Review: A Beach Wish by Shelley Noble

A Beach Wish

by Shelley Noble

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: HarperCollins

Goodreads:  Zoe Bascombe has never said no to her family. When she blew her Juilliard audition, she caved to their wishes and went to business school. But when her mother dies and leaves instructions for Zoe to spread her ashes at a place called Wind Chime Beach, she defies her brothers and starts out for a New England town none of them has ever heard of and discovers a side of her garden club mother that her wildest dreams hadn’t imagined.

Zoe has another family.

Her first instinct is to run home. Instead she is caught in the middle of her feuding new relatives. With one family fighting among themselves and the other not speaking to her, Zoe must somehow find a way to bridge her new life with her old.

For the first time in her life, Zoe must make a stand for her family—both of them. If only she can only figure out how.

Her answer lies at Wind Chime Beach where for generations people have come to add their chimes to the ones already left among the trees. And when the wind blows and the air fills with music, their secrets, dreams, and hopes are sent into the world. There’s a message for Zoe here—if she has the courage to open her heart.

Kritters Thoughts:  Zoe has followed the sensible path for a long time.  She didn't go to music school and instead went into business and took the sensible job in the music industry, so when her mom passes away and sends her on an adventure she is ready for a life change.  Zoe ends up in a small town and has no idea what her mom's connection is until she starts meeting people and clues starting getting revealed.  

I loved Zoe in this book.  I loved how she was discovering the life her mother had before her and her brothers were born and the concept that children have that their parents lives start when they are born is so interesting.  This book prompted my mom and I to have a few conversations and to hit the lesson home that parents have lives before the kids enter the world and after they leave their homes.  

I loved the writing and the characters but the thing about this book that kept it from really shining in my mind was all of the things the author was trying to tackle at once.  From a crazy grandmother terrorizing the town to interesting parentage and so much more, it felt like there were too many plot things going on in one book, I felt a little overwhelmed by it all.  I thought that she could have taken a few things out and they could have been books of their own.  

I was a Shelley Noble fan before this book and will continue to be one after because the writing and the characters were still strong in this book and the main plot was a good read.

Rating: enjoyable but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.