The Beach House - Jenny Hale

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture and I am leaving this review voluntarily

“Oh, my goodness,” she whispered. At the bottom of the box was a stack of letters. Tied with a ribbon, the pages were faded with age. “These are all addressed from here,” she said, “but they’ve never been sent.”

When her gram passes away, Melanie Simpson feels utterly lost. She has no idea what to do with her life after she has devoted years to looking after her beloved grandmother.

I started this book late one evening and I didn’t want to put it down. I think this is the third book I have read by Jenny and each book is just as good as the last.

This is a sweet and heartfelt story about restoring an old run down house and the friends that Mel makes along the way. This was just the happy, cheesy book that I needed and will make a perfect summer read.

If you have ever enjoyed a book by Hale, then you will know that she is a master of writing about love, loss and how friends can become your family.

Rating 5/5

I loved this book!! It is well written and makes you feel like you are there. The author brings the story to life with her words. You can see the scenery and feel all the emotions. If you've never read a book by Jenny Hale, grab this book and you will be hooked. Thank you Bookouture via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this wonderful book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The perfect book to take with you to the beach or the pool as it is a quick read. The book is very and enjoyable. I absolutely love the cover and how perfect the characters were. I can't wait to read more by Jenny Hale!

Every year, I read Jenny Hale’s new Christmas and Summer novels. Some were really great reads. Overall, they’re always well-written in the sense that it’s highly visual and dynamic. So you can easily picture the action unfolding.

Since I love watching fixer upper shows on TV, I thought I’d enjoy this new read considering the storyline. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a miss for me. I didn’t click with the plot nor the characters. Maybe I’m getting a bit tired of chick lit romance based around some cottage or family home renovation (?) It is a bit of a staple in the genre.

Anyway, you can’t love them all, so I’m looking forward to her next Christmas book!

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

A good emotional story. You really feel for Mel and Josh, and also Alfred, Lou and Vera. I loved Cole! He stole the show! This is my first by this author but, I'll definitely be looking up other titles.

This is a delightful romance story that tells 2 romance stories in parallel. The first of the stories centres around Melanie, who after caring for her grandmother, inherits money with specific instructions on how to use it. The second story is a romance told in the past. Second chances and starting over themes are abundant in this story. It is a charming story with charming characters, set in a beautiful location. I really enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to the Author, Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read, review and give my honest opinion of a complimentary digital ARC.

Such a fabulous book!
As always filled with a fabulous community and characters.
Brilliant backstory that kept me entertained and intrigued throughout the story.
I always find these beach based books so relaxing and fun to read 📖

I absolutely loved this book! Jenny Hale does no wrong in my book.

A young woman looking to start over, follows the directions in her grandmothers will to buy a rundown house that she hopes will be a successful bed and breakfast. What she thought would be an easy journey, turned into more than she could ever imagine. A hurricane, the local contractor, a box of letters, and a mysterious key give our protagonist more than she had ever wished for.

A quick summer read with likable characters and a sweet storyline. Definitely grab this if you’re ready for the cutest read of the summer!

I love a good book about a beach house! This story had it all. Loss, rediscovery, romance, mystery, and of course a renovation. It read quickly and I couldn’t put it down. It pulled on my heartstrings throughout the whole thing. Melanie and Josh were good for each other even if Josh was a jerk at times. 😜

While I did enjoy the book I felt it was predictable and there were a few holes in the story, especially regarding the renovation itself. Oh and the weather situation. That doesn’t just sneak up on you. Regardless though none of these were significant enough to ruin the book. It was still a lovely beach read.

Thank you Bookouture for the ARC.

Melanie didn't understand why her Gran left her money with instructions to buy and renovate a specific home in Rosemary Bay but she does it. And then she finds a pack of unaddressed love letters. Who was Alfred writing to? No spoilers from me but Melanie's quest to find out is juxtaposed with her own growing relationship with Josh the contractor working on the house. It's a nicely written romance with a sweet mystery at its heart. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

First of all--the book cover is so pretty that it got attracted to me in the first place! Second of all, this is a cute summer and cozy reading!

Melanie inherits a house in Rosemary Bay, as a part of her grandmother's inheritance and to fulfill her wish of opening a bed and breakfast. But the house is in utter disrepair and is about to crumble to pieces. She enlists the help of a contractor, Josh who seemed to be reluctant to help Melanie, as this house belonged once to a man named Alfred Ellis. While going through storm and then repairing the old house, Melanie comes across a stack of letters written by Alfred to his lover. Curiously, she starts reading those letters, transporting her back to those times along with the budding romance between Josh and Melanie.

I really do enjoy reading this book! The writing was good and engaging, and the author did a good job engaging the reader into the story. The characters in the book were likable, except for Janie, Josh's ex wife who seemed to be manipulative. Melanie was a very likable character and despite Josh's stubborn and sometimes arrogant attitude with determination to leave behind the small town and move to New York, Josh's character was likable as well. Though the story was predictable, nonetheless, it's a story of love, friendship spanning back from 1961 with Alfred's love story and to the present with Melanie and Josh. I really like the ending as well, the small twist that let the cat out of the bag and a secret is revealed but it was truly an enjoyable book.

Overall, I give this book five stars! The story was warm, emotional and cozy story that will keep you up all night to finish the book. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4
The Beach House reads like one of those classic chick lit romances, but it also does a pretty good job at showing how characters deal with grief. Melanie's struggle to deal with the aftermath of her grandmother's passing were rather hard hitting and I really felt for her. Her interactions with Josh were also pretty lovely to read. But I felt their relationship was a little too rushed and I would have liked to see them hang out as friends a little bit more before becoming something more. The plot overall was nice and the aspect of the letters was one of the things that made me pick up this book, though things felt a little too rushed near the end. Still, The Beach House is a book I'd pick up again on a random sunny day, just because it's such a light hearted but lovely read.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Fun beach read. Something to grab on the go. But it was a fun distraction.

The Beach House is a heartwarming story filled with secrets to uncover. When Melanie Simpson's Gram passes away, she feels lost as she has spent the past few years caring for her. Gram's will instructed Melanie to use her inheritance to buy a crumbling house in Rosemary Bay. Melanie used to go to Rosemary Bay with her Gram every summer as she grew up and sit on the beach while daydreaming of turning the house into a Bed and Breakfast. Melanie decides to fulfill her Gram's legacy and buy the house. This house has been run down and has major work to be done to restore it. Melanie is told that Josh Claiborne, a local carpenter is the man that she needs to take on her project. However, Josh is heading to New York for a new job. She convinces Josh to help her for a short time before he leaves town. While working together, sparks soon fly between the two of them but Josh is determined to move to New York. Melanie finds a stack of love letters in a closet that could reveal the answers to many of the secrets surrounding the residents of the town . She reads the letters and learns of relationships of several of the residents of the village. This is a great story in a special beach village, I highly recommend it.

This book was simply wonderful. Such a fantastic tale of love; the breadcrumb trail of the past had me turning the pages faster and faster. It was heartbreaking at times, such painful loss of love all due to a lost letter. Alfred Ellis kept his word but still had to spend his life alone and keep all his secrets. Melanie and Josh are the generation that finally set everything right, their spark is just as instant as Lou and Alfred and they fight hard to make it happen. The beach house that was built with such love and expectations to be filled with love has been weathered so many storms and is almost at the point of falling down, to see Melanie and Josh work tirelessly to save it and then fill it with love and happiness was simply beautiful,

This was my first book by Jenny Hale and it certainly won’t be the last, there was so much story packed in that flowed so easily it was as if I was sitting with a friend having a cuppa. Love and friendship are beautiful themes.

True rating was more of a 4.5

This book was exactly what I have been looking for all month...and I am so glad I found it to finish the month off right!

We follow Melanie as she obtains the old Ellis House as a last ditch attempt to figure out who she is after she has been the last 3 years caring for her dying grandmother. The house brings its own story though...one that Melanie is desperate to change. When she moves to Rosemary Bay, Melanie quickly runs into Josh who continues to lead right back to her. I love the chemistry between Melanie and Josh and the hot and cold. Josh is desperate to run and Melanie is desperate for him to stay...what will he end up doing?

The only thing that I wish was that there was more back story and emphasis on the letters. I LOVED this part and it tied all of the story together so nicely but it could've been even better if the letters would've been longer or if perhaps Melanie would have had more to go off of.

This book is going to be perfect to read if you are going on vacation to a beach!

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved reading this story and all the twists and turns throughout. I loved that the main link to the story was Gram and Alfred Ellis. It was a story that had me hooked and one I thoroughly enjoyed! I loved that there was a epilogue too so you know what happens next.

This book is perfect if you want an uplifting, feel-good novel. Jenny Hale is a fantastic writer, but I think this book was too cheesy for me personally. I feel like Josh as a character portrayed way too many red flags, which were still not justified once we found out the reason for them. However, I did enjoy the plot twists, and the book radiated positive energy, but I found the characters a bit frustrating at times.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture Publishers for the eARC copy of this book.,

This is a cute read. Melanie has given up her marketing career and her fiancé to care for her grandmother who recently died from cancer. Her gran left her an inheritance and suggested she use the money to buy and renovate an old house in the town her gran grew up in.

Melanie decides to follow her gran’s wishes and buys the old Ellis property. She meets the attractive contractor Josh who agrees to help her before he moves to NYC. While he is helping her prepare for a hurricane storm, he can’t leave in time and ends up waiting out the storm with her.

The book follows the story of Melanie’s grandmother whose love for the builder of the house was thwarted. It’s the story of how she waited for him and he waited for her. It’s the story of Melanie restoring the old property to run as a BnB, her relationship with Josh growing and how she meets the foster child Cole that Josh has taken under his wing.

I really liked the story but felt like some parts were a bit unrealistic. I have never heard of a contractor building a new porch in one day, four year old boys riding on their own pedal boat out at sea, and inheritances being determined based on old letters. Some parts had me feeling “huh”?! 🙈😂

This is the story of a young woman wanting to fulfil her grandmother's final wishes. Melanie buys an old beach house and finds a local handyman Josh to help her fix it up. They find letters written by the owner, a reclusive man, but never mailed. Melanie starts reading the letters and another story is revealed.