DNF at 50%. This did not feel like a beach book at all. It’s romance and disjointed and an uninteresting at best. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced audio.

Now that it’s finally starting to get a little warmer here, my inner mood reader is ready for some beach reads so of course I had to reach for Susan Mallery’s new book Beach Vibes first.

Beth is divorced and living in Malibu with her aunt. Beth owns a popular sandwich shop on the beach and she also likes to spend her time volunteering at the local food bank, where she has recently made a new friend, Jana. Beth’s younger brother, Rick, also lives in the area. He’s a surgeon and doing well for himself, but Beth still feels the need to play the protective older sister. Worlds collide when Rick brings his new girlfriend around and it turns out to be Beth’s friend, Jana. Beth also soon ends up dating Teddy, Jana’s brother.

At first everything is going great & Beth is imagining their futures together as one big happy family, but then she catches Rick cheating on Jana and ends up in the dilemma of all dilemmas - does she betray her cheating brother or does she keep his secret and risk losing Jana’s friendship and Teddy’s love if it ever comes out that Rick cheated and she knew about it?

Oh my gosh, the drama! I felt for Beth because what an impossible situation to be put in. I also loved how Mallery wrote all of these characters as flawed, messy, and realistic. I have to say though that, unlike Beth, I would not have had a dilemma. I would have thrown Rick under the bus in a heartbeat and saved my friendship and relationship, haha. I’m sure I would have felt differently if Rick was my brother, but I just hated how condescending he was toward Beth and wanted her to tell him off so badly instead of always giving him a pass.

Tanya Eby narrates the audiobook and I thought she did a wonderful job bringing all of the characters & especially the emotional scenes to life.

If you like stories about family, friendship, betrayal & forgiveness, and the lengths people will go to for loved ones, check out Beach Vibes.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this book.

When I saw the cover of this book, I thought it was going to be a cozy beach vibes book, with an interesting story tied in. I found the story lines did not really give beach vibes for me.

The twists were ok. I wanted more beach vibes throughout though. More surfing, maybe more beach stuff.

I felt bad for the FMCs as Rick was such a major jerk, and I think anytime there is a surgeon in a book, I might want to stop reading right there because they are all ego maniacs.

The narrating was ok, but her voice didn’t seem like that of a thirty something, but someone older, it was hard to picture the characters that way. Sorry, but that’s my thoughts.

I also found there wasn’t always a clear distinction between the POV. I would not be sure if we were in Jan’s pov, or Beth’s pov, it didn’t seem clearly marked by chapters for the audio, maybe there was something on paper to show when there character changed. I don’t know.

Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery
When you look at the cover, you think beach read, and it can be, but it's so much more. It's a work of contemporary fiction that has it all...the beach vibes of the seaside cafe, but it's also rich in deep themes of family and relationships, with the trope of second chances. The strong characters from dysfunctional families show how brother-sister teams journey to find what makes a family really work.

Wow! WOW!! I couldn't put this book down! I fell in love with the FMC Beth (that is not in her early 20s) and took pity on her for the struggles she went through. The drama she went through was very relatable for women going through breakups. She had to rebuild everything about herself when she went through her divorce. She lost all her friends and she felt she lost a huge part of herself until Jana and her brother <3 The story that Susan Mallery developed was so addictive. I highly recommend this book and need more work like this!

I've liked Mallery's summer books before but this one felt too cookie-cutter/boring for me. Two women, two relationships, cute beach town vibes. Nothing super interesting happened for me and even though the narrator was good, I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. Not the right book for me but would still recommend for fans of authors like Mary Kay Andrews or Brenda Novak. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 ~ 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐕𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐒 ~ 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲 ~ A thanks to Canary Street Press, Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book. I will pick up a book by this author once in a while, usually as a palette cleanser and because the title and/or the cover grab my attention. That was the case with this book. I thought maybe I was getting a jump of a summer beach read rec that I could offer to friends. Alas, this title and cover are completely misleading as the only beach in the whole story is the Malibu setting, a surfer character, and that it takes place over the summer season. Otherwise this is deep dive Chick Lit, Family Drama, Women’s Fiction, kinda corny/cheesy romance. There is a huge audience for this type of story, and Mallery oeuvre has garnered her millions of fans around the world, so I will not disparage any of that. The quick shot: Sometimes these stories and characters are a hit for me, sadly this one was just a little too cloying and schmaltzy for my tastes. There was not much character development, which didn’t give me anything to care about, and the dialogue was staccato and truncated throughout making it even more strident.
I was pushing to get through to the extremely predictable ending and was relieved when I finished reading. Pretty cover… the rest not really to my liking… so sorry… much respect for this well established Women’s Fiction author.
⭐⭐
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐥𝐥! 📚♥️

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Beach Vibes by Susan Mallory
I listened to the audiobook.
Normally an author who's books I love, this one didn't do it for me. I could not get into the book, couldn't connect with the characters and the title didn't fit the book. It's unfortunate as I was really looking forward to this book. I wasn't fond of the narrator either, I hate to say, her voice wasn't warm and didn't make me feel like listening.

This starts out a bit slow. It's about two new friends finding romance with unlikely people and then one of those men n being related to the other friend and not as honest as he ought to be. An interesting read but not my favorite by this author.

Beth Nield and her brother Rick were raised in foster care until they were rescued by their Aunt Agatha. Beth is proud of her brother, who is now a successful surgeon, but he is naive when it comes to women and Beth is always there to give advice and help. When they were children, Rick did something to save Beth and she feels it is her responsibility to protect him. Beth runs a successful Sandwich Shop, Surf Sandwiches, on Malibu beach. She is divorced and lives with her Aunt. Once a week, she volunteers at the food bank and has become friends with one of the other volunteers, Jana Mead, who is also a part time medical billing clerk. When Rick introduces Jana to Beth as his new girlfriend, she is surprised. Things become complicated when Beth meets Jana's widowed brother, Teddy, and they hit it off. They begin dating and Rick wants her to break it off. She doesn't know why, but refuses. When she catches Rick cheating on Jana, it puts her in a tough spot, but he is her brother, she has to believe him, doesn't she?

I really liked Beth. She had been raised under difficult situations until her aunt came along. She was so protective of her younger brother and wouldn't let anything hurt him. Unfortunately this spoils Rick and blinds Beth to any of his faults. Jana is another wonderful character. She has a daughter that she has raised as a single mother, but with help from Teddy. Teddy has two children and Jana helps with them. She is thoughtful, caring, loyal, hardworking and a wonderful mother and aunt. I really liked the friendship that Beth and Jana developed. I like plots where women support women. The three kids are all adorable. Raised with good values, they are polite and respectful, but also a little precocious and ask questions and make statements that caused a few uncomfortable feelings. Teddy also has a best friend, Max, who helps him with the kids and acts as a sounding board for Jana. All these characters work together in life to make themselves comfortable and successful. I didn't like all the characters at the end and you will have to read this one to find out why. This is a wonderful book full of family relationships, love, friendship, personal growth and some romance. There is drama, but that adds to the character development. I really enjoyed this story in both the ebook and audiobook format. Tanya Eby narrates this book and I enjoyed her performance, but the voices of the children were a bit off to me. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good family story, one with friendship, some turmoil, cute kids, and romance.

2.5 stars rounded up

I had high hopes for Beach Vibes but unfortunately those fell short. At nearly 11 hours long, I found myself wanting to step away and pick up something else. Unfortunately, I'm hardwired to finish so that's what I did.
I may be the only one that feels this way, but the narration started me off on the wrong foot. I wondered at first if I was listening to an automated computer reading to me. It never got any better and I wanted to scream out to just read like your speaking, not teaching an English Language class. I found the characters mostly unlikeable with long standing family drama and relationships that develop out of nowhere. I also had an inclination as to where the story was headed very early on.
While I enjoy other books by Susan Mallory, this one missed the mark for me.
Many thanks to Harlequin Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this advanced audiobook in exchange for any honest review. All opinions expressed are authentically my own.

Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery follows Beth, a recently divorced sandwich shop owner living in Malibu, and her brother Rick, a confident (borderline arrogant) surgeon. When Beth forms a friendship with Jana at the local food bank and begins dating Jana’s brother Teddy—while Rick starts seeing Jana—the story sets up for an interesting family dynamic and potential drama.

While the setup was strong and the characters easy to follow, the plot unfortunately became quite predictable. It was clear early on that something felt “off,” and the tension never quite built in a surprising or fresh way. As a longtime fan of Mallery’s work, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

That said, the pacing was solid, and readers looking for a light beach read with low-stakes romance and family drama may still enjoy it.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Susan Mallery always delivers a great book and she continues it with, "Beach Vibes". Tanya Eby brought this story to life in the best way. Great book.

"Beach Vibes" by Susan Mallery

Beach Vibes explores themes of family, friendship, love, and betrayal. Beth, the owner of a Malibu sandwich shop, befriends Jana, a single mother she meets while volunteering at a food bank. Their lives become intertwined when Beth's brother, Rick, starts dating Jana—and Beth herself begins a relationship with Jana's brother, Teddy. Things take a turn when Beth discovers Rick is cheating on Jana, forcing her to choose between telling the truth and betraying her brother. As the story unfolds, Beth realizes her brother isn’t the person she thought he was.

I listened to the audiobook and found it engaging overall. However, I think if I had been reading it instead of listening, the pace might have felt a bit too slow for me. I kept waiting for a bit more excitement or energy to kick in, but unfortunately, that moment never really came.

The story is sweet, but it moves at a slower pace and didn’t have the emotional depth or tension I’ve experienced in other books. It’s a light, easy listen, but it left me wanting a little more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for a copy of this audiobook!

This book was a ln overall light, easy read. A cute story of two friends that, as their friendship is flourishing, begin to date each other’s brothers. Some drama occurs, and without spoilers, I don’t divulge any details!

I was missing why this book was called “Beach Vibes” though…it doesn’t really go with anything in the book? Kind of odd. The story wasn’t anything that sucked me in, although Inwas able to finish it in one day.

Giving this one 3/5 ⭐️

A big thank you to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook!

This one teeters at a 2.75 to 3 star read for me.
Honestly, I really tried to enjoy this one more, but it was a miss for me most of the way. It wasn’t terrible, I liked the friendship aspect of the two women, but I felt like they complained about themselves a lot to each other, and/or doubting themselves a lot which was hard on me to read. I debated on DNF-ing a few times, but I’m glad I didn’t because the last 1/3 of it is what made the book for me. When everything kind of came together, in the way that it was supposed, to was a nice ending. I felt happy finishing it and not DNFI-ing it.

I don’t wanna spoil the story, but it follows two women who end up dating each other‘s brothers. And there are multiple complications that arise throughout their courtships, which possibly will end up costing them their friendship

Touching romance that adroitly raises issues of family loyalty, the many facets of female friendships and the difficulties women often face in finding their confidence and place in the world. A satisfying beach read with lots for book clubs to discuss,

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book. This was a quick adult romance book. It wasn't as beachy as I thought it would be. I did like how Beth worked hard to be a successful business owner. In fact, one of her employees the young Kai was one of my favorite characters. I think it was predictable. I do think the characters change and grow in the story. If you are looking for a sweet easy read give this one a try.

This one is called Beach Vibes, but other than being located near a beach, and watching someone surf a few times, it doesn’t really give off beach vibes. So don’t go into this one thinking you are getting a light summer beach read. I will say, this one kept me interested the whole time. Beth and Rick went through foster care together when they were younger, before their aunt and uncle rescued them. Beth took over the family sandwich shop, while helping Rick through his residency. Beth meets Jana while she volunteers and they become friends. It is so hard making friends as an adult, so I appreciated watching the growth of that relationship. But then Jana starts dating someone and never mentions who it is. (How do you never mention who it is????) It is not a spoiler, because the book cover tells you that it is none other than Beth’s brother. Some mixed feelings about that come out.

Meanwhile, Beth and Jana’s widowed brother Teddy hit it off. But then Beth catches her brother with another woman and struggles with her loyalties. Honestly, I saw red flags with Rick from the beginning. I seriously questioned Beth’s choices, but also understand because he is family. But there is some drama that unfolds with all of this.

I listened on audio, and the narrator did a fantastic job. There were a few kids thrown in here too, and it was just done really well.

Bottom Line: I enjoyed this one, it definitely kept my interest.

**I received a copy of Beach Vibes audiobook from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.**

This book is a great beach read! The main characters were written really well and there was a good twist in the middle! Beth and Jana are both strong independent women who deserve happiness is their lives. The book ended on both a sad and happy note which is very fitting. The only negative I have is that it got a little confusing with having two voices but in the same chapter. Overall, this is a great book!