The Seaside Sisters
by Pamela M. Kelley
Pub Date: June 4, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Unfortunately, this book wasn;t remarkable for me.
I wanted a solid contemporary romance and this one was good just not great.
I enjoyed this story about two sisters, Sara and Hannah, navigating life after losing their mother. Both sisters were easy to relate to with the varying challenges they each had in the book. In addition, I found it interesting to read about Hannah’s writing process, and how her writing was inspired in different ways throughout the novel.
3 stars

This was another great read by Pamela Kelley. I truly enjoy her stories as they make you feel like you are right there, living in the story, wherever the characters are. Thank. you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

This was a fun summer romantic beach read. I am glad that it seemed that everyone got their happy ending. These sisters are great at supporting each other through whatever life seems to throw their way. Someday I am going to make it to east coast and see all these wonderful places!

Pros:
Sweet romance
Seaside, New England setting
Cafe
Bookstore
Author character

Cons:
Characters flat
Sluggish story line

I started out enjoying this light, beach-type read. But about halfway through it seemed slow and repetitive, and the characters weren’t developing. The novel follows two women and their aunt in separate relationship storylines. I wanted to like it but never really connected strongly with the characters or their stories.

Always love Pamela Kelley’s book and am so excited to receive advanced copies. This is another great story of a writer taking a break from NYC and spending the summer at home on the Cape. Delightful!

It is a nice light read and perfect for pairing with a suspenseful page-turner. I enjoyed the story but felt like the last quarter of the book was quickly written to meet a deadline.

The Seaside Sisters by Pamela M. Kelley fell completely flat for me. The characters were two dimensional, even the main character Sarah who could have been so much more as a struggling author. The romance was unexciting, the only good descriptions were of the food which sounded wonderful. At the end of the book I wondered why I had bothered finishing it because nothing really happened. Thank you to the author publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Two sisters spend the summer together in an idyllic beach location. Love interest, the beach, swoonworthy descriptions make this a great summer read.

The Seaside Sisters is another great book from Pamela Kelley. The book is well written and I loved the plot and setting. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance book. This is my unbiased review.

This was a sweet story about Hannah, her sister Sara and their Aunt Maddie. All 3 women are at a crossroads in their lives after the loss of Maddie's sister/sisters mom. The MC, Hannah is an up and coming author trying to write a follow up to her very successful first book. To get a fresh perspective and some inspiration she goes back home to Chatham and stays with her Aunt Maddie, who is currently separated from her husband. Sara has never left Chatham and is struggling to find balance now that all 4 of her boys are in school. Come home to the Cape and see how these women find the courage to re-define themselves. With wonderful friends and each other encouraging them to live their best lives.

I really loved the two main characters, Hannah and Sara who are sisters. Hannah is a successful new author of romance comedies and Sara does not currently work, looking after her husband and four sons. The story follows the trials and tribulations of both and is a delight to read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Once again Pamela Kelley has knocked it out of the ballpark. From her warm characters to her vivid descriptions of the beaches and the towns she is writing about the reader feels as though they are present in the scene. Ever the foodie, Kelley once again has the reader salivating at the many restaurant, cookout, and social gathering scenes.
This is a summer must read for all Cape and beach enthusiasts.

I wanted a solid contemporary romance and honestly this was fine and solid. Honestly it just read as dry after a while, with no huge revelations or love scenes which is why I reduced this down to 4 stars. "The Seaside Sisters" is a bit of a misnomer since at certain parts of the book we follow the two sisters, aunt, and a love interest. After a while it got to be a too much, so that knocked it down another star for me to 3 stars.

"The Seaside Sisters" follows Hannah, Sara, and their aunt Maddie. Hannah is dealing with some writer's block after her mother's death. Living in New York and loving it, she realizes that she is under a lot of stress. She decides to return to her hometown of Chatham, Cape Cod to recuperate and find her writing mojo. Hannah's sister Sara, is struggling with trying to find a job after years of being a SAHM. Sara's husband isn't being very supportive, and she's left wondering about the state of her marriage. Another person wondering about the state of their marriage, is the women's aunt Maddie. Maddie is separated from her long-time husband and wondering if she's ready to truly be single again.

I thought Hannah was fine, but very boring. I just didn't find myself invested in any of her love interests or her writing. Reading about someone trying to write romance scenes, and going to groups for that was very very dry. I had more interest in Sara's story-line honestly. And with Maddie, her career was interesting, but she seemed so indifferent to her husband and I didn't know what was going on with that at all. It felt like something that should have been cut.

Hannah's supposed love interest comes from a thousand miles away, which isn't a bad thing, but I saw no chemistry there. Sara's husband read very very different to me, so was surprised where things went. Same with Maddie's husband. I think that's the biggest issue. This book reads as three separate plots that could have been separate books. There's very few interactions between all of the women. And I will forever be confused why we got a throwaway third person point of view for the one love interest.

The setting of Chatham, Cape Cod sounded awesome. As did the food. I would love to visit there.

We do get several HEA's which were nice to read, but honestly this wasn't a book I can see me re-reading again and again.

Hannah is a published author who has a deadline for her second novel. Only problem is she is suffering from writer's block. Her aunt suggests that Hannah visit her in her hometown on Cape Cod. She does with hopes that the change of scenery will help her writer's block. Also, she will be able to spend time with her aunt and her sister. Those two women have struggles of their own.

Overall, I felt it was a breezy, easy summer beach read. Hannah was a likeable character. The story showed the struggles that authors face even after a successful book. I liked the relationship between the three women as well as the friendships Hannah builds.

It is obvious the author is a foodie. The description of every dish or drink became bothersome to me. She gave a fraction of the description to places and people. For example, her aunt's house was supposed to be this very large house but nothing really was described much beyond the name of the room.. Also, a hotel was restored to it's former glory but that’s all that was said about it.

There wasn't much description of Hannah's feelings when she spent time with Spencer. Was she excited, nervous? I couldn't tell. Spencer was described as a grump but he only was once.

I felt that problems were resolved very quickly and storyline were glossed over.

This book good enough to get me to finish it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Pamela M Kelley novels always leave me feeling good and the Seaside Sisters HEA has me still smiling.

Hannah Brewster is now a published romance author. Creating her second book has her leaving Brooklyn to return to Chatham on Cape Cod. Her aunt Maddie is happy to share her home with Hannah for the summer. Hannah's sister Sara is struggling too since their mother's recent death.

The characters are all people you want to be friends with, except Melissa. Local tourist activities provide a travelogue to add to a bucket list. A plot that keeps you turning pages.

I can see where some people would really enjoy this book. It is an escape to Cape Cod in the summer as we follow Brooklyn-based writer Hannah on an extended visit to her aunt and sister in her hometown of Chatham. For me, the writing just wasn't there - so while it was a quick read with some likable characters and a wonderful setting, I never was able to truly escape into the story... other writers in the same genre use better writing and more vivid, flowing language to do it better.

NOTE: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would give anything to escape to Cape Cod so I could read by the beach, listen to the waves and forget about life for a while. Hannah was fortunate that her job as an author allowed her to write from anywhere and a summer on Cape Cod was the perfect place to work on her new book. She quickly got into a routine of writing at a coffee shop with the hustle and bustle of the customers becoming the background noise that kept her mind flowing with ideas. She enjoyed staying with her Aunt Maddie at her beachfront house, but the best part of her working vacation was reconnecting with her big sister, Sara, a busy mom of four boys, who was at the point in her life that she needed something more to make her life complete. Her husband couldn’t understand why taking care of the boys wasn’t enough for her. Sara worked as a librarian before she became a stay-at-home mom, so books and writing were always a big part of her life, too. Their special summer together was beneficial for all of them, and one they would never forget. Hannah found inspiration for her writing, (and possibly a new romance), Sara’s life became brighter when she was offered the perfect part time job, and their Aunt Maddie had decisions to make about her personal, and also her professional life. Sometimes life takes you down a new path but as long as you have your family and the soothing ocean breezes, you will find the answers you are looking for.

This story is set in Cape Cod. Hannah who is now a bestselling author decides to leave Brooklyn to go back to her hometown Chatham for the summer after she starts having panic attacks. She stays with her Aunt and gets to see her sister and renew their relationships.. After making new friends, finding new writing spots and having her friend come visit she is torn whether to return to Brooklyn or start a new life in Chatham. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

My Thoughts

Hannah’s decision to summer with her Aunt Maddie at her beach cottage located in Chatham, Cape Cod came about because she needed to lower her stress level and what better way than moving back to ones low key hometown.

The decision turns out to have many unforeseen benefits for Hannah, first and foremost to her great relief the writers block for her second work-in-progress goes away.

Not only that but thanks to new friends and new experiences her creative well is overflowing with future ideas the longer Hannah stays in Chatham.

Her sister Sara also finds her own creative outlet and together they turn erstwhile frowns upside down into smiles as life choices open up that the pair had not expected.

A beautiful story of family, friendships, life challenges, new perspective and other issues that take the reader along for a pleasant journey with likable characters at its core.

New-to-me author whose work I would enjoy reading more of.
[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.

Hannah is a writer based in Brooklyn, NY. She has recently ended a long term relationship and her mother has died. She is experiencing writers’ block as she works on her second book. At the invitation of her Aunt Maddie, she agrees to return to Chatham on Cape Cod where she grew up. His sister, Sara, is a married mom of four energetic young boys and also lives in Chatham. Hannah sets up a daily routine of long walks followed by afternoons writing in a local coffee shop. She reconnects with Spenser, a hot local lawyer who she knew in high school, and his grandparents who live next door to Maddie. As the three women process their grief they encounter obstacles and challenges. This is a cozy romance and a quick read. Pamela Kelley paints a beautiful picture of Chatham where I spent some weeks each summer as a child. It was great fun revisiting it. I had not read this author before but I look forward to diving into her backlist. I thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.