As 12 year olds, Blake and Kat became tight friends at summer camp. But after Blake realises that her new best friend’s dad is also her father – the one who disappeared when her mother died - the girls never speak again.
Years later, when Kat’s father dies, he leaves the two half-sisters a Florida beach house. Blake wants to sell it to pay for her beloved grandfather’s care, while Kat wants to hold on to it due to fond vacation memories.
As Blake throws herself into home improvements to boost the listing price, social media influencer Kat hopes posts about her creative vision for the renovated house will win her a lucrative contract.
Came for the cute cover, stayed for the fantastic story that held plenty of surprises. While both women experience budding romances, it is the brittle relationship between the sisters that takes centre stage.

The Beach Trap by Ali Brady gives Parent Trap vibes when Kat and Blake discover they are half-sisters years ago. And they are going to reunite again once they hear that they both inherited the beach house from their former father. It’s going to be a tricky situation for Kat and Blake because they haven’t seen each other for many years.

To say the situation is going to be very awkward between Kat and Blake is the understatement of the year. They haven’t seen each other for so many years. And it’s not going to go well when they reunite. They both have different opinions about the beach house: Kat wants to keep the beach house while Blake wants to sell the beach house.

Even though they are at odds with each other, they both have conflicted feelings about being sisters. They once shared a special bond when they were children at the campground. Maybe they are able to gain their bond again as they both work on the house renovation.

I received a gifted galley of THE BEACH TRAP by Ali Brady for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

THE BEACH TRAP follows Kat and Blake in alternating chapters. As kids, the two girls meet at Camp Chickawah and become fast friends until they realize they have something major in common – a father. There are hurt feelings on both sides and the pair never speak again.

Fifteen years later, there’s another shock after their father’s death. He has left them a joint inheritance of a beach house. For Kat it is a place that holds many dear memories that she wants to hold onto. For Blake who grew up resenting her absent father and sister, it is a way to get money that she desperately needs. The house itself is a wreck so the pair decide that regardless of what they will do with the house, it needs to be fixed up over the summer.

I found this to be a great summer read! I really loved the nods to The Parent Trap, a movie I enjoyed growing up. There are a lot of fun beach read-ey moments, but the authors also handle the difficult and complicated relationships in the book very well. Apart from the complicated relationship between half sisters who were shocked to learn of each other’s existance and the hurt feelings from that, there is also the difficulty of their relationships with their extended family, love interests, and the personal challenges each is facing. I think this book struck a good balance between the serious and the fun.

This was a heartwarming read that I definitely would recommend for your summer TBR! THE BEACH TRAP is out today!

It’s rare that I gush about a romance book…but I LOVED this one.

Maybe it’s because it was primarily a story about sisters? Maybe it was because it featured a beach house renovation? Or maybe it was because of Noah (my new favourite leading man)? Whatever it was, this book worked for me. So much so I rambled on about it for 15 minutes on a walk with my husband the other day. Not sorry.

I know that romance readers and fans of contemporary fiction are going to fall head over hells for Kat, Blake, Noah, Henry, and Max the dog in this debut from Ali Brady. I am so grateful to have been given an advanced copy in exchange for a review. I absolutely stayed up late into the night reading this one - it was charming, sexy, tender, funny, and un-put-down-able.

A new favourite. ❤️

This is a great title to add to your pool/beach/vacation tote bag. Thanks to @berkleyromance and @netgalley for the early access.

Kat and Blake quickly become besties at summer camp only to find themselves shocked they're actually half-sisters. Their friendship quickly becomes painfully silent. 15 years later they are forced back together after they each inherit half of a beach house upon the death of their father.

Their journey back to being sisters is complicated by pain from their past and compounded by a home renovation. But it's also lightened by summer romances and Max, the dog of many names except Max. It was an ideal summer read with just the right amount of oomph.

𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄:
This cover just screams SUMMER!
Kat - Instagram Influencer and took a bit to warm up to. Give her time.
Blake - down to earth and focused on caring for her grandpa.
Dual POV/Dual Romances
Ridiculously fun pop culture questions that left me wondering who is the villain- Tom or Jerry?
Family secrets & friendship
Jewish representation
Mash up of Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit/Romance
Door-ajar

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒

The Beach Trap by Ali Brady is a wonderful book about sisters, family, and love with a subtle Parent Trap vibe. I enjoyed this book very much as I love books about sisters and family drama.

Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill met when they were twelve years old at camp. They immediately became fast friends, their personalities complemented each other. But, when Kat’s father comes by to pick up Kat, they realize they are half-sisters.

Fifteen years later, when Kat’s father suddenly dies, she finds out he left her a beach house in Florida, but, she co-owns it with her half-sister, Blake. She’s been angry with Blake ever since she found out that her father had a separate family, so she’s not happy to share her inheritance with Blake. Blake needs to get the beach house renovated as soon as possible so she can use the money to help her father move into a memory care facility where he can be looked after properly.

This book was so much better than I expected. The cover and the blurb made me think this would be a light-hearted rom-com, and it is, but it’s also so much more. I love books about sisters, and The Beach Trap did not disappoint. Like in the Parent Trap, Kat and Blake meet at camp, and that’s where they discover they are half-sisters. But instead of instant friendship, Kat is angry and does not have any contact with Blake until they inherit the beach house. This story is mainly about Kat and Blake and their journey to forgiveness and understanding.

I was fully immersed in this story from the very beginning and I enjoyed every page. I love a good family drama, especially with sisters, and lots of emotion, and The Beach Trap fulfilled all these wishes.

I highly recommend The Beach Trap to anyone who enjoys romance and women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Two friends are torn apart by a life-changing secret, and have one summer together to set the record straight.

Put this on your summer reading list! I loved this book so much as we see two half sisters navigating a rocky inheritance, working through their anger and resentment while fixing up their beach house. Kat and Blake are total opposites and are facing their own demons following the death of their dad, both assuming the other sister had a better life. You can feel their hurt and distrust, but also the desire to reconnect and find some common ground.

And of course we get some sweet and charming love interests to add a bit of spice to the summer. Noah and Henry (and the friendliest dog Max) helped add some levity to the story while also providing the women with some perspective on their healing journey.

I devoured this book in a day and highly recommend picking it up on your summer vacation. I can't wait to read what is next from this author duo.

Thank you to the authors, Berkley, and NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for a review.

Wow, this was such a blast! THE BEACH TRAP follows half-sisters Blake and Kat after their father dies and leaves them a beach house in Destin, Florida. There's some tension between the two as they both feel wronged by the other--and their father--but they decide that fixing up the dilapidated beach house is in both of their interests. Throughout the summer, they (separately) work on making repairs and end up finding love in multiple forms (aweeee). This was such a pleasant story; both Kat and Blake were excellent, three-dimensional characters whose motivations, feelings, and reactions were realistic, making them great protagonists. While the romance and the construction on the house were definite pluses, the real star of this book was their growing relationship after 15 years of animosity. I loved seeing them get closer over the course of the book, despite their different upbringings and personalities. That being said, their respective romances were also amazing and added a lot of fun to the story. I also loved the renovation aspect because I'm a sucker for home-reno themes in any capacity. I highly, highly recommend this one; it's got absolutely everything you could want: sisterhood, friendship, romance, and a goofy dog.

THIS BOOK!!! As someone who has a long lost sister, shhhh!!! It’s still a bit of a secret. I really loved this one! With mentions of summer camp and renovating a beach house in the beautiful paradise that is Destin this one SCREAMS add me to your summer reading list. I loved the characters… it was like a double romance in one as well as coming together as a family. I found myself in each of the girls and think so many will enjoy these two so much! From influencing to remodeling this book warmed my heart and I’m so excited to see what Ali Brady cooks up next!

This book deserves a spot in every beach bag this summer! The relationship growing between Kat and Blake drives the story. Their personal love lives and the house improvement storyline kept me coming back for more. It was an enjoyable feel-good book and perfect for relaxing reading.

Let me start by thanking the publisher and netgalley for my copy in exchange for my honest review. Overall I really enjoed this beachy/summery read! I thought the plot was a fun and updated version of the Parent Trap, but then it totally goes in its own way so as not to feel overplayed or lacking creativity.

I loved that Blake and Kat were long lost friends, newly found half sisters and instant enemies inheriting a shared property upon their father's death. We had actual sparks with electric wiring learning curves, social media accounts galore #influencerlife, banter, romance, cute kiddos, cute doggos and lots of pulling on the heart strings.

I did find the pacing to be a bit off - I think that is the only thing I didn't like about this book. At times it would steam ahead and at others it dragged along. However, I really enjoyed this and am eagerly awaiting more from this dynamic author duo!

Out June 14, 2022 [Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 4/5 stars

Fifteen years after a budding friendship ended in an implosive revelation, Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill are unexpectedly thrust back into one another’s lives—enter lots of drama, a crumbling beach house, some swoon-worthy love interests, and one adorable dog, all of which combine for a thoroughly fun rom-com.

THE BEACH TRAP has been one of my most-anticipated reads of the summer for a while now, so I’m still screaming that I got an eARC. As expected, it did not disappoint in the slightest. This book is funny, heartwarming, beachy, swoony, and basically everything you could want from a summertime rom-com. I loved the dual POV and appreciated the small plot twists (I saw them coming but was a-okay with that) along the way. Most of all, I adored both love interests (Noah is my newest book boyfriend, I love him and he’s perfect and that’s just it) and especially loved the emphasis on healthy relationships and communication that permeated this entire novel.

Even though the POV is technically evenly split, there were times where I felt we got a bit more of Blake (and Blake/Noah) than we did of Kat (and Kat/Henry). That might have been my own bias (is it clear yet that I love Noah?) but it also worked for the story and for the characters, so I wasn’t too upset about it. Some of the ending also felt a smidge “easy”—but, again, it was refreshing to have character growth and communication instead of angst and toxicity (which all-too-often accompanies the third act of a romance novel), so really I’m being so nitpicky here.

Bottom line: this is a good one and you should read it. I already cannot WAIT for Ali Brady book two, which I hear is coming in 2023! 👀

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: dual romances; beachy rom-coms; sisterly love and female friendships.

CW: Infidelity; abandonment; dementia; grief/death of parent.

Wow this was such a great debut from these authors. I love seeing how Blake and Kat learned to become friends/sisters. I love seeing their individual growth and how they dealt with the loss of a father in different ways. The romance part of the story was amazing!! I love both Noah and Henry and their story as well.

What a super touching and emotional novel! Based on the cover I was expecting a light and fun beachy read, but The Beach Trap had a lot of depth and heart.

Blake and Kat meet as young girls at a summer camp and become fast friends. When they realize they share a father, Kat blames Blake for using her to get to him, and their connection is severed. The two women are forced to connect again years later when their father passes away and leaves them each half of his family's beach house.

Blake is determined to fix up the beach house so she can sell it to finance her grandfather's assisted living care. Kat is adamant that she wants to keep the beach house since she has many family memories there as a child. The two women clash over their separate lifestyles and goals, but both long for their friendship to reconcile. And of course, what beach inspired novel would be complete without some romance? Blake and Kat both meet some yummy men to help them with their home renovation.

I really enjoyed the book. It was much more than a simple romance, even though there are some very steamy parts to the novel. Blake was a very relatable and likable character. Her abandonment issues did not stop her from doing everything to help the people she loved. Kat wasn't my favorite. I found it very hard to like her during most of the novel. She was just very superficial and self-centered, but she did grow and develop throughout the novel. Cute read, but be ready for some heartfelt tears!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book was something so incredibly wonderful. I could not put it down. I love how the sister's relationship developed through the book as they found their way back to each other, each recognizing the damage their father did to them and how it affected their relationships. I loved the development of Kat's character and how she realized that she was living a picture perfect life, but not an actually perfect life. I definitely needed to read some of her life lessons as they really resonated with things I have been going through.

The romance aspect of the book was fairly predictable, but didn't make it any less enjoyable. I loved Noah and Henry. They both brought out the best of each woman and encouraged them to be themselves. Definitely man crushes.

Kat and Blake met at summer camp and quickly became inseparable. But after they realize they are half-sisters and their dad has been keeping a huge secret, they never speak again. Until 15 years later when their father dies and leaves them both the family beach house. Together, they plan to renovate the house, but that involves many conflicting opinions along the way. The question quickly becomes can they each deal with their past and learn to become sisters?

This was such a heartwarming story about sisterhood, healing, and finding yourself. I truly loved everything about this book. Each sister had her own distinct personality and journey, but they ended up complimenting each other so well (even if it didn’t seem like they would). I loved each of their love interests and how those stories played out. I especially loved Noah and his nicknames for Max the dog. This was a book that had me laughing, had me feeling emotional, and left me feeling like a warm hug. I can’t wait to see what else Ali Brady comes up with!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the advanced copy.

Have you ever just known you were going to love a book before you ever even read it? I had a gut feeling about this one and thankfully, it was spot on.

This book was wonderful! This is the story of two half sisters, who didn't know they were half sisters until become best friends when they are 12 years old at summer camp together. However, even after finding out they are sisters, they don't see each again other until 15 years when their father dies and leaves them both a half interest in a beach house in Destin, Florida. By this point they have both led very different lives and have different plans for what to do with the beach house. Kat, a social media influencer has fond memories of the place and want to keep it, while Blake, who works as a nanny in Minnesota wants to sell it and use the money to pay for her grandfather's care. One thing is for sure, the run down beach house needs some work before either option is available. While renovations take place, both women work to not only build up the house but also themselves and each other. They also make some unexpected connections with Harry and Noah along the way.

I loved everything about this book. The plot was interesting and different. The characters were amazing. I loved Noah and his relationship with Blake and Max the dog. He is probably one of my all time favorite characters with so much depth and heart. Blake was also fantastic and you are just instantly pulled to her. You want her to succeed and your heart breaks when there are set backs along the way.

Kat on the other hand was harder to like. She comes across as bratty and self centered. For a good 3/4 of the book I was mad at her or annoyed with her. But as she starts to do some self reflection you start to see why she is the way she is and she becomes a really endearing character, flaws and all. Henry and Sunny were an amazing addition to this story as well. The calm, level headed Henry was a perfect match for hot headed, firey Kat.

This is book with stay with me for a while is a no doubt one I will be picking up again and again. HUGE thank you to the author and Berkley for allowing me advanced access to this book. It is available June 14.

So so much to love about this book!

📖 Synopsis: Estranged half sisters inherit a run down beach house together in a reverse ish Parent Trap.

💭 Thoughts:

If you missed my story yesterday, I mentioned how insanely similar this is to my last read, Maggie Moves On, but I liked this one so much more and here’s why…

✨ 2 half sisters = 2 points of view = 2 books in 1 = 2 HEAs! ✨

Sometimes stories written like this can feel rushed or confusing but this was so well done that it felt like a bonus 2 for 1 book. 👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏼👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻

👩🏼‍🔧Blake was already a great character with such depth of story. I loved seeing her find her way in a world so different from her own.

💁🏻‍♀️ Kat was annoying as heck and shallow and ugh for the first 40% of the book but I knew somehow she’d grow on me, and she did! I loved seeing her evolve from vapid narcissist into a real person 😂.

This book is primarily about the sisters’ relationships with each other but also their men and themselves. Such a well rounded romance with just enough stream to feel like a romance novel without overpowering the story (my favorite). I felt so many different emotions while reading this. ❤️

This is one that I will 100% be adding to my shelf and rereading later (likely via audio but maybe not).

4.5 🌟

Twelve-year-olds Kat and Blake have become BFFs at summer camp, but when Kat's father comes to pick her up, they discover they are half-sisters, as they both call the same man dad. Only Blake is the one left behind.

Fifteen years later, and with their father's passing, Kat and Blake learn that their father has left a beach house in Destin, Florida to both of them in joint ownership. This will not go well.

This was such a fun read! First of all, I loved Kat and Blake; they were opposites, Kat being an Instagram Influencer and obsessed with appearances while Blake was super down to earth and caring for her aged grandpa. But really, at the core, I think they were both shaped by the polar ends of a tough family situation.

Then I appreciated the guys in the story, besides their dad. But Kat and Blake met some really good men; they listened and were caring - it was refreshing to have some winners for a change.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩 is full of sister bonding, yummy guys, a fixer-upper, and a dog by many names - 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘨!

Thank you to @alibradybooks and @berkleypub for this gifted ebook.

The pressure of reviewing a book co-authored by a bookstagram friend. This book has been a labour of love for these authors, and I’ve been watching things progress for some months, waiting for its release through Bradeigh, one half of this author duo.

Think childhood friendships, a falling out, familial secrets and dysfunction, loss + grief, a renovation, new loves + Sumner vibes.

It’s essentially a story about two girls who meet, become friends and in a strange twist of fate, find out they are actually half-siblings. They don’t meet again for 15 years, thrown together when their late father leaves them a dilapidated beach house as their inheritance. For Kat, it’s a house full of memories. For Blake, it’s a promise of some security for her ailing grandfather. It’s a story about navigating the complexities of their relationship, and their familial life stories - the joyful, the messy, and the heartbreak.

Kat and Blake want very different things, and on the surface, couldn’t be more different. There are some love interests and a little (though not a lot of) steam.

It takes a little to set the scene and warm up - about 50% in. A nice story, bittersweet, and heartwarming.

Congrats ladies on your joint venture. Thanks to Ali Brady and Netgalley for this electronic copy to read and review.