Book Description
As mothers we never dare to delve into our worst-nightmare scenarios. What if… we might murmur to each other, and then shake our heads, telling ourselves it’ll never happen to us if we’re just good enough mothers. Yet here we are. And the steady beep of the heart monitor is the only evidence the child in front of us is alive…
It’s Labor Day weekend, so of course we went to the beach. Like we do every year. For a barbecue picnic with my best friend Rose. It’s the perfect tradition—drinks, games, burgers, music, laughter. Together with our husbands, my two teenage sons and her two daughters, we all arrived as the sun was still shimmering over the water, the whole evening ahead of us.
But nothing goes to plan. Old secrets emerge, tempers flare. And so we parents decide to leave the beach, telling the teenagers to enjoy themselves, reassuring them someone will be back to collect them in an hour or two.
But when I return a little while later, I know something is really wrong. Our teens are slurring their words, stumbling to the car. It’s clear they have been drinking and I’m shocked. I never expected our kids to behave this way. I’m bracing myself to have firm words with them in the morning, but the next day my concerns fade to nothing, when seventeen-year-old Bella claims my son Finn assaulted her.
Finn insists he would never do that. And I so want to believe him. Because I brought my son up right. Because a mother would know, wouldn’t she?
What I don’t know is that the answer to what happened that night on the beach may be a matter of life and death for one of our beloved children…
An absolutely heartbreaking story about friendship, parenting and betrayal. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes and Susan Lewis.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'That Night At The Beach' by Kate Hewitt.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Kate Hewitt, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 19th January 2023.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author. I have also read 'My Daughter's Mistake', 'When We Were Innocent', 'The Child I Never Had' and 'The Wife's Promise' which I would highly recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'An absolutely heartbreaking story about friendship, parenting and betrayal. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes and Susan Lewis.' I am a fan of Jodi Picoult and Jojo Moyes so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a HUGE fan of Kate Hewitt and if this is half as good as 'My Daughter's Mistake', 'When We Were Innocent', 'The Wife's Promise' and 'The Child I Never Had' it is bound to be an addictive read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 26 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in and England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.I have actually holidayed in Cumbria so am intrigued to see if I recognise places based on anywhere I visited while there.
This book is written in first person perspective and the protagonists are Cara and Rose. The benefits of books written in first person perspective with multiple protagonists are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.
'That Night At The Beach' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Kate discusses/includes
WOW!!!! What can I say?!?! One thing I have got to say before getting into my review is clear your schedules and grab the tissues as you will need them!!!
This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions setting the picture perfectly in the readers mind. The title, description and cover works perfectly with the storyline.
This book is devastatingly heartbreaking and beautiful. It is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions filled with heartbreak, anger, family, love, loss, secrets, friendship and so much more. It is one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read and I was questioning myself throughout this heartbreaking storyline. I questioned myself who I believed throughout going from believing Bella was telling the truth to that Finn was telling the truth. I really felt for both Cara and Rose being a mother myself this would be one of my worse nightmares. Kate's writing and descriptions are so evocative I really felt I was right next to both Cara and Rose throughout. Reading this book really does make you feel that you are standing with them and going through their pain, love, and suffering. While you are reading this you are going through a journey of love and loss, heartbreak, secrets, love, and anger and so, so much more. It really is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I was utterly glued to the pages and I could not bring myself to put it down. I was carrying my phone to read it in kindle every chance that I got. I was completely mind blown at the end. You need to clear your schedules and get the tissues at the ready because you will not be able to put this book down. There are some tough topics are explored with realism and sensitivity, that all culminated in a very gripping and powerful page turner. This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time and although it could be a difficult read at times with emotions running high I would seriously recommend it to anyone and everyone!!
The characters are strong, realistic and I became completely invested in both Rose and Cara. I felt each of their pain, heartbreak, anger, sorrow and so much more My heart broke for each of them who went through so much change and more (but I can't say more as I don't want to spoil the storyline for anyone) . Although it was mainly through Jane and Alice's eyes that the story unfolds there are several many other characters that were affected by everything that was going on. I enjoyed getting an inside look into their family lives and relationships with their husbands, children, as well as sibling interactions, that added another layer to the story. Kate does an absolutely amazing job of bringing the story to life and the characters leap out of the pages as your turning them. It is so hard to say what I feel about the characters without giving anything away. I won't say anymore about the characters as I don't want to go into too much detail at the risk of spoiling it for other readers but yet again Kate has done another amazing job at bringing each of the characters to life. Well done Kate!!!
Congratulations Kate on yet another absolutely gorgeous, heartbreaking beautiful book!!! I am looking forward to reading more of your previous and future books. I would absolutely love to see this book turned into a movie!!! This is why you are on my favourite author list and here's to your next success 🥂
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and first two chapter in Kate's 'The Secrets We Keep' which is promising to be just as addictive as this book!
Overall an absolutely unputdownable, thought provoking, addictive and compelling devastatingly beautiful heartbreaking book!!!
Genres covered in this book include Thriller, Psychological Literary Fiction, Sagas, Mystery, General Fiction, Suspense, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Women's Sagas and Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal. Susan Lewis, Jojo Moyes, Debbie Macomber, Amanda Prowse, Diane Chamberlain and anyone who loves a page turner.
398 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) and £8.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.
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Purchase Links
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Audio:
Listen to a sample here: https://soundcloud.com/bookouture/that-night-at-the-beach-by-kate-hewitt-narrated-by-tara-ward-and-amelia-sciandra
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