Member Reviews
Lovely summer reading! Such great characters and setting. I didn't want it to end and can't wait for more by Jenny Hale! Perfect book for your beach bag.
I absolutely loved this book. It’s feel good and heartwarming making it the perfect summer read.
From the start I connected with Hallie and I loved the plot where she had to complete a list of ‘tasks’ before being given her inheritance. I also loved the other characters involved and how they all came together. While completing the tasks the relationships and bonds Hallie has with the others are so tangible and relatable. The writing makes you become involved and want the best for them all.
I love the way I can always picture the setting and different places that are described in the book and it makes me feel like I’m actually there. I feel like I am escaping into the book and I love that I feel a part of the book. Jenny’s writing captures your imagination from the first page and makes you invested in the story and Hallie’s life. I love reading books by Jenny she never fails to hook me from page 1 and feel bereft that it’s over when I finish the book.
A beautiful uplifting read with a real sense of love, family, friendships and summer. A must read for new and old readers alike.
A sweet summer read that starts off a little strange (after the death of her aunt), Hallie has already decamped to firefly beach. There’s a whole host of characters who aren’t really introduced (I was still confused as to who was who until about 1/2 way through) and Ben, her best friend who’s just Ben.
Yes yes yes - it’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen so you just roll your eyes and wish they would just get on with it. Thankfully Jenny Hale writes engaging books that once you get past all the above, makes for a sweet and heartwarming summer read.
Although I love Jenny Hale’s writing, I don’t think this book is up there with her best. It’s a good beach read but something is just lacking... or maybe it was the frustration that Hallie needs to live her life and get on with fulfilling that list that her aunt stipulated in her will.
A fun read but you have to get past the slow introduction... 3.75*
This book gave me everything I wanted. I was not sure about a summer romance that starts after the death of family member. The last thing I want when lounging on the beach is to start bawling like a baby. was happy with how this was approached in the story. It was emotional without being overly depressing. I am a sucker for a good summer romance, but this was even more than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised by the love interest in this book. I went into it thinking it would be one type of romance and it was a completely different trope all together, and I am here for it. I want to go into more detail, but that would give it all away and where is the fun in that?
I loved the family dynamics in this family. The sister was pretty annoying to me, but that is ok. My sisters are pretty annoying to me too. As a mother, I do get where she was coming from with some of her criticisms of Hallie, however it did not stop me from eye rolling and wishing she could hear my "Oh come on now". Clearly there was something going on with her sister, but she was too blind to see it until pretty far into the book. That's sisters for you though.
Aside from the sister, we get an adorable little nephew, cranky uncle (but he just lost his wife so he is allowed to be cranky) a mom who just needs to take a chill pill (or a shot of tequila) and a best friend who just needs to open his mouth... but that of course would negate a pretty huge part of the plot.
My only real criticism with this book is that it just seemed a little too unbelievable. The whole plot centers around Halle being unable to get her inheritance until she completes a list of goals she had for her life when she was a kid. The entire summer she goes on a quest to find her passion, both creatively and romantically. That is all fine and good except that in my opinion it just comes to easy for her. In the end, it is all wrapped up in a nice little bow and I would like to have seen a little more difficulty in it all. I didn't want her to struggle more than she already was emotionally, but it would be nice for her to have a little bumps in the road professionally.
All in all, it was a pretty good book. It was not a page turner and it didn't leave me grasping for more, but it was an easy, light read perfect for a hot summer day.
Such a great summer beach read, even though I didn’t read it over the summer! It’s the story of a woman finding herself through grief and figuring what she wants in the world and who she wants to spend her life with.
I really tried to finish this book so I could give it an accurate review however I did not find it capturing enough to keep me entertained to finish.
Incredibly heartwarming story, set in a fabulous location.
I loved getting to know Aunt Clara just through the way everyone was talking about her, and seeing what was in some of the families letters from her was some really strong emotional writing.
Hallie is given a list of things she must do before she is allowed her inheritance, and it was her wish list from when she was 12.
Best friend Ben, and beloved Uncle Hank, who is still grieving for Aunt Clara are on hand to help her with the tasks, and at the same time see her transformation over the summer.
I also enjoyed Uncle Hanks story line, and discovering the secret that he and Clara have been hiding all these years.
At times poignant, but on the whole full of love, good times, and a really enjoyable plot, Jenny Hale has pulled it out of the bag again with another fabulous story.
Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
This is the first novel I’ve read by Jenny Hale so I really wasn’t sure what to expect - I really enjoyed it and I'm sure it won't be my last! It was a sweet story - a bit predictable but enjoyable nonetheless. It deals with heavy topics like death and grief but still remains a light and uplifting story. I enjoyed Hallie and Ben's relationship and was really pulling for them!
Thanks to Jenny Hale, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this good book!
Hallie had always loved her summers at Firefly Beach with her Aunt Clara and so is devastated when she dies. Clara has left various legacies to family members but for Hallie her legacy is on the condition that she completes a bucket list that she wrote when she was 12! The whole family go back to the beach house for the summer to try and help Hank, Clara's husband, who has fallen into a depression
A lovely warm book, we follow the story of Hallie who is rather lost at the beginning of the story and see the support she gets from her best friend Ben and realise how well Clara knew her and is pushing her to sort her life out. Will she get together with Gavin the photographer or is there someone much closer to home. A lovely summer beach read.
Joyfully Uplifting.
If i could only described SAFB with two words, joyfully uplifting would be them two.
It seems ages since I last read a novel from JH, anyone who knows me knows that aside from reading I love a good romance film from hallmark and Jenny herself to me is queen of hallmark (yes she's even had some of her novels into films!) As when I'm reading her books, I can literally just picture actors and sceens playing around in my head.
SAFB starts of quite sadly - Hallie's Aunt Clara has recently passed away whilst Uncle Hank is fading away in grief. There's also the small matter that Hallie has not long come out of an engagement too.
With her family having received letters and inheritance from Clara, Hallie has just been given a letter with instructuonson for ger ti complete a list she made years ago.
I felt Hallies emotions as she wondered why Clara was making her do these things, but as the story unfolds Hallie goes on a journey to discover her passions in life.
Hallie and her family, along with her life long best friend Ben, travel to Firefly Beach to spend the summer with Uncle Hank.
Right from the outset it was obvious Hallie and Ben were close, but as true feelings are unveiled we realise just how close, I loved seeing these two make the transition from friends to something more but it wasnt easy with Hallie harbouring her own secret which at times pushed them apart.
What I loved about this book is the closeness of family, and the more time they spent together the more Uncle Hank healed too.
Summer at Firefly Beach has stunning settings, wonderful characters and sub plots which kept the pages turning. It was a joy to read and would remind anyone that despite losing those we love, there is still life ahead with paths to take, choices to make and if we allow it, possibilities to open our hearts up to new love and new adventures
I always end up wishing I could live in the gorgeous places Jenny creates. I want to live in Firefly Beach now please (and have all my dreams come true, thank you) Another beautiful story with well-crafted characters and more swooning than you can imagine. Loved it!
I expected the book would be Hallie's journey to finding herself and so on, but, as I was quite disappointed to find out, it's actually mostly about romance (and we all know I am no fan of that), therefore I couldn't relate to some of the main themes and honestly I just didn't like the romance in general. If you're into books like that, you'll probably find the main characters adorable, but it's just not my cup of tea.
Regardless of that, I loved seeing Hallie becoming passionate about things that weren't important to her before. Themes like questioning her future and holding on to things that are familiar were also relevant.
So in conclusion, this book is nice to read, and while I loved some of it, it's still not my favourite genre. Definitely worth a read if you're into romance though, or if you're just searching for a light read.
I loved the family and friend relationships in the book. They were sweet and long standing. And seeing someone develop a new passion for life through a skill that could always support them is awesome.
I did read the other reviews and while I'm not so sure about the lower ones I'm also not exactly aligned with those at the top either. This was not a bad book. It wasn't my norm, but I did enjoy it.
This was an enjoyable summer read! I love a book where someone finds there creative passion! To see her come to life through her photography and to be able to share that with someone else was great! It was great how the family was able to pull together and pull their uncle out of his loneliness. I don't think that enough people today think about others and how they might be dealing alone.
I enjoyed this. It was better than a typical beach read. I've read a bunch of heavy books lately and this was just what I needed to lighten up a bit.
The cover is stunning, by the way.
This is my first Jennifer Hale book and the writing was beautiful. It took me a bit by surprise, in a good way.
The perfect beach read! I was surprised how many emotions I felt while reading this, it was exactly the type of book I needed to read. I will be recommending this to friends.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of "Summer at Firefly Beach" by Jenny Hale in exchange for an honest review.
"Summer at Firefly Beach" by Jenny Hale is a perfect summer beach read. Hallie Flynn sets out to complete bucket list from her childhood that her beloved Aunt Clara has left for her before she can get her inheritance. The emotions and relationships from all the characters throughout the story were well developed. I love the sweet relationship between Hallie and her uncle and the friendship between Hallie and her best friend Ben. This story has it all - love, loss, mystery, family. I look forward to reading more work by Jenny Hale.
I enjoyed the book but found it to be quite predictable. I did enjoy that Hallie had to find herself to get to the point where she was able to get her inheritance from her Aunt Clara.
I am so glad that I got the opportunity to download and read this from NetGalley. I am a big fan of Jenny Hale's books and this one was a fantastic read.
I read this very quickly in almost one sitting, but it was finished within one day. Beautifully written with great characters and a fast paced plot that kept you wanting more. I adored the two main characters Hallie and Ben and how their special relationship from childhood developed. Aunt Clara although not alive she is forever present in the story and you feel like you get to really know her. Her believe in love and life is lovely and the way she writes letters to her family after she has passed to help support them in the future is lovely to read about. Jenny captures all the right emotions throughout the story and I felt sad in parts then up-lifted and hopeful in others. I felt like I was right there literally following behind the characters as they moved from one scene to the next.
Hallie goes on a journey of discovery with her bucket list and the change that happens to her is magical. There are some very romantic moments made even better by the setting which is described to perfection. When I finished reading I felt like I had juts finished watching a Nicolas Sparks film.
A beautiful uplifting read full of love one of Jenny's best stories.
Sweet summer read that will leave you with all of the warm and fuzzies. Hallie heads back to Firefly Beach and her Aunt Clara's beach home. The excitement of summer becomes dim with Aunt Clara's death. She has left a bucket list in her will for Hallie to complete in order to receive her inheritance.
Hallie's childhood friend, Ben, comes along for the journey. With many memories, emotions and lessons in the making, she discovers more than she ever imagined. The journey also reveals a painful past and Hallie isn't sure if she can complete the list.
With the peaceful beach setting, sweet characters and life lessons involved this book will keep you afloat and filled with sweet dreams. It's a fast, easy read perfect for the pool, beach or cozy porch evening.