The Seaside Library
Ratings1
Average rating4
15
Ratings1
Average rating4
There are secrets that bring friends together, and others that drive them apart... Mariners Island is barely ten miles long, but when Ivy, Ariana and Cam were teenagers, it was their whole world. Beyond the pristine beaches and iconic lighthouse lies the beautiful old library that belongs to Ivy's family. While that bound Ivy to the island as an adult, Ariana could not leave Mariners behind fast enough. The town holds too many...memories. Not only her unrequited feelings for Cam, but the tragedy that left a scar on the community. When a young girl went missing, a teenage Cam was unthinkably the prime suspect. Ariana and Ivy knew he couldn't have hurt anyone, and they promised to protect him--even if it meant lying on his behalf. Now, twenty years later, Ariana returns to Mariners just as new evidence emerges on the case, calling into question everything the three friends thought they knew--and everyone they thought they could trust. What really happened that night? Over the course of one eventful summer, Ariana, Ivy and Cam will learn the truth--about their pasts, their futures and the ties that still bind them as closely as the pages of a book...
Reviews with the most likes.
More Mystery Than Romance. This is apparently Novak's 75 book, and while I've only read a handful of those prior books - mostly a few of her most recent ones - this seems to be a bit of a departure from her usual style. At least in my own experience with her, she tends to write more women's fiction/ romance blends... and this is pretty far from that. This is more of a Catherine McKenzie / Kimberly Belle / Leah Mercer style mystery that also includes a romance than the more usual Novak style, though still set in an idyllic small town island. It is specifically because the title and cover don't really match the overall tone and substance of the tale told here that it lost a star for me, and admittedly this is something that can easily be corrected in the nearly five months between when I write this review and the book's actual publication date.
For what it actually is, this story is pretty solid and well told - if you like your mysteries to also include a romance, you're going to love this book. If you enjoy a tale that meets all known RWA criteria for being a "romance book" but the story is more about the mystery than the romance, you're going to enjoy this book. But if you're looking for more of a "classic Novak" women's fiction/ drama on an island... eh, read this book and see what you think. I personally think it is a bit darker than her usual and thus is a fairly significant departure, but again, I've only read her last few books. For all I know this is where she built her fan base and is *returning* to this rather than this being an entirely new thing for her. Again, what she does do here, she does in fact do quite well indeed, so there is that at least.
Overall this was an excellent tale that was told well - it just doesn't match its title (which has only the most tangential of connections to the tale) or cover imagery. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.