Review will be posted on 8/7/2020
Mallory, a.k.a. Mal, Aldiss has been avoiding her family and her hometown for years. It brings back too many painful memories and things are extremely complicated. But that all changes when she gets a phone call from her ex-boyfriend who still lives in their hometown. He tells her that her aging father has been carrying a gun around town. Well, this isn't good news. Shouldn't her sister have been keeping an eye on him? Mal's daughter, Joy, has always wondered about Bay Bluff, the small coastal community that Mal grew up in, as well as her extended family members. When Mal announces they have to return home to check on things, Joy is excited for all the possibilities. Mal really hopes to avoid her ex-boyfriend, Jack, but she runs into him pretty much immediately. Things between them are really not great. Jack blames Mal's father for his mother's untimely death. Jack has his theories regarding her death and they all point to Mal's father. Also, while visiting Bay Bluff, Mal hopes to reconnect with her father, her sister, and once her other sister shows up, things start getting real. Mal also tries to figure out what happened to Jack's mother on that fateful night, but she knows her father is the only one with some real answers. The problem is that he is starting to show signs of dementia. A Week at the Shore by Barbara Delinsky is a decent beach read for those who gravitate towards family dramas.

Mal is an interesting character in A Week at the Shore. I mean I understood why she avoided Bay Bluff. Her father treats her poorly as she is never good enough and things with her sisters aren't great. So, I could see why she avoids Bay Bluff and all the drama. Once she is forced to return home with her daughter in tow, she has to face not only Jack, but her family members too. Plus, there's some secrets that she tries to piece together included what happened between her father and Jack's mother. She also has the major problem regarding her father's mental health and the fact that he may or may not have a gun! Mal, and her sisters, have to deal with her father's dementia and this proves to be difficult for the entire family. With that said, Mal's problems felt really heavy for a beach read.

I was a bit surprised by how much family drama A Week at the Shore covered. I was hoping for a bit more descriptions of Bay Bluff and maybe not as much heavy topics, but this novel is full of complex family issues. If that's your thing and you love a good family drama, definitely check it out A Week at the Shore.

Even though I was hoping for a bit more fluff, I will admit once the secrets starting come to the surface in A Week at the Shore, I was very interested in Mal's story and how it would all play out for her. But there's some major stress in this novel and that wasn't exactly what I was looking for at the moment. I wanted more of an escape, so if you are like me, keep that in mind.

Mallory Aldiss is a photographer and single mother to 13 year old Joy. Twenty years early she left Rhode Island and Bay Bluff's beach community when family scandal rocked her world. The scandal ruined her parents marriage and separated Mallory and her sisters. It also caused her to run from Jack Sabathian, a man she loved. Her younger sister and her father, who now suffers from dementia, still live in the beach community as does Jack. When Mallory receives a call from Jack saying that her father had threatened him with a gun, it is with reservation that she and her daughter return to RI to check on her father. By doing so she must confront the painful past which drove her away.

I haven't read this author in decades but, I was quickly pulled into the story: part mystery, part romance and dysfunctional family drama. The story dragged a little at times, but the setting and mystery aspects kept my turning the pages. This was one from my 2020 Summer Reading List and I was happy I read it

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of A Week at the Shore. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Mallory Aldiss has not been back to the family home in Rhode Island in twenty years, after a scandal involving her father drove her away. One phone changes all that, as Mallory decides to take her teenage daughter with her for a week at the shore. When old issues threaten the peace, will Mallory be able to finally get some clarity over the past?

There was a lot of family drama here, more than was needed. The side plots overwhelm the central story, that of a woman who finally learns the secrets of her past. A Week at the Shore is definitely a beach read, not just because it takes place at one. The soap opera drama is entertaining at best, but I never really quite felt the deeper emotions and turmoil that should have enveloped Mallory. Overall, A Week at the Shore was a quick read, but not one that I would overwhelmingly recommend.

It has been a while since I've read a Barbara Delinsky book, and I have to keep asking myself why! I loved this book. I can only imagine that my life would be very similar to Mallory's if I in fact did have sisters. The closeness and comradery of these sisters makes me wish I did! I will definitely be recommending this book to friends!

I’ve been reading Barbara Delinsky’s books for years and have never been disappointed. In her latest novel, A Week at the Shore, we meet the Aldiss family—three sisters who’ve grown apart over the years and their aging father who is slowly succumbing to dementia. Mallory has stayed away from her family home since the scandal that broke her family apart and since losing the man she once loved, Jack. Now, after years creating a life for herself and her daughter, Mallory is called back home by a brusque phone call by Jack to check on her sister and father. Reluctantly, Mallory returns and is quickly pulled back into the mystery of what happened to Jack’s mother that fateful night everything fell apart, and in doing so, finds she is still attracted to the man she left all those years ago.

A Week at the Shore is a heartfelt family story with a touch of mystery that will keep you reading long into the night. Beautifully written, cleaver, and touching, you are sure to enjoy this amazing novel by the talented Barbara Delinsky. Highly recommended.

I may not be philosophical about death, but I am, suddenly about this. When we don't have something in our lives, we tell ourselves that we don't need it, that we don't want it - because the alternative is aching for it, which breeds a sense of loss. So, we remove it from the picture we make of our lives. What we don't see, we don't miss.

Twenty years ago, a week at the Rhode Island shore turned into tragedy Mallory Aldiss family changed. Mallory ran away from the love of her life Jack and her broken family. The tragedy had left two families at a loss of what happened to Jack's mother. Was it an accident, was it a scheme, or was it more sinister. Mallory's family never recovered. Her mother left her father and started her own career, her eldest sister left never to return, and her youngest sister Anne stayed with their father. The families kept at distance. Now Mallory with her 13 year old daughter Joy are brought back for a week at the shore to find answers and for Joy to know her grandfather.

The only one that knows what happened to Jack's mother Elizabeth is Mallory's father. He was a successful judge and seems to be suffering from dementia. When Jack calls Elizabeth at her home in New York saying that her father was waving a gun at him, Mallory knows she must confront her father about the truth.

There is so much emotion in this broken family. Facing your fears of the truth and who you are. Mallory searching for "home" after twenty years away. She wants more for her daughter Joy and that becomes the motivation to uncover the truth. She has resigned herself to never marry but to be the best possible parent in spite of what she lacked growing up. Never truly knowing if she belonged. Seeing Jack again brought up stuffed emotions that she denied and now twenty years later is reexamining why she left.

Mallory's search for the truth about the who of her father turned out to be about the why. The why of lacking expectations and dreams and how they can be a new beginning.

A Special Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

A Week at the Shore is relationship fiction at its best, as only Barbara Delinsky can write it. This novel covers a period of only seven days but, by the end of that time, you will feel like you know the Aldiss family very well. Mallory Aldiss returns with her teenage daughter to the small town in Rhode Island where she grew up with her two sisters. All is not well with the family and the troubles from twenty years ago are many: a disappearance that was never resolved, divorce, adultery, paternity, a love affair gone wrong, and many more issues. Like all families, the ups and downs dominate the reunion bringing joy, peace of mind, sorrow, life and death and love. This is a perfect summer book. Highly recommended. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to see Barbara Delinsky release a lighthearted beach read during such a turbulent time in real life. Although I have really liked some of her novels in the past, this one was a miss for me. I struggled to connect to the characters, thought the plot was unrealistic as written, and it just didn't keep me engaged. Even though I didn't care for this particular book, I look forward to Delinsky's next release.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another wonderful book by one of my favorite authors. Very interesting storyline. Going back to childhood home where Three estranged sisters come together after their fathers heart attach and death. Emotional and sensitive. I couldn’t put down. Best book I have read so far this season. Great read.

This author writes such descriptive prose that I really felt like I spent a week at the shore. Such beautiful words. But not all is as serene with the people in the story. There is a lot of baggage and hard feelings from the past that are brought to the surface when Mallory goes home for the first time in twenty years.

I love these kinds of stories, where families are thrown back together as they try to 'work it out'. Sometimes is works, and sometimes it doesn't. But watching the relationships unravel and possibly come together again makes for a very interesting story. Barbara Delinsky has mastered working out the complicated relationships while still writing interesting characters and settings.

I loved A Week at the Shore and truly did enjoy the getaway that I felt I was on while visiting this beach town. This would be a perfect summer read for everyone.

A Week at the Shore by Barbara Delinsky has Mallory Aldiss, a real estate photographer, heading back to Bay Bluff, Rhode Island with her daughter. Mallory dreads returning to her hometown, but she is worried about her father after receiving a disturbing phone call. Joy, Mallory’s thirteen-year-old daughter, is thrilled to finally visit her mother’s hometown. Joy wants to connect with her grandfather and aunt who live there. Soon, Mallory’s older sister, Margo arrives, and it is a full-fledged family reunion. Mallory will finally have to deal with the memories and feelings that she has kept suppressed for the last twenty years. Seven days in Bay Bluff is a chance to spend time with her family and forge a new future. I was expecting a breezy summer novel when I began A Week at the Shore. This story did not feel as if it was written by Barbara Delinsky. I struggled to get through this book (it was a chore). The characters felt flat and lifeless except for Joy. Joy did not act like a teenager most of the time. It seemed as if Joy ran the household instead of Mallory. Mallory (I did not like her) was all over the place. I wish the author had taken the time to introduce the main characters in the beginning (what I call “setting the stage”). The author tackles various subjects in A Week at the Shore. There is no subtlety. I felt like each issue was being attacked with a sledgehammer. There is a sweet pit bull in the story and Mallory goes on a rant about their dangers, etc. I am not sure what Jack saw in Mallory (or what she saw in him). The pacing in A Week at the Shore is slow (I have seen snails move faster) and it lacked a good flow. The mystery of the missing woman was disappointing. The ending was rushed (if you get that far), but it was better than the rest of the book. While I have enjoyed other novels by Barbara Delinsky, this one was not for me. A Week at the Shore is a dramatic family tale with a missing woman, a father’s illness, an old boyfriend, and three sisters.

“A Week at the Shore” is a perfect read for those looking for more than a love at the beach story. It is a novel of family, aging, loss and hope.

While I am normally a huge fan of Barbara Delinsky's books this one was a miss for me. I liked the characters and thought it had potential but it was so slow that it just didn't hold my attention. The mystery aspect was good, the relationship drama with the neighbor and within the family was interesting too. Overall though I was bored for too much of the book. Hopefully her next one will be a better fit for me.

I have visited Westerly, RI for many summer vacations, so reading a book that takes place in a fictional town outside of Westerly was an enjoyable aspect. Main character Mallory Aldiss returns to Bay Bluff after a 20 year absence caused by an incident that split the family apart, to support her sister taking care of their father, who is suffering from dementia. While there, Mallory revisits her past, including an old boyfriend, challenges perceptions and memories, and introduces her teen daughter Joy to the place where she grew up.

Delinsky’s books have tackled tough subjects in her more recent books, and I always appreciate her approach - she challenges the status quo in a subtle manner that draws the reader into the story while not overwhelming or preaching. In this novel, her ability to tackle Alzheimer’s, a mystery surrounding the death of a prominent woman in town, sibling rivalry, and questions about her parentage, felt real and relatable. I’d recommend this as a beach read given the book’s location, just know it has more depth than most using that tag line. If you haven’t yet read her other books, be sure to check them out. I’d compare many of Delinsky’s plots to those written by Jodi Picoult, as they often make the reader pause and reflect.

(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and have written an objective review.)

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I guess I am just not into these sweet little romance books anymore because I found it boring and could not finish.

Three sisters' lives are forever changed when they are reunited at their family beach home in Rhode Island.

After receiving a disturbing phone call real estate photographer Mallory Aldiss goes back to her family's Rhode Island beach home that she has not visited in twenty years. A scandal destroyed her parents' marriage and drove a wedge between the sisters.

Mallory's thirteen-year-old daughter, Joy, desperately wants to go to Rhode Island because she has never been and she wants to spend time with the grandfather she barely knows.

That one week on the Rhode Island coast the three sisters will discover some well kept secrets and heal some old wounds. Mallory will rekindle the one love she never forgot

I usually enjoy Barbara Delinsky's books and this one is no exception. The writing is good, the characters are well defined, and there are plenty of secrets to keep the story interesting. Of course some of it is predictable but there are surprises too. It's just a nice, entertaining book!

I was 14 the first time I read Barbara Delinsky. She was one of my Mom's favorite authors and as a teenager I would read the books along with her. This book was classic Delinsky and while I read it I wanted so badly to talk to my mom. Loved it. thanks for writing, Barbara!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

Mallory and her 13 year old daughter, Joy, return to Mallory’s childhood home after a neighbor calls to inform her that her father,with beginning dementia, has just just come to his door waving a handgun.

Mal, has mixed feelings about ‘ going home’. Seeing her family and former best
friend and neighbor, Jack, brings back all sorts of memories. There is a mystery from twenty years ago that remains unsolved. Relationships were interrupted when Mal left the Rhode Island shore and had no closure.

This is the perfect book for readers that like stories about complicated family relationships. The problems are realistic and there are some surprises that you may not see coming.

I've generally loved Barbara Delinsky's books, so while this was totally fine, it was a bit of a disappointment to not feel like it graduated to "great". Where this one suffered was in too little story being told in too many pages. I didn't feel that readers got enough of the backstory delivered concisely enough to understand why there were as many frayed ties and fractured relationships. Readers are told that Jack and Mallory have a great love story, but it definitely doesn't come off the page that way. It's a perfectly fine book to spend some time with, but there are better choices within Delinsky's backlist.