The Lonely Hearts Beach Club
Amy Miller
320 pages
Bookouture
published July 21, 2023
About the book
Hattie gazes at her husband’s empty green-and-white-striped deckchair, the fabric blowing in the breeze. Blinking away tears, she clutches her own chair’s wooden frame with trembling hands. ‘What will I do without him?’
Olivia’s heart breaks watching her mother Hattie withdraw after her husband’s sudden death. Without him, she’s never been lonelier. Every morning, Hattie places a pair of tired old deckchairs looking out to sea. Staring at the empty chair beside Hattie, Olivia comes up with a plan: One deckchair for hire! Must bring good conversation and have own flask.
Posting the advert in a beachfront café, responses from other lonely locals start flooding in. There’s psychic medium Miriam who, besides talking to the dead, finds it therapeutic to belt songs from musicals. Glamorous Glenda has a penchant for teapot wine and skinny dipping. And even a reluctant Hattie can’t resist the endearing quirkiness of Jacob, walking the south-west coastal path in memory of his wife.
Everyone who sits in Hattie’s deckchair has a little pearl of wisdom to share, each bringing a tiny bit of the familiar sparkle back to Hattie’s eyes.
But as more and more visitors take up residence in Hattie’s deckchair – and her heart – will Hattie ever find a way to return to the woman she once was? And in the process, can Olivia also learn a lesson or two about reopening her own heart to love?
The Lonely Hearts Beach Club is an absolutely heart-warming story about the power of the mother-daughter bond, family secrets and second chances, perfect for readers who love Jojo Moyes, Faith Hogan and Sheila O’Flanagan.
My Review
I’m not crying, you are. This one pulled at my heartstrings. Grief, what ifs and second chances through the lovely characters of Hattie and Olivia. I really liked the premise of renting out Hattie’s husband’s summer beach chair to help Hattie accept her new life after her husband’s unexpected death. I’m a firm believer that everyone you meet in life can teach you something and this one embraces that as Hattie talks to everyone and she slowly learns to handle her grief. So many great side characters with stories of their own.
I really enjoyed watching the women adapt and grow after discussing love and loss with their family, friends and strangers. After all the struggles there was also hop. While the cover may give beach read vibes, this story offers some sage advice to all that read it.
Author Bio:Amy Miller is the pseudonym of Amy Bratley, who started her writing life working on magazines and newspapers. She has previously written three women’s fiction novels published by Pan Macmillan, the first of which was a bestseller in Italy. Her day job is being a freelance managing editor of both a vintage interiors magazine and a food magazine, two subjects she’s passionate about. Amy lives in Dorset with her husband and two children. You can visit Amy on Twitter here.
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