The Shore
by Katie Runde
Pub Date: Mary 24, 2022
Scribner
Thanks to Runde, Scriber, and NetGalley for the ARC of this great book! It will be one I long remember, The hardest part was when the book was over saying goodbye to the Dunes and the Town of Seaside. Great Book!
The Shore is a powerful, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting novel infused with humor about young women finding sisterhood, friendship, and love in a time of crisis. This big-hearted family saga examines the grit and hustle of running a small business in a tourist town, the ways we connect with strangers when our families can’t give us everything we need, and the comfort to be found in embracing the pleasures of youth while coping with unimaginable loss.
I recommend this book!
5 stars

This family has a great life in a small Jersey shore town, until the father develops a brain tumor. We live with the mom and two teenage daughters as they live through his increasingly erratic behavior, and then steady decline. The relationships in the family take a hit but ultimately strengthen. #theshore #katierunde #bookstagram #bookblogger #readersofinstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookloversofinstagram #readersofinstagram #readallday #currentlyreading

Thank you for this ARC! As someone who spends a lot of time on the Jersey Shore, I was really excited to get an advance copy of this book! Unfortunately, I was disappointed, and it fell short for me. Even though the story was set at the shore, it could have taken place anywhere. It was not (to me), a "beach read", as promised. It was a sad story, which I am ok with. But the character development was lacking and I was not invested. I see a lot of great reviews for this book, so perhaps it was wrong book, wrong time for me.

Having been a full time caregiver to sick and ailing family twice in my life and can say this book was an intimate portrait of that dynamic and impact on family. It was also not a light hearted read if you're looking for an escape. However, sometimes when we're in the thick of hard things books like these can help people feel seen and understood in a way that's hard to come by in real life. I thoughtful and poignant book, thank you so much for the advanced copy of this debut.

Talk about all the feels!

Love. Loss. Highs. Lows. Sadness. elation. You will feel it all and feel it all deeply!
what a glorious summer read.

This story is about a family running a small business in a seaside town and the struggles they are met with as the father’s health begins to decline.

The family as a whole seemed very detached from each other, which at first, I didn’t find believable. But I now understand the journey that Runde was trying to take me on and why she wrote the characters into the story as she did.

One example is the development of the teenage characters. This was spot-on.
Written with a bit of angst as we follow Eva and Liz, who’re beginning to lead very different lives from each other and their family. I could feel the emotions somersaulting through each girl's body, assaulted with new experiences in love and anger. Told through brief glimpses into each of their lives, Runde created a disconnect with the main plot, which was necessary to capture the feeling of absence that each character was dealing with.

Peppering in the father's sickness and the mother's coping strategies as everything she has known seems to be changing, this story captures the rawness of grief, love, and the passing of time.

The writing was excellent, the premise was good, but overall it was still a bit disjointed for me.

Wow, this book is deep, and you will get highly invested and highly connected to this family. This is not a lighthearted read, and if you are not in the state of mind right not to be somewhat melancholy for lack of a better word, then don't read it. The writing style was gorgeous. I loved the setting on in Jersey. This would make an excellent book to read with a friend or two. It would be great for open discussion. I look forward to more by this author.

This is one of the best books I have read on the theme of loss. It was a bit of a slow crescendo for me as I read and immersed in the story of this family and their daily activities over the course of one summer, as their father lay dying. There are so many aspects that a reader could identify with and as the title indicates, the setting itself enhances the theme. Highly recommended for anyone dealing with grief and loss and it would be an excellent choice for a book club.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this lovely and impactful book.

LOVED this one. An emotional family drama/coming of age story that was done so well. Emotional & bittersweet, reflecting on not only a parent's terminal illness but a summer of first loves and growing up, this one had a little bit of everything. I really enjoyed this story, especially after reading the author's note and I think this would make a great book club story - lots to discuss. 4.5 stars

WOW! Words to not do this lovely book justice. It's sad, it's happy, it's funny, but not in that sardonic bleak and black humor so commonly used in domestic stories. This is a great book and uplifting despite the topics.

Brian and Margot Dunne are property owners and managers and in Seaside, NJ (!!!) with their teenage children Liv and Evy. The family lives a roller coaster life of paycheck to paycheck as they juggle their investments and life's obstacles. When Brian is diagnosed with a brain tumor, life for the family takes a sharp dive. Thus begins a tale of a family trying to keep it together as they are circling the financial drain.

This is a novel that transcends many genres. It iis a coming of age, for sure - for both daughters as they experience their first relationships. It also thoroughly discusses topics of dealing with a dying parent, the fragility of life, of marriage, of change in general.

It's incredibly interesting and touching and I can't say enough about it. If you like a family drama, love the beach and reminisce of your own teenage years then #TheShore is for you! #NetGalley. #NetGalleyReads
#scribner

Had me on the edge of the seat. I still cant believe that i got approved for this book its one of my favorites after i read it and just in shock by the ending. The plot was wonderful and had me drawn in the writing was so good i thought i was watching a movie. This is definitely gonna be a best seller

The Shore by Katie Runde. What a very heavy but terrific read. I loved the characters. It was a very real look at one family's struggle dealing with life, illness, and death. This story was beautifully written, very real and heartbreaking. I would recommend. 4.5 stars!

While living with a husband who is slowly dying from a brain tumor, Margot and her daughters Liz and Evy work through slowly losing him before he is actually gone. The author has done a great job of portraying the feelings that the characters experience during Brian's final summer. All characters are well developed and we learn a lot about Brian and Margot's early life and relationship from old emails. The author also uses a chat support group to give insight into her deeper thoughts. I found this exposition realistic as it is often easier to tell a stranger your feelings than someone you are close to.

It was clear before I read the author's acknowledgment that she had experienced this kind of loss herself. The story captures the experience of having a loved one slowly dying and how sometimes we lose them before they are actually gone. Having experienced a parent on hospice, many of the situations felt true. The family strain, the well-wishers, the thoughts of just surviving, the struggle to not lose yourself. How this experience differently and similarly affected Margot, Liv, and Evy was also well explored.

The setting captured the vibe of the shore and made me crave a stroll on the boardwalk and some saltwater taffy. The counter view of the happy laughing summer vacationers and life going on against what is happening felt important to the story. I definitely recommend reading this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Scribner for the arc.

This is the story of how a mother and two daughters faced with their husband/father's deterioration over the course of a summer after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. A poignant, very real look at one family dealing with life, death, loss and love.

I loved all the characters in this book - Runde expertly develops each one of them. The reader will experience love, lose, grief, joy and sorrow - a lot to accomplish In one story!! Especially enjoyed because it took place at the Jersey shore & I relived my teenage summers spent there.

I was lucky enough to win an advanced digital copy of THE SHORE by Katie Runde from a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thanks for the early look, and have a safe and happy weekend!

The Shore by Katie Runde sucked me in from the first page. I was captivated by the family drama of the Dunnes - parents Brian and Margot, and teenage daughters Liz and Evy. Their world has been turned upside down by Brian's brain tumor, and this book captures their last summer as Brian dies. Yup, there are parts that are depressing, and yup, the characters are not always likable. Death and loss and grief (and a long, drawn-out loss) does that to people. Yet, there is hope throughout the book as the sisters learn to love and learn to take care of themselves and their parents in new ways, and to grow up too. I liked the combination of formats in this book... the present and the past, text messages, old emails, and chat rooms. This book really worked for me. The ending (though obviously sad!) also was fantastic and fitting.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.

"Maybe that will always be the question I ask about anyone from now on: What have you already lost?"

Terrific read. I really loved these characters, esp. Evy and Liz. They were real and heartbreaking. I had a harder time feeling much for Margot - a few times I did empathize with her but she struck me as emotionally selfish, turning away from her daughters when they needed her most. I could smell the sand and the cotton candy and hear the roller coaster and Tilt-a-Whirl. I wanted to get back to these people and found myself thinking of me when I wasn't reading.

Well done. Highly recommend.

P. S. Thanks to #NetGalley and @ScribnerBooks for the DRC.

Seaside Heights. Aka The Jersey Shore. We all know about the parties, the clubs, the young love, the drama, guidos, and guidettes. This is not that story. This is about the quiet neighbors who live up the road from that version of The Shore.
The Dunne family consists of Brian, Margot, and their teen daughters Liz and Evy. They make a living running an Airbnb business for those looking for a small glimpse of those highly publicized pieces of Jersey Shore.

Dad, Brian, has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor and the rest of the family is coming to terms each in their own way. Liz and Evy spend the summer working touristy jobs, helping their parents, and falling in love. Margot spends hers trying to imagine a life without Brian.
The girls feel very disconnected from both of their parents but are able to find common ground through music, old emails, and an online chat room. I loved the music undertone and how it was able to bring the past to the present and bring people together when words were no longer possible.

This is definitely a slow burn!! No crazy plot twists or grand romantic gestures. The beginning was a bit all over the place and made me question even continuing. Very glad I did! Heavy subject matter and real life rawness. Heartbreaking and hopeful. The saying goes beginnings are usually scary, endings are sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts. This book is the middle. The in between. The small moments that seem insignificant at the time but when reflected on are some of the biggest moments, and memories, of your life.

Thank you to Scribner & NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 4 stars.

A really beautiful book. I loved each character and the journey we went in with them the summer their dad turned into a stranger, dying. There's a lot of grace in these pages; a gentle understanding under pain, confusion and loss. Really well done.