(⭐⭐⭐.5/5)

The sweet, fun summer read is the first fiction book from Beck Dorey-Stein, the author of From the Corner of the Oval, her memoir about being a stenographer in the Obama White House. I listened to Beck read that audiobook and enjoyed it. She's from my area (yay, PA!) and had an informative, exciting, and romantically intriguing story.

In this book, childhood friends Kate, Ziggy, and Miles all end up back in their seaside hometown of Sea Point, NJ. All are experiencing upheavals in their lives and are searching for something to ease their troubles (emotional and situational). While they reconnect and try to reconcile their teenage dreams with their adult realities, they also fight against forces set on developing the town--and tearing apart the denizens of this charming seaside community.

This book has the same confessional charm as Dorey-Stein's memoir, in that each of the main three characters are engaging, relatable, and complex. Also like her memoir, there's a bit of romantic intrigue, but it's not the driving force of the story. That force are the connections between these three friends and what has changed, both good and bad, since their teen years. While this one started out a bit slow, I became more invested in the storylines/characters as the novel picked up pace in the middle.

Although it was well-written and the framework of a great summer beach book is here, I still felt like this book was missing the spark that would take it from good to great. The characterization of Kate was a bit uneven. She seems so cowardly and put-upon at the beginning--and every time she speaks about getting back together with Thomas--but when she meets Miles and shows her aptitude with not only her work but her sparring with him--she seems like a whole new character. I felt like her growth wasn't "shown" enough to warrant the change.

Conversely, Ziggy was fully realized, especially his experience with the grief of losing his Dad. Miles had more layers that were peeled away with care, and I honestly didn't see the twist with his love life coming.

All in all, this is an enjoyable, heartwarming, and breezy summer read. While it wasn't un-put-downable for me, it still had its charms and would certainly be a great choice to read while spending the day lounging on the sand.

Many thanks to @NetGalley and @TheDialPress for the free e-Copy in exchange for an honest review!