literary gluttony

Ah, summer—the season of sandy toes, fizzy drinks, and books with titles like Beach Vibes. I cracked open this one expecting sun-drenched flirtation, coastal drama, and characters navigating the tides of love and loss. And to be fair, Susan Mallery delivers just that. This is a novel with a warm breeze and a soft heart, packed with family complexities and that signature small-town coziness Mallery fans will recognize instantly.

But while Beach Vibes sets the scene beautifully, the story itself felt more lukewarm than sun-soaked.

Let’s start with the good: the setting is vivid, the pacing easy, and the emotional tone gentle without being saccharine. This is a book that wants you to settle in, take your shoes off, and breathe. The characters wrestle with real emotional weight—grief, healing, second chances—and Mallery gives them the space to feel human. It’s a comforting kind of storytelling, one that doesn’t rush but rather lingers.

That said, the lingering sometimes turns into looping. I found the writing fell into a pattern of redundancy, especially in characters’ inner monologues. More than once, I found myself thinking, didn’t we just have this conversation two chapters ago? The repetition slowed the pace and dulled the emotional impact over time.

Then there are the romantic moments, which I was ready to dive into—only to find myself wading through awkward phrasing and chemistry that never quite sparked. The intimate scenes felt more obligatory than organic, with dialogue that veered into cringe rather than heat. It’s not that every romance novel needs to burn the page, but I was hoping for something a little more… electric.

Still, Beach Vibes isn’t trying to be edgy or groundbreaking. It wants to be your gentle summer escape, the book you bring to the porch with a lemonade and a breeze. And for some readers, that’s exactly enough.

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🍴 Devour or Nibble?

Nibble.
If you’re craving a quiet, comfort-read kind of romance with a side of sea air, Beach Vibes will do the trick. But if you’re looking for sizzling chemistry or emotional depth that doesn’t circle the drain, you might walk away feeling a bit underwhelmed.

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