Christmas by the Coast

Oh well the queen of romance has done it again!! Christmas by the Coast is another absolutely gorgeous book that I sped through in 2 evenings. Mandy is one of my favourite authors and I always know that I’ll love her books……this did not disappoint

You are in for a treat this Christmas from Mandy Baggot! Christmas by the Coast was delightful from beginning to end. Sweet on the surface, the layers below held heartache, loss, grief, misunderstandings, and hope for forgiveness. From page one, I was drawn into the lives of Harriet and Mack, quite literally, as we got to know the couple through letters from their past. At the same time, we got to know them as individuals in the present and slowly built up hope that they would find a future together. But how could that be after all these years?

They were no longer the same two people who had written those letters to each other while Mack was at war.
Harriet was all grown up and lived in the UK, a world away from Mack. She had a business and a boyfriend, Iain, who was about as exciting as a firecracker in the rain. It was nearing Christmas when Harriet learned that her American Grandma Lorna had passed, leaving her Grandpa Joe alone to grieve and run The Rum Coconut, his bar on the coast. She spent so much time with her grandparents in Montauk, Long Island, as a child that she flew to Montauk to be with her Grandpa Joe for the funeral. She just wasn’t expecting to see the man who broke her heart years ago paying his respects as well.

Mack was on the other side of the pond in the United States, trying to come to terms with the things he lost in the war. Things besides Harriet. He had to find a new way forward but found it too hard to let go of the past. Then he saved his friend Joe from the sea and that one single event would bring his past right to his doorstep. And little did he know, that would be the first step in letting it go.

As a side note here, there were so many wonderfully written secondary characters in this story to captivate you. Lester, Ruby, Madame Scarlet, and Jude all worked together to help Harriet and Mack find their happy Christmas together, but they all had their own quirks and personalities that made you feel like you were part of the community. Even The Rum Coconut had a charming personality in and of itself, not so much for the building but for the atmosphere inside its walls. It took care of the people of Montauk as much as they took care of it.

Mandy Baggot has woven a beautiful story of family regrets and misunderstandings that have substance and aren’t silly, easy-to-fix barriers thrown in the way of the main characters. The barriers between Mack and Harriet are mighty and many. They have gone on with their lives separately all while their hearts held onto the love they shared in their letters. I loved that as a reader we had the pleasure of reading the letters rather than being told them through the characters’ dialogue. There was also your expected humor from Ms. Baggot, but there was so much depth to the story she told of how we, as humans, need to communicate our pain and disappointments so we can accept, as well as forgive, other people’s mistakes as well as our own. Sometimes fate has a plan for us and no matter how many turns we take, hurts we suffer, or other plans we make, it somehow brings us back to the place we need to be. Nothing was truer for Mack and Harriet.

As a reader with the same disability as Mack, I appreciated the way his disability was treated as simply a part of who he was but not ALL of who he was. I don’t often find that in books I read where the hero or heroine is a character with a disability. It was refreshingly pleasant to see the character grapple with his disability and what that meant for him and Harriet in the future, but it wasn’t the main focus of every interaction he had in the book. That is hard to do, and I appreciate the research necessary for it to be written as seamlessly as it was.

Kudos to Ms. Baggot for once again writing a lovely Christmas read that will keep you hooked from page one to the very end. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments, sweet and tender aww moments, and of course, a new romance reminding you of the joy of finding your true love at Christmastime. There were many twists and turns for this couple, but they were all worth it to watch Mack and Harriet finally spend a Christmas together by the coast.

I do love a book that introduces me to a new place. I've heard of Montauck & have been near by & now it's a place I want to visit. Harriett's grand parents live in Montauck & when her grandmother unexpectly dies, she returns for the funeral & help her grandfather. A heart breaking visit brings an unepected meeting with someone from her past, who she's never met before but they have history. The characters are great, you learn to love them & want the best for them all. I could visualise walking in Montauk meeting the characters & wanting to know more. Loved the book & it just follows other books by Mandy Baggot that are so good. Enjoy this book, I know you will.

Absolutely loved this book, we follow Harriet aka Joanne who is plodding along in life as a property developer with her partner in business and in life, all the while mourning the loss of her army pen pal, sad news arrives in the form of her grandmother sadly passing so Harriet decides to travel to new York to help her grandfather with the funeral arrangements and be the support he needs
Life and fate intervene for Harriet who finds she is not happy with how she has been living and also reunites with her old army pen pal, emotions run high along with an old family fued to fix can Harriet ever have a happier life?
This book has me in tears towards the end, loved the characters and the storyline and the description of harriets time with her grandfather in long island, would have rated higher if I could
Loved it!

CHRISTMAS BY THE COAST
Mandy Baggot
An Absolute Winner
Mandy has done it again, writing an absolute winner that her fans will devour over the Christmas period and beyond. It takes skill as a writer to handle and juggle a whole boxful of characters such as these, but Mandy has lovingly created and developed an array of different ones, and kept them all in order, giving them their turn in the spotlight when necessary. And how original to set the scene in The Hamptons in the USA!
As well as the usual humour one expects from a Mandy Baggot novel, one soon realises that this is a substantial story of relationships, with the usual regrets and misunderstandings often found in families, and one is soon rooting for Harriet, wanting a great outcome for her by the end of the story.
There’s humour, there’s a winter seasonal story, there’s travel and of course a healthy dash of romance. What else could you wish for at Christmas?

5 lovely sparklers from me!
Julie Houston author

Mack and Johanna find each other in a little town on Long Island. They were pin pals during his time in Afganistian. You will love this book. Like being in the perfect Christmas movie. Well done!

Harriet has the worst news ever. Her nana has died. She gets the first flight she can from England to New York to support her grandpa Joe. Harriet is in a relationship with Iain, he saved her after her heart was broken, and has travelled with her.
Her grandparents (her dad’s parents) run The Rum Coconut, a tiki bar on the beach in Montauk in The Hamptons.
Harriet (aka Joanna…read it, you’ll see why) spent her summers there when she was a kid. She loved the laid back life there, and the lighthouse. She’d never visited in the winter and it was a lot different, it was less about the holidaymakers and more about the community. And a lot quieter too. Her grandparents and her dad had a broken relationship, and she didn’t know why.
Letters written by Harriet, Mack and Nana are so very touching and are the making of this story. You can say so much in the written form that is lacking in conversation, and of course you can read it over and over digesting every word and meaning.
The book had quite a serious undercurrent with issues of trust and misunderstandings, and characters doing what they thought was the right thing when in fact they should just ‘go with their heart’.
It shows the good in people, the community aspect and it made me warm to the characters including Jude, Ruby and Madame Scarlett. I loved Mack and the way the author wrote about the psychological and physical problems that a veteran has to deal with.
A real treat of a book. Funny, entertaining and emotional in equal measure, just what I’d expect from Mandy Baggot. I love her writing.
Thanks to Mandy Baggot, Aria, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the early review copy in which I give my honest opinion.

“Their love story had played out in words on paper.”

This was such a sweet, heart-warming story about love, family, and finding yourself.

When Mack was deployed in Afghanistan, he would get letters from Joanna, aka Harriett. Over several years of letters and one video call, they fell in love only to have it destroyed when Mack lost is his leg. A few years later, they run into each other at The Rum Coconut tiki bar in Montauk.

Harriett has come from England to her grandmothers funeral. She wasn’t expecting to find her first love, or herself, while she was there. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost her true self and it wasn’t until she saw Mack again that she realized this.

‘You know who you are,’ he told her in no uncertain terms. ‘You just need to be brave enough to slice through everyone else’s bullshit.’

This is the perfect Christmas read and I adored every minute of the story, including Meryl Cheep, Joe, and Scooter!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Aria, for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy Mandy's books and Christmas by the Coast was no exception, i loved the characters and it has the makings of a series.

Love Love Love!
Wonderfully warm and festive, beautifully written and well crafted characters. This has to be on your winter reading list for sure.

It takes real skill to portray a character with a disability so realistically and well-rounded that the character’s personality becomes foremost and the disability part of that character, not the thing that defines them. Mandy did this fantastically with Hannah in One Christmas Kiss in Notting Hill, and she has done it again with Mack. We feel for Mack, empathise with him, root for him but we don’t pity him despite the loss of his lower leg. And neither does Harri. She loves Mack for the person he is, the person she fell in love with years ago, who pushed her away rather than share the trauma he had been through with her. Mack loves Harri too, but he is so desperate not to have her pity, terrified of tying her to him out of sympathy that he still pushes her away. Mix this with the loss of a beloved grandmother, a long-held family feud, Christmas tradition, a love triangle and a beautiful setting and you’ve got a winner. There’s a lot of humour in this story – as always with Mandy – but a lot of depth, tenderness and nostalgia too. This is such a heart-warming Christmas read and well deserves five stars.

WOW!

That's the best way of describing Christmas by the Coast, so I'll say it again..... WOW!!!

When her grandmother dies Lorraine drops everything and travels to America to support her grandfather and help with his famous tiki bar. In her past she had fallen in love with Mack, a soldier she wrote to while he was on tour, but he broke her heart.

On arrival she discovers Mack is a local.....

Do the reconcile? And how is her grandfather and the bar?

This is a very emotional read, tears and laughter throughout. Along with a few swear out loud moments!

All the characters are believable, as is the story line and you find yourself quickly invested in their inner turmoil.

A fantastic read, not to be missed.

A great Christmas Book. It really brings out the spirit of Christmas and community. I loved the theme of letters guiding Harriet both from her Grandmother and from her 'one that got away'. It will really warm your heart.

A story of second chances, family feuds and Christmas. Harriet /Joanna finds out her beloved gran in America has died when she finds out her father (estranged from his family) isn't going she books herself on the first available flight. A really enjoyable book with a real Christmas feel, even with the thread of loss running though it. Well written great characters totally recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

“The Best Yet from Mandy”

The story is set in the Hamptons, USA with a beautiful setting.

The book is about a second chance at romance.

Following the news that her Grandmother has passed away, Harriet leaves to attend her funeral and be there for her Grandfather. But she’s also wondering why her dad doesn’t want to attend his mother’s funeral, is there something being hidden from her as to the reason why….

It was lovely to see the relationship between her Grandfather and Harriet, even though she’s not visited for a while.

Someone who she wasn’t expecting to see there was Mack. Throughout the story who get to see how Mack and Harriet know each other and them coming to realise what they both mean to each other now.

It also focused in part on her relationship with Iain, whom you could see was not right for her.

The other characters were lovely, Scarlet, Ruby and Lester adding to the story and I loved the dog Scooter and the bird 🦅 Meryl Cheep.

The story was not about the chemistry between Mack and Harriet, but more about the care they had for each other.

Of course, you had to have some Christmas fun thrown in, making this a warm and enjoyable read for the festive season.

Highly Recommend This Book

Please make this book into a Christmas movie. It's so perfect. What a lovely Christmas read. I needed some spirit in my life and this book delivered in spades. The characters are lovely and make you fall in love with them and their story.

Wonderful and heartwarming. A story about family, friends, love of all kinds and destiny. Absolutely delightful.
I enjoyed the trip to Montauk, the beach is perfect even at Christmas. Lovers finally brought together and family reunion that brought me to tears. This story filled my heart and left it singing.

I’ve always been a fan of Mandy Baggot’s novels and her latest book, Christmas by the Coast is another fabulous five star read. This book certainly covers everything: love; loss; friendship; hope and community all set in beautiful Montauk. There book takes you on a wide range of emotions with some funny parts, sad parts, uplifting parts and purely wonderful characters, not forgetting the parrot! All in all a beautiful festive read that I can highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, Aria and the author for the chance to review.

If someone would ask me to list my favorite holiday reads, I'll make sure Christmas by the Coast is on the list. This is by far the warmest holiday book I've read this year!

The cover would suggest that it's mainly romance, but personally, I think this book is really more than that. I was impressed at how the book managed to portray the essence of Christmas—love, family, community, festivities—without losing focus on the love story of the main characters. Even though the book started with Harriet losing her Nana (this is not a spoiler, I swear), my reading experience did not feel so sad at all. More than anything, I felt enthusiastic! That kind of feeling everyone gets when it's the holidays; that feeling of hope and eagerness to live life to the fullest. The characters are lovely and I adored them all... including Scooter and Meryl! There's just so much positivity in this book which makes it a perfect Christmas read!

Overall, Christmas by the Coast is a modern romance in all its sense. Reading this book gave me those butterflies you usually get with this genre – the love story, the trope... it's all there. But for me, this book is more than just your ordinary romance, it is packed with so much love coming from all directions you can't even imagine! I adored it, I would recommend it to everyone!

Thank you to Netgalley, Aria, And Mandy Baggot for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this story! This is my perfect combination of story characteristics: sad event, underlying mood, and the most amazing characters! The entire way through I was rooting for Harriet, and at times yelling at her about what direction she should be taking her life lol. The cast of characters in this one is just too perfect, and the amputee representation was great! I love the feathered presence (I won’t ruin the joy of you getting to read what her name is for the first time lol), the small town community is present and wonderful, and of course there are many decisions to be made that leave the reader hopeful they will make the “right” choices!

While this story has some of the spirit of Christmas, I wouldn’t out and out call it a Christmas story. But so many great live stories occur at Christmas, so the timing was perfect (and it’s my favourite time of year so give me all of the Christmas!)

Full of love, laughter, grief, and surprises, Christmas by the Coast is a story that will make you want to revisit again and again. I know I will be!!!

This has to be made into a movie!!!

It's a laugh out load story about finding yourself and family. It's also got all the romance which I loved.

I love this books so much and loved Harris and Mack. It's kind of like the Serendipity movie where the characters meet unexpectedly.

Start to finish I loved it and had all the feels

Really enjoyed this book. Its romantic and exciting and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters.

It's serendipity that Harri and Mack meet and unexpected. I love the banter they have between them. The tooting and froing of the relationship dramas and the anticipation of whether Mack will explain what happened or if Harri will be left thinking about it.

I love the festivities, one part I particularly loved was the description looking through a shop window near the end. The description made me feel so happy and festive.

A brilliantly romantic book with a bit of comedy and some super wise words from Harri's late Nana.

A Christmas novel with a wonderful Christmas feel to it Mandy always gives us great books and this is no different, she describes everything so well that you can really feel for the characters and their story. 5 stars and I recommend this