This book is a must read. I will be recommending it as our common read for the summer once it is available. Pamela Kelly never disappoints and always keeps her stories interesting and wholesome. The four main characters in this book are at a crossroads and have decisions to make regarding their next steps in life. By the end of the book, they made the decisions that were right for them and reasonable to the reader. The characters are all well-devoloped, and interesting. As a reader, you will see what it is like to have real friends who support each other beyond what would be expected. A key point from the book that will be helpful to everyone, but especially college students is that you may not know what your passion is going to be in life. It is fine to major in one field and change to another. It is even okay to have a degree from a prestigious university and decide to be a plumber if that makes you happy.. Another point is that women should not settle when looking for a life partner.. Too many people think having anyone is better than being alone ,but these 30 years know better. I could not put the book down once I began reading it. I highly recommend it for anyone from their teens to their nineties.

I really enjoyed this book. True independence and starting over is what made me read on. I wish this story would continue. I feel like i need to know more.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts - Present Day

Jessica Coleman, a Charleston, SC lawyer, is making a life-changing decision. After more than thirty years of marriage, she is seriously contemplating divorcing Parker, her husband, and fellow lawyer. They are both attorneys in his father's law firm, have an adult daughter, Caitlin, and are well known in the Charleston community. But for several years, Jess had known that she and Parker have grown apart, and she recently discovered that he's been seeing his secretary. To make matters worse, Jess recently noticed that the younger woman is obviously pregnant. In order to wrap her head around a decision she knows she has to make, Jess is going back to her hometown of Chatham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod where her mother still lives. She's glad to know that her daughter will join her, too.

Caitlin Coleman has just lost her job at a local high end department store. Obviously her honesty with a client about a dress the client liked didn't go over well with her boss. So flying to Chatham with her mother seemed like a good idea to Caitlin. She'd have to put feelers out around Charleston upon her return for another job. Luckily, she still lived with her parents, so housing wouldn't be a problem at first. Caitlin is aware, however, of her parents' troubled relationship.

Jess' best friend, Alison Page, has never left Chatham. Employed at a local magazine, Alison is aware of the issues at the business. Subscriptions are down, as is advertising, so it's apparent that layoffs are in the future. After work one day, Alison retreats to Chatham Books, the local bookstore, where she will drown her worries in a new book The store owner, Ellen, informs her that she's planning to sell the store as she is past retirement age, and she wants to travel. Alison is saddened to hear this, but understands.

Jess and Alison have been life-long best friends, and when Jess returns to town, the two get together right away. When Alison tells Jess about the bookstore, Jess turns thoughtful, and wonders if an investment might be a good idea? Attached to the bookstore is a coffee shop that's been closed for a while. Jess has her own money, separate from Parker's, and investing in her hometown sounds to her like a viable idea. Even Caitlin and Jess' mother agree.

THE BOOKSHOP BY THE BAY is a definite beach read for the summer. Located in the seaside community on Cape Cod, Chatham's local inhabitants welcome the tourists and maintain old friendships. Jess and Alison are both embarking on a new part of their lives, and Caitlin is struggling to find something that will give her some direction. All three women are willing to try something new. Will the bookshop be the new beginning for them?

A totally enjoyable read, THE BOOKSHOP BY THE BAY will be a relaxing tale for the summer.

The Bookshop by the Bay is the first novel that I have read written by Pamela M. Kelley. It definitely lived up to my expectations. It is a great beach read. The story is about two friends who are starting over in life. Jess discovers that her husband has been having an affair and spends the summer with her daughter, Caitlin in her hometown of Chatham, near Cape Cod. Her friend, Allison and her daughter, Julia are also at a crossroads. This a lovely book about starting over and making changes to one's life during midlife. It is uplifting and was a pleasure to read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

If you’re an Elin Hilderbrand fan, you’ll love this and also struggle to read it. I am in the middle. Love a good Nantucket character drama. Just maybe compared it too much to you know who…
That said it’s probably not fair to rate it in comparison to one of my faves. So four stars.

Thanks so much for the ARC.

Quick and fun read. I love how Pamela makes you feel like you are catching up with your old friends in her books. Loved seeing the growing friendship of old and new friends in this story. Definitely add it to your must-read list!

Sweet, comfortable beach read. Sometimes a book is completely predictable and sometimes that is just what I need. I always enjoy Ms Kelley’s books. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

loved this book
the story of mothers and daughters.

Jessica Coleman is undergoing a divorce and she and her daughter Caitlin move to Chatham, Massachusetts for the summer , as they usually do. This year there are some changes, Jessica and her friend Allison become business partners of a bookstore and coffee shop. Caitlin works in the coffee shop.
Julia Allison's daughter has a jewelry store and makes her own jewelery..
Gradually Caitlin and Julia become good friends.
It is Julia and Caitlin's intent that their stay in Chatham is only for the summer initially but then that stay becomes until mid October to get the bookstore and coffee shop to be a success.
Caitlin comes to realize that she prefers the quietness of the Cape and decides to stay
Jessica decides to stay as well and opens up a law office close to the bookshop and the coffeeshop.

New romances blossom as well

I get so excited when I see Pamela Kelley book released. When I got the email that I was receiving a copy of Bookstore By The Bay I knew it would be my next read. What a fun little story of mother daughter duo, Jess and Caitlyn and their best friend mother daughter duo Alison and Julia. Jess is struggling with her husbands infidelity and what her next move in life will be. Spending the summer in Chatham with her mother and daughter proves to be the best medicine. What a delightful read.

Pamela Kelley writes short, womens fiction with great characters. I’ve enjoyed many of her books. That said, I appreciate that this one is a bit longer story than usual that really developed several of the characters and their relationships. .
While it can be a beach read it works well any time of year. This story is set in Chatham, MA with a bit of the story in Charleston, SC. I loved the dynamics and relationships between mothers and daughters and that two of the main characters were “middle age.” Lots of drama and romance will keep the reader interested to the end.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A quick and fun read. This book was very endearing and even though it was predictable, it was well written and the characters were ones you were rooting for.

This is a cozy feel good book about friendship and family. The beach setting was fun. I will definitely read more books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this book. True independence and starting over is what made me read on. I wish this story would continue. I feel like i need to know more.

Two lifelong friends - Jess, a high profile lawyer in Charleston who has just found out her husband has cheated on her; and Allison, a magazine editor whose magazine is experiencing cutbacks. Jess needs some time and space so she retreats with her daughter to the Cape to get her thoughts and emotions together. Who knew she would buy a bookstore with Allison and change her whole life. This is mostly a story about family, both chosen and inherited. The characters are totally relatable and it is just a heart warming story. I highly recommend.
#TheBookshopBytheBay#NetGalley#St.Martin'sGriffin

I really enjoyed reading this book. Picture yourself on Cape Cod, in the summer, with your best friend nearby and you and your daughter staying at your Mom’s home! The story takes place in the picturesque town of Chatham. Two best friends decide to embark on a dream of owning a bookstore on main street. Don’t miss this one it’s a really lovely story about moving on with your life and following your dreams.

I loved this story about two women and their daughters. All trying to find their place in the world. Changing love and careers and homes. Great ending!

Loved The Bookshop by the Bay by Pamela M. Kelley! I just couldn’t put it down.

Pamela has a way of drawing you into her stories from the start. I’ve read many of her books and they never disappoint. The characters are interesting and so are their challenges. The setting of this book in Chatham on Cape Cod is one of my favorite destinations.

The pace of the book keeps the story moving along nicely. This is the perfect beach read or sit by the fire kinda book. I’m always sad to finish one of her books as I wish it would continue.

Looking forward to her next books.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for this ARC for my honest opinion.

The Bookshop by the Bay by Pamela M. Kelley was a great beach read. Two friends, separated by miles, get together when Jess, a lawyer in North Carolina is blindsided by her husband's request for a divorce, and the news that his girlfriend is pregnant. She takes off to her childhood home on Cape Cod to lick her wounds and spend time with her mother and her best friend Allison, who after years of working for a local magazine is seeing her hours cut back due to low circulation. The two work together to buy a bookstore in Chatham, but Jess plans to go back to NC to work and her daughter and let Allison run the store. But the best laid plans can change on a dime, and life on the Cape is too enticing...or is it?

Thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing, The Bookshop by the Bay is a place that I want to go to and I'm sure you will too! Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I love Pamela Kelley! The best thing about her books is they are very simple, short, and heartwarming. That being said, I felt this one was a little long and had too much fluff. It was still a good book, and I love books that take place on the cape. This def is true Pamela fashion.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for my honest review. Adorable romance story about books (which I love) which was set in a beautiful town with very lovable characters. Couldn’t put it down and was due for a book with a happy ending. Definitely would recommend and have already !!
Would like to point out one think though. Siblings born less than a year apart are often called “Irish twins” not “Irish cousins” as the book stated. Also toward the end of the book, the realtor Gina was mistakenly called Rebecca which was initially confusing as the attorney was Rebecca.