Saturday, July 5, 2014

The Bridge Tender - A Sunset Beach Novel - by Marybeth Whalen



About the book:

Emily must realize that her dreams didn’t have to die with her first love. When Emily Shaw, a young widow, learns that her late husband's last surprise for her involves returning to Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to realize an old dream of theirs, she reluctantly embarks on a summer of discovery in the midst of grief. There, in the oasis of the beach community, she meets a host of townspeople with their own broken dreams and unexpected situations. As the island citizens divide over the fate of a nostalgic bridge, Emily happens upon a man who just may be the one to restore her faith in dreams, hope, and possibly love.

My review:

I enjoyed this novel about a woman learning to live again after the death of her husband.  I thought the emotions of the story were done well; we really get inside Emily's head to truly feel her grief and her struggle to move on and let go of her wonderful husband.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to lose a spouse you had such a great relationship with.  I loved the setting of Sunset Beach and how she gets involved in the locals' lives.  I liked how much she cares and wants to help a teenager she meets and how that all came together in the end.  I enjoyed her quirky friend, Marta, and her tendency to tell it straight.  The love interest was fun and who he was an unexpected twist, but I wished there was more to their romance.  The spiritual element was done well, with Emily wondering where God was in this to believing He still has a hope and a future for her, which is a good reminder for all of us!  This seemed to work as a stand-alone novel as I haven't read any of  her other books and didn't feel lost, but I plan on checking more of them out!  The story felt a little slow to me in parts, but overall I liked it and would recommend it for fans of women's fiction.

I received this book free from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

Check out the book on the publisher's site!
http://www.zondervan.com/the-bridge-tender.html

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