Review: "Ocean Beach" by Wendy Wax

I really enjoyed getting to know Madeline, Avery, and Nicole in Wendy Wax's novel Ten Beach Road as they struggled to restore a dilapidated beach house in the hopes of recovering some of the money that they lost to a savvy swindler. I watched their unlikely friendship develop and I was a little sad when the book ended because I had to say goodbye to characters that I had begun to care about. I was excited to discover that Wendy Wax's new release, Ocean Beach, was a sequel to Ten Beach Road. This time the ladies, along with their entourage, are filming their new series, Do Over, for a home improvement television network and have been sent to restore The Millicent, a grand home in Florida with a sad past. They are not expecting the network to completely change what the show is about and reduce their budget to almost nothing, and they certainly aren't expecting to fall in love with the home and the home's owner, Max, as much as they do. As the ladies fight to keep their show alive while overcoming the obstacles that stand in their way they will find their personal relationships as well as their inner strength challenged again and again.

I really enjoyed Ocean Beach. It's fantastic that it can be read as a stand-alone book as well as a sequel, although I believe that it is best enjoyed when read after Ten Beach Road! The characters are just as endearing as they were the first time around and the challenges no less daunting. I enjoyed the continuation of some of the stories from the previous book and I really loved that there was a mystery thrown into the mix this time! Some of the new characters introduced this time around included Max, a lovable octogenarian who happens to own The Millicent, as well as Dustin, son of megastar Daniel Deranian, both of whom served to enhance the dynamic of the group.

At times I found the pace of Ocean Beach slowed down and my attention began to wander, but usually it would pick up just as quickly as it slowed down! My only real criticism would be that the mystery wrapped up a little too neatly. I certainly liked how the author chose to conclude it but thought that the ending could have had a few more loose ends. Ocean Beach is an enjoyable read and it is perfect to take along to the beach this summer! As you read you'll definitely be transported to Miami's South Beach and will wish that you were there too. My thanks to the publicist for providing me with a review copy of this book.