Sweet like sugar or a hallmark hug. This is a good beachy summer read. It was a little slow in parts.

light and fluffy beach/ vacation read. not as interesting as I would've liked and slow at times. however I was still able to finish it.

This book was ok but I just couldn't get into it. It had the Hallmark movie feel. Not much character development and slow at times.

Unfortunately, this title archived before I was able to listen to it. Maybe I'll have a chance to listen to it in the future.

*Thank you @macmillanaudio for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF."

Mary is stuck in an affair with her boss and mired in a job she's beginning to loathe. She's estranged from her daughter, who's become a poster child for middle class stiffness, and has very little access to her granddaughter.

Mary's daughter goes on a Christmas trip with her equally stuffy boyfriend, leaving Mary to take a Christmas trip with her granddaughter. Poor little Larkin doesn't even own clothing of breathable fabric, and a swimsuit is out of the question.

On a trip to a Florida island, Mary and Larkin meet Daniel, a local fishing guide. After the loss of his son, Daniel has become a virtual hermit living on a fishing boat.

The magic begins to happen when they meet and become friends.

This is a lovely book with a nice, clean story. I would highly recommend it to any reader.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital audio if this title from Net .Galley .

#ParadiseGirls#SandyGringas#NetGalley

I thought Paradise Girls was a sweet and heartwarming read, with a small town charm that centers around lost people helping one another out.

I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Elizabeth Wiley and Stephen Mendel.

*many thanks to St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

I put off listening to the audiobook version of Paradise Girls because its length demanded a time commitment I questioned reasonable. My doubts were confirmed though I was ultimately glad to have finished the novel. Paradise Girls was in the end a lovely book, detailing a mature woman's leap to finally make her own decisions in life. But it was also too long and tried to follow too many sub-plots. Mary is a professional, a mother, and a grandmother, who leaves behind a controlling fiancé during the Christmas holidays not knowing where her impulsive escape will take her. She ends up in Florida, in a part of the Keys seemingly as has-been as her own life. She's estranged from her daughter but ends up caring briefly for her granddaughter, gets to know the struggling hotel owner, and meets a man dealing with his own demons. All these story strands are investigated at length, and details like the hotel owner's eye problems seemed to distract rather than add to my submersion in the story. The narration was perfect, however, and many of the descriptions made me feel like I, too, was spending time near the water--so much so that as I wrote this, not long after Hurricane Ian, I couldn't help but worry about the characters I had gotten to know so well. I'll look for more work from Sandy Gingras in the future.

Paradise Girls by Sandy Gingras

(Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback)

I absolutely adored this book.

The story is told through the viewpoint of 3 different people: a grandmother escaping a less than happy relationship going on a vacation on the water with her sweet granddaughter and dreaming on building a better connection with her daughter, a sweet widowed hotel owner living life through her adored hotel guests and her birds, and a somewhat grumpy fisherman who is somberly going through life dealing with the death of his grown son in the military.

The sweet granddaughter, Larkin, and a three-legged pup named Tripod just made my heart swell. There were others bringing conflict that caused the opposite effect.

Although heartache abounds, this story just made me smile and I rooted so hard for happiness for all these characters. I adored them all so much and in the end, the book left me content and so happy that I was given the chance to read it!

Additionally, these two narrators (Elizabeth Wiley& Stephen Mendel) did a superb job narrating. We've all listened to audiobooks where narrators reading portions as children can be cringe at best. Not here. They were fabulous.

#NetGalley

This not your typical vacation getaway at Christmas. Paradise Girls is full of broken characters struggling with darkness, stuck in their routines, and missing what is important. Mary is estranged and struggling in her relationship with her daughter, doesn’t get to see her granddaughter much, and has settled for a romantic partner who is safe and afraid of commitment. Daniel is battling depression and the loss of his son, and Ollie is trying to save her aging and outdated hotel, while getting older herself. The depths of struggle that the characters are dealing with makes this a weighty read at times. At the same time, these characters come together for each other as only they can, and learn how to hold on to what’s most important, sometimes one step at a time. Thanks for the author, publisher, & NetGalley for the opportunity to review this!

I finished reading this book on 7/6/2022.

A heartwarming read about change, healing and finding love where you least expect to find it.

Mary, unsatisfied with her love life and job up and quits her job and breaks up with her boyfriend. She decides to take her grand daughter on a vacation to the Low-Key Inn in Florida.

Ollie, the eccentric owner of the Low-Key Inn is trying to keep the Inn running.

Daniel, came to grieve the loss of his son and is living on a houseboat with his son's three-legged dog,Tripod, taking visitors out on day trios on the ocean.

All three come together at the Low Key Inn and help each other heal and move on.

Heart warming characters a feel good story.

Mary quit her job and broke her engagement all at the same time. She decides a family vacation to Florida for Christmas is just what she needs. She is estranged from her daughter, CC and granddaughter, Larkin, but hope this trip will put them in the right direction. CC decides to go on a couples trip with her boyfriend and leave Larkin with Mary. I love seeing their relationship grow. While on this trip, Mary is trying to figure out where her life will go from this point. She meets Daniel, a local that takes tourists out on his boat. Their slow friendship and love story was just perfect for them both. I loved this book. I definitely recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

Mary has just broken up with her boyfriend and has decided to run away to a well deserved vacation. She ends up taking her young granddaughter with her after her daughter backs out at the last minute. Things just go down hill from there. She wrecks a boat, she loses her wallet…just to name a few.

Mary is a character I wanted to slap most of the time. She is very wishy washy and will not stand up for herself. She just takes and takes and takes, especially from her daughter and her boyfriend. Enter Daniel! Daniel is a fabulous character with a 3 legged dog named Tripod (not original at all 🤦🏻‍♀️). Daniel is struggling with his own issues but he can’t help but feel a connection with Mary.

Quite a few eye roll moments in this read. Now, I did finish it. I might not have if I had been reading it physically. But, I have more patience with a book if I am listening to it. No idea why!

I am definitely in the minority on my review of this read. And usually I love these types of books. But, this one just didn’t sit well with me. I almost gave it 2 stars. However, I did like several of the characters and the setting is perfect. An old, outdated hotel by the Everglades…I can just picture some of the decor!

Now, don’t let my review stop you from trying this book, especially if it is your genre. This novel definitely has a few perks.

Need a book with a great setting and an adorable dog…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This book was good, but not great. The main characters have both suffered hardships, and come together to help each other heal. I found it to be very predictable.

Loved this story! Uplifting plot and enjoyable characters. The main character, Mary, has just fled New York City where she was supposed to marry her long-time love. But, when he tries to postpone it again, she says enough, and heads to Florida on a vacation with her daughter and granddaughter. Her daughter doesn't go, but Mary relishes the chance to spend more time with her granddaughter. They check into this quaint motel, owned by an elderly woman who is distressed about her finances, but who loves the native birds in the setting and doesn't want to give up her home. Mary meets Daniel, a fishing charter owner who is grieving the loss of his son. That outing had me laughing so hard, as grumpy Daniel tries to deal with accident-prone Mary and her fussy granddaughter. They are all saved by a three-legged dog!

This book is a combination of heart-warming family drama and rom-com, in a beautiful tropical setting at Christmas. There's a little something for everyone in this book. The characters are well-defined and unique--they seem very real to me. Their individual struggles invoke compassion and admiration. I will listen to this one again and again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio version of this book. I enjoyed reading this book. Its a love story mixed with finding oneself. The main character finds herself basically alone for christmas. her fiance dumps her last min. So she books a run down hotel and brings her sheltered granddaughter with for a beach vacation holiday. Along the way she meets a man who she has booked some adventures with. She learns more about the small island she is on. She eventually falls in love with the skipper and the island.

Ok so #1 I thought this was a summery book, this takes place at Christmas. This is what I get for going into all books mostly blind. Honestly I hate to say this but I found this just to be background noise as an audiobook. I wasn’t particularly invested in the storyline or the characters so I didn’t find it super captivating. I’m sure it has its perfect audience but it just wasn’t for me. The characters were a bit naive and their actions were a bit corny for me. It was ok but it’s definitely not anything special or anything I would run back to or run to recommend. Again, there’s a perfect audience out there for a cheesy family romance, it just isn’t me sadly.

PS This book briefly mentioned Wildwood which I love!!

This review was posted to my goodreads, barnes & noble, and will be posted on my instagram (@busywithmybooks_) within the week! Thanks for letting me read this one :)

Fun getaway , Christmas in July as reading this light romance Mary takes a leap and takes a vacation after realizing her life is in a slump.She is joined by her sweet grandchild ,as they take on a adventure with a possible new love interest with the cutest three legged dog.Tbe hotel and the characters are part of the magic of second chances for Mary , sweet story .

Tory sounded good, but it did not grabbed my attention. I had to restart couple of times. Finqlly I gave up 😁

Paradise Girls was one of those stories an older generation would enjoy. I am a mom, but this grandma was a mess, very chaotic and while it was charming, I found the story lacking an actual plot. Sure, families have issues but with Mary, her slapstick clumsiness was getting old and I could not picture Daniel falling in love with such a weird lady. I loved the Holly character, she might have magical abilities, but I loved how she would never give up on her hotel. She appreciated her guests and struggled to find ways to talk to Alan, but overall I found those two characters lovelier than the main ones.

I empathized more with Daniel and the loss of his son Timmy. Timmy's dog Tripod was just the cutest and I loved how Larkin always named him "Try hard". Overall, not a lot happened in this story and I know that this one trip was all about Mary thinking about Ron, her recent ex and boss, but I did not like how she kept thinking about him even after meeting Daniel. This book could have been shortened up a bit to get Mary to figure out what she really wanted in life and who she was in life by ten chapters shorter.

That being said, I still laughed and enjoyed the side characters, the writing just could have gotten to the point a lot sooner. Thank you to Sandy Gingras, Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

I will start off by saying, not all women’s fiction is for me. I try it occasionally, and sometimes it surprises me. Mary breaks up with her fiancé and boss, Ron and quits her job at the same time. Mary decides to go to Florida with her daughter, CC and granddaughter, Larkin to spend the holidays. CC ends up backing out and the vacation becomes just Mary and Larkin. From looking at the title and the cover, I wasn’t expecting a Christmas read, but more of a summer setting. This was a slow burn at the beginning and was a bit hard to get into. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and founds parts of this story boring. This was a book about finding things that make you happy and changing parts of your life to enjoy it more.