Carrie and her sister own and run a small cafe in a New Jersey beach town. The author made me really like Carrie, Greg- the man she admires from afar, and the cafe patrons and employees. It's important to me to like and relate to some of the characters in any book I read. In this case, they were quaint and quirky with a nice mix of humor. I liked how the author interwove themes of overcoming severe traumas in the one's past, especially those which come about through no decision or fault of the sufferer. Carrie and her sister were victims of their mother's past decisions, Andi the waitress suffered as a result of her parents' decision to join a cult, and Greg was a victim of a horrifying crime against his family. It was interesting to see how each person came to terms with their past in order to live a fulfilling life in the present and plan with hope for the future. Forgiveness, redemption and courage were all involved.
I enjoyed the characters, the romance and the mystery. It was a fun read, although not a memorable one for me. Carrie's character seemed rather adolescent with abundant blushing and stammering which did not seem to fit a woman in her 30s who had grown up early and had been on her own from the age of 16. The "Twittering" obsession of the townspeople was cute at first, but became rather unbelievable and annoying. These two factors brought my review down a star from what it would have been otherwise. I am giving it 3 stars out of 5.
This book was received from Waterbrook Multnomah Press in exchange for an honest review.
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