This was an entertaining read that I finished in a few hours.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
They are realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

SEVEN HUNDRED BEACHFRONT is a story about a house, if the title didn't clue you in. This is not the usual genre I go for, but the blurb had me intrigued.

It is a cosy read that takes place over a couple of months during the summer, when Bec rents the house while she looks after her five-year-old brother, Bobby. Their summer stay becomes more interesting when the house starts making her opinions known, and both Bobby and Bev are able to understand her.

With a small town cast of supporting characters, there is a love interest in Jeff, the next door neighbour, plus some angst in the most un-mother I've ever had the displeasure of reading about.

Told from Bev's perspective throughout, this was a sweet read that I enjoyed. The intimate scenes are either very low spice or fade-to-black. If you want a story with a beach setting while you're sat at the beach, then I can definitely recommend this one.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 25, 2025

I really struggled to get through this book. The main character, Bev, really got on my nerves. Her inner monologues were frustrating and her use of the word KIDDO made me want to scream.

I see the appeal, magical realism, beach atmosphere, and I do see why people like it.

It was just not for me.

I really expected to love this book-the synopsis, the cover and the setting are the types that are usually my favourites but unfortunately the writing is so poor it drags everything else down.

This book encapsulates the feeling of getting a bit warm hug on a really crappy day. But it's not just the warm hug feeling, it's that feeling in-between, when you're first falling into that hug after a bad day. A feeling of warmth and relief.

Bev is a broken woman trying to scrape together pieces of her life. Pieces she kind of let fall all over the place in her attempt to run from life in general. She ends up renting a shabby seaside house that all the locals believe is haunted. Bev's deal is to fix up the house in exchange for low rent. Begrudgingly, she's saddled with her with her baby brother (20 year age gap or so). So Bev has to babysit while fixing the house and starting up her new business. But poor Bev has never really taken care of anyone but herself and has to navigate the challenges of caring for her little brother who's never really had proper care.

Little does Bev know the house observes all. And the house, well, it has a mind of its own. When Bev tries to fix it up as per her rental agreement, things don't go according to plan. The house seems to reject everything Bev tries to do for it. But her little brother seems to have a deep connection to the house, advising Bev on what it does and doesn't like. At first, she dismisses her brother's insistence the house is alive. That's crazy talk. But slowly, reluctantly, she begins to listen to her brother. And she starts to understand.
It's not until Bev works on herself that the house begins to fix itself too.

There's just so much about this book that I love. Bev is so relatable. She's jaded, skeptical, hurt, and very protective not only over herself and her feelings, but of her little brother too. The love interest is just as flawed and hurt. It's so satisfying to watch this story unfold and watch everyone heal.

Like I said, this whole book is like receiving a big warm hug on a really bad day, and this is a story I could (and have) read over and over and over again.

Having a bad day? Go visit 700 Beachfront. Go heal.

Genuinely felt like the book was really slow and at nearly 20% in, it was just not catching my attention. I feel like it had all the makings of a very cozy beach read, but the dialogue felt forced between characters and the storyline was taking awhile to progress. Overall, I’m thinking it was just not my kind of book but I appreciate the early arc!

700 Beachfront is a quiet, powerful story about healing, connection, and the kind of love that doesn’t come easy—but is worth the work. Legia de Wit brings a subtle touch of magical realism to this emotionally resonant contemporary romance, where even the house has a soul.

Bev is a standout lead—sharp, guarded, and deeply human. Life hasn’t made it easy for her to trust, and watching her come to terms with her role as an older sister to Bobby, while also opening up to her neighbor Jeff, is both frustrating and rewarding in the best possible ways. The relationships in this book feel earned—messy, complicated, and real.

What stayed with me long after finishing was the house itself—Erin. It’s more than a setting; it’s a mirror to Bev’s emotional journey. As Bev begins to heal and accept love, the house begins to change with her. The symbolism is never heavy-handed, but it lands with quiet power.

This is a romance for readers who appreciate emotional depth, flawed characters, and the kind of subtle magic that reflects something truer than realism alone can show. Gritty, graceful, and ultimately hopeful.

This was not what I expected, I usually don’t read romance with some added mystery, but it was great, I loved it!

A beautiful storytelling, all the lives of friends and family, their issues, problems and happiness as well.

The FMC is so relatable, and I enjoyed her changing and learning to open up to everyone. It was very interesting to see her journey. And her little brother is just adorable!

A perfect summer read💛

this bit will sit with me forever. i want this little paragraph written across my heart forever >>>about learning to stay, letting people in, and discovering that healing doesn’t always come the way you expect it. But when it does, you’ll feel it down to your bones. i mean the book couldn't have beaten that. but oh it did. this book was too much in how emotional it made me. it was almost painful in its brilliance. i had unshed tears in the best of ways and lumps in my tummy and throat.
this book was everything and i dont know how id ever not read it. like, imagine if it had never come across my knowing!?
this book takes you all in. all in so that you care about it. and you care about the characters. you need them to be ok. one of those books.
its so beautifully told and the author must have magic in her fingers in mind to put it down in such a wonderful way.
the interactions in this book were on point. for all of them you can see it, you can feel it, you can see exactly how they reach off the page to you.
you are taken on a journey with Ligia's characters. and you understand them. you can see the walls and see how brave it is to let them down. to let someone is can be terrifying and we got that portray so well in this book.
and the house. haha i never new what an opinionated house was going to be and i sure know what one of them is now.
this is small town in the best way too. yes, we know all your secrets and businesses. but yes yes yes we care,protect and are their for our own vibes over runs any of the downsides.
you can see in this book of how the characters came to be how they are. and its such a learning too. because people, good people deep down, arent horrors or showing their hurts because they are bad people. they simply are going through stuff, or have been thought stuff and its coming out in these ways or is building wall in these ways. and you can heal. you can let the walls down. you can with time and love and support get through these things. the author here helps you see that and be sympathetic to it. you get it. you geeeet it. and in this book we get to see them heal! and that is beautiful.
it also got me how Bev was with her brother. that protectiveness is fierce and that love and care for ones brother can be almost painful.
i was blown away by this book. just adored it. i sat and sat and sat and read until i had a numb bottom! and i in no way regret it.

I just finished a good book that should have a spot on your TBR list. Seven Hundred Beachfront by Ligia de Wit is the perfect summer read.