I don't normally read romance books but I received this one as an early release giveaway and I'm glad I did. It started out a little slow, but I eventually got into it and connected with the characters. The romance part was okay, but I especially enjoyed the rekindling of friendships between the female characters. Each woman has flaws but as a group they are able to look past the flaws and unite to support each other. Well, everyone except Gigi. I appreciate that it's a story about having faith in people and not giving up on friends. I did feel the ending was a bit abrupt and would have liked more resolution to Gigi's story. I'm also not sure about the point of including Dorie's philandering husband as he was hardly in the book and Dorie seems kind of hypocritical giving everyone advise while she tolerates his misdeeds. While this is definitely a book that doesn't offer too much depth, it had me wishing I could join this group of friends in the beach town and I was sorry for it to end.

Whisper Beach was an excellent read! Perfect summer story--easy to get into and stay entranced in. It is a book about fixing friendships, repairing mistakes, and moving into the future.

Whisper Beach by Shelley Noble is a lovely story of friendship and betrayal. It begins with a funeral and quickly becomes something else. Vanessa ran away 12 years earlier after she made a terrible mistake. She had a one-night stand and found herself pregnant. Her cousin, Gigi, gave her $2,000 to make her getaway. She fell asleep on the train and someone stole it. She arrived in New York City with $20. But, she made something of herself. Now she owns her own business and is thinking of expanding into another city. He employees insisted on a vacation. The funeral of Gigi's husband was part of that. She really didn't want to revisit her past, but things developed which gave her no choice. It was all so complicated.

Whisper Beach is about life. Most four women wouldn't have so much happen to them, but these four did. They were distinct personalities that came together and made each other better. Vanessa met her father, as well as the woman he should have married. That was tricky. She spent time with her high school love. That was also tricky. She spent time with her cousin, which was beyond tricky. In the end, they all came out the better for their time together. It was a story about enduring friendships and youthful mistakes. It is a story most of us have lived, at least a part of. Totally enjoyable read. Stirs up memories, a little anger, a lot of love. I recommend it.

I received a free ARC of Whisper Beach from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #whisperbeach

Whisper Beach By Shelley Noble. Stick it out the ending was good.It's about three friends from New Jersey. Getting their friendship back.

This book was on the verge of torturous. The characters were not likable and the story was slow and predictable.

This books was difficult to get through. It felt as if the author was jumping around a little too much and not really completing thoughts or character motivation. And the ending was rather abrupt. I wanted to like it....I wanted to love it....takes place in New Jersey and I am from New Jersey but unfortunately, I just couldn’t do it. That is not to say I wouldn’t read anything from her again, gotta support a hometown author but this one wasn’t great.

Three women are re-United in the beach town where each came of age. Ties of friends, love, and loyalty are tested. A explanation of making peace with the past in order to live in the present. A re examination of realties with perceptions to get to the truth, and the way to a guilt free present. A good beach Or quarantine read.

The characters of Whisper Beach engaged me from the very first page. They had you rooting for a great outcome the whole time. There was several good story lines, with a bit of mystery thrown in. I liked the fact that this book did not have cookie cutter characters - they had interesting jobs, fun friends and just enough snark to make it fun.

I didn't finish this book, because I was not able to get into it. It just was not a good fit for me.

This is a great beach read. There is angst, misunderstandings, and romance. Not only is the main character, Van, helping a friend revitalize a restaurant, but she is about to revitalize her own life. I enjoyed this book and am sad that it ended.

Whisper Beach is women's fiction at hits finest, a little second chance at romance and a whole lot of friendship with much needed healing from the past. Vanessa Moran left Whisper Beach fifteen years before broken hearted, fleeing a disastrous one night stand and her abusive father. Her cousin, Gigi's husband dies and Van decides to pay her respects. A one day trip home turns into weeks as Van uses her professional organizer skills to help friend, surrogate mother Dorie get her restaurant back on track. Once best friends, Van tries to help Gigi heal from her loss but something is off about the situation. Lost love and the truth forces Van to face the past and she finally might find a way to heal. With help from her friends Suze, Dorie, and Joe, Van faces her father and family and realizes that everyone's family is not without their own problems. Not quite a HEA but a feel good novel just the same, the book leaves the reader with the feeling of hope for the future of all the friends and sad to see the story end. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Whisper Beach was just blah to me. The characters were blah. The storyline, what existed, was blah. The atmosphere might have been better, but it seemed to pretty much exist within a bar, a house and a mostly empty beach. Vanessa (Van) Moran goes back home to Whisper Beach for her cousin-in-law's funeral after running away as a teenager, where she reacquaints herself with her cousin, best friend, rival, ex-boyfriend and former mentor. These characters pretty much circle around each other (and eat ice cream and at Dorie's restaurant) without accomplishing a whole lot. I guess you could say at the end that Van has come to some realizations about her relationships with some of these people, but she still seems defensive and closed off. Since I'm pretty sure this book is supposed to be a character study, I can't say that I really feel it accomplished that much because there really wasn't any major life changes or realizations.

Enjoyable read. Likable characters that you care about. I would have liked to have had more of a conclusion to the story. Maybe an epilogue to provide some answers. I am guessing the author wanted to keep you guessing at the end as to what would actually end up happening, but I prefer a happily ever after ending.

I thought this was a very enjoyable beach read, with some good character development and the requisite sandy seafood cafe. This story was frankly what I needed this week, following the pandemic lock-downs and the protests, riots, and looting: a quaint beach town with some characters with modest flaws, a bit of romance, and a pleasant escape! I would read more from this author!

Whisper Beach was a light beach read that could be easily be finished in an afternoon. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vanessa returns home to Whisper Beach to attend a family funeral. What is supposed to be a quick trip turns into a longer stay then Vanessa had planned and involves unpacking alot baggage she has been carrying with her since she left. She reconnects with old friends and many of her memories turn out to tell a very different story when she sees them as an adult. This story started slowly but soon has many unexpected elements pop up in the story line. Nicely crafted story and well developed characters. They were so believable that I might recognize these characters if I met them on the street.

“Whisper Beach” is a novel about two women, Van and Suze, who return to their hometown for the funeral of Gigi’s husband after being summoned by Dorie, their “surrogate mother.” Gigi is Van’s childhood friend and cousin, whom she hasn’t seen in years. Van fled from home 12 years earlier after a traumatic event involving her alcoholic father and her then boyfriend, Joe. In the subsequent years, Van started her own successful home organization business in Manhattan but she never resolved lingering issues that she left at home. Van only intends to stay for the funeral but is persuaded by Dorie to stay with her and Suze at Dorie’s cottage.

The first few chapters were interesting as they explored the relationships among the various characters and hinted at Van’s reason for fleeing her hometown. However, the book quickly became boring as it focused on the women drinking coffee, drinking wine, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner and having lengthy conversations. The ending was rushed and never fully explored Van’s resolution of her issues with either her boyfriend or her alcoholic father. In sum, this was a disappointing novel with a narrative that dragged throughout most of the book and then was hurriedly ended without settling any of the major issues.

This was a wonderfully fun read.
One of those books that you really need to ground you in times like this.
I looked forward to every page, and was actually sad when it ended.
#whisperbeach # NetGalley # goodreads

Whisper Beach by Shelly Noble is a nice, quick fictional story that has mystery, love, loss, friendship, romance, and second-chances embroidered throughout.

I enjoyed reading the relationships and how the dynamics changed with the new beginnings and with time passed.

A nice, light, summer read.

Thank you NG and WM for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. Posted to my accounts immediately.

An easy read, good for a day at the beach. The story ending felt like coming to an abrupt stop at a red light.