The Beach Trap by Ali Brady – 352 pages
ARC from the author, Berkley and Netgalley for an honest review
Book Blurb:
When twelve-year-olds Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill meet at Camp Chickawah, they have an instant connection. But everything falls apart when they learn they’re not just best friends—they’re also half-sisters. Confused and betrayed, their friendship instantly crumbles. Fifteen years later when their father dies suddenly, Kat and Blake discover he’s left them a joint inheritance: the family beach house in Destin, Florida. The two sisters are instantly at odds. Blake, who has recently been demoted from regular nanny to dog nanny, wants to sell the house, while social media influencer Kat is desperate to keep the place where she had so many happy childhood memories.
Kat and Blake reluctantly join forces to renovate the dilapidated house with the understanding that Kat will try to buy Blake out at the end of the summer. The women clash as Blake’s renovation plans conflict with Kat’s creative vision, and each sister finds herself drawn into a summer romance. As the weeks pass, the two women realize the most difficult project they face this summer will be coming to grips with their shared past and learning how to become sisters.
My Review: 4 stars
The Beach Trap by Ali Brady (nom de plume for co-writers Alison Hammer and Bradleigh Godfrey, is a delightful story of friendship, romance and family. This duo has a great writing vibe as the reader would never be able to tell it was co-written. Honestly, this is one of those summer reads that you can read in a weekend.
The story is redemptive, offers complicated family dynamics (totally relatable), summer camp memories and a stunning setting. Both Blake and Kat fall into romances that are sweet and had terrific, though predictable outcomes. Social media plays a big role in this book, from Kat being an influencer to Blake using YouTube videos to help her through the renovation. It was interesting to see Kat find her real identity rather than the one she portrays on Instagram.
Besides the well-developed human characters, the dog adds a sense levity with all the crazy names it was called. I could totally relate because I rarely ever call my own dogs by their given names. It’s wild how many owners do this!
In my opinion, it was the house that was the most important character in the book. It held core memories and its renovation symbolized second chances. I think their dad was smarter than his behavior because he knew these girls needed this house to create new, happy family memories.
I look forward to reading what next from this duo!
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