Hallie has kept secret from her family just why her engagement ended. Still recovering from everything, the untimely demise of her beloved Aunt Clara means she's really struggling to cope. Aunt Clara has left them all letters but Hallie's is different from everyone else as it requires her to complete the bucket list she wrote when she was just 12 years old before she can have her inheritance. That's when her best friend from childhood, Ben Murray, comes to help her and her family. He has always been able to make her feel safe, secure and loved but even he doesn't know that secret. Together they all travel to spend the summer a Firefly Beach with Uncle Hank, who is still reeling from the death of his beloved wife. Can they help each other? Should Hallie do what her Aunt asked? What will her inheritance be? Can she share her secret and will doing so help her find true love or destroy the possibility of her ever doing so?

Jenny Hale is one of those select, few, highly talented authors who writes emotive, enthralling romantic reads that I just cannot resist because I know I will thoroughly enjoy escaping into them. This is another of her brilliant stories.

The story has believable characters, many of whom are struggling with losing someone they've loved. That doesn't, however, make this a sad story - just the opposite really, it definitely has some laugh out loud moments, too! It is a story of reconnecting, sharing, revelations, new beginnings and following your dreams. Ben is the sort of man any family would be lucky to have as a friend, he's amazing. It is a heartwarming family story that I loved reading and have absolutely no hesitation in highly recommending. If I could give it more than 5* I would!

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley. This is my honest review after choosing to read it.

Summer at Firefly Beach by Jenny Hale
Aunt Clara’s beach house is a place to relax and connect as a family.  However,  now Aunt Clara is gone, Hallie is not looking forward to going there.  This is, to her, another straw in the camel’s back.  Things have been really hard, but this loss is almost too much.  In the last piece of correspondence from her aunt, was the to do list Hallie made when she was twelve.  Hallie is expected to accomplish the list in order to receive her inheritance, but how can she when she is mired in despair.  

Once there with her family and her best friend forever Ben, Hallie immerses herself in moving forward by trying to accomplish her list of todos. The hopeless feeling comes and goes, yet Hallie moves forward...That is when the book gets very interesting…

Summer at Firefly Beach was good, but not great.  I really did not like how Hallie wallowed in her grief in the beginning, however once more information became known and she moved forward, I began to enjoy the book more.  Jenny Hale’s description of a small vacation town with the heat, sand and family was spot on.  Summer at Firefly Beach by Jenny Hale was a good read.

This book is the perfect summer read. I love the beach and Hale did a perfect job at painting the perfect setting. The characters were so easy to fall in love with. This book was a fast and enjoyable read!

This book made me want to be at the beach in the setting and I loved the writing and the characters this will be a reread for me

Hallie Flynn and her family gather at her favorite place ever. It is the home of her now deceased great Aunt Clara. The home is lovely and brings with it very warm memories to Hallie. She is devastated by the loss of her aunt.

Aunt Clara has left inheritances to the family, which include Hallie's mother and sister. When it came to Hallie, however, instead of a sizable inheritance, she receives a letter that included a bucket list that Hallie wrote as a a child. Clara insists that Hallie complete that bucket list before she can receive anything.

Some of the things on that list seem impossible. Hallie must take on some real challenges. Hallie has already made great strides, as she left her non-fulfilling job to go to Firefly Beach. Now, will she go further and actually strike out on her own with her incredible talent in photography? Will she kiss a boy she loves? Will she complete the bucket list before the summer is over?

One person right by her side in life, ever since she was a child, is Ben Murray. They are best friends, incredibly close, and he is there with her now helping her to cope with her loss and to consider her bucket list. Meanwhile Hallie meets a painter named Gavin Wilson, and he turns her head and this really has a chance to change her future. If this happens, what of Ben and their close relationship?

One thing about this book is the fact that Hallie has a secret. It is a devastating one and has shaped Hallie into the person she is today. Sharing this secret would take a lot, and the way Hallie handled it was done well in this book.

I enjoyed all of the characters in this book, especially Hallie's uncle Hank. Her mother and sister were quite wonderful too, as was her nephew Robby. This book had an excellent family feel to it and I was drawn in from the very first page. I also enjoyed the romantic aspect of the book and how best friends had a chance at finding love, despite overwhelming challenges. This was quite an emotional read and will make for the perfect book to take along to the beach.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have to admit Summer at Firefly Beach by Jenny Hale is one of those books that I take one look at and think oohh I want to be there, darn beautiful covers get me all the time. However, as lovely as an “inviting wraparound porch and enchanting views across the sparkling turquoise ocean” does sound I actually knew of Jenny Hale’s stories so I had high hopes for a lovely beachy type of read too and thankfully that’s what readers will find with this one.

Hallie Flynn was extremely close to her Aunt Clara having spent plenty of time with her at her home at Firefly Beach. As Hallie is mourning the loss of her aunt however she left her with a bit of a puzzle. All others received a hand written letter saying goodbye and what they inherited but Hallie was left with a bucket list she’d written as a child. This summer with the help of her best friend, Ben, Hallie will need to step out of her comfort zone and figure out just what Aunt Clara’s message means.

Summer at Firefly Beach is filled with emotional moments and one may need a tissue or two when reading but not to worry there are also plenty of happier moments too. This is one that a reader will notice the character growth as it’s happening along the way and perhaps a few things might seem a little predictable but it’s done well and in a way that it’s easy to stay engaged and wait to see  if there will be a happy ever after.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The death of Hallie's Aunt Clara encourages her to return to her favorite place in the world, Firefly Beach.  Upon Hallie's return, she learns of her beloved aunt's bucket list for her.  Through this bucket list, Hallie learns a lot about herself and what makes her happy personally, professionally, and romantically.  After one failed marriage, does Hallie have the faith to give love one more try?

I only gave this book four stars instead of five because I felt like a couple of the plot lines were underdeveloped.  As a reader,  I would have liked to have learned more about Uncle Lewis.  In addition, I feel like her business success was a little bit unbelievable.  That business plan was pretty hefty for such a short period of time. Lastly, Hallie's romantic relationship with Ben was a bit unbelievable.  

Summer at Firefly Beach is a great beach read.  The plot is simple, light, and heartwarming.  Grab your beach chair, sunscreen, and cold drink, and enjoy a day with Summer at Firefly Beach!  Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

I adored this book! First, being at the beach is my favorite place in the entire world and any book that is set in a beautiful beachside cottage is my kind of book. From the start where Hallie read Aunt Clara's bucket list for her to the end, I was sucked in to her story. I had a feeling from the beginning who Hallie was destined to be with (yay!) and even though the road was bumpy and a bit long, she got there. A great vacation read!

When I opened the book and took my first glimpse of it, I knew I would simply fall in love with it. When Aunt Clara died, Hallie was left with a bucket list she had written as a child. She left her job and went about fulfilling the wishes of the innocent younger Hallie and Aunt Clara. In the process, Hallie discovered a thing or two about herself. Ben her best friend stood steadfast by her side through it all… Was Ben her soul mate or did the newcomer Gavin bring new dreams? Read the book to know Hallie’s story.

Jenny Hale’s writing was as beautiful as ever. There was a rhythm in her words as if the prose was beating to an ancient love story. The story steeped in grief after the death of a beloved was filled with hope with new dreams and a second chance to become all that we can be. Not many books can bring about the strange melody of the heart, this is one of the best.

Writing emotions is the most difficult thing. Jenny Hale made it look so easy. I was into the book from the first line and emerged out of my kindle only at the end. A beautiful story which strung my heart with color and dreams

What a sweet light hearted and warm feeling summer read. It's about creating your own future and willing to give into the unknown with the optimism and hope that love prevails and you can truly get what you want. I loved the story of Hallie and her aunt and would enjoy a sequel.

I had high hopes for this story. This was my first book by this author and I have heard such great things. This one, however, didn't  meet my expectations  While it was a good, light summer read, I would have like more character development throughout the story. Much of the book fell flat and I found myself struggling to finish it. That being said, I did love the ending of the story, it just took a while to get there. (less)

\I loved this book. Hallies Aunt Clara dies, she leaves both Hallies mother and sister a financial settlement in her will, but with Hallie she gives her a list of tasks to do before she is allowed a letter to see what she has been left. 

Hallie goes to her Aunt Claras house with her best friend Ben and starts to change her life. 

It was very charming, heartwarming and very uplifting. 

Would read a sequel.

Super-light beach book reading that’s a bit too cliche and predictable, and a bit too neatly tied up with a pretty bow at the end.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Why is it that we can’t see the potential in ourselves that is so obvious to others? We see the potential in others, but are blinded to our own potential. This is the situation in which Hallie finds herself as she works through the aftermath of Aunt Clara’s death. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

An emotional tale of life loss and love. Can be quite an emotional story but found it used a lot of description that at times felt like it was just padding it out, more likely just not my style of reading but the book/ story was good and I did enjoy. The characters were well thought out and easy to relate to

Nice, easy read. Love, friendship and loss all tangled together into Hallie's story. It's a nice side pool novel for the lovers of the genre.

A lovely sweet read about love, loss, family and friendship. I found it a bit predictable and formulaic at times, but still a nice read.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A lovely quick, easy read about loss, love and family. This story was a bit predictable but still a great read. 

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I struggled to get into this book.  The characters were underdeveloped and boring.  I think it was suppose to tug at my heart strings but it was hard to grieve at length with the family in this book over a character that the reader did not meet or experience.  At the onset of the book Hallie is heartbroken and grieving her ex-fiance  and her aunt. There’s too much and too little - she has lots of grief but the reader is given no perspective on either so it’s hard to feel deep empathy for the character. I found myself skimming so I could get to the meat of the story.  In many ways this book reads like a Hallmark movie - many would love that, it’s just not my thing. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC and opportunity to read.

This is a story of love and family and how the past can come around to the future. I love the way this story came together.  

Hallie and Ben have been best friends since they were children.  Now grown adults, they are embarking on a more grown up relationship.  Ben has always been there for Hallie in times of trouble.  Now faced with loss and other commitments, will they remain friends or "more"?

The idea of returning to where the best memories have been made makes for such an easy read.  The characters are relatable.  Jenny Hale did a great job spinning this summer tale.