Cover Image: The Secret Seaside Escape

The Secret Seaside Escape

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Member Reviews

Tess has to get away from her life at the moment . So she goes to the one place she was at her happiest Wynmouth. She has found a diary which was amongst her late mums belongings. She believes her dad cheated on her mum.
Tess arrives at Crow Nest Cottage puts her phone in a drawer and gets herself emerged in the little village from the pub run by Sam , the cafe run by Sophie and Joe and his brother who own the farm.
Sophie’s daughter returns from her travels and then there’s that kiss behind the beach huts all them years ago.
This is definitely a great book to escape with.
Heidi has wrote another cracking book.
Thanks NetGalley.

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This was just the escapist, breath of fresh air that I needed to read.
What charming beautiful story, set in a warm, happy location. I love Heidi's books and this one was just as readable as the rest.
I love to get swept away in a love story, and Tess and Sam brought that in swathes. Lots of twists and turns to keep me reading too.
Thank you Heidi Swain and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read and review The Secret Seaside Escape.

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This book was an excellent read - I love a seaside story. I enjoyed the way that all the elements of this story intertwined throughout. I didn't guess some of the outcomes until I was reading them! Other's I could correctly predict.
I was transported to a wonderful seaside community and it was joyous to see Tess becoming involved with the locals, even though she was only on holiday. Thoroughly recommended read for summer.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

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Heidi Swain can do no wrong by me. If I want a book to make me smile, lift my mood and escape reality, she’s one of my go to authors I can GUARANTEE will never let me down. This is also exactly what I need in a summer where I’m in my back garden (small but I accept I’m lucky) to read about seaside towns, heartwarming characters and romance. It’s a delight and a joy to read from the first to last page. I loved Tess, and Sam of course, I love the fact the characters aren’t perfect , Heidi writes such a great supporting cast as well as main characters and it’s hard not to love everyone. Fabulous read with a guarantee from me, you will smile and fall in love with these characters, if you don’t who are you ! Just lovely

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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‘The Secret Seaside Escape’ is the latest book by Heidi Swain.

Tess Tyler needs a break. Weighed down by her high-pressure job and her demanding father, she’s left little time to take care of herself. But after a shocking discovery sends her spiralling, she flees to Wynmouth, the seaside town she fell in love with as a child, to escape it all. With its sandy beaches, stunning rock pools and welcoming community, Tess feels like she can finally breathe again. And as she grows ever closer to local barman Sam, she dares to dream that she might never return to her real life. But when a familiar face returns to town, Tess realises that there are secrets in Wynmouth too, and that her own past may be about to catch up with her.

I’ve only read two books by Heidi and both books were exactly what I needed. Heartwarming with lovely characters against the backdrop of the seaside.

Tess decides to return to her childhood holiday retreat when life in her busy marketing role becomes too much. Recovering from her mother’s death, she needs a change of scenery and goes to the sweetly named Crow’s Nest Cottage in Wynmouth. It’s whilst she’s there that she begins to relax and enjoy life whilst making new friends and becoming part of the bustling village.

This book is the perfect book to curl up with. Tess is a lovely, kind relatable character, she’s warm and immediately fits into the village with her enthusiasm and charm wanting to share her knowledge and skills with the locals to make their businesses thrive. It’s whilst she’s away on this retreat is that she makes some discoveries about herself and her family. Tess isn’t the only lovely character in the story, there’s also Sam, Joe and Sophie, who all add their own charm and warmth to the seaside story.

Heidi has written a gorgeous heartwarming and fun love story about family secrets and new beginnings against sandy beaches, with such vivid imagery that you can almost feel the sand between your toes. The perfect escapism story to enjoy right now.

You can buy ‘The Secret Seaside Escape’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

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Such a warm, lovely and comfy read!
I loved it from the start, warmed to the main character Tess really quickly and couldn't stop reading. A heartwarming, and in some places heartbreaking book. I had tears of laughter and sadness along the way. All of the characters were brilliant, and there was a good age range too. I loved the area descriptions of where it was set, and there were some unexpected twists at the end that I didn't see coming. Pure joy.

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This book was an absolute delight to read! Heidi's style of writing is truly wonderful. The story had me hooked from the very start, and the characters were lovable and often relatable too.

Learning how the relationship between Tess and her Dad works out throughout the book is heartwarming, and reminds you how important the simple things in life really are.
There was also a strong female friendship throughout between Tess and Hope, and also Hope's mother. The way in which the women supported each other and lifted each other up once again was magical.

And of course Tess and Sam.... how could you not love him! He has his struggles, but we quickly learn of his own demons and witness the transformation of his character throughout the book too.

I adored this book from start to finish, and I felt truly deflated when the story ended!.
Many thanks for my ARC of this book to Simon & Schuster, Heidi Swain and Netgalley.

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I love Heidi Swain. This has been a perfect lock down escape and I haven’t wanted to put this one down. I have really enjoyed reading this one.

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I was fortunate to receive a copy of this book to read from NetGalley.

This is the first Heidi Swain book I have read, although I am starting to build up a collection of her previous books.

It is like a hug in a mug! It makes you consider what it is like going back somewhere that held precious memories and whether they were rose tinted or not.

The supporting characters to Sophie, Hope, Joe and Sam were all very strong and it was wonderful to spend time by the sea in Norfolk exploring all of the different relationships which were changing and developing.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Heidi's books!

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*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Heidi Swain is always a treat and I was really looking forward to this book.

We follow Tess Tyler in this book. She needs a break from work (she works in her father’s company) and just time for herself. Some shocking news confuse her even more, so she decides tp go back to Wynmouth. A little town she visited as a child during holidays. The town is by the sea and she connects a lot of memories to it.

She rents a cottage and turns her phone off completely. She starts hanging out with barman Sam and they have an instant connection. She also makes friends with Sophie, who ones a little café in town. Things aren’t easy though, especially because Sophie’s daughter Hope comes back and spends a lot of time with Sam. And then there is Joe, who knows Sam and Hope as well.

A lot has happened in their past and we slowly find out more about it. Tess doesn’t tell them she has been in town before and she has more secrets and they are all connected to a kiss. I won’t tell you more here though ;)

Tess is very committed and starts helping out in town a lot. It the break she needs, even though her feelings are all mixed up. When her dad comes to town as well things get even more complicated.

The storyline is lovely though and I really enjoyed following these people around. Heidi Swain included a lot of emotions, heart, love and passion. The story is full of beautiful moments, family relations, friendship and so much more. I love how detailed the writing is, I felt like being there with the characters.

The setting is absolutely gorgeous and I love how present and past connect in the story. It’s full of ups and downs, but I always felt a warmth. It’s the perfect summer read!!!

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This was my first ever book by Heidi and I absolutely loved it! Usually with romantic fiction you can kind of predict the outcome. However this book had a couple of completely out of the blue twists! I loved the nostalgia elements. I too used to go on little beach holidays with the family. I can understand the torch held for memories of being younger, enjoying time with your parents. Times when the simple things can make the day so much better. 'uncomplicated contentment'. I also liked the complex dynamic of Tess working with her Dad and feeling guilty of not spending enough time with her Mum. It wasn't your usual 'quit your job and go on a jaunt' theme you see alot. The characters of Wynmouth were so vivid and perfectly encapsulated the vibe of small town life.

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Love Heidi Swain books and this one is just as fantastic as the rest. It is a fantastic book and worth the read. Thank you for letting me read it xx

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Really enjoyed this book. When Tess moved to Norfolk, it felt like I had moved with her - the way the story is written, the location coming alive across the pages, it felt like I was there right along. While I liked the laid-back pace and the sense of discovery Tess encountered as she went about her days, this same pace got a bit stodgy and dragging around the half-way mark and I just wanted something to happen to make it all move along. One of the big reveals of the story had had me guessing about it from the very start, but a couple other reveals did hit me as 'wow!' revelation and that felt really nice. Just, it all dragged a little too much to get to those reveals in the last 20% of the book. Still, it is a nice read with memorable characters and a stunning location not usually seen in books

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A wonderful read. I really enjoyed life in Wynmouth and loved the descriptions given of the beach, village and tcharacters. Can't wait for the next book

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Heidi’s books are always a joy and this one introduced us to a new destination, the seaside town of Wynmouth where Tess used to love to visit on family holidays.

When work began to get too much for Tess after the loss of her mother, she found she needed a break where nobody could find her. Wynmouth was were she holidayed as a child so she took a well overdue holiday and secretly booked into a cottage there.
Whilst there she met a whole host of quirky characters. Sam who ran the local pub and Joe with whom she’d shared a first kiss behind the beach huts, And Hope and her mother who owned the beach cafe

Whilst in Wynmouth Tess is able to unwind and once the seaside town has held her under its spell she finds the thought of going back to her old life daunting.

Tess also needed to work through and come to terms with the secrets from her late mother’s diary and help some of her friends to come to terms with their own pasts.

A warm and cuddly read.

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Firstly, I’m a massive Heidi Swain fan.

I was a fan from the moment I met her before I’d even read a single word of her writing. Heidi has a style that instantly makes you feel like you’re back in the arms of friends and The Secret Seaside Escape is no different.

When you think of seaside it’s normally a time of switching off and slowing down and Tess does exactly that. Turning off her phone and going with the flow is exactly what she needed to recharge her batteries. I loved the sense of self-care and realising what matters in life. The way of the world right now is definitely testing us in this way, embracing the simple pleasures in life. This was a welcome distraction for me. Tess is a character who I instantly loved, I wasn’t expecting her story to go the way it did but I loved that throughout she was real to herself.

If this is my only trip to the seaside this year then wow it was a good one. I sadly didn’t get to read this before publication day but I did enjoy sitting in the garden basking in the sun and imaging I was living Tess’s life at the seaside.

In having a happy place with memories threefold it had me thinking of both my happy places that here at the Kent coast and in Costa Del Sol in Salou. The description of Tess with her feet in the sand instantly had me transported to my own happy place.

It was great to have a Wynbridge feel but at the seaside. Although I must warn you in reading this I was in desperate need of a sausage sarnie and I must say when I had one it was sooo good. That’s another guarantee from Heidi Swain you will always want to eat all the food. I loved the coffee shop and the pub.

There is so much in this novel- families and their secrets, friends, tragedies, communities and togetherness. I can’t not mention Sam there really was something about him from the off he wasn’t what I expected at all although I had thought one scenario would come through and it made me smile.

If you’re longing to escape to the seaside and lose the worries of the world then look no further but as I said make sure you have the ingredients for a sausage sarnie and a coffee. I’m still longing to visit this bunch long after reading the final pages.

Sorry to Heidi and the lovelies at BATC for how delayed my review has been. A truly special read in these trying times.

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I really enjoyed this book, as I do all her books. I think she is an excellent writer with, well drawn characters and nice gentle stories that allow you to escape.
I enjoyed the new setting of this story, lovely new town, that hopefully we might see again. I finished it in a couple of hours, as I was just able to keep reading on.
My only objection, although this is a mild crit, rather than anything that should put anyone off, is there was maybe one too many mysteries in this story.

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Tess needs to escape from her job in her father's company, and returns to the village in Norfolk where they spent happy family holidays.She very quickly gets involved in village life, but finds that all her memories are as accurate as she thought. A really good summer or lockdown read.

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Heidi's book's are always a great read and this was by far my favourite read of her's by far. I loved it, it certainly came alone at a time when I needed a heart felt upbeat read. Right from the very start I hooked in the story and couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and Tess especially. There was so many twists and turns I did not not expect the story to take. There were moments of miscommunication between characters where I felt i just wanted to reach into the book and sort everything out as it was a frustrating read but in a good way. Overall I loved this one from Heidi and would highly recommend it.

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I loved this book by Heidi Swain.She is an excellent writer..
Tess takes a holiday from her job in the family firm and goes to Wynmouth, She used to go on family holidays there as a child and teenager.She stays in a small close knit community and gets to know quite a few people.This book is a really enjoyable read with twists and turns. I didn't expect the ending either.
Thanks to Netgalley for an Arc.

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