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Please note that I received this book via NetGalley, this did not affect my rating or review.

I was already not pleased about getting this book to review last week when it was already published. However, I decided to move this book up my review chain and get to it this week. I really regret reading this book. This is a series that Jenny Colgan wrote back in 2008 under the name Jane Beaton. I can see why William Morrow & Company decided to re-issue this. They probably said well fans of Jenny Colgan will eat this up. I was one of this supposed fans and have real regret at even attempting this. This book is 'clunky'. There transitions from characters is pretty awful. The character development is a joke. And there's a love triangle with some show more 'soft cheating' which I don't see a lot of romance fans being down for honestly. I can say this isn't really a romance for anyone out there thinking it will be. There's no happily ever after (HEA) and the next book in the series seems to keep dwelling on the same messed up triangle that popped up in this one. Also, the fatphobia in this book was off the charts. I loathed so many characters while reading this book and just wished that Colgan had updated this for 2022. Looking at older reviews of this book when it was out under another name it seems like people had the same problems with it that I did. Also comparing this book to her other book I finished this week, it's like night and day in terms of writing, skill, character development, etc.

"Welcome to the School by the Sea" follows Maggie Adair as she interviews for a position as English teacher at the Downey House which is a school for girls in Cornwall. Maggie has a long term boyfriend Stan who is unsure about her being so far away for most of the year. And Maggie is worried that she may not fit in at Downey House. The book also follows the Headmistress, Veronica Deveral, and three other students, Fliss; Simone; and Alice.

Maggie is pretty bad tempered I thought. I know I was supposed to be rooting for her, but found her entire character to be charmless. It didn't help that she had some comments to Simone about her weight. In fact everyone did which was a reason I pretty much hated everyone but that character as I was reading. Maggie's torn between Stan and someone else and I rolled my eyes. Honestly, I just didn't care. The book was too stuffed with things for me to care anything about her tedious relationship.

Veronica Deveral had an interesting storyline, but of course there's a whole plot point that does not revolve itself by the end of the book. This book included some pages from the next book in the series along with a synopsis, so I do know that at least the plot holes that were not tied off will be surfacing again in that book.

Fliss was exhausting. I still don't know why her parents were adamant about sending her to Downey House. But she's intentionally cruel along with another girl, Alice to their suitemate, Simone. I just didn't want to keep reading about how angry she was being there and how nasty she was being to Maggie and Simone. I actively rooted against her and Alice as I was reading.

Simone. Sigh. There are so many cultural stereotypes for this character along with the fat shaming that even teachers do to her. I was disgusted. There's a whole plot point about her being good at field hockey as a goalie and people being stunned she can move around so easily.

The writing was very stilted. We just follow everyone of these characters through the first year at Downey House and of course way too many things except for a handful get wrapped up way too quickly. I also called BS on how the whole thing with Simone was resolved. I just sighed a bit. This book did remind me that adults and teen girls can be very cruel.

Some of the dialogue killed me though, and most of it always swirled around Simone.

"Fewer cakes, bit more sport, you'd look better in no time, with your lovely teenage metabolism."

"And fat from too many sweets and biscuits.. she needed lots of fresh air, exercise."

There's even a cruddy plot point about stealing that had me grumbling that I won't even get into.

The flow of this book was awful. As I said above, the transitions between characters/chapters was not very good.

The setting of Downey House felt blah.

The ending left so many things unfinished. I am never one of those people that like to read a series that does not do a beginning, middle, and end to a book. Cliffhangers for series also drive me up the wall. I don't think I will be reading the other books as part of this series. I sneak peeked some reviews and the fatphobia gets bad and there's also an eating disorder (or two) in the next one. And the love triangle keeps trudging along and will make me hate these characters even more than I thought. show less

If you look at my read books, you will see I am a pretty die-hard Jenny Colgan fan ("Jane Beaton" is a pseudonym). The copy I just finished was re-released under her real name, and was apparently resurrected because of her current popularity.

In many ways, it was a fun read. And worth it, if you also like this author.

But some of her usual charm was a little thin here, hence only 3 stars. Ex: as others have pointed out, the unending referrals to Sloane's weight became extremely tiresome. Yes, I get it -- that's why some of the girls were shunning and bullying her.

But gee whiz - do we have to be reminded in every single reference?

And lots of this junk was coming from the narrator/author, not the characters. Like (over 3/4 of the way into show more the book), "she would have been pretty if not for the weight" and the like. I found it infuriating after the umpteenth time.

Get a clue. It's long past time that such remarks were relegated to the dust bin where they belong. Sloane was shy. Self conscious. And, okay, overweight. One or two mentions would have sufficed. But after that, if you're going to tell us that she's pretty, let's just say PRETTY, okay?

Such a shame, Ms. Colgan. I hope that this was your long-ago writing and that you have evolved a lot since those early days.

Because I do intend to read the next in the series, but I am afraid more of the same may quite turn me off of your work. show less

Welcome to the School by the Sea is Jenny Colgan‘s latest release in North America. It’s the first of a planned four part series.
I love Jenny Colgan's writing! Her books are just comforting, feel good, sit back, lose yourself in a story reads. In this latest, Colgan takes us to a boarding school for girls in England. Maggie is the the new, young addition to the teaching staff. She hails from Scotland. And she's about to have all her preconceived dreams of a wonderful new teaching experience challenged.

Maggie is quite likable - she's not perfect, but has a kind heart and good intentions. I quite liked her inner dialogue. There’s a range of personalities amongst the girls with a social hierarchy you'd (sadly) find in any group show more setting. One of the girls is especially nasty. My heart was with Simone, a scholarship student who has a very difficult time at Downey Hall. As Maggie circumvents the pitfalls, the joys and the unexpected surprises of her new post, she too is hampered by the girls' attitudes, but sometimes helped as well. Let’s not forget about the teachers - some are some strict disciplinarians, rule followers and some are mired in same age old ways. Colgan gives one of the senior staff an unexpected story line. Now, what about that boys school just over the hill? There’s a rather attractive history professor there - and that presents another dilemma for Maggie. Will she succumb to her feelings or is she loyal to the boyfriend she left back at home? I can’t say I agree with every decision that Maggie meets but that’s what makes her human and relatable.

There are some unanswered questions and I'm keen to see where Colgan takes things. I wonder if the same group of girls will be back, a little bit older and a bit wiser. And I'm very eager to see how the romantic plot line unfolds. It's all about the characters for me in Colgan's writing and this latest is no exception. I can’t wait to see what the second book - Rules at the School by the Sea, due out in August 2022 - brings.

I chose to listen to Welcome to the School by the Sea. Jilly Bond is the narrator and she does an absolutely fantastic job! She’s provides unique and distinctive voices for all of the characters. It's easy to suss out who is speaking. She captures the personalities of all the characters - young, old, male and female with her voice and I easily created vivid mental images of each one. She portrays the emotions of the characters as well. I did end up turning down the speed a notch or two as she is a quick speaker and that was perfect for me. show less

Maggie Adair starts off well, searching for new inspiration and so leaving her longtime boyfriend and apartment in Glasgow for a oddly appealing
job by the ocean in Cornwall, England.

While the new situations she meets with her unpredictable students are challenging, she does not fully comprehend or handle them,
showing a lot less of a strong character than originally anticipated.

Readers may hope she weighs in to help Simone lose a lot of weight for a healthier body and lasting lifestyle,
with enough confidence to stand up for herself when she is accused of stealing.
The stealing trope went on way too long and was simply annoying, as were the snarky girls.

The Headmistress has the best backstory and rises as the most intriguing character for show more future reading. show less

I have always liked boarding school stories and movies. I liked the author's approach of a having points of view of a teacher, a headmistress, and two very different students. Unfortunately, she switched points of view too much, which left me a bit confused at times. I'm still going to continue the series, though.

Did you love the boarding school stories like Mallory Towers as a kid? Did you go back and read them as an adult? (you can admit this one, I won't tell!)? Then this is for you. The wit and storytelling finesse of Colgan combined with the boarding school stories I loved gives the grown up version with the teachers perspective, with some of the girls activities thrown in. It is exactly the type of story I have been waiting for, and it is a shame that so far there are only 2 books published in the series of 6. We can wait...we waited years between George R R Martin books, we can wait for Jenny too!

I needed an audio book for my Christmas road trip and enjoy Jenny Colgan's stories. Welcome to the School by the Sea was set in Cornwall at a private girls' school where we follow several characters from students to teachers to administrators as they navigate an eventful year. I enjoyed it enough that I have the second book ready to go for my drive home on Saturday.