The Bookstore on the Beach: A Novel

Brenda Novak

Apr 2021 · Sold by MIRA

About this ebook

"A page-turner with a deep heart."—Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Summer

How do you start a new chapter of your life when you haven’t closed the book on the previous one?

Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac’s husband went missing. Her desperate search has yielded no answers, and she can’t imagine moving forward without him. But for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try.

Autumn takes her kids home for the summer to the charming beachside town where she was raised. She seeks comfort working alongside her mother and aunt at their bookshop, only to learn that her daughter is facing a huge life change and her mother has been hiding a terrible secret for years. And when she runs into the boy who stole her heart in high school, old feelings start to bubble up again. Is she free to love him, or should she hold out hope for her husband’s return? She can only trust her heart…and hope it won’t lead her astray.

"A heart-tugging romance. Readers are sure to be sucked in.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Don’t miss New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak’s latest novel, The Seaside Library!

Other charming reads from Brenda Novak:

• Summer on the Island
• One Perfect Summer

Ratings and reviews

The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak Three Women Three Generations Questions Discovery Choices Three Futures Which path will each one take? …. Complex, well-written, thought provoking story that had me wondering what I would do if in the position(s) of any of the characters in this story. The book is nearly five hundred pages in length because there is much to cover and yet all of it was necessary to make this story what it is. I am not sure I would have made the choices that were made and yet, if any of the choices made had been different all three of their lives would have been different. What I liked: * That the story made me think, feel, and care about the characters and the outcome of the story. * Mary: mother, grandmother, bookstore owner, secret keeper, strong, conflicted, survivor… * Autumn: mother, wife, dealing with the disappearance of her husband while raising her teenage son and daughter on her own. Strong, resilient, focused on what is best for family * Taylor: teenage daughter, worried, misses her father, dealing with more than one teenage issue * Caden: teenage son, outgoing, caring, good brother and son, full of potential * Laurie: business partner of Mary, friend, and more * Quinn: caring, romantic, wants more from life than what he has experienced, a good son, kind, good with people * The way the story was presented and how all the pieces linked together * The quirks of the various characters * The way issues were faced by the three generations…well…eventually faced and sorted out * The small town setting * The way the community pulled together for someone in need * The strong friendships * That the relationship between Caden and Taylor seemed believable * Realizing that no matter how nice it would be to find a solution that would allow everyone in a situation to be 100% happy and satisfied…life doesn’t always provide that option…mixed feelings on this one…kind of a like and a dislike but also reality. What I didn’t like: * The issues that the three women had to face and deal with – it is central to the story BUT would hate to face the issues myself. * Not a true dislike BUT I would have liked to have known more about the missing husband Nick and the relationship he and Autumn had together before he went missing…or…perhaps to have had an epilogue to see how everyone turned out down the road. Did I enjoy this book? Yes Would I read more by this author? Yes Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Mira for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4.5 Stars

Autumn Divac feels like her life is falling apart. Eighteen month ago her husband, Nick, went missing. She has no idea where he went and has been spending all of her free time trying to find him. When Autumn decides to take her kids, Taylor and Caden, to her hometown of Sable Beach to spend the summer with her mom, she never realized that her life was going to change in so many ways. When Autumn runs into Quinn Vanderbilt, all the old feelings come back and for the first time in a long time, she finally feels alive again. As Autumn and Quinn start to spend more time together, things escalate quickly. Autumn is feeling things with Quinn that she never felt with Nick. Just when it looks Autumn has finally found some happiness again, something big happens with her daughter, Taylor......actually two big reveals! Just when the family has finally accepted what is happening with Taylor, Autumn finds out another huge revelation about her mom. After finally coming to grips with everything Autumn and the kids decide they are all going to move from Tampa, FL to Sable Beach. Of course things can never go smoothly and another wrench gets thrown into the mix. It will take a lot of soul searching but in the end, Autumn will finally get her happy ending. I enjoyed this story. It was fun seeing a story about a family through three different generations : Mimi, Autumn's mom; Autumn and Taylor. All three went through a trying situation but in the end they ended up better for it. My heart went out to all three of these people. I also adored Quinn! He was just the perfect person and any woman would be lucky to have him. Overall, this was an enjoyable story with interesting characters and I would recommend reading it.

The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak is a multifaceted novel. Autumn’s husband disappeared eighteen months ago, and she has exhausted every avenue trying to locate him. Autumn along with her two teenage children are heading to her mother’s beachside town for the summer. It will give them a chance to relax, be together, and heal. Autumn’s oldest child, Taylor is having a tough time. Taylor feels emotionally unconnected plus she has a secret she is keeping from her family. Mary, Autumn’s mother, has kept something from Autumn her whole life. Mary is afraid her daughter will learn the truth, but she does not feel it is the right time to share. Autumn reconnects with her high school crush and old feelings resurface. What should happen, though, if her husband returns? The novel contained good writing with realistic characters. The author packed a lot into the book with a missing husband, a teen questioning her sexuality, a woman with cancer, a woman with a hidden past, a second chance romance, a teen pregnancy, a criminal ex-wife, and expansion of the bookstore. It was easy to follow the various storylines once I got into the book. I did feel the ending was abrupt and needed an epilogue to make it feel complete. I enjoyed the descriptions of the bookstore, the beach, and Mary’s cottage. This story allows us to follow one family and the issues they are encountering over the course of a summer. This is a dramatic tale about one family’s drama. The Bookstore on the Beach is a good book to read while sitting beside a pool.

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak has written over 60 novels. An eight-time Rita nominee, she's won The National Reader's Choice, The Bookseller's Best and other awards. She runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity that has raised more than $2.5 million for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). She considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life. www.brendanovak.com