The Sea Glass Cottage

Favorite Quotes:<br /><br />… she had seemed jumpier than a bag full of frogs.<br /><br />Don’t make any jokes, but I really did fall and couldn’t get back up.<br /><br />We’re all afraid, Olivia… You can’t make it through life without it. The trick is figuring out that the thing you need is just on the other side of that fear. The only way you can reach it is by going right through the center of it.<br /><br /><br />My Review:<br /><br />While the premise of the story was interesting and topical, I struggled with this book and not that the writing wasn’t up to par, as the author’s writing style was easy to follow. My issue is more to do with my personal preference as high angst and constant discord just isn’t my jam, and this tale was heavily loaded with both internal and interpersonal conflicts as well as annoyingly stubborn characters. The storylines were relevant and relatable yet developed ever so slowly with considerable repetition and retreading of the five characters’ inner turmoil and protracted grief, which had me tapping my little foot while waiting for the tale to progress and the storylines to advance. It was at the 90% mark when all systems finally hit their boiling point and - Whoa Nelly! The secrets were uncovered and feelings were revealed at a rather furious and frantic rate as I thankfully hurdled toward that highly prized HEA conclusion. <br />

The Sea Glass Cottage is another wonderful contemporary romance from RaeAnne Thayne. This story covers the lives of three generations of ladies changing the point of view between them to tell the full tale.<br /><br />Olivia Harper is at a point in her life that it’s becoming obvious the hopeful future she thought she would have isn’t coming about. When Olivia finds out that her mother, Juliet, has been seriously injured she takes the opportunity to take a step back from her own life and head to beautiful Cape Sanctuary on the Northern California coast to help out.<br /><br />Coming back to Cape Sanctuary brings back all the memories of the past that Olivia had left behind, especially those of her older sister, Natalie, Natalie had been a wild and rebellious teen which did not lead to a wonderful outcome with Natalie passing away at a young age leaving behind a daughter who Juliet is now raising.<br /><br />The Sea Glass Cottage was a real page turner from beginning to end as you dive into the lives of the three ladies in this story. Olivia, Juliet and Caitlin find themselves confronting the secrets of the past and forging their new future together which made for an engaging read from start to finish. RaeAnne Thayne again showed wonderful writing that I’ve come to expect which made me fall in love with the Harper family and their cottage in Cape Sanctuary.<br /><br />I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.<br /><br />For more reviews please visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://carriesbookreviews.com/">https://carriesbookreviews.com/</a>

4.5 Stars: Olivia Harper lives and works in Seattle. She has a very strained relationship with her mother and her niece. She is also dealing with a bout with PTSD from an episode when she was in a coffee shop and the barista was attacked by a man and she froze and did nothing. She has taken time off work to recover when she gets a call from her best friend in Cape Sanctuary. Her mother has fallen off a ladder and has a broken hip. She needs someone to run the family business and Olivia hops in her car to drive home. She is not only going to visit her mother, but is hoping that maybe they can clear the air. Falling in love was the furthest thing from her mind.<br /><br />This book was full of strong female characters, yet they do have baggage and secrets. Olivia is a smart young entrepreneur who has her own social media company as well as working for a company keeping their technology safe and up to date. When she is needed by her family, she drops everything and goes home to help. She does not hesitate to jump in and help her mom, even though it is not her forte. She is a kind and loving person who wants to heal the rift between her mother and herself as well as find out why her niece suddenly has anger towards her. Juliet is loved by all. She is independent and does not ask anyone for help. It is very difficult for her to be laid up and have to rely on others. She has a huge secret that she is keeping from everyone, that is the cause of some bad decisions on her part, but she thinks it is for the right reasons. Then there is Caitlin. She is only 15, but she has a lot of teenage angst. Her mother died of an overdose when she was a baby, so was raised by her grandmother, never knowing who her father was. She has read both her mother's and Aunt Olivia's diaries and they are leading her to make decisions and take paths that may or may not be in her best interest. If these woman can finally share their secrets and work through the barriers, their lives will change forever. Throw in some male interests, some friends and neighbours and this reader wants to travel to Cape Sanctuary and meet all these wonderful people. <br /><br />This was a well-written, real-life story. I loved watching these three women come to grips with all the past and present secrets. As forgiveness and acceptance moves into their hearts, their relationships grow and love moves in. Once they are able to move beyond the hurts and secrets, they are also able to make room for others, which is when the romance finally blossoms. A beautiful touching story that I do not hesitate to recommend. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

First let me say that this cover is stunning! The inviting feel that it evokes is exactly how I felt about the book. In fact, I loved the cover so much that I’m in the process of landscaping my back walkway to look just like this one! ?<br /><br />If you are a fan of Thayne, then you will be familiar with some of the characters and certainly the community of Cape Sanctuary. Here we find Olivia, a serious and successful programmer who moved away from Cape Sanctuary years before. Her past there holds tragedy and painful memories but when her mother is hospitalized, she drops everything and rushes home to care for her mother. Here Olivia will encounter her past, reunite with her best friend and cope with her some-what obnoxious niece, the daughter of her sister whose life and death were tragic. Throughout the book we discover secrets held by Olivia, her mother, niece and even her sister. The Sea Glass Cottage is a book about healing, understanding, and forgiveness, as well as recognizing the strengths each of us hold within ourselves. The book, the story and the characters are beautifully written, engaging and entrancing from beginning to its satisfying conclusion. It is a story you will not want to miss. Yes, it is part of a series but, as someone who hasn’t read the rest of this series, I can assure you that it works very well as a stand-alone.

Let me start by stating that I generally love RaeAnne Thayne's novels, especially her Haven Point series, and I wish I could the same about The Sea Glass Cottage, but, for a number of reasons, I simply cannot, and the best I can do is give it a 2-star rating.<br /><br />I can usually read a novel of this length is one or two nights, but it took me a week to get through this one because I found that page after page after page, nothing of any significance happened. Olivia, the heroine, and I use that term loosely, was present during a coffee shop hold-up, hid under a table and dialed 911. She thinks that makes her a coward, which I found utterly ridiculous. What was she supposed to do? Attack a meth-crazed, armed lunatic with her coffee stirrer? Now, she's avoiding all coffee shops, and turning herself into an agoraphobic--having panic attacks at the thought of being in public. As someone who has had panic attacks since the age of 5, why she chose not to seek out a professional mental health specialist made no sense to me at all. Yet, when she learns that her mother, with whom she's had a troubled relationship, has fallen off a ladder, breaking her hip and several ribs, she takes a 12-hour drive back home in the middle of the night. <br /><br />Once she arrives back home in Cape Sanctuary, her mother is less than thrilled to see her, and her niece, Caitlin, daughter of Olivia's late sister, Natalie, is openly hostile toward her. Caitlin's mother, Natalie, died of a drug overdose and Caitlin was raised by Olivia's mother, Julia. Julia doesn't seem thrilled to see Olivia either. Olivia is there to work at and run the family garden center while her mother recovers from her injuries, although she knows next to nothing about the business, and all of this plus her fear of public spaces, taking leave from her regular job, as well as trying to run her own social media business on the side is more than a bit much. <br /><br />To add even more to the complications and drama in this novel, 15-year-old Caitlin is trying to find out who her father is using a DNA ancestry service. Juliet is falling in love with her widowed neighbor, Henry, who is 8 years her junior, but never expresses her feelings. Olivia is attracted to Cooper, who was her late sister's best friend, and who lost his wife to cancer years earlier, and yet not one of these characters ever really communicates with anyone else--the story, told in alternating narration, was little more than these characters dwelling on their own issues without simply being honest about what they are feeling and why. All of these characters had secrets they were keeping that they simply hid rather than dealing with them. I could understand Caitlin's need to know who fathered her, but her hostility toward her aunt, Olivia, was never really explored. <br /><br />It's hard to like a novel when you dislike most of the main characters, and when you think their behavior is utterly ridiculous, as was the case in this novel. I did like the only two characters who were open and honest, Cooper and Henry, but I found everyone else's self-doubt, incessant worrying, and inability to communicate irritating and frustrating. and this novel just dragged on, and on, and on, with no relief in sight until the very abbreviated HEA ending. In fact, had I not requested an advance reader copy of this novel, and felt obligated to finish it, I'd have stopped reading it by the time I was halfway through it.<br /><br />There are some glowing reviews of this novel posted here on Goodreads, and I'm sorry that I couldn't add one more glowing review to them, but, for the reasons I've already stated, this novel didn't work for me on any level, and I simply cannot recommend it.

Enchanting, heartwarming, and touching!<br /><br />The Sea Glass Cottage is a heartfelt, beguiling story that sweeps you away to the idyllic town of Cape Sanctuary and immerses you into the lives of the Harper family as they confront the past, accept the things they cannot change, repair fractured relationships, take chances, and embrace the future.<br /><br />The writing is polished and expressive. The characterization is spot on with a whole slew of characters that are relatable, multi-layered, and genuine. And the plot, including all the engaging subplots, skillfully intertwines and unravels into a big-hearted, hopeful tale about life, love, loss, family, secrets, friendship, misunderstandings, romance, contentment, forgiveness, and the importance of communication.<br /><br />Overall, The Sea Glass Cottage is a compelling, moving, beautifully-written tale that reminds us to always surround ourselves with those we love and live each day to the fullest.<br /><br />Thank you to Harlequin Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5<br /><br /><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/49256037.The_Sea_Glass_Cottage" title="The Sea Glass Cottage by RaeAnne Thayne" rel="noopener">The Sea Glass Cottage</a> is my first book by <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/116118.RaeAnne_Thayne" title="RaeAnne Thayne" rel="noopener">RaeAnne Thayne</a> and I have no idea why this author wasn't on my radar before. This book is everything I could ever want in a romance complete with love, laughter, and some tears. I loved the viewpoint switches between Liv, her niece Caitlin, and her mom Juliet and having them all added a lot to the story. Thayne has clearly been doing this writing thing for a while, and her writing is smooth and flows perfectly throughout. There were so many parts that broke my heart for the characters, but overall this is still a heartwarming read that will leave you with all of the warm fuzzies. I was thinking while I listened to it that it was like a warm hug in book form.<br /><br />The audiobook of <i>The Sea Glass Cottage</i> was lovely and it is narrated by Vanessa Johansson who did a wonderful job with the story and putting emotion where it was needed. I listened to this book in basically a day, and it hooked me from the very beginning. Even though there are some tough subjects and sadness, it is filled with a lot of hope and I enjoyed seeing how the relationships between the characters developed as the book went on. I loved so many of the different characters and this was such a refreshing read after a bunch of thrillers. I laughed quite a bit, and there was a lot that brought a smile to my face. Even though this is book one of a series it looks like the setting and characters have been seen in other novels by this author, but I didn't feel lost at all. Honestly, it just made me want to read more by Thayne and I am so happy she is now on my radar!

If you’re looking for a comfort food type of read right now you have to give this book a try! RT books provide me with the greatest escape and they always leave me feeling hopeful in the end and I think we all need a little hope right now. This one just came out yesterday but she has an extensive backlist of books as well and I can definitely recommend quite a few if anyone is interested.<br /><br />This follows a family of strong women as they struggle to reconnect. Olivia goes back home to Cape Sanctuary to help her mother Juliet after an accident and you also hear from Caitlin, Olivia’s niece and Juliet’s granddaughter. All three are strong, inspiring women with relatable and realistic issues and I adored all three. If you read The Cliff House last year there are a few scenes with the characters from that book which I always think is so fun for fans! Another fantastic read from one of my favorite authors when I need a feel good type of read, highly recommended by me.<br /><br />

THE SEA GLASS COTTAGE is a sweet contemporary story full of love that’s perfect escapism. It helped me through a very rough time when I needed to think about another place. Even with all these characters’ flaws, this world didn’t seem as messed up as the one we’re living in now. I needed that hope of healing.<br /><br /><b>See the review in full color at my blog, <a href="http://thezestquest.com/2020/09/16/book-review-the-sea-glass-cottage/" rel="nofollow noopener">TheZestQuest.com</a>.</b><br /><br />Olivia Harper witnesses a crime in Seattle where she lives, and berates herself for not being brave enough to help the woman attacked by a junkie. Staying inside her apartment with her comforting rescue dog is all she has been able to do for the last week. Can she come out of hiding and help her mom in her hometown of Cape Sanctuary, just because she needs her?<br /><br />Oliva left Cape Sanctuary when all the sadness there became too much to handle. Her engagement made it seem like her life was back on track, until they realized they didn’t love one another. Can she go back to live with her mom and her deceased sister’s daughter, even short term? Can they survive the secrets when they’re disclosed?<br /><br />These characters don’t make it easy for themselves with their misunderstandings, secrets, and stubbornness. But this story is all about forgiveness and moving into your next chapter, which makes it relatable and easy to understand why they do what they do.<br /><br />An easy read in a comfortable small-town, this novel is perfect for relaxing with a cup of hot tea in your comfy chair. Early on, I spotted one of Thayne’s signature unusual words. She teaches me at least one new one with every book. I feel like I’m on a treasure hunt every time.<br /><br />I especially enjoyed the garden center theme because it’s one of the many things I’ve done for a living that still has my heart. Once a gardener, always gardener – just a little slower but not less enthusiastic.<br /><br />I appreciated the relevance of social media and how it can help good causes. The characters were likable, even the bratty teenager who realizes her assumptions may be off regarding her aunt. I was especially happy about the May-December romance that sparks throughout the pages. There should be more older couples experiencing a second chance at love in romance novels. I thought it was a great idea to have three generations experiencing different levels of love at the same time. It kept the book intriguing.<br /><br />I was lucky enough to receive this book as an advanced reading copy prior to publication. It kept me occupied during a very stressful time, then I lost my ability to cohesively describe it. I’ve since read it again this month in order to write my review. Rarely a re-reader, I found this one just as enjoyable the second time.<br /><br />Reading a RaeAnne Thayne book is like coming home to old friends. The details of her small towns are charming, even when the struggles her characters face are often overwhelming for them. The best part? Getting more than one happy-ever-after in varying ages is pure bliss in this story. Three couples will charm you, and dare we hope for a young love story in the future?<br /><br />Available now in Hardcover, Audible, and digital format, SEAGLASS COTTAGE will release in Mass Market paperback in January 2021. Book two in this CAPE SANCTUARY series, THE PATH TO SUNSHINE COVE, is due to release in March 2021.<br /><br /><b>Review by Dorine, courtesy of <a href="http://thezestquest.com/2020/09/16/book-review-the-sea-glass-cottage/" rel="nofollow noopener">TheZestQuest.com</a>. A digital copy was provided by the publisher for an honest review. Thanks in advance for following links and sharing this review on social media.</b>

Olivia Harper goes back to her hometown, Cape Sanctuary, when her mother, Juliet, falls and can’t run the family business. She comes home to an angry fifteen-year-old niece, and her childhood crush, Cooper, now the Fire Chief of Cape Sanctuary. <br /><br />This is a story of healing between the Harper women, dealing with past tragedy, but also about finding love for both Juliet and Olivia. I do love a story of unrequited romance, and friends turning into more, so I loved both Olivia and Juliet’s journey! Caitlin had her own perspective and story, too. <br /><br />This beautiful story was set in a small town by the sea, a place that came to life, vividly described by the author so I could almost feel the sea breezes off the sea right along with the characters!<br /><i><br />A copy was kindly provided by HQN in exchange for an honest review.</i>