Title: Life’s A Beach
Author: Portia MacIntosh
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Publication date: May 5th, 2021
287 pages
3/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
Sun, sea and inescapable exes…
Peach is excited to hear that her sister, Di, is getting married. Of course, she would have preferred her little sister to be engaged to someone she’s known longer than a week – and the fact that his name is Charles doesn’t bode well – but who is she to judge?! After all, her own love life is non-existent, and who doesn’t love a destination wedding…?
Whisked away to the gorgeous Italian coast, Peach assumes her role as chief bridesmaid and, despite her reservations about the groom, she tries to ensure everything goes to plan.
But weddings are never straightforward affairs… throw in some unexpected guests in the form of ex-boyfriends and one night stands, and soon enough there is more drama than a reality tv show.
Can Peach keep the show on the road, or might she end up in a whirlwind romance of her own…?
Review
I’m a huge fan of Portia MacIntosh’s book so every time one loads on Netgalley I race to request it and cross my fingers. They are always so delightful and charming, set in the UK without being extra confusing for us foreigners who don’t fully understand the lingo. Life’s a Beach is no different.
Peach is a mystery shopper, paid to review brands by pretending to be customers. She meets Matt at the airport when her sister’s and his friend’s plane gets delayed – so she asks him to join her on her hotel mystery shopper experience that evening on a whim. One thing leads to another, and she wakes up alone in a hotel room – and Matt is gone. When her sister gets engaged after a week long relationship, and plans the wedding for the following week in Italy, Peach will do anything to stop the wedding – including inviting her sister’s ex to the wedding (not on purpose!), only to find out the groom to be is the man she lost her virginity to, and he’s you guessed it, Matt’s best friend.
Confused yet? Don’t be, there are so many entanglements on this wedding holiday which leads to hilarious hijinks, awkward moments, and secrets aplenty. Life’s a Beach is short but charming, and has several different romance stories wrapped into one book. I would personally rethink the ending, I don’t think it fits perfectly well, but that’s the only critical feedback I would provide. Just wasn’t to my taste.
**Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **
Happy reading, folks!
Baltimore Bibliophile 