Cover Image: Beach House Reunion

Beach House Reunion

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I absolutely love everything written by Mary Alice Monroe! This book is a great read about the family get togethers at the beach House. It also has a character from a prior book make a brief appearance. Carson. I loved her 4 books about the summer girls, glad to see them revisited in this book. It was very easy to follow and I felt like I was sitting on the porch in the low country admiring the views. I loved the tidbits about the seaturtles in each chapter. I hope to see many many more novels from Ms. Monroe as she has such an easy writing style and writes about real situations-alcoholism, mental illness and other conflicts we see in our world now. It's nice to see this stuff discussed instead of hidden behind closed doors.

I loved following Cara's journey after her loss of her husband to find new happiness. As well as her niece Linnea. with her new romance. I think this book was well written and easy to follow. I recommend it for good beach reading. It just flows nicely, the description of the background is not overly annoying but gives enough to make you imagine living in South Carolina on the coast watching the wild life and enjoying the slower pace of life.

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Mary Alice Monroe is one of my many favorite authors. Her latest novel, 5th in the “Beach House” series, Beach House Reunion, is sure to be a bestseller. Monroe has a way of blending the environmental concerns of the low country of the southeastern U.S. with romance, history, and women’s and family issues. Her books teach us about the endangered loggerhead turtles through the passions and career choices of some of her characters in such a way that I want to move there and join the Turtle Team, or fight the big developers who are destroying the coastline. It is at our coastlines that the effects of climate change are most readily visible. She has won several literary awards, and it’s no surprise that, as an active conservationist, among them is the International Book Award for Green Fiction.

The continuing saga begins when Cara and her newly adopted daughter, Hope, return home to their cherished beach house on Isle of Palms. Even after 3 years, Cara’s grief for her late husband, Brett, is still raw. She meets David, an acquaintance from the previous book, who is caring for his infant grandson. Through a series of play dates for the kids, they become fast friends.

I always learn something from Monroe’s books. In this one, I learned that the colorful Carolina Parakeets are gone. They ate sandspur seeds which are toxic. Feral cats ate the birds, and also died. While this did help with the overpopulation of feral cats, the beautiful birds are gone. According to Monroe, deforestation, diseases, and hunting destroyed all of these beloved birds.

In Beach House Reunion, family issues are confronted. Cara, her brother, Palmer, and his family are finally able to break the cycle of dysfunction passed down from his and Cara’s father. This is a book you don’t want to miss.

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Reading this book is like swinging on a porch swing with a glass of cold sweet tea on a sultry summer afternoon. It is just that comfortable. Maybe it's because I'm from the south & have grown up going to the coast nearly every summer of my life, or maybe it's because I'm a sucker for a good beach read, I'm not sure. I just know that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. For me, it was just a feel good story. There is something magical about salt, sand and sea breezes. When you add in a couple of love stories, some family drama and the bond of friendship, it becomes so much more. Definitely worth the time it takes to read. By the end of the book, the characters feel like friends. While this book is #5 in the series, I had no trouble reading it as a stand alone book. I do look forward to going back and reading the other books in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

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Mary Alice Monroe’s stories never disappoint, whether it is a new novel or a continuation of a series. However, new readers should realize each novel in a series can be stand alone - never worry about feeling like you are intruding. Beach House Reunion happens to be another novel in the Beach House series. And this one delivers more than any reader could expect.

All of Monroe’s novels have an environmental connection and in this series, it is the loggerhead turtles (classified as a threatened species and likely to changed to endangered). They nest on ocean beaches, including along the coast of South Carolina. The loggerheads are intricately woven into the Beach House novels, and each chapter of this novel starts with interesting educational facts about loggerheads. I so enjoyed learning more about these magnificent creatures that inspire such passion in Mary Alice Monroe.

“All roads lead home.” So begins the next story of the reunion of our beloved Beach House friends. I needed this book to bring closure to several areas in Cara’s life. There were many sad tears followed by more and more happy tears. This was a powerful ending to an amazing series. I hope to meet my Beach House friends again one day- even if it’s only by re-reading these books.

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I really enjoyed this story of second chances. Great characters and I liked all the trivia about turtles. I got to scuba dive in Hawaii with turtles and enjoyed all the things I learned about turtles in this story. Cara has been a widow for three years. She has just adopted a baby girl and moved back home to her beach house in South Carolina to raise her new daughter. She runs into an old friend who is now single. She isn't sure that she will be able to care for anyone other than her husband, but something about David draws her in.
Cara's niece, Linnea, comes to the beach house to help her out with the baby and meets a man who not only becomes her friend, but someone she just might want to spend the rest of her life with. They deal with hurricanes, turtles, some family secrets and a lot of family drama. Can Cara let go and find room in her heart for a new love?

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In the Beach House Reunion, I learned about three things: Sea turtles and their hatching habits; how to surf; Charleston and the Isle of Palms. While I'm not likely to ever apply the knowledge about surfing, a trip to Charleston and the Isle of Palms in the future could be more likely!
I've really enjoyed the books I've read in Ms. Monroe's Beach House series and this one is no exception. Reading about the lives, loves and adventures of Cara and her family made this an interesting and entertaining read. Ms. Monroe has a talent for weaving lots of factual information into her books in a way where the reader doesn't feel they're being lectured to and I learned a lot in this book, along with being entertained by the story. It's a quick and easy read and perfect for the summer!
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read Beach House Reunion!

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The story takes place in Charleston, South Carolina and the southern family beach-house on the Isle of Palms. One of my 2 favorite places to visit.

This book is well written, with good character development, my first book reading from this author and enjoyed like if I still lived in South Carolina. Mary Alice Monroe describes the importance of family, emotional support, friends, neighbors, love, faith and hope.

This is a good pick me up, while reading at the beach.. Definitely will enjoy.

I received a free copy for an honest review from NetGalley. .

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This captivating story reunites us with an ensemble of Monroe’s characters, which show up to take a bow. Their appearance thrills like the sight of a long loved friend. Monroe’s thoughtful prose impels her readers to savor each word.

This story is of Lovie Rutledge’s legacy, her Beach House, on Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Lovie’s life impacted the lives of many. Through her beloved beach house and her turtles, her love and wisdom transcends generations.

Cara Rutledge, Lovie’s daughter is finding her way from the darkness of grief and loss through Hope and Love. Linnea, her niece, is dealing with family drama and struggling to find her path. The two women come together to ease each other’s burdens for the summer. Each woman painfully carving their way into a new life, becoming stronger, independent women on their own terms.

Beach House Reunion is a beautiful messy story about a family whose love runs deep as the ocean. It’s about forgiveness of self and others, of understanding and compassion and of Hope and Love. A tale of the incredible bond of friends as family and family as friends.

BEACH HOUSE REUNION is a gift from Mary Alice Monroe to her readers and a true Gem in her collection.

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Once again, readers get to learn about the Rutledge family and their home on Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Cara is getting a chance at life and love once again after losing her husband. Bret, and finally getting a chance to be a mother by adopting, Hope. While she struggles to balance motherhood and work, her niece, Linnea, comes to the house on the Isle of Palms to help out with Hope. Both women discover their strength as the family undergoes addiction issues as well as their career paths and love.

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I received an arc from netgalley. This book travels back to The Beach House Series. You get reacquainted with the characters and remember what you drew you to them in the first place. In this novel, three generations of the Rutledge family gather together to find the strength, love, and commitment that are needed to forge new bonds that last beyond the summer.

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I feel so fortunate to not only have received a copy of this book, but to have been able to read it while visiting the beach. Hearing the waves and feeling the ocean breeze helped bring the Rutledges to life and make it an incredibly memorable read. I truly fell in love with Cara and Linnea’s charming stories of personal growth and new beginnings.
This was the first of the Beach House series that I’ve read and although I may have missed out on some of the sentimentality of the family history, it did not hinder the Beach House Reunion whatsoever. The author did a great job explaining pertinent backstory so I didn’t feel like I was missing a beat. Now I want to go back and start the series from the beginning!
This was a great beach read and I would highly recommend picking up a copy this summer!

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This is another book in the Beach House series by Mary Alice Monroe. Cara Rutledge, 53, has returned to her house in Isle of Palms, outside of Charleston, SC, with her newly adopted baby, Hope. Cara left her job to return to the beach house because she wanted to be a full-time mother to baby Hope, rather than a mother who leaves her child at day care all day. Cara has been out of sorts since her husband, Brett, died three years ago and is hoping for a new beginning. In need of childcare while she starts up her PR consulting operation, Cara hires her niece, Linnea, a recent college grad, to help with the child care, as Linnea figures out what she also will do in life. Both women work together to forge a new beginning for their lives, to include jobs, men and, in Cara’s case, motherhood, while spending a summer filled with twists and turns at the beach house.

Like the others in the series, this book is well written, with good character development. I enjoyed watching these two women, both having reached a turning point in their lives, work out their futures, learn to accept and live with the “baggage” they carry, and find the rewards that come with family, love, romance and growth. In particular, I enjoyed reading the parts about the sea turtle volunteer work they both were involved in, especially the little tidbits about turtles at the start of each chapter, mostly because I live in Florida where sea turtles are a big thing—and it as great to learn some extra things about these fascinating sea reptiles. This is a good addition to the series and will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys the Low Country, the author or her other books as well as those in the series. I received this to read and review from NetGalley.

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I enjoyed the continuing story of Cara and her chance of new love and unhappiness. It does help to read the series in sequence, but it is not essential. Love the weaving if the turtles into the story.

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This was the first book I read in the Beach House series. I read it after watching the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie "The Beach House." I really enjoyed this book, it was my first by Mary Alice Monroe as well. I generally always prefer a book to a movie but I found this book followed the characters in the movie and previous books. While sometimes I end up reading in the middle of a series, it just makes me want to go back and read the other books. I thought this book was excellent and now I want to read the first ones in the serious.

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I read an ARC of Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe curtesy of Netgalley. This charming beach read follows three generations of a Charleston family. Middle aged Cara has returned home to her Low Country Island home to raise her adopted daughter on her own, but with the emotional support of her family. I enjoyed reading about Cara settling in to the rhythm of motherhood. The fact that this book also addressed the issues of climate change and conservation is something that made the story so much more meaningful to me. I have to admit I had flashbacks to Hurricane Sandy as Cara and company fled a hurricane. These seemed like people I know, resilient folks who can overcome life’s challenges.

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I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy. Another great read from Mary Alice Monroe. This book brought back all of the characters from the previous ones in this series. The characters deal with heart break and happiness! They con't to rely on each other to get through the daily grind. I loved this book! I only wish this were not the last in the series, as I feel like the characters are close family and friends. I would definitely recommend this book and author to anyone looking for a great book!

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Mary Alice Monroe is another favorite author of mine. I love most books taking place in the South and on the beach, so this is my kind of book. I have also come to love "Turtle Time." We have stayed at several resorts where turtles are welcomed and the beaches protected so that the eggs will hatch without human intervention.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the turtle information the author includes and the story brought back some of my favorite characters and added a few more! It makes me want to spend time on the beach watching the waves roll in!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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Loved this book and highly recommend it! Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy! I will be purchasing this book for all my reader friends for sure! Found a new favorite author!

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When I received this book from Net Galley, little did I know that it is book 5 in a series. Then, as luck would have it, I discovered that book 1 (The Beach House) was a made for TV movie being featured on the Hallmark channel this weekend, so I decided to check out the movie, to get a little background, before I began Book 5. It turned out to be a good decision since it gave me an idea of the dynamics between the members of the Rutledge family, their friends and neighbors.

Set on the Isle of Palms near Charleston, SC BEACH HOUSE REUNION continues the family’s saga. Most of the children and young adults introduced in book one are now adults, and a few who had departed the family digs have “returned to the roost” and are struggling with questions of identity, purpose and how to make a difference in the world. A strong sense of place invites additional questions about land ownership and wilderness conservation. Woven in among these thoughtful ideas is an engaging and entertaining story about growing up, growing older, passion and possibilities.

Mary Alice Monroe knows just how to interweave lives and relationships as each character finds their place. Readers will drink up this pleasurable tale about the bonds of family and community as she whisks you off to the BEACH HOUSE REUNION.

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A very good read. If you love beach reads with family drama and history mixed into it you will love this book. Characters each had their own story so it keeps your attention. I'm a big fan of Mary Alice Monroe and her books. You won't be disappointed in this one !

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