This was the perfect amount of thrilling and gripping, to the point you will be sat on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend.

This is an intelligent and gripping thriller.

I did enjoy it but it did take me a while to settle into it because of the title.

Completely the wrong title for the book...and gives the wrong impression of what the book is about which always throws me.

Grace is not an easy character and there wasn't a single point where I rooted for her or even vaguely liked her.

I found the reveal of the past very well done. Though I would have liked it sooner.
I also figured out who the antagonist was going to be quite early on and kept hoping I was wrong.

Overall a very good thriller...just would have settled into it more had the title been better and more indicative of what the book is actually about.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was gripping, thrilling, intense, exactly what I hoped it'd be. Would definitely recommend.

Initially I was drawn in by the cover and the book title. The storyline was good it just didn't have me as hooked as other books I have read. It was a decent read.
Thank you to Beverley Jones, NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A good read
The past has always got away of catching up with us
And it certainly did in this book
You will be hooked from the first page
Thanks NetGalley

I'm not 100% sure on this book - I didn't hate it but I just didn't seem to love it like everyone else did. I did think the twist at the end was clever and I didn't see it coming but I just wasn't blown away by the rest of the book and didn't feel compelled to keep picking it up.

The community of Lookout Beach is shocked when Grace Jensen, loving wife and mother, returns to her home to find a body… and a gift that she wouldn’t have chosen. The Jensens are well liked and there’s no reason to suspect that this event is anything other than cruel and upsetting. The police begin an investigation as Grace, well, frets. Because she knows the impact of what has happened and who is interested in getting her attention. It’s been close to 20 years but let’s just say that life is finally catching up with her.

EXCERPT: Without warning, a ticking fills the afternoon, a countdown reverberating around the winter-light kitchen in segments sharp and clear. As it divides the bursts of my breath, I know I should bolt, but there's a delay between my brain and my anchored feet. It's only when the sun slants in through the picture window, filling it with the glowing weight of the afternoon ocean at my back, that I see the figure on the floor.

It's lying in a classic dead-body pose, invisible crime scene tape around the one bent leg, one arm out as if he's sleeping on his stomach. But no one could nod off with that much blood pooling around their head, so much blacker than the red of the ribbon on the rope, a shiny, jet slick the exact shade the edges of my vision is turning. My grocery bag escapes disloyally to the floor, leaving me exposed, as I see by my left foot the blunt, metal baton Eli calls 'the pewter penis', my name etched on the plaque at its base, smeared with blood.

ABOUT 'THE BEACH HOUSE': When Grace Jensen returns to her home in the ocean-front town of Lookout Beach one day, she finds a body in a pool of blood and a menacing gift left for her: a knife, a coil of rope and handcuffs.

The community of Lookout Beach are shocked by such a brutal intrusion in their safe, close-knit community - particularly to a family as successful and well-liked as the Jensens - and a police investigation begins to find the trespasser.

But Grace knows who's after her. She might have changed her name and moved across the world, deciding to hide on the Oregon coast, but she's been waiting seventeen years for what happened in the small Welsh town where she grew up to catch-up with her.

Grace might seem like the model neighbour and mother, but nobody in Lookout Beach - not even her devoted husband Elias - knows the real her. Or how much blood is on her hands.

MY THOUGHTS: The Beach House is full of tension. It's a short, fast paced read with an intriguing main character. Grace used to be Laura. She has moved halfway around the world and reinvented herself, but Laura is still very much with her. One of the things that I most enjoyed was the way nice Grace would be saying/doing something in keeping with her new life, and wild Laura will be whispering subversively in her mind. But that's the psychiatric nurse coming out in me.

Grace is certain that it is her past catching up with her when a body is found on her kitchen floor. Determined to brazen it out she puts her Grace face on for the world, but listens carefully to Laura.

There are more secrets in this neighbourhood than the one Grace hides, and these are slowly revealed as the police investigation proceeds. But, the big question is, can Grace keep her past secret and just how far is she prepared to go to do it?

⭐⭐⭐.8

#TheBeachHouse #NetGalley

I: @bevjoneswriting @littlebrown

T: @bevjoneswriting @Little BrownUK

#contemporaryfiction #crime #mystery #psychologicalthriller

THE AUTHOR: I'm a former journalist who worked for The Western Mail newspaper and BBC Wales Today in Cardiff before becoming a press officer for the police.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Beach House by Beverley Jones for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Omg, Almost from the moment that our main character and narrator of this intricately plotted thriller was introduced into the story there was aspects of her character that irritated the hell out of me. The worst and most annoying thing was her obsession with everything being perfect made her came across like as character from The Stepford Wives. Therefore I struggled to feel any sympathy for her when her apparently perfect life started falling apart and Mrs Colombo (sorry Detective Olsen) kept turning up and asking her questions about the day that the body was discovered in Grace's kitchen.Grace had a legitimate reason for worrying about the police digging into her life because she had a secret, something that she hadn't even shared with her beloved husband Elias or her two best friends and neighbours Mary-Kate and Bella. Something that had caused her to travel half way across the world seventeen years ago, reinvent herself and restart her story again. As the story unfolded there was chapters where Grace took the reader into the past and recounted the events before,during and after the night that changed the life that she knew forever. Was it possible that someone from Grace's past had actually discovered where she was hiding and wanted to make her pay for her actions all those years ago? Would Grace be forced to go in the run again and abandon the perfect life that she had worked so hard to achieve? Where the events that were occurring in the present day connected to the events of the past or were some of the residents of the seemingly perfect community of Lookout Beach also harbouring secrets of their own?

Out of the eclectic, realistic small number of characters who made a appearance in this story, my absolute favourite was Belle with her bruising hugs and multitude of bangles, she was such a fantastic character who was definitely a bit of a dark horse. Having said that, was she actually trustworthy or was she hiding her true nature behind a mask of perception? Was there anyone in Grace's life that she could truly trust apart from her young daughter Tilly?

This story contains some stunning setting descriptions, I loved the sound of the house that Grace had designed and was known as The Project with its majestic views and the bald eagles that watched over it from their nest that was situated in some nearby trees.

This isn't a very long book but the author has certainly packed a lots into its 180 pages. There's Welsh folk lore, secrets, deception, intrigue,lies, jealousy and a plot that is intricate, keeps the reader guessing and has some unexpected twists,turns and revelations. I thought this was a really enjoyable,entertaining read and I would happily read more of this author's books in the future.

Grace might seem like the model neighbour and mother, but nobody in Lookout Beach - not even her devoted husband Elias - knows the real her. Or how much blood is on her hands. Wow loved this one. The perfect setting with a gripping storyline that had me glued to my kindle.

Great read, flows perfectly. Well-written and completely engaging. I have devoured this book in one sitting with no regrets. I NEED more.

I was drawn by that stunning cover. Unfortunately what was underneath was rather disappointing for my taste.

This follows Grace who lives in Portland, America. One day she comes home and finds a man murdered in her home. She calls the police and they discover that he was actually her neighbour. But why was he in her home? Suspicion falls on Grace.

This narrated from Grace’s POV and as a result you get a claustrophobic feel, which could be tense and compelling, however I found Grace rather dull. Rich, Grace. I’m not sure what she really does but she has a massive house and a wealthy husband. I found the way the past is weaved into the present confusing with Grace having “flashbacks”, and the switch from America to Wales. Also all the characters blended in, and the detectives was stupid 🤦🏻‍♀️ There wasn’t much pace nor thrills. Unfortunately this didn’t do it for me.

Well now where to begin as this was definitely a page turner for me and I couldn’t leave it down at all, loved everything about this book, great story, plot and great ending, makes one wonder do we really know someone as well as we think we do!!!

An absolutely wonderful and thrilling page turner. It had me on the edge of my seat. moving to the US and changing her name has not stopped her past in Wales catching up with her.

This one is definitely a beach read! Was well written and keeps you reading. Loved the setting of the story and the how all the characters are apart of it.

This is a really great edgy of your seat thriller. It's really gripping with lots of twist and turns. Great characters and a great storyline.

An engrossing read, definitely one to pack in your bag for holiday this year, I will certainly be checking out earlier books by this author

I read this in one, very quick setting. It is well written with a compelling narrative, gripping storyline, beautiful setting and well developed characters that were realistic and relatable. It was fast paced with a good level of unpredictability and twists. I really enjoyed it.

A brilliant and fun an light hearted suspense set in a beautiful setting. Highly recommended for suspense and sunshine xx

Compelling Suspense….
A community on the Oregon coast, Lookout Beach, is aghast at a recent turn of events. Resident, Grace Jensen, knows way more than she’s prepared to divulge. Well done psychological suspense with a superbly drawn backdrop and a solid sense of place. The storyline is intriguing with twists and turns aplenty and a well woven, tension mounting plot populated with a well developed cast of characters, in particular Grace herself. Compelling reading