I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Summer of Firefly Beach, by Jenny Hale! Thank you to Noelle Holten at Bookouture, and a big thank you to author, Jenny Hale.

This was such an enjoyable read. Hallie is a thoroughly likable character, and wholly worth rooting for. She has seen her share of grief in the previous few months, and I found myself just wanting her to have her happy ending. There were moments when I wanted to scream at her to JUST SAY IT OUT LOUD…TAKE THE RISK! But that’s not always life, right?We hold back out of fear and past heartaches.

The entire family is warm and cozy, and the atmosphere oozes comfort. Aunt Clara, although she has passed away, is still very much present. Even after her death, she is trying to support her loved ones, encourage them to make amends, repair relationships, and offer grace and forgiveness.

Summer at Firefly Beach was a fun summer read, capturing the feeling of sweet memories of time spent with friends and family on long summer days. It’s the feeling of wrapping myself up with a fuzzy blanket and settling on the couch to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie with my daughter in December. It’s heartwarming and sweet, and I smile when I think about it. What could be better than that?

https://sarahsbookbag.com/2019/06/20/book-review-summer-at-firefly-beach-by-jenny-hale/

Hallie is trying to follow her Aunts instructions she left for her to get her inheritance. Her family and her best friend Ben go to Firefly Beach to check on her uncle and work on her list. Her uncle is so hurt over the loss of his wife and is barely making it. As a family they are all trying to heal. Hallie and Ben have been friends most of their lives. Ben is like family to all of them and wants to support any way he can. . There is a suspicious person walking the property at different times. Hallie meets a man on the beach thinking it is mystery . He turns out just to be the hired painter for the house that her uncle hired. While getting to know him , he reminds her how much she likes photography and it also assist on her aunts list. Ben is a little jealous, but in all fairness her hasn't told Hallie how he feels. This book is full of surprises. Hallie's Aunt left a lot of love for her family.

A great beach read - I'm a huge fan of Jenny Hale & her latest novel did not disappoint!
Stunning location & great characters.

I struggled with this one. It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. It just sort of plodded along without much happening.

It started at a really awkward point - a character had died, but you sort if didn't feel anything about it. There was no effort made to make you care for her, and it sort of just launched into the story without any preamble at all. This meant I spent a fair while just really not even remotely interested or following what was going on. And for me, it didn't pick up from there.

I just couldn't bring myself to care. I don't know why - there was nothing over the top awful about it, just bleh.

A heartwarming story bit of sad and a lot more of the happy. Hallie returns home more than a little broken-hearted with a secret and a list. As the book unfolds we see her develop a new talent and her family really come together. This book was graciously provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The author calls this “the perfect feel-good summer romance”, and she is absolutely correct. From the start, it was easy to see where the romance was: between Ben and Hallie, though neither of them really knew or acknowledged it. Hallie has returned to her late Great Aunt’s beach side house because she and her family realize Hallie’s Great Uncle is not coping with the death of his wife very well. Once she arrives, this is confirmed for Hallie, as it has been for her mother and sister. Her Great Aunt and Great Uncle had a once-in-a-lifetime marriage, perfect in every way. Each had his/her own strengths, and together they compensated for and complimented each other, while creating a wonderful home for Hallie and her sister after their father deserted the family. Both sisters have fantastic memories of Great Uncle Hank, of their Great Aunt Clara and of the time spent at the beach side house. As part of her inheritance, Aunt Cara left Hallie a list she had written years ago of things she wanted/needed to do in life, and now Hallie must complete the list before finding out what her inheritance is. Hallie really does not understand all this but is going to give it a try. Her best friend from way back when, Ben, has come along to help the family out as necessary and to, well, just be there for Hallie when she needs him, as he always has. The time spent at beach side house helping Uncle Hank and Hallie working on the list bring back memories while revealing some secrets and feelings they wish would remain forgotten and possibly unknown.

This is a real summertime romance. The setting is the beach during the summer, when days bring as much summer-time enjoyment as possible. The author has really created a wonderful backdrop for this romance. I enjoyed watching Hallie and Ben as they stumbled around trying to figure out what was really there deep within themselves: their long grown and growing love and caring for each other. I could fell the chemistry between them from the start, even though it sort of was the type of chemistry you feel/see between good friends who have been together for a long, long time. In their cast, it has grown into something more. The other characters in the story, musty Hallie’s family, came across as truly genuine and caring. I only wondered about Hallie’s mother, as I sometimes felt she did not really show a mother’s love for her daughter. Ben was the all-around wonderful guy—though almost too fantastic to be realistic. No one I know or have met anywhere is a Ben like the one in this story. I kept waiting for him to slip up somewhere. The story is a good summer romance that will make any reader enjoy and feel good about, which is true for most of this author’s books. It moves along at a steady pace, though is not so involved that a reader cannot take a few minutes every now and then to savor this beach life and the romance unfolding. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

I was not disappointed – it hit all the notes I enjoy in a romance by the sea. Angst, family, pain, friendship, discovery, and, of course, love. I enjoyed the balance of general life relationships (friends, family) and the romance itself.

We’re aspects of the book unrealistic? Absolutely… but for an easy-to-digest escape it was perfect. I laughed. I cried. I cheered. I passed a few perfectly delightful hours and now want to escape to a quaint hideaway beach town myself.

If you’re looking for something light and engaging to toss in your beach tote this summer, this is it! Uplifting and charming – sweet as can be.

Published by Bookouture. I received a complimentary uncorrected advance reader copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Enjoyable summer read, heart warming and satisfying. I always enjoy a Jenny Hale novel (particularly her Christmas themed books) for the detailed relationships and the happy resolutions. I just need to forget reality!
My quibbles with this novel are that the love interest was far too obvious from the very beginning, and I felt frustrated by the supposed naïveté and lack of awareness of the main character as she cuddled her Male best friend as “just friends”...
and major life events seemed to happen extremely quickly and easily, I felt pacing was a little off.

Lovely feel good story. It was well written and flowed well. Easy to read and hard to put down. Perfect on these summer nights

In this book, Aunt Clara has died and Hallie gathers with her family to support her Uncle Hank at Firefly beach. Aunt Clara leaves letters for all the family and Hallie finds out that to get her letter, she has to complete a list of challenges she wrote when she was 12 ! Along with her life long friend she starts the challenges and in turn changes her life.
This is a lovely read about family , loss and love and keeps the reader enthralled. This book is the perfect summer read as you follow Hallie journey and the will they/ won’t they relationship of Ben and Hallie.
The book is extremely well written and the locations are beautifully described. The reader feels they are there with Hallie, a book I can definately recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley, Bookoutre and Jenny Hayle for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Some stories are created to capture your heart and add extra meaning to your life and I can certainly say that this was one of those books. Losing someone special is one of the hardest roads to travel in life and having recently lost both of my parents this narrative spoke to me on many levels. Everyone deals with grief in a different way but the captivating element of this story was the 'love letters' that Clara wrote to family members before passing. These gorgeous letters wove amongst the storyline keeping Clara's spirit alive and vivid as the story played out in an enchanting and moving manner.



The writing was warm and captured the essence of love lost and gained, of grief in all its ugly glory and of new dreams and adventures coming to life and taking flight. Spending time amongst the Flynn/Eubanks family was an honour and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this story. Jenny Hale has a gift for creating stories that pull you in, heart and soul, and this book was no different.



Hallie was a gorgeous character who we met at a crossroads in her life. Her vulnerability was endearing and my heart went out to her on a number of occasions as we travelled on her journey together. The friendship she had with Ben, that dates back to school years, was bursting off the pages with undeniable chemistry and from the opening moments I was already hoping for a happy ending. But I must say that my star character is Hank.....from his stubborn ways down to his unwavering love for Clara he had me hooked as he stole the show.



Summer at Firefly Beach is a moving story that will have you reaching for the tissues in no time. I loved everything about this book and as usual I can't wait to read more from Jenny Hale in the future.

The cover of this book made me want to be there.
This book is filled with emotional moments and tissues may be needed. There are also happier moments.

Thanks to NetGalley for my honest review in exchange for an advanced copy of this book.

I tried really hard to like Summer at Firefly Beach, but I just couldn't get into this one. I love this style of book and was eager to start reading it, but it just fell flat to me.

I couldn't relate to Hallie and she felt way to childlike and immature.

I received an e-copy of Summer at Firefly Beach from NetGalley for my honest review.

A heart warming and emotional read. A story of family, memories, loss, love and wisdom. A wonderful beach read!!

Summer at Firefly Beach is the latest offering from author Jenny Hale. Hallie Flynn has had a difficult time lately. A personal tragedy, followed by the demise of her engagement, and then the death of her beloved Aunt Clara, really more grandmother like than great aunt, has brought her to this low point. Now the family, her Mama, sister Sydney, and nephew Robby, are traveling to Firefly Beach to spend some time with Uncle Hank, hoping to help him through the darkest times. Hallie needs her lifelong best friend Ben Murray to help her through her own dark times, so Ben drives her to Firefly Beach and takes up residence in the guest house.

Riding with Ben and his big dog, Beau, Hallie tries to free her mind of dark thoughts, and is briefly successful. Even when they arrive at Firefly Beach and she sees Uncle Hank, she doesn’t feel as badly as she thought she would. With Ben at her side, Hallie feels she can accomplish the bucket list she created as a child and is now her task to complete to meet the conditions of the legacy left her by Aunt Clara.

When emotions become tense and Hallie withdraws, Ben returns to Nashville and local artist/photographer/gallery owner Gavin Wilson takes Hallie under his wing, opening her eyes to her photographic talent and creativity, showing her how to edit her pictures and offering to give her a showing at his gallery.

When Ben returns, Hallie must face those emotions that caused her withdrawal before. Afraid to act on her emotions, Hallie might never complete the list or discover Aunt Clara’s last message to her. Facing her feelings may open her up to a life she has barely imagined or it may sink her into complete despair. With a warm cast of characters and delightful coastal settings, Ms. Hale spins another story of love, family, and recovery after the loss of a family’s matriarch. A lovely tale, I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!

A sweet summer read, that is an easy take along. Easy to pick up and easy to put down. The story starts with the death of Hallie's beloved aunt, who left her a bucket list to complete before her inheritance. The list is one she wrote herself when she was twelve. With her best friend Ben by her side, they head to the beach, and the cabin at Firefly Beach. There she meets Gavin, who has been helping her uncle since the death of her aunt. A good summer read, and one I recommend.

This book was just okay for me. I would have liked to see a stronger main character in Hallie. We learn later in the book about something Hallie dealt with all by herself, but anytime her best friend Ben is around, she seems completely helpless. For example, at one point in the book she comforts two other people and seems surprised that she could do this by herself without having to lean on others for support. Seriously? The "secrets" in the book either seemed obvious or seemed to come into the story out of nowhere. I would like to thank NetGallery for allowing me to read and review this title. #NetGalley #SummeratFireflyBeach

A fun summer read! Jenny Hale beautifully describes the town of Firefly Beach. I was immediately invested in Hallie's life and fell instantly in love with Ben. It was heart felt and I couldnt put it down!

This is a super easy to read book! It has a detailed story line which has some predictability but also some surprises. I really enjoyed reading this book and it would make a perfect holiday read.

Naww, this was such a lovely story! If you are a hopeless romantic who believes in happily ever after, this is the book for you. That is not to say that this is a super soppy book, there is plenty of real life going on here too.

Hallie gathers with her family to support her uncle Hank after the loss of his wife, Clara. With them is her life-long friend, Ben, who knows her incredibly well. As well as the loss of her aunt, Hallie is dealing with a few other major things, which none of her family and Ben know anything about.

There are quite a few things that tug at the heart here, but at the end of the day, it is all about love and family.

4.5 stars from me :)