Pub date 3/29/22
Genre: women's fiction, books about books
In one sentence: Editor Emily Bryant learns she has inherited her grandmother's seaside mansion - but when she starts editing a stack of manuscripts, she finds out they may not be so fictional...

You know when a book just gives you that fuzzy feeling? Lost Coast Literary did that for me. In fact, about a third of the way through, I actually DMed Ellie to tell her how much I was enjoying it! Ellie writes wonderful cozy mysteries, and those cozy feelings translate here despite the book being a different genre.

I'm drawn to characters trying to figure out what they want from life, and Emily's journey was so fun to follow. Emily learns something from each story she edits, and the reader gets to tag along as she is transported into the stories. Given all that's going on in the world, I needed an escapist read, and that's exactly what I got! 

If you like books about books, give this one a try!

Thank you Ellie Alexander and Sweet Lemon Press for providing my NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is not the type of book I normally read, but I love this author and wanted to try this, and I'm glad I did. This was a fantastic story, and you could never predict what was going to happen. It was hard to put down. Read this book!

This book is a warn magical realism book with a great cast of characters and a sweet plot. I really enjoyed this and I think it is a good fit for the genre - reminding me of a Sarah Addison Allen (the vivid location on the coast, a wide cast of characters around the main character who is working through a larger problem as well as other subplots, and a subtle intertwining of magic throughout). I also liked the magical manuscript concept as well as the characters' and town's love of all things books it was just the right amount - appealing to my love of books without feeling like pandering.

There were a few suspend disbelief moments (where things worked out a little to easily/well), but generally I loved this book and I think those who enjoy magical realism and book lovers alike with like this book. It really lives up to the description.

Reviews posted on Goodreads and Litsy (as @DogEaredBooks)

DNF @10%

Nope. This was just not for me. I am not sure how an author I typically love could write this, but here we are. How completely arrogant to think that you can write an ending better than an author [the MC rewrites ALL her books!! W T H?]? By the beginning of the second chapter, I was annoyed and by the end of that chapter, I was done. I am so very disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sweet Lemon Press LLC for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The bookishness one expects from this is definitely its downfall. I certainly identified with the main protagonist, Emily, in her love of books and pursuit of a meaningful career as editor. But the book relies largely on the descriptive and the fairly surreal occurrences around the mystery of her grandmother's will, which dictates that she must edit some manuscripts in order to inherit the marvellous mansion and then do with it what she will.

I very honestly registered little substance in this. It probably ought to be advertised as a light read for lovers of book-themed novels. Enjoyable enough, as long as you are well-aware that there is not much to be thinking about. Merely a quick read to unwind.

Now: the truth is I am generally not a magical realism fan.
However: then came this book.

Obviously, a book about books or book-lovers is generally welcome, there is hardly anything you could do or write wrong. Still, to be a good book or to be an excellent read about the said topic, is a totally different league. Lost Coast Literary waves magic and reality genuinely well, provokes thoughts and emotions quite unexpected.

Lost Coast Literary starts with a quite generic setting: grandma leaves family home and business to estranged granddaughter. The huge estate comes with a string attached though and Emily, the granddaughter, has to visit in person and take over the editing of some cursed? magical? manuscripts. And this is where things got really interesting.

What if you could write your own story or of the people around you? Like, literally? Lost children, diseases, death, love - you name it. Wouldn't it be all easier if someone wrote it neatly out for us and we all got our happy endings? Apparently not. Playing god normally does not end well - in books or in real life - can we still do it? shall we? I was not expecting such philosophical questions from this book - yet here I am still thinking about it.

Lost Coast Literary is a magical book. It takes the reader on a journey to the Lost Coast of California with beach and redwoods. It also takes the reader on a voyage of self discovery for both the protagonist and the reader.
This voyage of self discovery for Emily was painful for me to read at first. I know that says more about me than the book. Emily had a view of her past that was different from the facts of the situation. This influences the way events play out as the story is told.
The magical and mystery elements come in the forgotten manuscripts that Emily is supposed to edit to inherit The Ballad, her grandmother's home in Arcata.
It was a nice twist that the only deaths were Emily's mother years ago and her grandmother. Both natural deaths. The mystery was bound up in Emily discovering things about herself, her past and her grandmother.
The manuscript edits coming to life in people in Arcata was a fun but sometimes distressing element of the story.
There are beautiful sentiments shared through the narrative of story. I wholeheartedly recommend Lost Coast Literary.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ellie Alexander for the opportunity to read Lost Coast Literary

Lost Coast Literary is certainly a sweet and quirky story.
Main character, Emily, inherits her grandmothers seaside Victorian mansion, The Ballard. This is a unexpected surprise to Emily as she hasn’t talked to her grandmother for years. While going through her grandmothers house, Emily comes upon some mysteries manuscripts. As a editor the manuscripts intrigue her. Per the will she must edit the manuscripts if she wants to inherit the house.
There are many mysterious and magical things going on.
Will Emily get the answers she has wanted and wondered about since she was a young child?
I found myself getting lost in the story. A wonderful escape to get lost in.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is such a charming new series ! This is the debut of a new literary based cozy series by cozy author Ellie Alexander. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

Emily Bryant has a important career in NYC as a book editor. She loves her work as books are her lifelong passion. Her life is upended when she is left property and a business by her deceased Grandmother. She has conditions she must follow with the inheritance which is moving back to her small town on the California coast where she grew up. One of the stipulations of the will is that Emily has to edit a interesting manuscript. Emily has no intention of staying but she finds she loves being in the small town again, enjoys the property and the business. She soon finds family secrets are to be revealed. Soon Emily is thriving and reconnecting with old friends and family long forgotten. A mystery of family secrets is intriguing and adds fun to the story.

The author brings books to life for the reader in this series . Ms. Alexander includes a wonderful collection of books, authors and genres to delight every reader. You will find yourself writing out a very long TBR list while reading . The supporting characters are wonderful and all add to the series. I love the descriptions of the small town on the coast . The author has a wonderful series here that is quite promising for a successful long series. Very well done to the author. I look forward to the next in series.

Lost Coast Literary by Ellie Alexander is not the kind of book I usually read but I’ve watched her on Facebook Live a few times, and I really like her personality, so I decided to give this a try, not knowing what to expect. I loved it. Emily Bryant receives a text from her uncle that her grandmother has died, leaving Emily a sizeable inheritance, but there are conditions in the will that must be met. Emily must return the town she was born in, to face family that she believes had cut her and her parents out of their lives long ago. Will she finally find out the truth about what happened all those years ago?

The location is wonderful. Cascata, a small, remote town by the sea is beautifully described, allowing me to firm vibrant pictures in my mind. There are only a handful of characters so it’s very easy to remember who each person is. The story is brilliant and rolls along at a fast pace. There are quite a few moments of sadness, but they do lead to a happy ending, but not a sugary sweet happy ending. The special gift that Emily shares with her late Grandmother is fascinating. You will wish you could do that too. I like the reference to authors and classic books. And Ms. Alexander has dropped in some hints for aspiring writers.

I highly recommend this book to all readers, even if it’s outside your usual genre.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sweet Lemon Press, LLC for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book. I really did. But it just wasn't for me. I was under the impression that the mystery of this boo would play more of a prominent role; however, it mostly centered on Emily's strained family relations. And reading about the mending of those relations was not enough to keep my interest, especially when the biggest relationship difficulty was with her Dad and that was resolved rather quickly and haphazardly at the end.

Perhaps if I'd gone in with different expectations--realizing this was more a discovering oneself and family type story than mystery, I would've enjoyed it more. But it just wasn't for me. The cover was gorgeous at least!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of LOST COAST LITERARY by Ellie Alexander, in exchange for an honest review. Emily Bryant is a book editor who loves happy endings. Emily only wants to publish happy books and mentally rewrites the endings to all of the books she reads. When Emily’s estranged grandmother passes away and leaves Emily the bulk of her estate, including a publishing company, Emily’s reluctant to accept her inheritance. However, Emily finds herself abiding by the unusual terms of the will after learning that her compliance is the only thing that will allow the other inheritors to receive their parts of the estate. During this book, Emily will come to know her estranged family and learn some harsh truths about the cause of the estrangement. As Emily attempts to tighten her control on her circumstances, things spin wildly off course; Emily will have to realize that real life is not a novel and doesn’t work the same way.

This was an interesting book a good bit different from what I have come to expect from Ellie Alexander’s other works. I recommend this book to fans of paranormal women’s literature featuring books, estranged family, and bequests.

#LostCoastLiterary #NetGalley

Louise and her father were a closely knit unit. After the devastating loss of her mother, Louise has now found
her niche in the literary world of editing and is on the cusp of her dream job.

When a long lost uncle calls up to inform her of the death of her grandmother, who has in her will left "something"
for her Emily does not think the something is as huge as an impeccable Victorian mansion along with a literary inheritance
which is slightly different from the norm.

Louise has contradictory feelings for her inheritance especially since her father is totally opposed to her staying on
in Cascata and wants her to just leave. She feels a tie to the house and to the literary side left to her and this is
what keeps her rooted there.

For Louise, there are many unanswered questions and the family in Cascata feel that it is not their place to enlighten
her as to what went wrong. She has to somehow discover it for herself and in the process then take a decision as to her
future. The mix of reality and surreal is a strange mix, something I am not very fond of in reading but it was very
appropriate to this particular story.

The descriptiveness of the area, the house itself which sounded so beautiful added to the story itself. And the ending tied it all together!

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this so much! Magical realism where the main character gets to edit stories and have her changes come to life?! Yes, please.

Unfortunately, this was a let-down on a bunch of levels. The dialogue is not great. It's very awkward, almost like a lot of it is supposed to be thoughts that the characters decided to voice to keep the story moving. And it's repetitive. There was a lot of telling, not a lot of showing. It made it hard to care about Emily and her plight. "I had learned at Columbia that the gift of good writing, good storytelling, was allowing readers to temporarily inhabit someone else's soul" (direct quote). By Emily's own definition, this is not good storytelling.

The magical realism element is practically swept aside as Emily is stuck with her grudge towards her grandmother. We don't get to see much of the magic and so it seems more like a convenient plot device than anything cool.

Ugh, Emily. She is annoying. For someone who is almost 30, she is very immature. I got so tired of hearing about how her grandmother and her dad's whole family abandoned her. And then about how guilty she feels that the stories everyone else tells her don't line up with her memories. I mean, come on! You're an adult. If you were that curious, why didn't you do something?

Finally, it's overly descriptive. Everything has incredibly invasive imagery and it doesn't really do much to set the scene. And it's repetitive.

I didn't enjoy this one.

Emily Bryant has given up a lucrative career in Silicon Valley to move to NYC to become a book editor. Her passion for books and storytelling engrosses her entire life. When she gets called back to California after the death of an estranged grandmother, she really doesn't want to go but does al the same. She discovers that she is the sole heir to her grandmother's historic, stately home and editing business. But there's a catch: she has to edit the forsaken manuscripts in order to inherit. Reunited with family she hasn't had contact with in decades, Emily discovers that the truth of her past is less than honest and there are many sides to each story. The longer Emily stays at her grandmother's house, the more at home she feels. When her actions seem to affect the town more than they should, Emily realizes there was something magical about her grandmother and she might have inherited something less tangible than a home.

This book is a love story to books. So many mentions of different books, genres, authors. It was amazing. The characters were likeable, the plot interesting, and the writing style was beautifully descriptive. I enjoyed that Emily is an editor and not a writer herself, a lover of books but not a creator of them. The only issue I had with the plot and characters was her relationship with her Dad. After losing her mom at a young age, her father cut off his entire family, who had been extremely close to Emily. He never explains his actions to Emily and she thought his family villains for the past few decades. Overall, a very charming book that I would definitely recommend.

Thanks, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I am familiar with the author’s writings through her mysteries series and this novel is a refreshing change of pace.

Emily Bryant is on the cusp of fulfilling her dream of being an editor at a major publishing house in New York City when she receives a call from her estranged uncle. The message: Gertrude, Emily’s paternal grandmother, has died and left her an inheritance…with contingencies. She must return to Cascata on the Lost Coast of California and edit several manuscripts before she can claim the estate and her grandmother’s business, the Lost Coast Literary. Emily has few memories of her home town and father’s family, having left the area after the death of her mother. Despite her father’s discouragement, she decides to travel to the quaint, but charming town of her early childhood. Here she discovers that her memories may not be a true reflection of reality and that her heart’s desire may lie elsewhere than her NYC dream.

I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing Cascata and its residents through Emily’s narrative. Magical realism is one of my favorite genres and this storyline was very satisfying, while also conveying astute insights and wisdom without being overbearing.

The one character I had trouble embracing was Emily’s father. I had ambivalent feelings about his behavior. On one hand, I had empathy for his grieving over the loss of his beloved wife after a protracted illness, but some of his choices felt selfish and ignored Emily’s pain over the loss of her mother as well as her home and support system, with repercussions that echoed into her adulthood. The resolution of her conflict with her father was glossed over and felt unrealistic.

Overall, this is an entertaining read and, given this author’s track history with producing series, I’m hoping that there may be a sequel with Emily and her new found dream.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

I am a fan of ALL of Ellie Alexander's books but, this is my favorite of all of them. Emily is my favorite of all of her characters, the entire story was delightful, the characters friend worthy, (most of them, anyway), and I really want to attend one of these Literary Garden parties! I seriously hope this is book one of a series!

Lost Coast Literary is nothing like Ellie Alexander has ever written before and it took awhile for me to get into the book, but I definitely am so glad I persevered to the end. It was a fantasy story for book lovers and make your own adventure story . Emily finds her own true path for her life and regains a family that she thought she had lost many years ago. Bravo Ellie and look forward to her continuing life story.📕🇨🇦🥰👏✍️👍🌷🌷🌷

This was just ok for me. Nothing exciting or even surprising. The whole book was very predictable. Not a bad read but also not very good. Emily’s lack of maturity was frustrating

3.5 stars

This was a departure for author Ellie Alexander, who writes a couple more standard cozy series. Main character Emily Bryant left a lucrative tech job in California to follow her dream of being involved in editing/publishing in New York City. She is just getting settled in when she gets a huge jolt -- she finds out her grandmother in California has died and left her a huge mansion. Emily's mom died when she was thirteen and she and her father have been estranged from his whole side of the family ever since. Her father refuses to discuss why that happened and Emily has had no contact with her grandmother or uncle since then.

But the terms of the will are quite clear -- she has to go finish editing a pile of manuscripts in order to inherit. She goes to California with a lot of old resentments and questions, wondering why this side of the family deserted her and her father years ago. The reality when she arrives is much different -- she discovers that her family tried very hard to re-connect and that it was her father who shunned them. And at least one of her cousins is very angry that his beloved grandma's house and memories will go to a virtual stranger.

This would be enough to take in for Emily, who is bewildered, but then she finds out something even more intriguing: the manuscripts she is called on to edit deal with local people -- and the edits she makes play out in real life. She is terrified of messing with people's lives and loves.

This was quite an interesting concept. Without giving anything away, this was quite readable but with a somewhat lame ending. The explanation for what went wrong years ago and the reasons for the family estrangement just seem like a letdown. Still, an unusual plot notion and mostly enjoyable with a lot of fun literary references. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.