The Guest Book

Sunset Beach #2

by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Twenty-five years after she began exchanging drawings with a mysterious boy in the guest book of a Carolina beach house, Macy Dillon is back at Sunset Beach---this time toting a hurting heart and a broken family. Will she be able find the man whose drawings moved her so deeply when she was a child? Questions of childhood, loss, and longing for love are explored in author Mary Beth Whalen's touching and thought-provoking, The Guest Book.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Christian Fiction, Contemporary, Christian, Audiobook, Chick Lit

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 8, 2012

About the author

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is the author of When We Were Worthy, The Things We Wish Were True and five previous novels. She speaks to women's groups around the US. She is the co-founder of the popular women's fiction site, She Reads www.shereads.org. Marybeth and her husband Curt have been married for 26 years and are the parents of six children. The family lives in North Carolina. Marybeth spends most of her time in the grocery store but occasionally escapes long enough to scribble some words. She is always at work on her next novel. You can find her at www.marybethwhalen.com.

Reviews

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Macy Dillon and her family went to Sunset Beach, North Carolina every year until the death of her father. It was too painful for them to continue going. Macy's mom has continued celebrating her father's birthday each year as though he were alive and has a shrine to his memory in her home. On the tenth anniversary year of his death and on his birthday celebration, her mom, Brenda announced to Macy and her brother, Max, that she had rented their old beach house from their past trips, Time In A Bottle, for a return trip after all these years. She wants the whole family, which also includes Macy's daughter Emma from a previous relationship, to go to the beach for two weeks. After five years, Emma's father, Chase, has returned after deserting Macy with a baby on the way and has been staying with her sleeping on the couch. Macy doesn't want him in her life anymore but allows him around for Emma. She does tell him he needs to stay in Greensboro so that she can think about their relationship while away from him at the beach. The whole family is carrying around a lot of emotional baggage from the death of Darren, their husband and father so a trip to the beach is a great time to heal and remember happy times at Sunset Beach. When Macy was young, she loved to draw pictures in the guest book in Time In A Bottle and each year that the family returned to Time In A Bottle the guest book would have a picture that a boy had drawn in answer to Macy's pictures. Macy always wanted to meet the boy that seemed to understand her and relate to her. The first night back she walked on the beach alone and prayed that God would allow her to meet this boy that would now be an adult about her age or so she figured. This was the first time she had prayed since the death of her father, a strong Christian who taught Macy so much about God. What she didn't anticipate was the prayer seemed to be answered and that she would meet three different men who live at Sunset Beach, who all seemed that they could be the boy whose name she didn't know. This is a book about a time for healing and meeting issues head on for each member of the Dillon family. Max has a problem with drinking and Brenda has been living in her grief so many years. Macy is dealing with lack of faith in people staying in her life. This is a good beach read that touches on faith and hope for the future.

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading the back cover of this book, I was caught up in the idea of a young Macy communicating with an unidentified boy through drawings left in a beach house guest book. As each child found a drawing, another one would be put in its place until the year Macy's father died. A final picture was left behind with a note telling the boy where to hide the book until she could return to find it.
Twenty-one years later, the drawings and the unknown identity of the boy she communnicated with still haunt her. When her mother suggests a family trip back to the beach house, Macy sees this as a chance to find the unknown artist and to heal her own heart of her own struggle with her on again, off again relationship with her young daughter's father.
I was so disappointed in this book on so many levels. Not only is Macy hoping to find the hidden book and the identity of the artist, but she goes so far as to ask God to send him to her. It seems that she is not just in love with the memories of the guest book, but she believes that she is "in love" with the boy/now man artist and that he is the one to complete her life. Within days back at the beach, she meets three different men who very well could be the artist...and they all immediately pursue her as a love interest. Now she is more confused than ever. She likes them all and could possibly see them as a love interest, but she only wants the one who left the secret drawings.
I found Macy to be shallow, obsessed with her own creation of a dream and a little desperate to "find the one" (read: "the artist"). Past the age of 30, Macy is still living in the past, chasing a memory rather than moving forward in life for herself and for her daughter.
I also found the "Christian Fiction" categorization a bit of a stretch. Yes, there was a sprinkling of references to Bible verses that encourage faith and trust in God, but praying to God to bring her her man was little overboard!

[Lucinda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ordered the wrong Guest Book. Started to read and kept wondering why I ordered it. I finally figured I meant to order the one by Sarah Blake. Did something I rarely do - I closed the book and have no intention of finishing. Sooo predictable. Only read about 61 pages, but I bet I know exactly how it will end. Not for me.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty-six-year-old Macy Dillon is a single mother of one. She doesn't love her job, she isn't sure if she should take back her daughter's father (that left them when Emma was born), and she just has a general feeling of being unsettled. Add on to that a brother that she has to bail out of jail quite frequently and a mother who can't get over Macy's father, that died ten years ago, and you've got a family that needs some healing.

So they decide to head back to the family vacation spot that they stopped frequenting after Macy's dad died. Time In a Bottle, a beach house that has many bittersweet memories for the Dillon family.

But, Macy also wants to go there because a part of her has never gotten over the boy that she's been corresponding with through pictures in a guest book since she was five. Macy has hopes of finding this man that she's never actually met, and tries to keep her heart open when she arrives at the beach house. Just hoping that he hasn't forgotten about her.

We're given three possibilities of who the mysterious artist could be from very early on in the book. Also, it could, quite possibly, not be any of them. I find all three of the men that Macy meets to be likeable and I was switching back-and-forth through the book as to who I wanted to artist to be.

I also enjoyed seeing Macy's mom and brother on their own journeys to healing. You can see that all of them have a large amount of pain to get over before they move on with their lives. But, Time In a Bottle, promises to bring each of them a little bit of joy to erase some of their heartache.

I absolutely loved this book. When I got to the end and the "big reveal", I was honestly surprised. But, extrememly please with how Ms. Whalen chose to go. I also loved the message that if you just depend on God to take care of you and realize that He'll never forget you or leave you alone, you can find your way home.

Christy @ Captivated Reading

[Lisa Kaye Moeller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sunday School Story

Just not a story I enjoyed. Extremely spiritual on a very simplistic level. Plot just dragged on Found myself skipping entire passages.

[My Book Addiction and More MBA · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE GUEST BOOK by Mary Beth Whalen is a christian fiction set in Sunset Beach,North Carolina. Follow Macy Dillion to Sunset Beach, North Carolina.Go with Macy with her struggles,grief,healing,regrets, a mysterious guest book,love,second chances, a few twists and turns. A great summer read! Of course, being from Eastern North Carolina myself,and knowing the area only made it seem more real. "The Guest Book" is a complex,compelling,story of childhood memories and God's neverending love. Macy gets her answered prayers with a flood of men. Follow Macy on her journey of discovery and find that dreams do come true after all. A very special book that Guest book turns out to be. Anyone who enjoys Christian reading,a great summer read,love,and God's healing powers.Received for an honest review from the publisher. Details can be found at Zondervan,the author's website and My Book Addiction and More.

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: SWEET

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction and More

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this quick read. I love Sunset Beach and it was nice to go back and visit with Macy and her family.

I can identify with the sadness Macy felt and how she struggled with the memories of staying at the beach house after her father died. I experienced the same type of emotions when I returned for visits after my husband left me.

And like Macy, I learned to heal and let God be the artist of my life.

The fact that Macy let her daughter, Emma, get away with some of her behaviors bothered me. I felt like she made excuses for why she shouldn't correct her. Being a single mom is not easy, but raising a child to be loving and respectful, while still having fun, is what I hoped for my son.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not many layers to this novel but it turned out to be more than I'd expected. A pretty normal family--widowed mom, single son struggling to find his niche, single-mom daughter just struggling, and her adorable little daughter--sets out to face their future, at last, by returning to their past, a beach house they'd rented for years before the father's death. They all find that future, or at least a pathway to it, with the primary story being that of the single mom. Perhaps the surfeit of eligible men, after five years of no men in her life, stretches belief a bit, but it moves the story and its plotline of growth right along. In the end, they all find God...and the answers he has provided.

[Carla Calvert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great beach read by Marybeth Whalen!

I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed her first two novels, The Mailbox and She Makes It Look Easy. Great story, characters and setting...love how Marybeth winds faith as well as music into her books. It's like hearing the soundtrack playing while you are reading along - with the sounds of the ocean blending in for that perfect beach read.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very sweet story with surprising twists and turns. I recommend it!

[Sally Lindsay-briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gift from a friend. I gave her a stack of books and she gave me some wonderful reads. Initially, the story seemed slow but improved because, I could relate to Macy. She was a frustrated artist (like me) not using all her creativity at her job. Her husband left her (like mine did), she is searching for a boy who drew pictures in a guest book many years ago. She never knew his name. Her family goes on vacation and she prays to God to locate him. There are many awesome events that follow. I loved the beauty of God’s plan. Loved the writer’s talent too!

[MrsK Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Macy first noticed her father's missing photos. Since her father's death, her mother has always kept mementos that evoked emotions that Macy did not want to experience. Today would have been his birthday and for years they had celebrated. This year her mother has decided to go back to the beach, her father's favorite vacation spot. Macy is so ready to move beyond her father's ghost. What is her mother thinking? Two weeks at Sunset Beach? Immediately, Macy's mind returned to the guest book. Maybe this might be the first step. She knew her five year old daughter would enjoy this time away from the every day emotions of separation from her dad.

With special pastel pencils, Macy had first entered her drawing of the butterfly shell. So long ago, she had begun a secret exchange about her adventures at the beach with another "mystery" guest. Since her father's death, Macy had not returned to the Time in a Bottle guest house. Would she finally discover the name of her correspondent? Did her last message lead to one final entry? Would the guest book still be where she left it? Daydreams have a chance of becoming a reality, even after years have gone by.

The boy who had drawn a "shared history," who was he? With a walk on the beach, Macy discovers that after all of these years there might be someone thinking of her. The boy had left his picture in the guest book. Was God speaking to her? Could there really be a new season that had been planted so long ago?

Wyatt is just helping his dad fix up the house next door to the guest house. His father, Buzz, is so much nicer than his son. Macy is sure that her mom must remember Buzz, although her mom was preoccupied with making brownies. Sometimes conversations don't turn out like one hopes. Could Wyatt be the artist she was searching for. Oh, how she hoped not. He had grown into a man that could use some manners.

Pastor Nate believes in "living with purpose." Not only is he kind, he is caring and quite insightful. How did he know she had artistic talents? When Buzz calls him to come help Max, Macy's brother, new doors open. How is Pastor Nate going to help Buzz? What is his story?

Dockery is a local artist who is helping out at the community center where Macy's daughter, Emma, was taking a summer class while they were at the beach. Now her daughter has decided that all three of them needed to spend some time flying her kite. Of course, helping at the children's center wasn't his real job. He helped his mom run the family's cleaning business which offers time to volunteer. He seemed genuinely grateful for Macy's help in painting an art mural as the center's art project.

Funny how when a change in direction becomes full of possibilities,
Have a delightful beach retreat...
MrsK https://mrskbookstogo.blogspot.com/

[Lorraine Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marybeth Whalen's Sunset Beach series, The Guest Book (book #2), is an especially poignant story as the main character, Macy, has been drifting and pretty messed up ever since her father died 10 years ago, when she was sixteen. She lost her father, lost her faith, and lost the opportunity to meet the boy who had put drawings in the Guest Book of the cottage Time In A Bottle at Sunset Beach in response to her drawings of her special vacations there.

Ten years on and Macy, her brother Max, her mother Brenda, and Macy's daughter Emma, are only beginning to move on. The boyfriend who left Macy stranded and vulnerable five years earlier has shown up wanting to pick up where he left off and while Macy wants Emma to know her father she's not sure she can trust Chase not to take off again. Nor is she sure that taking up with him again would be right for her — there's too much she still has to sort out — like the guilt she feels for the way she treated her dad that last summer and the grief that drove her away from the God her father believed so strongly in.

Brenda has hosted a birthday party for her husband every year since he passed away but when Macy arrives for the event, she notices that the pictures of her dad, usually on display in the living room, have been taken down and there's a somewhat different atmosphere this year. When Brenda announces that she wants them to take another family vacation at Sunset Beach, Macy begins to look forward to it as a means for all of them to sort through the loss, the memories, the loss of faith, and possibly find the key to a new future. Perhaps she will even find the boy who did the drawings. Dare she pray that she will?

This is a story that could easily be true and it is based in part on a true setting and a true sculpture that exists at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, but in the story it is of Macy when she was a teenager. (The true story behind the sculpture is revealed at the end of the book where you will also find discussion questions for your book club.) Macy has talents she has not trusted, Max has guilt he's been hiding in a bottle, outgoing little Emma is looking for a father figure, and Brenda possibly has a beaux waiting for her at Sunset Beach. The theme of wishing time could stand still or be kept in a bottle and shared with loved ones is strong throughout the story and Macy's prayer brings some surprising and interesting results. A very cozy read. I'll be looking for more books by Marybeth Whalen.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Macy was a little girl, her family took an annual trip the Carolina beach. When she was too young to write in the guest book, her father encouraged her to draw a picture. For the next decade, she exchanged pictures with a boy who visited the beach house later in the summer. After a tragedy, her family quit going to the beach house, but Macy still remembers the guest book and wonders what happened to the boy she shared her heart with. Deciding to go back one more time to the beach house, Macy's family experiences a summer of healing and mystery as Macy determines to find the boy from her past.

I read this book a month or so ago and forgot to review it, which is surprising because I loved it. The storyline is somewhat slow--not an action packed book but full of interesting funny mishaps and plenty of character growth. I was kept guessing who the guy from her past was and I was definitely pleasantly surprised when I found out who he was.

The best part of the book was the character development of not only Macy but also her mother and brother. Switching easily from the past to the present (without confusing the reader), the author gives reader a better understanding of who these people are and why they are the way they are. The past made the present more poignant and the message of the book more touching.

Fans of Christian fiction will enjoy this beautiful book. It felt like a coming of age story and a romance wrapped into one.
I received this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Lisa Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

To preface, I like all kinds of fiction, including Christian fiction. I think there is a real place for romantic fiction for Christians. Some authors do a good job.

This book was harmless enough. But I have two quarrels with it. The framework premise of the story was a good hook - about the rental house and the guest book. However, the characterization of the main character was so unrealistic. First, I am not sure any woman would allow some guy to move into her house after he got her pregnant and abandoned her through the birth of her child and the next five years. Then suddenly, this woman who has not had a date in five years, has the old boyfriend wanting to rekindle the magic and the next three guys she meets are employed, competent, funny AND handsome and all three are interested in her on first sight? REALLY? It just stretched credulity too much.

Then there is the faith aspect of it. The topic was danced around, but I would expect a novel marketed as Christian would have a deeper element of faith about it.

So overall, harmless read, but nothing special.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

This seemed like a fun plot since I’ve left a few doodles in guest books myself. In the end, I was pretty underwhelmed by the book.

Macy’s family is stuck living in the past and still unable to move on after ten years, and I found that pretty annoying. Macy herself came across as quite shallow and overly dramatic, more like an insulated young teen than a grown woman with a child. I didn’t realize until part way into it that the book is categorized as Christian fiction, but the Christianity is not heavy handed. In fact, I would venture a guess to say that readers looking specifically for Christian fiction would be disappointed in this book.

I chose this from looking for an easy summer read, so I guess it fit that bill. But in the end, I just didn’t really care about any of the characters.

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written story about a girl who draws pictures in the Guest Book of a seaside vacation rental during her family's annual trips and develops a kind of communication with an unnamed boy who draws in the same book. Time and tragedy cut the relationship short but years later she returns to the beach house where she held on to those happy childhood memories in hopes of finding the mystery artist.

I enjoyed this book because it reminded me how summer vacation used to be so full of possibilities when I was a kid. I also have always enjoyed reading guest book entries at rentals and wondered about the people behind them, so this was a fun read because it took that wonder and gave it a story.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really got sucked into this book. When I was at the half way point of the book, I ended up reading the rest of the book in one day. I just had to know which man in the book was going to be the kid that she used to communicate with using the guest book. I read the first book in this series too. Although both books are set at Sunset Beach, they are both stand alone books.

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story and liked each character. I looked forward to learning the identity of the artist and was surprised by whom it was it wasn't who I was hoping, although Macie seemed satisfied. I liked the manner in which faith was part of the story.

[Nancy Ekstrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet

Not a deep plot, characters not intensely developed but a tender story line with a fairly predictable conclusion. The covid19 pandemic is raging as I complete this book so it might be just what I needed.

[Sandy]

no need to read rest

[Ellen Rennels · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the third of the 3 stinkers that I picked up at the library a few weeks ago. I'm feeling stressed and want some fun, pleasant, escapist reading, instead somehow I picked these 3 stinkers and got no satisfaction. At least I finished this one, grimacing and wincing through much of it, hoping it would turn the corner. I love the beach and the whole magic idea of beach vacations and even the beach vacation fling so this sounded promising. It started out OK with just enough background and context and a likable main character. The plot quickly fell apart and just got silly. I get the concept of needing to suspend reality but this was so contrived and sappy and expected the reader to go along with so much happening in 2 weeks. The first day of the 2 week vacation Macy walks the beach and in a most uncharacteristic move for her, prays to God to bring her soulmate to her, the mystery person who left messages 10 years ago in the guestbook. And, presto, within 3 days she magically meets 3 interesting men. And her 30 something brother who has been a raging alcoholic for all his adult life meets one of the men who happens to be a preacher and the preacher works his magic and within a week the brother is a new man walking around with his Bible. It just got sillier and sillier but I persevered to the cliched ending and thankfully closed the book. Only then did I read the fine print on the back of the jacket with indicated it was in the category of Fiction-Christian/General. So I guess it was true to what it was suppose to be, I was just unaware. All in all, just a big meh, actually less but at least it made me finish it.

[Lacepaperlife · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: This is considered a Christian romance which I did not know going in ha ha Ha

Meet Macy. A single mom struggling to hold it all together when all aspects of her life seem to be falling to pieces. Since her father passed away 10 years ago she disapproves of her mothers grieving style and her brothers partying. She is caught between feelings of abandonment, resent, joy, and attraction when her child’s father reenters the picture after a five year hiatus. With all the crazy thoughts and emotions Macy wonders if she can once again find solitude in the religious she let slip to the wayside. As Macy and her family adventure to the lake house, “Time in a bottle,” she finds that God does not always answer prayers in the way we might expect.

This was a light beachy read but was also a bit of a mess! I found that there was so many unresolved issues it was hard to know where to focus. The characters were shallow and stereotypical and the storyline seemed to drag in the middle. However I soldered on and came to a perfectly satisfactory ending.

��️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars with a G rating

[Sally Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a decent story, but it was kind of lame.

Single mom goes to the beach with her mother, brother, and child ten years after her father dies. For some reason they are all STILL really hung up on his death after all that time. Like, seriously hung up. She goes to a cabin her family used to visit every year, where she drew a yearly picture in the guest book. Some guy she didn't know drew her a response each year, but she never met him, and now is determined she must find him.

In just a two week beach visit, she becomes involved with not one, not two, but THREE guys (which seems kind of unlikely). It's like she's trying out every guy at the beach to see if he's the mystery man.

Anyway, it was kind of lame, so read it if you want. Not a bad book, just not very realistic, maybe?

[Alyssa Dahlberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my. This book was something else! The best way I can describe it is by saying that it’s a mix between a bad Hallmark movie and a cheesy Christian film. The main character lacked maturity, seemed to be quite codependent, showed lots of avoidant behavior, used humor and sarcasm at a protective and distancing mechanism, and still seemed to have the attention of multiple men within a short two week span. And all this due to a prayer while not really having a relationship with God? The plot seemed to have potential, but the character development and execution fell flat for me. I was hoping for a feel-good, easy read, but it was so cheesy and ridiculous at times that I rolled my eyes and laughed. Entertaining? Yes! A great book? Not really!

[Tammy Weishuhn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not one to give negative reviews and usually try to find the parts of the book that I liked but….here it goes….

Couple of things about this book that I struggled with:

1. The father died 10 years ago and not one person in the family seems to have made it through the 6 stages of grief yet? They all seemed to have a DEEP level of depression still. None have truly moved on. After TEN YEARS??

2. The relationships (trying not to give any spoilers 😊) seemed very surface level to me. I was never able to get invested in any of them, wanting to know where they were going next, or who I wanted to root for.

This book just never got me to a point where I didn’t want to put it down. Unfortunately, I only give it 2 ⭐️

[Laurie Tell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate when I give a review that's negative but I had a lot of problems with this book. The writing was great..I was drawn into the characters. The premise was interesting. The problem was the story....

Stop reading if you don't want spoilers. So she might get back with her loser ex? Ok, bad decision but I could believe it. But she was still partly in love with someone who left her notes and drawings......once a year....when she was a kid..really?? I

So she goes to the beach and there are three men interested in her. One could be her summer artist. When she eliminates them one by one she decided she can't fall in love with them. But wait...one of them that she eliminates is actually her summer artist. So she suddenly loves him? Really?

I can't give it a terrible review because I did like the writing and I did like the characters...

[Mary Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining story of a young Mother who draws pictures in a guest book and wishing one day she will meet the boy who drew pictures for her. She spends too much of her life chasing after something she didn't have and ignored what was right in front of her. It's a cute love story. A few take away quotes:

True love is rarely found on the path of less resistance.

Wishing won't get you any where but praying will.

[Sarahb. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a nice fluffy story, much like those of Nicholas Sparks. Ok, but a bit too sappy for me. However, a nice change from some of the scarier, crime books I read. Macy and her family have stayed in the same beach house for years and Macy draws pictures in the guest book. They are always "answered" by a boy her age. Later, as an adult, Macy tries to find him to see if they are still connected .......

[Nora Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was like those I've seen in Hallmark's Christmas movies. The religious angle didn't quite fit either.










Disappointed that what I thought was going to develop into an intriguing storyline turned out to be more like a script from a Hallmark Christmas movie. Funny thing is I had read this title on facebook not realizing there is another book called The Guest Book by Sarah Blake.