The Beach Reads Book Club by Kathryn Freeman

This was a cute and surprising book! Lottie starts a book club, focusing on easy and romantic beach reads and hosts the book club in the local bookstore. The new bookstore owner happens to be the mysterious, handsome, and generous Matt.

I loved the characters, so many fun and unique personalities. This is out today! It is the perfect summer book. Thanks to @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for my advanced copy!

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The Beach Reads Book Club is a classic example of an upbeat contemporary romance with a happy ending, but I finished the book feeling unsatisfied. There were some parts I enjoyed—Lottie's humor, Matt's development, the simple yet joyous bond between the book club members—but everything else was underwhelming.

Neither Lottie nor Matt are particularly compelling characters, Matt especially so, and consequently it is hard to feel intrigued by the plot. Additionally, I feel that both of them could have developed more as characters.

The writing is also a puzzling. Freeman has a tendency to switch between third-person limited and third-person omniscient without warning, which makes for some jagged and detached reading. I also found myself frustrated by the pointed refusal to use curse words (every "friggin" instead of an actual cuss stood starkly out to me), especially given the novel's other relatively mature content.

All in all, I wasn't blown away by The Beach Reads Book Club, but it remains a good choice for anyone looking for a sweet, short read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I will post this review to my Goodreads.

Maybe because of COVID and fifteen months of isolation, but I have been wanting to become a part of a book club. Hence, I was attracted to “The Beach Read Book Club” because of its title.

Lottie decided to create a book club where it’s not just reading (aren’t all book clubs like that?) but also drinking and treats. She reaches out to the local bookstore owner, Matthew, to see whether they can hold their meetings there. Because she was kicked out of a previous book club, which was much too serious, she wants this book club to focus on romcom “beach read” type novels.

Lottie is a great character who impacts all of those she comes into contact with, even Matthew who is distant and noncommittal. And yes, because this is a romance, Matthew and Lottie do start to have feelings for each other, though neither is immediately ready to take the next step and make things serious.

This book is like the novels Lottie wants her book club members to read, but Kathyrn Freeman does not short-change her development of characters. I love the different book club members and wish I could attend a meeting.. I like how Lottie and Matthew grow to care for one another and are not just—bam!—put together for the purposes of plot. This is a fun read, lighthearted, and sweet.

Thank you Kathryn Freeman, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

This book was so fun! It is everything a summer beach read needs! If you need something light and some great spice this is the one!

Ahhhh, LOVED this adorable book! Great characters, great plot and great setting. My first book by Kathryn Freeman, but will definitely not be my last!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness this was a gorgeous story. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. I must say I fell in love with Matthew. I so wish I had a book club to take part in with Lottie.

This to me was the perfect summery story and I’m so delighted I gave it a go!

Quite possibly my easiest 5 stars of the year.

My first by this author and 8 enjoyed it. A light hearted read about a book club that reads books you’d take to the beach. Nothing too heavy or that requires too much discussion! All Lottie needs to do is decide where to hold it and this is where the local bookshop, run by Matt, comes in. Matt relocated his dad and sister after the death of their mum and is trying his best to be a bit more relaxed but that is proving difficult! Then Lottie comes into his life; a whirlwind of fun and not taking life too seriously.
The book club read real books so you might also find some recommendations for yourself!

Firstly, I love the cover. Bright and playful. I’ve read Kathryn freeman books before and this certainly lived up to my expectations.
I found Lottie endearing, she was strong, but with a vulnerable side too. All the members of the book club were all different and each had their own strengths which made the coming together of them all the better.
I found the fast pace in the first half of the book really enjoyable but it did slow down in the second half and lose some of the fizz.
I would also love a sequel to this, maybe even exploring some of the other characters.
All in all, I think we all need a book club like this in our lives.
Perfect summers read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I loved this book!! Thank you to @Kathrynfreeman and @harpercollinsuk and @netgalley for allowing me to read this one before it’s publication date. This one is out in September in Australia (I know that might feel like a little while away but pre order it now, you’ll forget about it and then it will be a little gift from you, to you, in September!) If you’re like me and love a feel good romance you have to go get yourself a copy of this one! It was actually perfect 💗

The Beach Reads Book Club is about Lottie, who was kicked out of uptight book club for not following the rules (😂) so she decides to make her own book club - filled with gin, cake, her best friend, some rowdy older ladies and books that “make you feel good” and that you would want to read on a beach on vacation. Lottie finds a home for this book club in Books By The Bay, a gorgeous little bookshop by the beach with a brooding yet charming owner Matthew Steele… do I need to keep going? 😍

There were so many brilliant aspects of this book and I’m not sure I have enough caption space to list them all! This book club is my ideal situation and “beach reads” are my favourite genre! Throughout the book Lottie and the ladies read the likes of The Kiss Quotient, The Thursday Murder Club, The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams and Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren all while drinking (a lot of) gin and eating sweets. I absolutely loved that they were reading books that I have personally read and loved and that made me want to join the Beach Reads Book Club more! However, the women not only discuss the books they’re reading and the smutty scenes in them, but they also form a tight friendship and sisterhood that then discuss relationships, motherhood, infidelity, working/family life and their aspirations and goals. It showed us the power of books and how they can make us heal, try new things like travelling and discover ourselves along the way.

I also really loved Lottie as a main character. She is a headstrong and fiercely independent woman who runs her own business as an electrician. I loved the “reversal” of stereotypical gender careers in this book with Lottie being an electrician and Matthew being a bookshop/cafe owner. I wish we read this more in books and especially in romcoms where they can be very stereotypical!

As you can see I am absolutely gushing over this one and you all know how this is my favourite type of books to read… well I swear this is now one of my favourites!! Thank you again to to @Kathrynfreeman and @harpercollinsuk and @netgalley - it was actually perfect!

I absolutely loved the first 50% of this book! The second half for me lacked some of the suspense and just felt a little predictable.

I loved Matts character and how lovely he was and I loved seeing his thoughts which helped understand him better. Lottie was such an amazing character too. Strong woman but more vulnerable inside. I loved how they complimented each other personality wise.

I loved how all the characters had their own strengths and how they all worked together. I would love to follow on from this group of friends in a sequel.

Some parts of the book felt a little repetitive and predictable but this didn't spoilt it for me. Wonderful book perfect for the summer.

This is one of those quiet English romances that maybe doesn't translate well to an American audience? I made it to the midpoint, where Matt finally asks Lottie out, before I DNFed. I wasn't invested in the story or the characters, and nothing much really happened. I couldn't find any humor in the part of the book I read, unless you consider the bad behavior and bodily functions of dogs to be funny. Clearly I am not the target audience for this book, although other people seem to like it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I love love love books about book clubs or reading. I love romances in literary settings even more. The Beach Reads Book Club provides both.

This was a light and fun romance read for the summer. I really liked watching the romantic relationship develop, and I think it was done pretty well. If you're looking for a fun, lightly steamy, quick read with a bit of literary atmosphere, this book is for you.

The Beach Reads Book Club is another heartwarming romantic comedy with the perfect amount of steamy from Kathryn Freeman, just in time to become everyone’s beach read this summer :)

Charlotte “Lottie” Watt is an independent, single gal searching for “The One”… aka the perfect book club. After getting the boot from her uptight, high-brow literary book club, she decides to form her own. Teaming up with her BFF Sally, follow romance book lovers Heidi and Gira, and sex-crazed octogenarian Audrey, they want to form a space where they can talk about more than just the book. Needing a home for their new club, Lottie approaches gorgeous but brooding bookshop owner Matthew Steele. Sparks fly immediately but their individual past hurts lead to keeping each other at arms length while trying to fight the enviable attraction. Bonus points for each month’s book club read being a stellar rom-com read (consider it your own reading list!)

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins/One More Chapter for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had never read any books by Kathryn Freeman but I was invited to read this book by the Publisher, One More chapter.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Lottie's book club sounds perfect to me, reading feel good romantic comedy books and more raunchy ones too. The type of books that you would take on holiday, hence the title of the book.
Although the book club became more of a social and friendship group they did discuss the books that they were reading too. Some of the books they were reading were Authors that I have recently read and enjoyed for example Julie Caplin and Sue Moorcroft. This added to my enjoyment of the book and I was able to relate to it.
I liked the characters in this book, they all had their quirks and faults. This is a fun, feel good and entertaining book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Release date 30 June 2021

The beach reads book club follows Lottie Watt, shes a 30 something, electrician, who is an avid reader and who is still kind of trying to get over her ex Henry who moved away to better his career. She is a member in a book club run by a strict and stuffy woman called Eve and Lottie just doesn't enjoy it anymore so she decides to start her own book club. She finds a home for the book club which is a little book shop that just happens to have a handsome new owner.

I don't know what i expected when I picked this one up, I was just interested to read a book about a book club. It ended up being about so much more. Yes it was pretty light hearted but it did touch on alot of tough subjects especially because the groups age range was so wide I felt like you really got to get a insight into some of the things each of the people in those age groups go through.

It also brought alot more fun to the group to have that huge age range gap and it had some hilarious parts in it and also some sad ones. The book club ends up being more of a little family and support group than just a book club and they all help each other out through some things. Also with Matt and his family there were alot of subjects dealt with revolving around a somewhat dysfunctional family dynamic.

Although the romance was pretty good it didn't feel like the main story line to me and I liked that. It was more about Lottie and the book club. Although you actually get Matt's perspective I feel like it still just adds to Lottie's story. It had a small bit of a trope that I love but I wont say what because it will be a spoiler. I did like Matt as a character, and you get alot of insight into why he is the way he is.

What I didn't like was the way Lottie and Matt were making assumptions so much about how each other feel and there was lots of miscommunication and I don't like that "trope" I felt like that part went on for too long and happened too many times. I get that it is kind of realistic but I don't know ifs its realistic to have happened that much, it just got a little bit annoying for me.

You also get a nice little bite size into every members life, I would have liked a little more but can see why that would have been hard to add in.

It was a nice light read.

Thanks to netgalley for the arc in exchange for a honest review

A sweet summer read, I couldn't put this one down. Much like the books highlighted within the story, this book was an easy to read, feel good romantic comedy. Lottie, after finding a book club that was all to serious for her tastes, starts up a new club dedicated to romantic comedies and steamy romances. She meets Matt, the new local bookshop owner and then begins their "opposites attract" love story. I really liked each of the peripheral characters and thought they contributed well to the overall story. My favourite was Audrey, the book clubs oldest member with a heart of gold, shielded by her potty mouth, love of sex and thirst for gin.

This book had me laughing, then pulled on my heart, what more could you want?

3.5 STARS

THE BEACH READS BOOKCLUB is a very British romance. It's paced much more slowly than American romance books. But, the good news is, it has some great steamy scenes to go with the slow burn!

Lottie is a great female lead! She is an electrician who is fun and happy and bubbly. She is all sunshine to the male lead's rain cloud. Matt is a very lovable grump who is a complex character who you will grow to love! He is so steady and sweet he will melt your heart.

The conflicts in THE BEACH READS BOOKCLUB were what caused my rating to dip. They are a combination of miscommunication and the leads being idiots about their relationship. This was frustrating for me, as the reader. It becomes hard to like these characters when they are standing in their own way over and over and over again for seemingly trivial miscommunications.

But, for readers who don't mind that kind of conflict and who like a very Brit-Lit slow burn, they will LOVE this book! There are also great female friendships, lots of references to Romance novels, and a lot of swoon.

If you are looking for a mindless romantic comedy with bookish elements, this might be a great choice for you! I loved the setting of a bookstore on the English coast, and the incorporation of real romance titles into the story and book club, however the characters' dialogue at times felt stilted, and the deliberate drawing out of the plot drove me crazy.
Both main characters have little self-respect and were wishy washy, deliberately saying the opposite of how they felt and making odd choices. The late addition of the love triangle also just felt jammed in to try to make the book longer and add tension, which was not successful.
Overall this book was fine, but so many things that were not to my taste just made me skim over the last 1/3 to just finish the book.

This was a fun, quick read. It's a perfect beach read with some steam thrown in. If you're looking for an enjoyable read about a fun and flirty book club, this is the book for you!



Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for the eARC for review!

I love Lottie and want to be her when I grow up. Fiercely independent and loyal, she is a wonderful friend and person. Matt is such a fun match for her, he is brooding and a little tightly wound. This is a book club I would absolutely join!