Member Reviews
Summer at Firefly Beach is a wonderfully written story about love, life, loss, and reinventing yourself. Hallie has lost her Aunt Clara and has been tasked with fulfilling a lost she wrote when she was twelve. There are bumps along the way, but Hallie is an endearing character who is easy to relate to. Strong character development and the imagery is fantastic.
Another perfect book from Jenny Hale. Firefly beach sounds absolutely wonderful and makes me wish I could visit! This is the perfect summery beach read!
Summer at Firefly Beach is a perfect summer beach read! The characters made you want to be a part of their family and Firefly beach Is definitely a place I’d want to visit. I would definitely recommend this book!
Such a great summer read! I loved the characters and how they had so much depth and so much history, they were easily relatable and drew me right into their lives. I laughed with them, I cried with them and I didn’t want it to end.
I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for this book or it was just too slow to get into but I could not finish this book. I just could never start to care about the main character. May pick back up later but for now I just can't rate high.
Jenny Hale is one of my favorite authors and Summer at Firefly Beach didn't disappoint! This fun Summer read made me smile, cry and sigh with contentment as I finished the last page. While it was fairly predictable, there were a few twists that made Summer at Firefly Beach a page turner. It was easy to fall in love with Ben and Hallie but Uncle Hank was my favorite. His character, just losing the love of his life, was easy to relate to with his withdrawn behavior, resentment and failing health.
I loved the happy ending and can't wait to read Jenny Hale's next novel!
The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because I felt like there wasn't closure with Sydney and I had a hard time imaging what the characters looked like because the novel lacked physical descriptions of them.
Summer at Firefly Beach is the perfect summer romance read. It has most of my favorite things - a relatable heroine, a likable hero, an involved (sometimes overly) family, as well as a little bit of mystery.
Hallie is at a crossroads after her aunt Clara's death. Asked to complete a bucket list written when she was 12, Hallie is frustrated. She spends the summer at Firefly Beach attempting to figure out her life. Her best friend, Ben, is there by her side. Hallie must figure out what she wants in life as well as who she wants to spend it with.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Jenny Hale and am definitely looking forward to reading more from her! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Bookouture for accepting my request via Netgalley!
This is the first novel I’ve read by Jenny Hale so I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised! This novel is honestly the perfect summer beach read. I love the way the novel navigates death and grief in a way that keeps the story positive and uplifting. It’s difficult to talk about heavy topics like death and grief without weighing down the overall plot but I think Jenny Hale did an amazing job. Also, Hallie and Ben? I’m obsessed. I loved their chemistry so much, I could not put the book down because I just HAD to know if they were going to end up together or not! It was the perfect introduction to Jenny Hale for me and everyone needs to make sure they check this book out when it comes out of June 17th!
Jenny Hale's Summer at Firefly Beach seemed to be shrouded in grief and depression-like spanish moss hanging in the trees. Hallie Flynn has a good eye for photography and design but when it comes to seeing love staring her in the face she is definitely blind. She misses all the signs. Hallie's aunt has died and her mother, sister, nephew, and a friend have gone to Firefly beach to check on her uncle. This is a story of missing a loved one, forgiveness and putting yourself out there. Good book but has the potential to be so much more.
Although a but cliched and very 'fairytale' in style I really enjoyed the lightweight holiday read that this book provided. I took it on holiday and it was the perfect companion for sitting by the pool and relaxing.
In this novel, Hallie and her family gather at her Uncle Hank’s house at Firefly Beach after the passing of her beloved Aunt Clara. This is a good beach read, with a story revolving around romance, family and the grief that they face, and a beautiful shore setting. While moments of the family’s grief can feel heartbreaking, the story is overall lighthearted. The story was predictable, but that “reliability” is what you have to love in a beach read! Overall, the story was simple and sweet, with likeable characters; I would rate it 3.5 Stars. I have read one other book by Jenny Hale, and I plan to read more of her novels this summer :)
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This was my first book from this author. I love the summer beach theme. The author does a beautiful job of painting a picture of Firefly Beach. I’m a little torn about the story. I think the premise of the story is great but it’s a bit drawn out and repetitive. Unfortunately Hallie becomes kind of annoying to me. I want more from some of the other characters too. Overall I did enjoy the book and I would read more from this author.
I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review.
There must be something in the water as I’ve read three books in quick succession that all deal with loss, grief and a new path to happiness. And in this, Jenny Hale has created a unique twist on the ‘message from the departed’ story with a series of five tasks set out to Hallie to receive her own inheritance. But there are more things to be uncovered and discovered in this family – from Aunt Clara’s husband Hank is suffering the loss of his purpose. In an effort to help Hank, and themselves, Hallie, her mother, sister and her young son all converge on Firefly Beach to stay at Hank and Clara’s house. There’s one addition, Hallie’s best friend Ben, now working as a music producer, who comes along -more a member of the family, always playing with Hallie’s nephew, and a constant source of support and understanding for Hallie. But he’s also been in love with Hallie for forever, watching her date series of boys, being there when she and her fiancé were planning their wedding, and never really moving along toward his own life.
This was so special – with the list Hallie had made when she was twelve that encompassed her life goals – from building a sandcastle to living somewhere else, to kissing a boy she loves…. All in an attempt to get Hallie to let go and find her joy – a joy that she used to have when taking photos. For Aunt Clara was a renown designer, and she and Hallie are very similar: creative, imaginative and able to find the beauty in small and large moments. With her list feeling stifling, and not really sure of what step to take next as she’s got a secret she can’t get past, she finds Gavin, a well-known photographer and owner of a local gallery – who is interested in her photography, dealing with his own grief and is willing to teach Hallie how to edit and frame her photos. A match made for Hallie’s slow increase in confidence in both her photos and her ability to make a wholesale change in her life.
Bringing Ben and Hallie together takes a bit more work and time, as does discovering the ‘trespasser’ who has caused Uncle Hank so many sleepless nights. With Hallie starting to find her way through her pre-teen bucket list, and everyone seeming to find the magic of Firefly beach working its miracle, the story has many moments of true grief, laughter, caring and love. Most of all love. The story is a wonderful escape into a ‘find a path with some not always gentle’ nudges, plenty of family support and the ability to dream and create being set free. A great summer read for when you want something different and quite unique, that reinforces the power of love to overcome most everything.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-arR/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>
We tend to give authors whose work we admire a little extra credit to carry us through the occasional spots where a plot doesn't work, or a character takes a turn that makes us raise an eyebrow. We get little dots of this is Jenny Hale's Summer at Firefly Beach.' That said, there's so much about this book to love. We definitely get a sense of being transported into the narrative, wondering what we would do if we were asked by a beloved departed relative to basically 'work for it' when it comes to an inheritance (while everyone else just gets their inheritance.) we know a great lesson is coming, but we first have to overcome our own emotions about that challenge. Hale is an expert at character creation and interplay, and with this book I especially enjoyed the beach setting, calm and airy peace. This is an excellent beach read, with plenty to keep those pages turning, and sometimes there's something great about being able to predict an ending and happily taking on the journey to get there. It's a good author who can do this well.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending the ARC in exchange for a review.
Ben and Hallie have been life-long best friends. Ben has always been there for Hallie when she needed him; however, over time he has fallen in love with her. Ben tried to move on when Hallie became engaged to another man, but his hopes rose when that relationship fell apart.
Now Hallie is dealing with the grief associated with the death of her great aunt with whom she was very close. Can Hallie recover from this grief and will she ever see Ben as more than her best friend? Summer at Firefly Beach is a sweet summer read.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is a feel good, make you smile and cry, romance novel. I enjoyed both the characters and the story.
Ben and Hallie have been friends forever, with Ben being a huge part of her family. Over the years both have dated other people and had long relationships. When Hallie's favorite Aunt Clara dies, her family gathers at her aunt and uncle's house to show support to Uncle Hank. Aunt Clara has left letters and an inheritance for each member of the family, but Hallie's letter is actually a list of things Hallie must accomplish before receiving her inheritance. It is the journey of completing the list Aunt Clara left her that leads Hallie on a path that will change her life forever.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you Netgalley.
The book has a little bit of everything as far as emotions. Grief, forgiveness, love...
This was a sweet second change/childhood sweetheart romance. The setting of the beach town in the story made me want to climb into the book and settle in there.
This book was a quintessential summer beach read, so if that is what you're looking for, this may be worth a try. The ending was sweet and the characters were decently developed. The pacing was also perfect for a quick read. However, it was very repetitive. Valuable space that could have been used to better explore characters and the storyline was used repetitively; it did not need to be repeated over and over again in every single chapter that Hallie has a secret no one else can know, Ben loves her, everyone is reeling from Clara's death. I also struggled with the ongoing themes of dishonesty/burying feelings, selfishness, martyrdom, and immaturity in what were supposed to be adult characters. This read was between 2 and 3 stars for me, so I rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC.
Perfect summer read! Loved this book and cant wait to read more from this author.
Devoured this in one sitting
What a fantastic feel good book!. This is a perfect summer read with wonderfully developed characters that you fall in love with yourself. Its a perfect beach book. It kept a smile on my face and me want to hang out with this family!