The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley. A fun beach read. The characters were very likeable and it was fun to learn more about them. I can see where this could become a series.

The story of two sisters reconnecting after the death of their mother. It was an easy and quick read with a happy ending.

Run-of-the-Mill Romance

The Seaside Sisters is a decent little romance. The main character, Hannah, is a romantic comedy author whose first book was relatively successful. Unfortunately, she is struggling with writer’s block with her second novel and the deadline is looming. She decides to return to the seaside town where she grew up to hopefully get the creative juices flowing. And there she encounters her high school crush, Spencer, who is now a local attorney. The initial tension between the two is so mild it barely registers. They seem to develop a solid friendship very quickly. They had both recently ended relationships, but the exes seem not to matter very much.

There are actually three different story arcs in this novel. The primary one is Hannah and Spencer. Another involves Hannah’s sister, Sarah, and the third her aunt—with whom she is staying. Sarah’s husband works long hours and is barely present for Sarah and their children. Sarah, a stay-at-home mom, very much wants to get a part-time job but her husband is not very supportive. He prefers the status quo. Aunt Maddie and her husband of 30+ years have recently separated and are unsure of what their future looks like.

Having the three different interconnected story threads was very helpful to this book because it seemed to stall in the middle. Too much energy is devoted to Hannah’s every day routine. How many onion bagels can one person eat anyway? In fact, these characters seem to always be eating something. And, interestingly, there is ample description of the various meals, but next to no description of the characters beyond their general ages.

Fortunately, all three stories end satisfactorily.

Hannah, a new author whose debut novel has been a tremendous success is now struggling to write her second novel. She has lived in Brooklyn, New York, for the past ten years and loves the busy city, however, has decided to accept the invitation of her aunt to spend the summer with her in Chatham, Cape Cod, Hannah’s hometown. She is looking forward to spending more time with her sister, Sara, who is a busy stay at home mom to four boys.
What I loved about this delightful story is that the story was expertly woven around not only Hannah’s life, but issues Sara is dealing with in her marriage; constantly exhausted from doing everything, with no help from her husband. Before having children, she was a librarian and misses working around books. Aunt Maddie and her husband are temporarily separated, with him living in their apartment in the city. Each of these situations are addressed and integrated into the story.
Hannah’s arrival back in her hometown is bittersweet, as fairly recently she and Sara’s mother passed away. They have yet to deal with their mother’s house, and Hannah even avoids driving by the house. It is a surprise when meeting Aunt Maddie’s next-door neighbors to learn they are the grandparents who raised Spencer, her high school crush. Spencer is now a successful lawyer and is often at his grandparents’ house helping them.
Sara is happy to have been offered a part-time job at the local bookstore that works perfectly with the schedule of her boys; however, her husband is not so happy about the new arrangement as he is now needed to step-up and offer some occasional help.
Hannah makes some new friends and is reacquainted with Spencer. She begins writing again, using a local coffee house as her inspiration. She even joins a group of other writers. Maddie makes some substantial changes in her life. There is a hint of romance in the air, and the summer is going by fast, and soon it will be time to return to the city. Hannah has enjoyed every minute with her sister, her aunt, new and old friends in her beautiful hometown. Although it is a difficult decision, she feels she should return to Brooklyn, although she is very tempted to stay.
This beautifully written, heartfelt story captured my attention from the very beginning. The characters are relatable and lovable and by the end of the book, they felt like friends. I’ve loved every book I have read by Pamela Kelley, and this is no exception. It is a story that, even though the last page is turned, it leaves you feeling good.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

Hannah retreats to her aunts oceanfront house in cape cod, her older sister lives there, and she is looking forward to spending time with her. very quick read, loved the characters and the setting.

I love Pamela Kelley! This would be a perfect beach read! I love Chatham so this was a great read for me. Good story and easy beachy feel. A few typos but I really enjoyed this book!

One summer truly can change everything!

‘The Seaside Sisters’ is a follow-up novel to Pamela Kelly’s ‘The Bookshop By The Bay’. Each can certainly be read as a standalone, but I loved seeing characters from the previous book and reading about what they’ve been up to since I left them last time.

This novel ticks all the ‘summer reading’ boxes - it’s light, fluffy, predictable, and compelling. It also appeals to a variety of readers because of the universal themes of sibling/familial love and grief, moving on, overcoming challenges and tying up loose ends. The fact that it featured a fictional author, Hannah Brewster, and her family in Cape Cod was the icing on the cake! What bookish lover doesn’t want to read about books and authors?! None!

You’ll get:
🏖️Vivid descriptions of Chatham, the seaside Cape Cod town
🏖️an eclectic group of townspeople as secondary characters
🏖️wonderful interactions of the family with the townspeople and shop owners
🏖️Lots of descriptive food references and recipe ideas
🏖️Intergenerational dynamics and sibling bonding
🏖️Relationship struggles
🏖️romance
🏖️importance of rediscovering what makes you alive

Fans of Pamela Kelley won’t be disappointed. This beachread needs to be on your tbr come June!

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Great summer read characters are believable and great story line. Love her books always a great read.

This is a charming, beach read. It's a feel good story about two sisters and an aunt grieving on the loss of their mother and sister, respectively. They are all experiencing a rough patch in their lives and gradually work towards better happiness. There's a little romance for the one sister while she slowly gets to know someone she knew from high school. I'll give this a 3.5 rating. There were a few things that I found annoying, but it didn't detract from enjoying the book. Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC.

Reading Pamela Kelly books is like catching up with old friends of mine that live on the East Coast! I loved this story! It follows two relatable sisters navigating the loss of their mother. Though the premise is heavy, the story was very well written. Took a few chapters to get into but ended up being a book that I was thinking about even when not reading it!

Pamela Kelley’s new book The Seaside Sisters is everything I hoped for in a book not only based back East but, based on Cape Cod. I loved the previous book that took place in Chatham. It was fun catching up with all the characters and see how their businesses were doing. The bookstore and coffee shop are some of my favorite places. Julia is still there making jewelry but, I was a little confused when there was a reference towards the end of the book that Julia co-owns the coffee shop with her mom. Maybe I missed the co-ownership in the first book. The story centers around Hannah who has just moved home to Chatham for the summer. She’s experiencing a large case of writers block and needs the serenity of the Cape. Her biggest struggle in going back to the Cape is being close to her mom’s house and not having her mom there. She had recently passed from cancer. Upon Hannah’s return, she quickly makes friends with all the locals. Her sister, Sara is extremely happy to have her back home. I loved the relationships between sisters and aunts and new local friends. As with all these books, there are relationship ups, and downs that are always fun to try to predict what will happen next. Because I’ve spent a lot of time on the Cape, I could picture everything that was described by the author. I love the references to local restaurants and places of interest. I especially got a giggle at the mention of Jordan’s Furniture towards the end of the book. I actually knew the owners years ago. If you love, Pamela Kelly’s books, you’re going to love this one. A special thank you to net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC and provide feedback.

Breezy beach read that is perfect for an afternoon of sun and self-care

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seaside Sisters is a feel good beach read. Pamela Kelley always does a phenomenal job. I have also read all 8 books in her Nantucket series. So when I saw this cover, I definitely wanted to read it. This story is heart-warming tale of two sisters reconnecting at their aunt's beach house. Read in one sitting! Kelley always leaves me wanting more. Hope there is more in the series.

Thank you to NG for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

I love Pamela Kelley and I really enjoyed this book. Engaging characters and storylines set in beautiful Cape Cod. Pamela does an amazing job of making the reader feel like they are there with the characters, a part of their lives and friendships. And I love the food references!!! Highly recommend this book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was hooked right from the beginning.

The main character Hannah, who is an author, recently broke up with her boyfriend of 2 years and is experiencing writer's block. She decides to summer in Chatham, MA, where she grew up, and also where her aunt and sister live. I love the character interactions and how much Hannah grew and developed relationships over the summer.

I enjoy Pamela Kelley's book and this one was no exception. They are lighthearted and an excellent summer read (or any time of the year)! Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest opinion. I look forward to Pamela Kelley's next book!

Pamela M. Kelley is a go-to author for me if I need a clean, quick, beachy read and "The Seaside Sisters" delivered all those!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC on this book for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book and was very excited to see characters from other Pamela Kelley books that I have read. Their part did the book did not make it necessary to have read the The Bookshop by the Bay, but I loved the update on the characters from the book.

This book is about 2 sisters, Hannah and Sara, the summer after their mother passed away. Hannah is an author living in Brooklyn, NY who decides the summer back in Chatham, MA where she grew up and her sister Sara still lives. Sara has been a stay at home mom who's children have reached the age where she is ready to return to working outside the house.

I really enjoy Pamela Kelley books and look forward to the next one!

This was a nice light read for readers interested in a feel-good female vibe. It centers around two sisters and their aunt dealing with relationships and work challenges in a New England coastal town. There's a lot of food details interspersed, if you like that sort of thing. I was looking forward to a sweet and compelling comfort read.
However, this didn't really do it for me. I found the plot lacking and overused. Specifically, there wasn't enough drama or emotion, and the challenges didn't really seem difficult. Even though it's often obvious how the relationship is going to work out in these kinds of stories, if there is enough of a heart tug, it still works. Here, I wasn't feeling it. I had been waiting for the plot to emerge, and at around 25% I finally realized that the various elements of the story were the plot here, it just wasn't compelling for me. I realized I was supposed to be wondering if the main characters would give everything up for love. But I had to realize that. I didn't feel it emerging from the pages. There wasn't a lot of subtle nuance or deep feelings, and everything unfolded as expected. La di da.
I personally found the food descriptions too much. It kind of replaced the plot, so instead of wondering how each character would deal with her struggle, I heard about how delicious the food was. And everything was delicious, and fun, and perfect.
I suppose it was too light for me. It didn't make me laugh or cry or care about the characters, but someone else might enjoy something like that.

I enjoyed this book. It was like reading a Danielle Steel novel because the writings are similar. This book talked about three couples at different stages in life. It was heartfelt and romantic. The ending was better than I expected, although I think Hannah and Spencer should have gotten together at the beginning. It turned out great because it showed everything she went through. I am grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Fun read! I enjoyed this book, it was a book I didn't want to put down, I wanted to know what happened next. I enjoyed reading about all the things they did in Chatham and the locations sounded like they were a lot of fun to visit. I have previously read The Bookshop by the Bay and it was fun to see some of the characters show up in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc.