Member Reviews

Trigger warning – miscarriage, fertility issues, surrogacy etc.

We’re back in the upscale Palm Beach scene following Elodie and Aubrey. When Elodie makes a request of Aubrey, it inevitably leads to some family secrets being revealed.

I read the first book a couple of years back and enjoyed this one a lot more. I’d recommend if you’re looking for a beach read.

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I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

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This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

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

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Not reading the first book or anything by this author ever, I wasn't sure what to expect, and what I read was not it. This book was definitely full drama and scandal. It made me curious about he book before it. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and advanced copy.

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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy.

This was not what I was expecting, but in a good way. It was far less frivolous and fluffy than I was expecting. It was a serious look at families and relationships between sisters and their mother and father. How far would you go for your sister? A book club looking for a lighter read that still raises good discussion questions may want to consider this.

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I really enjoyed this book. I found the "scandals" to be realistic and I thought the characters were realistic, also. The twists and turns throughout this well-written story were believable. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

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Great book! Couldn’t wait to read it, and it didn’t disappoint! Grabbed my attention within the first two chapters, and then I didn’t want to put it down. Excellent character development - I think that every reader will find a character to whom they relate. I enjoy books where there is character development, and then also a surprise, and this book provided both! Looking forward to reading more from this author!

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A Palm Beach Scandal by Susannah Marrren is the story of the Cutler family and their beautiful daughters, Elodie and Aubrey. They live in Palm Beach a place of charm and wealth, where social aspirations prevail. The girls are very loyal to each other, but they are definitely opposites. Elodie receives the news that no young woman want to hear. After several miscarriages she is told that she cannot have a baby, so she turns to her sister to help her out. She would be the perfect surrogate. Aubrey is single and not interested in children or marriage but she cant tell her sister no. Her mother is warning her not to do it. It's as if she knows something is amiss. Aubrey decides to be her surrogate. But a secret emerges that will turn the tranquil lives of the sisters and the rest of the family upside down. This book explores all aspects of a family, love, loyalty and how much is right to ask of each other. This is the second book in a series but it can certainly be read as a stand alone.

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The Palm Beach most of us know is of wealthy people, social status and opulent homes; a place of country clubs and the incessant need to be accepted by your peers. The challenge with this premise is that it doesn’t deal with the realities of human emotion. Such is the challenge of sisters Elodie and Aubrey, when one asks a favor of monumental proportion of the other. Will it tear the family apart? Will the sisters discover that their family isn’t all that it seems? Will anything ever be as it once was? This is an emotional book that can bring tears to your eyes, outrage to your mind and warmth to your heart. I loved this book and am eager to read more by Ms. Marren.

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Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, but I do wish I had read the first book in the series, but I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

Full of gossip and scandal definitely a recommended read.

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2.5 Stars rounded up to 3.

This book sounded good in the write-up, but fell flat for me. The storyline was intriguing, but the delivery and writing didn’t produce. At some point, I could have smacked each shallow character, and my feelings flip-flopped throughout the book. Not so much a scandal, as a interesting development to be talked and gossiped about, then forgotten. My heart broke for Elodie as she suffers disappointment after disappointment. Aubrey, as a loving little sister, made the ultimate sacrifice, putting her own needs and wants second for her sister. The toney Palm Beach scene shows shallow minded people more intent on money, status and appearances than anything else.

I can usually fly thru a book like this, but this one had me struggling a little bit, not sure if it was the writing style or the lack of connection with the characters. I would give this author another try but only in a different location.

Thanks to Ms. Marren, St. Martin’s Press andNetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

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It pains me to write this, but if I had a physical copy of this, I would have thrown it across the room at the end.⁣ I adored A Palm Beach Wife so I was eager to get my hands on a copy of this book. It started off so well, I loved the name-dropping of names and places in Palm Beach. I loved the drama of one-sister being the surrogate for the other in a society that doesn’t like anything out of the ordinary. I loved the twists that happened until about 60%.⁣

At 60% I started getting so mad at Elodie for neglecting her sister (who was carrying her baby), her personality totally dissolved... and then around 80% I wanted to slap her around and give her a stern talking too... and that ending....🤬🤬🤬 I was so beyond pissed. If I could go on an expletive-filled rant I would. ⁣2 stars.

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3 for neutral, I was very excited to try this book, thought it would be a nice break from my normal genre, unfortunately I just couldn’t finish. I tried on a few occasions. But will update if able to finish at a later date!

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This book just was a nice women's fiction read. I was intrigued by the cover, and anything having to do with an elite group of social wives in California. It was fun to escape into their world for a while. The characters of Aubrey and Elodie were well written. This is a great read for any fan of women's fiction with a look at these wealthy characters of Palm Beach.

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I couldn't get myself to finish this book. I found the beginning to be intriguing, but I lost interest very quickly. I think this may be better suited to a beach vacation where I'm not really trying to get anything out of the book. I wanted to like this, but unfortunately did not want to pick it up again after the first few times. I think the characters were written very flat and were dull. The family drama was nothing new or creative and I didn't love the main character and her husband. The romance is described as perfect, but very quickly I sensed that the husband was controlling and manipulative. I'm not sure if it continues on this way as I did not finish, but I wish the main character asserted herself more.

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This book is a great story to show that things may not be what they seem. It's a book of tragedy and joy. Love and sacrifice. After reading this, I was very encouraged to live my own path. You don't need to do things because you feel obligated from family duty to be the perfect version your parents have in mind for you. Live your life, live your faith, live the way God has intended, not the way your parents see fit. Recommend this for an easy read with a good moral and definitely entertaining.

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This book has 2 narrators, Elodie and Aubrey, who are sisters that take a journey into parenthood and what family really means. The book takes place in Palm Beach, land of the rich. People gossip about each other and everyone is trying to keep up with the Joneses.

This book had a lot of potential but didn't really do it for me. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen but it just kinda rolled on, with a really anti climactic ending. Apparently it is the second in a series so maybe it's a set up for a next book. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough for me to recommend this book as a stand-alone.

I did however enjoy reading about the Palm Beach vibe and appreciated their sisterhood.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

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I requested this book before I read the first book. It sounded like something I’d love. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the first book. I wanted to give this book a fair chance. However I wasn’t able to finish this book and I lost interest in it. It couldn’t hold my attention, unfortunately. I tried to give it a good try but this book was just not for me.

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Family drama , glamour , and intrigue the perfect distracting read . This book was graciously provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Marren's A Palm Beach Scandal is the second book in this series, which I didn't know going in, but that didn't take away from the experience. What did take away from the experience was the bananas ending. But, if you like a wild ride of a book, this one is for you. I did enjoy delving into the world of luxury in Palm Beach.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

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