Reviewing Heidi Hostetter’s book, The Shore House
#bookreview #blogtour #booktour #heidishostetter #theshorehouse
The Shore House will warm your heart while making you want to visit the Jersey Shore in this summer tale of truths exposed and forgiveness.
The story of the Bennett family tells the many complexities, connections and layers of concerns that many families face, which made this such a good read for me.
I was immediately intrigued with Kaye Bennett’s, the matriarch of the family, character. The situation of keeping on top of her husband’s three-year long recovery from a massive heart attack, while also able to manipulate the rest of the family to spend the summer at the family’s shore house, indicated a person of resilience. Kaye’s character was deep, and I appreciated discovering where her different insecurities stemmed from.
Truthfully, it was the unexpectedness of it that haunted her; the idea that she could do everything right and still be faced with tragedy.
The author also brings to light how fast time can go by where people go along in life and somehow lose their way. When the Bennett’s daughter, Stacy observes that her husband’s start up is turning out to be more stressful than enjoyable as when it began, while also reflecting on her decision of quitting her beloved editing career to be a stay-at-home mom, she questions her choice:
In truth, she hadn’t realized just how much Ryan disliked his job until she saw it on his face, a moment before. Somehow, it seemed, they’d both lost their way.
Overall, the entire family was scared to be honest with each other, which is what many families experience. Children are scared to disappoint their parents; parents feel guilty for mistakes they may have made with their children and so on. Hostetter’s smooth writing tackles these family intricacies and wraps it up in this thoroughly unputdownable story.
I can’t praise enough about this book. It has love, obstacles and descriptive settings that brought me right into the shore house with the Bennett family, making this is the perfect beach read. The Shore House gets released today!
Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Book Description
When the Bennett family arrive at the shore house to spend the summer together, they bring more baggage than just suitcases… When Kaye Bennett, matriarch of the Bennett family, summons her adult children to the shore house, she anticipates a vacation full of nostalgia. It’s a chance to relive the carefree joy of summers past: basking in the hot sun, cooling off in the surf and enjoying long, relaxing evenings watching fireflies on the deck. But when Kaye’s son and daughter arrive, late and uncooperative, it becomes clear the family desperately need to reconnect. Kaye and her daughter Stacy have been quietly at odds for years and resentment has grown around words unsaid. Faced with spending the summer months in such close quarters, Kaye is determined to remind Stacy of happier times and why she once loved their beautiful beachside home. But both Kaye and Stacy are holding something back. And only when a heart-stopping accident on the beach puts what Stacy most loves at risk are the two women finally able to set free the secrets in their shared past. Will opening up to each other about what’s in their hearts allow the Bennett family to finally heal? A story of love, forgiveness and the power of family bonds, The Shore House is a heartfelt summer read, perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Pamela Kelley and Nancy Thayer.
Author Bio
Heidi Hostetter grew up in New Jersey and spent summers at her grandparents' house on the shore. Every magical thing was there, from sparklers and fireflies at night to whole days spent swimming in the ocean and exploring tide pools. She and her family have recently moved back to the DC-area and live in a one hundred-year-old house that's definitely haunted. When she's not writing – or reading – you can probably find her digging in her garden, ripping back a knitting project, or burning dinner. Her writing partner, a labradoodle named Emmett shares her office, keeping a careful watch for errant squirrels and neighborhood shenanigans.
Buy Links
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3gSsIP9
Apple: https://apple.co/2VLUGmI
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3akA7D5
Google: https://bit.ly/3cyMFZi
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