The Swells of Stone Harbor

by Erica M. Reilly

What’s the difference between a Swell, a Benny, and a Shoobie?

Margo St. James can tell you. As a third-generation Stone Harbor native and local artist, she watches the town’s population balloon from 800 to over 20,000 as soon as Memorial Day Weekend arrives.

But this summer is different. Someone in town is sinking sailboats, targeting businesses, stealing town property, and breaking into beach homes. Who’s behind it and what are their reasons for wreaking havoc on 7 Mile Island?

When the town’s elite returns for the summer season and chaos begins to unfold, Margo and her friends are determined to uncover the culprit before any further damage is done.

The perfect beach read for your next vacation, The Swells of Stone Harbor is about discovering more about yourself and your hometown than you realized was right there all along.

306 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2024

Reviews

[Jaclyn Brill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super easy read & finished in 24 hours. Mix of a romance and mystery. It’s really cool to experience Stone Harbor, NJ and then read about all the cute little destinations that you saw while being a tourist over the summer. Lots of characters, but Reilly was able to keep them pretty organized and clear. I guessed the ending, which I don’t typically do. I definitely feel the ending was a little bit rushed. Cute Read though for the beach!

[Beth Chapko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up in Stone Harbor, NJ and, as someone who loves the small, beach town, I loved reading a book based in the town with names of shops and places I recognized. It added some fun into the reading and really allowed me to picture where things were happening. The story itself was also good, I’m hoping for more mysteries or things like this based on SH. Very fun read!

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book to read especially while in Stone Harbor! I

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, easy beach read. Even though I read it inside with the rain and wind howling outside. (Nothing says Memorial Day weekend at the shore like 55° weather!) I think the best part was reading about all the familiar Stone Harbor spots. Pretty sure there wasn't much this author missed when it came to the town. Between old and new locations, she was on it. And let's be serious, a book that mentions Fred's is a book worth reading. :)

The characters were fine. It was all a little dramatized and the story was a little silly but sometimes you need that.

[Jamiesreadingspace · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Swells of Stone Harbor by Erica Reilly. Thank you Erica for the gifted copy of this book.

This was such a perfect summer read, especially if you’re at the beach! It’s a good mix of romance, suspense, and small town vibes. This book follows multiple characters as they experience life in a small beach town. The writing was really unique, and really easy to follow. I have never been to Stone Harbor, but I definitely want to visit now!

I definitely recommend you pick this up if you’re looking for a fun, easy ready, that keeps you entertained!

[Kaitlin Kee-Dayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light and easy beach read. I think I understand what a swell is but in the book it said you'll know the difference between a swell, a shoobie, and a benny. I'm still not sure how different a swell is (nor have I ever heard the term swell for a person). A few errors in the book (missing words) but plot, characters, etc were all pretty good.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick mystery, romance book set in Stone Harbor, NJ. The author included all of the older and new landmarks, bars, restaurants, etc. Just fun to read for anyone who knows Stone Harbor well.

[Samantha Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Always impressive when someone can write a book but this genuinely good!

[Jenny Kaminski Manheimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! It was a fun read:) I cannot wait for more books from this author!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the plot and the twists. So special reading something that takes place in Stone Harbor!!!

[Jennifer Shirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. A little bit of romance, a little bit of small-town drama and a little mystery.

[Stephanie L Britton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Congratulations on your 1st novel!

[Tracey Moyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome detail about all aspects of Stone Harbor

Great story. Love all the details and references to local people, places, things, traditions etc… lots of twists and turns too. Suspense, love, romances, affairs. This book has it all.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read a book that takes place in a familiar vacation town!

[Don · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I was for sure not the target audience here - my fiancé picked this up from a local book store and I gave it a try since we like going to Stone Harbor. That said, the characters all kind of had the same personality and it was uncannily similar to the dozens of folks in marketing (coincidentally, or perhaps not, the former job of the author) I work with at my job.

[Mary Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The swells of Stone Harbor was exciting and intriguing. I enjoyed the characters and antiques and I’m looking forward to another series.

[Christina Schaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout the story, you get connections to local areas in Avalon in Stone Harbor, which makes the story so much more connectable to someone who grew up going to the Jersey shore. I had the pleasure to meet Erica in person. She was a bright and lively woman who was excited and remains excited to share the story. It’s an easy and fun Reed highly recommend for anyone getting into the summer season!!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to read while sitting on the beach of Stone Harbor.

[Beth Yeary]

This was a fast read. Would be wonderful to take on your vacation. Or a relaxing weekend awayl

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel smoothly blends mystery with romance, making it a decent beach read. However, the book could have used better editing. I ran into several printing or proofreading errors; misspelled and wrong words and missing or added words. These mistakes are small but effectively took me out of my reading rhythm, because I had to reread in order to make sure I hadn’t misread those sentences.

For me, the story started off a bit unrealistic when some small sailboats were deliberately set loose in the harbor. I kept asking myself why didn’t the characters use a boat to coral the sailboats instead of diving into the water... in April. There are a lot of characters in this novel and most them were well-described in terms of clothing and action. However, I was unable to form a good image in my mind of what each looked like. I think my inability to see them had a lot to do with voice. Even though there were plenty of individualistic traits differentiating all the characters, they came off sounding very similar. The novel is really all about them, their relationships, and their challenges of surviving the crazy summer seasons in a wealthy beach town. In fact, they drive the novel so much so, that the title is a bit of misnomer, because it’s not about the Swells. It’s about the locals.

These things aside, the story pulled me along. The pacing was fast and perfect for the novel. The mysteries and romances held my interest. The ending was a bit of a letdown. It felt rushed, less than satisfactory, and was consigned to an epilogue. It might have worked better if one or more of the main characters figured out the mysteries in the real time of the novel, instead of the author telling the reader what happened.

I think locals of Stone Harbor and/or people who summer there will enjoy this novel because of the familiarity of location and excellent descriptions of the goings-on that take place during the summer season. But one does not need to know Stone Harbor nor the Jersey shore to enjoy this break-out novel, so take it with you wherever you vacation.

[Jessica Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, easy read with a little bit of everything to keep your attention; enjoyable characters, budding romances and mysteries to be solved. Once I started, I could not put it down! Well written. I really enjoyed this story and this author. I hope she has more books to come!

[Maura Slovin · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book is almost as amazing as the author! what a fun read while on vacation at the beach!

[Arielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives the feeling of being in Stone Harbor without actually being there. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a mystery, romance, and a beach read all in one book!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick read, easy to finish in a weekend. Anyone familiar with the Jersey Shore will appreciate the setting of Stone Harbor. It has interesting characters and a great setting.

[Gordon A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!! Such a fun, easy beach read. Would def recommend!!

[MJD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read! If you're a fan of Elin Hildebrand and beach reads, this book is for you!!

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written novel and a simple story. It should only be read by someone with an interest in Stone Harbor since it includes many local establishments.

[Charlotte O · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the set up and the setting obviously. There were a lot of characters and I was bored toward the ending and I didnt like the 3 person pov. Overall a okay short read!

[Vena Sale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Congratulations on your first novel. I am looking forward to reading more from you.
The story kept me turning that next page and finding out what was going to happen next. I read it in two days. This book has suspense along with some romance. A perfect beach read for the summer of 2024. I am recommending to my friends. I hope you are working on the next book.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perfect silly beach read. But the characters were very black and white, either Good or Bad with no other nuance. We have no idea why any of the main characters like each other and want to date each other; the main character just out of the blue one day decides she wants to date the Mac, then another day out of the blue decides she's in love with her friend.