Book Review: The Sands of Sea Blue Beach by Rachel Hauck



The Sands of Sea Blue Beach - Rachel Hauck
4 Stars 

Rachel sure does know how to deliver a heartwarming, emotionally layered story! This one is filled with second chances and healing. If you want a book with depth, charming seaside town and a second chance romance, check this out.

Emery Quinn is our main character and she is very relatable with her realistic feelings of grief after losing her mother to cancer when she was a teen. Cut to being in her 30s with no real career or relationship and her step sister is set to be married. She struggles with comparison and the complexity of her blended family. She goes back to Sea Blue Beach and starts a new role at the struggling Sea Blue Beach Gazette. Here is where she runs into her old boyfriend from a summer long ago and they reconnect in many ways, recounting events of the past. Caleb Ransom has a sense of devotion to his nephew and preserving the town's history - you really root for him and Emery. 

Their reunion 16 years later if filled with so many feelings. There is a sweetness to their romance but also a lot of hardship. We see family wounds brought to the surface, community divisions and issues with the paper they try to work out. 

Emery is such a layered character because we see every aspect of her mother's cancer diagnosis leading up to her passing away. You learn about their past together in flashbacks and why they drifted apart so long ago.

This is a story about coming home and finding second chances. An emotional, sweet and raw story. I love the town's motto is "Emmanuel, God with us." and how that tied in with the ending for Emery. I do think I would have liked a bit more of her faith journey explored, but it was a realistic take on someone walking through grief, emotions of anger and frustrations to God and coming back to being open to Him. 

I always love Rachel's family stories and look forward to more by her. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Bethany House for a complimentary copy to honestly read and review.

Content: lots of discussions and feelings about grief surrounding loss of a parent with cancer, flashbacks to those moments real time with the parent. clean romance.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7624148512
Amazon: https://amzn.to/42SkDVz
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/618521

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.


 

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