Book Review: The Guest House

By Amy Bromberg

For generations, the natives of Harrisport have watched wealthy summer families descend on their Cape Cod town, inhabiting the massive cottages along the town’s best stretches of beachfront. But when rich Southerner Tucker Moss breaks the heart of local girl Edie Wright in the summer of 1966, an enduring war starts between the two families that lasts for generations....

Edie’s youngest child, Lexi, should know better than to fall in love with a Moss, but at eighteen, she falls hard for Tucker’s son, Hudson—only to find herself jilted when Hudson breaks off their engagement.

Eleven years later, Lexi returns home after two years away studying architectural photography, just in time for yet another summer on the Cape. When Hudson’s younger brother, Cooper, arrives unexpectedly to sell the seaside estate after the death of his father and hires Lexi to photograph it, an unlikely attraction forms, and Lexi finds herself torn once again between passion and family loyalty.

Then renovations at the Moss guest house reveal a forty-six-year-old declaration of love carved into a piece of framing—and a startling truth that will force two women and the men who love them to confront the treacherous waters of their pasts. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I can't tell you how thrilled I was when Erika Marks messaged me on twitter saying she'd love to give me a copy of The Guest House. I got kind of giddy...well actually I get that way every time I get a book in the mail but anyway. Right before and after the book came out I saw many readers on twitter raving about it so I knew, one way or another, I had to read it.

It so happens that I've read a bunch of novels lately that alternate between two different periods. And to be honest I'm enjoying them more and more. It adds depth and dimension to a story, kind of like highlights do to hair. The Guest House is another one that jumps back and forth between present time and the summer of 1966. Right from the beginning the reader is swept into a a time travel machine which goes back and forth between two love stories. Erika's writing is rich and smooth, and the story is an utter delight to read.

It was VERY difficult to put this book down. Right away I was caught up in the characters lives and emotions. I loved the romance and fireworks between Lexi and Cooper. Let's just say I'd like to have a Cooper of my own. Don't tell my husband I said this though. :) I enjoyed getting to know Lexi and Edie as daughter and mom and individually. I'm sure many people out there have gone through what these ladies have gone through...or at least something similar. So yes, the characters are very relatable. I think the biggest part of the book that really hit home for me was the setting. My dad moved to Cape Cod in 2006. He first lived in Provincetown and and now lives in North Truro. If you haven't been to the Cape then unfortunately you can't understand how beautiful and tranquil it is. I literally felt transported to the sands and beaches of the Cape that unfortunately I didn't get to visit this summer.

The pages of The Guest House are filled with love, secrets, hope, and learning to trust and fall in love again. I'm so glad I read this book during the summer because it really is a fantastic beach read. I recommend reading it ASAP. Reading it at a beach will definitely make it that much sweeter.

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