If you haven't read any of the Summer Novels based in Sunset Harbor, I highly recommend that you move them up to the top of your TBR list. I'm reading them out of order because I'm disorganized, but I've loved every single one of them so far! The authors did a fantastic job with interweaving the lives of many different characters on an island off the coast of Florida. This island happens to be populated with many rich single men, so if you are looking for a Billionaire romance, this is the place to start.

Beachy Keen tells the story of Kat and Noah; they have known each other most of their lives and Kat is his family's maid, unbeknowst to Noah. When he moves back to Sunset Harbor for a much needed break from his job, he runs into Kat and ends up hiring her to help her with her financial difficulties.

Here are a few of the themes in the book that I enjoyed reading about:
- Fear of the ocean
- High medical bills
- Cancer recovery
- Difficult families
- Overcoming mental illness difficulties

Overall, this is a fantastic book! I would categorize this as a sweet romance, appropriate for teenagers and older who are comfortable reading about kissing but who don't want any closed door scenes. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance listener copy of this book. A review was not required.

Beachy Keen by Kasey Stockton

The first story I read in the Falling for Summer series and I haven’t been able to stop since.

I love a good billionaire romance. Especially when said billionaire is down to earth like our dear sweet Noah 👏

Cat makes for a great for a great female lead. I loved her hustle and her giant heart. (I also love all the appearances she makes in other books in the series. She’s the island bestie.)

The romance is tender and sweet and sizzling. Another fantastic summer read!

Unfortunately, the audiobook wasn’t my favorite. Whatever equipment the male narrator was using was not it 😅 and when they would do the dialogue back and forth his always came in late.

A quick summer read! I enjoyed the book for what it was but overall, it wasn’t for me. There were so many subplots with repetitive dwelling… just **communicate**. The romance seemed more background and centered around the subplots.

There was so much tension of the good, swoony kind in this book, and the narrators depicted that so well. I love love love duet style narration, because most men cannot affect female voice well at all. I love when the characters get to just lend their own voices to their dialogue no matter which POV the chapters are in.

Money is a huge mountain to climb for most people out here in this economy. Times are rough. So, I really appreciated how respectfully and decently Noah talked about and employed his own wealth.

The relationship between Cat and her uncle Otto is so precious that it’s absolutely worth noting. The fact that Cat knows and is thankful for his uncommon goodness and affections made her so winsome in my mind. I also loved how directly and maturely Cat deals with *most* conflict. The fact that she sees Noah’s respect for personal boundaries and values that… QUEEN.

Noah is a gentlemen’s nerd. I’ve said it before but let me say it again: true love should let you ENJOY WHAT YOU ENJOY! I’m going to let Biceps McDaniel watch LOTR as many times as he wants, and he’s sat through both versions of Pride & Prejudice with me this week alone. Loved those moments for Noah & Cat.

As with every contemporary romance book by Kasey Stockton I've read this was another delight. Kasey has a way of engaging the audience with humor and wit but without making the book seem silly. Very enjoyable!

This is a story of two people who grew up on a small island off the coast of Florida before one of them moved away. Now that Noah is back on the island and interrupting her life, Cat has to decide what to do with the feelings of attraction that are beginning to bloom between them. When Noah finds out that Cat needs some extra funds for outstanding family medical bills, he hires her as his assistant while he’s temporarily living on the island to take some time off of work and help manage his anxiety.

What I enjoyed: positive discussion about mental health, managing panic attacks and anxiety, the benefits of speaking to a therapist

What I didn’t love: the financial difficulties combined with secrets between Cat and her paternal figure, the development of the romantic relationship happening almost exclusively while they were working together, the conflict/sort of third act break up

Overall, this was a light beach read that provided a summery setting and romance

Read if you enjoy:
☀️ forbidden romance
☀️ forced proximity
☀️ beach setting
☀️ financial differences
☀️ anxiety rep
☀️ wholesome romance

Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advanced audiobook copy of this story. All opinions are my own.

I’ve really had fun with the Falling for Summer series! These are 7 interconnected stand-alones by 7 different authors. I love how each author is putting their own spin on this adorable community and characters.
Beachy Keen was a cute and easy read by author, Kasey Stockton. While I found it to be a little “cheesy” at times, for lack of a better word, it was still a very fun and light-hearted read.
The characters were adorable and you can’t beat the setting of Sunset Harbor.
If you are into cute, “feel good” romances with a storyline that seems a little too good to be true, you will love Beachy Keen!

My rating 3.75
Spice: Closed-Door

I read the audiobook of Beachy Keen and thought the narrators were great! I loved the dual narration. Thanks so much to Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this audiobook.

Não sei muito bem como começar essa resenha. O sentimento que essa leitura me deixou foi um tanto anticlimático, se assim dá para definir realmente, e ao mesmo tempo em que a leitura fluiu bem, também deixou um gosto meio agridoce de "tanto faz". Enfim, talvez tê-la feito no audiobook não tenha me conectado como achei que faria, como em outras leituras anteriores. Ou talvez o timming da história não tenha batido com o que eu estava procurando, já que temos aqui um clichê de bilionário e mocinha humilde (só que clean, sem hot, amamos!), com o extra de que se passa num local e universo compartilhado entre outros livros de diferentes autoras, o que achei uma sacada muito bacana porque, mesmo assim, dá para ser lido fora de ordem, como no meu caso, esse sendo o segundo livro de Falling for Summer.

Por mais que em partes eu tenha curtido a forma como tudo transcorreu, apesar de uma enrolação ou outra aqui e ali, não consegui me sentir conectada aos personagens. Gostei demais da narrativa deles no audiobook, esse não foi o problema; só mesmo a personalidade e forma como os protagonistas se desenvolveram é que não me cativou como o esperado. Quando eu achava estar me apegando à eles, logo me distanciava de novo e o romance com todo aquele "não podemos ficar juntos" sem muita lógica real para tal me deixou entediada em alguns momentos. É interessante a autora ter inserido questões de saúde mental na trama, como no caso do mocinho lidando com ansiedade e crises de pânico, e é muito bom o foco de importância que ela dá à busca por tratamento e ao diálogo para tirar o estigma em torno do transtorno. Teve uma abordagem envolvendo bullying no passado da mocinha também, mas esse eu já senti desenvolvido muito por cima, queria que fosse mais aprofundado para passar a devida seriedade, a forma como se deu quase deixou o acontecimento apagado na trama.

No geral, uma leitura leve, com um ou outro tema sério/atual, mas sem um peso muito forte, mas ainda assim fica aí o aviso para se você tiver gatilho com esses assuntos. Narração muito bem feita, com vozes que combinaram bem com os personagens, e num todo, passa uma vibe legal de verão.

This book is fantastic! I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good laugh, a smile, a beach vibe, or just wants to read a fun book.

I loved the setting, and 100% want to go stay at Cat's B&B in Sunset Harbor. It would be a dreamy place to grow up and even better place to fall in love. And since it is a romance story- you won't be disappointed there.

However, it isn't all sunshine and beaches. You have strong anxiety represented, parental death, divorce, dysfunctional family, financial troubles, etc. No matter the number in your bank account, you aren't immune to trials. Sometimes your trials do make you stronger, and sometimes you have to just let your heart win and not let your head get in the way.

I loved Cat and Noah so much. His heart, patience and sincerity is not what you expect from an extremely rich, famous and very handsome man. Her energy, loyalty, strong work ethic, acceptance of all (unless you're a part of the richest family on the island), and confidence in who she is, is so refreshing. She is unapologetically herself, and not embarrassed to clean homes as well as visit elderly residents.

Can they overcome the opposite upbringing, circumstances and lifestyles, as well as the fact that he is the brother of her middle school tormentor? And now that he is her boss- will they be able to squash the attraction they both feel?

"Noah Belacourt, billionaire bonehead. He's a year older and a thousand million dollars richer than me. So I of course hate him."

"Go home, anxiety. That's enough for today, please. I swallow, my throat is dry. I try to will my breathing back to normal, but it's out of my control. Once the anxiety train leaves the station, it's Duffy to slow down."

"Cat's laugh floats from the kitchen, joyous and bright.
It's no wonder I feel lighter when I'm constantly surrounded by sunshine."

Kasey Stockton’s Beachy Keen is the second book in the multi-author series, Falling for Summer.
I am a huge fan of multi-author series. There is just something so fun about creative minds coming together to create a small town filled with lovable characters. So when I saw this one was centered around summer, I knew I had to get my hands on ALL seven books.

Beachy Keen is a cute beach read that packs a punch. While the heart of the book is a sweet love story, it tackles some hard hitting topics such as death, mental health, and financial struggles. I appreciate that Cat and Noah’s relationship took time to develop and was grounded. While there were elements of fantasy, their story felt rooted in the everyday minutia of reality.

I had the privilege of listening to this story on audiobook. I found both Rylee Kuberra and John Rogers to be fantastic narrators. I highly recommend this format.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Kasey Stockton for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @45%

There was not anything inherently wrong with this book, it just didn't keep my attention.

I loved this sweet romance. It was young and had a great beachy feel.
I had all the great feels too, the angst of our characters, the denial and the way they fell for one another was sweet and wholesome. There were parts that made me chuckle and parts that made me want to cry.
I listened to the audio for this one and I loved both narrators. The narration was a bit slow, but thanks to speed choice I could push it up to a comfortable 1,75 and still enjoy each narrators tones and sighs. Both narrators were great with their expressions and changing tones for other characters. I did think the male character needed to to better with his British accent (with a minor character that appeared once). Other than that, they both chuckled, harrumphed, sighed and whispered - I love listening to all that, it's what makes the audio come alive!

⭐️ 4.5/5. Beachy Keen left me with a smile on my face and a desire to read the rest of the series. This is an enemies to lovers, billionaire romance with a feisty FMC and a kind and nerdy (but hot) MMC who deals with anxiety. It’s a feel good summer romance with a lot of fun and unique plot elements, while also having the feelings of a Hallmark movie. It can be considered a closed door romance with nothing more than making out, and there’s actually a bonus epilogue you can download if you subscribe to the author’s newsletter. I’d definitely recommend this as a fun summer read! ☀️🏝️🩵

Beachy Keen by Kasey Stockton was a great summer read! I loved this book and will definitely be listening to this one again! The collision of Cat and Noah’s past and present realities and the tension of what they felt and wanted to feel made me want to keep listening. I also loved the mental health representation in the book.

The dual POV really added to the audiobook experience. The narrators voices fit the characters very well and did a fantastic job! Cat’s pacing was a little quicker than Noah’s but I did just fine listening at 2x speed! 😅

Some of my favorite things from the book were:
💰 Cat’s nicknames for Noah
📸 The photo shoot
🧙‍♂️ Noah’s secret room
🧠 Mental health/anxiety representation
🌊 Overcoming fears

*Thank you Dreamscape Media for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Just slightly under 4 stars but super cute! Gotta love a billionaire romance 😉

Thank you for this audio arc!

I love these cute romance books. I do not know what happened to me. A year ago I would have found them "gringe". The men are so rich and yet so loving. Also these books, especially this one, are hilarious!
The best part of this fun story is the narration. I love how the characters switch. I loved all the voices!
I just had the best time with this one!

Beachy Keen is a sweet romance that follows Cat a local in a small beach town who works hard to help take care of the man who raised her. Then there's billionaire Noah who must be spoiled, rude, and entitled since he's rich right? That's what Cat thinks until they find themselves spending more time together than Cat initially intends ...

I love a mentally ill king! Lol all jokes aside I really enjoyed these characters and felt that Noah and Cat were so relatable. Honestly a stubbornly independent woman who just wants to take care of her family and herself. Who finds a billionaire man who just wants to give her the money and to take care of her because he's had a crush on her for the longest time?! How is that not the most adorable book in the world? This is the start of a series and I will definitely be continuing. The couple was adorable and I was rooting for them the whole time. I just wanted to be reading this book on a beach somewhere with a cocktail in hand.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to add a sweet and fun beach romance to their summer TBR. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Why do I keep accidentally falling into closed-down romances? 😩

Aside from the extreme lack of spice (spoiler: they don’t even kiss for real until like, 85% into the book), this was a sweet slow burn between two beach-loving adults who knew each other as kids. (One of those kids just so happens to be a billionaire in present day.)

The unrequited love the MMC had for the FMC was really cute, though! I love that he liked her ever since she was a teen.

(Thank you, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

If you're looking for a cute Rom-Com this is a really great one to read. The banter between the characters is funny and relatable. There are several times I wanted to grab and hug Cat as well as Noah with all that they are going through separately as well as fighting their feelings for each other.

Return to Sunset Harbor with me
in
Beachy Keen by Kasey Stockton

Series: Falling for Summer bk 2
Genre: Sweet Island Rom-Com
Romance Level: Closed-door 1
Audio Release Date: July 6, 2024
Narrators: Rylee Kuberra, John Rogers
Indie Published

My Favorite Parts:
Nerdy Billionaire MMC
Book loving FMC
Meet Cute
Unrequited Love/Crush
Hate to more
Forced proximity
Cooking dinner
Smoothie
Photo shoot for ad
Conversations
Blackberry picking and crumble
At the bar (no drinking)
Taking care of each other
The proposal

Thoughts:
First off, I agree with Cat on Home Alone Movies.

Secondly, I just adored my second trip to Sunset Harbor in Cat's and Noah's story, Beach Keen. Noah is basically my husband, minus the billionaire part. He is a nerd, loving all the things my husband loves: Lord of the Rings, video games, Star Wars, etc. Noah is just a sweetie, who has had a crush on Cat for a VERY long time, and she doesn't know it. In fact it caused problems in hers and his sister's friendship many years ago. I won't say anymore than that though. Noah has some anxiety due to the fact his family has a lot of problems. My heart ached for him. He wants to do nothing, but please and help Cat, which is how my husband is for me. He spoils me rotten!

Poor Cat! She just wants to help her uncle, who has raised her since she was a child. She scrubs and cleans people's homes for extra money, and when that isn't enough, Noah hires her as a personal assistant while he is on the island. She reluctantly agrees and the rest is history. I loved their dynamic. And their kisses are so sizzling and romantic.
I loved this one and Kasey is a new Rom-Com favorite. I look forward to her whole backlist (have only read 2 others of hers).

I can't wait to go back to visit Sunset Harbor in Summer Ever After by Kortney Keisel.

Audio:
Rylee and John do another fantastic job at duet dual pov in this audio. I especially liked how you could tell when Noah’s mom and aunt were talking.

I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook from Netgalley and Dreamscape Audio. Thank you! All thoughts are my own.

Content Warning: Kisses only

Trigger Warning: Fight with cancer (side character), Family drama/Divorce, Death of family (past), On page Anxiety, Counseling for Anxiety, Bullying