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bookish_leslie's review
2.75
I was sold on "The Parent Trap" comparisons, but Kat's character really ruined this book for me.
But first, Blake. All of my stars are for Blake. She made a couple of questionable choices(ahem: breaking up with Noah after Kat’s hissy fit at the restaurant, for example) , but overall I liked her, sympathized with her character, and admired her relationship with her grandpa, as well as her resilience, work ethic, and ability to stay respectful and calm in response to Kat’s temper tantrums.
But first, Blake. All of my stars are for Blake. She made a couple of questionable choices
Okay, now Kat. She pissed me off. In fact, I consistently wanted to punch her in the face. She was selfish, shallow, entitled, bratty, cruel, and insufferably immature and childish. Misunderstanding something when you're 12 is one thing, but to be almost 30 and still relying on assumptions and old stories while lacking any kind of critical thinking or perspective taking skills? And then screaming at someone...repeatedly...because of those assumptions? Really? Say what you will about projection, I was honestly just embarrassed for, and enraged by, her. Are there actually people like this in real life? Please say no…
I couldn't even get on board with Kat's character arc because her changes came out of left field and were so abrupt that they felt very jarring and completely unnatural and unbelievable.
This actually brings me to another issue I had with this book, which is that there was way too much happening to really do any of it justice. We had the best friends to half-sisters rivalry, the douchebag dad storyline, plus the grief and complicated feelings over his death, the beach house fixer upper, the grandpa with Alzheimer's, not one, but two romances, and some self-discovery stuff, among other things. All of these plot lines were interesting and had the potential to be something great, but there wasn’t enough time to properly develop, explore, or explain any of them. Unfortunately that meant there was a lot of telling vs. showing, and the characters metaphorically got from point a to point b at the snap of a finger, without describing or explaining how they got there. Each plot line felt rushed, skipped over, and incomplete.
Let's just say that this book obviously wasn't for me and leave it at that. To end on a positive note, I did love the setting in Destin, Florida. It had all of the summer beach vibes.
What To Expect:
- Dual POV
- Beach vibes
- Sibling rivalry / sisters
- Forced proximity
- Miscommunication
- Social media influencer
- Fixer upper
- 2x romances
- Cheesy pet talk
Themes: Sisterhood, family dynamics, home, belonging, forgiveness, healing, identity, self-discovery
Spice: 3🌶️
Open door / steamy scenes with explicit language and detailed descriptions, but not the central focus of the book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Cancer and Car accident
thewellreadlabrador's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
Minor: Dementia and Car accident
jennastopreading's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing and Car accident
Minor: Cancer
nadiaherondale's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This moved me in ways I wasn't expecting, the grief, the betrayal both of the sisters feel, the anger and sadness every single emotion was portrayed so beautifully. And both Blake and Kat who were so different learned to love each other again, it was amazing. A great read although there were a bit of cringey moments with both love interests and sometimes Kat who at first was intensely annoying. About the plot, I loved the dual POV which allows to know how each protagonist feels although sometimes I felt that in the romance department we got way more of Blake than of Kat, which I didn't mind at first (because as I said I found her a bit annoying as she was always in the same discourse about hating Blake) but I liked that in the end other aspects of her where more explored. Overall I'm excited to read more from Ali Brady
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Car accident and Pregnancy
lit_with_lauren's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Death of parent
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Dementia, and Car accident
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Out June 14, 2022 [Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]
Rating: 4/5 stars
Fifteen years after a budding friendship ended in an implosive revelation, Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill are unexpectedly thrust back into one another’s lives—enter lots of drama, a crumbling beach house, some swoon-worthy love interests, and one adorable dog, all of which combine for a thoroughly fun rom-com.
The Beach Trap has been one of my most-anticipated reads of the summer for a while now, so I’m still screaming that I got an eARC. As expected, it did not disappoint in the slightest. This book is funny, heartwarming, beachy, swoony, and basically everything you could want from a summertime rom-com. I loved the dual POV and appreciated the small plot twists (I saw them coming but was a-okay with that) along the way. Most of all, I adored both love interests (Noah is my newest book boyfriend, I love him and he’s perfect and that’s just it) and especially loved the emphasis on healthy relationships and communication that permeated this entire novel.
Even though the POV is technically evenly split, there were times where I felt we got a bit more of Blake (and Blake/Noah) than we did of Kat (and Kat/Henry). That might have been my own bias (is it clear yet that I love Noah?) but it also worked for the story and for the characters, so I wasn’t too upset about it. Some of the ending also felt a smidge “easy”—but, again, it was refreshing to have character growth and communication instead of angst and toxicity (which all-too-often accompanies the third act of a romance novel), so really I’m being so nitpicky here.
Bottom line: this is a good one and you should read it. I already cannot WAIT for Ali Brady book two, which I hear is coming in 2023! 👀
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: dual romances; beachy rom-coms; sisterly love and female friendships.
CW: Infidelity; abandonment; dementia; grief/death of parent.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Fifteen years after a budding friendship ended in an implosive revelation, Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill are unexpectedly thrust back into one another’s lives—enter lots of drama, a crumbling beach house, some swoon-worthy love interests, and one adorable dog, all of which combine for a thoroughly fun rom-com.
The Beach Trap has been one of my most-anticipated reads of the summer for a while now, so I’m still screaming that I got an eARC. As expected, it did not disappoint in the slightest. This book is funny, heartwarming, beachy, swoony, and basically everything you could want from a summertime rom-com. I loved the dual POV and appreciated the small plot twists (I saw them coming but was a-okay with that) along the way. Most of all, I adored both love interests (Noah is my newest book boyfriend, I love him and he’s perfect and that’s just it) and especially loved the emphasis on healthy relationships and communication that permeated this entire novel.
Even though the POV is technically evenly split, there were times where I felt we got a bit more of Blake (and Blake/Noah) than we did of Kat (and Kat/Henry). That might have been my own bias (is it clear yet that I love Noah?) but it also worked for the story and for the characters, so I wasn’t too upset about it. Some of the ending also felt a smidge “easy”—but, again, it was refreshing to have character growth and communication instead of angst and toxicity (which all-too-often accompanies the third act of a romance novel), so really I’m being so nitpicky here.
Bottom line: this is a good one and you should read it. I already cannot WAIT for Ali Brady book two, which I hear is coming in 2023! 👀
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: dual romances; beachy rom-coms; sisterly love and female friendships.
CW: Infidelity; abandonment; dementia; grief/death of parent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Car accident
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