Another feel good romance. I have always enjoyed Jill Mansell novels. I loved the characters and the twists in the story line. This was a romance novel about step sisters.and their rivalry, families and friendship.

The story was enjoyable but the pacing through me off. Once I got to the middle it just dragged on for what felt like forever. Very cutesy in the end.

Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay by Jill Mansell


Account Sam Still Reading
Category Book review

In brief: St Carys is an idyllic English seaside town, but its inhabitants have a number of secrets. Can they be untangled so love can win the day?
The good: Absolutely jam packed full of twists and turns in the plot.
The not-so-good: Read this one pretty fast!
Why I chose it: Never read a Jill Mansell novel before and decided this looked so summery – many thanks Hachette for the copy.
Year: 2017
Pages: 405
Publisher: Headline Review (Hachette)
Setting: St Carys, Cornwall (England)
My rating: 8 out of 10
I simply adore the cover of Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay – it’s warm and relaxing, just what you need for summer. Unfortunately, I read this under a pile of blankets with a summer cold but it was just the treat I needed. Because that’s what this book is, a treat. It’s simply delicious, combining love, mix-ups, heartfelt reunions and delicious takedowns all in one big box. All the twists and turns (and some are a little out there, it must be said) are just a bonus. Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay is a true delight – it’s like opening a box of chocolates to find it only contains your favourites!
The overarching theme is love, in all forms and sizes. It seems that all our characters have issues that are best solved by true love in the gorgeous seaside backdrop of St Carys, a seaside resort town in Cornwall. We open with Clemency, a real estate agent, finding true love in the seat next to her on a plane, until her seatmate Sam tells her after landing that he’s married. Fast forward three years, and Clemency is single but pretty happy. Then her stepsister Belle brings home her new boyfriend, who is looking for a place in St Carys. Of course, it just happens to be Sam! Belle lords it over Clemency yet again, until Clemency decides to invent a fake relationship with Belle’s ex-crush and her best friend Ronan. Ronan is known in town for being a ladies’ man, but he’s okay with the pretend relationship as he lost his heart to mail-lady Kate months ago. Plus, he really wants to find his birth mother without upsetting his beloved adoptive mother. Painter and friend Marina hides a secret – and it’s not her annoying ex-husband, as does Kate. Will all of this unjumble itself?
Of course it will, but it’s an absolute delight getting to that point. Plus, there are even more twists (only one of which I saw coming) that make reading this novel so delicious. It’s incredibly funny in places too. And the final wedding – well, that was the piece de resistance. Master subterfuge right there! I read over half this novel in one day as it really is that much fun. The characters range from gorgeous (Ronan with his cheeky ways) to sweet (Sam, the man with a heart of gold). Even the minor characters, such as the pharmacy assistants who seem to do nothing but gossip are quirky and individual. But my favourite character was Marina’s ex-husband George who is equal parts repulsive and hilarious in his self-assured, blind faith that he is God’s gift to women!
There’s plenty to love about this book – it’s warm, witty and as sparkly as the sea on a summer’s day. Yes, it’s a fast read but it’s as satisfying as your favourite treat – without the calories.

Being a huge Jill Mansell fan with many of her books sitting in my bookshelves, I was very excited to read this story. A big thank you to NetGalley for a ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jill Mansell consistently writes the most lovely books and Meet me at Beachcomber Bay is no exception.
Firstly the cover of her books never fail to disappoint and are always on point for this type of genre.

The plot itself has all the appropriate elements to bring you a fantastic story . Love, loss, heartache, hidden secrets, friendship and that element of surprise that always leaves you hanging on Mansell's words and wanting more. Then who could forget about the happily ever after!

The characters are all loveable. Jill Mansell certainly has the knack for engaging her readers with Characters that are easy to fall in love with are genuinely people you wish you knew in real life.

Meet me at Beachcomber bay was a quick and easy feel good read that pulled at my heart strings and left me finishing the last pages with a smile on my face and a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart. Well worth the read.

I will be eagerly awaiting Jill's next book.

I was totally enthralled with the story and found it intriguing with the web of interrelated people and events. The two step sisters were well developed and I really did love Clem, though Belle wasn't the nicest of characters. I must admit I really didn't like the way the story went to fourteen months later - I found this part of the story rather forced and probably unnecessary. Up to this point I absolutely loved the story..