The Bookshop By The Bay by Pamela Kelley

The Bookshop By the Bay is the story of two lifelong friends and their adult daughters one summer on Cape Cod. A lovely summer read!

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

From The Publisher:

Jess loves her work as a high-profile lawyer in the respectable and austere city of Charleston. But when she finds her husband, Parker, has been cheating on her with his assistant, she retreats, with her thirty year-old daughter Caitlin for support, to her childhood home on Cape Cod, in Chatham. Caitlin has always been bright but directionless, looking for her passion but keeps coming up blank. And Jess needs to regroup with the help of good food and wine, the company of her best friend, Allison, and come up with a plan for the future.

Allison’s career has hit a low. After twenty years as an editor for the Chatham magazine, circulation is dwindling and though her boss and long-time friend, Jim, does everything to keep her, she has no choice but to take a step back. With a career on hiatus and her main relationship being with Chris, her ex-husband who is still a good friend, Allison is at a pivotal point in life. Her daughter Julia opened her own artisanal jewelry shop a year prior, and she has the kind of day-to-day fulfillment Allison yearns for.

When Allison stops into her beloved local bookstore one day and learns that the owner wants to sell, a long-held dream turns into a reality, thanks to Jess. Allison and Jess set a plan in motion and what was once a place that held warm childhood memories is now theirs to run. As the two friends, along with the help of their daughters, reopen the doors of the cherished bookstore and adjacent coffee shop to the community, they also open themselves up to the possibility of romance, the bonds of mothers and daughters, and the magic of second chances.

My Thoughts:

When I read the synopsis for The Bookshop By the Bay I knew it was a book I wanted to read. It features middle-aged female protagonists, personal growth, friendship and a well-described beach setting in Cape Cod. It did not disappoint.

Jess is a respected lawyer working in the same practice as her husband when she learns he has had an affair with his assistant who is now pregnant. Their daughter Caitlin is thirty and has recently lost her job and ended a relationship. Jess decides to take some time off to think about her next steps and go visit her mother in Cape Cod. She invites Caitlin to accompany her and she accepts.

Jess is no stranger to Cape Cod. She grew up there. Allison is her lifelong friend and also resides on the peninsula. Her position as editor of a local magazine is being threatened and she knows she needs to look at making a change. Allison’s daughter is an artisan with her own shop in the area.

Throughout the summer, each of these four women experiences challenges and opportunities. I appreciated that the focus of the book is on change and personal growth along with the strength of friendships. It was interesting to observe Jess and Caitlin’s recognition of the opportunity to discover what brings them joy at this point in their lives. There are several romances that I enjoyed which develop but are not the focus of the book.

I recommend this book to those that enjoy Women’s Fiction or General Fiction.

Other Books I’ve Reviewed by Pamela Kelley:

The Nantucket Inn

Nantucket Neighbors

Nantucket News