June 1, 2022
The final book in Alers' trilogy, following The Seaside Caf� (2020) and The Beach House (2021), nicely ties up the life choices and loving futures of the members of a vacation book club. Winning scholarships to attend an elite prep school, then Yale, Cherie had escaped the crime-ridden neighborhood where her brother was gunned down. Now, the youngest member of the book club, Cherie has long finished an affair, started in her teens, with a wealthy politician who is raising their secret child with his white wife. After selling her condo in an upscale Connecticut gated community, she moves to Coates Island, where she found acceptance and friendship while on vacation. While settling into her new home, Cherie takes a part-time job at the Seaside Caf� and meets deputy sheriff Reese Matthews, a former Army Ranger who fortuitously rescues her when she is attacked. Friendship blossoms, leading to love. Lots of descriptions of clothing and food, along with fulfilling relationships between good folks of different colors, makes for an enjoyable read that forecasts an optimistic future for the book club members.
COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.