Change of pace for this author in this story. Not like her previous novels but still very enjoyable. Will certainly recommend. Great Southern writer.

Dru Campbell was at her mother’s funeral when she spotted her father, Brice. He and her mother had divorced when Dru was younger. Now Brice was a successful attorney and married to his 3rd wife, one of Dru’s former high school friends. Dru’s career as a kite boarder had ended when she was in an accident. She had been working as a bartender in Ft. Lauderdale. Her dad told her that she had inherited her grandparents house on the beach in Sunset Beach on the Gulf coast of Florida. He also offered her a job at his law firm if she moved to the house.

Once Dru began her new job, she had difficulty with the work and also with her stepmother Wendy, the office manager. One day an older woman appeared in the office with her granddaughter demanding to speak with Brice about her late daughter, Jazmin’s case. Dru discovered that the older woman was having difficulty caring for her granddaughter who had medical problems. Brice had gotten a settlement for her Jazmin’s death but the money was in trust until the granddaughter reached 18. Dru did some checking and discovered that the murder may have occurred when Jazmin had ended her shift at a resort rather than while she was working as the resort claimed. So Dru set out to find justice for Jazmin and her famaily.

While Dru was renovating her late grandparents’ cottage, she discovered police files from a missing person’s case from the 1980s. Colleen Hicks, a married woman with an abusive husband, had disappeared without a trace. In a series of flashback chapters we met Colleen and discover that she had been having an affair with Dru’s father before she died. Brice was a policeman in St. Petersburg and married to Dru’s mother. He was also attending law school part time. They met when Brice and his then partner, Jimmy Zee, had responded to a domestic abuse call from Colleen. After 6 months the affair ended and Colleen disappeared.

So two mysteries have to be solved: whether Jazmin was working when she was killed and what happened to Colleen. Dru found the solutions to both of the mysteries and may have found a new career as a private detective.

This is a fun beach read. It takes place in Florida, the beach capital of the US.

Sunset Beach was an enjoyable read. The premise of the story is that Drue, a woman in her mid 30's, relocates her life to work for her long estranged dad after a series of unfortunate events including the death of her mom and a serious kite boarding accident that pretty much ends her ability to pursue her life-long passion. Her dad is a lawyer who is currently married to one of Drue's former friends/enemies from high school who also happens to be her direct supervisor. As the story progresses, Drue ends up trying to solve the murder of a young woman who worked at a seedy hotel who left behind a young daughter. Drew believes that her dad didn't get enough of a settlement for the family and ends up being a natural as a detective as she pursues the truth. Along the way, Drue also ends up trying to solve the disappearance of another woman who disappeared many years ago who was involved with her dad. All in all, the story moved at a pretty good clip and I enjoyed the gradual development of the characters. I think that I would have liked a bit more of a build up in the romance department but truly enjoyed this read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Sunset Beach. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow! I thought this novel would be good, but I was wrong-- it was even better! I loved the characters, the volatile relationships, and the determination of Drue (the persistent amateur investigating main character). Pleasantly surprised by the unpredictable results of many concurrent plots, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will gladly read this author again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mary Kay Andrews for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Sunset Beach. This is my honest review.

Sunset Beach is more than a breezy summer read. This book has a super storyline that draws you in right away. I love the character of Dru and her struggles and finding her way. The story has a mystery element to it, so it makes you think. I really enjoyed this book. A good read!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I simply adore Mary Kay Andrews and her writing style. Her characters always have spunk and sass and snark, which I admire, and resemble. :)

This had just the right amount of mystery, family dysfunction and a wee bit of love to keep me entertained, smiling, and laughing.

Highly recommend.

Drue Campbell’s life is in shambles after her mother’s death. But when the father she hasn’t seen in twenty years shows up at the funeral, Drue takes him up on a job offer. The fact that he’s a billboard advertising malpractice attorney is a little concerning, but when Drue learns that he’s now married to her former high school best friend/enemy she’s shocked and afraid that she’s made a horrible mistake and without a backup plan.

I’m a big MKA fan and this latest title is another great addition. Her books have great stories, humor, romance, and mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

Loved yet another one by Mary Kay Andrews!!!!!!!!! Love the southern charm to her book's and how you fall in love with her characters. Drue is a thirty-six year old single woman who lost her mother and inherited her grandparents house and a job in her estranged father's law firm. While dealing with her daddy issues and his new wife who used to be Drue's childhood best friend by the way. She discovers some inconsistencies in a case and suspects a pay off within the company. Get a glass of wine and sit down with this hilarious novel and Dru's adventures for a little while. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the oppurtunity to read this amazing novel.

Fun in the Sun

Full of fun, murder, mystery, and romance, Sunset Beach is a great beach read. Set on Florida’s gorgeous West Coast, down and out Drue Campbell sets her sites on a new home, a new job, and a new life. But she gets more than she bargained as the death of two women, forty years apart, haunts her. Can Drue let them both go and move on to more present matters? The answer is a resounding no.
Drue is lost. She has just lost her mother. Her passion for kiteboarding has been derailed due to a bad knee injury, she has broken up with her boyfriend, and she has just lost her job as a beachside bar waitress working for a harassing boss.
Her father, well known ambulance chaser Brice Campbell, shows up at her mother’s funeral, offering Drue a job in his law firm. Once a beat cop, he attended law school and has built a successful practice over the years. He also gives the news to Drue that she has inherited her beloved grandparents’ cottage on the beach. It is broken down and in complete disrepair but could this be Drue’s destined home?
Drue arrives into town, untrusting of her mostly absentee father’s motivations and seriously strapped for cash. She takes the job, meeting the office’s colorful cast of characters including the office manager who was once a long ago school friend and is now her father’s third wife. Drue takes on the challenges thrown at her with passion. Along the way Drue meets people who truly matter. Her digging into certain unexplained mysteries may invite trouble but Drue is determined to find answers no matter what.
BRB Rating: Read It.

Mrs Andrews never disappoints. This was a fun, easy read and will be a great beach read. Story of a dysfunctional family, murder and romance. Had it all!

Mary Kay Andrews has written yet another perfect beach read! Memorable characters, romance, suspense, and a beautiful beach in Florida come together perfectly in this novel. Fans of Mary Kay Andrews won't be disappointed by her newest book.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Mary Kay Andrews has a hit with Sunset Beach. Ms. Andrews always writes a good book but there was a sudden shift in this book. The story had more of a serious feel with more social consciousness to it.
A young woman returns to Sunset Beach after her mother's death and losing her job. She inherits a run down beach cottage and she takes a job working for her estranged father. At work and home she comes across 2 legal cases that catch her attention. She begins to question her father's motives in these two cases and she questions what she thought her family and friends. Great read. Would definitely recommend.

I'd like to thank NetGalley & St Martin's Press for an advanced digital copy for review.

I like Mary Kay Andrews, but Sunset Beach just didn't work out for me. Drue, the main character, is all over the place--one minute homeless, the next, moving into a dilapidated old beach house--with no help other than her father saying "Oh here are the keys & here's a job." The job, she has zero training, yet comes to the rescue as a detective. Her ex-best friend from childhood has married her father & is nasty beyond belief, then turns it around. She supposedly has had knee surgery, is swollen, can hardly walk, then suddenly "Poof!" meets a random guy on the beach, he offers to help her with pt, & she is now fine?? Ridiculous. There was more, yet not worth dissecting. Read as a filler book, read if you're really bored, but I wouldn't recommend this one, unfortunately..

Sunset Beach is your typical MK Andrews beach read and framed in this context, it’s a competent book. Drue is picking up the pieces from her life after her mother’s death, moving west to work for her estranged father. As she navigates her new life, and comes to terms with her past, she learns the beach read trifecta of trust, forgiveness and love. Not the most engaging work Andrews has written, not is it technically impressive, but it makes for a fun poolside read this summer

Sunset Beach is the perfect book to grab before you head to the beach. I loved the added element of mystery. Mary Kay Andrews always delivers a fun read.

I have read most of Mary Kay Andrews books so I was thrilled to receive her latest book. While this was a great read, it was not at all what I have come to expect from Andrews. This book was more of a mystery rather than a breachy romance book, regardless I still liked it.

I don’t generally like novels like this where the protagonist is the one to solve the crime but this one was a fun read. At first I wasn’t sure because it was a slow start for me, mostly because I wasn’t very interested in Drue. Our protagonist is my age, in her mid thirties, but she’s a mess. She has no career path or savings and her life is at a crossroads after her mother’s death. I was put off by what a train wreck she was. Luckily the novel picks up after she moves into a fixer upper after she’s desperate enough to accept a job with her estranged dad. There are some obvious plot holes like why her dad never told her about the fact that this fixer upper was left to her. At this point Drue finds direction and starts getting her life together only to be sidetracked by a murder and a missing persons case.

The first is the violent death of a young mother that really affects Drue. As she starts investigating the novel really picks up. This is where her unconventional life choices and personality work well. Upstanding citizens with squared away lives don’t go around investigating murders.

The missing person case is closer is closer to home but not the priority of the novel. That case slowly evolves with occasional flashbacks and Drue’s present day investigations.

I found this novel slow to get started but fun once it got going. I’m not sure what the author’s plans for this character are but I would definitely buy the next one if this became a series. I could see Drue being worthy of a series that would be great. Especially with the Detective that was my favorite secondary character. The ending was a bit too perfect with the happy family and no mention of a big discovery. I did think the afterward was a bit strange. The author went on for several pages about her beach houses which seemed odd and unconnected to the novel and whole unrelatable to most readers. She also included recipes which have nothing to do with the novel. I’m not familiar with the author so maybe this is common for her but it seemed like a strange choice. Overall a great read and probably more so if you prefer quirky layman who-done-its

Mary Kay Andrews writes another masterpiece! Drue has been dealing with some setbacks, which leads her to start working at her father's law firm. Not long after starting Drue meets an unsatisfied customer and makes it her mission to make sure this lady finds justice for her daughter. Fast paced and easy to read this story was so hard to put down!

Drue Campbell's life was spinning out of control after her mother's death and with nowhere to turn, she took up her father's offer of a job, a place to live and a side of redemption...albeit with a huge chip on her shoulder. After her first day of work, during which she managed to alienate her boss, who happened to be her childhood best friend, who now is her stepmother, then after joining her coworkers for a drink, sleeps with one of them. Could she be any more unlikable? I almost put the book aside at this point, thinking it had to get better from here. It did, marginally.

Although I have been a fan of Mary Kay Andrews previous novels, this one just left me cold. Too many unbelievable plot twists which added little to the story, several little things which really bothered me (Fright Fest at Disney World...umm, just no. That's a Universal thing, Disney doesn't do scary like that! They have a much more family oriented "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.") Overall, I found Drue annoying and inconsiderate most of the time, the other characters lacking depth and the story just so so. Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a huge fan of MKA. Although her last book was not a favorite. And this one, while ok, wasn't great. Predictable, far fetched, formulaic. The writing is good, as always, but the storyline just went from bad to worse. There are some funny moments, and it kept me reading, but at the end I was just glad it was over.