Oh Brenda Novak! I loved beyond words The Bookstore on the Beach. Autumn has decided to move forward after her husband was missing for 18 months. The new journey that Autumn takes with her children will change their lives. And maybe give her a second chance at an old love.

I enjoyed going on Autumn and Quinn’s journey.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

The Bookstore at the Beach is the second title that I have read by Ms. Novak, following her earlier novel, One Perfect Summer. As was true of that book, this is a long (448 pages) story that is filled with plot and character.

Readers follow and get to know the lives, struggles and joys of three generations of women from one family. The oldest is Mary. She runs a bookstore in a small town and leads a fairly insular life. Mary is not a risk taker. Why? What happened to her in the past that formed her attitudes and character? No spoilers so you have to read the book to find out.

Next up is Autumn, Mary’s daughter. She has come with her two children to spend time with Mary over the summer. Readers learn early on that Autumn’s husband has been missing for nineteen months, most likely related to his travel in Ukraine. Should Autumn hold on to hope that he will come back or…should she again become involved with her high school crush who lives in the town where Autumn is summering?

Finally there is Taylor, Autumn’s daughter. She was feeling numb and engaged in sexual activity without using birth control. Is she pregnant? If yes, how will this define her life? There is also a strong plot line about Taylor’s friendship with Sierra as Taylor wonders if she is in love with her.

The author holds onto all of the many plot strands without losing any of them. She tells a story that has some depth and that held my interest.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book might look like a cute beach book but there’s a lot of extra drama too. I’ve never read this author before and wouldn’t have known what to expect.

Three generations of women spend the summer together at the beach.
Mary is happy that her daughter Autumn and her great children Taylor and Caden are going to come spend the summer again. Autumn hasn’t brought the family out recently because her husband disappeared and she’s been trying so hard to find him.

Each of the three women has been through a lot.
Mary hides a secret from her past, it’s an enormous secret from her past, something I never would have guessed in a million years. It’s a real shock.

Autumn is at a crossroads, after her husband has been missing for 18 months she’s wondering whether to keep the private detective looking for her husband. She knows her search for her husband has meant that she’s not as available for her children as she would have been otherwise.
When she comes to visit her mom, she runs into the great love of her youth named Quinn. He’s a pretty fantastic guy and he makes it clear that he wants a chance with Autumn when she’s ready but that he’ll never rush her.

Taylor is 17, she made a decision without thinking while she was especially upset about her dad. She is just trying to come to terms with things when she meets someone new and might be falling in love with them.

This book was well written and the characters are very strong. The character Caden isn’t given much of a storyline. This story is basically about three women and Quinn. Quinn has been through some serious drama himself.

This wasn’t quite what I expected, a case of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. This isn’t light and fluffy, there’s some serious drama here. So, just know that going in :)

I read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thank you!

How much drama can you pack into one story? A missing husband, a past family scandal, a second chance romance, cancer, an unexpected pregnancy, etc. This book has it all. Easy to follow even with three main narratives. Autumn's husband has been missing for 18 months when she travels to her hometown with her 2 kids for a summer visit with her mother. She runs into a past love and reconnects. Mary, her mother, has hidden scandal that comes to head that summer.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. It's a well crafted story, just too much for my taste.

The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak is filled with interwoven depths of love along with many levels of drama. There are three generations of women, and each is facing life-changing events in their lives. Mary, Autumn, and Taylor have secrets they are not sharing and life seems to be forcing them to come to terms with new decisions,
Mary has a past she does not want her daughter Autumn to know about. Is it fair to keep her parentage a secret? Mary wants to wait just a bit longer before telling Autumn the sad and horrible truth.
Autumn had the perfect family with a husband she loved and two teenage kids. On a business trip her husband goes missing in Ukraine. It has been nineteen months and there is still no news if he is alive or dead. She decides to take Taylor and Caden to spend the summer months in Sable Beach with her mother. Autumn knows she must make a decision on whether to keep hoping for word of Nick’s location or give up the search.
Taylor has always been a good girl and made top grades in school. Since the disappearance of her father, she has felt misplaced and out of rhythm with her life. Taylor made a very poor choice one night when she was drinking. Now she is worried her carelessness is going to cost her a chance for college and put her future plans in jeopardy.
I enjoyed reading this book and loved the characters. I won’t post spoilers. Follow along with this story of how these strong women find the answers they seek, face their fears, and start new directions in their lives.
Pub Date: 06 Apr 2021
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ahhhh, another book I loved by Brenda Novak! She never disappoints, and her latest doesn't either! Quick read that will pull you in from the very start until the very last page. Loved the character development and how beautifully written this novel was. Definitely recommend!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This is more of a women's fiction book than romance. Yes there is a romance in the book but the book is more centered around three women. There are a lot of secrets that are unearthed during this summer. I did enjoy this book a lot. Who wouldn't want to own a bookstore right on the beach. I would love that. There is a lot of emotion in this book. A lot of fear of the unknown too. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. I felt it was too short and left the reader guessing on a lot of things. I think an epilogue would have been great or even another book after this one telling what is going on would be wonderful. Overall this book is wonderful, emotional and heartwarming.

*I received this free book from NetGalley and am leaving my honest opinion*

This is a very intricate story. It follows along three generations of women, mother, daughter, grandmother and their secrets and problems. It’s very well written. I was quite impressed with the storyline and it was different and fresh.

This is a wonderful beach read This book is about 3 generations of women and is full of drama and secrets. This is another great read by Brenda Novak

Multiple plots, three generations of women in the perfect setting...a bookstore. Great escape fiction for the beach or isolating with Covid.

It was a struggle to finish this one. The dialog was so stilted, the characters were parodies of after school specials. Novak gave each character a soap opera worthy set of conditions to work with, but somehow nothing interesting happened at any point? For a book marketed as being full of "family secrets," every time a secret was revealed, the other family members would think concerned thoughts for a second and then react as paragons of support. Also, the main character's husband disappeared 18 months ago (I know, because that's repeated ad nauseum), and everyone in the book reacts as though it's odd she hasn't moved on and started dating, yet? To the point where I wonder if he wasn't gone longer in an earlier draft, and they moved it to a shorter time so the protagonist could seem younger? Overall, did not recommend based on plotting, prose, and characters.

One thing I can always count on is that Brenda Novak never disappoints and The Bookstore on the Beach is the perfect example of that! This addictive novel combines women’s fiction, romance, and the mystery genres to create a fantastic storyline that will have you on the hook for start to finish. This novel packs so much depth with perfectly imperfect characters that are so darn relatable! I love when a novel has me escaping everyday life and The Bookstore on the Beach did exactly that for me! As per usual, after finishing this 4.5 star gem, I am already looking forward to getting lost in Brenda Novak’s next novel!

This was the first Brenda Novak novel that I've read and it won't be the last. There were multiple storylines that really kept me engaged. Autumn is the mother of two teenaged kids and her husband, Nick, has gone missing. After almost two years of searching for him, she takes the kids to visit her mom at Sable Beach (a fictitious location near Virginia Beach). Her mom, who has secrets of her own, runs a bookstore on the beach with Autumn's Aunt Laurie. By the end of the book, all sorts of secrets have been exposed.

I gave this 4 stars because I really liked the multiple storylines. I'm conflicted about the ending - while it was what I wanted, I feel like I shouldn't have wanted it. You'll have to read this for yourself to see what I mean! LOL

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review!

This books follows the view of 3 generations of women all struggling with their past, future and secrets kept. Autumn husband is missing, presumed dead. She moves on with a pass love and as she reaches happiness everything and everyone around her crumbles. Her mother is hiding a huge secret about her past that she is worried will rock future generations. Taylor, Autumn's teenage daughter is dealing with the fall out of grief lead poor decisions and new unexpected relationships.

I adore Brenda Novak and her writing. This is another tender hearted story. Autumn's husband has disappeared so she moves to the coast to work at a bookstore. Enter an old flame and the emotions of a old and new love. Perfect escapism.

This is everything you want in a Brenda Novak romance. In this story, secrets are being kept by many of the characters and they are slowly revealed by the author. Set in a beach town, this story has all the elements of a good romance, but the mystery drives it along. I enjoyed the story and it was prefect for what I was hoping to read right now. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have to say , I think that this is the fourth or fifth book I have read by Brenda Novak. I was originally going to wait until after the new year, so I could take part of her 2021 reading challenge. I had to read this right away, because all the books I have read were good, this one was too.

It had so many twists and turns, and even the ending was good. My favorite character was Quinn. He was romantic, and patient with Autumn. He had his own issues going on, but in the midst of it all, he still loved her. I believe people are going to love this book. I am grateful that netgalley let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been a fan of Brenda Novak since I read Lightning Strikes way back in 2012. I had requested it as a reviewer and started reading it with the preconceived notion that it was just another romance novel. Needless to say the story had me hooked on Brenda Novak and so at this point I make sure to get my hands on anything this very talented and prolific author pens.
One of the greatest challenges for a reviewer is to whet the reader’s appetite for a storyline in a new book without giving away too much of the plot or story. THE BOOKSTORE ON THE BEACH is turning out to be one of the most difficult challenges to date. The plot is riveting and the characters and their revelations will keep you turning page after page. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve uttered the words, what! are you kidding?!
With each discovery you begin to get a sense for how complicated these characters lives have been. Living near the beach is so idyllic but many of these folk have a more realistic reason to settle there.
Mary runs the bookstore with her sister Laurie. The highlight for Mary is summer when her daughter Autumn and kids come to visit. Everything appears so simple, pleasant at least on the surface. But the undercurrent of secrets and tragedy truly shape these characters and their lives.
The big question is whether having these secrets come to light will cause trouble or make possible a more stress free and dare we say happy future. Opening doors often causes immediate chaos but once the truth is revealed there could be a sigh of relief for all these wonderful folk. Liken it to opening a Pandora’s Box. Can anything positive come from airing all this dirty laundry.
Brenda Novak carefully scripts the discovery of these secrets chapter by chapter in THE BOOKSTORE ON THE BEACH. The relationships of these characters are exposed as are their secrets. THE BOOKSTORE ON THE BEACH is a well thought out and crafted romance with hints of crime and tragedy. Can’t think of anyone more able to create this world than Brenda Novak. Fans are just going to love this book. And hopefully new fans are going to discovery this immensely talented author.

Brenda Novak can always be counted on for a great story. The Bookstore on the Beach is one more. Autumn takes her two kids to the beach where she grew up so they can spend some much needed time with her mother. There are secrets and there are surprises - all making for a terrific read.