Since I love this author, I was excited to read it, but as I read it, it dragged on and on. Set up of the characters was good, but the middle of the story, truly half just got boring. Too many characters and too superficial of events for each of them. Then after 80% in, it finally started to reveal the relationships and story evolved.

*will post to IG closer to release date* BEACH HOUSE RULES by Kristy Woodson Harvey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ thank you @gallerybooks for the gifted copy! This book gave me gossip girl vibes + mystery + sisterhood + romance + drama and wrapped it up with the dreamiest beach town setting! The characters were so endearing and the relationships they build will steal your heart. From the cover I expected this to be a typical Romcom, and although it was not that, I fully enjoyed it. This would be wonderful to bring on your beach vacation this Summer!

Also, if you read this and don’t think it sounds at least a little bit fun to live at the Mommune, I think you’re lying.

Charlotte’s Husband is arrested for a white collar crime, and she is locked out of her home with assets frozen. In a moment of desperation, a woman from town offers to let Charlotte stay at her beachfront home, and Charlotte says yes. Little does she know, she is not the only single mother who is living there. As time goes on, secrets are uncovered.

Pub. Date: May 27, 2025.

Perfect if you like:
•Found family.
•Mystery!
•Beach setting.
•Gossip Girl Vibe!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️ (implied intimacy)
Mood: 🍿🍷

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This review is entirely my own.

It started off cringe for me (mummune) then I began to vibe with it, then it went south for me. It didn't feel like traditional KWH and what we've come to expect from her past books and her writing style.

It isn't southern fiction to me. Just womens fiction.

BEACH HOUSE RULES should appeal to readers looking for a light summer read about female friendship. I admired how Charlotte is trying to be a good mom and ensure that Iris has a stable home life. One minor complaint is that the pacing drags a bit; there are several scenes that feel like "more of the same" when Charlotte and Iris are getting settled in. Extraneous details that do nothing to advance the plot. That part began to wear on me a bit. However, overall, this is an enjoyable read. The friendships formed at the "mommune" are well-meaning and realistic, especially as the women begin to open up to one another. Iris is a great character, and I like how she is trying to solve the mystery. (It would be fun if Kristy wrote a YA book!) Juniper Shores is also a fun setting. The resolution of the crime aspect is satisfying.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

Thank You NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this wonderful ARC with me, in exchange for my honest review.

“Beach House Rules” was the most delicious book for me to read over my Spring Break. It has everything that a vacation book calls for: the sweetest Southern beach town, gossip columnists, true friendships among women, interesting teens and a whole lot of scandal.

Harvey has written a most unique book. Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is accused of fraud and now all her assets are gone, she’s lost access to her home and she’s struggling with how to care for her teenage daughter. Enter a Juniper Shores resident, who has a residence that she shares with other single moms who need help getting back on their feet, called the Mommune. Charlotte and her daughter Iris have no other place to go, so they join the “Mommune” and what starts as just a temporary situation turns into so much more.

I LOVED every moment of this book and didn’t want it to end. A beautiful 5 star read in my opinion.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🥰Thank you so much to @gallerybooks for the gifted book!

📖Title: Beach House Rules
✍️Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
📅Pub Date: May 27, 2025

🏃🏼‍♀️💨Quick thoughts: this is KWH at her best! The perfect genre blend of women's fiction, romance, and suspense with characters you can't help but love!

🌅I love KWH books because there's always so much going on and I'm never bored! This book had so many fun characters and side plots, that I couldn't put it down!

🌊This is the first book I've ever read centering around a a mommune! According to the dictionary, a momune is "a co-living arrangement where single mothers share household and childcare responsibilities, forming a community of sorts."

🌅The mommune/beach house is run by Alice, a woman who is the cause of many local rumors after having 3 of her husbands die while being married to her. The mommune houses a fun assortment of women all with issues and drama of their own. Oh, and there's also an anonymous town Instagram account sharing everyone's secrets 👀

🌊I loved everything about this book and HIGHLY recommend adding it to your summer reading list! You’ll smile, you'll laugh, and you'll be touched by these lovable characters! The mystery aspect will shock you, too 🤯

🎧The audiobook was narrated by 3 narrators which made it easy to always know whose POV I was in! I thought they all did a great job and am sure this one would be great on audio or print!

❓How's your week going? Is it feeling like spring where you live?

This was cozy and picturesque, and the found family is so sweet, with a little mystery. I did wish some of the mystery had a string throughout the whole story a little more than just secret holding, but it wrapped up very nicely in the end!

I’m a huge fan of Kristy Woodson Harvey and she is one of the masters at writing about women’s friendships, female bonds and small town dynamics. In this book, Charlotte and her daughter are at a loss as their home has become a part of an FBI investigation into their husband/father and they are not allowed access. When Alice takes them under her wing, and invites her to her own home, known as the Mommune where several single women and their children also reside. The women and the children share in caring for each other, using their individual talents to help each other out. When most in need, these women have found a village to help them through some rough patches. What a unique setting and an even more profound concept! The idea of a group of women totally supporting and uplifting each other is a breath of fresh air. Alternatively, adding to the small town drama is Lady Whistledown sharing all the secret tidbits on her gossip account.
This release is getting five star reviews, and highly recommended so any disconnect may just be me. Unlike in her previous novels, I feel like I really didn’t get to know or connect with any of the characters. There was a bit of a mystery surrounding Alice, and that may have affected having her fully realized as a character.

Oh, Kristy Woodson Harvey does it again with this one. Sucking me in from the beginning with characters to love and totally relate to, friendships that will last a lifetime, and the mommune that was so unique and absolutely perfect for these families during both hard and happy times. It really does take a village, and I wished I lived there too!!!

So hard not to fly through this book but I wanted to savor every single page at the same time. I've reached the end now, but it will stay with me for a long time plus looking forward to re-reading too!

Thank you @simon.audio and @netgalley for this #gifted book in exchange for my unbiased review. This was one of my most anticipated books of 2025. I love how Kristy Woodson Harvey writes so that you always feel like part of the story. Her smalltown, southern appeal is heart-warming and feels like a big hug! This will be a great beach read this summer!

I love reading a great Kristy Woodson Harvey book in the summertime. Especially based in NC, which is where I live. Charlotte and her daughter are involved in a FBI investigation where they take up residence in a mommune - I had to look this word up - never heard of it! It’s a big house where single moms and kids live together. Unfortunately, I just found this book ok. Nothing jumped out at me. I know others give this book 5 stars all day long so maybe it just wasn’t for me? Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Charlotte's world is turned completely upside down when her husband is arrested and jailed for embezzlement, leaving Charlotte and her daughter Iris locked out of their house with no access to their hefty bank accounts. After witnessing Charlotte's near meltdown in the local bank, Alice offers her an offer that sounds too good to be true: move into the "mommune" with Alice and a few other single moms for the summer.

KWH has a talent for writing richly drawn characters. Beach House Rules is the perfect beach read, but it's one with some meat on its bones. These ladies are each dealing with their own troubles while raising children and being productive members of (a rather wealthy, bespoke) society. Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, strong female friendships, and Lady Whistledown (represented here as a modern day Instagram account spilling all the secrets of posh society). As I did last summer when I read Summer of Songbirds, I fell in love with these characters and the alternating POVs allowed me to get to know Charlotte, Alice, and even teenaged Iris, quite well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this book prior to its publication in exchange for this honest review. Now I'm off to catch up on last year's KWH and pick up A Happier Life!

KWH is an auto-buy author for me and often the books I give as gifts to friends - they are always stories that spark joy and bring me immense joy!
This one, however, really felt very different and off for what I associate with KWH. It just felt a bit forced and cringey in the dialogue and the "mommune" setting.

I will always read KWH and look forward to next year!

In Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey, Bill Sitterly is arrested and accused of wire fraud which results in the loss of millions of dollars for hundreds of his clients. He’s in jail awaiting trial.

His wife Charlotte and daughter Iris don’t know where to turn because they’re locked out of their house and car in the small southern beach town of Juniper Shores.

A woman she barely knows from church, Alice, offers to drive Charlotte home from the bank and offers her a place to live in her house on the beach , a former bed and breakfast where she has two other women with children living. They all share chores like cooking and cleaning and helping with homework. Charlotte agrees. The house is called the Mommune.

Iris and Charlotte get their suitcases from the motel they’ve been staying in and eat their first dinner in the mommune cooked by Grace, mother of Merit and Emma, with them and Alice and a reporter Julie and her kids Brenna Jamie and Audrey and learn the beach house rules.

The moms and kids become good friends and help Charlotte find a job; she’d been a stay at home mom since Iris was born; and also help her try to prove Bill’s innocence and get him home from jail.

Meanwhile Alice, who has been widowed three times, is afraid to marry her boyfriend Elliot because she thinks she’s unlucky in love.

Grace is separated from her husband and wishes they could reunite and Julie is divorced and not looking for love.

Iris is a freshman and good friends with a group of girls: Chloe and Dabney and Jessica and best friends with Ben. She has a crush on Merit who’s a junior and quarterback on the football team. His sister Emma is middle school but will be a freshman next year. They’re all at Juniper Shores Prep.


It’s fascinating to follow their daily lives as they all become close friends and enjoy life and love at the mommune. Kristy Woodson Harvey has written a beautiful and intricate tale of the lives of these three families that will tug at your heartstrings. It’s also tinged with suspense and a surprise that you won’t want to miss.

Kristy Woodson Harvey’s books are a summer staple. When Charlotte and her daughter Iris find themselves out of a home due to an FBI investigation into their husband/father, they take up residence at the mommune—a big house on the beach where a group of moms and kiddos live and do life together.
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I am so disappointed to say that this absolutely did not work for me. The dialogue was unbearably cringey, the characters were impossible to relate to, and the plot was wholly unbelievable. Calling it a mommune and comparing it to a cult was a risky decision. 😬 The “rules” set by Alice were wild and it was a huge stretch that these other grown, professional women would go along with them.
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Iris’s involvement as things unfolded was so hokey. The twist involving Alice was pure ridiculous. The final reveal was the last straw. 🫤🙄🙄🙄
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I liked the North Carolina coastal setting and the Instagram posts, but it just wasn’t enough to redeem the farcical plot. I settled on 1.5 stars rounded up to 2. While this wasn’t for me, I’m so thankful to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review early.

Love Love LOVE Kristy Woodson Harvey! She's done it again with a story full of heart, hope, and totally loveable characters. I flew through this book.

When Charlotte's perfect life falls apart after her husband's arrest, she and her daughter Iris lose everything including their house and suddenly become the talk of the town thanks to a snarky insta account. But then Charlotte finds a fresh start in the most unexpected place: a beachside house filled with single moms. Um, yes please - momunes should absolutely be a thing!

The friendships that form in this new "found family" are so special. There's laughter, love, secrets, and a big twist that connects the women in a way I never saw coming. I loved the coastal NC setting and strong female bonds. The story balances fun, drama, and emotion perfectly.

If you're into second chances, sisterhood, and a little small-town gossip - this one is a must read!

Charming & heartwarming

Those are the two words that always seem to categorize the author’s work. And this one is no different.

I’ll review more online when I get the book in hand but so grateful for an earc so I could read it first here.

I will say (not a negative) but it wasn’t my fav of hers. That has stayed with The Wedding Veil. Which was just a whole other level of love

3.75 stars rolled to 4

This one was a bit of a tough read for me, especially since I usually enjoy Kristy Woodson Harvey’s work. Beach House Rules just didn’t resonate the way I hoped it would. While I can absolutely see how fans of women’s fiction might enjoy it, I personally struggled to connect with the characters.

The story follows Charlotte, whose husband is arrested, leading her and her daughter to move in with a group of single mothers in a charming former bed-and-breakfast. The premise had potential, but the characters felt a bit flat to me, and the plot had a “been there, done that” feel that made it hard to stay fully engaged.

That said, I still appreciate Harvey’s storytelling voice and will definitely give her other books a try. I’d recommend Beach House Rules to readers looking for a light family drama or to book clubs who might enjoy diving into the dynamics of single women raising children together in a beautiful home in a wealthy town.

This was a beautiful story about the value in true friendship. And a commentary on the ways modern society is breaking down the bonds of friendship through technology, gossip and isolation, Harvey does it again with her ability to create a world where we truly care what happens to her characters and are emotionally invested in their failures and successes! I found myself creating my own house rules after the inspiration this text creates, and looking to see where our family could show up for each other the way this one does.

This was a sweet story but one I just struggled to truly connect with. There were a lot of characters which kind of made it a struggle to keep track of. I loved the whole momune idea lol I found it endearing & I loved the theme surrounding community within it. I loved that Charlotte & her daughter were about to find hope & support through the community.