May 30th, 2025
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The books of May are here—fresh, fierce, and full of feels.

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Wedding season includes searching for a missing bride�and a killer . . .


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Sometimes the path forward begins with a step back.


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One island. Three generations. A summer that changes everything.


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A snapshot made them legends. What it didn�t show could tear them apart.


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This life coach will give you a lift!


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A twisty, "addictive," mystery about jealousy and bad intentions


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Trapped by magic, haunted by muses�she must master the cards before they�re lost to darkness.


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Masquerades, secrets, and a forbidden romance stitched into every seam.


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A vanished manuscript. A murdered expert. A castle full of secrets�and one sharp-witted sleuth.


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Two warrior angels. First friends, now lovers. Their future? A WILD UNKNOWN.


Beach House Rules

Beach House Rules, June 2025
by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Gallery Books
Featuring: Charlotte Sitterly
368 pages
ISBN: 166807480X
EAN: 9781668074800
Kindle: B0DJKLGNZR
Hardcover / e-Book
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"Settle in for an Enjoyable Sun-Drenched Feet-in-the Sand Summer Escape"

Fresh Fiction Review

Beach House Rules
Kristy Woodson Harvey

Reviewed by Sandra Martin
Posted May 26, 2025

Women's Fiction Contemporary

Set in a small North Carolina Coastal town, BEACH HOUSE RULES by Kristy Woodson Harvey follows the story of a mother and daughter whose lives are turned upside down. When they find refuge in a beach house with a community of single mothers and their children, they learn that sometimes what you need in the middle of a life storm is a totally new perspective.

When Bill Sitterly is arrested for financial crimes, Charlotte and her daughter Iris are locked out of their home and their assets are frozen. Charlotte knows she has to do something, but when finding employment becomes a fruitless effort, she accepts an invitation from the black widow in town – Alice Bailey. Alice owns a beachfront house where several women have found a place to raise their children during family turmoil. The house provides structure, a sense of family, shared chores, and forced family time. Although a little unusual, Charlotte and Iris start to enjoy their time at the dubbed “mommune.” But Charlotte is determined to prove her husband’s innocence, and her daughter Iris has the same plan. As life whirls on around them, new relationships form, healing occurs, resolves strengthen, and Charlotte and the rest of the women learn what they need to do to move forward in life.

Reading BEACH HOUSE RULES is like settling in for an enjoyable sun-drenched feet-in-the-sand summer escape filled with female friendship and family strife. The story unfolds at a relaxed pace, inviting readers into the intertwined lives of four women—each on a journey to reshape her life—with Charlotte Sitterly taking center stage. The unconventional “mommune” serves as a compelling backdrop, used effectively by the author to explore the strength of the female community—without ever becoming preachy. An anonymous social media account based in Juniper Shores adds a clever narrative thread, offering playful summaries of recent events. Meanwhile, the financial crimes element brings a welcome layer of suspense, with young Iris stepping into the spotlight as she pieces together the mystery. The novel concludes with a satisfying twist involving one of Alice’s deceased husbands, neatly tying up the story’s many threads. BEACH HOUSE RULES is an ideal beach read, offering just the right mix of female friendship, family struggles, small-town gossip, a charming coastal setting, and a touch of redemption.

Learn more about Beach House Rules

SUMMARY

“Southern bestselling sensation” (Katie Couric Media) Kristy Woodson Harvey returns with a delightfully moving new novel about a mother-daughter duo learning to lean on their community of women—and each other—after their world is turned upside down.

When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Cut off from her bank accounts and feeling desperate, Charlotte takes up an acquaintance’s offer to stay at a beachfront former bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town.

Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they thought they knew about the unconventional family they’ve created and leaves them wondering whether their coming together was a coincidence at all. Will the skeletons in the mommune closets help Charlotte and Iris reclaim their place in the Juniper Shores community—or shatter the sisterhood forever?

“Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Jennifer Weiner” (Country Living), Beach House Rulesis a charming exploration of the joy of friendship, the true meaning of family, and reclaiming the power to reshape our own destiny.


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