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Mary’s Year In Books

Mary’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Mary’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Mary Alice Monroe

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

http://www.maryalicemonroe.com

Twitter

maryalicemonroe

Genre

Contemporary, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Member Since

April 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/mam25

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Mary Alice Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 30 books, including her new novel, Where the Rivers Merge, the first book in a duology and her historical debut. The second book is titled The Rivers End. Release date has not been set yet.

Monroe has also published children’s books, which complement the environmental themes she is known for in her adult novels. Monroe’s middle grade series, written with Angela May, The Islanders, debuted #2 on the New York Times Best Sellers List in 2021. The second book in the series, Search for Treasure, debuted #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. And the third book in the series, Shipwrecked, is available everywhere books are sold.

Nearly eight million copies of her books Mary Alice Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 30 books, including her new novel, Where the Rivers Merge, the first book in a duology and her historical debut. The second book is titled The Rivers End. Release date has not been set yet.

Monroe has also published children’s books, which complement the environmental themes she is known for in her adult novels. Monroe’s middle grade series, written with Angela May, The Islanders, debuted #2 on the New York Times Best Sellers List in 2021. The second book in the series, Search for Treasure, debuted #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. And the third book in the series, Shipwrecked, is available everywhere books are sold.

Nearly eight million copies of her books have been published worldwide.

Mary Alice has earned numerous accolades and awards including induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors’ Hall of Fame; South Carolina Center for the Book Award for Writing; the South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence; the SW Florida Author of Distinction Award; the RT Lifetime Achievement Award; the International Book Award for Green Fiction; the Henry Bergh Award for Children’s Fiction; and her novel A Lowcountry Christmas won the prestigious Southern Prize for Fiction.

Mary Alice is also the co-founder of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.

The Beach House is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, starring Andie McDowell. Several of her novels are optioned for film.

Mary Alice has championed the fragility of the earth’s wild habitat. The coastal southern landscape in particular is a strong and important focus of many of her novels. For her writing, Monroe immerses herself in academic research, works with wildlife experts, and does hands-on volunteering with animals. She then uses the knowledge and experiences to craft captivating stories that identify important parallels between nature and human nature. Sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, monarch butterflies, shorebirds are among the species she has worked with and woven into her novels.

Mary Alice is also an active conservationist and serves on several boards including the South Carolina Aquarium board emeritus, the Pat Conroy Literary Center Honorary Board, and the Leatherback Trust, which she received the Leatherback Trust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. She is especially proud to be a state-certified volunteer with the Island Turtle Team for more than twenty years.

Mary Alice splits her time between her home on the South Carolina coast and her home in the North Carolina mountains. When she’s not writing a novel, she is with her family or busy working with wildlife somewhere in the world.
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Combine Editions
Mary Alice Monroe’s books

Average rating: 4.07 · 236,492 ratings · 19,965 reviews · 71 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Beach House (Beach House, #1) 4.22 avg rating — 30,571 ratings — published 2002 — 44 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Summer Girls (Lowcountry Summer, #1) 3.88 avg rating — 19,986 ratings — published 2013 — 37 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Swimming Lessons (Beach House, #2) 4.22 avg rating — 14,174 ratings — published 2007 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beach House for Rent (Beach House, #4) 4.09 avg rating — 12,576 ratings — published 2017 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Summer Wind (Lowcountry Summer, #2) 4.12 avg rating — 11,926 ratings — published 2014 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Where the Rivers Merge 4.28 avg rating — 11,414 ratings — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Summer's End (Lowcountry Summer, #3) 4.22 avg rating — 10,823 ratings — published 2015 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Summer of Lost and Found (Beach House, #7) 3.89 avg rating — 10,848 ratings — published 2021 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beach House Memories (Beach House, #3) 4.19 avg rating — 9,987 ratings — published 2012 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	On Ocean Boulevard (Beach House, #6) 4.08 avg rating — 10,169 ratings — published 2020 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Mary Alice Monroe…

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The Islanders Series

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Published on August 09, 2025 15:32

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Series by Mary Alice Monroe

Beach House (7 books)
by

Mary Alice Monroe (Goodreads Author)

4.14 avg rating — 97,715 ratings

Lowcountry Summer (5 books)
by

Mary Alice Monroe (Goodreads Author)

4.07 avg rating — 56,386 ratings

The Rivers Duology (1 book)
by

Mary Alice Monroe (Goodreads Author)

4.28 avg rating — 11,414 ratings

The Islanders (3 books)
by

Mary Alice Monroe (Goodreads Author),

Angela May (Primary Contributor)

4.40 avg rating — 2,642 ratings

Mary is Currently Reading

Mary Monroe is currently reading

Daughter of Egypt

by Marie Benedict (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jan 14, 2026 08:55AM

Mary Monroe is currently reading

Harlem Rhapsody

by Victoria Christopher Murray (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jan 14, 2026 08:54AM

Mary Monroe is currently reading

The Correspondent

by Virginia Evans (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jan 14, 2026 08:53AM

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Mary’s Recent Updates

Mary Monroe answered Maygon Brack's question: I just finished reading The Beach House series and I absolutely LOVED it!! I listened to the audiobooks, which was fantastic!! But it surprised me when I got to the last 2 books and you weren’t the narrator for those. Just curious why you didn’t narrate those also?? I absolutely love narrating my own stories when I could. For the last two books in The Beach House series, the writing/book touring schedule were so demanding that it was a big reason why I decided not to narrate those books. I am so pleased with the See Full Answer
Jan 14, 2026 09:01AM · 4 likes · like
Mary Monroe answered Huguette Ettinger's question: I am so looking forward to the second book of Where the Rivers Merge; when do you think it will be released? I just loved the first one. Thank you for the many hours of bliss. I'm delighted to know that you loved reading my first historical novel! Where the Rivers Merge is a duology and I'm looking forward to sharing part two of Eliza's story as soon as possible. The publisher has not set a release date just yet. What I do See Full Answer
Jan 14, 2026 08:58AM · 2 likes · like
Mary Monroe rated a book it was amazing The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 14, 2026 08:56AM · 18 likes · like
Mary Monroe is currently reading Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 14, 2026 08:55AM · 2 likes · like
Mary Monroe has read The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 14, 2026 08:55AM · like
Mary Monroe wants to read Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 14, 2026 08:54AM · 2 likes · like
Mary Monroe is currently reading Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 14, 2026 08:54AM · 1 like · like
Mary Monroe is currently reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fiction, Readers' Favorite Debut Novel, Readers' Favorite Audiobook	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Mary Monroe is currently reading The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 14, 2026 08:53AM · like
Mary Monroe wants to read When Goodbyes Begin by Marissa McFarland (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 17, 2025 07:59AM · 1 like · like

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Quotes by Mary Alice Monroe (?)

“Friends come and go. But through the thick and thin, the good and bad, you can only ever count on your family. That's the heart of it. Family.”
― Mary Alice Monroe, The Summer Girls

14 likes

“Age is real life is short. It's foolhardy to deny it. We grow up, our bodies grow frail, death is coming. There's so much I want to do!
There's a whole world out there I havent seen, ppl I havent met and who havent know me.
God, there 're a million books I want to read.
I dont want to sleep... I want to be awake.
This is my life - I want to live it”
― Mary Alice Monroe, The Book Club

14 likes

“Privacy is something that we maintain for the good of ourselves and others. Secrecy we keep to separate ourselves from others, even those we love.”
― Mary Alice Monroe

13 likes

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Polls

August Author Read

Which author should we read next month?

Anna Quindlen

56 votes, 34.6%

Sarah Jio

53 votes, 32.7%

Mary Alice Monroe

53 votes, 32.7%

162 total votes

20 comments

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
100+ Books in 2026: Jennifer D's 2009 book list	51	406	Jan 04, 2010 07:32PM
100+ Books in 2026: Siobhan's 100+ list for 2010	28	87	Dec 30, 2010 01:25PM
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2010-2011 Completed Tasks (do not delete any posts)	2578	1111	Feb 28, 2011 09:05PM
Bookmarks Subscri...: The Match Game	760	228	Apr 09, 2011 02:22PM

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Mary’s Quotes

“She captured the singular moment in her mind, with the sun shining on their faces, knowing she’d keep it in her memory forever like a treasured photograph.”
― Mary Alice Monroe, Beach House Reunion

tags: beach-house-reunion

0 likes

“Intuition guides us and the wise person listens.”
― Mary Alice Monroe, Beach House Reunion

tags: beach-house-reunion

3 likes

“I think everyone should take time at least once a week to catch a sunrise, just to feel alive and that there is hope.”
― Mary Alice Monroe, Beach House for Rent

tags: beach-house-for-rent

2 likes

“Her fear kept her as caged as her canaries. The glass windows were no different than their metal bars.”
― Mary Alice Monroe, Beach House for Rent

tags: beach-house-for-rent

0 likes

“The tree had become our unspoken symbol of that important Christmas when we had all dug deep and fought for one another--for our survival. For our family. For our happiness. And in the process, discovering the true meaning of Christmas.”
― Mary Alice Monroe, A Lowcountry Christmas

tags: christmas, holiday, ptsd, veterans

4 likes

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Mary’s Friend Comments

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message 1: by Donna

Nov 02, 2017 07:55PM

Mary Alice Monroe,
Thank you for accepting my friendship on Goodreads. I am ordering your book LOW COUNTRY CHRISTMAS, as this is the time of year I love to read Christmassy stories.
God bless.

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