Jess and her daughter decide to go back to their vacation place. Jess and best friend Alison decide to buy a bookstore that they both love.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to the publisher St. Martin's Griffin.

This book was a wonderful read. The quintessential beach read for me. Life long friends come together during life's hardships and struggles, one faces loosing her job and the other found her husband was cheating on her after a 30 year marriage. As they come together to provide each other support, magic starts to happen as a lifelong dream starts to fall into place. This book has all the goods! Mothers, daughters, love, betrayal, and dreams coming true! I loved it!!
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book!

Jess’ world has just exploded. She is a well established lawyer in Charleston but her marriage has just blown up in her face. She heads to her home on Cape Cod to lick her wounds. She meets up with her friend, Alison. Well, needless to say, these two do not let grass grow under their feet. They end up buying a bookshop and their worlds change for the better.

These characters are such a refreshing change. I love Jess and Alison. Both have issues but they definitely overcome all that the world has stacked against them. Add in the setting and you have a great escape. Now, this tale is a bit long and could have been a bit shorter. In other words, there are several mundane details not needed. But the setting and the characters add to the charm!

The narrator, Stephanie Németh-Parker did such a wonderful job. She really made this tale come alive.

Need a sweet tale with a fabulous setting…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The Bookshop by the Bay by Pamela M. Kelley is a moving story about mothers, daughters, and best friends helping each other through the trials of life. It's fun, romantic, and beachy.

I love the Cape so I really liked reading about Chatham. I thought that the story was a little predictable but I also really liked all of the characters so I was happy to see them get a happy ending!

This book was definitely escapist fiction. Overall, it was a quick and easy read, but I found some of the plot lines hard to believe. For example, major, major life decisions made just kind of off the cuff and then so fast that it definitely lessened the reality. I also thought that the writing was drawn out and choppy in some areas. The reader probably doesn’t need to know how much a group ordered for dinner, and then a description of each of those plates. I think some of that could have been cut out in several sections.

Follow two mothers and their daughters into an adventure of a lifetime.

Jess and Alison have dreamed of living closer to one another for years, and Alison has dreamed of owning a bookstore much of her adult life. When the two opportunities collide, with the help of their daughters, they jump at the chance.

As much as I wanted to love this book, it fell flat for me. That does NOT mean it's the wrong book for you! I will say I am not much into women's fiction, so this book is probably perfect for that genre. The plot sequence is a great concept and has a lot to offer. However, I didn't FEEL the book. I read the words, I was told the feelings of the characters. As readers, we even get all four main characters' POVs. Yet I didn't feel emboldened with rage with Jess, I didn't feel broken with Julia, I didn't feel homesick with Caitlin. On a few occasions I can imagine myself as Alison. She was probably the most vivid character.

Thank you to the publisher for a digital ARC.

This was a cute, decidedly superficial beach bookstore novel. It was generally well-written, but Kelly’s voice seemed to be more tell than show so it was a rather dry read. I enjoyed the premise of mothers and daughters and finding your way to where you are supposed to be.

The Bookshop by the Bay is a standalone novel by author Pamela Kelley. Two women, best friends since childhood, create a special summer for themselves and their adult daughters when Jessica Coleman, attorney, comes home to Chatham, Massachusetts, with her daughter, Caitlin, to spend some time with her mother and friends. Jessica’s marriage to fellow attorney and law partner Parker Coleman when his straying creates a new family, has run its course. This separation is the precursor for divorce.
Alison Page has worked as editor for a regional travel magazine for years. Having divorced many years before, Alison and her ex, Chris, have created a close friendship as they raised their daughter, Julia. Almost too close as neither date but they also have no intention to reunite. When Alison’s boss, Jim, confides that the magazine is in deep financial trouble that will necessitate layoffs, Alison volunteers to go part time. Working at the magazine is not her dream job. What Alison really imagines for herself is owning her own bookstore. When the local bookstore is up for sale, Jessica proposes she will purchase it and Alison will run it. The building also includes a defunct coffee shop, a big plus.
Alison will manage daily operations, Jessica will do bookkeeping and legal work, and unemployed Caitlin will manage the coffee shop. Julia is building her own high end jewelry store but will help with advertising and promotion. Hopefully, all will be running smoothly by the time Jess and Caitlin return to Charleston in midOctober.
This is a well plotted tale of second acts and friendships. With well drawn characters and a lovely coastal setting, Ms. Kelley returns her readers to the Cape Cod area in a dynamic story of moving forward. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

The Bookshop by the Bay is like sitting with an old friend and catching up and is a great story about finding yourself and true happiness after facing the unexpected. The characters are likable, the storyline flows and the book was hard to put down. I loved the focus on the mothers who are friends and how their daughters eventually become friends as well.

This is a great, quick read about discovering your strength and building a family and life that makes you happy.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Jess loves being a lawyer but the rest of her life isn't quite like she hoped it would be. She's in a marriage that seems to be on pause and who wants to live that way. She wants to talk to her husband and figure out what they can do to make the marriage work bit she soon learns he has cheated. Wanting to get away and process what she has learned Less takes off with her adult daughter to her childhood home of Cape Cod. While there she her best friend Alison is having issues of her own but hers has to do with her career. The two ladies start to lean on each other and take ownership of a local bookstore. As the weeks pass by they both have to figure out just where they want to end up and how can they get there. This was a lovely and emotional read that takes you on a journey of healing and moving forward in life.

Love stories of bookshop and friends. Sometimes our life doesn’t go as planned and in this story of two friends they help each other through tough times and together they decide to run the bookshop. What a dream !! Marriage and life is hard but we can get the best sometimes in the end result.

Fabulous Beach Read! 4 Women - 2 mothers and 2 daughters have the courage to start over and live out their dreams. Allison is laid off, but her real dream is owning a bookstore. Jess discovers her husband is cheating with someone in their law office no less. Jess's daughter was also laid off so the two decide to visit the cape - their original hometown. and the home of Allison, Jess's best friend. Perfect timing - the local bookstore and attached coffee shop are for sale. Jess feels it is the perfect investment opportunity and Allison is more than happy to run it. With her past experience, Jess's daughter is the perfect person to run the coffee shop. All 4 women are newly single. Can they find love again at the Cape! Great Book!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Alison and Jess are childhood besties who are both going through big life changes. Jess and her husband are splitting and Alison is losing her job through downsizing. They reconnect in Chatham, MA for a summer and decide to open a bookstore and coffee shop. Also included in the tale are their two daughters Caitlin and Julia. This book has all the elements of a great beach read:mother-daughter relationships, midlife changes, best friend relationships, etc but it just read way too dry for me. The POVs switched frequently and it was hard to tell the characters apart, even when the POV changed. Sometimes it read more like multiple journal entries -down to what everyone ordered for dinner. I also found the whole-I left my cheating husband and bought a business but didn't tell him and now I avoid him for months part to be a little unbelievable. Sorry, I can't find that too sympathetic.
That being said, this book was an easy read so may be perfect for the beach.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars

Thank you St Martin's for the gifted copies.

The Bookshop by the Bay is a feel-good story about a group of women at individual crossroads who come together for fresh starts and second chances. The Cape Cod vibes make this perfect beach read for folks who enjoy wholesome, Hallmark style women's fiction.

DNF @ 20%. There were far too many characters that this story was centering around, and none of them interesting. Unfortunate because I thought the synopsis looked cute!

Highly entertaining, deeply emotional and exciting journey! Heartwarming journey filled with engaging charters, intriguing story line, witty banter, heart racing twists and unbreakable bonds. Really enjoyed this emotional and exciting journey!

2 stars. This book was to slow of a buildup. I lost interest at 50% . DNF

***********************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.**********************************

The Bookshop by the Bay is a beach read about four women. Jess, a successful attorney in Charleston, discovers her husband has been cheating on her and has gotten another woman pregnant. Jess's daughter, Caitlin, has just lost her job. They decide to spend the summer in Cape Cod (Chatham) with Jess's mother and Jess's lifelong best friend Allison, who really wants to buy a little bookshop they always loved. Allison also has a daughter, Julia, who is Caitlin's age.

I wanted to read this book because it sounded like a perfect beach read. It was! I really liked all the four characters, although I felt we got to know Allison and Julia a bit less than Jess and Caitlin. This is a heartwarming story of likable people making their way through changes in life and finding good things when challenges occurred.

I recommend The Bookshop by the Bay for fans of women's fiction and beach reads. This is my first read by Pamela Kelley, but I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I enjoyed it but the extreme detail about EVERYTHING was a bit annoying. And the thought "why would someone with a degree want to be a plumber?" Is why I'll probably never read this author again. What a horrible thing to say.