There were some parts I really enjoyed - the setting, the FMC and her growth as well as being able to connect to her and the sandwich shop is great. She's starting over and has her own business. I'm here for independence.

But there were some parts that I really struggled to read - the FMCs brother dating her friend but it's never shared even though it's obvious, how he's not the best guy, and the question of family loyalty is kind of an ehhh topic for me.

I was definitely expecting something else out of this story. Parts were totally for me and others fell flat and I didn't jive with it all. I think a different Susan Mallery book is for me!

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC of this book.

Beth owns a sandwich shop at the beach. Her brother is a doctor and she’s extremely proud of him. She would do anything for him. Jana is her new best friend and when Rick starts dating Jana she thinks that things can’t get any better. Then she meets Jana’s brother and sparks fly. Things are going great until she catches her brother cheating on her bestie. What to do? Betray her brother or lose her new best friend when she finds out?
This book started out slowly and picked up but I still want to know who doesn’t tell their best friend the name of the man she’s dating? Also, I would not classify this book as a beach read.

Thanks to Canary Street Press for an advanced copy of Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery. I love Susan Mallery books, and Beach Vibes was a great contemporary romance with a side of family drama.

While the setting is in Malibu, it isn't your typical beach romance. Beth and Rick are siblings. Beth is recently divorced and owns a popular sandwich shop. She meets Jana volunteering and they start to become friends. Jana and her daughter live with her brother - Teddy, a widow and his 3 kids. Jana meets Rick at work and they start dating, but it isn't until Beth realizes her brother and new friend are dating where things get complicated. And add in sparks between Beth and Teddy...

This was your classic Susan Mallery with romance, family drama, strong women and mostly great characters. I liked Beth and Teddy. Rick was the absolute worst. I liked seeing Beth gain her confidence and Jana realize her goals.

If you're looking for a slightly more family drama romance, you'll enjoy Beach Vibes.

This latest novel by Susan Mallery is not at all what I expected based on the title and cover. But this is a classic case of not judging a book by its cover. Rather than a lighthearted beach read, this is more in the women's fiction category with some serious family drama happening. I don't want to give away too much, but Rick is definitely not the man that Beth thought her brother was! Overall, a good read but not as lighthearted as I was expecting.

Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery is set in Malibu.
The story is about family friendship and betrayal. Beth is divorced and owns and runs a sandwich shop close to the beach. Jana is a single mother, working at a medical center and going to school. They meet volunteering at a food back and become fast friends. They end up dating each other’s brothers.
Then betrayal happens and each person’s past comes up and the story gets complicated. To whom to be loyal?
I did enjoy the story but felt being more open with each other and talking would have kept the angst down. -- I enjoyed the story and have read many of Ms. Mallery’s books. Recommended thanks for the advanced copy

I received an ARC of Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery from Netgalley.

The main characters of this book are Beth, who is recently divorced, owns a sandwich shop on the beach and Jana, who is working while going to school to become a nurse. They both met while volunteering at the local food pantry in Malibu.

What eventually happens is that Jana begins dating Beth's brother Rick, who is a successful surgeon, and Beth ends up dating Jana's brother's Teddy. The complications are Beth and Rick's childhood, and how they were both raised. Same can be said for Teddy's and Jana's past.

The resulting factor of how Rick was treated in his early years certainly drives what becomes a disturbing revelation for Beth. I almost feel like there should be a trigger warning for people that have dealt with narcissism in their family. This story doesn't end like you think it would, and the title caught me off guard. There was a bit of redundancy towards the end and I felt that there was an opportunity to make Beth a stronger person.

I did enjoy this book and would recommend.

Susan Mallery is a great author with lots of light reading books. Beach Vibes is her latest novel and I really enjoyed it. Lots of twists and turns and definitely not predictable.

Beth has recently gone through a divorce. She's not sad the relationship is over but she lost some friends in the divorce and she needs to find new ways to keep herself busy. She needs to find some ways to make new friends and maybe find love again. At least Beth is happy with her career. She's been the owner of Surf Sandwiches since her Aunt and Uncle wanted to retire. She bought them out and they agreed to help her brother through college to become a doctor. He's always been the ones with the brains and she's not college material - at least that's what her brother always said.

While volunteering at the food bank Beth meets Jana. She's a single mom trying to work part time at the medical centre, go to school and take care of her daughter. It's a lot of work but she lives with her single dad brother and his best friend helps out a lot too. Beth and Jana bond over their food bank shifts and start having quick dinner together after volunteering.

Unbeknownst to the other Jana works at the same office as Beth's brother and he's been asking her out for a while now. When Beth meets Jana's brother it feels like love at first sight. But can Jana and Beth's friendship withstand them dating each other's brothers. Both girls fiercely love their brothers and this could go great or very bad.

This whole love square (???) takes place in a beach town with many scenes at the beach watching the surfers. Beth's sandwiches sound amazing and might inspire some new ideas for dinner.

This book was definitely different than other Susan Mallery books that I’ve read, such as Fool’s Gold series and Happily Inc series.
A story about finding love and friendship a bit later in life. The characters were realistic and I enjoyed the dialogue. However, I felt there were times during “inner monologues” there were boring parts that weren’t needed. I enjoyed the humor, supportiveness, the kids were cute. Overall liked how it went. Happy ever after!
Thank you!

Beach Vibes is definitely not a “summer beach read”. It is however good women’s fiction as is the norm from my experience with Susan Mallery books. Friendship, family, betrayal all play a part in this story of the newfound friendship between Beth and Jana and their families. My only gripe is that I feel it could have been a little shorter, as there was a bit of repetition. Aside from that, this was an enjoyable read. Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I had high hopes from the description, complicated family relationships with some juicy drama. But I did find it hard to follow with the switching between the two main female characters. It would switch mid chapter, basically just a new paragraph but with switched perspectives, I found myself having to re-read a lot to figure out which POV I was on. I also just didn’t feel a connection with any of the characters. I DNF’d about half-way through, I’m sorry, just not for me! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The book has more family drama than beach vibes. Susan Mallery did a great job weaving in tension and mystery as well as the theme of loyalty versus doing the right thing. I enjoyed the setting of the sandwich shop in a small beach town. Beth started out way too overprotective of her brother, and always put herself last, but got better as the story progressed. The romance in the story felt random and it was strange that Jana constantly talked about who she was dating yet never mentioned his name.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You can't go wrong with a Susan Mallery beach read!

Beth is newly divorced and runs her own sandwich shop on the beach. She's taken care of her brother since forever and he hasn't always been on the up and up. When she finds out he's dating her new friend, Jana, it's a bit strange for them - and then she meets Jana's brother and they start dating and it gets weirder. It's an easy read, beachy vibes and a little slow going.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review,

When you pick up a Susan Mallery book, you know you’re in for family drama, romance, and just enough heartbreak to keep things interesting. Beach Vibes delivers all that—plus some serious sandwich-making skills.

Beth is the ultimate supportive sister, practically raising her younger brother Rick and cheering him on through medical school. She’s also built a life for herself, running a charming sub shop in Malibu. When she befriends Jana at a food bank, their lives intertwine in ways neither expects—especially when Beth’s brother starts dating Jana, and Beth starts falling for Jana’s brother. So far, so good, right? Well… until Beth catches Rick being a very bad boyfriend. Suddenly, she’s stuck between loyalty to her brother and doing what’s right for her best friend. Yikes.

What I loved: The relationships in this book felt real—messy, emotional, and full of tough choices. The kids in the story were adorable (especially Magnolia, who was wise beyond her years), and Beth’s journey of self-discovery was really satisfying. I flew through the pages, eager to see how it would all shake out.

What didn’t quite land: The title Beach Vibes is misleading—this isn’t a breezy, sun-soaked romance. The actual beach is more of a background character. And Rick? Let’s just say he wasn’t winning any Brother of the Year awards.

Overall, this was a solid, emotional read with compelling characters and plenty of heart. If you love stories about complicated family ties, second chances, and strong women figuring out their own paths, you’ll enjoy this one. Just don’t expect too many sandy toes or crashing waves!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing a digital copy of the book. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Other than being set in Malibu, I am really not exactly sure where the title Beach Vibes comes in. There was honestly nothing good in this story. Both the main female characters, and their male counter-parts, were incredibly shallow. I honestly cannot think of anything good to say about this book, except some of the sandwich combinations did sound intriguing.... so there is that.

I find the author's books lately are incredibly hit or miss; had this been a blind read (not knowing who the author was)., I would have thought it was a YA author; especially give some of the dialogue, and especially the character names.

This is an amazing book about life, relationships, love, and family!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely raced through this book and enjoyed every minute of it!!!!!!!!!!!! Susan Mallery knows how to get to the heart of family situations and has a way of writing so you fall in love with every single story and character.

This was such an easy read, but besides the few (like two) scenes at the beach, it wasn’t really a beach book. Regardless, I was pulled into the story about Beth, who was recently divorced, her brother, Rick, her friend Jana, and Jana’s brother Teddy. A little confusing, but it starts out with Jana dating Rick and not knowing he was Beth’s brother. When she goes to introduce her brother to them, Beth and Teddy strike up a relationship as well. Rick had to go ruin it all when Beth catches him cheating on her friend. Rick was such a tool and while I do feel like the foster care system failed him, he was tool all on his own. He knew exactly what he was doing and continued to be a jerk just for fun. I did enjoy the friendship between Beth and Jana even after the secret keeping.

I can always count on Susan Mallery books to feel like lighter reads that I feel good spending time in and thinking about afterwards, but are still filled with lots of juicy family drama and Beach Vibes was no exception.


Beth is a fairly recently divorced owner of Surf Sandwiches in Malibu. She lives her her aunt Agatha (a fantastic, feisty older character) who raised her and her brother, Rick. Beth and Rick are very close and through their history with childhood traumas (before Aunt Agatha stepped in), Beth feels responsible for her brother and always wants him to be happy.

Through volunteering at the food bank, Beth befriends another volunteer, Jana, and the two quickly become best friends.

Jana is a single-mother, working and in school, who is also very close to her brother, and lives with him and his children.
At work, Jana meets a handsome and charming surgeon (Beth's brother!) who pursues her until she finally relents and agrees to a date.

The first half of the book, while revealing some of both Beth's and Jana's past traumas & dramas, seems like a very lovely, happy story, with family, friendships, and budding loves. But then ... the drama really starts to unfold. Rick is not who everyone thinks he is and the story gets really juicy.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think it'll be a great read for summer.
I loved the Malibu setting, the characters (both Beth and Jana are strong and independent; there are some great side characters, and I am always a sucker for feisty older characters like Aunt Agatha!), and I really loved the Rick twist.

Less beach vibes than family drama set in Malibu, where Beth runs a sandwich shop and volunteers at a food bank with Jana, who as it turns out is dating Beth's pretty rotten brother Rick, a doctor. Oh and Beth is seeing Jana's brother Teddy, a widowed father of three (the kids are great). And then there's aunt Agatha, who Beth lives with. Things are all sort of bright and sunny as Beth and Jana build their friendship and then....Rick cheats on Jana and sets Beth up for the ethical dilemma. The characters are good, situation a bit contrived but thought provoking and all always, there's good storytelling from Mallery. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.

Unfortunately this book was disappointing. The dialogue was so unrealistic to the point it was cringeworthy. At one point Jana made an off-hand comment to her niece that she takes her job as oldest child too seriously which seemed highly inappropriate considering the niece lost her mother. I wanted to slap her. The relationships were shallow. I found myself skipping pages to speed up and find out what happened.

Jana is a single mom who meets a new friend in Beth. Then, she begins dating Beth's brother. Meanwhile, Beth meets Jana's brother and begins dating him. Sound confusing? It's about to get a lot messier.

This was a cute and low-spice romance, and I enjoyed it.