I am knee deep in summer reading and what better book to read at the beginning of summer than something with the word ‘beach’ in the title and a cocktail on the cover?
Ok this one didn’t have ‘beach’ in the title but the series does so I figured close enough!
One Good Thing is the fifth book in the Ten Beach Road series and it did get me in the mood for summer.
Embroiled in a battle to regain control of their renovation-turned-reality TV show, Do Over, Maddie, Avery, Nikki, and Kyra find themselves holding tight to the frayed ends of their friendship and relationships.
Maddie must face the realities of dating a rock star once again topping the charts and dealing with her hapless ex-husband, while Avery is caught up in family drama even as she attempts to transform a tiny cottage into a home for the newly impoverished heiress who helped bankroll their last renovation.
Put on bed rest, a hugely pregnant Nikki can’t quite believe love can last, or trust in her own maternal instinct. And Kyra, who has secretly put Bella Flora at risk in an attempt to salvage Do Over, must decide whether to accept a desperately needed bail out from her son’s famous father that comes with far too many strings attached…
But friendship is made for times like these, to keep each other—and their dreams—from crumbling (summary from Goodreads).
So I almost passed on this book for one reason….the cover. Yes it has that ‘summer’ feel to it but for me it just wasn’t eye catching. The other books in the series had much better covers and I just wasn’t a fan of this cover at all. But I really wanted to read something that had a distinct ‘summer’ feel to it to kick off my summer reading so I went ahead and decided to review it even though the cover let much to be desired.
I was hoping that this book would be more of a stand alone even though it was part of a series. The author went through a lot of work to keep the reader up to speed on what happened in the other books. At times I felt like it was overwhelming. On one hand I appreciated the attempt to make the series accessible for new readers but on the other hand, I felt like I was missing so much and all the references to other books was frustrating and distracting. I think that was my biggest issue with the book.
Setting aside my frustration at being ‘lost in the series’, I did like the book. It had a nice mixture of depth and whimsy. I can see why so many people rave about Wax’s books….they are wonderful summer or beach reads because they are easy but yet have some substance. The characters are real with real problems. I personally liked Kyra the best. There were times when I felt like I needed to know more about the characters, something I probably wouldn’t need had I read the other books, but on the whole I found them more or less enjoyable.
I wanted to give this book a 2 star review based on how confused I was by all the different characters however, I just couldn’t do that. The writing style was too good and the feel of the story and it’s characters was much more than a 2 star book. So I settled with 3 stars which I feel like was an appropriate rating based on my experience with the book.
Wax’s writing style is smooth and uncomplicated. It flows beautifully and makes the reader feel like they are relaxing on a beach with a cool breeze coming off the water. I loved her narration style but I just wish I had started the series with the first book so I knew more or less who the characters were and how they were related. If you are thinking about checking this book out, I recommend putting it on hold until you have read the other books first. Other reviews I’ve seen also agree, that starting with the first book is probably for the best and I wholeheartedly agree!
Challenge/Book Summary:
Book: One Good Thing (Ten Beach Road #5) By Wendy Wax
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- Review copy provided by: Author/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book counts toward: NA
- Hosted by: NA
- Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 3 out of 5
Genre: Chick lit, contempo lit, women’s fiction, beach reading
Memorable lines/quotes:
The Lit Bitch 
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