Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Ballantine Books (2020), 336 pages
Description
"Two sisters facing challenging odds must rely on each other more than ever before in a gorgeous new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber. Inseparable since the sudden loss of their mother as teenagers, Willa and Harper Lakey are perfect opposites. Quiet, demure Willa has always admired Harper's sense of fearlessness and adventure, but enjoys her peaceful routine as a caf� owner in their quaint, coastal hometown of Oceanside, Washington. When a handsome customer shows interest in Willa, Harper urges her sister to take a chance on love--something totally out of Willa's comfort zone. But just as Willa begins to explore the possibilities, Harper receives crushing news that threatens to bring everything to a screeching halt. Though the time ahead may be trying, little do Willa and Harper know that it will bring about the most beautiful rewards"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member alekee
I loved this book, filled with family and pets, and people who are there for one another, and a range of emotions!
We are given a young woman, Willa who had to grow up early when her Mom died, and help raise her brother and sister. She is sill "mothering" her sister now an adult, as we begin the
Journey with this family and friends, through smiles, hugs and finding love, through alcoholism, cancer, and loss.
This story brought smiles, and tears, but kept me page-turning, and when finished I wanted more! A don't miss read!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Ballantine, and was not required to give a positive review.
We are given a young woman, Willa who had to grow up early when her Mom died, and help raise her brother and sister. She is sill "mothering" her sister now an adult, as we begin the
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book.Journey with this family and friends, through smiles, hugs and finding love, through alcoholism, cancer, and loss.
This story brought smiles, and tears, but kept me page-turning, and when finished I wanted more! A don't miss read!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Ballantine, and was not required to give a positive review.
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LibraryThing member jbarr5
A Walk Along the Beach by Debbie Macomber
Love the dedication to a fellow author and how hard it must have been to take a whole year off from writing.
This book restarts where the author left off. Willia is a baker and lives with her sister Harper who has just finished going through chemo for
Sean shows up in town and he's a professional photographer. Love the parts of this work and where it leads him as I recall seeing the building murals in WA. He travels a lot overseas and when he returns once he has developed typhoid.
WIllia had taken care of him til he contacts his parents and he's on the mend. Her brother has proposed to Chantelle and they are to be married, women have been fitted for dresses the bride will design for them all. This sounds so cool!
During his recovery they are able to discuss his past life in baseball and she recalls the scene he had gotten injured.
Very emotional and sad book but things keep them both going. Very descriptive details going through cancer treatments.
Received this review copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#AWalkAlongtheBeach #NetGalley
Love the dedication to a fellow author and how hard it must have been to take a whole year off from writing.
This book restarts where the author left off. Willia is a baker and lives with her sister Harper who has just finished going through chemo for
Show More
leukemia and goes through testings every 6 months.Sean shows up in town and he's a professional photographer. Love the parts of this work and where it leads him as I recall seeing the building murals in WA. He travels a lot overseas and when he returns once he has developed typhoid.
WIllia had taken care of him til he contacts his parents and he's on the mend. Her brother has proposed to Chantelle and they are to be married, women have been fitted for dresses the bride will design for them all. This sounds so cool!
During his recovery they are able to discuss his past life in baseball and she recalls the scene he had gotten injured.
Very emotional and sad book but things keep them both going. Very descriptive details going through cancer treatments.
Received this review copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#AWalkAlongtheBeach #NetGalley
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
When her mother died, Willa Lakey, barely a teenager, she had to take over keeping house and raising her baby sister, Harper. Their brother, Lucas, enlisted in the army; their father fell apart and started drinking.
Later, when Harper developed leukemia, Lucas came home to be as much help as
Willa become the one who did all the worrying and all the caretaking.
When Harper has been recovered from her leukemia, and is three years into being a fitness trainer, the sisters are still living together in a two-bedroom apartment, and Willa has opened and is having some success with her coffee shop, Bean There. Willa is determined to have stability and safety; Harper has starting enjoying her new-found life with a variety of risk-taking adventures, including bungee-jumping and, most recently, a plan to summit Mount Ranier. She also dates frequently, though no guy lasts very long. Willa, in contrast, rarely dates at all. Then Harper tells Willa a new customer in the coffee shop, Sean O'Malley, is the man for Willa.
Willa is sure guys only have eyes for Harper, but Sean surprises her. He has his own reasons to be cautious, and it takes them a while before they manage their first date--a quiet walk on the beach.
But Sean is a freelance photographer, still building his reputation, and that means a lot of travel, sometimes on short notice, sometimes to places that aren't at all safe. That's a real challenge for Willa. Harper isn't wrong when she says Willa is excessively mothering, always trying to keep everyone she cares about safe,
All three are going to face some major new challenges.
For Willa and Sean, that's going to be whether Willa can trust him with her heart, and whether Sean can find the right balance between his ambition and what he wants in his personal life.
This is a warm, loving story, with convincingly real characters who don't get everything they want in their happy endings. Nevertheless, there is a sizable helping of "happy ending" here. That remains true even if you don't count the rescue dog, Bandit, and the cute kitten, Snowball, both of whom do make its safely and happily to the end of the book.
Recommended.
I received a free electronic galley from the publisher via NetGalley, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
Later, when Harper developed leukemia, Lucas came home to be as much help as
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possible, but their father fell apart even worse. Willa become the one who did all the worrying and all the caretaking.
When Harper has been recovered from her leukemia, and is three years into being a fitness trainer, the sisters are still living together in a two-bedroom apartment, and Willa has opened and is having some success with her coffee shop, Bean There. Willa is determined to have stability and safety; Harper has starting enjoying her new-found life with a variety of risk-taking adventures, including bungee-jumping and, most recently, a plan to summit Mount Ranier. She also dates frequently, though no guy lasts very long. Willa, in contrast, rarely dates at all. Then Harper tells Willa a new customer in the coffee shop, Sean O'Malley, is the man for Willa.
Willa is sure guys only have eyes for Harper, but Sean surprises her. He has his own reasons to be cautious, and it takes them a while before they manage their first date--a quiet walk on the beach.
But Sean is a freelance photographer, still building his reputation, and that means a lot of travel, sometimes on short notice, sometimes to places that aren't at all safe. That's a real challenge for Willa. Harper isn't wrong when she says Willa is excessively mothering, always trying to keep everyone she cares about safe,
All three are going to face some major new challenges.
For Willa and Sean, that's going to be whether Willa can trust him with her heart, and whether Sean can find the right balance between his ambition and what he wants in his personal life.
This is a warm, loving story, with convincingly real characters who don't get everything they want in their happy endings. Nevertheless, there is a sizable helping of "happy ending" here. That remains true even if you don't count the rescue dog, Bandit, and the cute kitten, Snowball, both of whom do make its safely and happily to the end of the book.
Recommended.
I received a free electronic galley from the publisher via NetGalley, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
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LibraryThing member Kris_Anderson
A Walk Along the Beach by Debbie Macomber takes readers to Oceanside, Washington. The Lackey family has had its share of tragedies over the years and now they are all on the right track. Willa has the bakery/café she has dreamed of and it is popular with the locals. I liked the strong characters
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the author created for this story. Willa became the “mother” of the family after their matriarch died when she was thirteen. She was there for her younger sister, Harper when she received her treatment for leukemia. Willa worries that Harper will have a reoccurrence and tends to hover. Harper is full of life and always on the move. She is training with a group to climb Mt. Rainier at the end of the summer. Harper pushes her sister into dating freelance photographer, Sean O’Malley. Loving someone is a risk because you never know how it will turn out. A Walk Along the Beach is an emotional novel. I thought it was well-written with steady pacing. We see a close-knit family and community that rally around each other. I found it to be a realistic novel. Life is never smooth sailing and that is true for our characters in this story. The developed characters had good traits and weaknesses. Alcoholism, illness, long distance relationship, and financial troubles are some of the problems our characters deal handle in the story. I did feel that it was rushed at the end and I would have liked an epilogue that showed how the family was doing in a year or two. A walk Along the Beach is a lovely story, but I do not feel it compares with some of Debbie Macomber’s other novels (especially A Blossom Street Novel series). I did like how Willa enjoyed walking along the beach to clear her head and how it felt soothing to the soul. I know I find looking at the Gulf of Mexico to be soothing. A Walk Along the Beach is a poignant tale with a cute kitten, a clever canine, a preoccupied photographer, a fraught father, and a caring community. Show Less
LibraryThing member marquis784
I received a complimentary digital copy of this digital book from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an unbiased review.
Debbie Macomber never fails when it comes to a romantic feel-good novel that is not remiss of life’s traumas. A book about family, friends, love and grief. Willa Lakey
When Willa’s mother died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm her father drowns his sorrow in alcohol. Not being able to rely on her father Willa becomes a “mother” to her younger sister, Harper and older brother, Lucas. Just as they are healing wounds from the loss of their mother Harper becomes ill and is treated for leukemia. Willa remained at Harper’s side through chemotherapy and eventually the road to remission.
The Lakey sisters lived together in an apartment where Willa remains ever vigilant of her sister’s health. Harper is a free spirit woman who has survived the unthinkable. She is extremely health conscious and works at the health club. Willa is relieved that her sister is doing so well but still fears her sister pushes herself too far. When Harper announces that she is training to climb Mount Rainier, Willa’s maternal nature once again resurfaces.
Harper encourages Willa is stop worrying and start living her own life. It’s when a handsome man enters the café that Harper becomes matchmaker for Willa. It isn’t long before Sean O’Malley is seen daily buying a cup of coffee just to see Willa. Although they barely say much to each other the chemistry is obvious to everyone but them. They eventually begin a friendship that is easy and comforting until a long assignment overseas puts their relationship to the test.
Life is always about taking chances and expanding out of our comfort zone. Throughout the grief and sorrow, the Lakey family has remained supportive and close. This will prove important as they are once again dealt some unexpected news which will change their lives forever.
Debbie Macomber never fails when it comes to a romantic feel-good novel that is not remiss of life’s traumas. A book about family, friends, love and grief. Willa Lakey
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has worked hard to fulfill her dream of owning a bakery/coffee shop in their Oceanside community. She has sacrificed over the years but never complains when it comes to her devotion to her family. When Willa’s mother died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm her father drowns his sorrow in alcohol. Not being able to rely on her father Willa becomes a “mother” to her younger sister, Harper and older brother, Lucas. Just as they are healing wounds from the loss of their mother Harper becomes ill and is treated for leukemia. Willa remained at Harper’s side through chemotherapy and eventually the road to remission.
The Lakey sisters lived together in an apartment where Willa remains ever vigilant of her sister’s health. Harper is a free spirit woman who has survived the unthinkable. She is extremely health conscious and works at the health club. Willa is relieved that her sister is doing so well but still fears her sister pushes herself too far. When Harper announces that she is training to climb Mount Rainier, Willa’s maternal nature once again resurfaces.
Harper encourages Willa is stop worrying and start living her own life. It’s when a handsome man enters the café that Harper becomes matchmaker for Willa. It isn’t long before Sean O’Malley is seen daily buying a cup of coffee just to see Willa. Although they barely say much to each other the chemistry is obvious to everyone but them. They eventually begin a friendship that is easy and comforting until a long assignment overseas puts their relationship to the test.
Life is always about taking chances and expanding out of our comfort zone. Throughout the grief and sorrow, the Lakey family has remained supportive and close. This will prove important as they are once again dealt some unexpected news which will change their lives forever.
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LibraryThing member HOTCHA
I have always wondered about why Debbie's books top the best seller list again and again, and this book stole my heart as I struggled with Willa's decision to try to step in her deceased mother's shoes and raised her sister and her brother since her father was so grief stricken! The sisters are
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totally opposite and when Harper beats her illness, she wants to take risks that she always wanted to do, but Willa has put her life on hold to nurture her siblings and she can't imagine falling in love! Show Less
Original language
English
Physical description
9.53 inches
ISBN
0399181369 / 9780399181368