Barefoot Beach by Toby Devens

4.5 Star

For Nora Farrell, Tuckahoe, Maryland, isn’t just a summer refuge, it’s home—where she married the love of her life, decided to have a child, and has remained connected with her two closest friends. Even now, long after her husband’s passing, Nora reunites with Margo and Emine every June….

But this year, challenges invade the friends’ retreat. Even as Nora delights in teaching at her dance studio, she is shaken by the possible loss of her beach house…and by a tentative new romance. While Margo directs a musical at the Driftwood Playhouse, she finds her marriage on rocky ground. And Em, who relishes running her family’s café, struggles to handle her rebellious daughter.

With their personal dramas reaching a fever pitch, the women will discover that it isn’t only the beach that brightens their lives. Their bond with one another provides the ultimate magic.

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Sabrina-Kate - 4.5 Star

This was the quintessential great beach read. I read this book at the tail end of summer while away for a few days and it was the perfect book to have brought along.

The story focuses on Nora, who has had her shares of ups and downs especially in the past 10 years. A younger widow, Nora is solely responsible for raising her son and maintaining their lifestyle after the unfortunate death of her husband. Definitely challenging at times and consuming for sure, this book was inspirational to me. It was good to read about a woman who was able to make things work despite all the challenges she faced.

Another huge part of the story was the relationships Nora has – with her close girlfriends, her son and her new love interest. I found the detailed interactions between all of these other supporting characters to be utterly realistic and essential to the story, as well as Nora herself. Her friends were a great support to her despite their own lives and challenges and I truly appreciated how the three of them stuck by each other and supported each other through everything. Her son was the most challenging relationship I felt that she had because he tended to manipulate her somewhat but I would account that to growing pains.

And then there was her new love interest. A very up and down relationship for much of the book, it certainly kept things interesting and I felt myself rooting for things to work out.

A great read that I flew through, I was very happy to have read this book and was not at all disappointed in the ending. Things came to a wonderful denouement which seemed natural and satisfying.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for our review copy.  All opinions are our own.

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