I liked this book. Have your Kleenex handy because there are some tear jerking moments. Also some really beautiful moments as well. Lovely story and narration.

This book deals with the heartbreak of grief. But there is also hope woven throughout the beachy small-town story. And, of course, a bit of romance.

This was beautifully written and a great feel good story.
But the story is also about loss and how to go on after losing someone you love.
The narrator did a good job.

this is such a feel good book. perfect for the summer and very light read. I enjoyed reading this on the beach and I really loved the characters.

I loved this book! The Magic of Sea Glass is the story of Lauren Sutton. Lauren was a well known and highly sought after event planner, her specialty was weddings. She and her partner have their own TV show. Since her fiancé died a year ago, Lauren can’t seem to go on with her choice of career or the life she’d built with her fiancé any longer. She decides to sell her share of the business to her partner and take that vacation that they were supposed to take together. She ends up in Rodanthe, North Carolins working as an assistant for Mary Everett, the elder owner of a small inn. She loves walking the beach with the wind in her face, collecting sea glass. A local business owner has a beautiful sea glass bracelet that he gives to Lauren, because it feels like that is where it belongs. Mary needs a lot of help as the Inn is beginning to look a little rough. Local fisherman/handyman/and all round good guy, Brody Harrison is helping Mary do some repairs and renovations. With Brodie and Lauren often pushed together, they become friends and she begins to open up. When she is backed into a corner planning a wedding for a friend of Brodie at the Inn, events take a twisty turn.

This book really called to me. Lauren was grieving and just needed to get away from all the people that knew about her tragedy and the places that brought back memories. She was hiding, but also knew she needed to live. I loved how quickly she bonded with Mary and helped her to bring more notice to the Inn, put practices in place to give it that homey, yet vacation feel and become part of the community. Brody was that all round nice guy, one who helped others, and a swoon worthy character that I wanted Lauren to notice. The secondary characters played major roles in this book and were amazing people. They all welcomed Lauren to town and helped her acclimatize. The family secrets that came to light were surprising, but what a lovely ending to this book. I have to say this was one of my favourites in the 20 Books of Summer. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Emma Love. This is the first time I have listened to her perform an audiobook and I enjoyed her voice, inflection, and expression. This was a great book to listen to while sitting in the sun, walking and working in the backyard under the sun.

Get a box of tissues for this one! There will be happy tears and s few sad tears. This book is about grief and life. How you live with grief and let it be part of your life, not your whole life. There was some romance in the book but it was not the focus of the story. Lauren was lost when she first came to Rodanthe, North Carolina to work at an Inn. There is so much character growth for her. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I listened to the audiobook of The Magic of Sea Glass and enjoyed the narration very much.

Lauren is an up-and-coming wedding planner in NYC when her fiancee dies. She's left reeling and struggling with a career focused fairytale weddings now that her fairytale has ended. She picks up and heads to the coast of North Carolina to get some distance and takes a seasonal job at a b&b. There's a little bit of a mystery, a welcoming community and, of course, a hunky fisherman.

This was a very good summery read. Especially if you like wedding planning, renovations, and reality tv about either of those things.

*Thank you for the advance reader copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media, Harpeth Road Press and Netgalley. I am required to disclose this in my review in compliance with federal law.

It has been a while since I have read a Jenny Hale book and I forgot how much I enjoy her books. Although the book has a sad undertone, the book makes you feel hopeful and believe in life after death. The narration of this book was easy to follow and I enjoyed how you could clearly tell which character is speaking.

Lauren is woman grieving the semi-recent loss of her fiancé in an accident; she is finding herself feeling unmoored in a life that she has built for herself in New York City. She is half of a successful wedding planning duo, who is well known due to a reality show that features the weddings Sugar and Lace plans. But how can she put her heart into planning other couples’ happily ever after a when her own was ripped away from her? So, she plans to make a new start by selling her share of the business and moving to North Carolina. Will she find happiness in her life again? Or even her happily ever after?

What I enjoyed most about this book was the interwoven stories about the characters, as they get to know each other. They come from broken relationships and have had their share of disappointments in their lives. There is an alternating timeline that illuminates the backstory behind the sea glass bracelet, and the characters’ histories - it is easy to follow and does not feel choppy at all.

On the audiobook version, I greatly enjoyed the narration - it is a narrator I have not heard before.

Give this one a chance - I am glad I did.

ARC received from NetGalley - all opinions are my own.

I haven't talked about covers in a while and I haven't looked at a book and wanted it solely for the cover since, well I'm not sure. I liked this one. It looked like the type of book that would be Summery, warm and inviting. It did not disappoint.

This story has a few layers in it, first we have Lauren who left New York, sold her business and is trying to overcoming the grief she has over the sudden, and tragic loss of her fiancé. She gets a job as an assistant in an inn for a few weeks, in the Spring time, to help keep her mind busy and hopefully determine how she is going to move on with her life. Enter the cast of characters, who all help bring Lauren back to life.

There is a second time line in this story, and as wee see it revolves (or starts) with the sea glass bracelet that is given to Lauren. We travel back to the 50s and see a different kind of love story during a time with expectations were also different. Once you realize how the past ties into the present, it is amazing.

I loved the way this story addressed the hope that can come with overcoming loss, the hope that things will be ok afterward, learning how to live life without the love of your life. Discovery of family that you didn't think you liked or where nothing like you.

The narrator also did a great job with the voices and portraying emotions of each of the characters. This story is not just a feel good happy story, it does deal with the loss of loved ones, so there are some heartbreaking sections in here as well. Mostly though it gives you all the good feels and is a wonderful summer read.

This book was really good! I liked the story, the author, and the narrator!
I liked the characters!
I hope to read more by this author soon!
A great book!

When Lauren Sutton's fiancé tragically passes away, she finds herself adrift even a year later. As a wedding planner, witnessing couples profess their love becomes unbearable for her.
In a state of uncertainty, Lauren decides to sell her share of the business to her partner. Thankfully, the business thrives following its exposure on a reality wedding TV show. With no more ties to New York City, Lauren embarks on a journey to Rodanthe in North Carolina's Outer Banks - where her fiancé wanted them to move one day.

Although she doesn't need the money, Lauren recognizes the need to fill her time and takes a job at a beachside inn. The owner, Mary, is wonderful but is aging, and her late husband used to take care of the inn. To compete with newer hotels, the inn requires a makeover, a task perfectly suited to Lauren's skills. She begins to regain a sense of purpose until Mary asks her to plan a wedding, and the TV show comes calling once again.
The story unfolds with a dual timeline, revealing both narratives in a captivating manner. The use of sea glass as a symbolic link between the two storylines is one of the book's highlights. Can the magic of sea glass and the support of newfound friends help Lauren create a fulfilling life?

I absolutely adored how the book incorporated sea glass as a mystical element, connecting the different threads of the story. Even after reaching the end, The Magic of Sea Glass left me with a lasting smile.

I had the pleasure of experiencing this book as an audiobook, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I wholeheartedly recommend it in audiobook format or as a physical copy. The Magic of Sea Glass encompasses Jenny Hale's trademark heartwarming vibes, infused with a touch of enchantment.

I loved the way the author used a dual timeline to connect the characters from the past to the present and to show how the passage of time brought good out of heartbreak, much the way that sea glass can only be formed by smoothing the rough edges of a piece of glass by tumbling it in the waves and grit of the sand over a period of time until its beauty is revealed. Lauren and Brody were very appealing characters with difficult backstories and I enjoyed seeing their slow burn romance evolve. But I think my favorite characters may have been the elderly Mary and Joe whose resilience in the face of pain really spoke to my heart. I was a little disappointed in the worldview where most of the characters attributed the good in their lives to good luck without any acknowledgement of God. And also, I would have liked Brody and Lauren to be married at the end of the book instead of living together as she had also done with her first love/fiance. Yeah, I know, call me old-fashioned; I am. Overall this was a "can't put it down" kind of book. Rating: 4.5

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Magic of Sea Glass" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audio book. It was very well narrated and I added to the magic of the story. I really enjoyed listening! Beautiful beach setting and characters. A book about second chances. Overall excellent.

This was a sweet contemporary romance novel of surviving grief, discovering yourself again after loss and it had a bit of a mystery to it. It is a dual timeline (the earlier time is maybe an eighth of the book).

Lauren is an event planner who has struggled since the loss of her fiance. She takes a job working for an older woman operating an inn on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She gradually makes friends and starts healing from her loss. The sea glass that keeps popping up around her plays a part and brings in the earlier time line.

If you're in the mood for something simple and sweet, this book may be just the right fit.

I listened to the audio version narrated by Emma Love. The narration was very good and added to the overall sweetness of the story.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Oh my goodness, this audiobook literally warmed my heart it was so sweet. It blew me away! I couldn’t stop listening.

The Magic of Sea Glass is a magical story indeed! Author Jenny Hale tells a dual generation tale, some set in Fairhope, Alabama in the late 1950s and most set in Rodanthe, North Carolina current day.

The primary story is set around Lauren Sutton, wedding planner and tv personality from the reality program following Lauren and her partner Andy Jacobs as the two ladies work together to create magical weddings for their clients. However, Lauren’s heart is no longer in it and she is finding it more difficult daily to keep up the facade since her fiancé was lost in an accident a year ago.

As such, Lauren sells her portion of the business to Andy, packs up and moves to Rodanthe to take on the position of manager at an old beachside inn located there. Mary Everett, an elderly widow and owner of the inn, has sought someone to fit in with her vision and help restore and revamp the inn to make it profitable once more.

As Lauren makes a grocery stop on her way to the inn, she is mistaken by local fisherman/handyman Brody Harrison for a friend of his named Stephanie. She takes this as an unwelcome advance, brushing him off, only to meet once more at the inn where Brody produces a picture of his friend with the uncanny resemblance. Once this friend realizes that Lauren is one of the reality stars of her favorite wedding show, she pleads to have Lauren plan her wedding and changes the timing and location to the inn.

This would be a great financial boost for the inn. When Andy contacts Lauren begging her to appear in their wedding show, the idea also gets floated that Lauren could do her own such show in Rodanthe.

This delightful story, with so many touches of magic woven through, has many surprises that will catch the unsuspecting reader off guard. I very much enjoyed this novel and could envision it as the premier offering in a series set at this lovely inn. I do recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for this audio ARC.

I did not get to enjoy this audio, as it was archived the day before I finished another audio.

Four stars for a simply beautiful cover.

I love the ease of a Jenny Hale book, the beach setting, and her characters. The Magic of Sea Glass is a beautiful story of loss, second chances, and starting over. The characters were all likable and relatable and I loved how the author brought the title of the book into the main story. The dual timeline going back and forth from past to present was well done and I enjoyed, how in the end, everything wrapped up nicely.

I adored this story!! The Magic of Sea Glass by Jenny Hale is a beautiful blend of painful loss and learning to live and love again. I absolutely loved how the thread of sea glass wove throughout the entire story. Lauren needs a fresh start after losing her fiancé and selling her business. She got so much more than expected when she opened her heart to the community in the Outerbanks. I loved seeing her creativity spark to life in ways. The backstory to the sea glass made the perfect foundation for the whole story to come full circle. This is an emotional, but heartwarming beach read.
The narrator really captured the personalities, nuances, and ages of all the characters. She brought the story to life in my mind’s eye.
I received a complimentary audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.