Title:   The Seaside Sisters
Author:  Pamela M. Kelley      
Genre: Fiction      
Rating:  3.5 out of 5

One summer can change everything.

Brooklyn-based Hannah is a bestselling author struggling to write her second book after personal losses. Her older sister, Sara, still lives in Chatham, Cape Cod, where they grew up, and is married with four children. Once a dedicated librarian, Sara dreams of reviving her love affair with literature, but instead, she is stuck with too many family responsibilities and a fizzling marriage.

When Hannah gets the chance to retreat to her aunt’s oceanfront house in Chatham for the summer, it seems like just the thing to get her creative juices flowing. And she’ll be able to spend more time with Sara, who is eager to find her way back into the workforce, to do something rewarding and book-related. The pair will spend the summer making friends, rekindling romance― especially Spencer, an old acquaintance from high school-turned very hot grump― and opening themselves up to the magic of books and the beach.

This…felt very conflict-free to me. Hannah’s storyline did, anyway. It felt almost placid, with only token obstacles thrown up, and Hannah’s “romance” basically didn’t take place at all. They hated each other. They became friends. There was no sign of attraction between them except for one almost-kiss. Then, poof. Hannah’s sister and her aunt had much more conflict in their relationships. This wasn’t a bad read, it was just so-so.

Pamela M. Kelley is a bestselling author. The Seaside Sisters is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

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