Beach House Summer by Sarah Morgan is a breezy, heartfelt story about second chances, healing, and the importance of friendship. The novel revolves around Joanna Whitman's journey to escape the painful memories of her celebrity marriage, only to find herself reluctantly connected to Ashley Blake, a young woman who upends her life. Set against the picturesque backdrop of a beach town, the book promises warmth, personal growth, and emotional discoveries.

Sarah Morgan’s signature warmth and ability to delve into her characters’ emotional journeys shine through in this book. Joanna’s transformation from a woman running from her past to someone confronting it head-on was compelling, and Ashley’s storyline added depth to the theme of unexpected connections. The dynamic between these two women, once bound by secrets, evolves as they start to rely on each other, creating a touching, if predictable, bond.

However, the pacing of the novel was uneven at times. While the beach town setting and relationship dynamics were enjoyable, the plot lacked the depth or surprises that would elevate the story. Some of the conflicts felt too easily resolved, and the characters, though likable, didn’t leave as strong of an impression as I had hoped. The romance subplot, while sweet, also felt secondary and didn’t carry the emotional weight that Morgan’s other books often do.

For fans of light women’s fiction or those seeking a comfortable, beachy escape, Beach House Summer serves up just that. It’s a gentle, easy read, but it didn’t quite leave a lasting impression. A pleasant summer book, but not as memorable as some of Morgan’s earlier works.

One of my seasonal reading treats is to pick up the new Sarah Morgan women’s fiction book. They’ve become some of my most anticipated books of the season. So it should be no surprise that I was dying to read BEACH HOUSE SUMMER and in fact I did as soon as it came out. That beautiful cover certainly helps get you in the right mood as well.

This is the story about Joanna. Her ex-husband, serial cheater and celebrity chef, dies in a car crash and there was a young woman with him that survives. Joanna, knowing the media frenzy, decides to help the girl and invite her to hide out from the reporters and the assumptions and takes her back to her home town. Once there Joanna has to face not only the woman she thinks was her ex’s new conquest, who is pregnant, but also the life and people she once left behind. Her childhood best friend and the love of her life.

If there is one thing I always love about Ms. Morgan’s talent for a good women’s fiction is connections. There’s a simple and real way that her characters just come to life and connect. This was no different. I loved seeing Joanna and Ashley learn about each other. But even more Joanna reconnecting with her past. Her friend Melanie and her love Nate.

For some reason this one didn’t quite hit me in the feels as I had expected though. And while it was a good read and I still recommend it for your Summer reading list, it didn’t quite become so memorable as other stories by this author.

Nonetheless, I’ll be anxiously awaiting her next book.

This one had a great beginning scene, very original idea! I got caught up in the story right away! Thoroughly enjoyed!

This was my first book by Sarah Morgan but will not be my last! I really enjoyed the whole story-line; I thought it was different and it kept my attention. The setting was amazing and made me want to live in that sweet little California beach town where everyone knew everyone else and helped one another out. The compassion Joanna showed Ashley was inspiring and Mel's talk with her daughter made me think of choices I've made in my life too.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Published 26 May 2022.

BEACH HOUSE SUMMER – Sarah Morgan
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-46282-4
May 17, 2022
Contemporary Fiction

Silver Point, California – Present Day

To outsiders, Joanna Whitman lived the charmed life as the wife of a celebrity chef, but it was all a lie. Cliff Whitman was a narcissist and carried on numerous affairs while they were married. Jo finally made the decision to divorce Cliff, and she thought she could live a quiet life, but her plans came crashing down when he was killed in a car accident—with a young pregnant woman beside him. The press is determined to get her views on what happened and she hates the press. She also suspects the truth as to who the young woman is.

Ashley Blake wakes up in the hospital and the only thing she can remember are the final moments before the car veered off the cliff. She blames herself for the accident because of what she told Cliff just before it happened. Alone and still pregnant, she doesn’t know what she will do. Then Joanna Whitman walks into her room and whisks her away from the prying eyes of the press.

Melanie and her twin, Nate, grew up in Silver Point with Jo. They, along with Greg, who is now married to Mel, were the best of friends. Along the way, Nate and Jo fell in love as teenagers, but one fateful night, they broke up—and Jo met Cliff, who lured her away and into his life. Mel hasn’t seen Jo since and blames her for breaking up with Nate. However, Nate doesn’t speak about that night, and after a broken marriage, he returned to their town and the family restaurant. Meanwhile, Jo’s former home sits abandoned on the hill overlooking the beach.

Where does Jo take Ashley? Why, Silver Point, of course. She figures this would be the last place the paparazzi would find her, and it will give time for both to heal. She didn’t have to take in Ashley, but she feels someone needs to take care of the young woman. The truth is eventually found out, that Ashley is Cliff’s unknown daughter. Of course, it causes an even bigger social media sensation that Jo would take in Ashley. But Jo knows that she has to because she was aware twenty years ago of the affair between Cliff and Ashley’s now deceased mother.

The return of Jo to Silver Point might have gone unnoticed except Mel spotted her from a distance one day sitting on Jo’s favorite rock as a child. Mel makes the trek to the isolated home and confronts her old friend. She feels anger at what Jo did to Nate, but is that the truth? How will Nate feel learning that his old girlfriend is back in town? How will Jo react to seeing her old friends? To her surprise, everyone accepts her as though she had never left. For someone who had increasingly felt isolated in the past twenty years as she lived in Cliff’s world, returning to her hometown may rejuvenate her psych.

BEACH HOUSE SUMMER is an emotional read that will pull you into the drama and intrigue of the characters. Jo is like someone who has been suspended in another world that kept her insulated from the outside. Ashley always knew the man who had raised her wasn’t her real father and she thought confronting Cliff would bring closure, but it soon becomes a nightmare. Jo and Ashley quickly become close friends and develop a closeness neither had expected just a few weeks ago. Can Nate and Jo rekindle their long-ago romance?

Will Jo and Ashley end up finding a new life in BEACH HOUSE SUMMER? Will they remain in Silver Point? Find love and happiness? Find out the answers to these questions by grabbing a copy of the essential beach read that you won’t want to miss.

Patti Fischer

Necessary ingredients for a successful Saturday: warm sunshine, a comfy chair, a cold beverage, and a Sarah Morgan novel. I had all four today and it was glorious.

Morgan is a consummate storyteller, drawing me into her world effortlessly, piquing my interest with compelling plotlines, and creating intriguing, complex characters - with layers and experiences that beg to be explored - who invariably bring a plethora of this reader's emotions to the surface.

Beach House Summer has three main female characters at crossroads in their lives. There's Joanna, a 40-year-old woman with the unexpected opportunity for a do-over. She fled her small coastal hometown twenty years ago, never planning to return. But sometimes, the only way we can chart a new path for ourselves, both internally and externally, is by returning to the place and people we left behind.

Mel is one of the people who was left behind when Joanna fled all those years ago. She's never understood why Joanna abandoned their friendship but she's living with a faulty explanation of what actually happened that night twenty years earlier. Mel is facing a crossroads of her own in her relationship with her teenage daughter who is close to the age Mel was when her friendship with Joanna ended. She refuses to walk away from the chance to finally understand why Joanna, a girl who was more sister than friend, didn't consider Mel important enough to stay in touch. But maybe she needs to examine a few things about herself too.

Ashley, the youngest of the three, is the wild card in the mix, with more than a few surprises - and unexpected twists - in her journey. Considering her situation, one would expect her to be the recipient of wise counsel from the two older women. One would be wrong.

I loved how Morgan threaded the paths of these three women together, intertwining past and present relationships in guiding them forward. There's so much growth along the way for all three, as well as acceptance, forgiveness, and genuine affection. I so enjoyed getting to know them. And I thoroughly enjoyed the other citizens of Morgan's small California town. I loved how they rallied around one another. This is a town I not only want to visit; I'd love to live there!

Beach House Summer is women's fiction - the focus is definitely on the women - though there are romantic threads for all three of the featured characters as well, featuring a long-term, happy marriage, a best-friends-to-lovers relationship, and a second chance for Joanna and the childhood sweetheart who broke her heart all those years earlier...but just might be instrumental in creating a new opportunity for happy hearts moving forward.

Add this one to your summer reading list. I highly recommend it.

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

I loved this book! Honestly, the beginning was a little bit too much of a downer for me but I thought the story picked up quickly. I really liked the characters and was really invested in what was going to happen next. Definitely recommended!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beach House Summer by Sarah Morgan a special thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for this title. I voluntarily read and reviewed this books all thoughts and opinions are my own.
The coming of age stories are always my favorite
When Joanna’s ex husband passed away in a car accident there is a young pregnant woman (Ashley) in the car. Cliff was a famous chef that had a long history of cheating. When the press becomes unbearable she flees for her hometown Silver Point with the young woman from the car. While trying to get a handle on their new situation Ashley and Joanna begin to bond. Ashley learns that Cliff was her father. There are several more twist and turns in this sweet story. Definitely worth the read!

This was an enjoyable sweet story about an older famous woman, Joanna, and a younger woman, Ashley, who everyone believed was Joanna's ex-husband's girlfriend. There is a car accident which killed the ex-husband and hurt Ashley. When Ashley was released from the hospital, Joanna realized that the press would hound Ashley and she takes her to her home so Ashley can recover. They end up hiding in Joanna's beach home in her small hometown. As the story progresses, there are lots of unexpected twists. If you are expecting great literary fiction, this is not it but Beach House Summer is a very enjoyable and entertaining beach read.

Delightful characters and story. Beginning to end the story flowed and I didn't want it to end. Joanna was an interesting character who needed to have confidence and find out who she had grew into. Family is who you find live and trust with. Recommend.

I started this book, made it through the first 14%, put it down, and apparently wasn't interested enough to continue it. Two months later, I wanted to make sure I wrapped up reviewing some of the older books in my queue, forgot I had started it, and couldn't remember what I had even read. I'm just going to leave it at that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.