#AmReading - The New England Edition

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Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore
Published by William Morrow on June 14, 2022
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

Louisa has come to her parents' house in Maine this summer with all three of her kids, a barely written book, and a trunkful of resentment. Left behind in Brooklyn is her husband, who has promised that after this final round of fundraising at his startup he will once again pick up his share of the household responsibilities. Louisa is hoping that the crisp breeze off Penobscot Bay will blow away the irritation she is feeling with her life choices and replace it with enthusiasm for both her family and her work.

But all isn't well in Maine. Louisa's father, a retired judge and pillar of the community, is suffering from Alzheimer's. Louisa's mother is alternately pretending everything is fine and not pretending at all. And one of Louisa's children happens upon a very confusing and heartfelt letter referring to something Louisa doesn't think her father could possibly have done.

Louisa's not the only one searching for something in Maine this summer. Kristie took the Greyhound bus from Pennsylvania with one small suitcase, $761, and a lot of baggage. She's got a past she's trying to outrun, a secret she's trying to unpack, and a new boyfriend who's so impossibly kind she can't figure out what she did to deserve him. But she can't keep her various lives from colliding forever.

As June turns to July turns to August, secrets will be unearthed, betrayals will come to light, and both Louisa and Kristie will ask themselves what they are owed and what they owe others.

This is my third book by Moore, and it was another great one for me. The one thing I have really grown to like about Moore's storytelling is the way she switches points of view. There are always a few main characters whose POVs predominate, but then there will be several additional POVs which are perfectly placed and bring so much to the story.

And what a story it was! One can say this was a very eye opening summer for all involved. A lot of the drama may seem ordinary - growing pains with the kids, mom with too many balls in the air, jobs causing some martial strain, while other issues are more major - an ailing parent, money woes, finding out you have a secret half sister. Yep, that last one was a doozy, and Moore blended it all together in such a magnificent way.

Things that won me over

• I had never been to this part of Maine, but it sounded magnificent. Moore did an amazing job pulling me into this setting, exposing me to the food and mood of the place, and I absolutely loved it.
• The kids were a fantastic part of this story. The eldest was experiencing first love, the middle child was writing hilarious letters home to her father imploring him to come to Maine, and the youngest was sort of suffering the perils of being the youngest. I found their storylines delightful and felt they had quite an impact on how I perceived other plot points.
• I found myself caring so much for everyone involved. This was a messy and complicated situation, but I was rather pleased with the outcome. There were many ups and downs as this family navigated their multitude of issues, and I was terribly invested in the outcome.

Overall, I was fully engrossed in this family drama. Well developed characters combined with a great story and a beautiful setting had me flipping the pages to get to an ending that left me warm, happy, and filled with lots of hope for this family.

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The Bookshop by the Bay by Pamela Kelley
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on June 6, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

Two lifelong friends. One bookshop by the beach. And the summer that could change everything.

Jess loves her work as a high-profile lawyer in the respectable and austere city of Charleston. But when she finds her husband, Parker, has been cheating on her with his assistant, she retreats, with her thirty year-old daughter Caitlin for support, to her childhood home on Cape Cod, in Chatham. Caitlin has always been bright but directionless, looking for her passion but keeps coming up blank. And Jess needs to regroup with the help of good food and wine, the company of her best friend, Allison, and come up with a plan for the future.

Allison’s career has hit a low. After twenty years as an editor for the Chatham magazine, circulation is dwindling and though her boss and long-time friend, Jim, does everything to keep her, she has no choice but to take a step back. With a career on hiatus and her main relationship being with Chris, her ex-husband who is still a good friend, Allison is at a pivotal point in life. Her daughter Julia opened her own artisanal jewelry shop a year prior, and she has the kind of day-to-day fulfillment Allison yearns for.

When Allison stops into her beloved local bookstore one day and learns that the owner wants to sell, a long-held dream turns into a reality, thanks to Jess. Allison and Jess set a plan in motion and what was once a place that held warm childhood memories is now theirs to run. As the two friends, along with the help of their daughters, reopen the doors of the cherished bookstore and adjacent coffee shop to the community, they also open themselves up to the possibility of romance, the bonds of mothers and daughters, and the magic of second chances.

After learning of her husband's affair, Jess returns to Cape Cod to determine what was next for her. Though this event was cataclysmic for Jess, it resulted in big life changes for her best friend, Alison, and both their daughters as well.

This was a warm and entertaining story of mothers, daughters, and making big decisions. Each woman featured in this story was faced with some sort of choice, and I enjoyed seeing them work through their options as I awaited the results.

I think what I really loved about this tale was the idea that it's never too late for a fresh start, for finding the right career or the right person. Jess really had the biggest challenges. Leaving her husband of over 30 years would affect all areas of her life including where she lived and her career. That's a lot to deal with, but she was lucky to have so much support from her daughter, her mother, and her best friend.

Her daughter, Caitlin's story arc was great too. She had been going from job to job with little luck. I liked when she was in Cape Cod where she could really reflect on the life she was living and what sort of things she really wanted. she found something she enjoyed and excelled out, and without her snooty friends around, she was able to make decisions based on solely on her thoughts and needs without any outside pressure. 

Overall, this was a lovely story of female friendship, family, and new beginnings which I greatly enjoyed.

Have you ever visited New England?
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