Beach Girls by Luanne Rice

Beach Girls Reviews

• 
  Kathryn

  Nell is the nine year old who has lost her mother and is yearning somehow to reach out and 'touch' her through her friends of long ago. She is all of nine going on twenty. I thought maybe she spoke and acted a little older than a nine year old, but then I thought of the wisdom I have come across from young people and decided to go with the flow. She seeks out Stevie Moore a recluse, who paints and writes story books for children, always sharing the darker side of nature as well as the positive. While there is a notice up outside Stevie's house that says Go Away, Nell is determined to visit and so she does.
  
  Stevie is a complicated woman, at a young age she experienced the loss of her mother, so has an immediate 'feel' for Nell. She has had a few unsuccessful marriages and now just lives by herself with her cat Tilly. However she does have an aunt and cousin with whom she is close. She longs for connection but is now careful with her heart.
  
  Maddie Kilvert is one of the other women who was part of the 'beach girls', growing up she was secure in the knowledge of the love of her parents and older brother Jack, four years older than her. She always expected the best out of life. Emma is the third 'beach girl' she's an extrovert, welcomes change and excitement and I sensed a little envious of Stevie.
  
  Now so many years later life has very much changed for them. One is dead, one does not know and the other is lost in grief, guilt and loss. Can people recover from loss and go on to lead fulfilling lives? It's not easy and all the denial and avoidance will not help in the long run. Is there hope? The story Luanne Rice weaves says a resounding yes.
  
  This book sucked me in, I loved the writing and the details of the coastline and the coastal habitat for all kinds of birds and other creatures, that was so well integrated into the story. The theme of family and friendship was strong, as was the redeeming nature of love and faith and overcoming obstacles. One of those books I didn't want to end.
• 
  Rhonda Rae Baker

  I loved this story and the characters! The word pictures were so vivid I felt she was describing places that I have visited in another life.
  
  Such deep explainations of family emotions and dynamics it was easy to get caught up in what happened to them. I felt their pain, their dreams, their connection with each other.
  
  I'm always surprised by Luanne Rice and the way she paints a picture in words. There were so many details in this story that I was taken away to another place in time or was it to a place that I had visited previously, only time will tell.
  
  Thank you Luanne for writing such a beautiful story about Beach Girls...the generations, the connections, the adopted familys, and the chance for a new life. One that is better then any other and one where a person knows they've been predestined to live. The excitement of things turning out as they should, even when they are hard to get through.
  
  The little phrases she used were from our generation and so easily related to as if I were experiencing some of my own childhood memories. Oh, to have friends and best friends and family like this...I think we all do at times in our lives and maybe we all may get a chance to rekendle those relationships. If would be wonderful if we all had opportunities to reconnect with someone that knows our family, knows of families like ours, or knew our family from yesteryear.
  
  This was the most beautiful story, it was heart breaking or one to be read with tissue in hand but the family dynamics were so touching. I could relate to the tragedies as they are common to the human condition. I'm confident that anyone that picks this novel up will learn something and their faith will not only be challenged but they will find a place to reach out, to dream again, and not be afraid to love. We all are worthy of love and finding that perverbial 'soul mate' that we were meant to be with for this life and all eternity.
  
  Can't wait to pick up another novel of yours...you're one of my favorite authors!!!!
• 
  Shannon Rochester

  I have always enjoyed every Luanne Rice book I have read and this was no exception. In this particular book, our main character is a nine year old girl trying to get her Dad together with one of the original Beach Girls... Basically there are two timelines, the past where Nell's mom was a Beach Girl along with her best friends and the present-after Nell has lost her Mom and is visiting the place where her Mom and Dad met. I loved all of the characters and I loved the storyline and I loved the descriptions of the area they are in. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes stories where you get all the feels.
• 
  Olga Godim

  3.5 stars
  Grief is a funny thing. Sometimes, people grieve not for what was but for what could’ve been, mostly in their imagination. In this book, Emma is dead. She appears in the prologue as a sixteen-year-old girl, and then, two decades later, a year after her death, the entire story unfolds. It involves Emma’s childhood friends – the beach girls – plus her widower and her nine-year-old daughter. And like in her childhood, the story still revolves around Emma.
  I didn’t like what I learned about Emma from the memories of her friends and her family. If she was still alive, they might’ve said: “What a heartless bitch.” I definitely wanted to say that. But she is dead. She died tragically, so nobody who knew her want to believe their own knowledge and their own memories of that self-absorbed, shallow woman. They mourn her anyway. They should’ve counted their blessings instead, but the whole novel comes from their mourning.
  And it is a good story, a story of love, forgiveness, and understanding. A story of renewal and second chances. It would’ve been a much simpler story without Emma in it, but life doesn’t always work in simple ways. Neither does fiction. With all Emma’s faults, she obviously had something good in her: she was a good mother for one of the protagonists, her young daughter Nell.
  I don’t often like adult books incorporating a child’s POV. It feels a bit like voyeurism, as if I’m peeking into the grieving heart of a child, but in this case, Nell’s grief for her late mother drives the story. Nell’s search for happiness gives the story its complex shape and its flavor of innocence. Nell wants her mother back, yes, but as a young child, she also wants to forget, to move forward, to find someone new and wonderful to love. Unconsciously, as only a young child could, Nell forces her father to face his demons, defeat them, and allow a new love into their lives.
  The two other lead characters, Nell’s father Jack and Emma’s old friend Stevie, unite in their love for Nell, and that love brings them together. Both are lonely. Both are afraid to do harm: to Nell, to each other, and to their own hearts. Only Nell is the brave one in the story. She doesn’t yet know bitterness or disappointment. She knows only love, and she spreads it around without reservations in her quest for a new family. Life is simple when you’re only nine.
  Ironically, the most cowardly creature of the three protagonists is the only man in the story, Nell’s father Jack. He is afraid the most. Afraid to trust again. Afraid to make a mistake. Afraid to step into the unknown. Afraid to acknowledge the truth. He resists the new love the hardest. And like a typical man (sorry, my male friends) he makes everyone who loves him suffer because of his cowardice. He makes decisions without consulting anyone, runs away to hide from his unhappiness (which never works, as we all know), even disregards his beloved daughter’s feelings, and only a miracle brings the happy ending to this poignant tale.
  Overall, it was a good read, if a bit too sentimental and somewhat slower than I prefer. I’m an impatient reader. I always want the plot to move along, to know what happens next as soon as possible, while the author kept getting in my way by describing the beach and the pines. Beautiful descriptions too. Other than that, I liked this novel.
  
• 
  Lori

  rtc
• 
  Denise

  A very predictable summer beach read.
• 
  Christine

  uggh and a pass. A quick mindless beach read for sure. I was heading to the sand and sun and wanted a "popcorn for the mind" book to escape with. I got that...it was pleasant but not life changing. A friend had recommended it. Not a waste of time, but I have too many other books on my list to read so it may be a while before I grab another Rice novel.
• 
  Dianna

  This was an easy summer book. Not to in depth :) I watched the tv movie based on it on LIfetime and it was awful. Nothing like the book.
• 
  Jessica

  If 2 stars is ok, and 3 is I liked it I'll say 2.5. Decent enough beach read. Fluff enough?
• 
  Kaori Miyazono

  Luanne Rice juz added one reason for me to keep reading her books! ^^ True friendships last!
• 
  Jennifer

  Not a bad book - just not my style. Have one more by Luanne. Will give it a chance.
• 
  Denise

  Ok. So many other great books. I wouldn't recommend this to my friends.
• 
  Sheila Samuelson

  Rating: 5 Stars!!
  Review:
  Even tho this was only the 2nd Novel ive read by Luanne, im really starting to love her storytelling and writing style of Contemporary Romances. This one reminded me alot of a 90s Movie where 2 teens spend the summer with relatives and along the way become best friends but i can't remember the name of the movie haha.
  
  The Characters were fun and interesting to read about. Stevie, Maddie, Emma, Nell and Peggy were definately my favorites. I could really relate to Nell's feelings since she lost her Mom at the young age of 5 and the Grief she was going through is similar to what ive been going through since losing My Dad 19 1/2 Months ago.
  
  The Setting was beautifully described which made me feel like i was actually in Hubbard's Point Connecticut while reading, especially since the scenery was described.
  
  Overall a Good Contemporary Romance Beach Read!! Can't wait to read more by Luanne in the future!!
• 
  Amy Webster-Bo

  it was not as good as i wanted it to be, too long and to drawn out, but i truly love her stories so i think this was a fluke
• 
  Pat Brune

  I love Luanne Rice and hesitate to give three stars. It is well written and enjoyable, no doubt. Just too miraculous. At times I felt cynical towards the "poor millionaires." For example, Nickey's eccentric aunt can't afford the upkeep and repairs on her castle. A wife doesn't enjoy her husband's gifts of expensive jewelry like she used to. I shouldn't grouse about that, after all, the setting is Old Lyme, CT where you have to be a millionaire just to drive down the street.
  
  At times the constant pampering and bending over backwards for Nell got aggravating, too. Call me mean, but lots of kids suffer the tragic loss of a parent and have to handle the trauma without beach houses, therapists, etc. I know I did. And Nell's character vascillates between kiddie speak and adolescent behavior, which was off.
  
  Overall though, an enjoyable summer read despite being somewhat like a dime store romance paperback because of some steamy sex scenes which I'm not used to in a Rice novel, and really don't want.
• 
  Michelle

  Jack Kilvert is running. He's running from his past. He's running from his emotions. He's running from his reality.
  
  Jack and his daughter Nell are spending their summer in Hubbard's Point, Connecticut. Jack is hiding in his childhood vacation spot. Nell is searching for her mother's oldest childhood friend who still lives in Hubbard's Point. In finding Stevie, Nell is trying to feel contected to her mother who died just over one year ago.
  
  In this heart-felt novel there are no surprises. Love conquers all. By the end of the novel, all the story lines are wrapped up, topped with a bow, and everyone lives Happily Ever After.
• 
  Helen

  A great book for younger ladies. I did read this ( I am in my 40's) but I really think the theme of this story is more appealing to younger readers. I did enjoy the story, but in my opinion, not quite the winner that most of my dear Luann's books are. I do think this is a worthwhile read if you are young at heart.
• 
  Mel

  I've recently read a few of these books in the Hubbard's Cove series, but I just can't relate to the adults and the choices they make so it's hard to feel any affection or give a damn to what happens to them. I did enjoy the girls, Nell and Peggy.
• 
  Kirsten

  Boring...
• 
  Veronica

  This was the first novel I read from Rice that it was broken into Parts.
  
  Within Part One, I felt left out of a lot of details known to the characters. And they seemed to have this underlying language of understanding the details between each other, yet I felt left in the dark. What really happened on that car ride that took Emma’s life? Why did the girls all really lose touch? Why wouldn’t Emma read Stevie's books to her daughter? Why does Jack not even want to think about his sister, let alone be in the same room, or state with her over the accident?
  
  In finishing part two Rice, in my opinion, has become stronger in her storytelling and connecting more to the reader (or at least me as a reader) in this novel. My heart just tugged at the end of part two. I had to take a break from marathon reading to check back into reality. However, a lot felt redundant in questioning the past and fixing it for the future.
  
  I didn’t understand why Jack had to go to Scotland. He knew it was a bad idea to move out there, he was having doubts too, even made the decision to stay. But an encounter with his estranged sister flipped all those decisions? That didn’t make sense when he was considering reconciling with her too. Scotland was unnecessary and just gross.
  
  Also unnecessary was the delay of Jack and Maddie walking to the church for Henry’s wedding. We didn’t need that worry aspect brought up, how to cope Nell etc.
  
  In short, most of Part 3 was unnecessary or could have been approached differently to work towards the family resolves... which were close to being resolved in part two.
  
  Even though I've become more of a fan of Rice's storytelling, how she writes bothers me a bit. I was not a fan of how much Rice would write in the broken sentence style of placing the spoken character in the middle of the sentence. For example: “But what if you considered,” said Maddie, “talking to me about this.” I skipped over that middle broken chunk most of the time.
  
  4 out of 5 stars.
• 
  Sarah

  The actual book itself is a 4-star. I adored the small bits of fantasy and her emphasis on the beauty of the beach, castles, wise aunts, family, nature, birds, friendship, memories, and difficulties in life. The story was well sewn together and kept me constantly engaged. I could barely put the book down! I appreciated the presence of children, like Nell and Peggy, and the nostalgia throughout the book. I feel like Luanne Rice remembers what it's like to be a child to have written Nell's character so nicely. I connected in many ways to Stevie. I feel a lot like her in many ways. Overall, great character development and a great storyline!
  
  I'm a bit of stickler for clean writing, and there were 2 loves scenes in it, so I put the rating down to a 3-star to remind myself not to read those again; therefore, this score is not a reflection upon the author's skills as a storyteller.
• 
  sandra

  awww i really loved this book. the story is nice and i loved the characters and stories like these just give me a sense of nostalgia. i liked the dialogue alot and the world building was fine somewhat. wish we got to see more of the teen beach girls though, i love the friendships between the girls and the characters’ relationships and interactions!! stevie should marry me fr fr
  
  the sex scenes didn’t need to be there honestly i was just like ….. while reading them, yeahhh didn’t like ‘em. they weren’t detailed nor too long and frequent so yeah they arent that bad but still. i also HATED emma. all i read about her was that she was a total bitch willing to leave her family like that, rude asf to her friends too. she really slapped her friend like that huh, REST IN PISS EMMA 👎👎❌❌🙅‍♀️🙅‍♀️
• 
  Maggie Shanley

  I would give this story 3.5 stars if I could. When you start this book you start an emotional journey with a family shattered by loss, and friends that lost touch. Nell is happy her father brought her to Hubbard's point, she wants to see the lady in the blue house who was friends with her mother but Nell is struggling. As Nell struggles with the loss of her family, her father and aunt also struggle and Stevie has her own issues with family. Sometimes this book was a tad boring for me because I am not a big fan of emotional drama, but if you pick this book up, you should be prepared to cry your eyes out.
• 
  Debbie D

  I enjoy all of Luanne's books. It was nice to see a father so involved in his daughter's life and his wish to protect her. I do wish there was a little more romance during the book between Stevie and Jack so that when Jack and Nell moved to Scotland, we could really see Jack's sadness about leaving. Later in the book, I was confused about how Jack and Nell knew where to find Stevie and Maddie at the restaurant. Because of that, it took me a few minutes to get back to the story. Overall I enjoyed Beach Girls.
• 
  Sherri Staples

  I started this book while on vacation on the Outer Banks in NC. It was a light beach read. I found the story to be a little more in depth than the normal chick lit, beach read. The relationships between the characters is nicely done. What made me give it 3 stars, is that throughout the book, despite several plot twists, you pretty much know how it's going to end. I would probably read another book by Luanne Rice.