Review: Sea Glass Summer by Miranda Liasson

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

Sea Glass Summer by Miranda Liasson
Series: Seashell Harbor #2
Published by Forever on 2022-06-28
Length: 369 pages
Reviewing eARC from Netgalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2022, 2022 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge, 2022 New Release Challenge, COYER 2022

A moving, uplifting novel about motherhood, starting over, and an unexpected summer romance…

Kit Blakemore is ready to live again. After her husband died while serving in the military, she was in a haze of grief. Now she wants to reclaim her former self—finish her degree and find a better career to provide for their sweet little boy, Oliver. To do that, she’ll need to sell her late husband’s dilapidated Victorian in Seashell Harbor. But first, Kit intends to give Ollie the kind of unforgettable seaside summer she had growing up, making lifelong memories and friendships.

Of course, nothing goes exactly as she planned. Ollie is struggling with his confidence, and frankly, so is Kit. But everything changes when her husband’s best friend, Alex de la Cruz, returns to town, offering to help her renovate. She doesn’t expect Alex to temporarily move in…or for him to bond with Ollie…or for her numb heart to begin thawing. Slowly he’s helping Kit and Ollie heal, and it scares her to death.

Kit swore she wouldn’t leave herself open to the pain of loss again. But if she’s going to teach her son to be brave and move forward, Kit must first face her own fears.

Love these small town romances! Sea Glass Summer by Miranda Liasson is the second book in her series Seashell Harbor, named for the fictional small coastal town it is set in. Each book in the series features a new set of characters and can technically be read as a standalone. This book tells Kit’s and Alex’s story.

Kit is a single mom and widow who is ready to begin moving on with her, in whatever form that may take. She’s ready to sell her deceased husband’s inherited home, return to college, and live on her own with their son. There’s only one problem to that: the house is a wreck and will cost more than she can afford to fix it up. Then enters Alex. Alex was Carson’s best friend and is still swimming in the grief of losing him. To make things right and take care of Kit and their son Oliver, Alex returns to Sea Shell Harbor to fix up the old house, but he doesn’t plan for old feelings to resurface.

This is a beautiful story of grief and its ever present fluctuation in your life. Kit is to the point in this story that she can remember her husband fondly without feeling overwhelmed, and yet there are still times that grief overshadows her and drags her under. Alex, in addition to losing his best friend, is dealing with PTSD that comes with being in a war zone. His therapist recommends that he do something to confront it and the house is his choice. While Alex and Kit avoid each other, it is the friendship that blossoms out of their shared grief that drives this story. The romance is achingly sweet here as Alex has harbored an unrequited crush on Kit since high school while Kit has always thought he didn’t like her at all.

Overall I really enjoyed Sea Glass Summer. Kit and Alex are an easy couple to root for and cheer on. I loved Ollie, Kit’s son. He’s feisty and a breath of fresh air, adding levity to the otherwise heavy topics. I love how Alex and Kit find each other in their shared grief. It’s heartbreaking and sweet all at the same time. If you enjoy sweet romance, I highly recommend this one.

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