Divorced and approaching 50, Jillian loves being independent. She has left her native England behind and happily lives in a rundown beach cottage in Connecticut. Her college-age sons visit regularly, her freelance business keeps her cottage from collapsing completely, and a group of like-minded women create a family for her when needed. But when her first love reenters the picture, Jillian must come to terms with her history and decide how to move forward. Jillian is a charming and relatable lead whose friendships seem genuine, and the cast of supporting characters creates a gentle, realistic, humorous look at middle-aged life and love. Unfortunately, midway through the novel, a series of surprises, including buried family secrets of adoption and death and mistaken identities combined with the dastardly behavior of the novel’s three villains, begins to give the novel an overly melodramatic feel. Dana’s coming-of-middle-age story is a wonderful idea with a built-in audience, but the mixture of realism and melodrama keeps the novel from being as satisfying as it might have been. --Marta Segal Block
Review
"A wonderfully uplifting story about a woman on her way to fulfillment." —Katie Fforde, author, Life Skills
"A sparklingly attractive novel written with humor, brio and a refreshing unsentimentality." —Elizabeth Buchan, author, Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman
"Seduces easily and satisfies completely. Rich, funny, and loving, reading this book is akin to sharing a perfect meal with old friends. I never wanted the story to end." —Jeanne Ray, author, Julie and Romeo
"Maggie Dana has crafted for us a heroine who is compelling, witty, and refreshingly real. Beachcombing sparkles with sharp dialogue and richly rendered characters wrapped in vivid, charming settings. All this, and it's sexy, too!" —Kristina Riggle, author, Real Life & Liars
"Maggie Dana's first novel is proof that middle age offers no protection against vulnerability when it comes to love and lust. Fifty-something Jill Hunter is as vital, lively, and as optimistic about the future as any twenty-year-old." —Carrie Kabak, author, Cover the Butter
