Title: Same Beach, Next Year
Author: Dorothea Benton Frank
Narrator: Bernadette Dunne
Published: Audio – May 2017, Harper Audio / Paperback – April 2018, William Morrow Paperbacks
Length: 9 hours 56 minutes / 400 pages
Source: Audio – via Library / Paperback -Publisher via TLC Book Tours
Summary:
New York Times
bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank returns to her magical
Lowcountry of South Carolina in this bewitching story of marriage, love,
family, and friendship that is infused with her warm and engaging
earthy humor and generous heart.
One enchanted summer, two couples begin a friendship that will last more than twenty years and transform their lives.
A
chance meeting on the Isle of Palms, one of Charleston’s most stunning
barrier islands, brings former sweethearts, Adam Stanley and Eve Landers
together again. Their respective spouses, Eliza and Carl, fight sparks
of jealousy flaring from their imagined rekindling of old flames. As
Adam and Eve get caught up on their lives, their partners strike up a
deep friendship—and flirt with an unexpected attraction—of their own.
Year
after year, Adam, Eliza, Eve, and Carl eagerly await their reunion at
Wild Dunes, a condominium complex at the island’s tip end, where they
grow closer with each passing day, building a friendship that will
withstand financial catastrophe, family tragedy, and devastating
heartbreak. The devotion and love they share will help them weather the
vagaries of time and enrich their lives as circumstances change, their
children grow up and leave home, and their twilight years approach.
Bursting
with the intoxicating richness of Dorothea Benton Frank’s beloved
Lowcountry—the sultry sunshine, cool ocean breezes, icy cocktails, and
starry velvet skies—Same Beach, Next Year is a dazzling
celebration of the infrangible power of friendship, the enduring promise
of summer, and the indelible bonds of love.
My thoughts: To me, Dorothea Benton Frank is just synonymous with summer and beach reads…she’s one of those authors, along with Elin Hilderbrand and Nancy Thayer, that has her usual setting for her books and it works. This time, I was especially excited as I have been to the Isle of Palms and even stayed at Wild Dunes.
For some reason I missed this book when it first came out in hardcover last year. I don’t know if it was that the description threw me off or I was just inundated with other books, but for whatever reason, I never ended up picking up this one. Now, a year later, I finally end up reading it – and I will say, at one point, I did think it was going to head down a road I really didn’t want to follow. But, luckily it never did…and I really shouldn’t have worried…as Dottie Frank is such a gifted writer, full of heart and compassion herself, that I should have known this story would be more than just a tale of cheating spouses.
I love the characters that Dottie Frank creates – there is just something about them that end up being memorable. They are so well-developed and relatable on so many levels that you just can’t help but want to keep reading about them, even if you aren’t so keen on the choices they are making. Deep down, you know they have the capacity for good and will eventually, hopefully, get there. And let’s not forget the one-liners and wit she infuses into her characters – this by far is what makes these characters stand out.
The family dynamics that Dottie creates are always so spot on. She really has a gift for delving into these relationships and not always making them so pretty and neat. She shows them like they might be in real life – messy and uncomfortable at times, yet also loving and fun at others.
This book ended up being so much more than I expected it to be, which is a good thing. I always enjoy reading Dottie Franks books, but this one just had a little more substance to it than I thought it would. It’s still a good beach read, for sure, but also gives a little food for thought on family and marriage. Dottie Frank has once again proven she’s still got it!!!
Audio thoughts: I love listening to Dottie Frank’s books on audio – they always come across really well, with the sass and vibrant characters. I’ve listened to quite a few, though this was the first time I’ve heard Bernadette Dunne narrate one of her books. While the narration was still good, and Bernadette did a decent job with the story, I have to say, I missed Robin Miles’ narration…she really does a fantastic job narrating Dottie’s books. I just felt that Berndatte’s voice was a bit flat at times and not as vibrant for the characters as Robin typically is. Still, it was a good listening experience and certainly won’t prevent me from listening to future books of Dottie’s, whoever the narrator might be.
About the Author: New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank was
born and raised on Sullivans Island, South Carolina. She resides in the New York area with her husband.
Authors Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Be sure to check out all the other stops on the blog tour and follow the tour on Twitter (hashtags: #TLCBookTours & #SameBeachNextYear).
Good to know about the narrator. I'll listen to a sample before downloading. Glad to see your positive review!
Her covers always make me think summer but I've yet to read anything by her. Too bad about the narrator switch. It sounds like this one wouldn't have been too bad if you didn't have the really great one to compare her too!
Sounds such a "fresh" bright read.