I LOVED THIS BOOK. It is not a beach read, as the cover might lead you to believe, but as someone who grew up in New Jersey, I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in the magic that is a Jersey shore town. That's really where the summer vibes end though. The Shore follows the Dunne family as they deal with the inevitable death of their patriarch after he developed a brain tumor and quickly transformed into an unrecognizable version of himself.

Brian and Margot Dunne run a successful vacation rental company in Seaside, the shore town they live in year-round with their daughters, Liz and Evy. When Brian develops a brain tumor, each of the women in the family find their own way of coping with the inevitable and unimaginable loss.

I really cannot recommend this book enough, although I think it is very important that you be in the right headspace for it.

I went into this thinking it was more of a suspense, but it turned out to be more of a family drama. Still a decent read, and a heavy one at that that deals with some pretty heavy topics. This IS NOT a suspense nor is it a light hearted beach read, if you go in knowing that then this one may be the perfect read for you.

It was a pretty slow read for me, and at times I felt myself struggling to continue on, but overall it was an okay read.

A little too slow of a burn for me.

*ARC provided via Netgalley

A little too slow of a burn for me.

*ARC provided via Netgalley

This was such an emotional but a good read at the same time. The writing is very atmospheric and will bring back your childhood summer.
Many thanks to Scribner and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let me start off by saying, as someone who has lost a parent to Cancer and experienced in home hospice care, this story felt very authentic. I thought this book might be a bit too much of a gut punch as it hit very close to home, but Runde managed to capture so many emotions of nostalgia which was a much needed contrast to the heaviness of Brian’s fate.

When someone you love is dying, it is a strange feeling that life continues on for everyone else. Evy and Liz are living this reality everyday. They are navigating blossoming relationships, troubles at work, all while returning to their home at night bombarded with the grief of their father passing. I loved their innocence coupled with their emotional maturity.

I also loved how this story was a love letter to the Jersey Shore. Growing up I spent many happy summers at Stone Harbor and Manasquan and the author really captured the spirit of the Jersey Shore and its locals. However, it was Margot who I really connected with. Her strength shines repeatedly throughout her relationship with Brian. Although this story is so heartbreaking, the ending was perfect, and filled with so much hope.

A solid 4 star read, I definitely recommend reading The Shore!

Though I like the concept behind the book, I couldn't get into the story. The characters and flow of the writing were just not for me. I can see how others might gravitate to this book, but for me, I wanted something different than what I got.

A little too heartbreaking for me to appreciate this book as a Summer beach read. The title and the setting make you think it is. The description tells you there is heartbreak, illness, secrets. I really didn't enjoy the characters very much and I had a hard time keeping engaged.

Thanks to Scribner for an advanced copy.

One of my friends recommended I pick this up and I really enjoyed this book. Set in Seaside, NJ over a summer, this book looks at one family and how they are trying to hold together after the father's rare tumor/cancer diagnosis. This isn't a cheery read by the beach book, but one that looks more at relationships and family.

I went to the Jersey shore every year growing up so I liked that aspect of the book. I found both sisters well written and liked how this showed their relationship with their mom and dad as well as the usual teenager drama on top of their father's diagnosis. This was a little more character driven than I like in my books, but found the writing spectacular and the author's note at the end really helped bring this home.

The Shore
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 5/24/22
Author: Katie Runde
Publisher: Scribner
Pages: 304
Goodreads Rating: 3.93

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing a digital advanced readers copy of the book for me to read for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Brian and Margot Dunne live year-round in Seaside, just steps away from the bustling boardwalk, with their daughters Liz and Evy. The Dunnes run a real estate company, making their living by quickly turning over rental houses for tourists. But the family’s future becomes even more precarious when Brian develops a brain tumor, transforming into a bizarre, erratic version of himself. Amidst the chaos and new caretaking responsibilities, Liz still seeks out summer adventure and flirting with a guy she should know better than to pursue. Her younger sister Evy works in a candy shop, falls in love with her friend Olivia, and secretly adopts the persona of a middle-aged mom in an online support group, where she discovers her own mother’s most vulnerable confessions. Meanwhile, Margot faces an impossible choice driven by grief, impulse, and the ways that small-town life in Seaside has shaped her. Falling apart is not an option, but she can always pack up and leave the beach behind.

My Thoughts: The story is narrated by the three women, Margot, Evy, and Liz, mother and two daughters, from their own perspectives; Brian does have a few chapters in his perspective. This centers around family trauma and how different people deal with trauma and grief. While it is odd saying this is a summer read, it absolutely is, as it takes place in the nostalgic Jersey Shore, what is more perfect than that? This book is not a light read, by any means, but still a summer read. There were some slow parts of the book but overall a good read. The character development was written with depth, was intense, and creative. The author’s writing was complex, knowledge of brain tumors, very descriptive with the scenes, you felt a part of, and kept me engaged throughout the whole book. This was a debut book and very impressive as a debut. I would read more by this author.

"Set over the course of one summer, this perfect beach read follows a mother and her two daughters as they grapple with heartbreak, young love, and the weight of family secrets."

This is...not exactly what this book is all about. Yes, there are secrets, and a lot of heartbreak. Not so much young love to balance it all out.

I was really excited by the premise and really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately it fell flat. I didn't connect with the characters and the story had a really hard time holding my attention. The mood was depressing and not at all what I anticipated the entire book would be like. This book was just...hard.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for this review copy!
The Shore is a book where the location makes perfect sense. There is something about salty air and the sound of the sea that makes the summer perfect. Anyone from New Jersey will totally understand this; others will be able to picture the setting easily as they race through this enthralling book.
Nearly all of the characters are sympathetic; Margot (the mother) seemed a little annoying to me as she constantly avoided having serious, adult conversations with her daughters. Both seemed mature enough to talk to, especially as they dealt with the burden of their father’s illness. Looking back, it seems as if all three of them came of age as the book progressed, although it took a long time for Margot to grow mentally and emotionally.

Summertime is always an opportunity to experiment with yourself as the warm air encourages growth before the serious autumn comes along. Evy and Liz look inward as their father’s illness progresses and makes him a burden to his family. Their realization of who they are and who they want to be is beautifully described as the days go by. Liz’s relationship with Gabe was especially poignant; first love can either be a wonderful memory or a painful experience. I was also happy to see Evy and Olivia explore their feelings for each other; the author managed to describe their relationship with just the right balance of detail without bogging it down with forced intimacy.

As I read, I wondered how I would react if I were in Margot’s shoes, or even her daughter’s. Losing the patriarch of a family is a weighty situation, and each of the characters’ reactions showed some of the ways to manage such an issue. THE SHORE is at once enthralling and sad, as the themes of loss and growth are explored in such a way that makes the reader think as well as feel.
Despite the serious theme, the book is easy to read, and you will become invested in the characters right away. No matter where you are when you read this, you will be able to smell the air and hear the crashing of the waves on the beach. The author’s excellent description of boardwalk activities and tourists brings this book to life. It may be meta to bring this to the shore with you, but I urge you to read this – it’s the perfect beachy read!

There is one word to describe The Shore: FEELS. Literally, all the feels. The first layer of these feels is Brian, a father and a husband is dying of a brain tumor. His wife and two daughters are each trying to navigate the grief and loss that comes with this process. Meanwhile, both daughters are also exploring young love and relationships. The other really interesting layer of this is that Margot, the wife, looks to an online support group to process her emotions and what she wants to do next. One of her daughters finds her mom's thoughts in this group and not only that, she creates a persona in the group to be able to engage with her. This one is real and hard emotion, but also it's told in such a beautiful and authentic way. It's a wonderful story exploring where we find comfort and connection through whatever comes our way. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early look at this recent release.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

I don’t really have anything to say about this. It wasn’t great, wasn’t bad - just a book I read and now it’s over.

I consider 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐄 by Katie Runde to be a successful book for me. I’m giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 and that’s my bar for a book that worked. Now, that being said, there is really nothing special or unusual about this story. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦 entertains, but is also a story I’ve read before. It features a close family in which the father is slowly dying from a brain tumor. His wife is trying to keep their vacation rental business going while caring for him and worrying about her two teenage daughters. The sisters are worried about both their parents and trying to help, while still leading lives of normal teens.⁣
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That’s the set up and you know how it goes because you’ve probably read it before in one book or another. There’s nothing wrong with that, but to truly stand out something different needs to happen or the story needs to be approached in a unique way (for example 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘈𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘴 by Annie Hartnett). That didn’t happen here which is why for me 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦 was fine, but not special enough to truly stand out in the crowded world of books. Who else has read this one? What did you think?⁣
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Thanks to @scribnerbooks for an ARC of #TheShore.

Sigh. I wanted so much to love this book but unfortunately, it was a bore. There was no emotional connection with any of the characters so it was hard to feel their pain and suffering. It was a sad story but it didn't touch me in the way I expected. Having lost my own mother and endured the days with hospice, this book just felt detached and unemotional.

Moving story how a family comes together in the face of terminal illness of family member. Great character development. I spent many childhood vacations at the NJ shore and could picture the setting perfectly in my mind. Very real story that unfortunately many families face.

Things happen in life that we are not prepared for, and even when know it’s going to happen we can’t prepare for it. This is the story of a family dealing with the upcoming death of a parent and husband. How each one deals with what is happening and what each one needs to help them cope.
Goodreads

A heartbreaking read about a family of 4 dealing with the brain cancer diagnosis of the Father.

The characters were so detailed and the writing style immediately pulled me in. This subject matter put me in such a bad headspace though, I don't think that I'm right audience for this story as I don't enjoy being sad throughout a read. Yes, there was some lighter parts with the summery beach theme and maybe some hopeful parts as the girls are coming of age. But I guess it was just too difficult a subject matter for me.

If you are looking for a good cry, definitely check this one out. The book is written amazingly well and I think most people would be really moved by this story.

A wonderful book that tackles a variety of issues that arise within a family who are trying to keep it together following the father’s brain tumor diagnosis.