The Boardwalk Bookshop is a light, breezy read—perfect for a day at the beach or when you're in the mood for something quick and easy to get through.

The story centers around three women—Bree, Mikki, and Ashley—who share ownership of a charming bookshop by the beach. Their friendships, romantic relationships, and personal struggles form the heart of the novel. While the characters are likable and relatable, their story arcs felt a bit predictable at times. There’s a warmth to their camaraderie, but the emotional depth didn't quite hit as hard as I’d hoped.

Susan Mallery’s writing is engaging, and the pacing moves along nicely, making this a book you can easily finish in a couple of sittings. It's the kind of feel-good story that's great for a relaxing afternoon when you don’t want anything too heavy. That said, while the book offers a pleasant escape, the plot and character development felt a little light, and some of the conflicts wrapped up too neatly.

Overall, The Boardwalk Bookshop is an enjoyable, quick read—ideal for fans of contemporary women’s fiction and perfect for throwing in your beach bag. While it may not leave a lasting impression, it’s a pleasant enough story for those looking for something easygoing and fun.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

I enjoyed the friendship of the three woman. It was nice to see a friendship grow between them as they worked together and supported each other. I liked that they were honest with each other even when it was hard to share the truth the other one might not want to hear.

There was a lot of romance in this book. Each character had their own love interest happening. Most of them were tangled and messy. There were too many detailed steamy scenes for me.

This story was Susan Mallery's typical book, except I felt like there was more time spent on the details of each the friends sex lives then she usually does.

Cute book that is an easy read. I really enjoyed the ease of the storyline. Perfect kind of weekend book that does not ask a lot of the reader to be enjoyed.

I'm not a huge fan of Susan Mallery but I figured I'd give this one a chance. It was a quick read for sure, but not steamy enough for my taste.

The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm always excited to read Susan's book and this was no different. However I thinking this was more Womens fiction than Romance.
Slow burn on friendship and fast short love. meaning not enough time spent delivering the love connection.

Way too much time spent on all the hang-ups and not enough to establish any romance. At the very least, readers should be rewarded with some true quality time with the 3 couples, but all the reconciliation happened in the last couple of chapters.

Typically I like Susan Mallory’s books but this one fell flat for me. I found myself just wishing it would hurry up and be the end. I ended up DNFing at 35% the plot just kept jumping from character to character. I found all of the characters unlikeable. I was so bored and ready for it to end

Traveling With T's Thoughts:

After reading a couple of Susan Mallery’s books back to back, I have decided that I think I prefer a Susan Mallery book where she focuses on the friends who are like sisters as opposed to the ones about actual family. Or maybe I just enjoyed this one more than The Summer Getaway.

What I liked:

That cover sold me on this book. I mean it’s perfect for a book and beach lover!

Ashley. While I loved all the female leads, Ashley was the one that got to me the most. She was in a situation that really seemed to have no good ending.

The bookshop. Actually each of the ladies stores. I could see myself browsing Mikki’s store while eating a cupcake from Ashley’s place and waiting for my books to be packed up at Bree’s store!



Bottom line: I enjoyed this one quite a bit and loved the nods to the Mischief Bay series (a series that I LOVED!)



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

This book was the first 5 star I’ve found in a long time. I couldn’t put it down. Three women become unexpected friends all because they wanted the same piece of real estate.

I needed a little summer romance in my life, and The Boardwalk Bookshop did the trick all the way! I loved Ashley, Bree, and Mikki, both as business people and friends. Add in their relationship discussions and challenges, and this was a perfect long weekend read.

This was a perfect summer read! Parts it were a little steamy than I expected. I thought it was a good story and I really liked all the characters.

Three women, three business ideas.

When Bree, Mikki and Ashley see a store for rent on the California coast, they all have very different ideas for how they would use the store if it were theirs
Driftaway Books, The Gift Shop and Muffins to the Max: three very different businesses. How do they solve this problem?

The Boardwalk Bookshop is born.

The women have very different problems in life and very different pasts.

Will The Boardwalk Bookshop help the women forget their pasts and move on?

The Boardwalk Bookshop is my seventh book by Susan Mallery and I have enjoyed all the ones I have reviewed by her so far.

The Boardwalk Bookshop is the perfect summer novel and Susan’s signature writing style, great way to create settings and characters is something I always like.

Thanks to Susan Mallery and MIRA Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars

BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: The Boardwalk Bookshop
AUTHOR: Susan Mallery
FORMAT: eBook
RATING: DNF (did not finish)

MY THOUGHTS

I started this book and found that I had a lot of difficulty connecting to the story. I did not finish it, not for lack of quality of the book but more so that I felt it was a “right book wrong time” situation where I wasn’t in the right mindset for this one at this time! Hopefully will be picking it back up in the future!

Susan Mallery's stories feel like settling in with an old friend. While they can often predictable, that's ok with me - these are comfort reads to get lost in, and this book was no exception. I thought the individual storylines of Mikki, Bree, and Ashley we each equally strong - I couldn't pick a favorite, and that's rare for me in stories with multiple MCs. This is a story of friendship, healing, and self-discovery. Another delightful beach read from Susan Mallery.

Another cute read about a bookstore. Great summer beach read would recommend this one to friends and family

It has been a while since I last read a novel by Susan Mallery and The Boardwalk Bookshop reminded me of how much I missed being in her "world". Her stories are usually light comfort reads for me and I enjoy the contemporary vibe, along with all the descriptions that bring everything to life so vividly.

I enjoyed getting to know the three women at the center of this novel and seeing their friendship develop over time. They were strangers who were brought together by wanting to purchase the same building for their businesses and they gradually became close and part of one another's lives. I also loved their entrepreneurial spirit. I would totally visit their bookshop/bakery/gift shop location!

I was most invested in Mikki's situation as it seemed the most interesting and relatable, even though I haven't had the same experiences. I just wish Mikki would have confronted her mom on how much she was always belittling her. Bree was really frustrating. I get that she dealt with a lot of hurt and betrayal in the past and I felt bad for what she must have gone through, but Harding showed up for her every time and made it clear that he would never hurt her and she just kept getting in her own way. It also felt like the discussions about how broken she was got to be too much after a while. I kind of sympathized with Ashley's situation, but I was waiting more for her to stand up for herself and lay down the ground rules.

There were a lot of sweet moments that made me smile and lines that made me laugh out loud. And the hot scenes in this novel were extra spicy! Be prepared to blush...a LOT. I also enjoyed the Mischief Bay cameo and it made me wish for more books from that series.

Overall, it was a good story and I don't plan to wait so long between Susan Mallery's novels going forward. (I have quite a few on my backlist that I still need to read!)

Movie casting suggestions:
Ashley: Madelaine Petsch
Bree: Troian Bellisario
Mikki: Lauren Ash
Seth: Gavin Leatherwood
Harding: Robbie Amell
Duane: Joshua Jackson
Perry: Trevor Donovan
Rita: Marg Helgenberger
Lorraine: Julie Hagerty

Bree, Mikki and Ashley are brought together by fate and become the best of friends. They are all at different points of their lives and different backgrounds. Great book. I was provided a copy by Netgalley but the opinions are mine.

I know it took me a long time to write this review, but I didn't have time to read the book until now. I am so sorry I waited!
This is one of Susan Mallery's finest stories that I've read to date.
3 women of 3 different ages, backgrounds, and lifestyles: a widow, a divorcee, and one in a relationship going nowhere, meet and decide to join forces to promote their individual businesses. Along the way, they discover new loves, tackle old issues, and realize that family is the people you allow into your heart..
Bree, Ashley, and Mikki bring a lot to the table as far as angst, female empowerment, and individual history. And each in their own right is a wonderful character. I could have read just one book about each of them, but i am so thrilled they were all shown together.
Thanks to NetGalley for a read for an honest opinion. This is another 5 star delight from the author.

Let me introduce The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery to you, in case you haven't come across it. It did publish back in May and while I had intended reading and reviewing it earlier, I have just got to it now.

The book has three women who share a common retail area and sell books, gifts and muffins. And while they didn't know each other initially they begin to form a common bond and a great friendship. For each of the women  there is a relationship challenge and they must each work out what they really want. And for one especially the challenge of letting go the past so that it doesn't influence the possibility of happiness in the future.

I was hoping for. a more women's fiction kind of read than a romance, and so for me the book began to drag, in spite of the interesting back stories of each of the women. Another reason it began to drag was it was so like many other stories I've read of three women forming a friendship and negotiating romantic relationships. The third reason it began to annoy me was Mallery's approach to sex and the use of slang sexual words in this book and a previous one I'd read by this author.

So these things may not bother you as a reader so we can agree - not for me, but maybe for you.