"The Boardwalk Bookshop" by Susan Mallery
MIRA
May 31, 2022
10-0778386082
Women's Contemporary Fiction


Publicity Contact: Emer.Flounders@HarperCollins.com

Reviewed by Nancy Carty Lepri

What could be more fun and exciting than being single and having a thriving business located right on the California waterfront? Bree Larton, the only child of two famous literary novelists, has been running Driftway Books three blocks inland when she comes upon a building for rent on the beach. She dreams of moving her shop there, but it would never happen with the exorbitant fee and space much larger than she needs. As luck would have it, she meets two women looking to open their own businesses as well, so they take a leap of faith and sign a ten-year lease while combining three shops in one.

The youngest of the trio, Ashley Burton, owns Muffins to the Max. Mikki Bartholomew, who is nearing the age of 40, opens The Gift Shop, which is targeted toward tourists, and Bree changes her store's name to The Boardwalk Bookshop. Six months into their partnership, all three businesses are thriving. The women have become friends and have started a ritual where every Friday night, after closing, they head to the shore with a bottle of champagne and unwind.

Bree is very reserved, mostly stays by herself, and never shares her life history. She was raised in a dysfunctional family where affection was not offered and had been married to a man who didn't love her, so she trusts no one and prefers a solitary existence.

Ashley lives with her boyfriend, Seth, and the two seem to be perfect together, yet Ashley wonders when Seth will pop the question. After all, doesn't every woman want the wedding, the house with the picket fence, two children, and a dog?

Mikki is three years into her divorce from her ex-husband, Perry. They have a daughter in college and a son in his last year of high school. Since she's been single, Mikki has not dated or tried to meet other men. Is she hoping for a reconciliation with Perry, with whom they have a friendly relationship?

As time passes, the women open up to each other, yet Bree does not share anything about her past. She has a high wall surrounding her that is almost impossible to break down. From the hurt and neglect by her uncaring parents and her now-deceased husband, her vulnerability makes her keep everything inside.

Then Bree meets Ashley's brother, Harding. He is a bestselling author who was hit by a car and left on the side of the road to die when he was young. It was supposed he would not survive, or if he did, would never walk again, but he surprised everyone with his determination and tenacity to live. Though Bree has no interest in any guy, Ashley warns her not to become involved with Harding. She says Bree is just the type Harding goes for, and Ashley knows Bree would end up chewing him up and spitting him out, so her main concern is keeping her brother from getting hurt.

Harding falls hard for Bree, and surprisingly, she is enchanted by him, yet fear rules her heart. How can she trust him when she doesn't trust anyone? She acts cool and aloof, not disclosing she is the daughter of celebrities and will not sell literary books in her shop, showing her indifference toward her parents. She has no contact with them until one day, she receives a phone call from Idalina, her mother's publicist, requesting Bree host a signing for her mother Naomi. When her mom arrives at the store, Bree escorts her to her office to stay until the event begins:

"She walked her mother to the office. It was only after her mother had taken a seat by the desk that Bree realized Idalina hadn't come with them. Which meant conversation would be required. . . .

. . . "She hadn't seen her mother since Lewis had died. They rarely spoke, so it was reasonable to assume after all this time, there would be much to say. Only there wasn't. Naomi had no interest in her life, and the opposite was also true. Excluding their biological connection, they were strangers forced together for a few hours.

"She remembered when she was younger how she'd wanted to talk to her mother. She would come up with what she hoped were interesting topics they could discuss. Sometimes she did research or made notes, but while her mother would occasionally engage on the subject, her interest was fleeting. After a few minutes, she would need to get back to work, and Bree would be alone again. Until boarding school, her world had been small and lonely."

Bree's business partners care for her and try to break her from her shell. When Harding confesses his love to her, this scares her away, for there is no way she would commit to anyone. She cannot take the pain of another rejection and insists she is no good for him. But is she right? She falls for Harding, but her pride and stubbornness will not allow her to take a chance with him.

Soon the women become to know each other better and open up to share their secrets while offering advice. A true lesson in friendship without judgment is the main focus, for they realize everyone has issues and faults, and their goal is to help.

Susan Mallery gets to the heart of women's emotions, touching on the closeness of friends and the problems they face. However, it is unnerving how some can be naïve, foolish, and obstinate about their beliefs and feelings. Specific situations tend to be redundant, slowing the flow to where the reader would want to scream and say, "enough, already!" In addition to exploring the female psyche and highlighting how these three women bond, The Boardwalk Bookshop offers sensuality and steamy sections in this lengthy beach read.

Susan Mallery is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. "The Boardwalk Bookshop" did not disappoint me. Three ladies, meeting by chance, come together as business partners, each with a shop of their own but sharing a space on the boardwalk for their bookstore, bakery and gift shop. They soon become more than business partners. They become good friends. This friendship and sisterhood happens at a time in their lives when they truly need each other.

I must admit that I had to wipe away a few tears more than once while reading this book. Happy tears and sad tears. When a book pulls that kind of emotion from me, I know it's good. The story reminded me a bit of a Wendy Wax series I read, but Susan Mallery puts her own spin on things.

I highly recommend this as a great beach read this summer!

This book is packed with relationships. Bree, Mikki, and Ashley met when they all looked at a building on the beach for their businesses. It was too big for any one of them, but they decide to lease it together. Bree will run the Boardwalk Bookshop. Micki will have her gift shop. And Ashley will run her muffin and cupcake bakery.

Meanwhile, Mikki who has been divorced for three years is getting into the dating game again by joining a dating app. She has a great relationship with her ex and likes him much better now that they are divorced, but she's looking for a man who matches her own current interests.

Ashley is in a relationship and is very happy until she realizes that her boyfriend never wants to get married. He wants a long-term committed relationship with a house and children but doesn't want a wedding or a marriage. While Ashley isn't the sort of woman who began planning her future wedding as a teen, she can't get over the fact that her boyfriend never wants to make the final commitment of marriage.

Bree is widowed and lives her life with a series of one-night stands. She doesn't want any sort of emotional commitment. She was neglected and emotionally abused by her distant parents who are also famous literary authors. And her marriage was also emotionally a failure since she was the only one who loved and he was just using her. She knows she's damaged and afraid to take a chance again.

When Ashley's brother Harding, who suffered a very severe accident as a teen and who is now an author, is scheduled for a book signing at Bree's store, Ashley asks her not to start a relationship with her brother. Even though she is younger, Ashley feels very protective of her brother and his heart.

Harding isn't in agreement. He wants a relationship with Bree and has the love and patience to wait her out.

It was nice that all three women managed to find happy relationships, but the journey for each of them was traumatic and heart-wrenching. I enjoyed getting to know all three of the women and rejoiced when things finally worked out for all of them.

Fans of women's fiction will enjoy this emotional story.

The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery is another one of her wonderful romantic standalone stories. The Boardwalk Bookshop focuses on three women, who at first are strangers, as Bree, Ashley and Mikki, agree to become partners and lease out a storefront right on the California beach coast. They each have their own business, with Bree owning a bookstore; Mikki owning a gift shop and Ashley, owning a bakery. In a short period of time, the three of them become close friends, helping each other through their own personal issues; as well as happy that each of their shops have been very successful.

Bree is distanced from her parents, who are both successful writers, and were very cold to her, ignoring her throughout her childhood. When she finished high school, Bree moved out, and very rarely talks to her parents. She married a writer, who turned out to be very similar, wounding her heart even more. The emotional and abusive toll over the years, has caused Bree to create a wall over her heart. When she meets Ashley’s brother, Harding, she senses her feelings opening up, and shuts herself down to never allowing herself to fall in love.
Mikki has been divorced for a number of years, and remained friends with her ex and his family. With encouragement from Bree and Ashley, Mikki puts herself on a romance site, and meets a new man, Duane, who happens to be local. A wonderful sweet romance begins, with some surprises by her ex and family, which could change things.

Ashley, has been with Sean for a long time, and they both express how much they love each other. Things immediately change, when Sean says he wants to spend his life with Ashley, but he never wants to get married. Ashley is shocked, always wanting to have a wedding and be married; can she accept his love and do everything together, without a true marriage.

I really loved how close the three women became, and it was fun to watch them every Friday evening on the beach in front of their store, sharing a champagne toast (with Mikki bringing in different wines). Their friendship grew, as they helped push each other to full fill their lives for the better; as they freely discussed the challenges they faced, stresses, discussions, including sexual conquest. This was a wonderful heartwarming story of friendship, love and relationships; always being there for each other.
The Boardwalk Bookshop was a wonderful story, with three wonderful women and the supportive men who were part of their happy ever after. The Boardwalk Bookshop was very well written by Susan Mallery. I suggest you read this book.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. It was an amazing book from start to finish. Talk about three dysfunctional women who bond together and get their act together with each others support. The three main characters are messed up but totally loveable. I like the way the author takes you through each of their scenarios and they each take different paths to finding their happiness. I was extremely pleased that two of the characters chose to have help with a therapist and it was written in a way that made it acceptable and was non judgemental. We need more instances in books these days to the wonderful help therapy can provide and take the stigma away from it. Three strong female characters in this book, yet all trying to find their way in their own way. All in all this will be a great beach read for anyone who picks it up.

ARC provided by NetGalley. DNF'd this one. I used to love Mallery, but I was totally disinterested in white ladies being privileged.

I received an electronic ARC from Harlequin Trade Publishing through NetGalley.
Tangled relationships and flawed characters - a trademark of Mallery's stories. Readers meet three women who share space for their three stores and gradually let each other into their lives. Each is at a different place in life but all share the need for support and love.
Bree has been emotionally abused for her entire childhood and first marriage. She doesn't see it that way but with support from her friends and a therapist, figures out why she runs from commitments.
Mikki is divorced but still completely intertwined with her ex. A decision and commitment to support their kids evolved into sharing their lives again. She has to decide if a remarriage or a new relationship is what she wants. She also has to look at herself to figure out why having the connections with both men is so important to her.
Ashley is in the most stable relationship, or so it seems until readers see it unravel as the two want different things from the future.
The story flips POV as each of the women share their lives. Readers will see some obvious connections before they are revealed and some of the plotlines are a bit obvious. That does not negate the joy of reading about these women and connecting to their situations. A delightful summer read.

To me “The Boardwalk Bookshop” would be the ideal place not only to shop, but to take in the beautiful beach setting, while sitting at a picnic table enjoying lunch or a sweet snack. Ms. Mallery’s latest book is about lasting friendships, taking a chance on love and leaving the past behind. The author delves into the personal lives of Bree, Mikki and Ashley and shows us how they help each other with business decisions, affairs of the heart and of course, who chooses the best champagne for their weekly get together at the beach.

The peacefulness of the ocean didn’t always calm the voices in Bree’s head as she debated whether to pursue a relationship with Ashley’s brother, Harding. He was impossible to resist and the feelings she had for him were unfamiliar and confusing. Harding was crazy about Bree and wasn’t shy about expressing his feelings for her. As a writer, he was well aware how the right words could bring you closer to someone or in his case, cause Bree to put him in the friend zone. I loved Harding’s tenacity and his desire to never give up on Bree, because she was the one he had always been looking for.

Mikki wanted to fall deeply in love again because she missed the closeness that comes with being part of a couple. When she found Duane on the dating app she thought he was very handsome, but was still reluctant about contacting him. I loved Duane for Mikki and I hoped she would leave her past in the rear view mirror as she accompanied Duane on the first of many adventures. Out of all the women, Ashley had the biggest decision to make. Should she stay with Seth or be brave enough to stand up for her beliefs, and let him go? It was hard to watch as Ashley pleaded with Seth to consider the idea of marriage because to me, he would never change his mind. Ashley needed to listen to her heart and be open to the possibility of finding her soulmate because he may have been right under her nose all this time.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, I was provided an ARC of The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


*****Publishing May 31, 2022*****


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A great beach read that will keep you entertained through all the drama, romance and champagne drinking!

3 women, Bree, Mikki and Ashley, who were once strangers, meet each other all vying for the same beach front store front. With all 3 showing up and discussing how expensive the rent is, they decide to combine the bookstore with the gift shop and muffin business into one and call it The Boardwalk Bookshop. Will they be able to pull off their joint venture? Each come with their own baggage, but with the parternship with their new store, they form a friendship! Will they be able to help each other through all their troubles?

I love how Susan Mallery often writes books that focus women friendship and how they help and support one another! Loved the champagne guide and muffin recipe! Perfect for book clubs!

Bonus content included is the the first chapter of Home Sweet Christmas, publishing October 4, 2022. #TheBoardwalkBookshop #NetGalley

Bree, Mikki, and Ashley are three young women who come together to lease-share a large commercial space on the boardwalk of California’s Redondo Beach.

Bree, who comes from a family of authors, owns the Boardwalk Bookshop. Strangely enough, she doesn’t like authors.

Mikki, a divorced mom of two teenagers owns The Gift Shop.

Ashley, who is madly in love with her boyfriend, owns Muffins to the Max.

As time goes by, the three women become fast friends and help each other through many personal challenges.

Although Susan presents a nice beach read (which I generally love), I had difficulty relating to the characters and the plot as they both seemed superficial and didn’t hold my attention.

I received this advanced reader’s copy from Author Susan Mallery, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley. This is a voluntary review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.

The story features three women in different stages of their lives. With mostly talk about their marriages and sex, I was turned off. I was looking for more about the bookshop, customers and books.

Great beach read. The story is told by the three main characters. Bree Larton owns a bookstore.. She is a very young widow, a beautiful, successful businesswoman, and very emotionally damaged. Mikki is a late thirty-year-old divorcée. She has two teenage kids and owns a gift shop. Ashley has a muffin bakery. She's totally in love with a man who is totally in love with her.
The three women meet when a large store front on the beach opens up. All three are interested but it's too expensive and big for them individually. They agree to go into the venture together. The Boardwalk Bookshop, The Gift Shop and Muffins to the Max is created. It is working well and the three soon become friends.
This story is about their individual lives and their friendship. As their friendship grows they help each other through rough times. All three have life-altering challenges they face.
The story is heartwarming and everyone’s dream of owning a shop of their own on a beach. Each woman must get through their own trials and make decisions that will determine their happiness. I recommend this story if you like beach reads. Thank you NetGalley, publisher’s Harlequin and author Susan Mallery for this eARC this is my honest opinion.

I usually enjoy books about bookstores but this one felt lackluster and repetitive to me. It was hard to get into the characters and their stories. I just didn’t feel enough conflict or wanting from the beginning.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Friendships, string woman, books… all the fun things this author is known for and this book is not different.
Three woman who form a friendship and help each !
A great summer read!

A wonderful read for summer. The story of three women who meet and open their shops together on the boardwalk. The characters will intrigue you as their lifes take paths that have bumps and revelations. Enjoy seeing how they deal and grow.

Susan Mallery's "The Boardwalk Bookshop" is an engaging story about the growing friendship between three women. Their friendship grows as they support one another in working through the obstacles in their personal lives.

This is my 7th book by Susan Mallory and I find I always gravitate to any book that has the title “bookshop” in it! This bookshop is right on the beach and Bree runs it with 2 other women who have other businesses in with hers. This is about their friendship, their romantic relationships and it got a little carried away at times with the sex scenes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Sure the title sounds tame like just another romance novel, but I caution you to remember this is by Susan Mallery. If you’ve never met Susan Mallery THE BOARDWALK BOOKSTORE would be an amazing introduction to one of my all time favorite authors. Susan Mallery has a huge inventory of stories and books to choose from, I would know, I’ve read them all. And I’ve had the great fortune to review so many that have become earmarked.

THE BOARDWALK BOOKSTORE is about a rather small Oceanside community with three friends that opened stores next to each other. All with different wares but they often collaborate on sales and events. The actors in this play are awesome. The interaction and dialog is top notch, again Susan Mallery. It is difficult to say if I have a favorite character in this story, they have all won a place in my heart.

Start with the bookstore owner Bree. Bree has an interesting life history that becomes evident as you read THE BIARDWALK BOOKSTORE. she comes from a family of authors, well known literary folks. She has turned her back in her parents and their popular literary genre. The why is part of our exploration into the woman Bree has become. Bree has difficulty with relationships with the exception of Mikki and Ashley and a few other women. That doesn’t mean Bree doesn’t have flings. Hers are quick and to the point. Slam, bang, thank you sir followed by a quick painless sayonara.

Mikki is a somewhat recent divorcée who has a more healthy relationship with her ex now as just friends and parents of two almost adult children. Mikki is owner of a gift store. She feels as though her life has been put on pause and realizes she is becoming more like her mother than she would like. It is time for Mikki to spread her wings beginning with that all powerful first date. She has to evolve past that girl whose mothers view is too critical and punches holes in her self confidence. Lucky Mikki has a wonderful support group, Ashley and Bree.

The third member of this amazing friend group is Ashley. Ashley is the muffin maker extraordinaire. She is the only one is a relationship and is getting ready to move that to the next level, dare we say the M word.

In THE BOARDWALK BOOKSTORE we have front row seats to some of the best conversations ever, sure to make you sigh and laugh out loud. Some rather racy and outrageous, wait till you meet Earl, our Susan Mallery humor at work.

There are moments in THE BOARDWALK BOOKSTORE that will make you cringe, you can’t avoid that reaction. Susan Mallery sets up the family dynamics-relationships of the three leading characters. You are hit by her honesty which displays how strongly these relationships impacted her characters. With Bree we come face to face with her non-motherly character through their dialog and realize just how hurtful their history has been.

THE BOARDWALK BOOKSTORE is sure to add more fans to the already long list. Remember, don’t judge a book by its title. THE BOARDWALK BOOKSTORE by Susan Mallery is filled with insight and delight from start to finish.

Definitely another winner for Susan Mallery. Three women who are friends and who share a space for their three businesses are at different places in their lives, but through their friendship they work through challenges and problems. These are great characters, well developed and believable. The story moves right along and keeps the reader totally immersed.

A book that begs to be read outside near water or near a flowering summer bloom. Three friends come to California and a books shop is born . Mallory delves into the imperfect lives of these women. A wonderful escapist read!