‘A Beach Wish’ Leads to Unexpected Surprises [REVIEW]

When a woman gives up on her dreams, her mother’s final request may help her find her way again in Shelley Noble’s A Beach Wish. (Photo by Canva)

A mousy daughter. Unexpected relatives. A dying wish that only a parent could make. As she strives to fulfill her mother’s final request, will a young woman find the courage it takes to embrace life’s surprises with an open heart? Find out in Shelley Noble’s new summer read, A Beach Wish. 

William Morrow

Zoe Bascombe isn’t exactly known for her aplomb. After all, when her dreams of going to world-famous Julliard fall flat, she stows her ambition and does what is expected of her instead. When her mom dies, however, Zoe sets off on her own and travels to New England to spread her mother’s ashes in the only place her mom ever felt truly at home. What Zoe finds there, however, rocks her to her core.

Zoe has another family.

At first, she wants to bolt. Who needs crazy new relatives when she has domineering brothers at home? Instead, she strives to bridge the chasm between both families. If only she can figure out how. The solution lies at New Hampshire’s Wind Chime Beach, a place where generations of people have gone in search of peace, to shrug off their secrets, to pursue their dreams and to open their minds and hearts to the answers of the universe.

A Beach Wish is the type of novel that reminds us of the sage wisdom our parents always shared with us as children. After all, what parent doesn’t want their children to simply get along with one another? I certainly remember my mom saying, “Someday you will be the only thing each other has, so you might as well learn to like each other now.” As the years go by, those words still haunt me and I’ve come to appreciate just how valid they are.

Here, Zoe and her three brothers must learn the same lesson, especially in the wake of their mother’s unexpected death. After the funeral, however, everyone goes into a tizzy when their mother’s last wish is revealed, for her ashes to be transported to Wind Chime Beach. It’s a wish that completely befuddles them all, but one which Zoe is determined to fulfill no matter what her brothers say. Noble does a fine job evoking the emotions that run rampant after the loss of a parent, and these vivid characterizations and dialogue lend verisimilitude to the story as a whole, which will certainly help readers connect to the story on a personal level.

Noble also writes setting quite well, and captures the true essence of a small New England community, especially as Zoe begins to unravel the mystery of her mother’s past and learns to stand up for herself for the first time in her life, even as she reconciles the balance of family with the desires of her heart. From the eccentric characters who populate the small town to the bohemian lifestyle they lead, this is a richly nuanced story that is everything we look for in a beach read. So as you recline on the sandy shores beneath an umbrella of your own this summer, lose yourself in the enchanting family drama of Shelley Noble’s A Beach Wish. 

Shelley Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelley Noble is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Whisper Beach and Beach Colors. Other titles include Stargazey Point, Breakwater Bay, Forever Beach, Lighthouse Beach, and four spin-off novellas.

A former professional dancer and choreographer, she lives at the Jersey shore and loves to discover new beaches and indulge in her passion for lighthouses and vintage carousels.

Shelley is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

Visit Shelley at her home on the Web at ShelleyNoble.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

A BEACH WISH
By Shelley Noble
384 pp. William Morrow. $15.99

Purchase A Beach Wish at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, HarperCollins, IndieBound, and Powell’s.

A Beach Wish is brought to you in association with TLC Book Tours.