didn't really buy it. I didn't find Drue overly likable and had a hard time believing she was 36 ... she acted more like 26. And I wasn't buying the love interest in the end.

*4+

At 36, Drue Campbell's life has fallen apart: her mother has passed away; her long-time boyfriend has left her; she's lost her job as a server at a beach bar in Fort Lauderdale; and she's recovering from a knee injury that has ended her competitive kite-boarding career.

At her mother's funeral her estranged father offers her a life-line--to take a job with his law firm in St Petersburg, FL. She's just desperate to accept. She's also thrilled to learn she has inherited her grandparents' old cottage on Sunset Beach from her mother. It's pretty ramshackle but filled with lots of warm, happy memories from her youth.

She's not so thrilled to learn that her 'frenemy' Wendy from their middle school years is now married to her father and is the office manager at the law firm. It looks like Wendy plans to ride her relentlessly until Drue is forced to quit.

But Drue gets involved in two cases: one at work involving the murder of a young hotel worker; and the other, a cold-case she reads about in clippings she finds in her grandparents' attic. She is dogged in her pursuit of answers, even when everyone around her tells her to drop her investigations, especially the local homicide detective.

This story is equal parts intriguing and charming. Drue is a feisty, gutsy young woman whom you can't help but cheer for. Loved the beach setting and wouldn't mind owning something just like Coquina Cottage, watching some of those sunsets! The book's cover design fits the story perfectly.

This is my first taste of this author's work and it won't be my last! A nice mixture of click-lit, summer beach read and mystery. Highly recommend. As an added bonus, there are delicious-sounding recipes included at the end, perfect for summer entertaining. Who can pass that up?

I received an arc of this new mystery from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. I'm very grateful for the opportunity.

I truly enjoyed this novel! A little slow at first, but eventually I was sucked in and loved the story. Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews - not your standard fluff beach read... let it be known that cover is deceiving! This one felt long (I checked and indeed, it was over 400 pages) and could have probablyyyy been thinned out but it was charming and took place in the town of Treasure Island which is special because my husband’s family has a house there and that kept me turning those pages!! A solid 4 stars from me as this is definitely a comfort read and not super predictable which is tough to come by these days. I’ve enjoyed two others by MKA (Summer Rental and The Weekenders) so I was excited for the opportunity to check this out before it’s #pubday of May 7th!
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Girl loses mom and is down on her luck. Girl inherits family water front beach shack (likelyyyy scenario) and takes job with estranged father. Standard daughter/ step-mom drama but with a twist. Lots of potential love interests. Unsolved murder mystery and missing persons cold case. Basically- something for everyone.
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Thanks to Mary Kay Andrews, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first Mary Kay Andrews book I ever read was a mystery several years ago. I was hooked on her writing style and loved the loved all her summer beach books. I must say this book is my favorite by her. It combines the beach setting we all love with a mystery to solve. I love the setting and the plot gets rave reviews from me. If you are on the fence about purchasing this book, run and grab your credit card now. You will read it and live and, then reread on your next beach vacation. Thank you netgalley for the gift of the arc. The opinions are my own.

I wasn't expecting a mystery but when Mary Kay Andrew's writes I can't help but read. Set in Florida we meet our heroine, her broken down bronco, her estranged father and his current wife, a schoolmate his daughters age. How will these potentially combustible personalities come together to form a family? That's only the tip of the iceberg.

I went in to this book with no expectations. I hadn’t read anything about it or even looked at the synopsis. I just loved the cover and thought it looked like a fun summer beach read.
It was so much more than that. I loved the beach aspect of it, and rather wished I was sitting on a beach while Drue was watching sunsets from her home, but everything about this was enjoyable.
The characters were well developed. I really felt a connection with Drue and her circumstances. I loved how the family dynamics were written— the stepmother and her and Drue’s history, her coworkers and even those she encounters through her investigation.
It was delightful, but not light, and I would love to see more of these characters.

This book was so much more than I thought it would be. I was immediately invested in Drue's character and kept rooting for her luck to finally turn around. I think her character went full circle and the character development was amazing. The plot was not near as predictable as I thought it would be and I pleasantly shocked when it unfolded. You should run, not walk to get your own copy once it's published. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.