Star Book Review - Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax

Three women. Three strangers. Three victims of a major financial scandal. One man, Malcolm Dyer, has taken away the money, families, businesses and sense of self of three very different women. Madeleine Singer, Nicole Grant and Avery Lawford have all been left virtually penniless. Their only hope for retribution lies in their newly shared property, seized from the runaway thief’s known assets, in Pass-A-Grille, Florida. Unfortunately, upon meeting each other and seeing the property for the first time, any hopes they had of selling the house for a quick turnaround is abruptly shattered. Once considered a rare, architectural gem, Bella Flora, the mansion and its surroundings have since been deserted and are in dire need of a complete renovation before the three women can even think about selling it. The women are left with two choices. One, they can pay to have the house demolished; or two, they can move into the mansion for the summer and work on the cleaning and construction together in an effort to get it into saleable condition by Labor Day. After taking a vote, they unanimously decide to pool their resources and work together for the summer to restore Bella Flora.

Maddie, Nikki and Avery trade their familial, posh and plush lifestyles for a summer of sleeping on mattresses on the hardwood, dusty floors, sharing one bathroom and shopping in discounted bulk without even so much as the comfort of a guarantee that their hard work will even pay off come September. But what choice do they really have?

If anyone knows the meaning of the saying “when it rains, it pours”, it’s these three women. As if their financial ruin and the daunting task ahead of them weren’t enough, each woman has plenty of baggage they carry with them to Florida. Madeleine deals with a depressed husband, a pregnant daughter and a son who’s just lost his entire college scholarship. Avery, an HGTV celeb, known more for her looks than her architectural education, has just been booted from her own Hammer and Nail TV show only to be replaced by her pompous ex-husband. Finally, Nicole lost her entrepreneurial, A-list, match-making business and now there’s an FBI agent following her every move from California to Florida. None of the women dares to tell anyone their secrets, but after a few weeks of living in confined quarters, a few skeletons are bound to fall out of someone’s closet.

This was my first Wendy Wax novel and I loved it. I especially enjoyed the set up of the story, beginning with the overarching prologue and then how she introduced readers to each of the main women, one by one, living their separate, unique lives at the same point in time. The story reaches a crossroads when they all venture down to Florida to check out their shared ownership of Bella Flora. From there, even more excitement, action and predicaments ensue.

Ten Beach Road is a definite must read for summer. Friendship, marriage, family, fidelity, hard work and facing adversity are just a few of the themes you will find throughout the novel. It’s the perfect beach bag accessory or even a reliable read over a rainy weekend. You’ll feel like you’re racing through the book right alongside the women as they hammer away ‘til Labor Day.

     4/5 Stars

Wendy Wax is also the author of The Accidental Bestseller and Magnolia Wednesdays. Check out her website for more information on her books, bio and more.

**Thank you so much to Erin at the Penguin Group USA for sending me a review copy of Ten Beach Road. I did not receive any other type of compensation for my review. My thoughts and opinions are based solely on my own experience and have in no way been influenced by anyone else.**