TITLE: The Beach
AUTHOR: Marron Kaye
SERIES: Llyn Lakes
SERIES ORDER: 2
PUBLISHED DATE: 6/12/2023
GENRE: Small Town Romance
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
BLURB:
Lucy likes to have fun. The one-night, no-strings, no-emotions kind. It's safer that way. If she doesn't let anyone get too close then they won't be able to hurt her when they inevitably leave. But lately, this philosophy has left her feeling ... a little empty. Unfulfilled. Lonely. Until one drunken night with the man she least expected changes everything. Now she has a chance for the one thing she thought she'd never have. Will she take it?
Noah's been the outcast, the outsider, for most of his life, desperately seeking approval from parents that will never give it and acceptance from his wary peers. He has to be the best. Always. He has a carefully laid plan for his success ... and it's dependent entirely on maintaining order and routine in every aspect of his life. No surprises - that’s the way he likes it. That is until Lucy's news throws everything into chaos. And it turns out, he wouldn't have it any other way.
““Ooh,” I say, glancing back at him over my shoulder with a teasing grin as I make my way towards his car, “so you suffer from resting dick-face.””
MY REVIEW:
A few weeks ago I signed up to be a book tour stop for this book with Romance Me with Books. I chose this book because the blurb sounded interesting.
I will admit, when I first started reading this book and saw Marron’s content warning (“mentions of abortion, childhood trauma, violence, and abuse”) at the beginning of the book, I was a little hesitant at whether or not to continue this book. But, I stuck with it, and I am glad I did!
This was a really cute story! Tropes for this book are: small town romance, friends-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine and accidental pregnancy. This book is second in the Llyn Lakes series and, while it can be read as a standalone, I do think I might have gotten a little more from this book had I read the first one first.
Lucy and Noah have a night of drunken sex on the beach after their friends’ wedding, and Lucy ends up pregnant. Lucy is not sure how a baby will fit her lifestyle and briefly contemplates getting an abortion. After talking with Noah and hearing his desire about becoming a dad, she decides to see the pregnancy through. The timeline in this book covers all nine months of the pregnancy, skipping over only a couple weeks.
I really enjoyed watching the closeness form between Lucy and Noah. I thought Noah was so adorable with how invested he became in making sure he knew EVERYTHING there was to know/research about what happens over the 9 months of pregnancy and how to prepare for the birth. Each chapter starts off with a text message thread between Lucy and Noah where they usually start going over what size the baby was that week. There is little to no drama in this. The only drama I saw came from the third act breakup, which while a little over-the-top, I didn’t necessarily hate it.
One thing I missed while reading this was that there were no first person, present tense interactions between Noah and Lucy on any of three holidays that Lucy’s pregnancy covered (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years.) Covering nine months in a book is a feat of epic proportions. I get that. But, as someone who enjoys the holidays, I was disappointed. Marron did give us tiny flashbacks but, I would have really loved to see Lucy and Noah opening up gifts on Christmas, maybe snuggling up by a fire, kissing, or just anything!
Thanks Amy (from RMWB) for bringing this book to my attention. If this sounds like something you’d like to read, head on over to Amazon to buy it or rent it through KU like I did!
For more information about Marron Kaye and the KU Book Tour with Romance Me with Books, head on over to https://romancemewithbooks.com/the-beach-by-marron-kaye/