Aww, the outro was so sweet. I love Jenny's books and this one was no disappointment. I feel like as time goes on her characters develop more "real" problems and I appreciate that--hearing how Flora was struggling financially just felt so much more real than reading about how our Londoners move to the seaside and set up a restaurant and boom it's profitable. ( )

Sunrise by the Sea is the fifth book in the Little Beach Street Bakery series by Jenny Colgan. I had not read any of the earlier books in the series and found the beginning confusing. Chapter one introduces two married couples, two children, and a puffin in rapid succession without context or backstory. Chapter two turns abruptly to a wealthy, immature playboy and Marisa, who refuses to leave her room and join him at a party. The six adults live in a different part of the UK and have no obvious relationship. I was tempted to DNF.

However, after the ill-conceived beginning,Sunrise settles into an entertaining but uneven story. Marisa is agoraphobic and clinically depressed. Once this becomes clear, Marisa becomes a sympathetic character, and I rooted enthusiastically for her recovery. The precipitating causes of her situation and the events leading to her gradual return to health are not convincing. Still, Colgan avoids the standard literary depiction of the therapist as a buffoon. The story includes a romantic subplot, but the focus is an upbeat, optimistic account of Marisa’s gradual recovery. The relationship between Marisa and her grandmother was particularly appealing.

Sunrise drags at points with long digressions that do little to advance the plot. For example, the descriptions of Marisa’s skill in the kitchen remind me of the long lists of esoteric ingredients and extended procedures that accompany recipes in gourmet magazines like Food and Wine. An editor’s firm hand and discriminating eye could have corrected many of these problems.

The weak conclusion bookends the unfortunate beginning. I had the impression Colgan didn’t know how to bring the story to a close and resorted to a literary cheat (i.e., the magic solution). The rich guy mentioned briefly in the first chapter and in passing after that solves the financial woes and fulfills the desires of the central characters.

Despite the shortcomings I have noted above, this is an entertaining story populated by likable characters. ( )

I just love Jenny Colgan's writing and development of these Little Beach books. She never misses the mark on different plots to suck you in and not want to put the book down until you are done. You also have to pay attention to her OUTRO, instead of INTRO, explaining the change she made to the story because of the pandemic. Bless her for that, and I can't wait to read more from her. ( )

This series is like the ultimate book comfort food for me, so it was delightful to be back in this world for a bit. (And the Backstreet Boys make an appearance!) The writing is a little sloppy, though. Lots of errors scattered throughout, and all the POV shifts are disorienting. ( )

Not at all the book I was expecting, but an interesting one. There’s an “outro” at the end of the book by the author, explaining how it wasn’t quite the book she expected it to be either, and explains why.

Without spoiling the author’s attempt to avoid spoilers, I’ll just say this is a book about long-term grief and how it can turn into something altogether different and how Marisa finds her way out of it with the help of a small Cornish island. Colgan addresses agoraphobia and how it tears Marisa away from her family and friends as she becomes ever increasingly isolated. How her roommate kicks her out for being such a drag and she finds a home on a tidal island off the Cornish Coast that’s a perfect hideaway for Marisa, except for the Russian piano instructor living next door who teaches and practices all hours of the day and night. Between the Russian, her therapist and her Nonna back in italy (the latter two converse with her via Skype/Zoom), she slowly finds ways to break the cycle of isolation and reconnect with people.

This is a book that manages to be neither perky nor heavy; respect is given to Marisa’s struggles without drowning the reader in it. It’s light without being fluffy. There’s obviously a back story with the secondary characters; I’m assuming this is part of a series that takes place on this island, but it never interfered, or left me feeling as though I missed something. I’m guessing Sunrise by the Sea is marketed as a romance, but I’d argue against it. There’s a romantic connection at then end but the rest of the book is about Marisa’s recovery with occasional side-forays into the financial struggles of Polly and Huckle (whom I’m assuming starred in a previous book).

An enjoyable read – not quite what I was looking for, but it held my attention nonetheless. ( )