Book Description:
I was so sure I saw Sophie on the beach that day. But it couldn’t be her. Sophie’s dead… Ever since we swore to be best friends at school, Sophie was there for me. When she married my brother, she became family. We shared everything. At least I thought we did. After she died, I was devastated. Everyone else has moved on, but I can’t. She was so quiet, those last few months. I’m sure there is something I don’t know… Now I’m standing on the beach we visited when we were younger, and there’s a woman with long blond hair a few metres away, playing with a dog in the sunshine. She turns, and I see Sophie. Heart racing, I run after her, but before I can reach her she’s vanished, leaving only footprints in the sand. It can’t be Sophie… Can it? And do I want to know, if the answer will destroy everything? A gripping emotional page-turner about the ways we lie to ourselves and how love and hope can heal us. Fans of Amanda Prowse, Liane Moriarty and Susan Lewis will absolutely love The Woman on the Beach.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Woman On The Beach' by Julia Roberts.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Julia Roberts, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 19th August 2021.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of Amanda Prowse, Liane Moriarty and Susan Lewis will absolutely love The Woman on the Beach'. I am a huge fan of Susan Lewis so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. 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 and 41 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧, Spain 🇪🇸 and Mexico 🇲🇽 ,North America 🇺🇸. 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.
This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective and the protagonists are Liv, Grace and Sophie. The benefits of books written in first person perspective 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. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of bith first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.
This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions that take you from Spain to Mexico to England all while sitting in the comfort of your own home. The cover and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly.
It is set over/includes multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
The storyline is about the friendship of three friends and the changes losing one can make to the dynamics of the friends left and their families. It is filled with friendship, love, tragedy, tears, secrets, loss and more, everything you could want in an unputdownable family drama. It was quite fast paced and it kept me constantly turning the page until I finished with it in one sitting. There were a few surprises among the way which completely shocked me and I was definitely not expecting so congratulations Julia as it is getting harder to surprise me. This is a book that you can read curled up in front of a fire or laying on a sunny beach. I felt completely absorbed in the storyline and really enjoyed it. The booking ended perfectly and the storyline also touches on some subjects that need to be discussed more which is great. I wasn't sure whether to mention those subjects both as a trigger warning as well as when I was reviewing the book. I decided not to in the end as I feel if I mention them it will give to much away. I hope I make the right decision in doing this but for those who have read it they will know what subjects I'm referring to and another congratulations to Julia on discussing these subjects as it may help future readers who may be going through this themselves.
The characters were realistic and strong and I loved meeting them. The friendship between Sophie, Grace and Liv is beautiful and I loved reading the dynamic between them before the accident and it was intriguing to watch how relationships grew and changed after the accident. Again, the problem I'm having is saying too much without spoiling it for future readers so I won't go into their characters any more than that. I absolutely adored Jamie and thought he was such a lovely guy and Liv was definitely lucky to have him. The fact that he is an animal lover makes him even better. Again (sorry) I have to be careful with what I say but I do want to say that I think 2 other couples were lovely and I'm really glad of the choices made at the end and think they were perfect. This wasn't how I felt half way through with two people in particular being slated by me in their choices and attitudes but everything was a lovely ending. I know that may not make sense if you haven't read it but if you do, and I definitely recommend you do, then you'll understand me.
Congratulations Julia in an absolutely beautiful but heartbreaking unputdownable page turner. I'm looking forward to seeing more from you!!
Overall a heartbreaking but gorgeous unputdownable page turner that will lift your spirits by the end.
Genres covered in this book include Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Mystery and Psychological Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Susan Lewis and anyone else looking for a beautiful family drama.
255 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle 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.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@JuliaRoberts @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio:
Julia was born in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, and began her career as a professional singer/dancer. This enabled her to travel the world in her late teens storing up experiences she has since included in her writing.
Following roles as a hostess on The Price is Right and a member of the Beadle’s About ‘hit squad’ in the 1980s, she became a TV Presenter and filmed features for Sky Sports before launching the QVC shopping channel in 1993 where she still presents today. Having always wanted to write, she penned her first book, a memoir sold on QVC, in 2013 and has since written seven full length novels, two novellas and several short stories.
http://www.juliarobertsauthor.com/
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Buy Links:
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Apple: https://apple.co/3tRBIKF
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