🏄‍♀️ Nikki, a successful student, decides to "blow the whistle" during her graduation commencement speech on some shady events that went down at her private HS. After her big speech gets cut off from angry administration, and HS students are mad at her, she needs to get away from her hometown as fast as possible. When the opportunity presents itself, she rides right out of town. Things don't go exactly as planned, and she finds herself washed back up on the shores of Alara Cove 15 years later, tired and full of grief. Nikki rebuilds her life among the family and friends that her small community offers and learns to lean into them when things get tough before they get better.

🏄‍♀️The setting is perfect for summer-Alara Cove sounds like a perfect beach town to visit! Add this slow burn, character development story to your beach bag this summer! (TW:death and loss)

🌊Kristin Wiggs covers some tough, emotional topics on the pages between her unassuming covers-and this one is no different! Thank you @uplitreads for this #giftedbook in exchange for my honest review♡

Susan Wiggs is one of my go-to authors. She does not disappoint in this latest story of Nikki Graziola losing it all at graduation, but finding so much more later in life. The characters and the storyline were both well done. This one checks all of the boxes for a great summer read. I am recommending to readers of women's fiction who want both a meaningful story and solid characters. I look forward to the next book from Susan Wiggs.

Welcome to Beach Town will be a real treat for both new and old readers of Susan Wiggs’s books. WTBT is a well written, emotional novel with characters about whom readers will care. The plot is carefully developed and the locales are well described. As a bonus, readers will learn a lot about surfing, to say nothing of human relationships; there are those of parent figure/child, romantic partners, friends and others whom the characters meet along the way.

The story opens as Nikki is about to give her valedictory address at high school graduation. This poor student at a prestigious private school changes her planned remarks at the last minute. Why does she say what she does? How will this decision impact the rest of her life? Pick up this novel to find out.

Nikki grew up in Alara Cove where she was raised by a widowed father and later by an artistic foster mother/family friend. Both of these people had influence on her as did her love of surfing. Readers will get to know others who are important to Nikki as well including her foster sister and close friend Cal as well as Nikki’s first love.

Nikki faces both tragedies and good moments in these pages. As a reader, I longed for her to find happiness and hoped that Ms. Wiggs would not disappoint in that respect. Well, read the story to find out for yourself.

I highly recommend this book. It is one of the author’s best. Library Journal agrees and gave it a starred review. They state: Fans of the prolific Wiggs and of strong women protagonists will stay up all night to finish this speeding bullet to the best-seller list.

Many thanks to NetGally and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are my own.

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧
𝐁𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟔.𝟐𝟎.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘕𝘰𝘸!

Thank you @uplitreads @susan_wiggs_ and @williammorrowbooks for a spot on tour and a #gifted book.

Talk about a perfect beach read! 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 is set in the small sunny California town of Alara Cove. Nikki Graziola basically grew up on a surfboard and never dreamed that she would be named class valedictorian at an elite academy.

But when Nikki loses her best friend, Mark just before graduation, she knows she must speak the truth, even if it costs her her future.

I loved the small-town coastal atmosphere. And as the book is set up in parts, I felt like this is as much a coming-of-age story as it was a romance. Susan Wiggs weaves in family issues and the town being run by a vile family so the story has depth. There are characters you will be rooting for and others you will love to hate.

Full of sand, surf, secrets, loss, and love, 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 is a great book to spend a #summerday with.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This author continues to impress me with her life fiction with characters who struggle and grow and love, where everything does not go smoothly and joy can be found in unexpected places. These realistic and imperfect characters are so easy to love.

The setup is classic with the haves and have nots at a elite high school in a beach town. The haves push the envelope with outrageous behavior because they can get away with it. They control politics and even law enforcement to get what they want whether it is overlooking criminal behavior or getting land they want for developments to fill their pockets.

Nikki is a girl who grew up with a single dad and foster care. She was able to make her own way with surfing skills, strong academics, and her art. She has a scholarship to go to art school but after her friend dies, she can't help but speak the truth as valedictorian at graduation. So then she falls in love with an Australian surfer and goes on tour.

Fifteen years later, Nikki comes home. This allows her to reconnect with her dad, who is a single dad again with a two year old, Gloria. She also has an adult friendship with her art mentor and former foster parent. The heart of the story is here as she grows in her connections with family and old friends and finds her life and love. She is still a truth teller though and the stakes are higher now.

I loved the way Nikki kept herself going and worked through problems. She was smart and not afraid of big ideas and taking a few risks. It couldn't have been easy to come home and rebuild after losses but she does it with courage. This author excels at creating characters with heart and perseverance through challenging circumstances.

Welcome to Beach Town by Susan Wiggs follows Nikki as she grows into the strong woman she was meant to be.

Welcome to Beach Town, Alara Cove!

This is an emotionally rich story about finding your way home. Alara's left the haunts of her youth, for a whirlwind few years in Australia surfing away her grief and struggles. Forced to come home, she has to face ALL she left behind. Alara reconnects with former loves, her father and friends and her love of the area.

To experience this book is to experience the emotions of one women as she builds all she thought lost. This is truly a binge worthy read for the beach in a airstream.

Thank you UpLitReads and William Morrow for the complimentary copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Susan Wiggs! Where do I begin? A story about hopes, dreams, heartbreak and redemption. Welcome to Beachtown gave me all the feels! No spoilers but get the tissues ready. This is definitely one that you have to add to the top of your TBR or beach bag! Susan Wiggs makes me to visit Alara Cove. I loved the characters and she made me fall in and out of love with them.

This is only my second Wiggs book but she sure knows how to make a beach read that also pulls at your heartstrings!

I absolutely loved the character of Nikki! She was bold to tell the truth about her friend Mark. Even at the cost of everything she worked for just because of what people with money and power could do in this small town. I felt for her when she had to come back to this town after the tragedy she goes through.

I like the fact that Guy (her dad) tried harder the second time around with Nikki's half sister. I love the project Guy and Nikki undertake together to preserve the legacy left to him. I'm so glad that even when another incident the rich try to cover up that Nikki still speaks up and this time... Things are done for the better.

Main character, Nikki, struggles to overcome the many challenges life has thrown at her.
This was a ok beach read though not particularly a favorite read by Susan Wiggs. I do have to say I love her writing style but this one just didn’t pull me in like I hoped it would.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to @uplitreads @williammorrowbooks for the #gifted copy

Ahh, imagine sitting on the beach waves crashing all around you sipping on a <insert favorite drink> and reading this book. Yes, this is the perfect beach read! The setting is a California beach town called Alara Cove where it is known for its surfers and Airstreams.

I devoured this book. Nikki attends prestigious Thornton Academy that all the rich kids attend not because her family can afford it though. She is on scholarship determined to prove herself. Her mother died when she was little of a drug overdose. Her dad taught her everything she knows about surfing and the ocean, but when she becomes a teenager he ships her off to his dear friend, Carmella. At her high school graduation, after an incident that rocked her world Nikki speaks her truth, but in doing so her whole world comes crashing down. All of her dreams and goals in life come crashing down with it. Was it worth it? Can she rebuild what she lost? This heartfelt story was so worth the read. Add this one to your beach

Readers won’t want to miss this emotional yet profound read. Welcome to Beach Town I certainly shook up a lot of feelings in me! And while I had a bit of a hard time with the characters passiveness, I think this is one of those raw reads that makes you question how YOU would react in similar situations. I enjoyed it immensely.

Welcome to Beach Town is a beautiful story set in an idyllic California beach community. The heroine, Nikki, is the daughter of a single dad who's a scrappy landlord at a trailer park full of Airstreams. Nikki gets to go to an exclusive boarding school, but only as a day student. She's a talented surfer and artist, but changes the whole trajectory of her life when she speaks up and advocates for a friend who was murdered. Years later, she returns home to this beach town, down on her luck and grieving a tremendous loss. No spoilers here, so let me just say that Susan Wiggs is a master storyteller and takes readers on an emotional, heartwarming journey as Nikki embraces her second act.
I really loved this book. It's about coping with grief, taking huge risks, and loving with our whole hearts.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. I volunteered to read and review Welcome to Beach Town.

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and Uplit Reads for this ARC!

This book had a great setting and a fun premise, but the story was a bit choppy and all over the place. It had potential and may find its audience, but it wasn't especially memorable for me.

Nikki loves to surf, and she is good at it. She lives in a small beach town where the surfing is great and her single dad, a surfer, runs a trailer park popular with surfers. Nikki was fortunate enough to go to a private school where she was to graduate at the top of her class, but when she blew the whistle on drinking and drug abuse that killed her best friend she was expelled. Because she was a scholarship student she never really fit in in high school and because she went to a private school her age group in the town thought Nikki considered herself too good for them, so when Nikki got a chance to be a professional surfer, she took it. Sometimes life doesn't exactly work out, but in the end Nikki discovers that what she really needs is home. Susan Wiggs books will stay with us after we have finished because we identify so well with the characters and she always reminds us how important is our family and our sense of home.

Another amazing story by Susan Wiggs! This is my second book of hers and definitely not my last. Her stories are always full of love, heartache, grief, hope, and finding your way to move forward

Nikki was given the opportunity of a lifetime. Through a funding program, she attended one of the most prestige high schools in California. Excelled in her studies and as an athlete and surfer. That’s until her best friend died. Only she knows it wasn’t an accident and makes sure her entire school and town know the truth, when she strays off path from her valedictorian speech

Years later, after a life of love and recent loss, she finds herself back in Alara Cove. Unsure of what to do or where to begin, she learns to find joy in the little things. And all these years later, she can still make a difference

I loved so many characters in this story! If you are looking for the perfect, binge worthy, beach read then look no further!

A special Thank You to Uplit Reads and William Morrow for sending me this beautiful finished copy of "Welcome to Beach Town." This was my first time reading a book by Susan Wiggs, so to say I was going into this book totally blind, was an understatement. However, it was the best way to approach this book, because it completely took me by surprise! As a California Resident, I loved the Cali Beach Vibes, especially the food references...I definitely wanted a taco after reading the taco restaurant part! : ) I appreciated the important topics explored throughout this book like hazing, death, grief, postpartum depression, and even the process of moving on. This book went deep while also providing some light comic moments featuring the main character's dad who became a father again even though he already has an adult daughter. I recommend this book to anyone who is a Susan Wiggs fan and/or can appreciate some good Cali vibes featuring complex characters facing tough life obstacles.

Welcome to Beach Town by Susan Wiggs is the perfect beach read! Set in beautiful coastal California about second chances and coming home.

On the night of her high school graduation during her valedictorian speech Nikki reveals secrets that changes her life and instead of going off to USC for college she finds herself on the pro-surfing circuit and in Australia.. 15 years later when tragedy strikes she ends up been at home and tries to rebuild her life.

I wish I was reading this beachside, but this is a wonderful summer beach read. I love Susan Wiggs books for the great characters and wonderful storytelling. If you're looking for a great book about coming home you should check out Welcome to Beach Town!

Thanks to the publisher for my advanced copy!

Put a beach on a cover of a book and I am there for it. That is the hook that got me into Welcome to Beach Town by Susan Wiggs, but the characters and storyline are what kept me.

This is the story of Nikki Graziola, who lived in the beach community of Alara Cove. She has been taken in by a kind soul, who encourages her to get a world-class education at the wealthy school of Thornton. She gets a scholarship and becomes the valedictorian.

The book begins where she has a decision to make, one choice will lead to opportunity and guaranteed success, the other an unknown path. Does she have the courage to stand up for what's right knowing the lashback she will get?

The character development in Welcome to Beach Town is superb, and the writing so crisp that I was enveloped in the beautiful setting, and pulled for the characters in a deep way.

This is my first book that I have read by Susan Wiggs, and I am so glad for the opportunity to read Welcome to Beach Town. I highly recommend as a read and will be reading her backlist and books going forward!

Thank you to William Morrow, Susan Wiggs, and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

After reading a slew of crime fiction, I was ready for a beachy, summery romance; enter Welcome To Beach Town by Susan Wiggs! Once I started reading this novel, I soon discovered that it's not just a romance: it's so much more.

There's a strong moral compass in the main character, Nikki. She speaks the truth, and stands up for those who can't. She sides with the underdogs, because she is one too; a character to side with and the hope best for. She's had a life that would break many, but she only comes out more confident after each set back.

I think this is the kind of love story that works so well for me currently. One where it's not all sunshine and rainbows; one where we see so many different styles and kinds of love; one where we are shown just how resilient love truly is.

This book was so much more than I had expected, and I loved the path that it took me down.

Thank you UpLit Reads, NetGalley and William Morrow for the complimentary copy to read and review.