Inseparable since the loss of their mother as teenagers, the Lakey sisters are perfect opposites. Quiet, demure Willa has always admired Harper's sense of adventure. She enjoys her peaceful routine as a café owner in their coastal hometown of Oceanside.
When a handsome customer shows interest in Willa, Harper urges her sister to take a chance on love.
Then Harper receives crushing news that threatens to bring everything to a halt. Only by supporting each other will the sisters be able to face the trials to come. And though the time ahead may be tough, Willa and Harper will discover that the darkest times can lead to the most beautiful rewards.
I'd like to thank Rachel at Arrow Publishing for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour and for sending me a copy of A Walk along the Beach to review.
Don't be deceived by the gorgeous, whimsical cover of A Walk along the Beach as between the pages lies a heartwarming, but also heartbreaking, read that will have the reader going through every feeling and emotion along with the characters. Debbie Macomber is an author well known for her slow-burn romances, small town community and feel-good reads but there was so much more depth in store. I guess I should have twigged as to what lay ahead when I read the dedication and introduction from the author herself.
Sisters Willa and Harper have always been each others supporter although Willa is the quieter, more sensible of the two with younger sister Harper being the free-spirited one who wants to live life to the full rather than settle down. At first I thought Willa was an older character than she actually was but it's because of the circumstances of their past that she had to grow up before her time, she needed to step into the mothering role if you like to support the rest of her family.
I have to confess there were times that I could feel myself getting really frustrated with Willa with the way she was treating everyone, especially Sean, but then I realised that this was her introspective way of coping with her fears and emotions. She's always been a solitary person so she struggled to open up and share the burden with others who wanted to be there for her. At the same time there were times I thought Harper was completely selfish in not taking anything too seriously but this was her own way of dealing with the situation she found herself in.
One of the things I enjoy when reading a Debbie Macomber book is the community feel that she evokes so it was great to be back in the familiar setting of Oceanside so I could visualise the much needed solace that the beach provided when it was needed, a place to go and vent frustrations and let the tears flow when needed. And of course it was lovely to have a reunion of sorts with old friends, Annie and Keaton and Mellie and Preston, albeit in the background.
I was actually quite surprised at how emotive a read this book actually was, I certainly didn't expect to go through the wringer as much as I did and I can honestly say there was one particular moment that definitely had me welling up and it's very rare that I physically cry when I read a book. Make sure you have tissues ready if you choose to add A Walk along the Beach as part of your reading this Summer.
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