The Secret Seaside Escape

Great story, well written.

Normally I love Heidi's books but this one just fell a little flat to me. It just seemed like characters needed to be flushed out a bit more. I was dying to hear more from mom's secret diary hidden in the kitchen drawer but she went pages and pages without mentioning it. Plot lines and party planning just seemed to stall and would drag on for pages and pages. I find it hard to believe for a 30 year old to walk away from technology. Dad showing up at the end was just way too convenient. There was not enough set up for the twist at the end. I have so much more to say about Sam, Hope, Tess and Joe but to say what I want to say would be to give away spoilers. I will end my review by stating I will donate my copy to Little Free Library down the street. Hoping someone else will not find the characters as flat as I did.

There are several overlapping plots, but I didn't find any of them to be difficult to keep up with, especially as they all ended up melding together quite wonderfully. Swain's descriptive writing, character and world building were refreshing to read about. I found Tess, Hope, Sam, Joe, Sophie, and all of the other characters enjoyable, well developed, and all likable. I didn't find one single character to be annoying, a rarity indeed! I now want to book a trip from America to the English seaside and have an idyllic getaway. This is a sweet romance, with no open door love scenes. There is minor adult language, which made it even more of a refreshing read. 5 stars to the narrator! Her voice was pleasant to listen to and her differing voices for the characters were wonderful. I can't wait to listen to more books read by her!

I read this book through Scribd and am glad I didn’t pay $9.99 for it. I found this book to be very predictable and most of the main characters unbelievable. There were too many times I thought, really? I wanted to scream at the characters through most it. I couldn’t believe how long the misunderstanding of Hope and Sam’s relationship went on especially since we’re to believe Tess and Hope had become such good friends. It just dragged on and on for half the book. Don’t get me started on how understanding and accepting they all were when the truth of the circumstances surrounding the crash came out. I’ve read a prior book by this author, Poppy’s Recipe For Life, and although not a perfect book, it was much better written and I enjoyed it. I almost think this may be one of the first books she wrote but published after she became a more successful author. I may read another book by this author, but certainly wouldn’t shell out $10+ for it.

I love Heidi Swain’s books and always look forward to a new book coming out. The Secret Seaside Escape is Heidi’s latest book and her 10th book now I believe (I’ve read them all). I recommend her to everyone as she writes such good books. In this book we join Tess Tyler, who has recently lost her mother and is finding that she is not coping with her high pressure job, which is simply overwhelming her. Her father is her boss and does not understand the pressure she is feeling. After making a shocking discovery Tess flees her life and goes to Wynmouth, the seaside town where she spent many happy childhood holidays. She rents a beautiful cottage there and soon becomes involved in the town’s community. A good looking barman called Sam, sets Tess’s heart fluttering and she finds more and more reasons to stay in Wynmouth and not return to her old life. However, things are never straightforward and old secrets from almost everyone soon are revealed, changing Tess’s life forever. This is a lovely book, I could not put it down from the moment I started it. Lovely characters;always a big point with me; I loved the character of Tess, a great plotline, with lots of twists in it, beautiful storytelling, and lovely descriptive scenery and location. Another positive for me was that the book didn’t feel rushed. We got to meet and know the characters, the plotline was not rushed so that everything happened at the end all of a sudden. My only complaint was that having finished it, I will have to wait months now till Heidi’s next book comes out.

If you've read any of Heidi's books before, you'll know that she never fails to deliver on a great story. Rather than stopping by our usually favourite areas of Wynbridge or Nightingale Square, we've stopped off at the seaside this time in the beautiful village of Wynmouth. And what a wonderful place it is. When Tess Tyler decides she can't take the stress of her high powered job working for the family PR firm a moment longer, she realises it's time to take off. Back to the seaside village she spent many a happy hour as a child. Until her father's business took off and he decided never to visit again. Favouring foreign, sun-drenched holidays instead. But Wynmouth is the place Tess remembers fondly, where she has the best memories of her late mother. Switching her phone off and throwing it in a drawer, Tess begins to unwind and hopes to reconnect with the locals. Tess soon finds a life by the sea suits her just fine, but thoughts of home, her job and her father are never far from her mind, and soon, her old life collides with her new, opening cans of worms and changing her life forever. I really enjoyed this read, likable characters, a beautiful setting and a great story. This book is very much a perfect summer comfort read and I really didn't want it to end. You know exactly what to expect with a book by Heidi Swain and she never disappoints. I'm a huge fan and very much looking forward to our winter instalment from this lady.

This was a very easy book to get into right from the beginning. I don’t always enjoy books written in first person but this one was well written. I very much enjoyed the drama and angst that the book provided and it felt a lot like a soap opera in a book which was exactly what I was looking for. The characters were very likeable (I particularly enjoyed Hope and Joe) and the cosy setting and community makes me want to move to the seaside!! The plot twists were good but maybe there was one too many. There were quite a few grammar issues in the ebook from Amazon (Sam was called ‘am’ at one point) but it didn’t spoil the book. I will definitely read more from this author.

I always love Heidi’s books and couldn’t wait for to read this book and I wasn’t let down simply fantastic and full of escaping from life and a very sunny read full of making new friends finding family secrets and romance. Very sunny read and couldn’t put it down simply a fantastic read. Tess needs a break from life she works in the family business and she’s recently lost her mum and her father is so demanding so wants to get away. She use to love going to wynmouth a little seaside town she decides to flee there as a cottage she loves is free. She takes what she thinks is her mother’s diary’s to read to. She loves staying at the beach and such a lovely community and she loves the barman Sam she suggests events to help raise money and it all goes well. She doesn’t switch her phone on as can’t cope with her father especially after reading the diaries and learning he had an affair but when she receives a letter from her father at the cottage she decides she has to leave but before she has time he’s on the four step and he comes out with a massive secret about the diaries and how will she cope with that then she learns there are more secrets about where she is staying. What will she decide to do stay or leave and how will her new friends react and will she find the perfect man for her now. A wonderful sunny summer read with great characters and simply outstanding read.

I am a huge fan of Heidi Swain, even though before reading The Secret Seaside Escape I had only read her festive books. The Secret Seaside Escape is a standalone novel by Heidi, although I am hoping that we are going to be able to return to Wynmouth in the future. As with all of the books I have read by Heidi, she creates a wonderful community within her books, one that you feel like you are part of instantly. It feels like you know the characters, as if they are your friends, and it allows you to become completely absorbed into their world. Tess is the lead character in this book and she escapes to the seaside town of Wynmouth, the location of her childhood holidays, from her stress filled life. Knowing that she needs to escape her current situation as well as deal with a discovery from the past she knows that the relaxed slower pace on the coast will help her to deal with everything. Whilst Tess is in Wynmouth we are introduced to a number of great characters, Sophie, Sam, Joe and Hope. They all bring their own element of fun and intrigue to Tess’s life as well each having their own story to unravel. The lesson in the story of needing to take some time and to slow down is clear from the start. Whilst getting lost into this book it allows you to do the same with the slower, relaxed pace of the book. Heidi’s books are a great means of escapism, and I can’t wait for my next installment.