Brenda Novak’s new novel, The BookStore on the Beach, Is told from three points of view. The prominent plot is the story of Autumn. Autumn’s husband has been missing for over 18 months. She has tried desperately to find out what happened to him but has been unsuccessful. On a trip home for the summer to visit with her mother, she meets up with Quinn whom she had a crush on since high school. Taylor is Autumn’s daughter. Her story is really a coming of age tale as she struggles with many things, including her sexual identity. Mary is Autumn’s mother. Mary has a past that she has kept secret for many years. Revealing those secrets could change everything for her family.

Although this story is told from three points of view, it melds together seamlessly. I particularly liked the suspense the author placed within Mary’s story. I found the characters believable, but I found the situations they found themselves in a bit too far-fetched. There was way too much “drama” going on for my liking. I have to say though, the author did do a great job drawing me into the story emotionally. The language was also too strong for my tastes. There is quite a bit of foul language and some of it is vulgar. There are some sex scenes and adult situations in the book as well. For these reasons, I would not recommend it for the younger reader.