Love this series! Life continues at the boarding school as the pupils and teachers return for another year. Will Maggie and David get together. What will happen to all the students as they grow and face new challenges.

I always enjoy Jenny Colgan books, and was thrilled to receive an ARC for Lessons at the School By the Sea from Netgalley. I hadn't read this series before, and didn't realize it was the third book in the series, but had no problem diving in, and others could easily read this as a stand alone book. That being sad, I can't wait for the next book!

Maggie returns to Downey House for a new term, unsure what to do about her love life. Should she stay with her dependable fiancé, Stan? Or take a chance on the attraction she has with colleague David? The novel also follows a few of the girls who live there, and the typical teenage shenanigans and worries.

I love the Colgan novels and anything set in Cornwall. This series is a reprint of earlier work by Colgan and it shows. The story is enjoyable but very light. Set in a boarding school, it focuses on one teacher and several students. There is some humor and tension but overall it does not have the teeth that her later novels have. A light easy read.

As with the previous books in this series, Lessons immediately drew me in to the lives of the occupants of Downey House. I’ve never attended boarding school, but the drama and emotions of young women is something I can relate to. Jenny Colgan’s characters are authentic, and you can’t help but root for them as they figure out life. My only complaint about this book is that I didn’t want it to end!

The Third by the Sea Novel book of Jenny Colgan's delightful new four-part series, set at a charming English boarding school on the sea.

Lessons at the School by the Sea was just as great as her precious ones.

Absolutely loved this book from start to finish, couldn't put it down! The characters are loveable and so easy to follow.
They are also very relatable which I loved.
This is a very fun take on a girls school. It's honestly so much fun.
If your looking for a good summer read grad a copy. It’s all the fun and drama you’d expect from the stories about boarding schools
Jenny Colgan, has done an extraordinary job writing such amazing stories and ones I can't seem to get enough of.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Avon,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Maggie returns to the school by the sea for a new term, and as with the first two books in this series, there are many characters with different issues. Will Maggie walk away from love with David and marry Stan, her fiancé and a bad lifetime match? Will Veronika, the headmistress, find her son's father at long last? How will the various tensions and foibles of the students play out? Colgan addresses issues of social media bullying, class differences, public vs. private education, racism, and gender issues in a way that is interesting and not heavy handed. I enjoyed this installment and will read anything she writes. However, there are two issues that I don't prefer about the series. One, finding a hook at the end of a novel makes me feel a little bit manipulated, and two, Colgan's practice of head-hopping is less manageable in a book with so many sub=plot characters. Other than that, I enjoyed it very much, but not as much as her other novels.

A charming, feel good tale! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jenny Colgan’s third installment of her Little School by the Sea / Maggie Adair series. After swiftly devouring the first two novels in the series, I was ever so eager to learn what the third year at boarding school Downey House held for what have become beloved characters, and this tale did not disappoint! I love the elite Cornish boarding schools setting and reading about the struggles and successes of students coming of age and the various and sundry stories regarding the quirky teachers and headmistress. The introduction in this novel of another school populated by students living a hard knocks life in comparison to those at Downey was also welcome and important, and enriched the plot. I look forward to the next 3 books in the series, which I do so hope are in progress, especially given the wicked cliffhanger at the end. Many thanks to NetGalley and to Avon / Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

Jenny Colgan's descriptive, severe landscapes and emotional relationships move this story along quickly. Always a pleasure to read.