Excellent story of love, loss, friendship, and second chances. The story opens with an emotional scene as Amanda bids farewell to her Marine husband, Jack, as he leaves on another deployment. Fast forward two years and Amanda still struggles with the grief of losing her husband. Tired of being the object of pity, Amanda takes her children and moves to Whelk's Island in North Carolina, looking for a chance to start fresh. She buys a fixer-upper cottage on the beach, puts aside her home-based business dreams for a teaching position, and concentrates on her children Hailey and Jesse. Then a chance encounter with long-time resident Maeve changes her life.
Born and raised on Whelk's Island, octogenarian Maeve is like the matriarch of the island. She loves her community and is actively involved in all aspects of it, including attending town council meetings. She carefully considers supporting new businesses such as Paws Town Square, looking for ones that will serve the community best. Maeve spends hours each day walking the beach and collecting unique shells. There she meets Amanda and her children, and their connection fills a hole she didn't know she had.
Owner of Paws Town Square, Paul is one of the many people Maeve helped. After leaving the Marines, Paul searched for a purpose in his life and found it helping military working dogs and veterans suffering from PTSD. Having lost the woman he loved to his best friend, he is content to focus on his business instead.
I ached for Amanda as the story opened. Though her grief is better than it had been, Hailey and Jesse are still her reasons for getting up in the mornings. Constantly missing Jack makes it impossible to feel joy in her life; she survives each day instead of living it. From the moment Amanda and the kids met Maeve, that grief began to lift. Because Maeve had experienced a similar loss, she was able to help Amanda by sharing her own story. She didn't lecture; she simply led by example. Amanda slowly regained her desire to live life fully again.
Through Maeve, an old friend comes back into Amanda's life. Paul's appearance, jogging on the beach, stunned Amanda. Paul had been Jack's best friend, whose friendship had spilled over onto Amanda and the children. Jack's death hit Paul hard also, sending him into a spiral of grief that ended when he found a purpose in helping the dogs and veterans. After her grief-stricken breakdown and screaming accusations at him, Amanda never thought she'd see Paul again. Amanda never knew that Paul had fallen in love with her the first time he met her, as he refused to come between her and Jack. Paul sees their reunion as a second chance to win the woman he still loves. I loved watching the development of their relationship as Amanda works past the guilty feelings of loving again. I enjoyed seeing Paul become part of their lives. There were sweet scenes with the children and emotional ones as Paul and Amanda dealt with their memories of Jack and their growing feelings for each other.
As the summer turned to fall, the secret Maeve has hidden all summer becomes painfully apparent. I hurt for Amanda and the kids, who face the loss of the woman who means so much to them. I loved watching Maeve face what's coming with the serenity she demonstrated throughout the book. The depth of the bond between Maeve and Amanda is beautifully illustrated in the trip they took together. I loved the ending and how the connection between the women lived on.
I loved the use of seashells in the story, both as a way to connect people and as inspirations. The seashells with the inspirational quotes made significant impressions on those who found them. I loved the one that Paul found and how it ended up having double meaning to him. Amanda's discovery was the catalyst that started her moving forward. Eventually, the story behind them was revealed, and I loved how they came to be and that they continued to live on.
#netgalley
Born and raised on Whelk's Island, octogenarian Maeve is like the matriarch of the island. She loves her community and is actively involved in all aspects of it, including attending town council meetings. She carefully considers supporting new businesses such as Paws Town Square, looking for ones that will serve the community best. Maeve spends hours each day walking the beach and collecting unique shells. There she meets Amanda and her children, and their connection fills a hole she didn't know she had.
Owner of Paws Town Square, Paul is one of the many people Maeve helped. After leaving the Marines, Paul searched for a purpose in his life and found it helping military working dogs and veterans suffering from PTSD. Having lost the woman he loved to his best friend, he is content to focus on his business instead.
I ached for Amanda as the story opened. Though her grief is better than it had been, Hailey and Jesse are still her reasons for getting up in the mornings. Constantly missing Jack makes it impossible to feel joy in her life; she survives each day instead of living it. From the moment Amanda and the kids met Maeve, that grief began to lift. Because Maeve had experienced a similar loss, she was able to help Amanda by sharing her own story. She didn't lecture; she simply led by example. Amanda slowly regained her desire to live life fully again.
Through Maeve, an old friend comes back into Amanda's life. Paul's appearance, jogging on the beach, stunned Amanda. Paul had been Jack's best friend, whose friendship had spilled over onto Amanda and the children. Jack's death hit Paul hard also, sending him into a spiral of grief that ended when he found a purpose in helping the dogs and veterans. After her grief-stricken breakdown and screaming accusations at him, Amanda never thought she'd see Paul again. Amanda never knew that Paul had fallen in love with her the first time he met her, as he refused to come between her and Jack. Paul sees their reunion as a second chance to win the woman he still loves. I loved watching the development of their relationship as Amanda works past the guilty feelings of loving again. I enjoyed seeing Paul become part of their lives. There were sweet scenes with the children and emotional ones as Paul and Amanda dealt with their memories of Jack and their growing feelings for each other.
As the summer turned to fall, the secret Maeve has hidden all summer becomes painfully apparent. I hurt for Amanda and the kids, who face the loss of the woman who means so much to them. I loved watching Maeve face what's coming with the serenity she demonstrated throughout the book. The depth of the bond between Maeve and Amanda is beautifully illustrated in the trip they took together. I loved the ending and how the connection between the women lived on.
I loved the use of seashells in the story, both as a way to connect people and as inspirations. The seashells with the inspirational quotes made significant impressions on those who found them. I loved the one that Paul found and how it ended up having double meaning to him. Amanda's discovery was the catalyst that started her moving forward. Eventually, the story behind them was revealed, and I loved how they came to be and that they continued to live on.
#netgalley
