This was my first book by this author & it definitely will be the last. The Seaside Sisters was the perfect beach read.This book will give you all the feels, while still being a great summer, beach read.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 Hannah is an author who is struggling writing her second book after her mother's death. She lives in Brooklyn but decides to visit her Aunt Maddie in Chatham (on Cape Cod) for the summer to try to break her writer's block.

While there, she slips into a comfortable routine writing in a local coffee shop and making friends with the barista. The coffee shop is attached to a bookstore (this story line is a bit of a continuation from The Bookshop by the Bay) where Hannah's sister, Sara, ends up getting a part-time job.

The description and setting of Chatham is pretty spot-on. I felt like I was there on the beach throughout the story. Hannah, Sara and Maddie are having relationship issues which, honestly, were a bit predictable but the stories were good. 

Finally finished this book... this was a goodreads arc book giveaway! It was released on June 4th (I was a bit behind reading it).
This was such a cute, cozy little read. The focus wasn't romance but more about coming home, family, friendships, and a bit of healing (and books!). There is a little romance mixed in, of course, but not the focus. 

This was a really good, very pleasant, feel-good, summer read!

Different from anything I usually gravitate toward, this was such a relaxed and wonderful book that read like a diary or log book of what Hannah and the other MC’s were up to as the summer progressed. Following three primary MC’s—Hannah, Sarah, and Maddie—this had all the “relaxed summer on the Cape” vibes. 

Hannah is an author whose first book hit the bestseller lists. She and her sister Sarah grew up on the Cape, and have a close relationship with their Aunt Maddie—especially now that their mom died. Hannah moves back to the Cape from her Brooklyn apartment for the summer and we’re along for the (very pleasant and beachy) ride as she settles into the slower pace of Cape life, writes her newest novel, and makes new friends and dates a little. 

I spent a lot of the book trying to figure out what the point of it was—and once I finished reading, I realized that sometimes, a book is written just to be enjoyable and help the reader envision a perfect, relaxing, summer. This also had threads of family and sisterhood—but it was more a “follow your heart” type of read. 

The narrator of the audio was excellent, and she added a lot to the book’s ambiance. 

Cheers to this book, and cheers to what will hopefully be a wonderful and relaxing summer of reading!

This is the perfect beach read for the summer. This story is told in 3 POV of Hannah, an author with writer's block, her sister, Sara, who is an under appreciated SAHM and Aunt Maddie who lives in Cape Cod. Each of the ladies have their own issues and we see them working through it. I enjoyed the small town vibe and seeing each character's growth. Spencer was a great character and I love how he was so good to his grandmother. The other men in the story need a slap to the head to wake up. Stephanie Nemeth-Parker did a great job with the narration of the 3 characters. I do wish they used 3 narrators to make the voices more distinct. 

Thank you @smpromance @macmillan.audio for a copy of the book.

The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley

Contemporary chick lit, women’s fiction with romance. Multiple POV. 

After a personal loss and now suffering from panic attacks, Hannah Brewster is struggling to write her second book. She accepts an invite to return home to Chatham, Cape Cod for the summer. She’s hoping that being back in her home town will help her reconnect with life, family and hope. Plus, she’ll be able to spend time with her sister Sara.

Sara is married with four children and feels stuck in her life. So many family responsibilities and no time for herself. Sara gets a job at a local bookstore which puts pressure on other needed changes in her life. 

Aunt Maddie is having her own marriage issues. Having Hannah and Sara back in her life for the summer helps her make some of her own changes. 

It’s a summer of family. 

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook which was narrated by Stephanie Nemeth-Parker. There are distinct voices for the main three women in the story bit for me they did tend to blend together. I had to listen closely to the beginning of each section or chapter to make sure I knew who I was following. Of course, they lead very different lives with different issues so the content was easily allocated. There were no drastic emotions so the audiobook was smooth and well modulated with no discernible subsequent editing. It was a wonderful performance overall. I listened to this at 1.5 which is my preferred speed. 

Choosing between an ebook and audiobook is really choosing between two different experiences. For this book, I would recommend the ebook simply because of the multiple POV’s and inconsistencies of when the POV changes occur. 

Family and personal connections, self respect, confidence and most importantly, happiness in the one life we get to lead.  

3.5

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio. 

Can a summer on the Cape reboot their lives?

A trip to the ER after a panic attack shows romance author Hannah Brewster that she needs to do something about the stressors in her life.  She just broke up with her boyfriend of two years, her mother passed away from cancer, and even the success of her first published romance novel has a downside….namely the looming contract deadline to submit her second book (the writing of which is not going well at all). Her best friend Lucy suggests that a change of venue might be in order, and Hannah decides to leave Brooklyn and spend the summer in Chatham, MA, in the seaside town of Chatham where she grew up.  Her aunt (and literary agent) Maddie lives there with her husband Richie, and so does her older sister Sara, married to Tom and with four active young sons.  Maddie readily offers her guest room, and Hannah arrives two weeks later.  She adapts to the rhythm of life on the Cape quite easily, making new friends and feeling the flow of writing as well.  Oh, and there are a couple of men in her orbit, her former high school crush Spencer who is now a lawyer in town and bestselling author Niall, who like Hannah is summering on the Cape but lives in NYC.  It turns out that Hannah is not the only person in her family whose life has hit a snag…Sara is feeling under-appreciated in her role as wife and mother, and her husband is not supportive of her finding a new outlet to challenge herself, while Maddie and Richie’s relationship has drifted apart to the point that they are living separately.  Together and separately, the women search for the life balance and love they need against the backdrop of the beautiful seaside town they call home.
Most readers can relate to a person whose life needs a reboot for one reason or another, as the characters in The Seaside Sisters do.  Hannah is mourning the death of her mother, and coming back to the town where she grew up is a healthy step in the right direction, as is spending time with the remaining members of her family.  She isn’t looking for love but, as others in the story tell her more than once, that is often when it finds you.  Which is the better choice for her, the hometown boy who is happy living right where he is when Hannah is sure that she wants to return to her life in Brooklyn? Or the wealthy and charming writer who prefers city life as she does?  Does she even want either one at this point? For Maddie, did she and Richie stop putting in the work to keep their love alive?  What does she want from their relationship and her life at this point? And for Sara, how can she make her husband and sons realize that while she loves them she needs more, and needs them to want it for her?  This is a pleasant story, situated in a charming town full of warm and welcoming people.  Those looking for a gentle story rather than sizzling action between the sheets will find it here.  Readers of Susan Mallory, Jan Moran and Mary Kay Andrews will find The Seaside Sisters a quick summer read, particularly if they want a vicarious trip to the Cape to boot.  Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Griffin for allowing me early access.

Solid, If A Touch Generic, Beach Read. You know those tales where you go into it knowing roughly what is going to happen from the get-go, but also knowing you're going to enjoy the experience because you know this type of tale and know nothing too shocking or controversial will be a major plot point? In other words, a somewhat Hallmark Movie type plot, but more on the women's fiction side and featuring multiple storylines in one? 

Yeah, this is pretty well exactly that, in coastal Cape Cod + NYC as the "big city". Solid enough to be a solid, inoffensive choice for lounging at the pool or on a beach reading while relaxing as the kids make a fool of themselves in the water... in other words, fairly idyllic "summer read". And what do you know, positioned to release right at the beginning of the "summer season" in the US, just over a week after Memorial Day and when many - particularly more Yankee-area - schools are getting out of school for the summer later that week.

So if this is the kind of tale you're looking for - and based on the Hallmark Channel's success, clearly there is a fairly substantial market for this type of tale - then you're going to enjoy this one and it is pretty well going to be everything you expect it to be. For those looking for something with more teeth... look for some of my other reviews, wherever you may find them. :)

Very much recommended.