Jenny Colgan is my go-to author when I need some escapism and this book was no different. I couldn't fault it if I'm being perfectly honest.

I loved being back in Flora's world and catching up with all the familiar characters. Jenny Colgan's books are always five star reads for me and this was no different

I am not going to repeat the synopsis as it's available both above and online for everyone to see so there is no point repeating it in my review. What I will say is that I was thrilled to be back with Flora and Joel, Lorna, Saif, Fintan and Colton. This could certainly be read as a standalone book, but having read the first one and the short story I really felt it was a good introduction to all the people involved.

Although Flora is a large chunk of this story, thankfully we got to see Saif and Lorna a lot more and their story develops giving the reader a real insight into his life. I also absolutely lobed the story featuring Colton and will say no more for fear of spoilers. I managed to finish this in just a day and a half and once more was a little sad to see the end of the story. Thankfully I have discovered there is an additional release following on from this named An Island Christmas and I cannot wait to get started.  

Jenny Colgan rarely fails to disappoint and this book is no exception to that rule. A warm and heartfelt story about the islanders of Mure and one that I would highly recommend.

I generally really enjoy Jenny Colgan's books; they are original, full of great characters and strong storylines...but this one didn't quite meet the mark for me - other opinions will of course differ - but personally I kept expecting something to happen, some climatic moment; but for me, it didn't, and I was left feeling dissatisfied with the ending.
For this reason, I give this book 3 stars.



I have also posted on Amazon UK, but the processing of the link was slow.

The Endless Beach is the follow up to The Summer Seaside Kitchen and I read them back to back in January. It was a cold miserable day and Jenny Colgan is always a good way to counteract that, her books are like hugs, blankets and cups of hot chocolate!

The series follows Flora, who moves back to the remote Scottish island of Mure after living in London. I won't go into the plot too much, in case the first book get spoiled. I did prefer the first book, probably because this book follows a lot of Colgan's 2nd book a series, where there's just a bit too much anxiety and chaos going on. The book doesn't just follow Flora and her romantic interest though, the stories branch out to a lot more of the characters and it was nice to see these secondary characters get more fleshed out. The atmosphere of the island is lovely, Colgan does a great job of making you want to head off to this Scottish island! I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series too, it's set at Christmas which I can't wait to read over the holidays!

Sorry, this book was a bit to slow for me and I gave up half way through. I liked the characters, it just didn't seem to go anywhere for me.

I really enjoyed this book, I didn't realise it was a second book in a series though, sweet little romance and well written

Sorry I just could not get into this book. I found the characters a bit boring and the story was dragging a bit. Shame because I usually like books like this

What a lovely hear-warming story! A great holiday read. Looking forward to reading other Jenny Colgan's books as I really enjoyed this one.

Review: The Endless Beach is another amazing read by Jenny Colgan. Her books bring light to dark day for me a heart warming easy read that you can get totally lost in. On turning the first page you are lost to her words and on resurfaces on you have read the last word. 

A story filled with characters that make you feel better about life. Reading this book is like discovering yourself. Its amazing when an author does that.

Very special things happen when Jenny Colgan puts a pen to paper.

Brilliant. Jenny Colgan definitely knows how to write a story. I laughed, I cried and I got totally caught up in the lives of the characters. Mure sounds heavenly. The perfect place to escape to. I could visualise everything and everyone. This story is really well written and really well put together.

I loved The Endless Beach, it’s a sequel to The Summer Seaside Kitchen but can be read as a stand alone book.
We return to the island of Mure and a mix of old and new characters.
A great book to lose yourself in and escape for a few hours.
A fab book and I’m secretly hoping we have another sequel to this book too.

I love this second book about Flora and her family on the island of Mure. It’s an emotional read which will have you reaching for the tissues but there is also lots of humour in the story. I really hope it’s not the last visit Jenny Colgan makes to this island.

The Endless Beach set on a tiny island where everyone knows everyone and nothing is every private.

A lovely story about family, relationships, fitting in as an outsider and how issues from childhood can still impact you as an adult.

I really enjoyed this book although found it a little slow to get going in the beginning. Another lovely story from Jenny Colgan that you can snuggle down and read on a winters evening

Being a huge fan of Jenny Colgan I was thrilled to get this book. I must admit it took me quite a few chapters to get into this book but once I got familiar with the characters I really enjoyed getting to know them and the little village and I could not put it down.
I am so glad I kept reading as this was such a beautiful book and very emotional I had tears in my eyes throughout.
It was great how the ending wasn't how I predicted and it came as a shock to me.
This book features some strong fantastic characters that really capture your heart.
I loved how Jenny included very current storylines that personally I didn't know a lot about so it was really interesting finding out about them.
This is going to be a best seller!

I previously read the sampler (first two chapters) of this book and was thrilled to receive the full version to be able to review.
This was another superb story from Muir, a fictional Scottish Island, that's full of wilderness, heartache and traditions. Jenny's previous stories based here are "The Summer Seaside Kitchen" and the Quick Read "A Very Distant Shore" and whilst she introduced the background to the story, I think it would be a good idea personally to read them in sequence, to get that emotional tug of what the characters experience.
I enjoyed very much returning to Muir, the beautiful coastline, the friendly islanders, the lovely seaside kitchen which I'd love to run, and cheese!
I found the middle part lagged a bit, and I can see why it was a slightly slow burning part of the plot, all I can say is do persevere with it as the reveal is worth it and I loved the final 20%, a very moving and thought-provoking read indeed.
Hopefully there is more to come from Muir and it will be interesting to see what develops.

Really enjoyed this book. I have read all of this authors books and would highly recommend them all. A great author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Jenny Colgan for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

'The Endless Beach' is a sequel to a previous Jenny Colgan book, but readers don't need to have read the previous book in the series to enjoy this one - this was my first entry into the stories of the people of the Scottish island of Mure, and I'll probably seek out Colgan's previous novel in this series now, but my enjoyment of this one wasn't hampered by not having read it previously.

The story follows the main character Flora and her closest friends and family, whose lives centre around the remote Scottish island which is their home (and home-from-home). Flora's hard-won relationship with Joel - her stressed, overworked boyfriend - is fraying before her eyes, and she doesn't know how to fix it. Meanwhile, Saif is a recently-settled refugee whose family are missing somewhere in a war zone, and as he frets for them and tries to get settled on the island, he's quietly developing a friendship with Flora's best friend Lorna, the local school teacher.

It's a slow, warm-hearted story of good characters trying to find their way through life, in a beautiful and well-wrought setting and a nice pace. I found elements of the story very moving, particularly Saif's story (which made me cry - a rare feat for a book!). A good holiday read, or a one-sitting devour on a rainy Sunday.

I’ve been a bit of a fan of Jenny Colgan for a number of years now (loved her first novel, Amanda’s Wedding, which was fresh and funny) and have read many, though not all, of her subsequent books. (She also - as J. T. Colgan - writes Doctor Who novels/stories which are by the way brilliant.)

Anyway this is a sequel to her previous The Summer Seaside Kitchen, which unfortunately I haven’t (yet) read. You definitely don’t need to have read it to enjoy The Endless Beach, but it’s probably an advantage if you have as I think this one follows on fairly directly. However Jenny has helpfully written an introductory word to give new readers a basic grounding in the characters and setting.

Like the previous story this is set on the Scottish island of Mure and follows the lives of some of the inhabitants - specifically ex-city girl Flora who has returned to live on the island and is now in a relationship with the troubled Joel, Flora’s family (particularly brother Fintan) and friend Lorna, and Saif, the local GP, who also happens to be a Syrian refugee and is constantly seeking news of his wife and children.

I liked all the characters, who were all very believable including the children. (Agot was priceless.) I found Saif’s story especially moving though and indeed was in tears on more than one occasion. Huge kudos to Jenny for choosing to address a difficult subject in an approachable and sensitive way.

Saif is not the only character facing hard challenges in both past and present, though. The Endless Beach is a lovely read which does not gloss over some of life’s harsher realities yet is hopeful and uplifting, with just a touch of magic.

Review also posted on Amazon and on my blog.

Nice to have the gang back. Felt like i had never been away. Bit of drama bit a light easy going read.