It has been a while since I read this book. I am not writing professional reviews at this time, but I have to say I loved this book. It dealt with important and real issues. I would recommend it to everyone.

3.5 stars

This didn't grab me but I did really enjoy the ending. Grabbed the audio along with Netgalley arc, but the audio was sometimes hard to tell when Ollie or Mary was talking, they seemed very similar. I felt the most for Daniel. My heart hurt for him and I was happy to see it end the way it did.

** spoiler alert ** Paradise Girls is not a typical RomCom set at a dazzling tropical resort with humorous hookups and a wedding on the beach. In fact, it is set during the Christmas season where things should be merry and bright, but for some people it is not. It is a grim holiday for many who have a troubled life. Mary just broke up with the man she loved and worked for so now she is out of work too. Her family is splintered with a daughter who doesn't want to live a life like her mother's so CC has distanced herself and Mary's granddaughter Larkin who is a miserable child. Mary's friend Janelle is going to be with her own family. It is a lonely time for many. Mary decided to leave gloomy New York City for a trip to Florida and take Larkin with her while CC takes a cruise to meet men.
There are plenty of people in Florida that are also feeling hurt. Daniel, a local fisherman who gives tours on his boat who is still missing his son Timmy killed in Afghanistan and Ollie who runs the Kel Low Inn and is afraid she will have to sell the property where Mary and Larkin are staying. There is also a dog named Tripod who is making Daniel sad because Timmy's widow wants to come and get him for herself.
There are plenty of other sad people in the story and it ends with much more happy than it began which is typical but often unrealistic.
I know there were some amusing moments in the book but to.me the sadness and frustration of the characters was more prominent for me. There were so many people in the book and all had their backstories. It just got to be too much for me. It is like each was a "type"
The author Sandy Gingras is a very talented writer and I appreciate the book but it probably didn't get the reaction she expected from a reader. I thank her for having older people in the story! We don't have nearly enough of that in today's popular fiction.
I think, besides the dog, I like Ollie best. I enjoyed her dedication to nature and wanting to preserve the area. The inn was important to her because of the nature that surrounded it. You don't have to be mean to be a witch. Many worship the earth. Maybe the inn had a little bit of magic after all.


June 19, 2022 – Shelved

Paradise Girls follows the story of three adults all at a crossroads in their lives. Mary needs a change; her life was stagnant especially her love life and on a whim decided to book a Christmas vacation at an old hotel in Florida with her estranged daughter and granddaughter. Daniel has been struggling ever since his son died; he now lives on a houseboat with his deceased son’s three legged dog and guides fishing charters. Ollie is the aging hotel’s aging owner struggling under the financial burden her husband left her in.

One word to describe this book and it’s stories would be reflective. Each of the characters undergo a period of deep reflection and soul searching deciding how they want to proceed in life. Larkin, Mary’s granddaughter, and Tripod, Daniel’s dog, form a unique bond which brings joy to the adults around them. This book reads like it’s the start of a series because each of the main characters stories feel incomplete with a lot left to explore.



Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was exactly what I needed on a summer afternoon. It was a heartwarming beach read!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Paradise Girls.

Mary reminds me of myself at one point in my life, at loose ends and no idea what to do. Zelda reminded me of a friend, who told me “Breathe, and just Be. It’ll come to you when you least expect it.” And, like Mary, the solutions and decisions came exactly when and how I needed them. This was a great read, and a reminder of how to let myself Be.
I received a copy of this story to read and give my honest review.

This was an enjoyable book about friendship, family, love and loss. I enjoyed that it was told from multiple POV’s and had great characters.

I was drawn to the story after reading the blurb.

Mary Valley is preparing for Christmas and looking forward to her upcoming nuptials to Ron. Ron also happens to be her boss. She is positive this time that Ron won't cancel this time. This time there is a plan, a set date, and the Justice of the Peace slated for 10 a.m.

Mary doesn't count on Alexandra putting in an unexpected appearance, and Ron informing her that she's not included.

Although Mary doesn't have the best relationship with her daughter, CC, she is talked into scheduling a vacation and inviting her daughter and granddaughter, Larkin, along. Mary hopes to be able to reconnect with CC.

This is another area that doesn't pan out the way Mary has hoped. CC bows out of the vacation and allows Larkin to go, but with a long list of dos and don'ts. Bad luck seems to travel in threes, when the luxurious hotel is nothing like the picture on the internet, and is overbooked leaving Mary the only option of staying in an igloo.

The trip to Florida is just what Mary needs, although she doesn't know that yet. Daniel Dayes doesn't realize that some lady who is very klutzy and after scheduling a fishing trip with him will hook him figuratively and literally.

I enjoyed this story about two people dealing with issues, who came around to find hope for something better. I was glad that Mary finally took a stand for herself, instead of trying to catch crumbs and be satisfied. I loved Ollie, the hotel owner, with her love of the birds and wanting to make her guests happy. There were quite a few laugh-out-loud parts as well.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St Martin's Press and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

I went in wanting to love Paradise Girls and there were certainly parts I really enjoyed, but overall this was not my favorite. I found the multiple point of views a little confusing at times and it made it hard to truly connect with any of the characters. I did really love the setting on an island in Florida! I think the author described it well and made you wish you were there.

Lovely book about finding yourself, loving yourself, working through the grief and becoming self-confident.

It was enjoyable reading through the perspective of the 3 characters and their different backgrounds, issues and triumphs. They were each relatable in their own way, and when you add in a child and a dog, the story just becomes so heartwarming.

There were some loose ends that perhaps could have been tied up a bit better, but all in all, it was an enjoying book that was paced very well.

3.5 stars

I thought this was going to be an easy lighthearted read but it really had a lot of depth and emotion. I enjoyed these three different people coming together in the same place and sharing their journeys. They learned a lot from each other and were able to become stronger because of that. Some highlights were CC and Tripod, the three legged dog! While I mostly enjoyed this story, it did drag at some parts, I didn't find myself as invested in these characters, but I think that's mainly due to the fact that these characters are older and have different experiences!

The story was okay, but I felt the writing didn't flow well. Also, there were a number of inaccuracies. Some were minor annoyances, some were significant issues. I'll list them below.

~ Daniel's dog, Tripod, is missing a leg. It was a dog that Daniel's late son found while in the military and stationed in the Middle East. Daniel and his ex-wife brought the dog back to the US. Daniel is said to have a "red service vest" for the dog "so he could take Tripod anywhere. Tripod had an issue with being left alone." A dog with separation anxiety is NOT a service dog. Service dogs are highly trained to help people with disabilities and to imply that it is okay to use a service dog vest so your dog doesn't have anxiety is morally reprehensible. Having been a volunteer for a legitimate service dog organization, I found that passage so offensive that I almost did not continue the book.

~The lead character Mary's daughter CC and her sleazy boyfriend James-Walter are said to have visited the manatee viewing center at a power plant at Paradise River, a made-up location. There actually is a manatee viewing center at a power plant near Tampa in a town called Apollo Beach. Okay, so authors make up places sometimes and that's fine. What was NOT fine was that the author claimed that "they let you touch them there, but you can only use one hand." The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 prohibit "molesting" or touching manatees in the wild.

~Mary, Daniel, and her 5-year-old granddaughter Larkin take a boat trip one day. Mary and Daniel leave Larkin and the dog Tripod on the beach while they gather driftwood to make a fire. While Mary does tell Larkin that she will be within in sight, you NEVER EVER leave a kid unattended on the beach!

~James-Walter wants to go to Epcot to ride the Millenium Falcon ride. That's at Hollywood Studios. Do some basic research.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Hm. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it. Overall, feel kind of ‘meh’ about the experience. There were some things I really enjoyed and some things I didn’t so it was pretty balanced out for me. I found the lead character to be pretty immature and blah. She’s in her 40’s but reads as someone a lot younger. I enjoyed her relationship with her granddaughter thought. Overall a fine book but not one that will stay with me.

This was a quick read, however Mary was just chaotic and frazzled for me to have any empathy for her. I just wanted to give her a shake and tell her to get her sh*t together. I am older than Mary but couldn't connect with her. For those not looking for too deep a plot, this is a great beach read.

This was such a quick and enjoyable read. I couldnt put this book down. I have never heard of this author and now i am hooked.

This seemed like it would be a great finding yourself type of story, but for some reason this one just did not resonate with me. I did not feel that the multiple POV's benefited the story and I would have preferred just focus on Mary. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I thought this was a sweet, cute read about overcoming grief and changing your life. I adored the family interactions, but I found a lot of the internal ramblings of the characters to be boring. That is a personal preference; I prefer more action. However, I did enjoy it and how the story played out. Thank you to the publisher for the copy!

Thoroughly enjoyed this story of starting over, finding new friends and family. Mary is in a funk after breaking up with her boyfriend so she decides to go to Florida over the Christmas holidays with her young granddaughter. Here she rediscovers herself while making new friends. and begins to wonder if she will be able to return home.

Loved all of these characters, all a little broken but with the help of each other are able to move on with life. Loved the secondary character, Tripod. This is a debut author and can't wait ti read more.

A soul searching journey of love, loss, and friendship

A tale of the people that are put in your path in your lifetime and the impact they’ll have. This book followed 3 characters, Mary, David and Ollie. Each of their stories are unique and tragic in their own right but we see them persevere once they find the courage to continue on and find what truly makes them happy; even if that means it wasn’t the future they envisioned for themselves.

I just loved this book. It made me feel such a range of emotions: happiness, sadness, hope, and love to name a few. The writing style was perfect for me as I felt a part of the book and was sad for it to end.