This is a good, clean romance that’s a bit on the whimsical side. Molly is a college graduate but much to her parents dismay she spends her days dressed up like a mermaid with her sidekick dog Ursula dressed up like a lobster entertaining visitors at the Turtle Bay Aquarium. Max specializes in turtles and comes to Turtle Bay to take over the aquarium for his uncle. Max and Molly are instantly attracted to each other but little things get in their way - like Max firing Molly. The medaling residents of the Turtle Bay Retirement Center make it their life’s mission to get Max and Molly together and they have some crazy schemes up their sleeves.

Well, I don't have a lot of constructive criticism on A Line in the Sand. The book seemed to consist of tropes I personally don't enjoy.

These are the notes I took while I was reading the book:

- The characters were childish, especially Molly. I never managed to warm up to any of them.
- The dog does not belong into the aquarium. There's this whole thing about Max not wanting Molly's dog at the aquarium she's working at (which he's supposed to manage), and while I assume the author wants the reader to root for Molly and the dog, I definitely agreed with Max.
- The dog isn't endearing. I just don't care for books that rely on pets or other animals to make a story cuter.
- Meddlesome people. I rarely ever like it when there are friends / family members / ... meddling in the MC's business, and in this case I just found them annoying.
- Old people aren't funny. Let me explain: some authors seem to have this sense of humour where they just let old people say or do something inappropriate or shocking within their books and that's supposed to be funny. I just think it isn't. That's a me issue, but it definitely made me like the book less.

So in the end this book just didn't work for me because it contained a lot of my pet peeves, but I know that a lot of people will find the book hilarious and that they will love it.

I could easily see this book being made into a movie. I really enjoyed this book and the whole trope of trying to shut down a business. Fun summer read

A Line in the Sand is another heart-warming romantic comedy in the Turtle Beach series and this time we follow Molly who is loved by every resident of the seaside town and the designated mermaid for the aquarium. After saving a man from drowning, she soon realizes that he is in town to take over the management of the aquarium and firing her is at the top of his priority. Max (who is a marine biologist) believes that it is absolutely ridiculous to have a mermaid because they are fictional and he is all scientific, but he is soon met with a rude awakening. I don't want to spoil it more than this. It is just so wholesome, there are cute dogs with superpowers distracting his research. It was too cute.

I just loved it so much.

This was the perfect summer read. It featured all my fav things, slightly enemies to lovers, a mermaid (of sorts), an adorable puppy, and a grumpy love interest, all tangled together with sea turtle conservation.

Molly, a mermaid at the local aquarium and Ursula (her adorable puppy) live in a picturesque beach town and work at the local aquarium... until Max comes in to take over for his uncle that is. Max, a grumpyish marine biologist comes to help his uncles aquarium get back on the right track and instantly is drawn to Molly. That could have something to do with the fact she saves his life while dressed as a mermaid, but that's neither here nor there. From there their relationship takes all kinds of twists and turns.

This was such an amazing read for me, not super spicy but just perfect for summer. I cannot wait until I can buy a copy of this one because it was that good. Pick it up and curl up by the pool, or if you're lucky by the beach.

A Line in the Sand was a cute easy read. I loved that the meet cute occurred right away and the sizzling chemistry between the characters in that first scene at the beach - I was so excited to keep reading! After that, however, the chemistry fizzled out and fell flat, and the rest of the book dragged on with one mishap after another. The characters were awkward, this may be better characterized as women’s lit over romance.

(Review will be posted July 2022 as per publisher instructions)

This is the perfect beach read for summer 2022. It’s light, sweet, features an adorable scene stealing puppy, and has all of the right tropes to make you swoon this summer.

First of all, this book is grumpy x sunshine and opposites attract PERFECTION. Molly is a professional mermaid who works at the local aquarium with her adorable puppy Ursula. Enter our hero, Max, who returns to Turtle Island to take up the director position at the aquarium that his uncle owns. Max solidifies himself as the grump in this story when he fires Molly and her puppy on his first day on the job.

Molly and Max can’t seem to agree on how to run the aquarium but that doesn’t stop the sparks from flying between them. Despite both parties agreeing that getting together would be disastrous, the meddling secondary characters are always engaging in wild plots to get the two together and I was so here for it. There’s nothing I love more than a small town setting where the secondary characters are just as invested in the couple as the readers! Molly and Max's swoon worthy chemistry, plus the small town North Carolina location, makes this the perfect summer read and I highly recommend it.

If you’re looking for a slow-burn romance set in a small town, then this is the book for you!

Thank you so much to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

A Line in the Sand was a very cute read! I adore the enemies-to-lovers trope so much and this was such a fun take, especially with the instant attraction these two felt for each other. Molly and Max have such a fun dynamic and I loved the snark, the banter and eventually, their romance.
The fact that Molly plays a mermaid for a living just absolutely enamored me. That was the cutest of settings and I enjoyed reading about these two so so much.

4.5 stars

Tropes included:
- Grumpy / sunshine
- Forced proximity
- Rivals to lovers (kind of)
- Small town

OMG! I absolutely LOVED this book! Max is one of my favorites heroes literally I swoon I mean the guy is a marine biologist that looks kind of Chris Evans / Henry Cavill so... and lets talk about Molly and her puppy Ursula they were super sweet. I liked how is developed in a small town where everybody is meddling between them. I was also touch by some of the topics the author aboard.

TW: Previous cheating, social pressure, abandonment issues

A cute, easy to read romance perfect for the beach. The characters are easy to get to know and to root for and are also quite entertaining. If you enjoy enemies to lovers, you’ll enjoy this book.

A Line in the Sand is a cute, quick, rom-com beach read. I wanted to love this book more than I really did - but the chemistry just wasn’t there for me. I didn’t find the male main character/love interest very likable and couldn’t really get into the relationship part of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Line In The Sand was a quick read that would be great for a beach vacation.

The beginning of this book was a bit slow to me but I hung in there because I did love the characters (both human and dog alike!) The middle half of the book picked up speed and I really liked the plot development. At the end, I wish there was a bit more to the “wrap up” of the Molly/Max and Max/Henry storylines. All in all it was a cute read that I’d recommend for anyone who wants to pick up something light and fun.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.75/5 - Out 2 August 2022!

THE DOGS…. ALL THE DOGS.
Look I’ll level with you, I love dogs as much as the next person, but sometimes when books make the dog their whole personality it feels very cringe to me. THIS story though – Ursula had my whole heart in her tiny paws. The descriptions of her little wiggling body were so cute!

The actual story was super peaceful and beachy. I loved the characters and their lifestyle at Turtle Beach. All the small-town events, with quirky shops and fundraisers to save crumbling businesses, gave a Gilmore Girls vibe if it was set in a small coastal town.

It’s third-person dual POV with our two MCs Molly (the mermaid) and Max (the scientist) in an enemies-to-lovers storyline - they were really cute together! The *misunderstanding* that happens is not due to miscommunication (because I know how we all hate that), but I will say it was pretty late in the book, and the resolution happens in the last 5%.

Some specific storyline feedback:
The turtle eggs and the dogs were amazing, I loved the concept and the execution of this storyline. The grant proposal though – I understand for narrative sake why they didn’t win, but I didn’t like that resolution was so quick. Maybe Max could have saved the day with the grant another way? To just get bailed out by one of the octogenarians – who really didn’t have much to say until the end – was a little cheap. I also wanted more of a resolution between Max and Henry; they were only just warming up to each other again, and it would have been nice to get a solid ending for them.

Thanks Netgalley, Sourcebooks, and Teri Wilson for giving me an eARC! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The summary of this book had me really excited about it! Sadly, it just fell flat for me. I honestly didn't feel like there was much chemistry between Max and Molly, so I couldn't root for their relationship. Also the beginning of the book was SO slow. It took me almost the entire month to get even halfway through because I just kept getting bored. I found the meddling seniors and Ursula to be the best parts of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Casablanca for the eARC.

A Line In The Sand was a quick and fun read that I enjoyed. I just wished that there was a little more to Max because I didn’t care too much for his character but everything else was great especially Ursula who was honestly my favorite. Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for a review!

This was such a fun story to dive into! 🧜🏼‍♀️

This sequel in the Turtle Beach series was just as much as fun to read as book one, A Spot of Trouble. I love getting to revisit the small beach town of Turtle Beach and see so many familiar characters once again. I love the world that Teri has built and this delightfully entertaining cast of characters. This story brought a smile to my face and made me chuckle so much, it was a delight to read every time I picked up the book.

In this story, Max and Molly meet under unusual circumstances. The tension between them is further escalated because they work together at the aquarium and turtle rescue that Max has just taken over with his uncle’s retirement. This story is full of adorable dogs and endearing main characters who are each trying to find their way and take a chance on living life to the fullest.

Read this if you love books with:
🐢 grumpy/sunshine
🐢 beautiful beach locations
🐢 second chance romance
🐢 small town vibes
🐢 hilariously meddling senior citizens
🐢 lots of dogs and dog lovers

I’ve been looking forward to reading this since I found out the author was going to write a sequel. I truly hope she continues to write books in this fictional world because it is such a joy to read. This series has already become one of my favorite comfort reads and I have already added this to my comfort reads as well. Many thanks to netgalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced copy of this story, all thoughts are my own.

When marine biologist Max returns to his childhood vacation spot to take over the managing of the island's Aquarium and Sea Turtle hospital from his uncle his life takes a turn for the interesting when he meets Molly the professional mermaid and her adorable dog.

This is a very easy read, with nice character growth and a lot of very sweet dialogue between the feisty senior citizens of Turtle Beach and the younger generations.

As a proud dog mama of two Cavaliers, clearly the star of the show for me was Ursula the Cavalier puppy, who regularly dresses up as a lobster…..my heart!!!!

If you like low angst, small town, beach vibes, dogs, achingly cute scenes and oaps meddling A LOT then this book is absolutely for you.

Based on the synopsis, this book had so much potential! But it just felt short for me.



I loved the turtles, the meddling by the senior citizens, and how the whole little island was obsessed with dogs.

 I loved that it was a quick & easy read.

But I just found myself unable to even root for Max & Molly as a couple. There was such little chemistry between them, they never really even dated, and all of a sudden they had these big feelings for each other based on pretty much nothing. It all just felt so forced and cringy.



Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca & Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for the book, but some parts fell flat. I wasn’t rooting for their relationship at the end. I didn’t feel like there was enough of them being good together for me to care if they stayed with each other or not.

My favorite things about the book:
- I liked the small beach town vibes and the elderly women meddling.
- my favorite character was Ursula.

My least favorite things about the book:
- the third act breakup felt redundant.
- not enough scenes of them together.
- I just couldn’t root for them like I wanted to.
- their chemistry just was not that good.

I was super excited to read this book, because who doesn't love an opposites attract romance? Unfortunately while I love Molly and how eccentric and full of life she was, I couldn't warm up to Max. I'm a big fan of misunderstood heroes that aren't actually jerks, but just acted stupidly. The problem with Max is that he's not actually sorry about acting like a jerk. He creates a horrible situation without knowing all the facts (actually he knows none of the facts) and then actually doubles down on his idiocy. You can't actually create a redemption arc, if the person in question doesn't want to be redeemed. Besides this, Max also just doesn't seem like a nice person and shows this continually. He doesn't treat his family well, he's cocky, presumptuous and entitled. I wanted to like this book so much, especially because of the funny turtle storyline, the whole town setting, and Molly and her puppy, but Max just made me dislike the story so much.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.