Beyond the Moonlit Sea: A Novel

A fantastic dual-timeline story spanning thirty years of secrets. love, and loss.

What an incredibly compelling story! I was immediately invested in the lives of these three people, Olivia, Dean, and Melanie. They were bound together by the past and secrets built upon secrets, with the Bermuda Triangle's tantalizing reputation looming over it all. I was completely absorbed in getting to the bottom of the unexplained mystery of Dean's disappearance.

Olivia begins the story upbeat and optimistic and remains until the end, even when her world is falling apart. When she becomes absorbed in her own search for answers, she maintains enough clear-headedness to know when to move on and live life again. I loved how she realized she'd treated her show more former boyfriend poorly and took great pains to avoid doing it again, consciously opening up to him about her thoughts and fears regarding Dean. I loved her honorableness, and I loved their relationship.

As for Dean and Melanie, both were deeply damaged from their childhoods. He was doing pretty well but couldn't let go of the past, continuing to hide his background from everyone. But the effect of this was so subtly revealed that even with his voice delivering part of the story's narrative, I was surprised by his decisions.

Melanie's gradual collapse was much more apparent. We have her voice as well as Dean's, providing a running commentary of her mental state. She seems like such a nice, intelligent, and engaging young woman until the therapy and her past take their toll.

I enjoyed how the author used the two timelines to set up the starting points for the book and advanced the story over a 30-plus-year timeframe. I appreciated the story's development of Olivia's two marriages and the feeling of her life moving forward normally and successfully after losing Dean. The Olivia that opens the book is essentially the same Olivia at the end but with the wisdom of a life well-lived. I couldn't have asked for a better resolution to this book either.

I wholeheartedly recommend BEYOND THE MOONLIT SEA to readers who have read and enjoyed this author's previous work and those who like general fiction with dual timelines and a setting from the 1980s to the late 2010s.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author. show less

Interesting Case of Storytelling Excellence. This is one of those books where had the author chosen to tell this very same story in a more typical fashion, with just a single narrator that we follow over several decades of her life, it wouldn't have been near as engaging or near as engrossing as the tale becomes by telling it the way she instead chose to tell it. As a singular narrative, the story is a solid tale of a woman struggling to find herself in her twenties and thirties, both as she finishes college and a bit later in the aftermath of a tragedy, who then has to deal with the repercussions of these events throughout her life. With the particular perspectives that MacLean adds - which do add extra length to the text that wouldn't show more be present without them - we get a much more fleshed out tale that actually adds extra depth both to certain characters and to the overall story, and thus the extra length is absolutely warranted in this case. Ultimately a satisfying tale in a vein somewhat reminiscent of the great Robin Williams movie Bicentennial Man, without its length in years. :) Very much recommended. show less

Julianne MacLean is a must read author!

Beyond the Moonlit Sea, swept me away as we read how Olivia and Dean beautifully fall in love despite their differing class status. When tragedy strikes, my heart hurt for Olivia. If this was the only plot in the story it would have been good; however, when the author is able to pull the rug out under you and bring to life an entire other side of the story…that’s when a good book becomes Ahmazing!

This book will give you all the feels and the twist is one that you will not see coming! This is an epic contemporary love mystery story you need to add to your summer reading!

This story begins when Olivia's pilot husband Dean disappears while flying over the Bermuda Triangle. It takes a long time for Olivia to cope with what has happened and continue with her life. Book spans from 1986 to 2017. There are three narrators. Melanie who studies the Bermuda Triangle in 1986, Olivia's husband Dean and Olivia herself. The main focus is on Olivia and her story.
This book is very well written and the subject matter is truly absorbing. I especially enjoyed the portrayal of the time passing and how it influenced the narrative. I gladly witnessed Olivia becoming the woman she is in the end of the book. All questions are answered in the end and the conclusion is satisfying.
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for show more a copy of this book. show less

Book Review…Beyond the Moonlit Sea by Julianne MacLean

Beyond the Moonlit Sea is about two women. Olivia Hamilton's life was turned upside down when her pilot husband vanished over the Bermuda Triangle. Melanie Brown is a particle physicist who spends late nights studying the Bermuda Triangle. But after the death of her mother she is struggling to get her life and career back on track. But then she starts a forbidden affair with her therapist. A shocking discovery shows Olivia’s and Melanie’s paths are intertwined. The two women’s strange connection threatens to unlock secrets that will change everything.

This was a fascinating story and there were many times I found myself having trouble putting it down! The facts about the show more Bermuda Triangle were also interesting! The story does take place over a few years from 1986 to 2017 and is told from the multiple viewpoints of Olivia, Melanie and Dean but it was easy to follow along and keep track of everything. The story is full of secrets, lies, loss and hope! Thank you Book Sparks and Julianne MacLean for sharing this book with me! show less

Not as romantic or mysterious as one might be led to believe from the title, cover art, and/or book synopsis referencing the Bermuda Triangle.

I wouldn't really call it book club fiction, though, either. More a light suspense. Perhaps contemporary fiction is best, even if the story starts out in 1990 and 1986.

A few anachronisms, as characters say things like "safe space " and "look it up", which aren't 20th century phrases. Also, the novel could use a good scrub to remove non-American terms and phrases, such as "washroom".

But, a decent read overall. Kept me entertained for a few hours. And, thankfully, for a current novel, wasn't chock full of diversity checklist items. Just characters doing their things, like they should, rather than show more unneeded focus on ethnicity, sexual preferences, or disabilities. This fact alone bumped this up from a 3-star to 4. show less

This audiobook mysteriously appeared in my feed, so I tried it. I listened to about half and just about puked. Plot--while the pilot husband disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle plot had promise, it's really about the heroine boinking her therapist. Not my kinda book. DNF.