The Bookstore on the Beach is my first time reading Brenda Novak's work. I didn't really go into it with any expectations, but I'm still left feeling a bit let down.

I really enjoy multi generation stories. This one follows Autumn, her mother Mary, and her daughter Taylor. We even get the point of view of Autumn's love interest Quinn. That didn't bother me because it was well written and I genuinely liked all the characters. My problem lies with the plot or should I say plots. Each of the three women have layers of drama, even Quinn has his only closet filled with it. On their own each was interesting but all together it was a bit of a cluster. For almost the entire book I was motivated to keep turning pages because with so much drama it keep it from being predictable. Then I started to get nervous towards the end, and I was praying a certain "plot twist" wasn't going to happen but alas it did and it completely ruined the story for me. I would love to go into more detail and vent but I don't want to spoil the book. However, that ending brought my rating from a 3 down to a 2 star.

While I enjoyed the some of The Bookstore on the Beach, I'm not sure if I would be quick to recommend it. Since I enjoyed the actual writing, I would be willing to check out more of Brenda Novak's books in the future.

I've never read a Brenda Novak novel before, and I'm honestly sad I've missed out on her work until now. I have been seeing this book on Goodreads lists quite a bit about being a must read of the summer, and was delighted when I received an ARC to review.

This story follows three generations of women over the course of the summer. Each have their own issues they're working through but this book does a wonderful job of weaving them together in such a way that this book is part women's fiction and part romance. There's even a little mystery thrown in as well. This is honestly a book for everyone. Unlike a lot of beach reads this is a fluff piece by no means. These women deal with huge real life issues that leave you in tears and rooting for them in the end. I can't wait to dig into more of Ms. Novaks catalog if all of her writing is this superb. Easy five stars. Do yourself a favor and spend a day by the ocean with this one. You'll be glad you did. ❤

Thank you to Brenda Novak, Net Galley, and the publisher for an advance ARC for review. This is no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.

I like anything that Brenda Novak writes but I think this might be my favorite romance by her. What a great book and the cover is gorgeous. Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me a copy of this title.

Brenda Novak is a wonderful author. She brings you in the story and won’t let go till you read the whole book to find out what happens. It a really good book

I wasn’t expecting this. The Bookstore on the Beach packs a wallop. There are many heavy themes permeating the story. Autumn is dealing with a missing husband and growing attraction to an old flame, whose mom has cancer. Her daughter has two big revelations to make. Mary, her mother, will finally reveal her true history as well. It’s a lot to absorb. If you were expecting a light beach read, you’re not getting it. It’s a well written book, but the angst is high for most of the story. It certainly kept me on the edge of my seat to keep reading.

An enjoyable bit of escapism. The author tosses a lot of crises into the story, and not a lot of realistic responses, but it was a good read regardless. I was looking for an engaging book with a this was a fun read.

Review: A contemporary romance with some unusual twists featuring Autumn and her two teen children, who are spending the summer with Autumn's mom and aunt in her beachside hometown. Autumn has been struggling with an 18-month search for her missing husband and has no idea of the secret her own mother has kept from her throughout her entire life. Now, faced with a reunion of her high school crush and one-time lover, she weighs her readiness to face love again, even in the face of uncertainty. Autumn's mother, Mary, must decide if Autumn is ready to learn her secret, while Autumn's daughter, Taylor deals with a life-altering secret of her own. While the romance may seem predictable, be prepared for a few twists along the way. A very enjoyable read with well-developed characters and enough mystery to keep the reader's attention close at hand.

Note: I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is my own.

I have to begin by saying how completely full my heart is after reading this novel. Brenda Novak has outdone herself on this one. The setting alone of being by the beach gave my winter sorrow a splash of happiness as I read about all of the characters experiencing their own adventures at Sable Beach.

Each character was very well thought out and developed giving the reader the chance to experience all of their individual emotions and also feel as if you are going through all of their tough times with them. Whether your’e Autumn and battling grief and loneliness, or Mary with PTSD and secrets preventing her from healing, you’ll get to experience all that life has to offer without fear.

Autumn has 2 kids who are close in age. Her husband has gone missing and she struggles with the choices of moving on or continuing to live her life in limbo not allowing herself to feel anything but remorse and worry. By doing so, she is also not giving her children what they need which is a mother that is full of life, because they do not know if their father will ever come back.

Quinn was the character I fell in love with. He is struggling with his own demons and the town picturing him as a villain due to his crazy ex-wife, but also watching his mother slowly dying of cancer. Leaving your life behind and moving home to take care of your parents is not an easy task, but he is all heart and only wants to be happy. What is not to love?

The kids themselves are unique and I loved them! Having to grow up too fast is something that I have great experience with and I felt as though Brenda Novak really captured the longing, fear, sadness, happiness, and all around feelings about sexuality, finding your true self, and facing your greatest fears a reality. I closed my iPad and hugged it a few times as I finished certain chapters feeling hopeful for both kids and especially for their mother, Autumn.

This novel was an intense ride throughout so many outrageous things people have to deal with. Missing persons, kidnapping, coming out, death, and so much more. If you want to feel complete and understand that there are more people like you in the world and you’re not alone, read this book.

If you want to escape your world and walk right into another person’s fulfilling life, please get this book. It is worth every word on every single page and made me feel as though I walked alongside each one of the characters with hope, love, and a vision of where I’d like them to be. Such a great novel, thank you Brenda Novak and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). I have already pre-ordered my copy for when it is released!

****Coming April 6, 2021**** Thanks to HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) and Netgalley, I was chosen to be an early reviewer!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ Autumn decides with the disappearance of her husband that’s it time that she and her two teenagers, Taylor and Caden, have endured enough stress and need a break, so they pack up and spend the summer at the beach visiting her mother, Mary and her aunt Laurie. Her mother with the help of her aunt owns and manages a bookstore at Virginia Beach, where Autumn works while visiting. Will this give them the escape they were looking for or will life continue to throw them curveballs? This heartfelt and deeply emotional book will having you turning the pages to find out. A great book club pick!

A sweet second chance romance. Not a lot more to say as this includes the perfect mix of just about everything. Family drama, romance, teenagers, adults, parents, lovers and more.

This book focuses on multiple generations of a family. Autumns husband disappeared 18 months ago. His disappearance has had an affect on the whole family. There are also a lot of secrets that are being kept from other members of the family. Characters were all relatable and I enjoyed the story. Thank you to net galley for an advanced copy.

The Bookstore on the Beach is a must read for readers. The characters all have intriguing life issues to sort and deal with. You'll love how they deal and support each other..

This is only a 3 star for me because I couldn't get into it until more than 1/2 way though. Eventually I cared about some of the characters but too much time before I did.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Wow, talk about a roller coaster of feelings, Brenda gives you all the emotions these three women are experiencing, and you will feel them all! 4 stars for this one!

Here we follow Autumn, her mother Mary, and her daughter Taylor and what's going on in their lives. Autumn's husband has been missing for 18 months, she decides to take the kids to her moms for the summer where we learn all about Autumn's search for her husband, and we learn about the tragic past of her mother Mary, all while learning to deal with all that's going on with Autumn's daughter Taylor.

There is a lot going on in this story so you really need to pay attention at times, but all in all, if you have some quiet time to sit back and read this one, I think you'll enjoy it!

Full disclosure...I requested The Bookstore on the Beach based entirely on the title. I was not familiar with the author and I did not read the description. I just love books, bookstores, and beaches, so figured why not! Well, the "why not" is that this is just not my type of book. It's melodramatic to the extreme, with so many dramatic plot threads that it becomes unbelievable. However, I think this would likely appeal to a certain subset of women - yes, I think this is absolutely "chick lit."

The story revolves around three generations of women and one summer they spend together at the beach in Virginia. That's a nice premise. However, each woman is dealing with issues that are so extreme it stretches credibility. We have all of the following: abduction, rape, teenage pregnancy from the rape, imprisonment and an escape, espionage, a missing person (this is NOT the person who was abducted but a totally different storyline), another imprisonment, another teenage pregnancy this time due to poor decisions, sexual identity questions, depression, a resurrected high school love, a parent dying of cancer, a stabbing and attempted murder by a jealous spouse, a possible case of child abuse, and a gossipmonger spreading rumors. All coming to a head in one summer.

I'm exhausted just writing all of that. It's not a "beach read" despite the tile as there are no picturesque descriptions of the town, the beach, summer days. I think of other writers who have written family sagas set at the beach with success - Colony and Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons come to mind - but the drama in those books is more balanced, plus there are glorious descriptions of beach communities, beach views, beach life in general that make the location part of the story as much as any character.. The Bookstore at the Beach has none of that. I can't even remember the name of the beach town.

In this book its just all drama all the time. It has a strong Lifetime movie vibe and I think will appeal well to that demographic. It's not a style of book I like, but I am sure will find its audience.

The Bookstore on the Beach is a complex read revolving around three generations with life-changing events and the choices they make. Each storyline on its own makes for thought-provoking discussions of “What would you do in each situation?” The strength of women is a strong theme that shines through the very different trials each generation encounters. That two of the three situations stem from events beyond the control of the women involved adds an extra layer of depth and empathy for others in similar difficult circumstances. Interest is captured through revelations that are slowly unveiled with several avenues for resolutions. A realistic novel that certainly creates thought!

I’m kind of stuck on how I feel about this book hence the 3 stars. I wasn’t completely in love with all parts of the story. When I started the story I wasn’t pulled in. I kept reading but it took a bit of time to get me to the point that I didn’t want to put it down. Usually it takes me about 5-7 days to read a good book. This one was double that.
At a point a little over half way through, I lost that connection and started skipping paragraphs, then pages. There was just so much drama for one small family and no action. Nothing seemed to be happening. A missing husband/father, a family ordeal from the past, a second chance romance, a criminal ex-wife, cancer, an unexpected teen pregnancy, sexuality questioning. This book covers it all and at some point was hard to imagine it was all possible.
Even with all of the drama and the characters to go with it, the storylines were easy to follow. Once I got through to the last quarter of the book I started being interested in reading all the pages and paragraphs once again.
The ending brought the decision that I hoped would happen but I was really disappointed there wasn’t an epilogue. I would’ve liked to have read how all the many dramas had been resolved, not just the few.
Thanks to HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

Ps...
I rarely make comment on quotes from the books I read but there is one in this story that I have to... “I might die, Quinn, but my love for you never will.” My heart took a hit as I read this quote. I went back and read this sentence a few times. And even as I wrote this review I was remembering it and had to go back and get the exact quote. There is so much in these few words said from a mother to a son. It is sticking with me. ♥️

You can never go wrong with a Brenda Novak book and this one is no exception.

Autumn’s husband has been missing for over a year, this has not only affected her but her children, Taylor and Caden as well. Hoping for a change of scenery as well as much needed down time, they head to her mothers house in Sable Beach for the summer.
While this will be a chance to think how to move forward, situations and life will move faster than they want. Everyone including her mother has secrets that are about to be exposed.

While each character has their own secrets and there is a lot going on... I loved every minute
Now I know where my next vacation will be .... Sable Beach... shopping at the book store, dinner at The Daily Catch

There was a lot to enjoy in this novel, compelling characters, a main story line that was quite strong, and a setting that was so nice I want to travel there.
However, there were also several things that didn't work for me completely. For example, there were too many 'main characters' in my opinion, and they all had pretty heavy drama to deal with. It would have worked better for me if each of Mary, Autumn and Taylor had their own book. There would still have been enough to read about.
Also, the ending left me feeling quite unsatisfied, as there was no real resolution to all of the characters' problems.

A multigenerational book, with all the secrets and ups and downs that life has to offer. I loved the setting, beach town and a book store. What more could you ask for?. Highly recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.