Thank you for the opportunity to to listen to this ALC. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into this book. It fell flat for me. Wasn’t much of a beach read, more like fictional drama.

I usually don’t look at the number of stars before deciding how many of my own stars to provide, I was pretty shocked at how low the average was. I thought that Beach Vibes really had some unique twists. I really enjoyed Beach Vibes. It did take me a couple chapters to get a sense of the characters, but not that long.

One of the main character has a sandwich shop in Malibu that she bought from her aunt and uncle, who then helped pay for her brother's medical school tuition. She is shocked to see her ex proposing on a billboard; she realizes she doesn’t have many friends and her aunt (with her flourishing love life) is encouraging her to date. (Loved some of the sandwich ideas, including the P&J variations ... although they did repeat a couple times.)

Susan Mallery is one of those authors that you try to catch each one of the books she has written. I was elated that Harlequin Audio approved my request for the advance listen copy of Beach Vibes. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to request advance copies of new releases. Approx 10 hours, 30 minutes. Publication date is March 18, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 STARS

Beach Vibes had great potential, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The narrator's voice was unengaging and didn't resonate, making it hard to connect with the story. Despite the bright setting, the plot failed to captivate my attention, leaving me disappointed by the overall experience.

First, the title has nothing whatsoever to do with the book. It’s a little bizarre. The entire book was about relationship and friendship drama. Nothing else actually happened from a plot standpoint.

Both female main characters were insanely naive and gullible. There was such a conflict-avoidant theme throughout the book, and even the individuals who had a sense of seeing people for who they were never did more than hint at character issues and let the women carry on with their blindly self-destructive decisions. It was pretty obnoxious. I was constantly eye-rolling thru the book.

There was so much repetitive inner dialogue, weird character dialogue, and a severe lack of boundaries between various characters the majority of the time, and cringey content or conversations here and there. I ended up increasing the speed of the audiobook to get thru it and if it wasn’t an ARC I would have ditched it pretty early on.

Not a fan in the least, and a second strikeout by this author, so I’ll be avoiding in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.

Beach Vibes

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin audio for my ALC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Unfortunately, for me… this was mediocre and had zero beach vibes. Beach Vibes sounds like a light read but it was a sad story - not exactly what I’d call relaxing a beach read.

Not much happened in this story outside of family drama with two friends that were dating each other’s brothers.

I had hoped for a friendship book that I could relate to, but I found it overly simplistic and very repetitive. Same story every chapter, reiterating the same points, over and over. It became exhausting.

"Beach Vibes" by Susan Mallery is a family drama with a touch of romance, though the romantic elements take a backseat to the emotional complexities of familial relationships. While I appreciatedthe family dynamics, I found the story lacking in the kind of romance I was hoping for.

One of my biggest frustrations was Rick—his character felt deeply flawed, and rather than being complex or redeemable, he came across as simply terrible. I struggled to find any empathy for him, which made it difficult to connect with certain aspects of the story. I also wished for a deeper exploration of Rick and Beth’s past, as understanding their history could have added more layers to his character and made his actions more comprehensible.

Additionally, the narration didn’t quite work for me, particularly the way the children’s voices were performed. Their dialogue felt grating, and I often found myself tempted to skip through those sections.

Overall, Beach Vibes was an okay read—I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I just wanted more—more character growth, more emotional depth, and a stronger connection between the characters. While Mallery is skilled at weaving family drama, this book left me wishing for a richer, more developed story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Susan Mallery, and the publisher for a copy of this 🎧 ARC.

I think this is a good women’s fiction read with drama and deep secrets that unfold throughout the story. It took me about 45% of the book before I understood who was Beth, Jana, Rick, and Teddy were only because I think the voices were a little difficult to distinguish with how the narrator decided to voice them. Once the drama started, I was absolutely locked in. I recommend this book for anyone who wants a drama with tension, secrets, love, and grief woven into multiple characters’ lives.

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review!
First, I just want to say that I don't think this is really in the romance genre. Is there some romance? Sure. But there's also so much drama and other situations that it feels more like women's fiction to me (I could be totally wrong, just my opinion).
Also, I don't think the title really fits the story. When I think of beach vibes, I think relaxing, fun, sunshine, tropical drinks, etc. Again, just my opinion. Yes, the setting is a beach town. There is a character that is a surfer, and there is one instance where a few characters go to the beach. But still, the story itself doesn't really give "beach vibes" if that makes sense?
I did enjoy the story. I'm glad that Beth came to her senses, and her character arc was great. I loved how family oriented Janna and Teddy's families were and how they supported each other with all the things.
Overall, this book was ok. It's just not what I was expecting based on the title. Oh! I also kinda felt like there's a spoiler in the actual blurb for the book because one of the situations mentioned doesn't even happen until over 50% in.
Anyway, if you enjoy this author, you'll enjoy this book. But if you're looking for a beach vibe type beach read, I don't think this is it.

Beth and her brother lost their mother early in their lives. They lived in different foster care homes until an aunt took them in. Beth lived to support and love her brother, who grew up to become a surgeon and she owns a very successful sandwich shop.

When Beth volunteers at a food bank, she meets Jana, a lovely woman who is an unwed mother. They quickly becomes friends; the best of friends. When they both start dating the other's brother, it could have turned out to be best friends all around. Beth and Teddy begin to fall deeply in love. And it appears that Jana and Rick are heading in the same direction.

This book is a great romance, full of angst, heartbreak, and love. I really enjoyed it.

I listened to the audio version. The narrator is great.

It’s been a year since Beth’s divorce and the main thing in her life is her sandwich shop and her Thursday nights volunteering at the local food bank. The food bank is where she meets Jana who she quickly becomes friends with. Their friendship is going strong until Rick, Beth’s younger brother, comes into Jana’s life and turns everything upside down. Full of family drama, romance and friendship this book weaves a tale full of twists and turns and maybe a happily ever after or two.

I am usually a huge fan of Susan Mallery romances and I enjoyed parts of this one, but not others. If you took out a lot of the family drama and Rick, I would have really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed most of the characters and their stories, but I absolutely hated Rick from the beginning and he ruined the story for me. The story was fast paced and full of twists and turns that kept me on my toes. I really liked Jana and her family. Beth was okay, but her blind support of Rick bothered me at times. I usually don’t have this strong of feelings about a character, but Rick rubbed me the wrong way from the start and made it hard to get into this book for me. I hope you have better luck! This was a good romance, but certain elements kept me from enjoying this book as much as I thought I would.

Susan Mallery’s Beach Vibes is exactly what the title promises—a light, fun, and breezy read, perfect for those looking for an easy escape. It’s an easy “beach read” perfect for a lazy afternoon,

However, the audiobook experience was a bit of a letdown due to the narration. While the narrator’s delivery was clear and well-paced, their voice didn’t quite match the energy of the protagonist. Instead of bringing her to life as a vibrant, contemporary character, the narration unintentionally made her feel older than she was meant to be. This small but noticeable disconnect made it harder to fully immerse in the story.

Beach reads bring up sunny summer fun, hot romance, and beachy locals, am I right? Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery...not so much. This story fooled me with its title, other than that, and the cover design, and the occasional mention in passing of surfing, I didn't get any beach vibes at all.

I am a big beach read girl. I count the days until they start being released. I love going to Barnes & Noble and seeing their big round table just full of them, I am like a kid in a candy store, deciding which one I want. I then snuggle in, under the AC in the muggy summer of Oklahoma and dream, living vicariously through the characters. I have to admit, my first beach read of the season disappointed.

I am not saying the story was horrible. It wasn't. There were some good moments in the story, family drama, and relationship problems, there was even one part of the storyline that really surprised me. But, again, nothing that brought this book to the forefront of a beach or summer read.

Honestly, not a lot happened in the book. It was a pretty flat road, with just a few speed bumps along the way. I was hoping for so much more, it is what I usually get when I read a Susan Malley story, but I guess even writers can't be on point all the time.

A touching story about love, secrets, betrayal and family dynamics.

This story puts relationships, friendships and family loyalty to the test. A sister is left with the dilemma of choosing her brother over her friend and the man she loves.

Beth becomes friends with Jana. Then Jana meets Beth's brother Rick and starts dating him. And to add more sparks Beth falls for Jana's brother Teddy.

But when Beth discovers that her brother is cheating on her best friend what will she do?

Let me begin with saying I spaced who the author was. Then partway into it I was thinking about how the awkward dialogue reminded me of a book I read with a similar feel. And lo and behold it’s the same. Author. The dialogue was so uncomfortable. I feel like I would try and play the conversations in my head and it just seems so inorganic. The title? This book had zip to do with the beach. There was a sub shop near the beach. They watched (observed?) a surf contest. That’s it. The development between characters threw me off guard. At what point did they develop the love? We aren’t sure. It was honestly just very strange. And I will say the narrator did NOT help. It sounded like an enthusiastic grandma reading a story book to her grandchild. Also. The “spice”? Do not ever write the sentence “tingles to all my girl parts” in a book. Ever. That is all.


Thanks to Harlequinn Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

𝑀𝓎 🅣🅗🅞🅤🅖🅗🅣🅢:

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙, 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢, 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚕. 𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚊𝚗𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚍, 𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢’𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛’𝚜 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚑’𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚜, 𝙹𝚊𝚗𝚊’𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚁𝚒𝚌𝚔, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐, 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

🅣🅗🅐🅝🅚 🅨🅞🅤 for the ARC ✨🎀

Is it really summer without a Susan Mallory beach read? This book is a perfect read while your toes are in the sand- it has all the hallmarks of a great summer novel.

Beach Vibes is a juicy drama involving friends and siblings as they navigate their way through budding relationships both friendship and new love. Beth owns Surf Sandwiches, and incredibly proud of her intelligent surgeon brother Rick. As her friendship with Jana grows, Rick starts dating her. As both relationships develop, Beth meets Jana’s brother and is falling in love. Life seems perfect until Beth sees her brother with another woman. Heartbroken and furious she wrestles with how to handle Rick’s devastating betrayal.

This is a story that pulls at your heart, makes you think and truly fall in love with the flawed characters. I loved this novel so much and know so many people who will as well.

I normally enjoy Susan Mallerys books, but this one was just middle of the road for me. The title was misleading, it was more of a family and relationship drama story with minimal beach feels. I didn’t connect with the characters or their stories, and without giving away the storyline, there was one character I did not like AT ALL, and it’s my least favorite trope. I get a little ragey when books include it, so I was sad this one had it (you’ll know if you read it).

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin audio for my ALC in exchange for my honest feedback

Susan Mallery always has the best summer beach reads and I am ready for some summer vibes! This was the perfect listen. I recommend adding to your summer reading list!

☆ALC REVIEW☆
Publication date: March 18, 2025

Man, this review pains me to write because I absolutely adore Susan Mallery's work.

That being said, unfortunately, this one disappointed me. I went into it expecting light, summer, and beachy vibes, and I just did not get that. The characters were not my favorite and I just felt like the plot was lacking something.

The narrator was definitely not for me. The over pronunciation on a lot of the words and the imitation done of a child were a little irritating to listen to. I do think I would have enjoyed this more if I would have read the physical or e-copy.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and Harlequin Audio for an advanced listeners copy in exchange for an honest review.