Synopsis

When Lottie Watt is unceremoniously booted out of her uptight book club for not following the rules, she decides to throw the rulebook out the window and start her own club – one where conversation, gin and cake take precedent over actually having read the book!

The Beach Reads Book Club soon finds a home for its meetings at Books by the Bay, a charming bookshop and café owned by gorgeous, brooding Matthew Steele, and as the book club picks heat up, so too does the attraction between Matt and Lottie.

If there’s anything Lottie has learned from the romances she’s been reading, it’s that the greatest loves are the ones hardest earned.

Review

This was such a lovely book. It was short, sweet and easy to read – the perfect beach read (or in my case, the perfect read for a train journey to London).

All characters were relatable and it was great to see such a diverse group. Having founded my own book club (where we get together for tapas and wine, spending 10 minutes talking about the book and the rest of the time chatting), one of the nicest things about it is meeting people from all walks of life who have come together over a love of books.

Lottie is a fab character – she’s fierce, determined and down to earth. Yet she questions herself continuously and doesn’t realise how much of an effect she has on people. Matt meanwhile is my ideal man – tall, dark and handsome with a passion for books.

It did strike me as odd that the family would move in together miles away from home, especially considering Matt is 33 and Amy is 24 (and neither she nor Jim seemed to want to…) but I guess it was their way of coping with grief.

However, their family dynamic adds another layer to the story and shows a different type of love. That and the relationships and problems of the book club members make this more than just another cliched love story. I’d heard of most of the books they discuss, but actually haven’t read any of them; this was strong motivation to do so.

It is quite a simple and predictable read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved getting to know all of the characters.

An excellent feel-good book and one I highly recommend for this weather!

I was provided with an advanced copy by NetGalley. All opinions my own.

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