The Bookshop by the Bay

April 17, 2023
Kelley (Nashville Dreams) delivers a sweet but underdeveloped small-town contemporary that brings life-altering changes to two middle-aged best friends and their adult daughters. Lawyer Jessica Coleman’s 30-year marriage to Parker lost its romance long before the start of the book, but their shared life in Charleston, N.C., keeps the couple from talking divorce—until Parker’s secretary, just a few years older than their 30-year-old daughter, Caitlin, becomes pregnant with his child. Needing space, Jess flees to her childhood home in Cape Cod to spend time with her lifelong best friend, Alison Page. Caitlin, who needs help finding direction in her life, joins her. Their arrival immediately brings changes for the good all around: with Jess’s help, Alison’s able to realize her dream of owning a bookshop; her daughter, Julia, becomes close with Caitlin; and all four women find strength in each other to reach for real happiness—including real love. Walking the line between women’s fiction and romance, this cute, summery tale offers plenty of scenic views but stays fairly surface level when it comes to emotional development. As a result, readers will struggle to fully buy in to the women’s stories. Still, this is an easy pick to throw in a beach bag. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency.