I didn't expect to like this book to be honest, but I was plesently surprised by it.
All the stories were like a mini tv series. I was intrigued by all of them and in the end wanted even more.
I hope someday there will be a second part.

A week at Surfside Beach is a collection of 16 short unrelated stories stories that all have one thing in common; each story is set in the same rental house with an ocean view on Surfside Beach. Each story takes place over the course of 1 week. 16 completely unique stories... A couple felt rushed or left me feeling sad & more than a few touched me deeply. Each captured my interest & many captured my heart. Unique and charming, I loved this book!

Such an amazing book. Felt like I was a part of each story and could perfectly picture my surroundings. Well written.

How could I describe this book? Different. This book consists of 16 short stories, none of them related. It's an easy read book, but you will find some you enjoy and some may turn you away, but they each touch you in different ways. The beach and rent area are the same in each story but the characters are all different with no story related to the other. Thanks to Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Receiving the free book has not influenced my review.

I was invited by the marketing agent, Mindbuck Media Book Publicity, to read A Week at Surfside Beach, by Pierce Koslosky Jr., in exchange for an honest review. This book is a collection of short stories about the people who stay in the same beach house in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, from early summer through Christmas. I knew it was a collection of short stores, but somehow, still was not what I expected. I think I wanted more to each story.

It made me think what it would be like to be a fly on the wall all season, as different families or couples came and went every week or two. Some of them were escaping their demons. A delightful 82-year-old man slipped away to the beach to avoid the assisted living facility his children had arranged for him. A little girl had a wonderful week of fantasy. Some carried their unhappy marriages on vacation. Some simply could not relax and enjoy. Of course, some teenagers couldn’t stop themselves from either causing trouble or unexpectedly finding themselves in trouble.

An inspirational message was beautifully woven into each story. Several of the stories were really good, but I wanted more — much more — especially about the 82-year-old man. I was on his side, as the character did not appear ready for assisted living at all. That short story and even a couple of the others could be a whole book, or even a movie with the title, A Week at Surfside Beach, or something similar.

What made The Grumpy Book Reviewer grumpy?

Recognizing the copy I read was the uncorrected final proof copy of the book, I expected some errors. Still, I think the editors could have done a much better job of proofreading. Every hyphenated phrase had a missing hyphen and the words were run together as one word. Here are a few examples:

Every hyphenated phrase had a missing hyphen and the words were run together as one word. Here are a few:
• six-yearold twins,
• goodwill-toall-men,
• sistersin-law,
• fiveand-a-half

Additionally:
• The word “Christmas” was not capitalized;
• Missing commas;
• A lot of split infinitives;
• Unnecessary use of the word “that”.

Interesting book of short stories about a group of rental houses at Surfside Beach,SC. A beach area I am quite familiar with. . At first I thought they might be based on real people and events but it becomes apparent that the stories are endless possibilities of personalities that may have inhabited this beach house over the course of a year. Many of them are almost Gothic in content and often contain stories of conflict during vacations between family,friends and sometimes strangers. A few stories are 'feel good' but not many. If they were anywhere near true and if I ever stayed there I believe I would take sage with me and cleanse the entire complex! Interesting group of short stories.
I was provided an Advanced reader copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review.The opinions expressed are my own.Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This author has the talent of immersing you into each of these short stories in such a small amount of time! Contrary to other opinions, I think this book is the perfect beach read. There are so many distractions when you're on a beach vacation that it's nice to read a short story and come back to the book later on.
Many of these stories highlight family drama and heightened emotions, the good, the bad, and the ugly! It really is a nice reminder to appreciate those close to you a little bit more.
I wasn't ready for some of these short stories to end though. I have so many questions still about "Swimming Lessons" in particular!!
Overall a great read.

A Week at Surfside Beach is a sweet collection of short stories inspired by real guest-book entries at the author's beachfront rental home in South Carolina. The fictional stories cover a six-month period of consecutive weeks, each one giving the reader a glimpse into that week's vacationers stay at Portofino II 317C and a tiny peek into their lives and personal relationships.

Each story is as different as the lives and personalities of the renters who come from all over the country, yet they all share the beach house at Portofino II 317C. Koslosky gives his characters impressive depth in such a short span. These stories are told in elegant emotion-packed narrative that left me wishing for my own week at The Blue House.

If you need a tidy ending with closure for all, these short stories may leave you dissatisfied. But if you can handle a bit of a cliffhanger, you may enjoy these beautifully told stories that will make you feel deeply and give you something to think about.

Thank you NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of short stories delves into various family and friend relationships written in a light hand.
Pierce Koslosky Jr doesn’t get fancy with the writing and he doesn’t need to. The stories tackle some dark issues and the les complex writing helps those ideas stay front and center. It is easy to read and hard for the reader to become confused.
There are a few stories I really enjoyed. My favorites include “The Inflatable Dragon” and “Little Town of Surfside Beach”. The first is a story about a man rebelling against his body and running away from a retirement home. Things are a little different than he imagined they would be. As someone with a chronic illness, O felt the fight in John and loved him immensely. The secondary story is a Christmas story and delves into the religious meaning of Christmas.
I enjoyed other but there were others that bothered me for various reasons. I felt like some ideas weren’t clean and realistic but one must remember that duplicity is this world. The true criticism is that some stories stopped short of reaching their potential; they just fall off without bring our story to a meaningful close.
Overall, I would not suggest you read this at the beach for a fun, light time. But I would recommend it to those who are tired of the many insipid beach stories that flood the shelves.

#AWeekAtSurfsideBeach#Net Galley
This book is a collection of short stories about a beach house on Surfside Beach in South Carolina and the people who vacation there. It shows how different people react to their beach vacations. Some make you laugh and some make you sad. This book will bring you back to a vacation you may have had or one you hope to take. It is a quick read, and it can be read when you only have a few minutes to read as their are not story lines to follow from one story to the next. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.

this book is actually 16 short stories about a beach house in Surfside SC.. i liked the stories and how they go through an entire beach season. It was a bit quirky but sometimes that can be a good thing. Over all I liked this book..

This was for the most part an enjoyable collection of short stories centred around Surfside Beach, SC. It features an interestingly wide array of stories and characters in an effort to reflect the guests that stay at the Portofino Apartments.

Sometimes the stories had a tendency to feel a little rushed, but overall most stories were of an ideal legnth and proved easy to immerse oneself in.

The main gripe I have with this book is the lack of character depth that was somtimes evident, as it tended to affect the overall memorability of that particular story.

If the author had lingered longer on a select few stories to paint and explore the characters more thoroughly, I would perhaps have enjoyed it more.

Nonetheless, I really liked the idea behind this collection and thought that it was, for the most part, executed well.

A Week at Surfside Beach by Pierce Koslosky Jr.
Publication Date: June 9, 2020
🗓Happy Publication Day🗓

Description from NetGalley...
“Thousands of families and individuals are attracted to the South Carolina coast each year, renting houses up and down the beach throughout the seasons. They bring their lives with them when they come to this magical place. In A Week at Surfside Beach, author Pierce Koslosky Jr. has crafted sixteen poignant short stories that paint a vivid portrait of the beach’s diverse, temporary inhabitants: those people attracted to a landscape both beautiful and overwhelming in its ability to force introspection and change.”

Thank you to @NetGalley Vertel Publishing, Loba Publishing for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
Bookish friends, I 💛💛💛 this book. The author wrote sixteen short stories about different aspects of human life of unrelated characters. The short stories are set over one rental season, from May to December, of a blue, beach house known as Portofino II - 317C. It’s not a “beach read” book, although it is set on a beach. Each stories differ in delivery: a story can be laugh out loud, sad, heartwarming or heartbreaking. But all were thought-provoking as you become an audience to the best and worst of human nature. It’s simply a good read.

This book is a really relaxing and enjoyable read. It pulls you into the lives of the people renting the beach house. I love how Pierce tells the stories of his guests, he draws you into the stories and makes you feel as though you were there with them on each vacation trip. It shows how one place can play such a big role in the lives of many people, people who are otherwise not connected to each other in any other way than this vacation home. The stories of his guests also teach us some very valuable lessons about life.

I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone, especially beach lovers. I received a complimentary copy of the ‘A Week at Surfside Beach’ galley from Loba Publishing for my honest review.

This is a book of short stories, I read the first one and didn't care for it at all, I didn't go any further. I thought it was silly and didn't catch my attention enough to want to read more.

This book was a big letdown. I love reading books that have something to do with going on a vacation to the beach, but this was not at all what I expected. The book is written with a series of short stories that tell you about different families experiences at a particular beach house at Surfside Beach. Most of the short stories were sad and consisted of very angry or worried people. I love to read books that take me on a journey away from what is happening in the world today. This put me in the middle of family disputes, lost children and sad old men.

The setting of the short stories in A Week at Surfside Beach is Portofino 11 317C, which is the name of a beautiful vacation house on Surfside Beach, South Carolina. Each story covers a week, beginning May 30th through December 26th. In this skillfully crafted collection readers become acquainted with a marvelous cast of characters and we get a brief look into their lives as they occupy the house at different.
These stories take readers on a journey of discovery of human nature. Written in appealing and well crafted narrative, each story is engrossing to its end. The subject matter is varied. The Prize is about two couples who are good friends who enjoy their annual vacation. One of the men is the recipient of his friend's practical jokes. By the time the week is over, all is not as it seemed. Lucy opens with two parents bickering while their children play on the beach. One child goes missing. She Sells Seashells is the tale of a young family's much anticipated vacation that doesn't go as expected. The rest of the stories are just as interesting. Beautifully told, they are packed with emotion and heart. This collection is well worth reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Genre: Literary Fiction/Short Stories
Publisher: Vertel
Pub. Date: June 9, 2020

Author Pierce Koslosky Jr. has created sixteen slice-of-life short stories with unrelated characters. What they do have in common is that they all rent the same ocean view, blue, beach house named Portofino II-317C. All the characters become temporary inhabitants for one week in a single rental season that spans from May to December. As a beach lover, how could I resist this collection? To further capture my interest, Koslosky Jr., along with his family, has gone to Surfside Beach, South Carolina for over twenty-five years, staying in the same blue home where his shorts take place. The image of the house on the book’s cover is the actual house. My first thought was of Mark Twain’s famous quote, “write what you know.”Although the setting is on the beach this is not a typical beach book. It is not fluff. The stories characters’ are of all ages and come from varying backgrounds. The tones of the shorts fluctuate, some are laugh-aloud funny, some are sad, some are thought-provoking. However, they are not all hits with this reviewer some are unsurprising, or even dull.

My favorite and one of the funniest shorts in the collection is “The Right To Bare Arms, June 20-27.” Going on a vacation with close friends who have a brood of children who are the same age as your brood always seems like a good idea. However, being on vacation disrupts one's everyday routines, which is what bonds these two families to one another in the first place. The battle begins right from the moment they arrive. They are large families so they rented two homes that sit next to one another. Portofino II-317C has a glorious ocean view. Portofino II-317B does not. The family that is stuck with 317B begins the feud. Not helping the situation, is that a Romeo and Juliet romance begins. The young teens learn to kiss between their braces making their already annoyed parents see red. The night before they are to return home, the wives set up a dinner at a restaurant on the pier. The purpose is to discuss how to ease back into their normal suburban routines where they are forced to depend on one another for car-pooling, school meetings, and after school activities. I chuckle just remembering the words from the two parties when they arrive for their reservation. Two long tables waiting for them sit opposite one another. One table faces the ocean and the other faces the kitchen.

When a stressed young family with three little ones goes on a vacation there is no vacation from the fighting between mom and dad. Spending every waking moment with an eight-year-old, a three-year-old, and a baby would cause any parents to quarrel. “Lucy, June 27-July 4” is a story about three-year-old Lucy who goes missing on the beach while her parents are lost in a nitpicking argument. This tale is too preachy for my taste. The author does a good job of laying the foundation from that first moment of panic to calling the police, leading to the parents' despair of imaging their child’s face on a milk carton. There is also an elderly couple who makes an appearance in this short who plays a key role. Saying more would be a spoiler. The suspense in the story is well written. Plus, the author has me wondering why do us readers enjoy reading about missing children? Is it because we are grateful that our kids are safe, no one has abducted them? No matter, the tale seems to be written to remind us not to sweat the small stuff with our family in an obvious and tedious manner.
“Swimming Lessons, July 4-11” could feel preachy but it doesn’t. Readers will follow a father brave enough to take on the challenge of going on vacation with his two teenage sons and one of their friends. One thing that can grind the fun to a halt faster than bad weather on a beach vacation is teenagers. Of course, the plane ride was hell with the constant bickering and shoving amongst the boys. Naturally, dad needs a cocktail to calm himself down. Once inside the blue beach house, the atmosphere of the boys is, get out of my life, but first, drive me, give me, etc. More cocktails are needed. What could be worse? How about if the oldest, most sullen son, was recently arrested for stealing. The week on the beach isn’t a reward but rather the dad is hoping to teach his oldest a lesson on the meaning of owning up to one's mistakes through relaxed heart-to-heart conversations. If you have ever had a teenager you can guess how these chats can go. This short has many funny scenes because the dad is so over his head. As well as touching scenes, because the dad learns a lesson himself. I think this story didn’t have that holier-than-thou vibe because of the humor that dominates the tale.

The author has an appealing folksy writing style sharply focused on the pros and cons of a beach vacation. He packs his characters’ suitcases with sunscreen, kids' toys, and their individual life experiences. There may be one too many tales with a projected happy ending. Still, the themes of community, friendship, family, love, and loss create scenarios in which all readers can relate. I mean, who hasn’t had at least one rainy beach vacation in a cramped rental that tests your patience and pronounces your worst behaviors?

This was an easy five-star book for me. I grew up going to Myrtle Beach since I was a child, spending a week down in the sandy water every summer. This book brought me right back. I could picture every essay in my head, easily placing restaurants in my memory, the piers, and the beach combing. I loved the authors descriptive style while never wasting time on unimportant details. I couldn't recommend this enough to those who visit the beaches of North and South Carolina enough.

Many stories with love and friendship themes but, also, family issues, drama and problems. The stories revolve around the same beach house in South Carolina. Each story is about one family and their week at the beach house, 16 families in total. What follows are some touching and funny moments.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion.