4.5★

My favourite Hawkins title so far.

While this book in many ways is a classic beach read, (and I loved the cover) it also doesn't shy away from covering more serious issues.

Lia and Anna are two friends running a seaside town cafe. This is shown to be hard work. It is ironic that often when you are living in a truly beautiful spot, you are working long hours, seven days a week, so have very little time to enjoy your surroundings!

Lia has a (very original) meeting with the handsome Jed - who has his own demands on his time. The book does take a more serious and genuinely frightening turn for the worse. This is not easy to handle in a novel but Hawkins does it well, and I was just about on the edge of my seat. One theme was a bit controversial for me,

Spoiler

a relationship develops between a step parent and adult step child. I don't know if I would be as tolerant as Lia.

I've also knocked half a star off as I can't be as optimistic as Lia and her family are about Anna's recovery from

Spoiler

anorexia. Because this is what Anna had, even though it is never openly stated.

I also liked showing that not all family relationships are loving ones and some times what you need from family is some distance!