Beach Vibes is definitely not a “summer beach read”. It is however good women’s fiction as is the norm from my experience with Susan Mallery books. Friendship, family, betrayal all play a part in this story of the newfound friendship between Beth and Jana and their families. My only gripe is that I feel it could have been a little shorter, as there was a bit of repetition. Aside from that, this was an enjoyable read. Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I had high hopes from the description, complicated family relationships with some juicy drama. But I did find it hard to follow with the switching between the two main female characters. It would switch mid chapter, basically just a new paragraph but with switched perspectives, I found myself having to re-read a lot to figure out which POV I was on. I also just didn’t feel a connection with any of the characters. I DNF’d about half-way through, I’m sorry, just not for me! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The book has more family drama than beach vibes. Susan Mallery did a great job weaving in tension and mystery as well as the theme of loyalty versus doing the right thing. I enjoyed the setting of the sandwich shop in a small beach town. Beth started out way too overprotective of her brother, and always put herself last, but got better as the story progressed. The romance in the story felt random and it was strange that Jana constantly talked about who she was dating yet never mentioned his name.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You can't go wrong with a Susan Mallery beach read!

Beth is newly divorced and runs her own sandwich shop on the beach. She's taken care of her brother since forever and he hasn't always been on the up and up. When she finds out he's dating her new friend, Jana, it's a bit strange for them - and then she meets Jana's brother and they start dating and it gets weirder. It's an easy read, beachy vibes and a little slow going.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review,

When you pick up a Susan Mallery book, you know you’re in for family drama, romance, and just enough heartbreak to keep things interesting. Beach Vibes delivers all that—plus some serious sandwich-making skills.

Beth is the ultimate supportive sister, practically raising her younger brother Rick and cheering him on through medical school. She’s also built a life for herself, running a charming sub shop in Malibu. When she befriends Jana at a food bank, their lives intertwine in ways neither expects—especially when Beth’s brother starts dating Jana, and Beth starts falling for Jana’s brother. So far, so good, right? Well… until Beth catches Rick being a very bad boyfriend. Suddenly, she’s stuck between loyalty to her brother and doing what’s right for her best friend. Yikes.

What I loved: The relationships in this book felt real—messy, emotional, and full of tough choices. The kids in the story were adorable (especially Magnolia, who was wise beyond her years), and Beth’s journey of self-discovery was really satisfying. I flew through the pages, eager to see how it would all shake out.

What didn’t quite land: The title Beach Vibes is misleading—this isn’t a breezy, sun-soaked romance. The actual beach is more of a background character. And Rick? Let’s just say he wasn’t winning any Brother of the Year awards.

Overall, this was a solid, emotional read with compelling characters and plenty of heart. If you love stories about complicated family ties, second chances, and strong women figuring out their own paths, you’ll enjoy this one. Just don’t expect too many sandy toes or crashing waves!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing a digital copy of the book. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Other than being set in Malibu, I am really not exactly sure where the title Beach Vibes comes in. There was honestly nothing good in this story. Both the main female characters, and their male counter-parts, were incredibly shallow. I honestly cannot think of anything good to say about this book, except some of the sandwich combinations did sound intriguing.... so there is that.

I find the author's books lately are incredibly hit or miss; had this been a blind read (not knowing who the author was)., I would have thought it was a YA author; especially give some of the dialogue, and especially the character names.

I love a beach read and with this one being set in Malibu, I thought I’d be in for a real treat. Sadly though there were only a couple of beach scenes so it didn’t have the beachy vibe I thought I was getting when I picked this one up.

It is a very easy read though.

It’s about two good friends that meet while working at the food bank, they share their life stories about past relationships, their hopes and dreams and just really hit it off. Throw one of their brothers in to the mix though and things change a lot.

I read this going between an Ebook and audiobook, I thought the narrator Tanya Eby did a great job, however Linnie annoyed me via the audio.

Nothing that blew me away but it was enjoyable and if you are looking for something easy then this will be perfect for you.

“I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.”

This is an amazing book about life, relationships, love, and family!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely raced through this book and enjoyed every minute of it!!!!!!!!!!!! Susan Mallery knows how to get to the heart of family situations and has a way of writing so you fall in love with every single story and character.

This was such an easy read, but besides the few (like two) scenes at the beach, it wasn’t really a beach book. Regardless, I was pulled into the story about Beth, who was recently divorced, her brother, Rick, her friend Jana, and Jana’s brother Teddy. A little confusing, but it starts out with Jana dating Rick and not knowing he was Beth’s brother. When she goes to introduce her brother to them, Beth and Teddy strike up a relationship as well. Rick had to go ruin it all when Beth catches him cheating on her friend. Rick was such a tool and while I do feel like the foster care system failed him, he was tool all on his own. He knew exactly what he was doing and continued to be a jerk just for fun. I did enjoy the friendship between Beth and Jana even after the secret keeping.

I can always count on Susan Mallery books to feel like lighter reads that I feel good spending time in and thinking about afterwards, but are still filled with lots of juicy family drama and Beach Vibes was no exception.


Beth is a fairly recently divorced owner of Surf Sandwiches in Malibu. She lives her her aunt Agatha (a fantastic, feisty older character) who raised her and her brother, Rick. Beth and Rick are very close and through their history with childhood traumas (before Aunt Agatha stepped in), Beth feels responsible for her brother and always wants him to be happy.

Through volunteering at the food bank, Beth befriends another volunteer, Jana, and the two quickly become best friends.

Jana is a single-mother, working and in school, who is also very close to her brother, and lives with him and his children.
At work, Jana meets a handsome and charming surgeon (Beth's brother!) who pursues her until she finally relents and agrees to a date.

The first half of the book, while revealing some of both Beth's and Jana's past traumas & dramas, seems like a very lovely, happy story, with family, friendships, and budding loves. But then ... the drama really starts to unfold. Rick is not who everyone thinks he is and the story gets really juicy.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think it'll be a great read for summer.
I loved the Malibu setting, the characters (both Beth and Jana are strong and independent; there are some great side characters, and I am always a sucker for feisty older characters like Aunt Agatha!), and I really loved the Rick twist.

Less beach vibes than family drama set in Malibu, where Beth runs a sandwich shop and volunteers at a food bank with Jana, who as it turns out is dating Beth's pretty rotten brother Rick, a doctor. Oh and Beth is seeing Jana's brother Teddy, a widowed father of three (the kids are great). And then there's aunt Agatha, who Beth lives with. Things are all sort of bright and sunny as Beth and Jana build their friendship and then....Rick cheats on Jana and sets Beth up for the ethical dilemma. The characters are good, situation a bit contrived but thought provoking and all always, there's good storytelling from Mallery. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.

Unfortunately this book was disappointing. The dialogue was so unrealistic to the point it was cringeworthy. At one point Jana made an off-hand comment to her niece that she takes her job as oldest child too seriously which seemed highly inappropriate considering the niece lost her mother. I wanted to slap her. The relationships were shallow. I found myself skipping pages to speed up and find out what happened.

Jana is a single mom who meets a new friend in Beth. Then, she begins dating Beth's brother. Meanwhile, Beth meets Jana's brother and begins dating him. Sound confusing? It's about to get a lot messier.

This was a cute and low-spice romance, and I enjoyed it.

This is a wonderful read about friendship, family, finding oneself, romance, and betrayals. As we navigate through the story, the lives of the characters become tangled up in a no- win situation. The question is who should you be loyal to?Your friend? Your lover ? Your family? It is an impossible decision and the repercussions that follow are devastating. Will things work out in the end? I liked that there wasn’t an immediate happy ending, that there was time taken for everyone to heal and forgive. I would definitely recommend this book. I was given an arc from NetGalley but this is my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and Susan Mallery for the ARC!

This one started out as a bit slower, however this took off! I loved the twists, turns and loyalty in this novel! The character development was great as well. I already loved Susan’s novels but I loved this!

A good emotional story about family. Beth is lonely. She only has her aunt and brother, but she wants a friend. When she divorced her husband, she realized that she lost all the people she thought were her friends. When Beth and Jana meet, she thinks there is a chance for a good friendship between them. Beth's brother meets Jana and starts to date her. Then Beth meets Jana's brother and starts to date him. Then it all falls apart. It turns out that Rick is dating another woman besides Jana. Beth can't believe her brother would do that. Beth keeps quiet when Rick swears to break it off with the other woman. If Beth tells Jana, she will not only lose a friend, but she will lose the man she has come to love. Things don't always go as planned. Not only does Beth lose her friend and her love, but she also loses her brother. She thought she knew Rick, but it appears that he is a totally different person. How can she come back from this?

Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery is a captivating beach read that delves into themes of love, secrets, betrayal, and the complexities of family dynamics. The characters are truly engaging, and the storyline is filled with intrigue. Once I started reading, I found it impossible to put this book down.

The cover of this book drew me in, but this isn't the beach read that I thought it was going to be. This is the tale of two friends and one of them is dating the others brother. Unfortunately the brother makes some choices that puts both friends in not great situations and circumstances. I like that the author wanted to get us thinking what we would do in that situation, but I was hoping for the beach read I saw on the cover and this one was more a character study. Not a bad book, just not what I expected and needed when I picked it up.

A story of family dynamics, loyalty, friendship, romance, and relationships that form. If you find something out about someone in your family do you tell others that are close to them? Such a difficult question. To answer just depends on the various scenarios and situations.

I think going into this book blindly is best. Just note it’s not as much of a beach read as the cover and title leads too! It’s more of a character driven story of family and friendships. I loved the characters we meet and the personalities that they have. I felt really connected to Beth’s character and the friendship with Jana.

I was super disappointed with this novel. The concept sounded really good and engaging about two friends and complicated family relationships. However I found the characters to be super flat and shallow, I couldn't form an emotional connection to any of the characters.

I also found the dialogue to be stilted and didn't flow, I actually found myself feeling awkward or embarrassed for the characters while listening to the dialogue 🫣 It was so uncomfortable.

Finally the audiobook narrator was terrible. I found her tone to be very monotone and flat. And if an author is doing to have dual POV they should take the time to find a narrator with the ability to create two voices or find two narrators.

I almost DNF'd this book and I wish I had.