Andrews has set her latest on the Florida Gulf Coast this time. Greer Hennessey is a film location scout. Her latest search turns up sleepy Cypress Key - a run-down, sleepy little town off the beaten path that is just what the director is looking for. Cypress Key won't be sleepy much longer with the influx of the movie stars and crew. But not everyone is happy that they're there.....
Beach Town captures all the elements of a chick lit novel - love found, love lost and perhaps found again - Eb, the mayor of Cypress Key is quite attractive.... Complications in the form of misunderstandings, family and self sabotage - Greer has unresolved family issues.....And of course, there needs to be a sidekick friend, always a little 'out there' - CeeJay, hair and makeup maven. A dastardly boss with unrealistic expectations - movie director Bryce is definitely demanding. And lots of supporting players with their own issues and story lines.
I always look forward to the latest from Mary Kay Andrews - I like her warm, humorous storytelling. But, somehow this latest fell a little flat for me. It took a bit to figure out what it was that stopped Beach Town being another great read for me. And upon reflection - I didn't like Greer. Despite plot line developments that are meant to endear her to the reader, I just never warmed up to her. I found her self-serving and insensitive and I never felt like cheering her on.
Although there are lots of details about the movie biz, I found I wasn't overly interested - I prefer the books set on Tybee Island and the Outer Banks. Books that feature more 'everyday' people and situations. In Beach Town, those are the characters I enjoyed the most - Eb and his aunt Gin, residents of Cypress Key.
This latest just wasn't as heartwarming, heartfelt and humorous as I wanted it to be. Still, that being said, Beach Town was an entertaining read, light fare for beach chair perusing. And I will still be looking forward the the next MKA. Read an excerpt of Beach Town.
"Mary Kay Andrews is the New York Times bestselling author of The Fixer Upper, Deep Dish, Blue Christmas, Savannah Breeze, Hissy Fit, Little Bitty Lies, and Savannah Blues. A former journalist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia." You can connect with Mary Kay Andrews on Twitter as well as on Facebook.
2 comments:
Aw, too bad - I'll still probably give it a go.
Thank you for your insightful review. Not gonna' read this one.
But I do want to look for other books by Mary Kay Andrews. Because of this post.
Merci.
Tessa
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