Summer of Love Week 3: Coming Home to Seashell Harbor by Miranda Liasson

Each week Stephanie, Lenore and I will be featuring a Summer of Love review on our blogs.  If you missed Stephanie’s post from Monday, check it out at Once Upon a Chapter.  If you missed Lenore’s post from Tuesday, check it out at Celebrity Readers.

I am a sucker for second chance romances and small town settings. My choice for this week includes both. If you enjoy a sweet and steamy combo, I highly recommend it. Check out the rest of our posts from Week 3:

• On Monday, Stephanie reviewed Snow White Bride by Carol Grace.
• On Tuesday, Lenore showcased vacation themed romances and reviewed Stranded on the Beach by Noelle Adams.
• Tomorrow, we will be on Celebrity Readers for Zombie Friday, discussing episodes 3 and 4 of Love & Decay: Season 1.

Week 4 kicks off Monday on Once Upon a Chapter.

I received this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Coming Home to Seashell Harbor by Miranda Liasson
Series: Seashell Harbor #1
Published by Forever on 2021-05-04
Length: 385 pages
Reviewing eARC from Netgalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2021, 2021 New Release Challenge, 2021 Summer of Love, COYER 2021

An emotional novel about first love, second chances, and what it means to follow your heart from this award-winning author who "writes with humor and heart" (Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author).

Hadley Wells swapped her dreams of saving the planet for the glamour of Hollywood. But when a very public breakup reveals cracks in her not-so-perfect life, she returns to her hometown to reassess what it is she truly wants. Unfortunately, Seashell Harbor has some trouble of its own—including the first man to ever break her heart.

A serious injury forced footballer Tony Cammareri into early retirement—now he’s determined to reboot his life with a splashy new restaurant venture. He knows better than to expect a happy reunion with Hadley, but he’s determined to make up for the way things ended between them. Yet when Tony and Hadley end up vying for control of the town’s future, they find themselves once again on opposing sides.

As their rivalry intensifies, they must decide what’s worth fighting for—and what it truly means to be happy.

Coming Home to Seashell Harbor by Miranda Liasson is filled with the heartbreak of first love and the promise of second chances. Hadley Wells comes home for an extended vacation after a very public breakup. She expects to be able to lick her wounds in the comforts of home, but finds it won’t be so easy with her ex also back home. 

I like Hadley. She’s been living what she believed to be the perfect life in Hollywood, working for a PR agency and using the skills she learned in college to help others. But after finding her boyfriend in a compromising position with another woman, Hadley’s life flip upside down. Returning home is the only option available to her, but even home isn’t what she remembers. Her grandmother has had an accident, leaving her in rehab for the months that Hadley will be home with no one to run her pet rescue. Hadley takes it upon herself to run her grandmother’s business, a business she grew up working in and always dreamed of coming home to run. However nothing goes as planned, especially when the man that broke her heart comes waltzing in. 

Tony Cammareri has also come home after suffering a career ending injury in the NFL. With no career prospects in sight, Cam is struggling. My heart hurt for him. This is a man who had everything and now finds his life empty. He has no purpose, and he’s searching. His agent helps him land on opening a restaurant. Cam has always been interested in food and serving people, it reminds him of his life at home with his family. However their visions of the restaurant are completely different, and with Hadley back in town, Cam’s attention is divided. I really like Cam. Despite his treatment of Hadley in the past, he’s a good guy, one that it was easy to root for. 

Now for the conflict. In addition to overcoming Cam’s dismal break up of their high school relationship, Cam and Hadley are at odds. Cam has made a deal with Hadley’s grandmother to buy the rescue and plans to turn it into his restaurant. Hadley is determined to revive the place and believes that Cam is taking advantage of her grandmother. This puts them at opposite sides of the same fight. Both want what is best for their hometown, and both think they are right. Now they are forced to work together. I loved the tension this creates, but I love even more how their relationship slowly rekindles. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Coming Home to Seashell Harbor. Second chance stories are some of my favorite stories, and this one ranks near the top. Hadley and Cam are easy to root for, but the town is my favorite thing about the book. There are so many characters, but they all felt real and relatable. I wanted to live within the pages of this town. If you are a fan of second chances and small town romances, I highly recommend this one.

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