I received this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you Netgalley.

The book has a little bit of everything as far as emotions. Grief, forgiveness, love...
This was a sweet second change/childhood sweetheart romance. The setting of the beach town in the story made me want to climb into the book and settle in there.

This book was a quintessential summer beach read, so if that is what you're looking for, this may be worth a try. The ending was sweet and the characters were decently developed. The pacing was also perfect for a quick read. However, it was very repetitive. Valuable space that could have been used to better explore characters and the storyline was used repetitively; it did not need to be repeated over and over again in every single chapter that Hallie has a secret no one else can know, Ben loves her, everyone is reeling from Clara's death. I also struggled with the ongoing themes of dishonesty/burying feelings, selfishness, martyrdom, and immaturity in what were supposed to be adult characters. This read was between 2 and 3 stars for me, so I rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC.

Perfect summer read! Loved this book and cant wait to read more from this author.
Devoured this in one sitting

What a fantastic feel good book!. This is a perfect summer read with wonderfully developed characters that you fall in love with yourself. Its a perfect beach book. It kept a smile on my face and me want to hang out with this family!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher from this arc.

This is a perfect beach read! It was a light and fun summer romance that encourages you to follow your dreams! I love books that are set in small and cute beach towns and this one did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the protagonist Hallie. She was passionate and strong. My only complaints with this novel was that it moved a little slow in the beginning and I wanted more for the male lead, Ben. This was my first introduction to Jenny Hale and I would read more from her.

Hallie’s beloved Aunt Clara has passed away and Hallie is bereft over this enormous loss. Hallie returns to her favorite place in the world, her Aunt Clara’s beachside home in Firefly Beach. Here she will nurse her wounds, help her uncle in his grief, uncover a family secret, and begin to imagine a new life for herself. Hallie navigates through all of this with her best friend Ben by her side. ⁣
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This is everything a reader expects from a good beach read- a beautiful locale, a little mystery, and a love story. The grief that this family is experiencing was beautifully written, although at times heartbreaking. The love story was organic and while a little predictable, sometimes that’s appreciated. After a slew of heavy reads this lighthearted, feel-good story was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you @bookouture for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

An awesome story about life, love and following your dreams. I love how the author portrays grief and healing. Must read for your summer reading list! 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this advanced readers copy.

Hallie’s life has been turned upside down; she is trying to cope with the breakdown of her engagement and her Aunt Clara has died. Returning to her aunt’s house at Firefly Beach with her family and best friend Ben, she is given a letter instructing her to fulfil the bucket list she wrote when she was 12 before she can receive her inheritance.

The story follows Hallie as she begins her journey to fulfil the list. However, Hallie is also hiding a secret which could put her future happiness in jeopardy.

An uplifting story of discovering that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

A nice summer read. The family heads to Firefly Beach to spend time with Uncle Hank while they are all processing their grief over the loss of Aunt Clara. Each family member received a special letter from Aunt Clara and they cherish the direction she provides and her words of wisdom. The story has happy glimpses of beach life, dealing with grief, and romance.

A clean, wholesome story that uplifts the spirit and urges you to follow dreams! Loved it! Recommend warmly!!

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summer at Firefly Beach by Jenny Hale is a story about love, family ties, and following your dreams. The story follows Hallie and her family, who are beyond devastated about the recent passing away of their beloved Aunt Clara, as they spend a few weeks at Firefly Beach to try and get back some of what was lost to them.
Everyone in her family was given an inheritance except for Hallie, who was given an old bucket list she created when she was 12. In order to receive what her Aunt has left her, Hallie must to complete it.
As the story goes on and Hallie begins to check off items on her list, she discovers things she thought were lost to her, including love.

I really enjoyed this book. The way the author portrays grief is totally spot on. At first the Flynn family is so grief stricken, they can barely function. As the book goes on however, we see each of them start to heal with time and togetherness. The descriptive language Jenny Hale uses to describe the sand, waves, and the little town of Firefly beach had me literally pining for the ocean! I also really enjoyed meeting each of the additional characters and reading about their backstories. Lewis and Gavin helped to add to more depth to the story. And of course Ben! It doesn't get any sweeter then Ben! I loved watching his relationship with Hallie develop and grow! That last scene on the beach was swoon worthy!
Overall, really good read!

This is the first time I have read anything by this author and I have mixed feelings as to whether or not I would read any more books by Jenny Hale. I will say I loved the setting for this book with a big house in a small, quaint beach town. The characters were semi interesting but it is one of the stories to me that is kind of blah. In my opinion a good story is one that catches you right from the start and keeps you wanting to read right through to the end.

It took me a little while to get into this book. Not going to lie. But...it was sweet, and it was truly a nice read. Sweet and cute, with the best of a best-friends-since-childhood-turned-lover kind of storyline. However, was it the best book I've ever read? No. It was nice, sure, but something about it just didn't quite click with me.
Characters:
Hallie was nice to have as a lead heroine, and her own journey of creative self-discovery was fun to be on the ride for, but I think that might have just been it - she was almost too nice, perhaps even a little bit boring, without any spunk. I'm sure a lot of other people would have loved her, and she is lovely, but I just didn't connect with her character as much as I would have liked to. I did love her passion for photography and her belief in family.
As for Ben - no swoons personally for me - a very nice guy and a great match for Hallie, but yeah, just very sweet. He truly loves Hallie and that was lovely to see. I did also love seeing him with kids, and the ending that he creates is nice and satisfying.
Storyline:
It had an interesting concept to it (albeit one that's perhaps cliched - but that's not a bad thing!) and I liked the idea behind it of learning who you are and following your passions without fear, but I would have loved a little more on the list and made that a more key and central part to the plot line. For me, it just felt like it was introduced and name-dropped a couple of times, but there was no real mission to complete the list, if that makes sense. There was a slight mystery aspect to the first portion of the book, although it was quite easily solved - but I suppose that wasn't the aim. As for the storyline overall, I did enjoy it, although it moved a touch too slow for my taste, but nonetheless a sweet and satisfying read.

Overall:
This truly is a lovely and sweet novel, about exploring love, family and friendship, particularly in the face of loss. It's a novel of discovery - of self, of new avenues and old loves, and that was quite lovely to read along with. Hallie and Ben are sweet together, and it is lovely to read on a quiet evening in.

Note: I was generously provided an ARC of this novel by the publisher and the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. At first, I felt that the book started out slow, but then I got immersed in the characters and I couldn't wait to see how the story ended. Hallmark movie lovers will especially enjoy this book.
In short, a family is brought together after the passing of their Aunt Clara. Clara has left the main character, Hallie, a list of tasks she must achieve before she can receive her inheritance. As Hallie checks of her tasks, she and her family are brought together and the story unfolds.

Haillie Flynn has experienced a lot of loss in the past few months. Her marriage has recently ended in divorce, and her beloved Aunt Clara has died leaving her Uncle Hank alone at Firefly Beach. Haillie, her family and her best friend Ben make their annual summer trip to Firefly Beach to try and heal and spend time with Uncle Hank. Aunt Clara has left a final wish for Haillie - to complete the bucket list that Haillie wrote when she was twelve years old.

I really enjoyed the sense of romance felt while reading this book and the overwhelming companionship of Haillie and Ben. The read is an easy one and ideal for a beach read. I thought the progression of Haillie's artistic career was a little too quick to be truly believable, but typical of this type of romance novel.

I'd rate this book 3.5 /5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars).

I have to say it's a bit off-putting, starting a book amidst a family's grief. It was also immediately obvious where the romance was going to come from, so a bit predictable also. I thought the main character, Hallie, was overly dramatic at times. Ben was nice, a bit too nice, he needed a bit of an edge. I enjoyed reading about Hallie's blossoming new career, but I think the fact her life had a complete overhaul within the space of a two week family holiday was unrealistic. I liked the parallels between Hallie and her great aunt. There could have been more drama surrounding the bucket list. I think what is a good story, could have been a great one, but there you go. This is a light read, and I did enjoy it. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fantastic feel good book. Perfect summer read with wonderfully fleshed out characters that you fall in love with yourself. Perfect beach book. It kept a smile on my face and me want to hang out with this family.

Thank you to the author/publisher/Netgalley for the the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hallie Flynn was grieving the lost of her beloved Aunt Clara, and her best friend Ben Murray helped her heal and put her life back together. Aunt Clara has given Hallie a list of things she wanted Hallie to achieve in her life. There were parts that was touching and sweet. Many parts were insightful and thought provoking. This was my first time reading a book by Jenny Hale. I look forward to reading more. NetGalley has the best books.

Summer at Firefly Beach
By Jenny Hale
Pub date: June 17, 2019


Hallie Flynn tried to control her emotions as she helped pack the cars to head back to Firefly Beach in Florida. It had been six months since her Aunt Clara had passed and she still could not return to the peaceful place she had been her last times with Clara and Hank. This visit was a family affair to help her Uncle Hank. He wasn’t do well physically and the cottage needed work. Hallie’s mother, sister Sydney and her son, Robbie, as well as best friend, Ben were planning to sort through troubles that seemed to linger in the months since her funeral.
Clara was a master of design. She and her partner, Sasha Morgan were well known internationally for their multi-million dollar company. Hallie had hoped to one day become part of that company. She possessed many of the design talents that Clara had passed on to her. At this point, Hallie worked with a 9-5 business doing interior decorating. It wasn’t her intended career but currently it was all she could do, she needed to find a way to find a more challenging life.
This story weaves its way through the characters; their past, present and hopes for future happiness. It also spells mystery from within the family. Letters written to all of Clara’s loved ones give them hints of her wishes and bequests for their future. Hallie however was given a list of five tasks in her first letter from Aunt Clara. She needed to accomplish these and receive her Uncle Hank’s acknowledgment before she would receive her second letter along with her inheritance. She was confused by this. It was a task to figure out while she spent her vacation at the cottage.
This story was a pleasant one, however at times I felt myself getting lost in some of the details. Hallie’s relationship with Ben seemed an obvious one but never becoming clear until the last sections of their journey.
I do recommend it as a delightful, comfort read. I perused most of it on my wraparound front porch, much like the one in the story, although mine was not on the beachfront.
Jenny Hale’s book, Summer at Firefly Beach is due to be published on June 17, 2019. If you are a fan of Ms. Hales, I am certain you will check this one out. If you have not read her books before, characters are family oriented and many times take place on or near the ocean.
Enjoy!

****Summer at Firefly Beach. Hallie is consumed with grief when her great aunt Clara passes and is also very confused about her inheritance. While the rest of the family got their inheritances immediately, Hallie is tasked with completing the items on a bucket list composed when she was 12. Six months into her grief she and her family go to visit Uncle Hank, himself still struggling with his new widowhood. Childhood friend Ben, always Hallie’s rock and support also makes the trip. Hallie finds her uncle to be a shadow of his formerly strong self and the cottage he shared with Clara in disrepair. Can either of these two find the strength needed to survive and will Hallie ever get her inheritance? Jenny Hale is a new author to me and while I found her very adept at descriptive phrases, I felt she overplayed the grief angle...repetitively. Turns out Hallie’s pain also has another cause that may have her turning away from her true place. One of her bucket list items was to have a wish come true, but which wish might that be? As Hallie comments, she has made lots of wishes and none have ever come true. Overall this was a good story with interesting characters and some surprises along the way. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book that I received from NetGalley.