Full disclosure: I grew up with this author. We both lived in the same small town and went to middle and high school together. That being said, it bears no influence on my review (simply put, if I didn’t LOVE this book, I just wouldn’t take the time to write a review).
If you are looking for a beach read, stop, I’ve found it. Pleasant Bay is an absolute FANTASTIC summer read and left me with that tough decision…do I fly through the book and finish it or do I savor this and enjoy every second with these characters? Well…I devoured it and am now left with an incredible book hangover.
Pleasant Bay goes back and forth between 2002 and 2019. The unique part to this story is that in 2002 we are reading things from Sarah’s perspective. In 2019 we are reading in present day, from her daughter’s perspective.
Sarah spends a summer with her aunt in Cape Cod. It’s about to be her senior year in college and she’s living up life waitressing to save up money. She’s had an absolutely crap year with a breakup and her father falling ill. Can a summer in Cape Cod save her sanity?
Madelyn, Sarah’s daughter, also spends a summer in Cape Cod with her great aunt to help give her a break from her single mother. It’s the summer between her sophomore and junior year of high school and her boyfriend happens to be a senior about to go away to college. The nerve her mother has to send her away!
Can I add in some family drama? Madelyn has no idea who her father is. Her mother has kept this from her, but why. Well…no spoilers here, but she’s a teen who won’t stop until she figures her life out.
5 stars. SOLID read, perfect for laying by the pool or at the beach. What I appreciated the most with this, was how the writing changed between characters. Sarah in 2002 is written like a college student. Sarah in 2019 is a total typical teen who thinks they know better. I could say so, so much more, but that would ruin what makes this book so special. Just know that I laughed and I cried. I love a good epilogue and this one delivers just that!
Title: Pleasant Bat
Author: Emily Wakeman Cyr
Genre(s): Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance
Publisher: Novelist Next Door
Release Date: July 31, 2023
Find it here on Goodreads