This is a book about two old friends who grew up on Cape Cod. Alison stayed on the Cape while Jess relocated to Charleston. They still managed to keep their friendship strong, talking every day. Now, in their fifties, they are each having to deal some difficult life situations. Time for reinvention, Jess returns to the Cape where she and Alison figure out their next steps. This is a nice tail of women supporting each other and reconnecting with their younger selves.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this title.

“There’s nothing like browsing a bookstore. Smelling all those books, flipping through the pages and choosing the perfect one for your mood at that moment.”

The thing about an opportunity is that it doesn’t often come gift-wrapped - we need to take a risk. Nobody knows that better than the two women in this novel. Jess Coleman and Alison Page, besties from childhood, learn that the greatest joy and lessons came when they shifted their focus and got out of their comfort zone. It would have been easy for them both to remain negative and stuck in a rut, but they grabbed the opportunity and were the better for it! The best part? Their daughters had a front row to personal growth. Strong, independent women become that way when they’ve been forged in the fire and/or when they’ve watched others come through an experience and want the end result for themselves.

Chatham, Cape Cod is the perfect place to make a change and with love and support, these women show that it’s never too late for second chances.

You’ll want to put this beach read on your tbr list! Looking to make a change? Need direction? Like mother-daughter stories? If the strong, supportive female characters don’t sway your choice, then you may want to know that there’s a bookstore and a coffee shop featured. Kelley explores friendship, trust, second chances and the angst of making important decisions.

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The Bookshop by the Bay by Pamela M. Kelley, a multigenerational saga that captures the essence of Cape Cod on every page, centers around two best friends and their adult daughters all of whom are at a turning point in their lives. The relationships are complex with a central theme of discovering what makes you happy and not living life based on the expectations of others. (I reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.). This is the book to have in your beach bag, especially if you are escaping to the Cape this summer.

The Bookshop by the Bay by Pamela M. Kelley, an author I haven't read books by in the past. A heart-warming sweet story about family, friends, and taking chances. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

As with all of Pamela Kelley's books I really loved this one. Jess and Parker were having some problems so Jess and her daughter Caitlyn who was having a hard time too so they decided to go to Chatham for a month to try to figure things out. Jess would be near her best friend Alison. They ended up staying until October. Jess bought a book shop with her friend and they expanded to the next store and opened a coffee shop. Jess and Alison worked at the Bookshop and Caitlyn managed the coffee shop. . See how everything falls into place. Do they move back to Charleston,SC or stay there!! A VERY GOOD READ.

WOW. I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as a did. I loved every page. The characters were real, relatable, and had such great rapport with each other. The plot, while predictable, flowed smoothly from scene to scene and captivated me from the start. Highly recommend for those looking for a feel good, second chance story.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Bookshop by the Bay is the book equivalent of a Hallmark movie about mothers and daughters. For those wanting a story with a little bit of romance and no steamy scenes, and where there’s little conflict that’s easily resolved, this is the book for you. The writing is on the simplistic side; there really isn’t a tremendous amount of depth to the characters or the storyline, and as mentioned in the previous sentence, there really isn’t much conflict that could lead to a climax point in the story. It basically revolves around Jess finding out her husband Parker has been cheating on her, and her and her adult daughter Caitlin returning to Jess’ childhood home in Chatham, far away from their problems in Charleston. Jess’ lifelong best friend, Alison, still lives in Chatham, and is looking for a new start of her own as the magazine she works for continues to lose business in the digital age. Jess decides to buy out the local bookstore owner, and she, Alison and Caitlin turn it into a joint store with a cafe and then proceed to do everything to make the bookstore a success that anyone with a marketing degree (and many people without one) could come up with, including book signings, reading hour, a rewards program, and all of the social media accounts people are increasingly getting tired of - with Alison’s daughter Julia chiming in to help after running her own jewelry store. Naturally all four of the women have love interests, and Jess and Caitlin both question if they really want to go back to Charleston. Kelley tends to a weird fascination with describing food and locations that feels overly descriptive instead of adding ambiance, and the plot line is underwhelming to me, but if a reader is looking for an easy, sunshiny beach read that doesn’t require a lot of mental commitment, this is one to throw in your bag and take along. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think this book could be right for some, but I was not the target audience. If you like an easy, slice-of-life type of read this will be right up your alley. I found it to be repetitive and boring at times. It seemed like every chapter the main characters were having the same conversation about whether to return to Charleston or stay in Chatham. This happened over and over again.

There were a lot of characters, and at times it could get confusing. I would have to take a moment at the beginning of a chapter to place which character was who. The writing didn’t seem to flow well for me either. It felt more like someone was standing in a room and just describing everything they were seeing. The descriptions were very detailed too. Every single meal, drink, and room was described in complete detail. It felt almost like the author had a word count she was trying to reach, and it didn’t really help to advance the story.

This story had so much promise. The premise is amazing, but the execution is not that great.

It is easy to see where the author wanted to introduce conflict, but every potential conflict fell flat. Each instance of conflict was wrapped up in about four sentences. For example, the author wants the reader to believe that Jess is pining over her relationship with Parker, but I didn't feel any kind of connection.

Also, there was a huge missed opportunity with the food. I could easily have craved every food listed, of which there was a lot, but it was just a long list of names of foods followed by "it was delicious." There was entirely too much telling and not enough showing.

It was also hard to connect with Jess's ability to purchase a bookstore and coffee shop directly out of her savings account. This isn't a possibility for most readers, so it is hard to believe.

This book just wasn't great for me.

I gave up on this at 11% and here’s why: I felt nothing for any of these characters because I was told things instead of feeling them along with the characters. If I’m reading a romance novel, I want to feel all the feels. Eventually joy and happiness but first the sadness when her husband cheats on her or the sadness of when the boyfriend dumps her.
Instead, I’m TOLD that Jess hasn’t had sex with her husband in a year and she knew there were problems in their marriage. Am I actually supposed to feel shocked and saddened that he cheats on her with his young assistant?
When Caitlin goes to dinner on her one-year anniversary and thinks he’s going to propose, she thinks she’ll say yes not because he makes her heart go pitter pat but because he was good enough and she was thirty so she should probably get married, but then instead he dumps her, am I actually supposed to feel bad that she’s spared a lackluster marriage?
Also, the dialogue was wildly unbelievable—completely inauthentic. Also, this is told from multiple points of view, which is a great device to tell the same information but from a new and unique perspective. Instead, she just repeats the same information almost verbatim in different chapters.
NetGalley provided the advance copy of this novel, which releases June 6, 2023.

My Thoughts

As a person who has always liked stories that take people out of their chosen life path and steer them to something they never considered this particular novel was a good reading choice for me.

Also, the fact that these 4 women found a way to fill their personal needs as well as their bank accounts was a plus.

Starting over at any age is something no one finds easy but doing so constructively sure made things smooth out faster for Allison, Caitlin, Jess and Julia once they all got past a few bumps in the way.

A joyful conclusion to a book with many highs and lows along the way.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

I have not read a Pamela Kelly novel until now and I am wondering why I haven’t. I was immediately grabbed and remained engrossed in the novel. I absolutely loved this book and felt like I was friends with the characters in here. Love this setting and boom! Will definitely work to find and read more of her other works.

Heartwarming, emotional and empowering - The Bookshop by the Bay was a fantastic read! Loved the characters and genuinely felt like I was losing friends when the book ended.

I was hooked from the beginning! This is my first time reading a book by Pamela Kelley, and I’ll definitely be reading more!

Y’all, I was so impressed by this novel! I have not read any books from this author and I’m really glad I started off with this one! Great main character and the writing was outstanding. It draws you in from the very beginning.

I really enjoyed this. Loved the character development. I'm hoping it becomes a series. I'm all in for that.

I enjoyed this book this is my honest opinion. I generally prefer Detective stories as sometimes this genre is too slow and uneventful. The Bookstore by the Bay by Pamela M. Kelley is a sweet story that does keep you interested. Complicated relationships, betrayal, and new love are all in this book. It's a fast read that leaves you uplifted. Who wouldn't love owning a bookstore on the Bay? The characters are all like family and all seeking a happy fulfilled life. Thank you NetGalley and publishers St. Martins Press for this eARC I recommend this book.

I really liked this book. Set mainly on Cape Cod, this would be the perfect beach read. It was definitely predictable, but that did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying the book. Recommend!

‘The Bookshop by the Bay’ is my first Pamela M. Kelley book. I thoroughly enjoyed this beach read based in Chatham, MA (Cape Cod). The characters were well developed and very relatable, I will definitely look into Ms. Kelley’s other books.

The Bookshop by the Bay by Pamela Kelley is a book that draws you into the story immediately. Unhappy in her marriage, Jess is struggling with what to do when circumstances help her with her decision. Encouraged by her best friend, Alison, Jess decides to leave Charleston and spend the summer in her hometown of Chatham, Massachusetts. Her daughter, Caitlin, also goes with her. Caitlin recently lost her job and does not have a clear career path going forward. They can stay with Jess's mother for there is plenty of room. While Jess and Caitlin are in Chatham, the woman that owns the local bookstore wishes to retire. Jess, who is a successful attorney, decides to purchase the bookstore for Alison to run and the attached coffee shop. Caitlin loves working at the coffee shop and is named the manager. Jess and Caitlin are in no rush to return to Charleston and are enjoying the summer in Chatham. They both begin to have thoughts about returning to Charleston. Pamela Kelley's characters have real-life struggles that help with the story. There is good character development with the fast-paced story that is hard to put down.