Loved this book. Great characters, easy read, uplifting, funny, romantic and charming. A really nice story that is the perfect escapist read.

Gorgeous read! It's my first read by Heidi Swain but I feel like I've already been converted into a #swainette.

This little delight has so much to offer, including:
- A beautiful British setting
- Gorgeous, mysterious characters
- A long list of plot twists that just keep you guessing

I've laughed, I've cried, my jaw has dropped to the floor and I've devoured this little beauty very quickly by my standards.

I can't wait to read more by this author and I'm sure this too will be a best seller!  I have loved it.

With everything going on in the world at the minute this book was a welcomed escape!
I loved the characters journey and was really drawn into their lives.
Only downside to the book was that it ended and I wanted more

I received a free advance copy of this from NetGalley, it’s being published on 16th April 2020. This is another funny, summery triumph from Heidi Swain, possibly her best so far. She takes us to a new setting, the seaside at Wynmouth, this time and I’m really hoping it’s one she revisits. I loved the characters and the storyline and didn’t want it to end. There were several touching and/or funny moments and more than a few surprises. I was also really pleased to see the mix of characters in it, including one with a disability.

A really lovely tale, if you have read other Heidi Swains books then you will enjoy this book. Beautifully descriptive of the seaside town , it made me want to visit and spend my days on the beach or in the cafe and my evenings chatting with George and Sam in the pub. 
Mistaken scenarios a plenty , family, friendship and love. Perfect antidote to our strange times. 
Thank you netgalley for the early opportunity to read this book.

Well this was a welcome escape from the real world. Heidi Swain always lets you delve deep into her worlds, walk along with her characters and enjoy some really tasty meals in the coffee shops and pubs that she creates and it is always a welcome escape to me. 



I really enjoyed this new coastal setting in the Wynbridge worlds. Although this is not a Wynbridge novel you can tell that this all takes place in the same world and I know that characters from Heidi's previous novels will have walked these shores and been tempted by this coffee shop too. 



As well as this book having a great setting it also has a lot to say about slowing down and taking a moment to breathe in this technology saturated more is more world. I really liked how Heidi picked up this theme and really illustrated how damaging it can be trying to keep up in the corporate world and never switching off because our emails are on our phones and our employers can reach us at any time.



I think the fact that this novel has the message of slowing down and taking a moment to smell the rose does mean that it moves at a slower pace to previous Heidi Swain books. I feel like it took me longer to get to the crescendo and the ending than in some of the Wynbridge novels where there is always a hive of activity and multiple characters are living their own drama filled storylines. I don't think there was an issue with the pacing, it is just slower than I have come to expect from a Heidi Swain book.  



Tess was a really fun character to spend this novel with because she really seems to know herself. She has been on a trajectory that she thought that she loved and she thought that she wanted but actually when she takes a step back ans examines that, she knows deep down that something has to give. I really liked how family oriented she is as well. She has a great loyalty to her family and yet they haven't always been there for her the way they should have. 



There are some other wonderful characters we get to meet in this novel too. Sophie has the aforementioned coffee shop that we know will always feature in some way or another in a Heidi Swain novel and her daughter Hope share a definite affinity for making things bigger and better with main character Tess. And then there are Joe and Sam. Each mysterious in their own way, we can tell there is going to be some romance where these guys are concerned. 



If you're looking for a seaside escape then this novel literally tells you that's what it's going to give you on the front cover. This is a nice break from a lot of the recent 'coastal' novels that are all set in Cornwall. It was nice to have a sleepy setting, an interesting cast and of course Heidi's Swains infamous signature dishes. Don't read this unless you have access to some snacks and possibly a pint! I really recommend this book.

In these scary times a Heidi Swain book is the perfect escapism from life.  This book takes us to Wynmouth a small seaside town in Norfolk where Tess Tyler used to visit as a child, so when she needs an escape she books a holiday cottage  there to relive happy memories.  When she gets friendly with the locals her job in pr comes in handy in promoting their businesses.  And when she meets local pub landlord Sam she is instantly attracted to him but when his friend Hope comes back from travelling and her first kiss Joe comes back to Wynmouth after a long time away.  Things start to get complicated.  Can she sort out her troubles and the lives of the locals?  The only downside to this book is it isn’t longer I’m bereft that I’ve finished it and can’t wait for her next book. (No pressure) 💙

This book is brilliantly written. The characters are really relateable and I love to interactions and connections with them all.

First loves, longtime loves, friendships, father daughter relationships, mother daughter relationships. The list is endless. 

The way it all comes together at the end is marvelous. I loved the romance in this book and the pure love between some of the characters. Brilliant book and cannot wait to read more of this author.

I have read each and every one of Heidi Swains previous novels and absolutely adore them and when I found out that her new novel was set in Wynmouth I couldn’t wait to return here and escape in her warming writing style.
Tess works for her father at his company and she has always been such a dedicated hard worker but she has reached the point where she has physically and emotionally burnt out. After the loss of her mum and the discovery of a diary amongst her belongings Tess yearns for the comfort of her childhood haven where she spent so many happy years with her parents as a child, Wynmouth is calling her and she wastes no time in setting off for an extended break. Away from technology and being uncontactable allows Tess to switch off but as she begins to read the diary she found she begins to uncover painful secrets, but the folk of Wynmouth are soon on hand to bring a little light back into her life and distract her.
One thing Heidi always manages to do is create an idyllic setting with such a strong community spirit and characters who I become so fond of I just want to fall into the pages and live my life amongst them and this is exactly how I felt reading this book, I would love to have been enveloped in Sophie’s love and care and looking out at the wonderful views and tasting her delicious delights!
There is a higgledy piggledy hint of romance flowing through the storyline that although was a little predictable I still felt myself longing for certain couples to come together. There was a little lol point in this book which I though my attention was slowly drifting but there was then a couple of revelations that were revealed that I did not see coming at all and left me completely surprised and I actually think having my attention wavering slightly made these revelations more of an impact and had me hooked back in and greedily turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next.
The supporting characters were all loveable, friendly and supportive and it was great to see them all taking Tess under their wings and her being able to help them and their businesses in return.
This was another enjoyable and uplifting read by Heidi Swain, the perfect book to escape from the madness in our world right now.

In The Secret Seaside Escape we meet Tess - who has channeled her grief over losing he mum by throwing herself into the work she does for her dad's PR company.

At breaking point, Tess realises that she needs to make changes in her life before she goes down a road she can't come back from. She decides to go to her favouite family holiday haunt in Wynmouth without telling anyone until she gets there.

Tess's fond memories are there for a reason. The close knit community is still very much there and welcomes Tess with open arms. Tess jumps in the deep end and helps the locals by promoting their businesses and organising a beach clean up with a follow up solstice party afterwards. She even has her eye on the lovely pub owner Sam.

Yet something is holding Tess back. She hasn't told any of her new found friends that she visited their home many times as a child...as she discovers some family secrets through her late mother's diaries, we learn that she's not the only one with skeletons in their closet...

If you want a perfect summer read to while your time away then look no further, as this is the perfect heartwarming story.

I loved how so many characters had their plot interlink with eachother. I would love another story that has Tess, Sam, Hope and Joe in! I love how Swain manages to make you feel like you are visiting old friends every time you read one of her books.

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I absolutely love Heidi Swains books, they offer the perfect escapism and always have such brilliant characters.

The secret seaside escape follows Tess a young woman who is in desperate need of an escape from her high pressure job working for her Dad. She decides to up and leave for a break to the Norfolk coast where her family would holiday when she was younger. Except Tess is like me and finds it tricky to switch off and so ends up getting involved in day to day life (and drama) in Wynmouth.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had a twisty turny storyline which kept me guessing till the very end, lovely characters that felt like old friends and a brilliant setting in a quiet seaside village. If we can’t go on holiday right now, at least we can travel through the books we read!

The ending, with all its revelations, was a bit far fetched but that’s just my feelings

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that when your world is going a bit nuts a feel-good read is just what the doctor orders (and wine, and a bubble bath).

When I got sent The Secret Seaside Escape I did an excitable wiggle, which is normally reserved for massive bowls of spaghetti carbonara.
 
Heidi Swain’s books are a massive hug; they’re familiar and safe. And I think this one may be my favourite?
 
It’s really hard not to love Tess and the people she finds herself with in the idyllic down of Wynmouth. The village and its inhabitants are painted delicately and it’s impossible not to fall in love with them. The storylines between the characters cleverly interlink and keep you engrossed and interested throughout.

This review feels lazy and maybe it is. Maybe it’s because I’m writing in the sunshine listening to folk music, or maybe it’s because, if like me you love books of this ilk and you have shelves bursting with novels, you don’t need me to tell you. You know you’re going to love it.
 
But here I am, telling you: go spend an afternoon with Tess. It’s the most joy I’ve felt this week. Go wiggle your toes in some written sand. If you’re in isolation and need an escape, pick up this book. If you’re reading this is the future and you’re allowed outside, read it anyway.

Being fed up with just working in her father's company every day and having no life at all, still sore from her mother's death, Tess decides to take off and spend few weeks in a place she and her family used to visit regularly when she was younger. She has no idea what surprises await her there...

A really enjoyable book, I devoured it in a day.

I've never read a book written by Heidi Swain before - not through lack of want I hasten to add, but I just hadn't come across one; though I have heard brilliant things about her writing!
I settled down with this book and I wasn't too sure what I was expecting, but honestly? I adored this book! I devoured it in less than 24 hours and it was certainly time well spent! The characters are fleshed out beautifully, the book is perfectly descriptive but not too much so that you get bored. The characters are all charming, their life stories are plausible and it wasn't very predicable in places which I loved! Definitely a book that I am going to recommend to all that I know in the book community that adore books like this!

This has to be Heidi's best book to date. It takes us on a secret holiday escape to Wynmouth where we meet some delightful characters. Tess decides to get away from it all, hoping to remain anonymous in her childhood holiday resort. However, gradually her past begins to creep up on her and secrets start to come out. Not the ending I had anticipated but still a lovely 'feel good' read.

Heidi Swain does it again! I absolutely love all her books and writing style. You are pulled right in from the get go and find yourself immersed in the village of Wynmouth. Devoured this in 2 days. Highly recommend you give this a read and fall in love with Tess, Holly, Sophie and Sam.

Thanks to Net galley for the advanced eARC in return for my honest review.

I'm disappointed that I've now finished this and can't wait for Swains next book.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Another absolutely brilliant book from Heidi.
When Tess decides she’s needs a break from the run of the mill she escapes to the Norfolk village Wynmouth where she used to spend summers as a child.  She starts to feel she can finally relax until a familiar face returns to the village and reveals some village secrets. Plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end.

Tess' life is one that many can relate to- she's over worked and stressed to the max. Add to that bucket loads of grief, unresolved family dynamics and a less-than-glittery view of her high-paying job, it's easy to see and truly understand why she needed the break she deserved.

This was a long read (much longer than I'd anticipated), so let's bumble ahead.
It's remarkably easy to start rooting for Tess as she navigates getting her life bearings back on track, whilst reliving some of her most peaceful moments. I loved how grounded and self-aware she was. Her narration immediately hooked me in and made me feel for her and the sticky situation she was in-brimming with stress and anxiety but unable to let it out. I also enjoyed how streamlined the writing style was. 

The cosy-ness of the beach, the cottage and the homely residents were incredibly portrayed (Yay for the writing style again!) and it was within no time that I couldn't stop reading. I needed to know what would happen to our friend quad, how they would resolve past ghosts, unexpressed secrets , and come to terms with the present. I really loved how drawn out our character arcs were- especially Tess'. Her rationalising and taking action of her flaws and future, shone. Similarly, Hope, Jo and Sam were fleshed out with such compelling and believable tension that I couldn't help but be curious for more.

Beware MAJOR spoilers within the tags:
If there was one thing I was irked by it was (view spoiler: [ how the solstice beach events played out with revealing that switcheroo. It just felt very cliche and misplaced compared to the polished look of previous plot development. Also the descriptions of Tess's reaction seemed childish and clunky. " The rockets launching in my loins far outshone those which lit up the midnight sky over the Thames every New Year's Eve." Umm what?? ) + A tiny insignificance- the word huskily was used an awful lot. 0_0

I wasn't too fond with the plot twists towards the end either which seemed rather like a telenovela reveal (something that dampened my enjoyment just like with The Unhoneymooners ). For instance, (view spoiler: Hope & Tess. Dad should've still gotten a run down on how the way he protected his family was quiet possibly the most destructive thing for them and his sudden personality flip surprised me but it was nice that forgiveness prevailed). However, it sort of tied things together, family-wise for Tess. I guess I wasn't too into the reveal as I wasn't expecting it at all. Like at all . Completely blindsided.
I was also taken off-guard with the (view spoiler: Charlie and Joe land issue AND also the Jack and Sam issue ), by at which time I could totally relate to the mental breakdown Tess was having, with the sheer amount of baggage she was dealing with. It was incredible how she grew from the experiences though.

Finally, if it's one thing this book does is, it's that it goes out with a bang. With mistaken identities, swapped personas, complicated relationship statuses and brotherly/sisterly bonding alongside a dish of family re connections, there was a lot to gather my head around in the final quarter. Still wildly entertaining, but mind-bogging so.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Heidi Swain at her best. 
Overworked in the family business, Tess has not yet mourned her Mum and finds herself at breaking point. Taking some much needed time off she heads to Wynnouth, the seaside village where her family spent her childhood holidays and rents the house she always admired as a child. Lots of twists & turns in Tess’s story which is full of well-rounded characters, and an  unexpected twist.

This was my first Heidi Swain book & I thought it was fabulous! I enjoyed the plot with all the twists and turns but fortunately a happy ending for all the characters. 
Will definitely be reading more of Heidi Swain's books.