For three decades, the Seaside Café has served delicious
meals to locals and island tourists alike. Kayana Johnson has moved home to
help her brother run the café -- and to nurse her wounds following a deep
betrayal. Between cooking favorite recipes -- creole chicken with buttermilk
waffles, her grandmother's famous mac and cheese -- and spending time reading,
Kayana is trying to embrace a life free of entanglements, while staying open to
new connections . . .
After striking up conversation with two customers, Kayana
suggests a summer book club. Each week, they'll meet on the patio to talk about
their favorite novels. But there are plot twists awaiting them in real life
too. For schoolteacher Leah, this two-month sojourn is the first taste of
freedom she's had in her unhappy marriage. Cherie, filled with regret about her
long-term affair with a married politician, discovers a powerful new passion.
And Kayana finds a kindred spirit in a reclusive visitor who's ready to make
his true identity known, and fill this summer with new possibilities . . .
Good book. It has two main storylines; both centered
around Kayana. She is a forty-six-year-old woman who returned home to Coates
Island two years earlier after divorcing her cheating husband. She has found
peace and healing in helping her brother run the family café and spending her
free time reading. Part of the book is spent on the book club she started with
two female customers, Leah and Cherie. The other part covers Kayana's unexpected
connection with Graeme, a visitor who is more than he appears.
The book club aspect was an interesting one. A voracious
reader herself, Kayana struck up a conversation with Leah about a book she was
reading while dining at the café. Kayana proposed that they get together once a
week over the summer to talk about what they are reading. A second customer,
Cherie, was also invited to join. All three women have issues in their lives,
which color their opinions of the books they read and discuss.
I was a bit put off by one of the women, Cherie, who was somewhat
abrasive in her interactions. She was frequently rude and often seemed angry at
everything and everyone. Leah also had her moments, especially when dealing with
Cherie, leaving Kayana to play peacemaker. Though originally meant just to discuss
books, the three women found themselves becoming friends and sharing their
personal lives. Leah is married, but not happily, and the mother of grown twin
sons. She has stayed in her marriage to provide a stable home for her boys, but
living with her husband becomes harder each year. She enjoys the freedom of
being on the island and contemplates her future. Cherie is filled with guilt
over her affair with a married man, which makes her defensive in many of her
conversations, even if they have nothing to do with her personal life. I liked
seeing the three women become friends as they shared views on books and life
both in general and specifically when it comes to their own situations.
The other part of the book was devoted to Kayana's
developing relationship with Graeme. He has come to the island during the
summer for a couple of years and was drawn to Kayana from the beginning, though
she didn't take any particular notice of him. However, this summer something
changes, and Kayana does take note of him. She's not too happy about it as she
was burned by her cheating husband and has no intention of getting involved
with another man. His betrayal of her trust made her wary of letting another
man close. Graeme is a widower of several years who was burned by a spoiled wife.
He carries a load of guilt because of the argument he had with her shortly
before her death. Besides being a math teacher, he is also a bestselling
author, though that part of his life is a well-guarded secret. There are sparks
between Kayana and Graeme though Kayana is initially reluctant to acknowledge
them. Graeme is more interested but is also patient enough to give Kayana time
to get used to the idea. I liked seeing their friendship grow. I loved their
cooking lessons, which were fun and relaxing. I enjoyed seeing them grow closer,
and the attraction between them becomes stronger. Kayana doesn't look forward
to the end of the summer when Graeme will go back to his teaching job. But he
hasn't been forthcoming about his plans, and when she finds out about them, she
feels betrayed. I liked that both Kayana and Graeme are mature enough not to
make too big a drama out of the issue. Graeme gives Kayana the space she needs to
process what she learned, and Kayana doesn't write off their relationship. I
liked the ending and seeing them come back together.
I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and
learning more about Leah and Cherie.
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