COTTAGE BY THE SEA Book Review

Cottage by the Sea¹ (book 1 in Oceanside series) by Debbie Macomber, audiobook, 10h 58m

Synopsis from Audible: Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy, she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family vacations when Annie was a teenager.

Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit, thanks in part to the folks she meets: a local painter, Keaton, whose large frame is equal to his big heart—and who helps Annie fix up her rental cottage by the sea; Mellie, the reclusive, prickly landlord Annie is determined to befriend; and Britt, a teenager with a terrible secret. But it is Keaton to whom Annie feels most drawn. His quiet, peaceful nature offers her both comfort and reprieve from her grief, and the two begin to grow closer.

Then events threaten to undo the idyll Annie has come to enjoy. And when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in her lap, she is torn between the excitement of a new journey toward success and the safe and secure arms of the haven—and the man—she’s come to call home. In this heartwarming tale, Annie finds that the surest way to fix what is damaged within is to help others rise above their pain and find a way to heal.

BOOK REVIEW: I have yet to meet a Debbie Macomber book that I haven't liked and this is no exception. I always get nostalgic with her books because they take place in the PNW which, if you didn't know, is where I'm from. The landslide that is mentioned at the beginning of this book actually happened. My family and I used to take family vacations to Ocean Shores which is north of Oceanside. This also gave me everything that I enjoy in a small town romance.

I think Mellie might be my favorite character. Being described as prickly doesn't even begin to do her justice. I think my favorite scenes with her were when Annie wants to plant a garden and then her interactions with Theresa. The narrator, did I forget to mention that I listened to the audiobook for this one, did a great job conveying Mellie's attitude. She also does a great job giving life to all of the characters. I even felt the pull between Annie and Keaton before Annie did.

It's a 5 star for me. It's a cozy romance in a small ocean town. We get multiple storylines that all work together and add to the story instead of it feeling separate. The narrator did a fantastic job giving each character the life that the author created. I've looked and there are two more books in this series. I am curious to see if we get more of our character's stories or if this is going to be more like a series of stand alones that take place in Oceanside. I don't typically read the synopsis of a book but I'm tempted to just to get some answers without waiting patiently.

5/5 Stars

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