As a younger reader, I had a really hard time with women’s fiction. I felt too young to relate to any of the characters and like I could never fully understand or realize their struggles. But I also felt like I was too old for the YA genre—at least at that time.
Now that I am almost forty, I feel like I can finally appreciate women’s fiction in its entirety so lately I’ve been really open to this genre and enjoying it so much!
Sheila Roberts is a fairly well known author to me. I haven’t read any of her books, but I have seen them quite a bit in bookstores as well as grocery store end caps. Not to mention a few of her books have been turned into Hallmark Channel and Lifetime movies.
This is an author who clearly has a large fan base, so when this book came up for review, I was eager to see what all the fuss was about!
Summary
Celeste Jones has plans for a perfect summer with her boyfriend (and hopefully soon-to-be fiancé)—until he dumps her to be with the woman he’s had on the side for months. Heartbroken and furious, Celeste resolves to move on. When the going gets tough, the tough…okay, the not-so-tough go to the beach.
As soon as school lets out for the summer, she waves goodbye to her first-graders, packs up her bikini and heads for Moonlight Harbor, where she knows her big sister, Jenna, will receive her with open arms. Jenna could probably use some help at the Driftwood Inn, and Celeste is happy to do chores around the place in exchange for a relaxing summer escape. She just needs something—or someone—to distract her from her troubles.
Finding The One can be tricky, and Jenna is determined to make sure Celeste gets it right this time around. Not that Jenna’s an expert. She’s still trying to sort out her own love life. But if both sisters listen to their hearts, eventually they’re bound to discover that life—and love—is good at the beach (summary from Goodreads).
Review
This book basically ended up being exactly what I was expecting it to be—-a quick, easy beach read with a HEA romance and I am 100% ok with that. I like to balance my reading so that I don’t get burned out on any one particular genre and this book was just what I needed to break up some of my heavier reading.
I can see why Roberts has such a large devotion of fans. She writes believable characters with realistic features, stories, and lives and the romances are believable with a little sizzle and sweetness resulting in a HEA. While this book isn’t going to change the world, it does offer a fabulous escape from reality and an enjoyable story.
While at times this book was really predicable, I didn’t mind all that much. I took my pleasure from reading about the lovely little Driftwood Inn at Moonlight Harbor, the fun characters and Celeste’s romance. While there were some obstacles between Celeste and her HEA, I thought it was appropriate and fitting for her character in the end.
This was a nice beach read—something you throw in your bag and read in one sitting while soaking up the sun—or maybe you read in one sitting while it’s raining outside while you dream of sunnier days (my situation). All in all, it was a lovely read and even though it wasn’t earth shattering in content, it was a nice escape and one that I read in only a couple of sittings as it read very quickly!
The Lit Bitch 
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