Loved this new Book in the Beach House Series! The Rutledge family is facing new challenges! Cara is facing a new beginning and Linnea has came home after facing two losses and lookin for a new beginning. Love this series and the information you get from the nesting of the Turtles and the family traditions about this. Just an easy read and love it!

Thanks to Mary Alice Monroe and Simon and Schuster For the chance to preview this book!

On Ocean Boulevard is a relaxing read that lets the reader catch up with Cara as well as her family and friends. Mary Alice Monroe writes both entertaining and factual - I love the turtle facts.

On Ocean Boulevard is the latest book in Mary Alice Monroe’s Beach House series of books. In this installment, Linnea Rutledge has returned to Charleston after the nonprofit she left home for has folded and her boyfriend, John Peterson, has broken her heart. As Linnea searches for the next chapter in her story, her aunt Cara Rutledge is having a difficult time navigating her upcoming marriage to wealthy David Wyatt and what all that means for her life.

At 25, Linnea has her entire life before her but lacks direction and, with the limited market for her environmental skills, she finds more doors closing than opening for her. The things that keep her from being panicked are her surfboard and turtle team duties. In this, she makes new acquaintances with whom her path will again cross when opportunity does knock.

At 55, Cara was widowed some years back and has adopted a little girl, Hope, after the untimely death of the girl’s single mother. She has been back in the Charleston area for several years again living in the beach house she inherited from her mother, the original turtle team lady Lovie Rutledge. As her wedding date to wealthy widower David Wyatt approaches, Cara is having second thoughts, not about David, but about so many other things the marriage will bring.

In this story, the reader will become reacquainted with the Rutledge family. And there are special character visitations from members of the Muir family of the Lowcountry Summer series, as well as the introduction of several new and interesting characters.
As with all of Mary Alice Monroe’s stories, this is a story of family and futures, but there are also the underlying threads she has intricately woven so well. Of course, there is the environmental thread, but it is divided into the protection of sea turtles and the danger of plastics, especially microplastics. Also woven into the story’s fabric is the threat of easily communicable diseases and the value of vaccinations, an eerily timely topic.

This is yet another wonderfully told tale by an acclaimed southern storyteller, Mary Alice Monroe. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Mary Alice Monroe has done it again with a wonderful summer beach read. This story is set around the Rutledge family. Linnea loses her job in California and comes back home. Cara is planning her second wedding to David while raising her adopted daughter. The book also dives into the topics of plastic pollution in the ocean and the turtles and their hatchlings. This book is part of a series but can be read alone. Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my own opinion.

On Ocean Boulevard takes us back to the beautiful area of the Low Country in South Carolina.

Mary Alice Monroe continues her story taking us back to the Rutledge family.
This time we are with Cara who is preparing for her second marriage and all the changes she will have in her new life.
We also find Linnea has returned after losing her job and her boyfriend decides he is not ready to move on with her.
Spending a day lost in the pages of this book is a great way to spend your day.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mary Alice Monroe and Galley Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest personal review.

This book just wasn't for me. I ended up DNFing the book about 15% into it. I think I was expecting more romance and less women's fiction. Though I do really appreciate the beachy vibes which is what I have been craving lately! I think I got a little spoiled with Beach Read, which walked the line of women's fiction and romance. I do, however, think that this book would be fantastic for the right audience. I'll definitely be sharing this book with my mom who I think would really enjoy it.

On Ocean Boulevard is Mary Alice Monroe’s love letter to the low country of South Carolina. Punctuated by information about nesting turtles on the barrier islands, this is the story of Cara Rutledge, her niece Linnea and her sister-in-law Julia as they navigate through new relationships and old friendships.

Linnea returns to Charleston after her job and live-in relationship end abruptly. Cara, a widow taking care of her young adopted daughter, is planning her second wedding and feeling pressured and overwhelmed. Julia has left her life in Charleston because of her husband Palmer’s near bankruptcy and moved to their small family beach house, trying to reinvent herself. During a hot South Carolina summer, Linnea finds love and a new satisfying career. Julia and Palmer again face difficulty but with Linnea’s help, Julia uses her natural talents to start a new business. A life threatening situation causes Cara to reassess her future plans and brings all three women closer.

I love Mary Alice Monroe’s writing. She mixes family stories, romance, the effects of climate change on the oceans and turtle nesting habits into a book you don’t want to end. On Ocean Boulevard is a gift to the reader. 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Galley Books and Mary Alice Monroe for this ARC.

This is another great heartwarming story of family in The Beach House series! Not only is Mary Alice Monroe a wonderful sforyteller, but a great teacher as well. I always learn so much about the beach, wildlife and nature while enjoying a visit with her Lowcountry characters and settings. It all blends so seamlessly into her stories because it comes from her heart, her passion. This book is so much more than a beach read but that would be a perfect place to read it or be transported there from your own favorite reading spot. And do go back and read the entire series as the characters follow several generations of family, neighbors and friends.

I’m a low country girl, living 3000 miles away from the smells and sights of Carolina. Its lovely to take a trip to the beach with Mary Alice Monroe, and listen to the sound of the marsh. This is a sweet story of love resound, and family appreciated. It is a non-demanding beach read that will tuck into your carry-all next to your towel, sunscreen, and (reusable) water bottle.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mary Alice Monroe creates another great summer novel with “On Ocean Boulevard”. It took me a little while to get through this one because of newborn twins, but it was such a nice escape getting to know Linnea and Cara! There is just the right amount of light hearted breeeziness mixed with depth of relationships and a touch of drama. As a turtle lover myself, I appreciated the tidbits sprinkled at the beginning of each chapter. Mary Alice weaves a beautiful summer tale to kick off the season.

“On Ocean Boulevard” by Mary Alice Monroe
I truly enjoy being back in Charleston, South Carolina with the Rutledge family and sea turtle season. I learned more environmental facts while enjoying the growth of the characters as time and circumstances alter their paths to their next life adventure. I would love to go on, and on… and if I were in a book club that was reading this story… I could find a great many things to talk about. But alas should I go on and on here… I would most certainly spoil the story for you. So, I wish you…. Happy Reading ! !

I love the Rutledge family books and On Ocean Boulevard is no exception. A terrific beach read!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Gallery Books, NetGalley and especially the author, Mary Alice Monroe. Ocean Boulevard took me back for a visit with the Rutledge family.. A book series is wonderful because you already know the main characters and you can jump right into the story. Back to the beach house on Sullivan’s Island that has been in the family for many years. All of the wonderful family members are there. Linnea is home and wants to find her dream job at the aquarium. The turtle team is raring to go and love is in the air. This is the 6th book in the Beach House series and it will not disappoint ! I look forward to book 7!

Mary Alice Monroe takes us along the continuing journey at the beach. A family who sticks together no matter what, are filled with love and just enough crazy to make them so much fun. Cara is back on Primrose Lane. So much has happened. She married a wonderful man, became a widow and a mom. Falling in love and getting married again was not on her list of things to do and yet…. She wants a nice quiet intimate wedding with her nearest and dearest only. That is so not what happens. Linnea comes back home feeling like life has knocked her down yet again and not knowing how to rebound other than to go home to regroup and move forward. A beautifully written story of love, laughter, dealing with illness as a family and figuring out this crazy thing we call life. And turtles. Lots and lots of turtle!!

This title transported me--to a wonderful island filled with beauty and nature. I *loved* reading every word and thoroughly,got caught up in the characters and the development of the story. There is nothing less than the word PERFECT to describe this book--as it had it all!
Thank you for the opportunity to have read this title prior to publication--it was a total joy and escape from the real world! Thank you, thank you!!!

Reading about the beaches of Charleston, South Carolina and my favorite characters, I was transported. I adore this series and I was so happy to escape from the Pandemic that is happening outside my door. I loved returning to the Turtle Ladies and see what was happening from the perspective of a younger character.

I read this so quickly because I wanted to see what happened but then I was made at myself because the book was over. I highly recommend this series if you want books about female friendships, sea turtles, beach life and romance.

Mary Alice Monroe is one of my favorite go to authors. I don't even read the blurb, I pick up the book. This book is a stand alone but is book 6 in the Beach House series set on Sullivan Island. I think the best part of the series is each book encompasses the entire family. While this book has Linnea returning from California, it includes Cara's wedding plans, Palmer's house building and of course the sea turtles. At one point the previous books dwelled a little too much on pollution and conservation but this one had a nice mix of romance, turtles and the Rutledge family. Love the setting and how Lovey, the founder of this group always comes back into the story. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

If you, like me, have not read this series, you might find yourself a little overwhelmed at first by the characters (who are these people?). Then, however, you'll settle into the novel because Monroe is a good storyteller. Cara's getting remarried at age 55, Linnea has moved home, little Hope has a health crisis, and there's underlying theme of women helping one another that will resonate. Oh, and the loggerhead turtles! I loved the setting and the turtles (lots of factual info was a real positive). It's a good quick read that would be the perfect beach book if we were doing that but you know what- it's an escapist read that will pull you out of wherever you are quarantining and set you down on the South Carolina shore. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A bright positive read with enough grit to make you think.

Another great story about Cara, Linnea and the turtles. Linnea is coming back home and she feels like a failure. She defied her family to move to California for a job and a man. Now she doesn't have either. Cara is making wedding plans and she doesn't really like it. She wants to marry, but she just doesn't really want the big wedding, etc. As Linnea looks for a new job, she finds someone who sparks her interest. She just left one relationship and isn't sure she should be starting another. When a tragedy strikes, Cara puts everything else on hold just to hold on to her little girl. She is finding that maybe she was wrong about some things and has to rethink her life.

There is always something so magical about living near a beach, the calming sounds of the waves and all the marine life that it contains. In this book set in South Carolina, Cara is continuing to move forward in her life with her new love, while planning her wedding. She is struggling with just how big the wedding is getting but she wants to make her fiance happy.

Linnea is moving back home after losing her job and breaking up with her boyfriend while living with him in California. She feels like a failure but is trying to move forward.

I loved the portion of the story regarding turtles and how to preserve them while hatching, and also from plastics. The one part that deterred me from this book is a portion of the ending regarding vaccinations and measles. It felt very preachy and pushing an agenda which really was a turn off. I found it unnecessary.