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

This was an excellent listen on audio. The characters were fun and it was interesting seeing that other characters from the series were mentioned. It kept me guessing trying to figure out how those supplemental characters would play out their own stories. It also intrigued me to check out the other books in the series by the same publisher and prompted me to look for other titles by the author.

Cat Keene needs money or she’ll lose the bed & breakfast that has been in her family for generations. Noah Belacourt is a billionaire. He wants to help Cat, and not just because he’s harbored a crush on her since they were teens. But Cat is stubborn, and she takes some convincing. When Cat agrees to work as Noah’s personal assistant for the summer, she doesn’t realize she’s signing up for a lot more than debt relief.

From the moment they met again when Noah was back in town, Cat tried her hardest to avoid interactions with Noah. After agreeing to come on as his assistant, she soon had to work to deny their mutual attraction. I love that Noah respected the boss-employee boundary despite crushing on her for the longest time.

The friendship they developed somehow broke the ice. They grew closer and comforted each other when difficulties and past hurts needed to be dealt with.

The dual narration on audio was such a treat! This is the first book in the series that I've read and I'm glad it reads well as a standalone. Can't wait to read the rest!

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Dnf at 30 % I think I’m just not the right audience. It felt repetitive and I wasn’t invested in the characters. I liked the anxiety rep loved the island setting. Just wasn’t vibing with it.

Easy, breezy beach read. Perfect for a quick on the go book. I really enjoyed the pov of the fmc, but couldn't get onboard with the mmc. His, as he stated "archaic" thoughts and slight judgments really gave me an ick. Even though he claimed to love her as she is, he continued to have digs about what she was wearing. And, I didn't like that he kept trying to give her money even though she said no. Then, for her to switch and be ok with it if they were getting married threw me a bit. Overall, it was a cute read, it just lacked character development and chemistry for me.

This is an awesome book! I love the banter and relationship building that takes place between Cat and Noah.

The narrators were excellent. They made the story come alive.
I can never get enough Kasey Stockton books! I thoroughly enjoyed this and loved the main characters!

The secret crush aspect was so swoony. I really liked the way the two of them helped each other through their struggles.

Having the MMC be a billionaire was fun! (Oh to have that much money…) These two had so much chemistry! Because of Cat’s extreme dislike of Noah’s sister, she didn’t want anything to do with him. But Cat needed a lot of money fast, so she reluctantly accepted a temporary job as Noah’s assistant. That’s when the sparks began to fly!

Noah was such a sweetheart! I don’t know how Cat resisted him as long as she did. I loved her character arc and how she came to face the past and overcome her prejudices.

This is the sweetest story! I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

4.5 ⭐️

I love Stockton's stories for their banter and romantic tension (closed door romances/RomComs). Beachy Keen did not disappoint me. It's the perfect summer binge read on or off the beach. Major bonus: the audiobook is a DUET narration!! The narration was brilliantly entertaining - it really brought the story to the next level.

I enjoyed every minute of this read and read it start to finish in less than 24 hours.

Thank you NetGalley, Kasey Stockton, and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook ARC.