Lighthouse Beach

May 15, 2018

It's a huge undertaking for Lillo Gray when she's asked to attend the wedding of her estranged childhood friend Jess Parker. She's not used to stepping out of her comfort zone and isn't sure why Jess invited her in the first place. It turns out that Jess has an ulterior motive--her overbearing parents are forcing her to get married, and she needs all the support she can get to stand up to them before it's too late. When Lillo and Jess's two other friends, Diana and Allie, catch on to the situation, they get Jess out of there quickly, and it's not long before the reclusive Lillo finds herself hosting three houseguests in her small cottage on Lighthouse Beach. What started as a mission to help get Jess's life on the right track ends up affecting each of the women in surprising ways. VERDICT The latest beach read from Noble (Forever Beach; Whisper Beach) explores the healing power of friendship, appealing to fans of women's fiction, especially works by Nancy Thayer and Elin Hilderbrand.--Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2018
Lillo isn't sure why she's even at this wedding. She hasn't spoken to the bride in years. But she and Jess were once best friends, and so Lillo borrows a van and a dress and heads for Kennebunkport. Within hours of her arrival, the entire wedding party witnesses the groom, pantsless, with another woman. Jess?although humiliated?is, well, relieved. The wedding is off, and Lillo finds herself spiriting the bride away with the help of Jess' college friends Diana and Allie. They need a place to lie low and avoid Jess' controlling, toxic parents, and Lillo finds herself driving them home, to Lighthouse Beach, where she and Jess were unhappy teenagers together. Here all of the four women will confront their pasts and discover new strengths and new friendships. New readers and fans of Noble's (The Beach at Painter's Cove, 2017) previous novels will find much to appreciate in this ensemble drama with fully realized characters and a vivid, enchanting setting. This is a novel perfect for reading on a beach, with or without a lighthouse.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)