One for fans of second chance romances! Renee grew up close to her father and not to her toxic mother. Now, she's living happily with her dad in the nice small town of West Cove. Her sister Cait, who is more like her mother than her father, shows up and wants Renee to plan her wedding and then, even worse, her mom comes to town. Salvation lies, however, with Luc, the boy next door who was her first love. They're both adults now and Luc, it turns out, is worth taking a risk for. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fairly light (there is that mom issue) read that was nice during the quarantine but will likely satisfy anytime.

Renee is happy, working drinking coffee not interested in marriage like her Mom. In moves a past flame next door and suddenly Renee is taking a second look at Luc......This book was fun beach sunshine read. I couldn't connect to Renee, however I enjoyed the book. It was entertaining and a fun read. Makes me want to go to the beach!

This wasn't quite the light-hearted read that I had been hoping for. It had all the right ingredients but somehow that didn't translate on the page, for me.

Renee is living with her father in West Cove, after surviving her less-than-ideal childhood with her mother after they divorced. Her mother is SO toxic, that she needs to stay right away from Renee, at all times. Her mother's attitude to marriage has certainly influenced Renee, and not in a positive way.

Renee's sister Cait breezes into town and asks Renee to "help" with her wedding - which translates to Renee pretty much doing the bulk of it. She does it because she loves her sister, although I think Renee is a bit of a pushover, to be honest. To make things even more complicated, Luc comes to stay in his aunt's house, next door. Luc was Renee's first love and everyone knows that the memories of first love lingers......

I really wanted to like this book and there were parts of it I really enjoyed. But mostly it is super angsty. I have no idea what Renee actually does for a living, her relationship with Luc could have been expanded upon (I needed more of the romance), and the relationship that Renee had with her mother pushed all my buttons. I had a very similar mother and it is probably that which is making me a little uncomfortable, to be honest.

I very much wanted the book to continue after Renee had her epiphany - or even read an epilogue?

Anyway, it was well written, just not quite what I thought I was going to be reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital.

The story of Renee and Luc. He was her first, and now he is back in town for the summer.
Thanks to her mother, Renee doesn't believe in happy ever after or marriage, but despite this she agrees to help her sister arrange her wedding.
Can Renee and Luc have a second chance?

Thank you to NetGalley and Katlyn Duncan for giving me an ARC to read of Barefoot on the Beach for my honest review.
Renee was excited to be helping her sister plan her wedding. Renee herself was not set on marriage after seeing her Mother have so two failed marriages. She was simply fine being on her own with no love interest in her life.
But when Luc moved in next door that may all change.
I did not feel a connection to Renee while reading this book. This was an OK book but not one of the best I have read.

A great book to enjoy whilst relaxing in the sunshine. I loved the location the story was set in and Renee was a character who we got to know more throughout the book.

There were complicated relationship dynamics and as I read and the story unfolded it became about more than just Cait's wedding that Renee was helping to plan.

A gorgeous light hearted read that left me smiling as I reached the end.

It's always nice to find a new to me author, and Katlyn Duncan is certainly that! In this book we have Renee, who has decided that love and marriage wasn't for her after watching her mother cycle through husbands her entire childhood. Over summer though, she finds herself becoming a last minute wedding planner for her sister who is getting married in a month. One morning her dog runs into the neighbor's house which is when she realized that the guy next door this summer?

Her first crush and definitely the guy she lost her virginity to. Their summer fling ended abruptly and she never heard or seen him again.

They end up hanging out over that month and she finds herself reluctantly rekindling things with him though she has no idea what she's doing. Between that and planning her sister's wedding (who doesn't seem to have a care in the world), having to deal with her mess of a mother, and trying to keep her freelance work afloat, this is an incredibly stressful time for Renee.

Overall? I liked this one, I'd give it a solid 3.5 star for sure. Renee wasn't really someone I would want to hang out with, she wasn't warm or approachable, and it seemed like using her mother's failures as her reason to not even try was just an easy excuse. What she really was feeling was scared to fail herself and she wasn't very nice to Luc. I really liked him a lot and he seemed like a genuinely good guy, he definitely didn't deserve the attitude Renee through his way.

Also, Renee's sister is the worst. I get it she has anxiety and stress but she is incredibly selfish and self-entitled and I really wanted Renee to tell her exactly where to go and how to get there. Don't even get me started on the mother!

If you are looking for a light read, something to enjoy while your kids run around screaming during quarantine, this should be your next pick. It's a fast read, you won't be swinging by the last thread of your emotions, and that's what we all need at this point!

posted 4/22/20: https://strandupdate.blogspot.com/2020/04/book-review-barefoot-on-beach.html

I really disliked this book. I forced myself to keep going hoping Renee would grow a backbone and she did but not until the last chapter. Her sister was a monster who only added to my dislike. Renee was so hung up on her past that romance was staring her in the face and she didn't see it until the last few pages. Just awful.

Who doesn’t love a good beach read? This was the perfect escape read. Renee is strong and always the dutiful sister leaving behind her needs. As she reconnects with her past and deals with who she is, she sees the future is something to look forward to. I love Luc and how patient he is. This book is a great read.

I absolutely loved reading this book! There were times throughout that I wanted to shake Renee and tell her to stand up for herself. She has such a good heart but so little self confidence initially. It’s refreshing to read about a strong female character and for her to realise it’s not weak to be part of a team. I loved reading it and stayed up so late to finish it! It was well worth it!

An entertaining and well written second chance romance. Good plot and believable characters. I recommend this book. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Just what I needed. A delicious excapist read of the boy-next-door variety. Set in stunning locations wirh likeable characters, apart from the sister who was a bit of a doormat-maker. Will certainly watch out for more from this writer in future.

This is the first time I have read anything by this author. Renee only dated men that are leaving so she is not taking the chance of being like her mother. I will admit that the mother was a terrible person, but didn't understand Renee's thought process on dating. I felt that Cait was a very spoiled person. And Renee was a pushover. Her sister arrives early for her wedding, why she is having it in a town she didn't grown up in I still don't understand, and she expects Renee to plan the wedding. I loved Marcus, but didn't understand why he kept his relationship a secret. The nicknames that Cait gave Renee and Jorden would make me smack her. The most enjoyable parts were on the beach. I miss the beach! This was a good read. I felt the ending was "rushed".

First off Renee stop being a, not quite sure how to say this nicely, so willing to be a doormat? Renee seems like a person that has most of her life together expect for her sister and the women that gave her life.. I can't call her a mother. The sister is a spoiled brat and Renee keeps letting her take advantage of her over and over again. Cait blows into town and expects Renee to do everything for her wedding oh and she didn't ask and it's only a month away and surprise I'm here now. Time for you to drop everything and do what I tell you to do even if you don't have time.. If that was my family I'd disown them all. Ok except for the Dad, he's pretty laid back and has a girlfriend that they all think is just the neighbor. Luc is a breath of fresh air if Renee did not have so much going on, they might have a fighting chance. All in all this was a good book but reading it during the quarantine might not have been the best time. I would tell anyone on a trip to the beach pick it up you enjoy the read just not most of the family.

A lovely book to read.
When Renee’s sister turns up unexpectedly and want her to help organise the wedding. Renee finds herself having to do everything as well as manage her own work.
Every time Cait wants something doing or fetching she uses Renee’s childhood name and Renee finds she can’t say no, even though her dad says she should.
Unexpectedly, also turns up her boyfriend from her school days, and that too next door to them.
Will Renee say no to her sister and what happens when her mother arrives on the scene, that is worth reading and thinking, ‘I know the feeling’. Recommend reading it.

Last year I read a Christmas story by this author and I was charmed by it. It probably won't surprise you that I was happy to see she had another book published. 

The author takes us on a journey to a sunny beach and we are even invited to a wedding. What not to like about all those things???

Some people are afraid to love and have a relationship, because they have seen that marriage is not all about milk and honey. Some break ups are rather painful and nasty and you want to protect yourself by building a wall around your heart or only date when you are sure the romance will only last for a short period of time.

But you should not focus on those couples where it went wrong. There are a lot of people that are very happy together too. So grab your chance when you have found happiness and cherish it with all your heart.

A lovely summer read that I enjoyed at lot about family and love. 4 stars.

Thank you, Katlyn Duncan and Rachel's Random Resources

A nice light read to pass a few hours with. Took me a wee while to warm to Renee, felt as if she was a pushover and too ridged, and cate irritated me but after a few chapters I grow to like them and I was glad I finished the book. A slow burner but well worth the read

Lovely romantic book but not a sick bucket romance Lovely storyline and laugh out loud moments but serious moments as well