The Boardwalk Bookshop

The Boardwalk Bookshop is my first Susan Mallery book, but it certainly won’t be the last!I bought this book based on the subject: a bookstore on the beach in Santa Monica/Venice, near where I grew up. I assumed it was an HEA story. What I wasn’t expecting was the sparkling dialogue (fun, strong, and yes, a little profane in parts, but it fit!), the very fun and sexy love scenes, and the wonderful friendship among the three main female characters, Mikki, Bree, and Ashley. These three are not lifelong friends. In fact, they came together to rent prime real estate on the beach, rather than try to find separate locations for their bookstore, gift store, and bakery. The three women are all of different ages and backgrounds. One is single, one divorced, and one widowed. While initially they come together out of financial necessity, much like their three businesses, they end up complementing one another and forging a great friendship and support team. One thing I especially enjoyed was how these three, while having their own families, became a “family,” too. Stories about family, whether the ones we’re born into or the ones we choose, always resonate with me, and this book did not disappoint in that regard. Each of the three women was multi-layered and “real.” To me, they’re each deserving of their own books!

I really liked this book. It was so interesting with fun characters. I was not sure how it would end. So glad Bree and Harding ended up together.

Overall great but it lacked the level of humor that has made Susan Mallery books so special to me. The characters are as awesome as in any of her books and their stories are heart touching.

Amazing

As usual a well written and engaging novel by Susan Mallory

THE BOARDWALK BOOKSHOPBy Susan MalleryIs life a constant search of finding our way?Bree, Ashley, and Mikki found each other in a time of growth as they needed to expand their individual businesses. The space was great for all of them uniquely and merged the personalities with ease.Each of them carries baggage of wants, needs, past mis-steps and lots of regrets. All these hesitations create issues with the present and future they are trying to form especially around romantic relationships.Bree is stunted in her ability to love, Ashley has love but not a long term commitment, and Mikki is trying to let go of her ex-husband to create a life with a new man. Each woman thinks of life in exacting terms but now it is time to move past the hesitations and forward with the adventure.Favorite Line: Page 66 “merely a passenger in the journey of her life, rather than driving the car.”

I thought it was an interesting story however I got weary of some of the sexual talk in some of the scenes,did not think it added much to the story.

If there is one thing that makes a book “great” for me, it is love and passion and friendship and humor and... snark. The Boardwalk Bookshop has it all. I won’t retell the story but these three friends: Bree, Mikki and Ashley, form such a strong bond in both business and friendship. The friendship part takes them a wee bit longer to gel completely but their business works out great.Each of these women had big parts of their lives to work out. Every one of them had deep-seated beliefs in their pasts that they were using to live their lives in the present. I loved how they worked towards helping one another, even when it meant making each individual come to their own solutions and work out their own problem(s). And oh, how I loved them! I seriously spent much of the first pages of the book laughing, disturbing the tv watching that was going on around me. I could identify with all their feelings – the highs and the lows – and it made the story that much more real for me.Top off the great story with learning about wine...how can you go wrong? Seriously, I loved this book, as I do all Ms. Mallery’s stories, and didn’t want it to end...except that I really wanted an HEA for everyone and wasn’t sure it would work out the way I wanted it to so I had to finish! Loved, loved, loved it!

I loved the premise of this book. Three very different women come together in business and friendship to create a special shopping experience whilst supporting each other through the trials of relationships.The story covers all three women, but I found Bree’s story to be the most interesting. The impact of her parent’s indifference and her husband’s callousness had damaged her ability to trust both herself and others. Her self-destructive patterns were a huge part of her self-defences. An argument in terms, perhaps, but the only explanation for her attitude to love.Mikki and Ashley both had incredibly interesting stories and I wasn’t bored when the action switched between characters. Mikki and her discovery of internet dating, and Ashley’s shattered dreams of happily ever after, added real depth to the plot. The backdrop of Dave and Harding’s non-profit was inspirational and added an extra element to an already uplifting story.For me, the parts that I enjoyed the most related to Bree and Harding. Both of them had plenty of baggage, but it was Harding’s patience that I found disarming. His determination to break down Bree’s defences was a revelation.I haven’t met a Susan Mallery book that I’ve not enjoyed, her observations of human interactions mean that her books are current and valid. I can certainly say that they keep getting better and this is my favourite to date.

A really American hippy theme which is okay but I don't need to be on intimate terms with sexual proclivities.Not inclined to read any other books by this writer.

Really enjoyed this book. Great character development and a lovely story.

Susan Mallery has written books about friends who stick together in times of adversity before. This one goes rather deep though. Though I like the Fool's Gold stories a lot, this one is totally different and highly recommendable.

A good read but the plot could have moved along a bit faster.