From the publisher:
The Perfect Summer Beach Read about Found Family, Secrets and Betrayal on the Sun-Kissed Beaches of Malibu
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery comes an unforgettable beach read about love, secrets, betrayal and the family we’re born into—and the one we choose for ourselves, perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Mary Kay Andrews.
What would you do if you caught your brother cheating on your best friend?
While Beth is proud of her Malibu beach shop, Surf Sandwiches, she’s even prouder of her charismatic brother Rick, who rose from foster care through surgical residency. She makes subs, he saves lives. Life takes a turn for the happy after she finds out Rick is dating her new best friend, Jana. Then Jana’s handsome brother adds even more sparkle to Beth’s days…and nights.
But when she catches Rick with another woman—like, with-with—her visions of an idyllic family future disappear in one awful instant. Either she betrays her brother, or she keeps his secret and risks losing the man she loves and her best friend.
Love and loyalty collide with secrets and betrayal in this witty and emotional tale about the lengths we’ll go to for family, from Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling author of The Boardwalk Bookshop.
Beth is lonely. She has a successful business that she loves, a sandwich shop on the beach, but her only friends are her employees and her brother, Rick. Rick is a surgeon and doesn’t have a lot of time for Beth, but she always makes time for him. Beth and Rick have been through so much; they lost their parents and ended up separated in foster care until their mother’s estranged sister found them. Beth still lives with her aunt, and her aunt isn’t very close with Rick. Beth has spent her life taking care of her smart younger brother, and she loves feeling needed, but he isn’t always kind to her even though she makes excuses for him.
Beth decides to start volunteering one afternoon a week at the local food bank. There she meets Jana, another volunteer who helps train her, and they become friends. Beth brings leftover sandwiches from her shop for them to eat after their shift, and she learns that Jana is a single mom living with her brother, a widower with three young children. They help each other out while Jana works in medical billing and is going to community college with an eye on getting into a nursing program. Busy as she is, Jana doesn’t date much so when this gorgeous surgeon helps her out one morning, she can’t help but wonder what it would be like to date someone as kind as he appears to be. He has an office in the same medical building, and he stops by her desk every so often to chat. Finally she agrees to go out with him. and while she really enjoys his company, there is something in her gut that just feels wrong about him. She pushes that feeling aside and continues to date him.
Turns out her date is Beth’s brother, and when Beth runs into Rick kissing another woman, she is torn. He profusely apologizes and tells her that he broke up with the other woman and that he wants to make things work with Jana. Reluctantly, Beth agrees to keep his secret.
Meanwhile, Beth meets Jana’s brother Teddy and they have an instant connection. Teddy hasn’t dated at all since his wife died unexpectedly, so Jana is thrilled that he likes her friend. But when the truth about Rick comes out, it turns out he has way more problems than just cheating, and Beth is devastated. It costs her her friendship with Jana and her relationship with Teddy.
This was such an emotional rollercoaster of a read for me. I understand estrangement between a brother and sister as I have lived it for more than thirty years, so I also know that sometimes it is for the best. The ending happens probably a bit too quickly, but it ends as it should. Mallery delivers another enjoyable, heartfelt read about family and love. Don’t miss it.
3/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
BEACH VIBES by Susan Mallery. Canary Street Press; Original edition (March 18, 2025). ISBN: 978-1335402530. 384p.
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