The Cliff House

Starred review from February 15, 2019
Thayne (Serenity Harbor, 2017) is in peak form in this delightful, multiple-perspective tale of the entwined lives and loves of three women in a Northern California seaside community. Daisy is a serious and dedicated widowed CPA nearing 30. Her sister, Bea, is an artist raising a young daughter. They were raised by their aunt Stella, a middle-school teacher who rescued them from foster care when she was only 21. Each has secrets. The men in their lives include Bea's ex-husband and rock star, Cruz, who wants her back, and her best friend, high-school football coach Shane, who is staying in her guest house. Daisy meets Gabe, a famous photojournalist whose acts of heroism include rescuing a French bulldog from the cliff near her home. Stella, at 40, has raised several foster children and started a foundation to support foster families. Coincidentally, when she finally succeeds in getting pregnant, her widowed college love joins her OB-GYN's practice. Thayne skillfully interweaves these plotlines with just the right amount of glamour, art, and kindness to make for a warmly compelling and satisfying work of women's fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)