This was not as enjoyable as most Susan Mallory books. From the start it was hard to like Beth and Rick and my opinion didn’t change throughout. I continued reading in hopes they would redeem themselves. A quick but mediocre read. Thank you Net Gallery for this advanced copy.

Another good story written by Susan Mallery. I loved the friendship that developed between Jana and Beth. The family dynamic in this story is interesting and different than any story I’ve read. I also loved the twists in the story. I found myself very invested in the characters and their lives.

Beach Vibes is the story of siblings, friendship, and family relationships. Beth is the proud sister of Rick, who is a successful surgeon, and who Beth has supported both financially and emotionally since their years in foster care. Beth's sacrifices for Rick mean that she took a different life path than initially planned, but she has found great success in her Malibu beach sandwich shop. Beth fills a friendship gap in her life when she meets Jana and the two women quickly develop a great friendship. Things get even more exciting when Rick and Beth start dating!

Beth is forced to make difficult decisions when she catches Rick with another woman. She knows that her reaction could impact her relationship with her brother, her friendship with Jana, and her new romantic interest with Jana's brother. Lots of emotions come into play as these different relationships are impacted.

Get ready for a fun summer story with this one! I adored every minute! Susan Mallery you wrote such a darling book! I absolutely loved every minute of this book. It was so sweet to see the characters story intertwine. Highly recommend!

Susan Mallery’s latest novel takes place in Malibu. Beth owns a sandwich shop and her brother, Rick, whom she is pampered, is a surgeon. Beth, fresh out of a divorce, has started volunteering at a food bank where she meets Jana, a single mother trying to get into nursing school. Jana meets a doctor and unbeknownst to Beth, it is her brother Rick. Beth meets Jana’s brother and the two are smitten. Rick is upset about the intertwining relationships, but Beth does not understand why until she discovers that Rick is unfaithful to Jana, a secret she decides to keep which ends up blowing up in her face. I felt a lot of angst during this read. There were so many dynamics, and I felt the characters did not really manage them too well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this advanced copy.

Most definitely not Susan Mallery's best work. It read as if someone else wrote it entirely. Very wordy, characters that were really not likeable, felt jumbled. Typically her books are fun, fast, light-hearted reads. This one missed it on all marks.

Thank you #netgalley and #htp and #canarypress for the eARC.

Enjoyed this newest read, although it felt like something was missing. I admit, my patience with Beth was a major struggle throughout the story. There is an HEA for Beth and Jana, the path was littered with debris. Not my favorite Susan Mallery book, but this is an enjoyable read,, do not miss it.

I thought this book would be a light hearted romance read but it was much more than that. Beth is a very strong independent woman and I love that about her, she’s also very kind and caring. I loved that Beth meets Jana not knowing that it’s her brother boyfriend and they become good friends. Rick is a narcissistic jerk and I did not like his character at all. Rick put Beth in a very tough situation… I dont know what I would do in her shoes. Overall I enjoyed this read very much!

Susan Mallery's latest, Beach Vibes, is set in beachside Malibu, but the title is misleading. The story has little to do with the setting (except for some surfing scenes) and much more to do with family dynamics.

Beth and Rick are siblings who were briefly in foster care when their inattentive mother, a devoted adventurer and risk taker, died, and they were later taken in by their aunt and now-deceased uncle--Beth still lives with Aunt Agatha. Rick is now a brilliant physician, while divorcee Beth, who once saved money for culinary school, is the successful owner of a popular sandwich shop. Jana is a single mother and part-time community college student who lives with her brother, a widower with three lively children, while dreaming of going to nursing school.

When Beth and Jana meet when volunteering at a local food bank, they gradually become fast friends, but when each meets the other's family, it leads to heightened emotions, romance, and betrayal. In my own family (going back a couple of generations), two brothers married two sisters, but it doesn't go nearly as smoothly in this story. Even though the conclusions are telescoped early in the plot, it didn't ruin the ending for me. The main characters are well drawn and mostly empathetic, although one is devious and cold, with little chance for redemption. I loved the four children, who behaved as children would at their ages, and of Aunt Agatha and family friend Dex. . I particularly found 12-year-old Magnolia engaging, as she tries to take on the role of substitute mother for her younger siblings.

Although this isn't my favorite Susan Mallery novel, I found it engrossing and sometimes surprising, which is always a good thing.

My thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

This book was just okay fr me. It was very predictable and seemed to drag on. I kept waiting for a surprise of some sort but, it never came.

I loved this book and the characters, the settings, the relationships. If you want a break from suspense and historical fiction, and want something that is heartwarming and full of great characters, read this book. Susan Mallory does a great job of pulling you into her stories. You want to stay up all night to see how the problems are resolved. This book was compelling, a great read, and well written. I highly recommend this book!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I usually love all of Susan Mallery's books, but I kept putting this title down as I found that I wouldn't say I liked the premise of the book to begin with.

It seems so weird to read a beach book in fall, but Beach Vibes was just what I needed to take my mind off of the chilly weather. A great read!

Another great read from Susan Mallery.

Beth runs Surf Sandwiches and volunteers at the food pantry where she meets Jana. Beth and Jana become friends. Little do either of them know that the lady Beth's brother, Rick, is dating is Jana herself. After Beth meets Rick's new girlfriend and Beth and Jana realize they already know each other, Teddy, Jana's brother decides he needs to meet Rick's sister. Sparks fly between Beth and Teddy and a relationship begins to form. Can it work out with brothers and sisters dating each other? Pick this one up to see what happens with the relationship between Rick and Jana and Teddy and Beth. Throw in Jana's daughter and Teddy's 3 children to make things even more interesting. Grab you copy in March of 2025.

This book reiterates the fact that despite what has happened in the past such as Beth's divorce and Jana's unexpected pregnancy, that a person must move forward and not see the past as mistakes but rather lessons as to how both people chose to live their lives moving forward. Despite her feeling of stagnation and the demeaning statements by her brother Rick, Beth realizes that she has much to be proud of in terms of her kindness in working at a food bank and truly caring for those who frequented it as well as her success as owner of Surf Sandwiches. She is a wonderful human being who deserved happiness in her life and was no longer one who can only achieve it at the sacrifice of others interpretation and perception of herself. Similarly, Jana also began to understand her worth of how strong she is and so deserving of being accepted to nursing school at UCLA. It is evident that when both women realized who they are and what they deserve is they let those who will love them just as they are. This is a truly inspiring book of the strength of character and how life be both for oneself as well as others really changes everything.

Once I got several chapters Into this book I thought and hoped that what I thought was coming was and I was sooo glad to see it happen! I didn't exact the ladies to have quite the reaction to the big surprise, but I can see them being in a new friendship and that taking time. Overall I love this book, once again Susan Mallery has written a heart wearing feel good book! She never disappoints!

I'm always excited to see that Susan Mallery has a new book, and this was a great one. The setting is laid-back Malibu, but the dual romances in this story are anything but laid-back -- they are very complicated, which makes for an engaging read. Beth is newly divorced and owns a successful sandwich shop. She is loyal to her younger brother, Rick, a successful surgeon, and has watched and protected him since their childhoods with a single mom who was reckless and neglectful. Jana is a single mom to a little girl and an aspiring nurse who lives with her widowed brother, Teddy, and his three young children. So, two sister/brother pairs. Beth and Teddy fall in love, and Rick and Jana start dating too. Eventually, things get pretty complicated in a way that keeps you turning the pages. You really come to care about these characters and want everyone to get what they deserve.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book, with my honest review below.
Beach Vibes may take place in a beach setting but it's a heartbreaking story in many ways and not exactly what l'd call relaxing, though it's a fascinating study in family and what we would do if we were faced with a difficult decision - what's right for our friends or our family, if what's right for our friends is also what's right morally.
Beth is content enough following a divorce to run her charming surf sandwich shop, with backing from her beloved brother Rick. As Beth is a great person she also volunteers at a food bank where she is friends with Jana, who endeavors to be a nurse. When Beth runs into a billboard on the way to Costco that has her husband and his new fiancée on it (in fact he was proposing with it) she is committed to deeper friendships and being a little less lonely. As her friendship with Jana benefits from this commitment Beth strikes up a romance with Jana's brother Teddy, and finds that Jana is daring her brother, Rick. This all sounds like an early 90's sitcom and the type of somewhat mindless beach read that gives us all warm fuzzies so far, right? That quickly goes away when Beth discovers that Rick is cheating on Jana... and what happens next destroys everything she has built up in her relationships rather quickly. The rest of this read is tense but fascinating, and we still end with a very hopeful book about growth, but it does make you think of what you would do in Beth's shoes. I'd be remiss to leave out that Rick is the absolute worse type of sociopath, the type who chooses the dark side, but I wish it wasn't so as this would make this book even more thought provoking.

Susan Mallery has once again proven her exceptional storytelling ability with her latest novel, “Beach Vibes”. From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked, and I found it hard to put down. Susan Mallery has an incredible talent for weaving intricate plots, and this book is no exception.

The way she skillfully placed twists and turns throughout the story kept me captivated. Some moments genuinely took my breath away—my jaw dropped in surprise at some of the revelations! These unexpected developments not only added depth to the characters but also made the pacing of the book lightning-fast.

It's safe to say that “Beach Vibes” was a true 5-star page-turner, and I could hardly tear myself away from it. As always, Susan Mallery's writing is engaging and filled with relatable emotions that drew me in deeper with each chapter. I'm already looking forward to her next book!

Well another great read from Susan Mallery. Kate is the owner of a wonderful sandwich shop and it has become her life. Not ready to trust any man because of past hurts. Knowing she needs to put herself out there to just make friends she start volunteering at a local food bank and meets another young woman named Jana. They quickly connect and become besties. Jana finally takes a chance on a date but Kate finds out it’s her surgeon brother. Kate feels odd about this match. She wants to maintain her friendship with Jana. But when Kate finds out something bad about her brother it forces her to make a choice. One that puts her friendship with Jana at risk. Honestly I thought this was one of the best books by Susan Mallory and yes I sat up half the night to finish it.