This one is going to be your next favorite beach read! There is family and friendship and drama galore! Who doesn’t love some small town scandal?!?!

Kristy Woodson Harvey really knows how to pull you in and keep you turning the pages! Thank you so much @simon.audio and @librofm for the early listening copy of this one. It is multicast and I loved the way the narrators brought the story to life!

There are themes of women empowerment and found family as well as some mystery that really had me so invested in this story!

What happens at the Beach House stays at the beach house. Kristy Woodson Harvey brings together four women whose lives innertwine due to circumstances in their lives. Alice creates a “mommune “ in her home. Charlotte is the last to join the mommune when her husband is jailed for a crime. Alice along with the other women who live in the house embrace Charlotte and her daughter Iris during this difficult time. What comes about is a friendship that last well beyond and further than the walls of the beach house.

Tuis started out a bit slow but eventually sped up some. There's a "momune" in a small town, where 4 single women and several kids are all living -- like in a commune. One has three dead husbands, another's is in prison for fraud, another's husband is in Japan, There are rules, as in a commune, and the kids, who range in age from pre-teen to HS junior, are all taken care of justlike a big family. And like most of the author's books, there's a HEA -- or two, or three, or four. as well as a big twist.

It's a great book for a beach weekend!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

With each new book, Kristy Woodson Harvey seems to outdo herself! As a new mom, I truly appreciated the "mommune" concept that Kristy creates. The sad reality is that most women go through motherhood without the support of other moms! Our new digital age has made us connected, but only at a distance. This book is a beautiful and laugh out loud reminder that it truly takes a village to raise kids, and we need to be willing to participate in that village! Brava Kristy! For lovers of Schitt's Creek, Gilmore Girls, and Gossip Girl! The perfect addition to any beach bag.

I am a fan of the author's previous works but found the plot of this a little too far fetched for me. I enjoyed the characters but was distracted by the overall storylines.

Set in the fictional North Carolina beach town of Jupiter Shores, Beach House Rules is truly perfect for summer reading. Four families headed by women, each in need of support of different kinds, find themselves living together in the “Mommune”. Each with their own specialty to help each other. Filled with some mystery, romance, young love, friendship and happily ever afters, Kristy Woodson Harvey delivers a Southern/Women’s Fiction that’s sure to be one of the best beach reads this year.
I’m so grateful to Gallery Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Beach House Rules is one of the best books I have read in 2025! I have been impatiently waiting for Kristy Woodson Harvey´s latest book and it did not disappoint. I devoured this book, the story line is truly unique and I was completely invested in all the characters. I loved how the story was told from multiple viewpoints, and it kept me guessing until the very end. I love my husband but I would love a community of Moms helping each other along with mandatory beach time and family dinners. Alice, the owner of the beach house truly created a place where moms Grace, Charlotte and Julie would thrive despite their desperate situations. I love the support and the true sense of community that is displayed by these characters. A summer must read great for any vacation get this book and throw it in your suitcase now.

Looking for the perfect beach read? If you’re after a touching tale about families and friendships, sprinkled with a touch of mystery and teeny bit of romance, then this is the book you must pack in your beach bag or carry-on this summer! I adored the relationships depicted in this novel. Between mothers and children, siblings, and romantic partners, all intertwining beneath one roof of a charming beachside manor and former bed and breakfast turned into the “mommune”. The dynamics become intricate as the adults and teens residing in the so-called “mommune” navigate the delicate webs they weave all while social gossip Instagram “@junipershoresocialite spills the tea online.

There’s something truly enchanting about how Kristy Woodson Harvey blends unforgettable characters, a welcoming coastal backdrop, and a heartfelt narrative filled with mystery, forgiveness, chosen family, and profound friendship. Once it got going, I found myself unable to stop flipping the pages.

“Beach House Rules” served as a beautiful reminder that healing blossoms within community and that, at times, the most meaningful families are the ones we choose

Kristy Woodson Harvey is my new queen of the beach read! This book is more than just fun, it’s women helping women. Who can’t get behind that? Friendship and mother dynamics work itself throughout the whole story. I loved the house of unique women who supported each other and are labeled “the mommune”. A safe space where women down on their luck that need extra support can move to and get back on their feet. Kristy nails the summer beach vibe that gives you a little bit of everything: loyalty, love, community, and second chances. This was thoroughly enjoyable and heartwarming! A story I’ve grown to accustom from KWH.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Gallery Books for an advance reader copy.

The perfect summer read! This is a beautiful story about friendship, small town scandal and even a mystery to solve. I have always loved her books, but this one just felt different to me, in a good way! The character development and alternating storylines really brought everything together, creating such a wonderful environment that I didn't want to ever put the book down. I wish the story continued on and on.

The story primarily focuses on Charlotte and her daughter, Iris, who are essentially penniless, homeless and jobless after Charlotte's husband is arrested for securities fraud. Charlotte once thought she didn't need anyone outside of her immediate family, but now that she is essentially alone, she realizes how isolating that can feel. In steps Alice, the owner of the "mommune", a beach house that houses several families. Alice invites Charlotte and her daughter to join them and as reluctant as she is to agree to that, what choice does she have? Once she arrives, she is blown away by what she finds inside, and in a good way!

The book of the summer!! Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 is only my second book by KWH but I can confidently say she will be an auto buy author from here on out. I loved so much about this book especially the supportive adult friendships and teen relationships. I adored that she referenced a God Wink in this, that’s something my daughter’s school does and it hit me right in the feelers. It was a lovely story about found family, trials and perseverance with a little fun gossip thrown in the mix!

Thank you @simon.audio @gallerybooks #partner for the gifted copies of this book!

Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey is THE summer read you need. Not shockingly, this one hit me right in the heart. This is my third book by Kristy and she just gets it every single time. Her stories always manage to make me laugh, tear up, swoon a little, and want to hug every character. She’s one of those authors I know I can count on for a feel-good, emotionally rich, can’t-put-it-down kind of read.

The heart of this story is the MOMMUNE. Yes — a mommune!! It’s like the thing I secretly joke about with my friends and dream of after a long day of juggling life, work, relationships and everything in between. A safe space where women and children, when they’re down on their luck and need a little extra love and support, can move to, to get back on their feet. I’m obsessed with this idea. Ha! Honestly… where can I sign up?

Kristy absolutely nails the ultimate summer beach read vibe with this one. You’ve got found family, second chances, loyalty, love, community, and a little bit of coming-of-age sprinkled in. It was just one of those stories that feels like a big, warm hug but still tugs at your heartstrings.

Also, major shoutout to the audiobook — it was fantastic! Three narrators brought each of these characters to life so well, I felt like I was right there with them, sitting on the porch with them or eating at the dinner table, of course with my cell phone put away. Wink Wink. IYKYK.

If you’re looking for a book to toss in your beach bag, curl up with on the porch, or just escape into on a lazy weekend afternoon, this is it. Kristy Woodson Harvey does it again. 5 stars from me! 🌸✨

Harvey is my go-to women's fiction beach read author, and her newest release dropping on May 27th is another winner for me!

Set in the idyllic Juniper Shores, NC beach community, Beach House Rules follows a group of women who need one another. Alice is a three-time widow who owns an enormous beachfront home that used to be a bed and breakfast. She has opened her home, first to her niece, Julie who is going through a divorce, then to Grace, whose husband has fled to Tokoyo, and finally to Charlotte, whose husband was recently arrested and is in the middle of a FBI investment scandal.

Together, these 4 women, and their children, collectively support one another my living together in the 'Momune" with a series of 'Beach House Rules'. While the book includes a variety of POVs, it focuses on Charlotte, her teen daughter, and Alice's perspectives. While Charlotte and Iris find themselves connecting with the other women and their children is rewarding ways, they are both focused on proving their husband/father's innocence. With a perfect blend of mystery, humor, found family, and character growth, this read is a page-turning delight. Highlighting the strength in the collective, women supporting women, and reclaiming your power in the face of adversity, I adore the plot and the fun cast of characters.

Read this if you like:
•found family
•gossip blog
•a side of twist with your romance

This book was so good! The audiobook was stellar. KWH pulls you in. Found family is quickly becoming one of my favorite tropes! I didn’t expect to feel so much in this one but I sure did! Thank you Simon audio!

I liked this book but I did not love it. I wish that it would have been a little more fast paced for me. There were a lot of characters in this book that were not investable to me. Also with this many characters, you get storylines.
The book was well written, the staging of the story was good. I did not get into the book 100% until the last 5 chapters.

I have learned in life that family doesn’t always have to come from blood. Sometimes, best friends and their own kids feel more like family than your own. Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey definitely proves that point. In the perfect beach house, with imperfect people, the “mommune” was created.

It’s a perfect blend of friendship, family, mystery, humor, romance, and drama. In the truest sense, it shows how a small-town community can come together when times are tough.

My Thoughts on The Beach House Rules:
I love when books blend many different genres and themes together. While showing the drama of four different women in their lives, almost any reader can connect to some part of the story line. My favorite character in the story, though, was Iris, Charlotte’s teen daughter. I love a good coming-of-age romance, and her wit and intelligence just added more depth to her character.

There’s a good mystery of whether Charlotte’s husband committed the fraud or whether he is innocent. As a reader, you also try to figure out who is behind the snarky Instagram account. I cracked up each time the author of the account signed off a different way.

It is fun to read about female relationships. I wanted to wrap myself up with a quilt on the beach, and drink a glass of wine with these four women. They each have their own drama that brought them to the mommune, but they always have each other’s backs.

The book tied up nicely at the end. But that is where my one star went down. It had a satisfying resolution, but it was a little repetitive of how it tied up. Some things were explained where the reader should have been able to just infer. That being said, I truly did love this book. It is going to make a great summer book for the beach.

Would you be able to live in a house like the “mommune”? I definitely would! I could help with the children’s homework, if someone else is willing to do the cooking and cleaning. 🙂

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Kristy Woodson Harvey for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

This book is all about found family. Charlotte and her daughter, Iris, move into the mommune after they are kicked out of her home due to an ongoing investigation against her husband Bill. Right away they find a new home, family, and friends. I loved how the women supported each other and helped each other rise up in various ways. Each character was going through something on their own and needed the other three women to work through the problems. The character development was spot on. I enjoyed reading this book, but at some points the story dragged a bit. The Juniper Shores Socialite chapters were fun and reminded me of Gossip Girl. This will be the perfect summer read.

My first time reading Kristy Woodson Harvey did not disappoint! I think Beach House Rules is a must read this summer. I absolutely love found family stories and this one is unforgettable. I found myself smiling and laughing the entire time. There was the perfect bit of mystery and intrigue mixed in as well. If you are a fan of Elin Hilderbrand’s storytelling you will adore this. I truly loved every single character! The Juniper Shores Socialite blurbs mixed in were delightful. This book will be out on May 27th and is absolutely worth a preorder. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Every year around this time, I find myself eagerly anticipating a new book from @kristywharvey and Beach House Rules did not disappoint! This story had it all: friendship, found family, a touch of mystery, and a hint of romance. I was completely swept up in it. This is definitely one you’ll want to pack in your beach bag this summer!

I really enjoyed the “gossip girl” esq vibe of this one. It was very different than all of KWH others, but I still enjoyed it. The “twist” towards the end wasn’t my favorite and was a little too out there for me. I loved the friendship that was build between all of the moms and the kids.

A huge thank you to KWH and the publisher for this e-arc!