Goodreads says, "When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Cut off from her bank accounts and feeling desperate, Charlotte takes up an acquaintance’s offer to stay at a beachfront former bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town.
Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they thought they knew about the unconventional family they’ve created and leaves them wondering whether their coming together was a coincidence at all. Will the skeletons in the mommune closets help Charlotte and Iris reclaim their place in the Juniper Shores community—or shatter the sisterhood forever?"
Charlotte and Bill Sitterly appear to have it all in Juniper Shores, North Carolina, that is until Bill is investigated for fraud. His assets are frozen, his wife and daughter are kicked out of their beautiful family home and he is thrown in jail. Charlotte's comfortable world is turned upside down and now she has no place to go and no money. Thankfully, Alice Bailey, an acquaintance in town, takes her in as she has been known to do this for single mothers. She runs a "mommune" where women can get back on their feet and get their lives together after upheaval; that is just what Charlotte plans to do and it doesn't hurt that Alice's "mommune" is a gorgeous beach house. Charlotte has to find a job and plans to clear Bill's name, but there are many twists and turns during this process. Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey is a story about women, and found family, all with a touch of southern beach read charm.
At first, I thought Charlotte was going to be another vapid socialite, but there is so much more to her than readers first catch a glimpse of. Charlotte is an accomplished woman and should have no problem finding a respectable job, but thanks to her husband's fraud, things aren't as easy as they appear. She hopes to clear his name, but this may take a while. Alice Bailey, the owner of the "mommune" also has her own issues. She has been married many times and the town refers to her as "Black Widow." How can she ever move on romantically with that name attached to her? Plus, there is more to her story than readers initially thought. The last point of view in Beach House Rules is from Iris, Charlotte and Bill's teenage daughter. This provides a light narrative, but as things progress, so does Iris's interest in clearing her father.
While I love the idea of sharing a beach house, the whole concept of a "mommune" felt weird to me. I couldn't entirely get into it and it felt cringey at times. I also had difficulty with Iris's storyline as I didn't entirely believe she was a Veronica Mars type of character. However, I did appreciate the beachy elements of the novel as well as the excerpts from Juniper Shore's gossip page. This gave the story a lighter feel and reminded readers that in a Southern beach town, not much can stay hidden for too long. Lastly, Harvey did a good job with the various twists in the story; that aspect of Beach House Rules definitely kept me flipping the pages.
While I love Harvey's beach reads (the Peachtree Bluff series is my favorite), this one fell a little flat for me. But that may be just because of my hesitancy for a "mommune." I think readers who enjoy beach reads about strong women, found family, and the complex relationships with mothers and daughters will especially appreciate this one. Let me know in the comments if you are a fan of Kristy Woodson Harvey and if Beach House Rules is on your summer TBR list.
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