I loved this one, can't wait to read Swimming Lessons and Beach House Memories. I'm very glad to have discovered another wonderful South Carolina writer! :) I bought an autographed copy at Litchfield Books in Pawleys Island. ( )

read 2023

Slow. Abandoned after 90 pages. ( )

4.5 stars. ( )

This novel is the fourth in a well-loved series. Picking up one of Monroe's books is like returning to a favorite place - there is comfort in the familiarity and you can settle in. However, as the author does a good job with providing brief looks into the back story, this works well as a stand alone. However, if this is your first introduction to the series, you may be well enticed to seek out the earlier books. (And you should.)

This book starts out slowly, as if to let you settle into the story like you'd sink into your favorite chair. It's difficult at times to write reviews when you've read and reread the predecessors in a series because you have what feels like a relationship with the characters, I will confess, and this definitely comes into play with Cara's storyline.

Monroe's stories are a good mix of character-driven and plot-driven. The story follows two storylines - that of Cara Rutledge, who is the owner of the beach house in question, and that of Heather, an agoraphobic artist from Charlotte who is renting said beach house for the season. For the new reader, Heather's storyline will have a bigger punch as we see her struggle and then bloom over the arc of the story - all the while Cara's character shrinks and fades in the face of her own tragedy. (For fans of the series, the tragedy that strikes Cara is a kick in the gut because it happens so quickly and you KNOW their story - but no spoilers from me.)

The juxtaposition of personalities - Heather, quiet and frightened, wanting to be stronger and willing her way through anxiety attacks, and Cara's brash confidence are contrasted in the beginning of the story, but as the two stories collide the synergy between Cara's past and Heather's experience/agoraphobia drives the story forward in unexpected ways.

The book brings back beloved characters: Flo and Ellie, Palmer, Mother Muir and even Lovie (in her own gentle way.) Central to the story is the beach house itself - it is as comforting and familiar as a favorite chair, and her description will have you longing for such a place of your own to escape to.

Mary Alice Monroe's love for the low country continues to shine through and we once again see the magic of the dunes, the sea turtles, and dolphins; in this book, she turns her attention to the shore birds and quietly works in information on the plight they face (as she has done so well with sea turtles and dolphins in prior books.) Her lush descriptions of the beach, the house, the wind whispering through the dunes and the beauty of the birds that Heather studies will weave a spell and make you long for some sand between your toes.

This story tackles themes of family dynamics, mental health, of loss and grief, and of healing - all of which Mary Alice Monroe deals with deftly and gracefully while delivering what is still a wonderful escapist beach read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Mary Alice Monroe for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. ( )