The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

Is it even summer without an Elin Hilderbrand novel?  

I had The Island in my to read pile for a long time.  I bought it on discount at Barnes and Noble.  Remember the days when we could wander the aisles of bookstores stopping coffee or ice tea?  Those were the days.

The book, like all of Hildebrand's books, did not disappoint.  The novel is about a mother and her two daughters.  Birdie is recently divorced and is dating a new man.  Suddenly, her daughter Chess calls her.  She broke off her engagement, giving no reason other than that she did not love her fiancé.  Then suddenly, Chess' ex-fiance dies in a rock climbing accident with his brother. Chess becomes heartbroken and full of grief.  

So Birdie decides to take Chess along with her other daughter, Tess, and her sister, India, to their home on Tuckernuck Island.  Together they'll learn to mend their broken hearts and understand each other.

But seriously, this book was the perfect kick off to summer reading! It's beachy.  It's confessional.  It's about love! You can't go wrong. 

I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  Until the next read! 

~Jessica 

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews - Reshelved Books

Hello there Dewey Readers!  What are you reading this Memorial Day Weekend!?  

I just finished Mary Kay Andrews' latest novel Sunset Beach.  This novel follows the story of Drue Campbell, a 36 year old bartender who was recently fired from her job.  Not only is Drue jobless, but her mother also recently passed away.  In her mother's will, a family beach house was left to her (one that Drue thought was sold many years ago) in a town near her estranged father who now wants to be back in the picture.  In a way to make amends, he offers Drue a job at his law practice (think about the injury commercials you see on t.v.).  Toss in the fact that Drue's new stepmother was her grade school friend, numerous missing person newspaper clippings found in Drue's new attic dating back to the 1970s, and a young woman who was murdered in the hotel down the street, and you get a perfect summer mystery!

While I devoured this book, I wasn't a complete fan of the twisty turns and conclusion of the mystery itself within the last 100 pages or so.  It seemed to be a little too fast, but is also something that I have felt while reading other mysteries. So Dewey Readers, I leave you with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  Add this novel to your summer TBR! 

Until the next read!
~Jessica