Review: The Beach House: Coming Home by Georgia Bockoven

Genre:
Women’s Fiction

Format:
E-ARC

Publisher:
William Morrow

Release Date:
May 16, 2017








Synopsis from Goodreads:

Bestselling author Georgia Bockoven is at her powerful and emotional peak in this novel perfect for fans of Nancy Thayer and Elin Hilderbrand.

Unlock the door to the beach house…a place where life slows down, people come together, and love is the strongest force of all.

After you’ve given your baby to strangers, what do you say when someone asks if you have children?

Fourteen years ago, Melinda Campbell was fifteen and a half, pregnant and terrified. Desperate to protect her baby from a malicious grandfather and needed at home to take care of her own critically ill father, Melinda makes the most generous, heart-wrenching choice of all: adoption. Now she’s living the successful life her father struggled to give her, but missing her daughter with a longing that shadows every joy.

Jeremy Richmond knows the beach house the way a painter knows his canvas, intimately and focused on detail. His life revolves around his adopted daughter, Shiloh, the girl who’s owned his heart from the moment he first held her as an infant. They were a picture-perfect family until Shiloh was diagnosed with pediatric lupus and Jeremy’s wife walked away.

When Shiloh tells her father she’s tired of fighting her illness and wants to meet her biological mother before it’s too late, Jeremy agrees to find a woman he has no desire to meet.

From the moment Melinda and Jeremy come face-to-face, they realize their worlds will never be the same. Will the beach house that has harbored troubled hearts for decades prove to be the balm they need to heal…?

My Review

Melinda Campbell made the most difficult decision of her life – as a teenager she gave her baby up for adoption to protect her child. As an adult, Melinda more than regrets her choice and wants nothing more than to have her daughter be a part of her life again. She knows that can’t happen, but it doesn’t stop her from wanting it.

Melinda thought, if nothing else, she was giving her child to a loving family. It may have started out that way, but things didn’t turn out as expected. Melinda’s daughter, Shiloh – now a teenager, is suffering from lupus. The adoptive mother walked out leaving Jeremy Richmond behind to take care of their daughter alone. Jeremy loves the girl and will do anything for her. When Shiloh’s illness worsens, she tells him she wants to meet her biological mother. Jeremy reluctantly agrees.

The last time Jeremy saw Melinda is when she gave up her child. He never knew the circumstances behind her decision, but he never could understand giving up her beautiful baby. He wants nothing to do with her, but for Shiloh he will find her.

Jeremy and Melinda’s meeting doesn’t go well, but for Shiloh they put aside their differences.

This is the fourth book in the series. I’ve read two others in the series and still have one to read, but honestly, I feel each book stands alone. They do mention characters from previous books, but it’s more in passing than having anything to do with the current storyline.

What an emotional roller coaster of a book! This book touches all those emotional heartstrings. I couldn’t help but feel torn apart for Jeremy, Melinda, and Shiloh. All three are true innocents who have been tossed into an awful situation not of their making. I couldn’t help but route for it all to work out for them.

It’s a poignant, touching story with realistic characters. It’s the perfect “beach read” to enjoy with a nice refreshing glass of iced tea.

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Edelweiss. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.