I had never read Mary Kay Andrews before. I was pleasantly surprised by how fun this book was. I enjoyed it from the moment I picked it up to read it. I liked the mystery presented and the intertwining storylines. I was never confused while reading (which can sometimes be a problem for writers when presenting two different stories and timelines). Sunset Beach is a fun beach read. I look forward to reading more from Andrews.

I'm a huge Mary Kay Andrews fan and have read all of her books. This book is a departure from her other books, it's not "women's fiction" but a more serious story with some mystery thrown in. It will make a great beach read even though it's not typical MKA.

I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a great book. Nice relationship building and storyline. This was an enjoyable read. Would recommend this book.

I’ve made it my mission this year to read more beach reads…..though not necessarily by choice.

In the past, I didn’t read a ton of beach reads, mostly because I didn’t really understand the appeal. If I am going to read, I want to read something with some depth. But then I had a kid and sometimes I just need easy, relaxing plots with a laid back vibe.

Plus after a read one of two beach reads, I discovered that they weren’t all full of ‘flimsy’ plots that were predictable. In fact many were downright interesting!

When this book came up for review I saw that Mary Kay Andrews is kind of the unofficial beach read queen and I was interested to try out one of her books as I haven’t had the pleasure of reading anything by her before!

Summary

Drue Campbell’s life and career have recently been derailed. The only thing she has left is the house her mother left her: a ramshackle beach bungalow with a missing roof in the once-sleepy town of Sunset Beach, which is rapidly becoming a hot spot for the rich and well-heeled, who are none too pleased about the shabby eyesore in their perfect neighborhood.

When Drue’s larger-than-life father unexpectedly turns up at her mother’s funeral and offers her a job at his law firm, Drue doesn’t know whether to be grateful or resentful that he has suddenly reappeared. She grudgingly accepts the job sifting through cold callers and shysters looking to get rich quick. But when her attention is caught by a suspicious murder case, Drue finds herself entangled in a decades-old mystery – one that may have dire consequences for Drue and the people she loves (summary from Goodreads).

Review

So first of all, I hated the name Drue. I don’t know if it was the spelling, the name itself or both, but I absolutely did NOT like this name for the main character. But I simply had to deal since I was hooked on this book relatively quickly!

I was kind of expecting this novel to be something along the lines of mothers/daughters or a romance novel based on the cover art, so imagine my surprise when Drue’s mother dies of cancer and then later on there’s a murder mystery in the book! I mean there was some romance in this book, but I loved how Andrews blended the murder mystery into the plot. It sounds like this is a fairly new approach for Andrews—at least according to her die hard fans on Goodreads. I haven’t read anything by her before, so I am a blank slate. I loved the blending of the mystery and I thought Andrews did a nice job for someone who doesn’t write mystery novels.

I can see why so many people love her books. She has some witty dialogue and an interesting plot mixed with so many different genres which kept things moving along and interesting. I would gladly read more of her books in the future because I walked away from this book feeling like I got a little of what I was expecting and a whole lot of what I wasn’t and I love being surprised!

“A cover is not the book, so open it up and take a look”. 3.5 stars

This book reminds me of the song from Mary Poppins Returns. I was expecting a nice beach read and instead got a family drama with a murder mystery thrown in. Not complaining, just unexpected. I have to say the book just didn’t grab my interest. There’s two different murder mysteries going on and I had a hard time with the flip flopping between the past and present (I’ve come to realize I don’t enjoy this in most books that attempt it).

Drue, out of money and a brand new homeowner, takes a job working at her fathers firm. Her fathers’ new wife is the office manager. It would be hard enough to have your step-mother as your boss, let alone your former best friend from when you were a child who abandoned you and your friendship. Personalities clash and past hurts are coming color the present. While working at the firm she encounters a murder case that was billed as a work related incident and the family only received a fraction of what they should have received in the settlement. Feeling that injustice was done, Drue, who has zero investigative skills, decides to investigate the closed case herself. On top of that, she uncovers a case file in her attic from when her dad was a cop and is beginning to wonder exactly why the missing file was hiding in her attic. With the help of a few friends, she figures out both cases and also begins to heal the hurts of the past.

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review. While this one didn’t hit home for me, I do encourage all to give it a shot and judge for themselves.

I just love this author and her southern settings, as I know I’ve said 843 times… This one was a bit of a slower start, but once I took a minute and sat down with it, immersed myself, I was pleased with it, as usual! Enjoyed the mystery aspect, the flashes back-and-forth, the characters were very well fleshed out and relatable… I hope to see a lot more of Drue, her family and life! Mary Kay has done it again!

Drue is out of work due to an injury when her mother dies and to make matters worse her estranged father turns up at the funeral with his new wife Wendy, who was at school with her! When Drue's father, a lawyer, offers her a job she is very reluctant to take it, especially as Wendy also works there, but she doesn't have many options. Her mother had left her an old beach house so at least she has a roof over head, even if it does need total renovation! She starts work at her father's firm but she soon gets embroiled in an old case.... is everything as it seems in her father's business or are there some irregularities there!

A good story with plenty to keep your interest and good characters, I loved the sound of the old beach house and would be itching to renovate it. My second book by this author and have enjoyed both of them

I love reading her books, and this was no exception. A quick read, perfect for an afternoon on the beach. I love how her books are set in the south and have strong female characters. This one had some added murder mysteries and flashbacks, which made it even more interesting.

Family drama, two mysteries, a main character I loved, and a dash of romance. All of that combined definitely had me hooked throughout the whole book. This is a book you need to put on your Beach Read list!

When Drue loses her mother and her job, she has little choice but to accept an offer from her estranged father: to return to the gulf coast, live in her newly inherited, run-down beach cottage, and take a job at his law firm. With his new wife, who happens to be an old classmate and frenemy of Drue's. Perfect. As she settles into her new life, she stumbles on not one but two cases that she feels compelled to solve.

This was a women's fiction title that had an element of mystery to it. I felt it was a little slow to start, but about halfway through things really picked up and I was invested in finding answers alongside Drue. I liked the way the stories wove together between Drue's life and both mystery cases as they happened.

Sunset Beach was a good story, and I think it'll be a very popular beach read this summer! I hadn't read anything by this author before but I will certainly look up more of her titles. Four stars. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary digital review copy.

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews is an awesome beach read! This is truly another winner for Mary Kay Andrews. I love her books and her writing style and this book does not disappoint. If you have never given yourself the gift of reading one of her books this one is a good place to start.

This book is all encompassing. There is sadness, happiness, doubt, mystery, love, and characters that only Ms. Andrews could create. The characters are memorable to say the least. Again, as is her style, people are not always what they seem. The characters are stronger than they believe and you find yourself trying to figure them out as well as the several mysteries in this book.

Absolutely delightful. An easy and rewarding read. As usual I can't wait to see what Mary Kay Andrews comes up with next! Well done!

Sunset Beach has all of the necessary ingredients for a great beach read- girl starting over, hunky guy conveniently available, great location. But it also has some great murder mysteries waiting to be solved! Drue is a perfect heroine. I love her prickly attitude and dogged determination to figure things out. Definitely a great read.

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews grabbed my attention from the beginning and held it to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, there was plenty of action and a couple of mysteries thrown in. The story was pure fun but had some "meat" to it too. There was plenty of intrigue, do not let the super cute cover fool you. Drue, after pretty much hitting rock bottom, moves back to her hometown and takes a job with her father. It is there that she sticks her nose into a couple of old situations and works to figure out how to right some wrongs.

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews is a fabulous read, perfect for a beach or vacation trip. Or you can just read it on your couch and pretend to be at the beach. Drue Campbell's life is not going well when her mother dies, her so called boyfriend doesn't show up for the funeral, and she gets fired from her waitress job. On top of everything else her father who she has not seen for twenty years, attends the funeral and offers her a job, and lets her know she has inherited her grand parents beach bungalow. To top everything off, her dad has married her frenemy from the 8th grade, will be her boss if she accepts the job. Drue really has no choice. Drue goes through a lot of challenges. I absolutely loved it. It hooked me in from the first page. It was filled with drama, romance, and mystery. Ms. Andrews is one of my favorite authors and I highly recommend this book!

I reviewed an arc from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. Thank you.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the eARC of Sunset Beach.
I read my first Mary Kay Andrews book last summer, and immediately fell in love with the beach setting, and the characters. Sunset Beach had a similar wonderful beach-side setting, with the addition of some legal intrigue, which I found fascinating, and a complex set of family relationships and history.
Sunset Beach felt like a perfect summertime book to me!

After her mother passes away there was nothing tying Drue to the life she was leading. When she is told her inheritance of a house that's storm damaged but manageable she heads out to the house. Along with that she finds out her father has been married to her frenemy and they are willing to hire her to work at their firm. Not really left with much choices she takes up their offer and comes across a case that has some suspicious ties to the area she lives and an old missing person case. She ends up looking more into these cases and worries that her father might have something to do with one of the cases and a possible cover up.

I think when first picked up this book I didn't look much into it. I saw the beachy cover and I've been in a beachy summer-y type of book mood that I picked this book up. I recognized the name on the cover and because of the title I just ended up getting it. I was expecting some summer romance fluffy read. That was not at all what I came across but it turned out so much better then I thought. This is more of a mystery book and I loved reading along with what was going on with Drue seeing her getting deeper into these cold cases putting things together. Sometimes a case just needs another person to have a second go around see things in a new light and I enjoyed every minute of reading this book.

I sat down with Sunset Beach thinking it would be like all the other Mary Kay Andrews books I have read, a summer beach read. Full of romance and sun. Boy was I surprised! This book does have sun and love but so much more as well. We meet Drue a down on her luck former athlete that is struggling to find her next chapter. She loses her dead end job and doesn't know where she is going next. Then her mother dies and she inherits her grandparents old beach house. Oh and by the way she sees her father at the funeral. He's now a big shot lawyer married to her high school best friend. No there will be no drama there! She goes to work and discovers she hates this job but has a knack for investigating when she solves a cold case. If you happen to take this book to the beach be sure to put on plenty of sunscreen because you will get carried away in this story and I wouldn't want you to get sunburned.

This seeming ‘beach read’ is so much more. The twists and turns kept me guessing, incorrectly, til nearly the end! The romance aspect was subtle and kept out until the end. The police procedural aspect was carried out by the main character who is an under employed woman a bit down on her luck. She does however care for people who have no one who cares for them and that shows her strong character despite her situation. I will look into more by this author and thank #netgalley for the arc of #sunsetbeach

Such an enjoyable read. If only I had been on a beach somewhere while reading this it would have been perfect. Put this in your beach bag for sure ladies! Drue was so fiesty and smart I loved her character and the adorable town of sunset beach! Throw in a murder mystery and some possibly corrupt bigwigs and you have the perfect beach read!

I am such a fan of Mary Kay Andrews books, and Sunset Beach did not disappoint. Although some scenarios were a little bit far fetched, once I started the book I couldn’t put it down. Her characters are so well developed and relatable, and her description of beach sites makes you almost feel the sand between your toes. What a wonderful book to start my summer reading list. Thank you Mary Kay Andrews for yet again another perfect beach read.