Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber

Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber ISBN-13: 9780399181252 Hardback: 352 pages Publisher: Ballantine Books Released: July 17, 2018

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy, she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family vacations when Annie was a teenager.

Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit, thanks in part to the folks she meets: a local painter, Keaton, whose large frame is equal to his big heart--and who helps Annie fix up her rental cottage by the sea; Mellie, the reclusive, prickly landlord Annie is determined to befriend; and Britt, a teenager with a terrible secret. But it is Keaton to whom Annie feels most drawn. His quiet, peaceful nature offers her both comfort and reprieve from her grief, and the two begin to grow closer.

Then events threaten to undo the idyll Annie has come to enjoy. And when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in her lap, she is torn between the excitement of a new journey toward success and the safe and secure arms of the haven--and the man--she's come to call home.

In this heartwarming tale, Annie finds that the surest way to fix what is damaged within is to help others rise above their pain and find a way to heal.


My Review:
Cottage by the Sea is a heartwarming story with several sweet romances. Annie lost her entire family in a tragedy that left her adrift in grief and with survivors guilt. She returns to Oceanside because it's a place where she feels closer to the happy memories of her family. She reaches out to several other hurting souls in the community--a neighbor who is afraid to leave her house, a gentle giant who has been rejected and teased his entire life, a teenager with an abusive step-father, and others. Since we're dealing with hurting people, these relationships have their ups and downs as people sometimes reacted out of fear of future hurt. Still, Annie finds unexpected love and healing in the process.

The romances grew as people did life together--planting a garden, doing animal rescues, fixing up the yard, and such. There were no sex scenes. There was occasional use of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.