Sunset Beach is another great novel by Mary Kay Andrews. The setting of coastal Florida is beautiful and serene. I enjoyed every aspect of the story with it's charm, intrigue, entertainment factor dynamic characters. It's a well written thoughtful story that I definitely recommend. Thank you for the advanced copy!

I started this book thinking I had just discovered another author like Dorothea Benton Frank and I was really frustrated when I realized I was reading a mystery, a genre that I really don’t enjoy - wish I did. I was happy to discover that there were interesting characters and thoughtful moments on top of plenty of twists and turns with just a little bit of romance.

Drucilla is at a dead end. Her mother has passed away and the passion of Drue’s life, kiteboarding, is also at a dead end after a debilitating accident. She turns out to be resourceful and intelligent as she struggles through her conflicts with her estranged-and-now-reunited father and all that comes with his world. This requires her to move from the east to the west coast of Florida, back to St Petersburg where she grew up.

One of my favorite parts is when she watches the gorgeous sunset and a new reality kicks in for the maturing Drue, “...the funny thing is? When I was kiteboarding I never really paid attention to it. I loved being on the water, and I really, really loved doing tricks and flying, but the water and the wind? They were just there...being grounded with this stinking knee injury has made me really stop and appreciate all of this.” I can relate to this stop-and-smell-the-roses moment.

As I read the afterward from the author about her love of Florida and all the beach houses she has called home, a steady snow has been falling outside of mine, and its also something that I love about the environment I live in. This book was everything a beach read needs, minus the beach - very fun.

4.5 stars
The beach, family drama, a little romance, and a mystery to solve- what's not to like? This is a perfect beach read. Definitely recommend.

I know and love the gorgeous beach area where the story takes place. The main character, Drue, has just moved from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to the west coast of Florida, into the rundown beach house that she inherited from her mother and her grandparents. She gets a desk job at her father’s law firm. The story revolves around her new life and the people in her new life, and on two cold cases that she discovers and investigates along the way. I have read a couple of books by Ms. Andrews and she always has relatable, likable characters. Although some of the situations in which Drue found herself were a bit far fetched, the book was well written and held my interest.

This title will be available on May 7, 2019

This is the perfect book to take on vacation. It's long enough that you probably won't finish it in one sitting, it has an engaging storyline with light mystery that doesn't take too much thought to follow. You can pick it up and put it down and then resume without having to backtrack. It's the kind of book you take to a pool or a beach to escape with and probably would go down even better with a cocktail in your hand. This is my first Mary Kay Andrews novel - and it was pretty much everything I expected it to be; light, beachy fun entertainment.

That said, if I don't take too much time dissecting this novel, it's perfectly fine. I know what type of book this is and the type of readers it will appeal to. But if I look at it a little further, there were some definite problem areas. Some of the dialogue feels unnatural as do the descriptions of people. It's kind of like that awkward moment when your parent is trying to impress your friends with how "current" they are but instead utterly shows their age. That is how parts of this book felt to me. I'm sure that there are going to be readers who don't think this at all, which leads me to believe that this book is intended for an older audience than myself. The protagonist is 36 years old, but felt like she should have been 26 instead and for those who devour the mystery/thriller genre I feel like the two murder mystery storylines will be obvious. I guess to me this book felt a little dated and hokey at times but I also think that this would be better suited to a different type of reader.

There are going to be a ton of people who love this book because they're fans of Mary Kay Andrews. She's a household name for a reason and I've seen a lot of positive reviews of her other books. I haven't read any of them, but I am definitely interested in reading some of her past work to compare to this one. Sunset Beach is not by any means a "bad book" - and for readers looking for something light and escapist it's a great choice. I would definitely recommend it to bring on your spring or summer vacation.

Thank you St Martin's Press & Netgalley for the advanced digital copy for review!

Drue Campbell's life is falling apart and she has no other choice but to take her estranged father up on his offer of a job. The ocean front house she has inherited from her mother means she has somewhere to live. But the house is definitely a fixer upper and the job holds surprises in the form of her dad's new wife. As Drue tries to adjust she discovers 2 mysteries that she can't leave alone. Will she be able to find a way to connect with her father or will the mysteries tear them further apart?

OK, I’ve struggled over this review because for some this book will probably be great. I’ve read one other MKA book and have decided maybe she’s just not a favorite for me.

I found the main characters in both books to be immature for their ages and not really all that likable...actually I didn’t get any warm feelies for any of the characters. There are two mysteries here, one fairly predictable but the other with a twist that did not reflect how I had come to see this character...and to be honest that ended up really putting me off.

If you like MKA, you’ll probably like this. Her writing is perfectly fine...I think it’s just not my cup of tea.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Two late-nights later, I can say this is one of the better books I've read lately...and I read a lot. Mary Kay Andrews has matured quite a bit from her Savannah Breeze days, yet still manages to keep that light-hearted wit that attracted me to her in the first place. This book has several mysteries to solve tucked here and there throughout the story. Just when you think you've got one of them them figured out, a monkey wrench is thrown into the works. It's enough to keep you guessing all the way through. Though some of the characters seem shallow at first, they quickly develop into complicated creatures that you'll root for to the very end!

Instantly jumped to the top of my own personal rankings of Mary Kay Andrews books. Lately I've been having a hard time finding one of those books that I get completely lost in and don't want to do anything but find out what happens. If this happens to you pick up this book today. This story has multiple mysteries that kept me guessing, a likable protagonist and a great setting. Not to mention several twists and turns I didn't see coming. I would love to see this turn into a series.

I enjoyed this book - if you overlook the fact that someone who has no legal experience and no investigative experience, who is told several times to 'leave it alone' can solve a 2-year old murder that the police haven't been able to solve. It was interesting enough to keep me reading, and if you can dispel your disbelief and just enjoy it, it's quite entertaining.

I won't lie, its been a little while since I read a Mary Kay Andrews book. Reading Sunset Beach was much like meeting up with an old friend you haven't seen in a while and finding out that the friendship is exactly the same. Sunset Beach reads as great amateur detective mystery. Drue Campbell's father reenters the picture just as she loses all the staples in her life- her mother, her sports career, her job, and her boyfriend. Deciding she has nothing to lose, Drue moves back to Sunset Beach to start over and her long absentee father gives her a job and a chance to build a relationship with him. Drue's bitterness leads to little bit of a rocky start. But when her job introduces her to a lady who lost her daughter and is now raising her granddaughter, Drue finds her dogged determination with solving a murder uncovers a great detective. When her attic reveals an old mystery, Drue begins to pursue both cases while fielding the minefield of her wicked stepmother, a job she hates, making new friends, and not knowing who to trust. Danger idles closer than even she knows as Drue finally uncovers the truth of both mysteries with a shocking twist. I hope this book is just the start of a series because I thoroughly enjoyed the character growth that Drue experienced and would love to read more of her adventures- 4 1/2 stars rounded up.! My voluntary unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Wow! What a great book! It grabbed me from the first page and kept my attention to the very end! Lots of twists and turns, kept me guessing! Loved it and sure all her fans will too!

This wasn’t what I expected, but I really enjoyed it. Sunset Beach tells the story of Drue’s reunion with her father following the death of her mother and her discovery of the past of both her parents.

I wasn’t too sure how believable it is that Drue could becomes intrigued by a previous murder case and begin investigating, but I really enjoyed the mystery and the way different narrative threads were woven together.

This isn’t great literature, but it did keep me hooked the whole time and I appreciated the fact that the characters were nuanced.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Mary Kay Andrews is one of my all time favorite authors and I was honored to have the opportunity to get an advanced copy of this book!! This book kept me on the edge of my seat and wondering where it was going?? I loved the family dynamic of this book and the perseverance of the main character. I have to admit that I did NOT see that ending coming and I literally read this book in less than 24 hours. SO GOOD.

This is a perfect, light read I was looking for. I was engrossed from page one and enjoyed the escapism MKA always provides. I enjoyed the mystery and found the characters complex and intriguing.

A novel set on the coastal part of Florida ---this was a captivating, enjoyable,mysterious, fun and romantic title all in one!
Charmingly written and definitely full of ups and downs-it totally brings laughter and excitement with each page. A definite read filled with good characters and lots of wit--I just loved it.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to have read this book prior to publication--it was a joy!!!

Loved it! Thank you Mary Kay Andrews for another terrific beach story. I felt like I was right there walking the soft sands of Sunset Beach and watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Right along with an interesting cast of characters

Could not put it down. At first I thought 'train wreck'! Then it hooked me. Great characters. Very nice mix of suspense, personal intrigue, and classic setting. The plot and the presentation work well. I could read more about Drue.