Published in 2022, by Mira Books and made into an audiobook by Harlequin Audio narrated by Tanya Eby, whose storytelling skills are ideal for Mallery’s characters: Bree Larton, Mikki Bartholomew, and Ashley Burton, making it a great listening experience about three women confronting genuine relationship challenges, the ups and downs of life, which isn’t easy to figure out. The book is available on Amazon in hardcopy, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats, as well as at your local library or through the Libby App.

Mallery’s contemporary romance, told from shifting points of view among three strong women: Bree, Mikki, and Ashley, offers readers and listeners a complete experience. These women were strangers six months ago. By chance, they met while eyeing a prime beachfront property for their respective businesses. Because the space is too large and expensive for them individually, they sit down for coffee together and decide to combine their businesses: Driftaway Books, The Gift Shop, and Muffin to the Max, their resources to open The Boardwalk Bookshop. Becoming friends in the process is a fantastic bonus. The business is thriving, but their personal lives are not.

Bree’s unconventional upbringing and betrayal by her late husband leave her commitment-phobic, with the only objective to protect herself at all costs. Mikki’s amicable divorce serves as a security blanket, keeping her from moving on, until she meets a man who opens her eyes to the situation. Ashley and her boyfriend, Seth, are deeply in love, but they want different things. Ashley wants to get married, and Seth doesn’t.

Mallery makes it easy for her audience to get caught up in these women’s lives. From the Friday night get-together, champagne toast on the beach, to Thursday morning surfing lessons, to muffin prep or store inventory. Peeling layers, seeing how they support one another through nuanced and not-so-clear-cut challenges, made it a challenge at times to see the correct resolution. The kinship between the women comes through with genuine emotions, edges, and considerations.

When Ashley’s brother shows interest in Bree, she is terrified because he’s the first man to see past her barricades to her true self, and she can’t let him get close or risk getting hurt again. Bree’s penchant for running away when men get too close and her mantra that ‘nothing can reach her’ is a blatant, aggravating lie. Mikki’s naiveté towards her friendship with her ex-husband is understandable. As a divorced mother of two, all she wants is to keep things as smooth as possible for her family. Until she starts dating and the new man in her life wants a commitment, but she teeters. Why Mallery chose this route is nonsensical and could have been avoided. Ashley’s constant complaining about Seth not wanting to marry her got to be annoying. The couple’s impasse was so evident that stretching it out for as long as Mallery did could have been edited, tightening the storyline.

The book, with its well-fleshed-out characters, good storyline, and strong voices, is a 3-star read or listen.