A Novel Summer
A Novel
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4.3 • 23 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
"The perfect summer beach read! Rival bookshops, second chance romance, friend drama, it was the perfect book to curl up and escape to the Cape.”
—Pamela Kelley, bestselling author of Bookshop by the Bay
A bestselling author finds love and second chances in the stacks of a quaint beach town bookshop
Author Shelby Archer found inspiration for her first novel while living on the picturesque shores of Provincetown on Cape Cod. When she comes to the town to celebrate her new bestseller, she is expecting a warm homecoming. But instead she is confronted with the cold shoulders of friends and neighbors who feel exposed and betrayed.
Heartbroken, Shelby tries to move on and focus on her next novel. But then an unexpected call comes: her dear friend who owns the beloved Land's End bookshop needs help for the summer. Shelby reluctantly returns to the Cape to manage the store.
Back at the beach, Shelby sets her focus on the tiny seaside shop, getting lost in the shelves of steamy romance novels and dusty classics and trying to right the wrongs of her past. With every page turned and every customer served, Shelby comes closer to gaining back the trust of those she hurt. But as her manuscript deadline nears, she is again forced to choose between her own success and a second chance at love and belonging.
Customer Reviews
“It felt as if she were standing at the intersection of her past and her future.”
A decent book for your beach bag, this is the story of three friends who naturally drift apart after college and then get back together three years later in Cape Cod. Shelby, a writer, has published her first book, loosely based on her college friends Hunter and Colleen. Colleen owns a bookstore and this is where Shelby kicks off her book tour. Now an established author, Shelby looks forward to a warm homecoming but is confronted by cold shoulders of neighbors and friends who feel exposed and betrayed. Shelby attempts to move on, put it all behind her and work on her new novel when she receives the call that a friend needs help for the summer. Reluctantly, Shelby returns to Provincetown to help manage her favorite hometown bookstore. While putting in time serving customers at the store, Shelby slowly regains the trust of those she had hurt. BUT as her manuscript deadlines approaches, she is forced to choose between her success and a second chance at love and belonging. Other characters are introduced. A lot of he said she said. There’s a love triangle and drama… with more drama outside of the broken hearts in a picturesque town that also goes through it when a huge storm pounds through, severely damaging the beloved bookstore.
This is great for a beach read, something to breeze through while relaxing amongst family/friends/minor distractions here and there. The characters (and there were a lot!) seemed dimensionless with dialogue and middle school issues that I couldn’t relate to. If I encountered this type of backstabbing from friends in my adult life… I think i would’ve weeded them out a long time ago. Then again they did just graduate from college and only three years had passed so that might explain the characters maturity level and mindless impulses. This may be the beach book for that age rose/coachella/glamping demographic. There was a rolling song-specific playlist throughout the book, nostalgic for lover’s of 80’s music. That and simple, gorgeous beach town with a bookstore life is what i favored most about this book.
Thanking NetGalley and Publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing for the #ARC in exchange for my honest review.