Sophie and Celia are surprised when they're estranged grandmother leaves them both her house in Rockaway Beach. They haven't got on for years and are entirely different. Sophie wants to keep the house but Celia wants to sell. Lovely book with intrigues and secrets

When you are young your family seems perfect and lovely. But the mirage starts disappearing as we start growing up, the little imperfections, little lies and sometimes really dark secrets that should have been hidden forever.
This is the story of two sisters; Sophie and Celia, who decided to keep their differences apart for two weeks and clean their grandmother’s house. A house full of memories… but are all they good or their family has more secrets than they ever expected?
I have to say that it was really easy to enter this story, told between the two sisters point of view and opposite thoughts. We really don’t know why these two sisters hate each other so much, but believe me, the hate is there and so strong that you can almost touch it!
As the story progresses, more characters are involved in the story, all of them will have a little part in the plot; the past or the present. But, this is not a story for you to love the characters but to feel intrigued with the situation and wanting to know more about Sophie and Celia’s stories and how they have grown hating each other so much.
There’s no perfect family and it’s never easy to discover how you’ve been lied to all your childhood. But accepting there’s a problem and trying to repair it, is the first step to reconciliation, don’t you think?
Are you ready to discover all the secrets on “The House on Rockaway Beach”?

Two sisters inherit their estranged grandmother's American home. The sisters are not close and it's clear this is going to be a tough time as they clear out their late grandmother's belongings and disagree on what to do with the property.

Secrets come out, and mysteries unfold in this wonderful story of how relationships within families can be allowed to deteriorate when lies are left for decades without being rectified.

I’ve read a few books by this author already, and knew it would be a good read. She seems to make writing books look effortless, they read so well. As with all books in this genre, you know things will work out, but you also need for the story to be plausible, enjoyable and well written. This book qualifies:- the characters are well rounded and realistic, there is a bit of romance (not too graphic), a couple of nasty characters and, not to give anything away, a happy ending. I liked all the characters, loved Sophie, Gina and Joe, and felt for Celia. A really solid and reliable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Sophie and her younger sister Celia spent their childhood summers at Piping Plover House, their grandmothers home on Rockaway beach. The visits had stopped when their mother and grandparents had a falling out. Following the death of their grandmother, the house was left jointly to the two estranged sisters. The two women travel to Rockaway beach to clear the house. Celia is a doctor and has a settled and orderly life with her husband and sons. Sophie is single with an adult daughter Layla and neither have steady jobs and live a relatively simple life. The intention is to empty the house of their grandmother’s belongings and put the house up for sale. Clearing the house brings back happy childhood memories for Sophie and she would love to keep the property. Celia has no intention of going along with Sophie’s wishes and insists that the house must be sold. The situation causes more friction between the two sisters and they do their best to avoid one another. Sophie can’t afford to keep the house on her own so has to go along with Celia’s plan to sell. However during the house clearance a family secret is revealed. This is a pleasant chillout read but I found the constant arguing between the sisters rather tiresome. I was disappointed when the story ended as I felt there was so much more that could have developed. The final chapter seemed to be a little rushed. I’ve enjoyed several books by the author and thank her and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The House on Rockaway Beach.

Hier ist allein das Cover schon verheissungsvoll: wir sind direkt am Meer, und für mich war allein diese aufbeschworene Stimmung vielversprechend. Wir sind auch fast die ganze Zeit in diesem Roman am Meer, am Rockaway Beach, in der Nähe zu New York. Sophie und ihre jüngere Schwester Celia, beide aus London, haben hier viele Sommer in ihrer Kindheit bei ihrer Grossmutter verbracht. Irgendwann gab es dann familiär einen Cut, und die Sommerurlaube fielen kommentarlos aus. Und nun, fast 40 Jahre später, sind die beiden Schwestern wieder in Rockaway beach: Grossmama Pampy ist gestorben, und hat ihr Haus den beiden vermacht. Das ist auch der Punkt, an dem der Roman beginnt. Nach Jahren sehen sich Celia und Sophie wieder, um eben gemeinsam das Häuschen auszuräumen und zu verkaufen. Und während Celia auch genau das vorhat, nämlich so schnell wie möglich an einen Makler zu übergeben und in ihr wohlgeordnetes upper-class-Leben zurück zu kehren, ist Sophie eher emotional-sentimental und würde das geliebte Haus gerne behalten. Und wir als Leser steigen gleich ein in das Leben der beiden so extrem ungleichen Schwestern: kaum sehen sie sich wieder, fallen sie auch gleich wieder in alte Kindheitsmuster, und es scheint nichts zu geben, auf dass sie sich einigen können. Und während Sophie in Kindheitserinnerungen schwelgt, scheint Celia nie glücklich in den Sommern am Rockaway Beach gewesen zu sein. Peu a peu rollt sich dann auch die Familiengeschichte auf, und die Vergangenheit holt natürlich die Schwestern ein. Das fand ich richtig spannend gemacht. Das alte Häuschen gibt ein paar Geheimnisse preis, und es ist faszinierend, was die Schwestern daraus machen. Beide sind auch ein bisschen an einem Wendepunkt in ihrem Leben angelangt, beide um die 50, können sie ihrem Leben auch noch mal einen neuen Dreh verpassen – und vielleicht auch wieder einen Weg zueinander finden?
Diese Konstellationen fand ich, ich wiederhole mich, spannend. 2 Schwestern, vom Alter her relativ nahe beieinander, und doch so komplett unterschiedlich, und nicht nur in ihrem Wesen und Charakter, sondern vor allem auch in ihrer Wahrnehmung ihrer Kindheitserlebnisse. Einiges in der Familie war ziemlich dysfunktional, und im Laufe des Romans ziehen Celia und Sophie so einige Leichen aus dem Keller. Wer sich für ich sag mal interessante Familienkonstellationen und die emotionalen Verhältnisse speziell zwischen Geschwistern interessiert, der wird dieses Buch lieben, allein von dieser Grundidee her.
Das hört sich jetzt recht ernst an, tatsächlich ist das Buch aber mit leichter Feder und viel Humor geschrieben. Viele Dialoge, und das traumhafte Setting am Strand, am Meer, in der niedlichen Kleinstadt Rockaway, das alles ist sehr fernwehfördernd-positive-Energie-ausstrahlend. Also ernste Themen leicht verpackt, und wunderbar flüssig geschrieben, ich bin als Nicht-Muttersprachlerin durch den Roman geflogen.
Natürlich haben wir auch eine Menge interessanter Nebendarsteller, eine Romanze, und neue Freundschaften, und das alles war wunderbar stimmig.
Das Ende hat mich dann auch wieder voll abgeholt – ganz viele offene Enden, die sich verknüpft haben.
Ja, mein Fazit: bitte lesen. Ich fand es toll. Teils sehr ernste Themen mit wunderbarer Leichtigkeit erzählt, aber ohne die Tiefe zu verlieren. Grosse Erzählkunst!

Another excellent book by Emma Burstall, Fantastic setting of Rockaway Beach. The book lends itself to a sequel as we could learn more about the characters.

What a beautiful and heart warming story. The story flowed so easily that I was half way through before I realised it. The self discovery of the sisters Sophie and Celia was amazing and at time identifiable. We all have moments when we see ourselves and our relationships differently. The twists and turns about Sophie’s dad was interesting I liked how she went about finding him. Her friendship with Gigi and her family was lovely. Joe was a great character, he is a quiet strength that Sophie needs.
Beautiful from start to finish, I really hope we get to go back there again.

Sophie spent many happy summers as a child at Rockaway Beach. Visiting her beloved grandmother and taking in all the ambiance of a summer seaside resort. Then, suddenly one summer, the holidays stopped and all Sophie knew was that her mother and her grandmother had really fallen out.

A couple of decades later and Sophie is back at Rockaway Beach with her sister Celia. When her grandmother died she left them both her house on the beach. It is a complex relationship between the two sisters and thrown together in such an emotional maelstrom it isn’t long before the sparks start to fly.

The House on Rockaway Beach was pitched as a tale of family secrets, sibling rivalry and summer romance. And indeed it does cover all of these bases but I wanted it to do a little more. For me it feels like the characters don’t quite have the depth to them that I was expecting and everything that happens is very quick and full on. There are some very complex back stories in the generations before them that feel a bit too glossed over. The newer and current relationships similarly never take on any real gravitas.

If you are looking for a fairly lighthearted beach read then this is the book for you. I didn’t know much about the Rockaway Beach area before I picked up this book and enjoyed having a good look round the real thing on Google!

Supplied by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Aria & Aries for the chance to read an advance copy of The House on Rockaway Beach by Emma Burstall. 'This was a new author for me, but the premise sounded like the perfect summer read that I wanted to read it. Two sisters must come together when their Grandmother passes away. As children they loved visiting their Grandmother at the beach but suddenly their Mother stopped the visits. Now they must found out why and decide how to move forward. While I enjoyed the book, I found the bickering between the sisters annoying.

There was one reason why I wanted to read this book and that is because I am born and raise spending my summers in Rockaway! The House on Rockaway Beach was a lovely story but really didn’t depict Rockaway very well. (Obviously this is only an issue for me and anybody else who reads it from Rockaway but for most people I don’t think they will care) Also I love a trope of sisters overcoming family trauma together. Emma Burstall wrote a really thoughtful and complicated take on the relationship sisters have with each other and the secrets we keep. The way we present to the world is not always how we truly are in our hearts. I did find a plot a little confusing at times but the story presented well. Additionally the American/British confusion was sometimes hard to overcome. All in all I always enjoy a story focused on sister relationships.

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The instant I finished The House on Rockaway Beach I was sad that the story was over. I wanted more of these characters and the special setting of Rockaway Beach! The book revolves around 2 estranged sisters, Sophie and Celia. Sophie and Celia are adults with very different lives. Sophie lives in London with her adult daughter who can't find a job she likes and seems to always be unhappy. Celia is a doctor as is her husband and they have 2 college aged boys. They live in a big home and never have to worry about money. Sophie and her daughter are always worried about money.

When Sophie and Celia's grandmother dies, they find out that she has left her house to them both. The house in at Rockaway Beach, a quaint beach town that Sophie has very fond memories of. Sophie fell in love with the town and her grandmother's house as a child when she would spend summer there. Celia doesn't have fond memories of those summers and wants to sell her half of the house. Sophie can't afford to buy her out, so even though she's extremely sad, she doesn't see any other way. The sisters both travel to Rockaway Beach and begin to clean out the house. Sophie is thrilled to be back and swims in the ocean most days, while Celia doesn't enjoy the experience at all.

As Sophie finds a letter in her grandmother's sewing kit, new discoveries about what she thought she knew come to light. Sophie and Celia's mother died recently and they find out new things about her while cleaning out the house. Celia has been keeping a big secret from Sophie about the family she thinks she knows. What is the secret? Will it change things between them? Will it change Sophie for the better or worse? Why did Celia keep such a huge secret all of these years? Will they really sell the house? Will they find away back to being real sisters who share things? This book had me laughing out loud at times and crying at other times. Sophie meets someone while at Rockaway Beach. Will she find a way to open her heart to love again?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love to see a follow up book with the same characters. There's so much more to their stories. I've never read a book by Emma Burstall but I will be adding her to my list of must read authors. The House on Rockaway Beach comes out on September 1, 2022 so be sure to pick it up. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Aria & Aries for an advanced copy of The House on Rockaway Beach in exchange for a fair review. #NetGalley #TheHouseonRockawayBeach

Family dissension has been a way of life for both Celia and Sophie. There never cared for each other, their mother was estranged from their grandmother, and so were the sisters. Until their grandmother died and left them her beach house in New York.
It’s a pleasant read, despite all the exchanges barbs. Celia reveals a deep secret to Sophie.
It’s simple straightforward writing, but I did think some of the plot lines were a bit rushed and glossed over.

This is one of those book you read when you want family secrets, rivalries, romance, mysteries. It's perfect of Rosamund Pilcher's fan and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Well plotted and compelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I enjoy women’s fiction, so there was a lot about the plot that drew me in: a woman facing personal challenges, an inherited beach house and family secrets. I also enjoy New York’s Rockaway beach as a New York City get-away, so the idea of a story set in this location, among local residents, appealed.

While the story progresses well and the main protagonist, Sophie, a Londoner who is eager to set down roots in her new community, undergoes dramatic personal growth, the characters felt a bit flat for me. The sibling rivalry between Sophie and Clelia began well, but Clelia seemed the more interesting character of the two, and she disappeared pretty quickly to return to London.

Sophie was more bland as a character and sometimes seemed too young and immature for her age. I probably would have enjoyed the dynamic of the two sisters continuing to work together to settle the house and to tell the story through their perspectives. All in all, a pleasant story with an enjoyable setting and a love angle, but I didn’t feel particularly drawn to the main character or invested in her personal journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

Family issues and sibling rivalry are the main themes running through this story, great characters and storyline.

Really enjoyed this feel good story of two sisters and their relationship developing when they deal with an inheritance. Easy to read and warm - most enjoyable - thank you.

Lovely storylind and well written,could not put the book down.A heart warming story of family and friends good description,loved all the characters in the book.
A real feel good book.

I've enjoyed Emma's books before so was looking forward to this one but sadly it fell short for me. The story had much promise but didn't really feature much, and when it did move along it was left to the last few chapters and felt crammed in and left to the end. I found the characters very two dimensional, cliched and shallow. It was hard to engage any feelings for any of them.
The whole book felt bland - sorry just not for me this time.

Sisters Celia and Sophie have hardly spoken to each other in years. Following the death of their grandmother, they inherit her beach house. They hadn't seen their grandmother since they were children and now they have to decide what to do with it.

Even now, they can’t get along - Celia wants to sell the property whereas, Sophie would like to keep it. Whilst they are cleaning out the house, a shocking family secret comes to light turning Sophie’s world up side down, forcing her to question everything.

I love a good family saga. It’s even better when you have estranged relatives, secrets and lies. As such, this was the book for me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Aria & Aries for the opportunity to read and review this gripping book