Beyond the Tides // Book Review

Hi friends! I know, I know, I'm supposed to be taking a hiatus at the moment, but I wanted to pop on real quick and share a book review! 

~~~

About the book: 

"When Meg Whitaker's father decides to sell the family's lobster-fishing business to her high school nemesis, she sets out to prove she should inherit it instead. Though she's never had any interest in running the small fleet--or even getting on a boat due to her persistent seasickness--she can't stand to see Oliver Ross take over. Not when he ruined her dreams for a science scholarship and an Ivy League education ten years ago.

Oliver isn't proud of what he did back then. Angry and broken by his father walking out on his family, he lashed out at Meg--an innocent bystander. But owning a respected fishing fleet on Prince Edward Island is the opportunity of a lifetime, and he's not about to walk away just because Meg wants him to.

Meg's father has the perfect solution: Oliver and Meg must work the business together, and at the end of the season, he'll decide who gets it. Along the way, they may discover that their stories are more similar than they thought . . . and their dreams aren't what they expected.

Bestselling author Liz Johnson invites you back to Prince Edward Island for a brand-new series about family, forgiveness, and the kind of love that heals all wounds."

~~~

My Review: 

⭑⭑⭑⭒⭒

After reading Prince Edward Island Dreams when I was younger and loving the trilogy, I was looking forward to another book by Liz Johnson. However, I may have set my expectations just a little too high. Despite some reasons for docking the star rating... this book was a light, fun, and a charming story about leaving the past in the past and savoring each moment as if it were your last.

On a side note: I thought it was super cute that the author dedicated the book to her father. Meg's father in the book played an important roll and he may have been one of my favorite characters in this book. So naturally, I thought it was sweet for the author to dedicate the book to her dad. 

Okay, back to the review. The setting was fun, I love learning about new places and lobster fishing was a career I'd never read about in fiction before! I also really like the cover (all the blue!!!) Basically, this book felt like I was watching a Hallmark... this is a good thing and a bad thing. For contemporary fiction, I find it's hard to pull in the deep themes and descriptive writing style that I'm drawn to in historical fiction. That being said, this book had a good message but I just couldn't get into it very well. I think it's one of those books that would be great for a beach vacation, something to read when you're in the mood for a lighter story. 

Meg Whitaker. From the very first chapter, she wasn't my cup of tea. It's hard when you can't relate with the main characters and there was something about Meg that had me shaking my head. I wish her character would have grown towards the end. Her behavior was immature and her stubbornness made her come across as less intelligent than she was. I did appreciate it when she took some time to spend with her mom and that was sweet. As a reader, I could see she really wanted to do the right thing, but she got hung up on the slightest details and a silly high school dramafied past that she easily missed what really mattered (and what was right in front of her!) 

Oliver Ross. I really wanted to like this guy. His story had a lot more depth to it and I was interested to see how things turned out for his family. Also, middle kids unite! However, the more I saw how he carried himself, the more he lost my respect. Their romance was over the top and eye roll worthy at moments (hehe, back to the Hallmark vibe). It was just annoying to be honest. 

Side Characters. I liked the side characters in this book way more than the main characters! I loved how quirky Kyle was and how wise Meg's dad was. I also thought Mama Potts needed more of a spotlight cause her character rocked! And Violet was also a sweet character (that teaser chapter at the back got me excited about her own book!)

Final thoughts: Other than the fact that the characters rubbed me the wrong way, and the plot was almost nonexistent, I did find this book to be a fun summer-y read and I could almost feel the salt water and hear the seagulls! I'd recommend this book if you are the type of reader to enjoy a contemporary romance with a fun tourist setting. 

*All thoughts are my own. Thank you Revell Reads for a complementary copy! 

What's a summer-y book that you've read this year? 

Comment below with your favorite Christian contemporary book! 

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse