Lighthouse Beach: A Novel

Shelley Noble

May 2018 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shelley Noble comes a heartrending and uplifting novel about friendship, love, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for our dreams.

What was supposed to be an idyllic wedding leads to an unexpected journey of self-discovery…

When Lillo Gray pulls up to Kennebunkport’s most exclusive hotel wearing a borrowed dress and driving a borrowed VW van, she knows she’s made a big mistake. She’s not even sure why Jessica Parker invited her to her posh wedding. They haven’t seen each other since they were unhappy fourteen-year-old girls at fat camp. And now they’re from two completely different worlds. There’s no way Lillo fits in the rarefied circles Jessica travels in.

Jess isn’t sure she’s ready to go through with this wedding, but she’s been too busy making everyone else happy to think about what she wants. But when she and her two closest friends, Allie and Diana, along with Lillo, discover her fiancé with his pants down in the hotel parking lot, she’s humiliated…and slightly relieved. In a rush to escape her crumbling life, Jess, Allie, and Diana pile into Lillo’s beat-up old van and head up the coast to Lighthouse Island. Once there, she hopes to figure out the next chapter in her life.

Nursing broken hearts and broken dreams, four lost women embark on a journey to find their way back into happiness with new love, friendship, and the healing power of Lighthouse Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

Ratings and reviews

Jess’ wedding is her chance to catch up with friends, celebrate and enjoy her next chapter at the exclusive Kennebunkport hotel. Bringing in her friends Diana and Allie, and reconnecting with a friend from her fat-camp stay, Lillo, gives Jess a reason to forget her doubts and move on. Yet, nothing is as simple as all that – Lillo is wondering why, after all these years, she and Jess would have anything in common, particularly when she knows that she couldn’t possibly ‘keep up’ to the affluence displayed here – in fact, she barely cobbled together everything to come. And then there’s Jess’ friends Diana and Allie: they know the Jess of today, and probably have more in common with her than she ever could, even after an unhappy summer together when they were fourteen. Diana and Allie are sure that their college-friend Jess is making a HUGE mistake, and although they’ve tried, in many ways, to make the point – they will be there to support her in her choice – even the wrong one. In fact, the only people who don’t think this marriage is not one to succeed are Jess’ parents – even the groom isn’t committed. Well, he is committed to doing things his own way when he’s discovered, pants down, in the parking lot. Relieved that they have a reason to run, the ladies head off in the van Lillo brought and travel to Lighthouse Island, to spend some girl time and help Jess recover from the hurt. Lyrical, lovely and fresh: stories are told and the women share their struggles, dreams and even secrets – certain of support and acceptance in this small group. Each woman brings her own needs and issues into the story: and their personalities all allow for connections to be built with one another and within a ‘girl power’ sort of group that is supportive, helpful and above all, honest. A lovely story that adds layers and nuance as each story is revealed and the connections are being built between them. This is a friends group that everyone could build, with the right intentions, and perhaps this book will give some pointers into doing just that. I received a paperback copy of the title from the publisher for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Lighthouse beach

About the author

Shelley Noble is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Whisper Beach, Beach Colors, and The Tiffany Girls, the story of the largely unknown women artists responsible for much of Tiffany’s legendary glasswork, as well as several historical mysteries. A former professor, professional dancer and choreographer, she now lives in New Jersey halfway between the shore, where she loves visiting lighthouses and vintage carousels, and New York City, where she delights in the architecture, the theatre, and ferreting out the old stories behind the new. Shelley is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Historical Novel Society.