The Seaside Sisters
By: Pamela M. Kelley
St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin

In The Seaside Sisters, Kelley took me to New York skylines before sweeping me away to the shores of Chatham, Cape Cod. I never looked back until I finished this refreshing, summery novel. Main character sisters are the single Hannah, a New York based author, and Sara, a wife, boy mom, and former librarian living in Cape Cod. Both are dealing with the grief of their mother's death. Hannah returns to Chatham to work on her second book for a summer.

I love a book that transports me to a beautiful setting, as well as those featuring sisters since I love mine so much.
The book flows beautifully with summertime events involving careers, family, and friendships. The tenderness and ebb and flow of marriage, as well as the excitement and anticipation of new romances are both featured in the love stories within the plot. Make room for this book in your summer bag for patio, oceanside, or book nook reading!

I received a gifted advance reader's copy from St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin through Net Galley. My review is my own.

#StMartinsPress #StMartinsGriffin #theseasidesisters #pamelakelley #netgalley

Seaside Sisters is an easy summer read. Hannah, struggling with writer’s block, is the main focus but her sister and aunt also feature. It was fun peeking inside the work of a literary agent through Aunt Maddie. Kelley created a warm small-town feel in the circle of family and friends. I’ve never been to Cape Cod, so I enjoyed reading about actual places like restaurants and a theatre. I didn’t realize there were great whites as well as whales and seals on watch tours. Overall a sweet, light summer read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a nice summery read. It’s a nice easy to read book with really nice characters. The main characters all have some life issues to deal with. It’s a sweet romance and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Nice story. Enjoyed learning about Chatham, MA area.. Characters were fully developed and relatable. All in all, a nice summery read.

The Seaside Sisters was an entertaining read, I found it a little slow at times but I did really enjoy the book. The loss of a parent does take a huge part of your heart, and it takes some many years to ever recover from that loss. I would have enjoyed a little more heat from Hannah and Spenser, not full out sex scenes but for me their connection what hard to make since they rarely even shared a kiss. I would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

The Seaside Sisters revolves around Hannah, a debut author who is working on her second book. Hannah currently lives in Brooklyn, NY but is from Chatham in the Cape Cod area. Her mother recently died and she is struggling with the grief. Hannah is given the chance to stay with her Aunt Maddie back in Chatham for the summer at the seaside. This will allow Hannah time to relax and focus on her writing and spend time with her family. Hannah's sister Sara also lives in Chatham. She is a mom to four boys and is struggling with finding herself again. She was a librarian before her children were born and she longs to get back to work.

Hannah reconnects with Spencer, a man she went to high school with who is now a lawyer. Hannah shadows him at work for a few weeks as she is writing about a lawyer in her newest book. She makes friends with Spencer and his coworkers. Sara gets a job at the local bookstore which upsets her husband because he believes that she will begin slacking on her motherly duties. Aunt Mattie reveals that she is actually separated from her husband. He has moved permanently to their NYC apartment but they decide that they want to try to work things out.

This is a long-ish book (a little over 300 pages) and a lot of things happen without much really happening (if that makes sense). I'm not sure why it's called "The Seaside Sisters". Most of the story focuses on Hannah, not Sara. It would have been more appropriately titled "The Seaside Summer". There is no real plot here to me, just a bunch of side stories. I feel like there are almost too many characters for this novel to work. It was a feel good book, nothing truly bad happens (other than her mother's death- but they discuss positive ways to grieve) and everyone gets a Happily Ever After, but it's just a lot going on with nothing really happening. It wasn't a bad book, just not anything to write home about. I finished the book yesterday, and I've already forgotten details. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I love Pamel M. Kelly's books so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are perfect for any season. Beach reads, winter reads, fall reads, etc.

Thank you SMP Romance for my #gifted ARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for my #gifted ALC of The Seaside Sisters! #MacAudio2024

Title: The Seaside Sisters
Author: Pamela Kelley
Narrator: Stephanie Németh-Parker
Pub Date: June 4, 2024

The Seaside Sisters was my first book by Pamela Kelley and I enjoyed this charming book with its beach vibes. I love books that talk about other books and enjoyed how Hannah was a bestselling author in this book. On top of that, this book took place in Chatham, and I was able to spend time in Chatham last summer on a girls trip and visit many of the places mentioned in this book. It was so fun to hear mention of the Chatham Bars Inn and the Impudent Oyster. Overall, I found this to be a sweet read with a touch a romance. This would be perfect for the beach this summer. Add this one to your summer reading list!

🎧I really enjoyed my time listening to Stephanie Németh-Parker narrate this audiobook! I felt like she was perfectly cast for this audiobook and did a great job bring the characters to life. I felt like the story flowed so well with Németh-Parker narrating and I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook if that option is available to you!

🩷Books about Books
🩷Sisterhood
🩷Loss and Grief
🩷Perfect Summer Read
🩷A Touch of Romance
🩷Cape Cod - Chatham

Posted on Goodreads on May 28, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around May 29, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on June 4, 2024
**-will post on designated date

The summer of sisters Sara and Hannah and their Aunt Maggie is full of questions for each of them. Will Maggie and Ritchie reconcile? Will Hannah finish her book? Where does Spencer fit for her? Is Sara’s part time job too much competition for her family?
The premise is good but the story moves along very slowly. I found myself bored and wanting to jump chapters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story is a great mix of romance and women's fiction. I loved how Hannah and Sara were both finding a new path and were able to strengthen their relationship. The story is set in the same place as another book from this author, but is completely stand alone. I enjoyed the story showing the state of relationships in different stages and not just the start of a new romance. The story is a great summer read. It moves quickly and is a great escape. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I enjoy books about family and especially sisters. With the title being The Seaside Sisters I was excited to dive into the story.
Hannah is an author experiencing a lot of things in her life. The death of her mother, panic attacks along with writer’s block she leaves her apartment in Brooklyn and goes to spend the summer with her aunt in Chatham. She has a sister Sara who lives in Chatham, and they are looking forward to spending time together.
This interaction between the sisters was what I was most looking forward to reading but for me it fell a bit flat. I wanted to have more of a connection with them.
Thank you NetGalley, Pamela M. Kelley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Seaside Sisters. This is my personal review.

Hannah is an author who is struggling writing her second book after her mother's death. She lives in Brooklyn but decides to visit her Aunt Maddie in Chatham (on Cape Cod) for the summer to try to break her writer's block.

While there, she slips into a comfortable routine writing in a local coffee shop and making friends with the barista. The coffee shop is attached to a bookstore (this story line is a bit of a continuation from The Bookshop by the Bay) where Hannah's sister, Sara, ends up getting a part-time job.

The description and setting of Chatham is pretty spot-on. I felt like I was there on the beach throughout the story. Hannah, Sara and Maddie are having relationship issues which, honestly, were a bit predictable but the stories were good.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Seaside Sisters
By: Pamela M. Kelley
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: 6/04/24
What a great beach read for summer! Hannah is a bestselling author who has been through it in the last few months. Her Mom passed, her cat died and she broke up with her boyfriend of two years. Dealing with writer's block she’s craving a change of scenery from her home in Brooklyn. Her sister talks her into returning to her hometown Chatham, Cape Cod. Her sister and nephews are there as well as her Aunt Maddie. She sinks herself back in to live there. She joins a local writers group. Starts a new book that she had been struggling with in the city but it seems to flow better in Chatham. In an effort to get the new book right she shadows Spencer, a local boy who became a lawyer and was a year of her in high school. She still intends to return to the city at the end of summer but her friendship with Spenser has grown and she starts to question that decision. Will their friendship develop into more?
Thanks to Macmillan, NetGalley and Pamela M Kelley! Happy reading!

This one focuses on two sisters - the title led me to believe it would focus on them way more BUT it was more of a “coming of current age and lifestyle” for each sister individually with some help from each other and their found and born family!

Hannah is struggling to write her second novel and heads home to Cape Cod for a change of scenery & pace. Sara is struggling finding meaning in her stay at home mom duties so finds a part time job.

Both sisters recognize the magic of books, small hometowns, and relationships while navigating changes.

A breezy beach read for sure ! I got through this one in a day and enjoyed it!

This book felt too slow for me. I had difficulties to keep reading the book. It won't be a romance story that I will recommend to people around me but I can see that some readers will love it.

I love the different pov of sisters and how marriage and relationship have hardships. It felt real and relatable.

The description of Cape Code was beautiful and It made me want to go there one day.

I am sad to say that The Seaside Sisters disappointed me. I was looking forward to enjoy a fun beach read but this one never really took off. I know that Kelley is known for adding foodie content to her works, and I have read books that have made be famished by the time I was done, but I am afraid the constant insert of food descriptions here did not have that effect. Rather, the story felt very flat, the characters were not well developed and I didn't really feel invested about the sisters or their relationships. The marital stories were interesting. I was most invested in the aunt and her husband finding there way to reconciling, but even that felt like the story was still just going through the motions. There really wasn't much here to make me recommend it.


The two things that are good about the book is the cover and the length. It is short and could be easily read or listened to in an afternoon. If you are looking for a book to get you hungry without much emotional investment- this may be the choice.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for access to an e-Arc of the book for review purposes

Pamela Kelley is one of my go-to authors for a clean, light-hearted read. I was excited to receive this ARC by the publishers through NetGalley and leave an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.
I enjoyed the lightness of the story. The fact is is clean is another benefit. This is a book you can read in any mood and feel better afterwards. I would not say this is my favorite Pamela Kelley book and at times I could put it down and not feel the urge to quickly pick it back up.
With that said, I will still recommend it to others for a light read and will look forward to more books by this author.

3.5 stars! The Seaside Sisters is a feel good story that looks at couple relationships, family and friendship. But it's also about working through life's challenges and having the courage to make changes. Kelley introduces a fabulous cast of characters; I could see myself being friends with many of them. Even though the title is The Seaside Sisters, there's also a focus on the aunt, uncle, brother-in-law, nephews, close friends, pets and Chatham, MA - which definitely has its own personality too.

I adore Cape Cod, so it was especially nice to read a book that included so many of the actual landmarks, restaurants and shops. It's obvious that Kelley also enjoys the Cape, as well as food and drink. So many of the dishes were fantastically described; I actually made a list of the restaurants mentioned in hopes of trying them out.

The Seaside Sisters is a comfy, cozy, slow-paced and easy read. I do wish there had been some more conflict or surprising/shocking scenes as most of the book dealt with common everyday things which made much of the storyline a bit ordinary. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for the digital ARC.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

One summer can change everything, and in “The Seaside Sisters,” Pamela Kelley captures this transformative magic beautifully. Set against the charming backdrop of Chatham, Cape Cod, the novel follows two sisters, Hannah and Sara, as they navigate personal challenges and rediscover their passions.

Hannah, a bestselling author, is struggling to write her second book after enduring significant personal losses. Her retreat to their aunt Maddie’s oceanfront house in Chatham is both a creative escape and a chance to reconnect with her older sister, Sara. Sara, once a dedicated librarian, is now a mother of four in a faltering marriage, yearning to revive her love for literature and find fulfilling work outside the home.

What drew me to “The Seaside Sisters” was the captivating blend of an author’s journey and a beachside setting—two elements that Kelley intertwines seamlessly. The bond between Hannah and Sara, despite the physical distance and differing life paths, adds a layer of warmth and authenticity to the narrative.

The novel’s core theme revolves around pursuing joy and personal fulfillment. Sara’s struggle with a self-centered husband, who is oblivious to her desires to re-enter the workforce, resonates deeply. Her journey towards asserting her needs and making her husband recognize her contributions to the family is both inspiring and empowering.

Hannah’s creative block and her quest for inspiration back in Cape Cod are equally compelling. The shared grief over their mother’s recent death adds a poignant touch, making their summer retreat not just a physical journey but an emotional healing process.

Aunt Maddie, who is also grappling with marriage troubles of her own, adds another layer of depth to the story. Her struggles mirror those of her nieces, creating a multi-generational perspective on love and commitment. Maddie’s presence in the novel is crucial as it highlights the importance of family support during tough times and the different ways women of various ages deal with marital issues. Her journey towards resolving her problems provides a sense of solidarity and shared wisdom, enriching the overall narrative.

Kelley’s characters are wonderfully relatable and endearing. The romance, particularly Hannah’s rekindling of an old flame with Spencer—a high school acquaintance turned attractive grump—adds a delightful spark to the story. The sense of community in Chatham is vividly portrayed, making it a place I’d love to revisit in future books.

The discussions on marriage within the story are insightful, emphasizing the importance of communication, equitable division of household responsibilities, and the necessity of nurturing the relationship through date nights. These themes are handled with sensitivity and realism, making them resonate with readers.

Final Thoughts:

“The Seaside Sisters” is a heartwarming, beautifully crafted story about family, love, and the pursuit of one’s true self. Pamela Kelley has created a memorable and touching narrative that was a joy to read.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.