Lost Coast Literary will be published, Tuesday March 29th. I was able to receive an early release copy from NetGalley and Sweet Lemon Press LLC.

Ellie Alexander is a new author that I've started to read. True to the previous book I read and reviewed, there are a lot of food and drink descriptions. 🌮🍻 This book is for the book lovers though. Emily is a new editor, switching from the practical computer field. On a day where her estranged uncle messages her about the death of her grandma, the book she's trying to promote to the publishing house gets turned down. On this stressful note, she flies out of Lost Coast to sort out her grandmother's estate, against the advice of her dad.

There is a mysterious air-- why is her family estranged? Why did her grandmother leave the mansion and Lost Coast Literary to Emily? The plot deepens as Emily starts to edit the Forsaken Documents in her grandma's office. ✏️ Unexpected dialogue happens in town that catches her off guard. Emily gets to know the townspeople, her aunt and uncle, and her cousins. The book delves into conversations about race, equity, abuse, cancer, and second chances.

This book is really fun. It has a bit of mystery and fantasy in it. I enjoyed reading about the process of being an editor as well. 4.5 stars.

In Ellie Alexander's LOST COAST LITERARY, 29-year-old Emily Bryant is living in New York City and working at what she believes is her dream job: a book editor at a publishing house. As she prepares to pitch her first book at a highly anticipated sales meeting, Emily gets an unexpected call: her grandmother, from her father's side of the family with whom she has little to no contact, has passed away—and has left her her Victorian mansion in Cascata, on the Lost Coast of northern California.

I found it a little slow and DNF'd it at about fifty percent—but that's because this book just wasn't for me. I enjoy Ellie Alexander's mysteries, and I knew this was a departure from that genre, but I didn't quite feel as connected to the themes and characters as I hoped.

I think this is the perfect story for book lovers who enjoy magical realism, emotional themes, and women's fiction in a beautiful coastal setting.

Thank you to Sweet Lemon Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 33%. I couldn't get into the whole magic part and was very confused at the genre. I loved the plot line of inheriting an old family home but there was just not enough "mystery" to keep my entertained.

Ellie Alexander has written an utterly charming book about family and loss and heartbreak, but finding a way back to healing through love and acceptance. And, of course, books.

Emily Bryant has landed her dream job at 29 as an editor at a publishing house in NYC and is about to pitch her first book at a sales meeting when she learns her paternal grandmother has passed away. A text from her uncle informs her that she has inherited her grandmother's grand old Victorian house on the Lost Coast of California but there are some stipulations in the will, and she needs to come there, to Cascata, CA, to discuss the details.

Emily and her father have been estranged from his family since the death of his beloved wife when Emily was a child so she has mixed feelings about seeing them all again. Why did none of them make an effort to contact her all these years when she so badly needed the love and comfort of family in her life? Even now her uncle won't reveal what caused the family rift, saying it's not his secret to reveal--she should ask her father. But he's a quiet and rather distant man who has tried to find solace in his work and avoids any uncomfortable conversations by putting up an impenetrable wall.

Emily learns her grandmother was a book editor with the office for Lost Coast Literary housed in the lovely old Victorian mansion Emily stands to inherit. But her will stipulates that Emily must first edit the Forsaken Manuscripts her grandmother has left behind. Emily just wants to sell this house as quickly as possible and get back to her dream job in NYC. She digs into the first manuscript which is about a young man working in his family's coffee shop, making some minor changes to the plot. The next morning when she goes out for coffee, she finds the scene she has rewritten playing out here in real life! Whoa! Is she going crazy? The same thing happens when she edits the next manuscript--this time she arranges a meet-cute scene between two people on the beach which unfolds again before her eyes in the days following. Is she unintentionally messing with real people's lives? How is that possible?

She decides to confide all this to her cousin, Shay, and the two decide to do an experiment with the next story. Her grandmother has left a note with the manuscripts, suggesting that only a little nudge is needed for most stories to be set on the right path so Emily takes that advice. Has Emily inherited a strange and special gift from her grandmother, along with this marvelous house filled with books?

I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely story with its touch of magical realism, interesting characters, beautiful setting with charming old house and the lively discussion of books in these pages. Alexander reveals in the acknowledgements that the plot for this novel came to her in a dream, her mind busy creating while she slept. Talk about nudges in the right direction!

I received an arc of this new novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity. Love the cover art too!

LOST COAST LITERARY by Ellie Alexander is a terrific story. A young woman who has given up everything she knows for a shot to become an editor for a New York Publisher goes back to the a small town on California's northern coast to settle the estate of her long-estranged grandmother. What she finds when she gets there is far more interesting, magical, and satisfying than any of the books she has inhabited ever since she learned how to read. I didn't expect such a powerful impact from this story -- the writing does not rise anywhere near the level of the plot, the characters, the pitch perfect dialogue, but somehow I found myself wanting to read further, to see what happened next in an ultimately pleasing story with such a powerful heart. I received an early reader copy and the opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.

Emily Bryant is a book editor and has a potentially life-changing choice to make when her paternal grandmother, Gertrude dies and leaves her the beautiful Victorian family mansion in the charming town of Cascata on California's Lost Coast.

There is such a lot to like in this novel; it really is a booklovers paradise. Ellie Alexander does wonders with the setting, helped, for me, with the seaside location and there are some amazing descriptions of gardens, also. As a strict condition of her inheritance, Emily must finish editing a pile of “Forsaken” manuscripts though no one can explain why. This brings mystery and magicality to the story. Stacked full of literary references, I was transported to other worlds and eras as I followed Emily's journey. A pleasant, effortless and altogether lovely read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Sweet Lemon Press LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Emily Bryan, a book editor in New York City, receives a text from her Uncle Danny telling her her grandmother, Gertrude, has died. He also tells her one of the stipulations in Gertrude’s will is that Emily must return to Cascata, California, in order to inherit The Ballads, her grandmother’s mansion. Emily and her father are estranged from their family in California and Emily isn’t keen on going back. But the will leaves her no choice. Emily returns to California, hoping to settle the estate quickly and return to her job in New York.
Gertrude’s will stipulates Emily is the sole heir to The Ballad as well as Lost Coast Literary, Gertrude’s agency. But there’s a catch. In order to inherit, Emily must edit the forsaken manuscripts. Until the entire stack is edited, Emily can’t do anything, including selling, the property. She is stuck in Cascata until the editing is done.
Emily begins to work on the manuscripts. With each stroke of her pen, she alters the lives of those living in Cascata. The forsaken manuscripts involve people she knows and the edits she makes to the manuscripts comes true, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for those involved. In the time it takes to edit the manuscripts, she also begins to grow closer to her previously estranged family. The town of Cascata begins to grow on her too and she’s torn between staying or selling The Ballad and returning to New York City.
Thoughts on the book
This book isn’t the cozy mystery that Alexander usually writes. This book isn’t a mystery, but a women’s fiction novel. So don’t go into it expecting a mystery.
For me, this book was an okay read. I was detached from the characters and the plot was fairly straightforward. The magical elements weren’t that convincing. To me it seemed as though the story was rushed. Emily didn’t seem to either struggle with, be surprised by, or confused about the power these manuscripts gave her when it came to controlling other people’s lives. Lost Coast Literary wasn’t for me, but it will be for someone else. So if this book sounds interesting to you, give it a try.

When an out of the blue inheritance comes we follow our Emily to here roots on the Lost Coast. Lots a family intrigue and drama as know one knows why her grandmother left it to her. With a little whimsy and whole lot of magic we find that mothers - or should I say Grandmothers- really do know what's best. I look forward to reading more from Ellie Alexander in the future.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This one gets 3.5 stars because I enjoyed the idea more than the execution. It's a very emotional read and deals with hard topics of loss, family secrets, and letting go.
I really liked how Alexander touches on each topic in a very relatable way that truly feels like something someone could be experiencing in real life. The way there's so much emphasis on looking at things from all angles and letting things play out, even when the outcome might not be the happiest, is something that I truly enjoyed.
However, there were small elements that kept snagging my attention out of the story and into how it's written. Certain scenes and plot elements take up too much page time when it could have easily been solved in fewer words or just didn't need to be repeated over and over. Like when a character is being awful, it plays out with the action on the page, you don't need to constantly mention that the character is being awful. It's somewhat minor compared to the way I enjoyed the plot overall, but I constantly found myself leaving the story to question how it's written.
Overall, it's a great plot and I appreciate what Alexander is going for, it's just not written in a way that worked for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sweet Lemon Press LLC for the emotional read!

Big thanks to Netgalley & Sweet Lemon Press for this arc of Lost Coast Literary by Ellie Alexander (this was a Read Now).

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I think there were some plot holes that didn't totally make sense but honestly I was just here for the vibes and I had a good time. I loved the setting and how atmospheric it was. And I really loved Emily as the MC. This made me want to find a cute coastal town and find somewhere to escape in a book there.

This is out 03/29/22!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This one is part of a blog post I wrote on three upcoming books! (link at the end). Big thanks to NetGalley, Sweet Lemon Press LLC, and Ellie Alexander! Can't wait to buy the book when it's out on March 29, 2022 :)

Plot summary:
Having recently moved to New York to pursue her passion, Emily Bryant is ecstatic to be surrounded by books at her new publishing job. She doesn’t expect a wrench in this seemingly perfect life: her estranged grandmother recently passed away and left Emily The Ballad, their family mansion in Northern California. Between her foggy memories, her father’s secrets, and the will’s mysterious stipulations, Emily must make sense of an unfamiliar world she thought she had left behind for good.

My thoughts:
Lost Coast Literary is whimsical, sincere, and unputdownable. It was the first time in a while that I yearned to visit the setting of a book and befriend its characters. No wonder so many people say reading transports you—I found myself wishing I could walk through the quirky town of Cascata, smell the eucalyptus, and hear the sound of the waves. At its core, Lost Coast Literary is an ode to books and a love letter to the magic that exists within the mundane. Moreover, it is clear that the author understands the trust required to share writing with someone, as well as the responsibility of an editor to approach writers’ vulnerability with honesty and kindness. As an aspiring book editor, I adored this book! Much like Emily, I have always loved immersing myself in stories, and I can’t wait to keep doing so.

Lost Coast Literary is a story for booklovers. There are numerous book references throughout the book. I found this to be an interesting story. It is well-written with a good flow. The author provided good descriptions that allowed me to visualize the town with its quirky shops and the beautiful Queen Anne Victorians. Most of the time the author managed to strike a balance between too much detail and too little. There are some instances when extra details were not needed (detailed descriptions of people’s clothing and the specific name of each flower). There are a variety of secondary characters in the story. I liked Emily’s paternal family especially Shay. The paranormal element was intriguing. I wish we had gotten to learn more about it. I felt like we just scratched the surface. The ending seemed rushed and incomplete. I did not understand the author’s need to introduce a love interest for Emily late in the story. It was an unnecessary addition and did nothing to enhance the story. I found myself baffled at times by Emily. Her dream job is to be an editor with her own clients. She inherits Lost Coast Literary which is an established agency with clients. She could be her own boss and get published the type of books she wants (like the manuscript she tried to pitch to her bosses in New York). I thought she would jump at the chance instead of returning to the cramped New York apartment and being an assistant editor. There is repetition of information in the story (especially regarding the inheritance, dream job, size of her New York apartment, paternal family abandoning her, dad not providing details on rift) and a smattering of foul language. I enjoyed reading Lost Coast Literary. I cannot help but love a story that features books. I would love to inherit The Ballad (Gertrude’s Victorian home). Lost Coast Literary is a bibliophile delight with an unanticipated inheritance, a venerable Victorian, a distraught relative, a wonky will, a reticent father, mystifying manuscripts, peculiar coincidences, and missing memories.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel which combines a love of books and writing with a wonderful location on the northern coast of California, along with a theme of family. There’s also a bit of paranormal/magical realism thrown in for good measure. The town of Cascata (fictional) in the Lost Coast section of California comes alive through the author’s lovely descriptions. The location is virtually a character in the story. It probably helped that I visited the area a few years ago, spending a bit of time in Eureka, which also has some fabulous Victorian architecture and is right on the water, but I think her descriptions will spark anyone’s imagination.

The characters also came alive for me. Emily is the main character, who, due to stipulations in her newly deceased grandmother’s will, suddenly has to uproot her life in publishing in New York City to fly back to what was her hometown for her first decade or so. She is inheriting an amazing Victorian house, but she has to edit some “forsaken” manuscripts first, per the will. The whole thing greatly surprised and puzzled Emily, because she hadn’t seen or heard from this part of her family in twenty years. Once in Cascata, she gradually meets her estranged family as well as some interesting locals and gets drawn into the life of the town. Along with Emily, several of the characters are trying to figure out their future paths.

I’ve enjoyed other books by Ellie Alexander, all cozy mysteries. This book is very different, but no less enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sweet Lemon Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book when I first started reading. The magic that allows Emily to rewrite the lives of characters in her book and who also happen to be residents of Cascata was a little too far out there for me. But it grew on me and I ended up enjoying the story line. The characters are well developed and I loved the developing relationships. Watching each character grow as entertaining. Getting glimpses into Emily’s past as she discovered her memories were flawed was interesting. This is a great first book in the series. I look forward to more adventures with Emily and the people along the Lost Coast.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sweet Lemon Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I realy enjoyed this new book by ellie Alexander. A very different book from her bakeshop mysteries. I wonder if she will continue it into a series or will it stay as a stand alone. All the different twist and turns until we find the true meaning behind the reason for Emily to come back. Waiting to see what happens possibly???

Thanks NetGally and the publisher who sent me this ARC in eschange for an honest review. I think the premise of this book is great, an inherited historical mansion, a unique literary agency attached, and some family mystery. However, I found the development, the dialogues, and the characters disappointing, and the book is full of politically correct common places, plus the recurring stereotype that someone who works in publishing or loves reading must inevitably be obsessed with Jane Austen or Mr. Darcy. I would have liked the book to be more focused on the house and the literary agency, and to discover all about their history and Gertrude (perhaps she could have been a second narrator, so we could know about the two women and Cascata from different perspectives), yet I mostly learned about ordinary relationship issues and manipulation (at some point Shay says that she's decided to shape things rather than react to them, but it sounds more like manipulation). I gave it three 🌟 because I really loved the premise and the setting, but if I could I would do like Emily and rewrite the many things I didn't like about this book.

The abrupt ending was what limited the appeal of this book, which was fairly detailed up to that point.
I liked that the main character was an editor and that she had a major decision to make about the direction of her life and career. But I wished she could have explained her final decision in some way that made sense.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #LostCoastLiterary for advanced digital copy.

📚Wrong book for me: too much setting vs. doing😒

I just could not get in to this book. I thought the idea of editing manuscripts and affecting real life would make a good story. Yes, there are a lot of literary references and, if you are wide read, you might enjoy pitting your memory of the stories mentioned against female lead Emily's take and what she does to transform a classic to her vision.

I found it difficult to connect with Emily and care about her fate. But I think, for me, the extreme amount of description of everything, down to the color of Emily's cousin's toenail polish, was the major obstacle. Page after page of description bogged down the narrative. Also, I was anxious for the story to move forward, but things kept getting put off to a later hour or day. That technique did not pique my curiosity; I just lost interest.

Not really for me.

Thanks to Sweet Lemon Press LLC, IBPA and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

A sweet, heart warming, and cozy story that made me smile, root for Emily, and wish I could live in a place like Cascata.
I read Ellie Alexander's cozy mysteries and enjoyed them, this is her first non mystery book I read and I think she did it in delivering a riveting story.
Good world building and character development, excellent storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I'm not going to lie; when I heard Ellie Alexander was diving into the genre of Magical Realism and Women's Lit, I leaped for joy. Two of my go-to genres written by one of my go-to authors, AND I get to review the ARC (advanced reader's copy)? YES, PLEASE.

Like our protagonist, Emily, who among us thinks we have life all figured out, only for life to zig after we've zagged? Dream job? Check! Precariously assembled Swedish furniture (this one had me laughing and then checking my house for spy cameras as I felt seen)? Check! Unresolved and mysterious family kerfuffle? Check! The dream of inheriting a beautiful mansion near the ocean in a picturesque town? Check! Copy edits coming to life? What?!

Ellie Alexander has a way of taking her readers by their hand and immersing them in a world full of absolutely stunning settings. Does a place like Cascata even exist? Asking for me who wants to visit Letter Press and live (I'll settle for a visit) at The Ballad.

And if you aren't hungry as you begin your read, you will be by Chapter 2; as with her world creation, Ellie Alexander's delicious descriptions of food left my mouth watering. I'm going to need some recipes, specifically those fish tacos.

Readers often expect characters to be predictably faulty or pristine and faultless; Ellie Alexander creates characters full of soft contradictions. I wish characters like this were real so we could be best friends.

As this delightful story began to unfold, it gave me the same joy and excitement I had when I first read Practical Magic, watched Stranger than Fiction, and Lost in Austin.

For every person who has found themselves wishing to be emersed in a story, lost track of time reading a good book, longing for different endings, and knows the treasure books hold, Lost Coast Literary will not disappoint.

My deepest thanks to Sweet Lemon Press LLC and Ellie Alexander for the opportunity to read and review Lost Coast Literary, expected to be released on March 29, 2022.

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