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Beach Therapy: A Novel
Beach therapy, they call it, with a twist of lime.
Six women return to the same beach house in Tuckaway Bay, the same week in August, for over twenty years, drinking and laughing their past year’s problems away. Beach therapy, they call it, with a twist of lime.
Lia contemplates a surprise marriage proposal from her long-term partner—one she doesn’t want. Maggie questions the arrangement she made with her husband years earlier. Julia fights depression after a horrible loss. Wren worries about the legalities of her sister’s business, while her twin, Willow, avoids a medical issue. And Alice? Her life is perfect. Right.
As their troubles escalate and beach week unravels, the women realize no amount of beach therapy will solve their problems this year.
Alice divulges a secret. Wren and Willow disappear. Maggie faces an impossible family situation. Julia confesses her addiction. And Lia wrestles with a twenty-year-old decision when an old summer love shows up at their beach house.
Can beach week, and their friendships, survive? Even with tequila?
Beach Therapy launches a multi-book women's fiction series featuring the barrier island beach town of Tuckaway Bay. Come dive into six women's lives, loves, relationships, heartaches, family issues, and more! The series releases in 2024 and continues....
"Best Beach Read 2024", NN Light Book Awards
The Imadjinn Awards Finalist, 2025, "Best Literary Fiction Novel"
A HOLT Medallion Finalist, 2025, "Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements"
"2025 Maggie Award for Excellence" Finalist, Women's Fiction w/a Central Romance,
Lia contemplates a surprise marriage proposal from her long-term partner—one she doesn’t want. Maggie questions the arrangement she made with her husband years earlier. Julia fights depression after a horrible loss. Wren worries about the legalities of her sister’s business, while her twin, Willow, avoids a medical issue. And Alice? Her life is perfect. Right.
As their troubles escalate and beach week unravels, the women realize no amount of beach therapy will solve their problems this year.
Alice divulges a secret. Wren and Willow disappear. Maggie faces an impossible family situation. Julia confesses her addiction. And Lia wrestles with a twenty-year-old decision when an old summer love shows up at their beach house.
Can beach week, and their friendships, survive? Even with tequila?
Beach Therapy launches a multi-book women's fiction series featuring the barrier island beach town of Tuckaway Bay. Come dive into six women's lives, loves, relationships, heartaches, family issues, and more! The series releases in 2024 and continues....
"Best Beach Read 2024", NN Light Book Awards
The Imadjinn Awards Finalist, 2025, "Best Literary Fiction Novel"
A HOLT Medallion Finalist, 2025, "Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements"
"2025 Maggie Award for Excellence" Finalist, Women's Fiction w/a Central Romance,
354 pages, Paperback
Published June 17, 2024
7 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine Jaimes
8 books11 followersMadeleine Jaimes is a contemporary women’s fiction author whose emotionally charged novels explore the real-life social issues affecting women today. Her stories reflect powerful themes like addiction and recovery, domestic violence, LGBTQ+ identity, and family struggles. Her characters remind us that healing is never linear—and that strength comes in many forms. She believes the most important stories we tell are the ones we whisper to ourselves.
Set against emotionally rich backdrops, Madeleine’s stories invite readers to pause, reflect, and feel seen. Her popular Tuckaway Bay series reflects her passion for writing layered characters and small-town stories where every woman’s journey matters.
Also writing romance as Maddie James.
Set against emotionally rich backdrops, Madeleine’s stories invite readers to pause, reflect, and feel seen. Her popular Tuckaway Bay series reflects her passion for writing layered characters and small-town stories where every woman’s journey matters.
Also writing romance as Maddie James.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 21, 2024
Friendship that last for 20 years. This six women were for thick and thin since college age.
The cottage was their escape and rejuvenation.
Very entertaining and enjoyable read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The cottage was their escape and rejuvenation.
Very entertaining and enjoyable read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 19, 2024
Oh my is this a good book! Having never read one of her books I didn’t know what to expect but I loved what I found. This is a complicated story of the lives of 6 college friends who go to the beach together for a week each summer but this book leans more towards the story of Lia. There are more books to come and I can’t wait. It’s a very well written, deep detailed story that delves into their individual lives and leaves you wanting more so very thankful it’s first in a series. I highly recommend this book.
September 28, 2024
This book is about a group of friends who meet in college. Every year they meet at the same beach house for a week. The story is set 20 years after their first trip. I like how it gives us a hint on each of the friends and then focuses in on one of them. There's some mystery and intrigue, which I really enjoy. Looking forward to the rest of the stories.
July 25, 2024
This is book one of the Tuckaway Bay series and tells the story of a group of six women who first stayed at the Tequila Sunrise cottage by the beach some twenty years ago after they had all graduated. They have carried on the tradition for the same week in August every year, a time to relax, drink, and forget the worries of their everyday life, whilst spending quality time with their best friends. There is some background of their first time there and what each woman did, but mostly concentrating on the love Lia found there with a local, as she spent all of the summer season there to gain some work experience, before starting her first proper job, her father had lined up for her.
The rest of the story deals with their latest visit to the bay, twenty years after the first, and everything each of the women is now struggling with. Most have made it for the one week, most years, a chance to get away and have some beach therapy, heavy on the alcohol! Alice is the local, living not far away and has always been the mother hen to the group and stayed sober to be the designated driver, whilst also hiding away a secret all of those years. Twins Wren and Willow seem to be in a spot of bother and Willow has kept the true purpose of their business a secret from Wren for some time, but they soon disappear without a word, with Willow also seriously ill. Maggie has a marriage that only seems to be for her husband’s benefit, but one she and her now three kids can’t do without, as he makes sure she has nothing and will give her nothing if she leaves. He won’t even look after his kids, telling her that is her job and she had better cancel her beach holiday, whilst also giving her yet another black eye! Julia is facing a personal heartbreak and fighting depression with alcohol, ignoring her husband and the project for a B&B she had given up her law career for. Lia had a surprise marriage proposal thrown on her by her long-time boyfriend, after it had been something they both decided they didn’t want. She feels conflicted and unable to give him an answer, especially as she has only just seen off her teenage daughter Belle off to college far across the country and worries about her health. On top of that, the old flame from twenty years ago is also back, and back to working for his Aunt Grace at the local inn, running maintenance and the restaurant.
His Aunt Grace is getting ever older and still has a dream of her nephew Zach and Lia getting back together and taking over the inn and all the property she has built up over the years, as she had hoped when she twisted Lia’s arm twenty years ago, to work as her hotel manager for the summer season. Each woman must deal with what is happening that week, as the annual holiday soon turns from getting back together with old friends and having fun, to a shocking mix of incidents, leaving the group of friends to be pulled into different directions and some of their friendships taking damage as they go. A decision made as a teen for Lia, left Zach broken-hearted and lost for many years and it was less than two years since he returned to help his aunt out. They may finally realise that they were both at fault back then, too young to make such an important decision, just as their lives were about to take off in different directions. So much damage was done to both of them, that it affected their relationships going on from then, even until the present day and old hurts and insecurities are not easily left behind! Sad to see the decision Maggie made, but hoping it works out better for her, whilst Alice may soon find herself being let down, when a job trumps secrets. Lots of heartache and family issues, as there is in real life and it just goes to show that even when you take that one week of down time for a holiday, that life still goes on and can’t be ignored! More to come with another of the women being spotlighted for the next book and I look forward to seeing what happens in her life, as well as the others, if there are any insights to be told.
I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout, and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
The rest of the story deals with their latest visit to the bay, twenty years after the first, and everything each of the women is now struggling with. Most have made it for the one week, most years, a chance to get away and have some beach therapy, heavy on the alcohol! Alice is the local, living not far away and has always been the mother hen to the group and stayed sober to be the designated driver, whilst also hiding away a secret all of those years. Twins Wren and Willow seem to be in a spot of bother and Willow has kept the true purpose of their business a secret from Wren for some time, but they soon disappear without a word, with Willow also seriously ill. Maggie has a marriage that only seems to be for her husband’s benefit, but one she and her now three kids can’t do without, as he makes sure she has nothing and will give her nothing if she leaves. He won’t even look after his kids, telling her that is her job and she had better cancel her beach holiday, whilst also giving her yet another black eye! Julia is facing a personal heartbreak and fighting depression with alcohol, ignoring her husband and the project for a B&B she had given up her law career for. Lia had a surprise marriage proposal thrown on her by her long-time boyfriend, after it had been something they both decided they didn’t want. She feels conflicted and unable to give him an answer, especially as she has only just seen off her teenage daughter Belle off to college far across the country and worries about her health. On top of that, the old flame from twenty years ago is also back, and back to working for his Aunt Grace at the local inn, running maintenance and the restaurant.
His Aunt Grace is getting ever older and still has a dream of her nephew Zach and Lia getting back together and taking over the inn and all the property she has built up over the years, as she had hoped when she twisted Lia’s arm twenty years ago, to work as her hotel manager for the summer season. Each woman must deal with what is happening that week, as the annual holiday soon turns from getting back together with old friends and having fun, to a shocking mix of incidents, leaving the group of friends to be pulled into different directions and some of their friendships taking damage as they go. A decision made as a teen for Lia, left Zach broken-hearted and lost for many years and it was less than two years since he returned to help his aunt out. They may finally realise that they were both at fault back then, too young to make such an important decision, just as their lives were about to take off in different directions. So much damage was done to both of them, that it affected their relationships going on from then, even until the present day and old hurts and insecurities are not easily left behind! Sad to see the decision Maggie made, but hoping it works out better for her, whilst Alice may soon find herself being let down, when a job trumps secrets. Lots of heartache and family issues, as there is in real life and it just goes to show that even when you take that one week of down time for a holiday, that life still goes on and can’t be ignored! More to come with another of the women being spotlighted for the next book and I look forward to seeing what happens in her life, as well as the others, if there are any insights to be told.
I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout, and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
March 2, 2026
Beach Therapy by Madeleine Jaimes is the first book of the Tuckaway Bay series set in a contemporary North Carolina beach town. A Hoopla Bonus Borrow introducing me to a new author and series. I could not resist reading a novel about 6 women who return to the same beach house for a week vacation every August. They call it "beach therapy with a twist of lime".
Every year since their college days, Lia, Alice, Maggie, Julia, Willow and Wren have gathered together to celebrate their friendship, roam the beach, talk over dreams and hopes, drink plenty of tequila. This year, their 20th reunion, is far tougher than any other. This vacation, the crises in their lives cannot be solved with girl talk, mojitos and margaritas.
Twenty years ago....their first beach vacation in the Tequila Sunrise cottage....Lia met Zach, fell in love. She got a job, stayed in Tuckaway Bay all summer. But then the time came to return to Chicago and the career waiting. The two broke up. But they never got over it, not really.
Lia has been married and divorced, has a college age daughter, has had a steady relationship for seven years. Now Ron wants marriage (she doesn't). Maggie is her husband's punching bag. Julia has drowned her sorrows in bourbon for so long she's out of control. Twins Willow and Wren face a scary reckoning in their not-really-legal business. Alice is the only one with a perfect life: happy marriage, loving daughter, life year round at the beach.
Alice has always been their self-appointed mother hen, their designated driver, the one who always keeps in touch. But as the beach vacation spirals out of control, her secret is revealed.
Beach Therapy ends with the resolution of Lia's issues; leaving the reader to wonder what-happens-next to the rest of her friends. Not to worry; the series continues a book focused on each one.
She was the quintessential helicopter mom. Those three human beings were her life, and she'd made a career of being a parent from day one. They were all she had, really.
She knew the sting of his backhand, and she'd be damned if she let her daughter feel it.
Just like that. She'd been planning her week vacation of months, and with a flick of his wrist, everything was off.
Reality check--he demanded those things because he could. He might not love her, but he didn't want to let loose the reins he had on her, either. She was a possession.
"A bourbon mojito. Guaranteed to put you in a state of mellow." Smiling, Julia muddled some mint and sugar and sliced ginger together in the bottom of the glasses with a wooden spoon, added some crushed ice and stirred again, followed by a splash of bitters and a healthy glug of bourbon, and topped off with a slice of lime.
A smile that rivaled the full moon broke across Zach's face.
Every year since their college days, Lia, Alice, Maggie, Julia, Willow and Wren have gathered together to celebrate their friendship, roam the beach, talk over dreams and hopes, drink plenty of tequila. This year, their 20th reunion, is far tougher than any other. This vacation, the crises in their lives cannot be solved with girl talk, mojitos and margaritas.
Twenty years ago....their first beach vacation in the Tequila Sunrise cottage....Lia met Zach, fell in love. She got a job, stayed in Tuckaway Bay all summer. But then the time came to return to Chicago and the career waiting. The two broke up. But they never got over it, not really.
Lia has been married and divorced, has a college age daughter, has had a steady relationship for seven years. Now Ron wants marriage (she doesn't). Maggie is her husband's punching bag. Julia has drowned her sorrows in bourbon for so long she's out of control. Twins Willow and Wren face a scary reckoning in their not-really-legal business. Alice is the only one with a perfect life: happy marriage, loving daughter, life year round at the beach.
Alice has always been their self-appointed mother hen, their designated driver, the one who always keeps in touch. But as the beach vacation spirals out of control, her secret is revealed.
Beach Therapy ends with the resolution of Lia's issues; leaving the reader to wonder what-happens-next to the rest of her friends. Not to worry; the series continues a book focused on each one.
She was the quintessential helicopter mom. Those three human beings were her life, and she'd made a career of being a parent from day one. They were all she had, really.
She knew the sting of his backhand, and she'd be damned if she let her daughter feel it.
Just like that. She'd been planning her week vacation of months, and with a flick of his wrist, everything was off.
Reality check--he demanded those things because he could. He might not love her, but he didn't want to let loose the reins he had on her, either. She was a possession.
"A bourbon mojito. Guaranteed to put you in a state of mellow." Smiling, Julia muddled some mint and sugar and sliced ginger together in the bottom of the glasses with a wooden spoon, added some crushed ice and stirred again, followed by a splash of bitters and a healthy glug of bourbon, and topped off with a slice of lime.
A smile that rivaled the full moon broke across Zach's face.
June 19, 2025
You know those books that feel like you’ve been handed a beach chair, a strong margarita, and the full emotional weight of six women unraveling at once? Beach Therapy is exactly that kind of story—and I mean that in the best possible way.
Every August for over twenty years, six women meet at their beach house in Tuckaway Bay for what they call “beach therapy.” Sounds cute, right? Drinks, sunshine, girl talk. But this year? This year, the baggage comes unzipped, the secrets spill like tipped tequila, and suddenly that salty air feels a little heavier.
Each of these women—Lia, Maggie, Julia, Wren, Willow, and Alice—feels like someone I know. Or maybe, if I’m being honest, someone I am at different points in life.
• Lia is staring down a surprise proposal like it’s a loaded gun, and oh honey, I felt that panic.
• Maggie made a deal with her husband years ago—and now she’s wondering if it’s cost her too much.
• Julia is fighting her way out of grief, with depression curling around her like ocean fog.
• Wren and Willow, twins with tangled lives, are both running from hard truths—legal, medical, emotional.
• And Alice? The “perfect” one? Yeah... perfection’s got a crack running straight through the middle.
What starts as laughs, lime, and sunscreen turns into something raw, aching, and unfiltered. And I loved every messy, gut-wrenching moment of it.
Because here’s the truth—friendships like this? They’re real. They’re the kind that hold your hair back when you’ve had too much to drink and hold your heart when you’re too broken to say what hurts. These women don’t always say the right thing, or even know how to help each other... but they show up. And sometimes, that’s everything.
The writing is warm and intimate, like Madeleine Jaimes handed me a front-row seat to real lives unraveling and rebuilding. There’s laughter, yes. But there are also truths that hit deep—about love, regret, getting older, letting go, and finding the kind of healing that doesn’t come from sunshine, but from showing up for each other even when everything falls apart.
Beach Therapy isn’t just a book—it’s a salty, sun-drenched reminder that no matter how far we drift, the right people will always help us find our way back.
I’ll be following this series straight into the next book, toes in the sand, secrets in the wind, and hoping these women keep growing—because I’m not done crying and cheering for them yet.
Every August for over twenty years, six women meet at their beach house in Tuckaway Bay for what they call “beach therapy.” Sounds cute, right? Drinks, sunshine, girl talk. But this year? This year, the baggage comes unzipped, the secrets spill like tipped tequila, and suddenly that salty air feels a little heavier.
Each of these women—Lia, Maggie, Julia, Wren, Willow, and Alice—feels like someone I know. Or maybe, if I’m being honest, someone I am at different points in life.
• Lia is staring down a surprise proposal like it’s a loaded gun, and oh honey, I felt that panic.
• Maggie made a deal with her husband years ago—and now she’s wondering if it’s cost her too much.
• Julia is fighting her way out of grief, with depression curling around her like ocean fog.
• Wren and Willow, twins with tangled lives, are both running from hard truths—legal, medical, emotional.
• And Alice? The “perfect” one? Yeah... perfection’s got a crack running straight through the middle.
What starts as laughs, lime, and sunscreen turns into something raw, aching, and unfiltered. And I loved every messy, gut-wrenching moment of it.
Because here’s the truth—friendships like this? They’re real. They’re the kind that hold your hair back when you’ve had too much to drink and hold your heart when you’re too broken to say what hurts. These women don’t always say the right thing, or even know how to help each other... but they show up. And sometimes, that’s everything.
The writing is warm and intimate, like Madeleine Jaimes handed me a front-row seat to real lives unraveling and rebuilding. There’s laughter, yes. But there are also truths that hit deep—about love, regret, getting older, letting go, and finding the kind of healing that doesn’t come from sunshine, but from showing up for each other even when everything falls apart.
Beach Therapy isn’t just a book—it’s a salty, sun-drenched reminder that no matter how far we drift, the right people will always help us find our way back.
I’ll be following this series straight into the next book, toes in the sand, secrets in the wind, and hoping these women keep growing—because I’m not done crying and cheering for them yet.
June 11, 2025
Beach therapy, they call it, with a twist of lime.Six women return to the same beach house in Tuckaway Bay, the same week in August, for over twenty years, drinking and laughing their past year’s problems away. Beach therapy, they call it, with a twist of lime.
Lia contemplates a surprise marriage proposal from her long-term partner—one she doesn’t want. Maggie questions the arrangement she made with her husband years earlier. Julia fights depression after a horrible loss. Wren worries about the legalities of her sister’s business, while her twin, Willow, avoids a medical issue. And Alice? Her life is perfect. Right.
As their troubles escalate and beach week unravels, the women realize no amount of beach therapy will solve their problems this year.
Alice divulges a secret. Wren and Willow disappear. Maggie faces an impossible family situation. Julia confesses her addiction. And Lia wrestles with a twenty-year-old decision when an old summer love shows up at their beach house.
Can beach week, and their friendships, survive? Even with tequila?
This contemporary best friends small beach town women's fiction romance is page-turning with exceptional world-building in the small town of Tuckaway Bay where the sunrises and sunsets are magnificently painted across the sky in vibrant hues, and characters that are resilient, six strong, independent women, captivating, and realistic. Their journey is enthralling with beach therapy, mature, romance that is consumed by steamy, sizzling passion, lust, desire, and spice with all the feelings to leave readers breathless and begging for more, romantic elements, midlife reinvention, coastal settings, heartfelt emotions that will leave readers needing Kleenex/Puffs to wipe away the tears that are threatening to pour down their cheeks, readers will dive into six women's lives with loves, relationships, heartaches, family issues, drama, action, adventure, and more. I recommend reading this book by an extraordinary author who knows how to captivate her readers' hearts and attention with beach therapy and a best friends romance that is sure to transport readers into a world of love and loss, emotions running high, friendships, secrets, and more that has readers embarking on an incredible journey that is unforgettable.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lia contemplates a surprise marriage proposal from her long-term partner—one she doesn’t want. Maggie questions the arrangement she made with her husband years earlier. Julia fights depression after a horrible loss. Wren worries about the legalities of her sister’s business, while her twin, Willow, avoids a medical issue. And Alice? Her life is perfect. Right.
As their troubles escalate and beach week unravels, the women realize no amount of beach therapy will solve their problems this year.
Alice divulges a secret. Wren and Willow disappear. Maggie faces an impossible family situation. Julia confesses her addiction. And Lia wrestles with a twenty-year-old decision when an old summer love shows up at their beach house.
Can beach week, and their friendships, survive? Even with tequila?
This contemporary best friends small beach town women's fiction romance is page-turning with exceptional world-building in the small town of Tuckaway Bay where the sunrises and sunsets are magnificently painted across the sky in vibrant hues, and characters that are resilient, six strong, independent women, captivating, and realistic. Their journey is enthralling with beach therapy, mature, romance that is consumed by steamy, sizzling passion, lust, desire, and spice with all the feelings to leave readers breathless and begging for more, romantic elements, midlife reinvention, coastal settings, heartfelt emotions that will leave readers needing Kleenex/Puffs to wipe away the tears that are threatening to pour down their cheeks, readers will dive into six women's lives with loves, relationships, heartaches, family issues, drama, action, adventure, and more. I recommend reading this book by an extraordinary author who knows how to captivate her readers' hearts and attention with beach therapy and a best friends romance that is sure to transport readers into a world of love and loss, emotions running high, friendships, secrets, and more that has readers embarking on an incredible journey that is unforgettable.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 8, 2025
This book was so great!! I thought it would be less exciting than it was. Just a standard romance. But no.
This book focusses mainly on Lia and Zach’s romance. But it also includes side stories from all Lia’s friends. Friends who are so extremely different from one another it’s hard to believe they could even BE friends except fit the fact they all have the same underlying qualities. Such as humility, compassion, love, loyalty and care.
Lia met Zach when she was in her early twenties and on her way to spend and week with her mates and then summer working at tuck away bay. When summer ends Lia makes a difficult decision to follow her original plans and life gets away from her for the next twenty years.
Twenty years later she is once again heading to tuck away bay for the friends’ annual week long beach getaway (beach therapy week) but there is so much that each friend is dealing with. And the week becomes unlike any relaxing week they have ever had.
Every girl has major decisions to make, they each have huge trials and tribulations to work through. And they do it with the support and love of each other.
Lia, on the other hand, reunites with Zach and for her she has to decide what’s really important and whether or not she can correct past mistakes and live the life she was always meant to live.
This story is a closed door romance so nothing too spicy. But definitely loads of yearning and love. I literally couldn’t put it down and read the 370 pages in one day and a couple of hours. I genuinely can not wait to get into the rest of the series. I love thèse flawed characters so much. And I loved how they were my age. They were so relatable and how life just keeps going and choices keep being made fr better or worse is such a relatable topic. Especially when looking at historic regrets and looking to whether they can be undone.
This book focusses mainly on Lia and Zach’s romance. But it also includes side stories from all Lia’s friends. Friends who are so extremely different from one another it’s hard to believe they could even BE friends except fit the fact they all have the same underlying qualities. Such as humility, compassion, love, loyalty and care.
Lia met Zach when she was in her early twenties and on her way to spend and week with her mates and then summer working at tuck away bay. When summer ends Lia makes a difficult decision to follow her original plans and life gets away from her for the next twenty years.
Twenty years later she is once again heading to tuck away bay for the friends’ annual week long beach getaway (beach therapy week) but there is so much that each friend is dealing with. And the week becomes unlike any relaxing week they have ever had.
Every girl has major decisions to make, they each have huge trials and tribulations to work through. And they do it with the support and love of each other.
Lia, on the other hand, reunites with Zach and for her she has to decide what’s really important and whether or not she can correct past mistakes and live the life she was always meant to live.
This story is a closed door romance so nothing too spicy. But definitely loads of yearning and love. I literally couldn’t put it down and read the 370 pages in one day and a couple of hours. I genuinely can not wait to get into the rest of the series. I love thèse flawed characters so much. And I loved how they were my age. They were so relatable and how life just keeps going and choices keep being made fr better or worse is such a relatable topic. Especially when looking at historic regrets and looking to whether they can be undone.
July 27, 2024
A second chance romance that took 20 years!
This book involves six former Eastern Carolinas University women who meet up annually for beach therapy in Tuckaway Bay, North Carolina. Their stories will be told in bits and pieces throughout the book with only one couple having an HEA: Lia and Zach.
Lia Langston is soon to be an empty nester and it scares her and Belle. She had heart difficulties at birth and for that reason Lia has hated thinking about the day she leaves. Lia and Grant, Belle’s father divorced many years ago and Lia’s current stand-in boyfriend wants more than Lia wants to offer. Fortunately, her girls’ beach week is fast approaching and she plans on enjoying herself and thinking about what she wants for the rest of her life. Lia will soon find out that the boy she loved twenty years ago and the one she measured other men against is back in Tuckaway Bay. Can those old loving feelings be rekindled?
If the plot dealing with Zach and Lia were all, this book would be outstanding but Ms. Jaimes has intrigue surrounding Wren and Willow the twins who meet up for beach week too. Then there is Maggie who is in an abusive marriage or Julia who lost a child and has stayed drunk ever since. Lastly, there is Alice who seems to live a charmed life. But is it? This book only resolves Lia and Zach’s situation. The next book takes on Julia’s problems. I hope we find out what happened to the other women in future books. I didn’t want this book to end but I wanted to see Lia and Zach get their happy ending. I truly enjoyed this book and you will too if anything I have written entices you to read it. I strongly recommend this book. I volunteered to review an ARC of it through Booksprout.
This book involves six former Eastern Carolinas University women who meet up annually for beach therapy in Tuckaway Bay, North Carolina. Their stories will be told in bits and pieces throughout the book with only one couple having an HEA: Lia and Zach.
Lia Langston is soon to be an empty nester and it scares her and Belle. She had heart difficulties at birth and for that reason Lia has hated thinking about the day she leaves. Lia and Grant, Belle’s father divorced many years ago and Lia’s current stand-in boyfriend wants more than Lia wants to offer. Fortunately, her girls’ beach week is fast approaching and she plans on enjoying herself and thinking about what she wants for the rest of her life. Lia will soon find out that the boy she loved twenty years ago and the one she measured other men against is back in Tuckaway Bay. Can those old loving feelings be rekindled?
If the plot dealing with Zach and Lia were all, this book would be outstanding but Ms. Jaimes has intrigue surrounding Wren and Willow the twins who meet up for beach week too. Then there is Maggie who is in an abusive marriage or Julia who lost a child and has stayed drunk ever since. Lastly, there is Alice who seems to live a charmed life. But is it? This book only resolves Lia and Zach’s situation. The next book takes on Julia’s problems. I hope we find out what happened to the other women in future books. I didn’t want this book to end but I wanted to see Lia and Zach get their happy ending. I truly enjoyed this book and you will too if anything I have written entices you to read it. I strongly recommend this book. I volunteered to review an ARC of it through Booksprout.
November 25, 2024
Wow, just wow!!! I was looking for a break from the all festive books I have been reading recently and this was just the ticket.
Six friends Lia, Maggie, Alice, Julie and twins Wren and Willow have been friends forever. Every year, for 20 years they have had a week's vacation together, staying in a beach house called Tequila Sunrise, in a beautiful little cove town called Tuckaway Bay, in North Carolina.
The girls all met in college, young free and single. That's when they took their first holiday in Tuckaway Bay. That's also when Lia meets Zach for the first time. Leah had always planned on staying in the cove after their weeks holiday. She had a job lined up working for the summer in a clothes shop, before heading out in to the big wide world when she got back home to Chicago. On meeting her, Zach's Aunt Grace has other ideas though, offering Lia the manager's job for the Sea Glass Inn for the summer. The job even comes with a free lodge for her accommodation, which just so happens to be right next door to Zachs.
So much can change in 20 years though. Marriage, divorce, love, loss, betrayal and a million other things. As the girls reunite for their 20th holiday together, all of them having problems in their personal lives, cracks start to show in their friendships. They have to pull together to get through the rollercoaster, that should have been just another chilled out holiday in their favourite beach house.
Then there is Zach and Aunt Grace, will they forgive Lia for not staying in touch for the last 20 years since that first summer?
This is an absolutely brilliant book, it has so many twists and turns, there is no way to know what is going to happen next. I can’t wait to read the next 4 books in the series.
Six friends Lia, Maggie, Alice, Julie and twins Wren and Willow have been friends forever. Every year, for 20 years they have had a week's vacation together, staying in a beach house called Tequila Sunrise, in a beautiful little cove town called Tuckaway Bay, in North Carolina.
The girls all met in college, young free and single. That's when they took their first holiday in Tuckaway Bay. That's also when Lia meets Zach for the first time. Leah had always planned on staying in the cove after their weeks holiday. She had a job lined up working for the summer in a clothes shop, before heading out in to the big wide world when she got back home to Chicago. On meeting her, Zach's Aunt Grace has other ideas though, offering Lia the manager's job for the Sea Glass Inn for the summer. The job even comes with a free lodge for her accommodation, which just so happens to be right next door to Zachs.
So much can change in 20 years though. Marriage, divorce, love, loss, betrayal and a million other things. As the girls reunite for their 20th holiday together, all of them having problems in their personal lives, cracks start to show in their friendships. They have to pull together to get through the rollercoaster, that should have been just another chilled out holiday in their favourite beach house.
Then there is Zach and Aunt Grace, will they forgive Lia for not staying in touch for the last 20 years since that first summer?
This is an absolutely brilliant book, it has so many twists and turns, there is no way to know what is going to happen next. I can’t wait to read the next 4 books in the series.
June 28, 2024
For twenty years, six women come together for a week at a beach house in Tuckaway Bay. But this year, each woman is dealing with a problem that won’t easily be solved with drinks, conversations, and sun. Can friendship and love heal their wounds? Beach Therapy is a touching women’s fiction featuring six women and their very different lives. Their love for each other spills over the pages and the poignant life lessons will leave you aching for friends like these. Madeline James pens a beautiful women’s fiction with descriptive narration, engaging characters, and the breathtaking scenery of a small beach town.
Madeline James writes descriptive narration so immersive, you can smell the sea air and sand on the beach. Such detail is hard to come by these days, but Madeline James stimulates all your senses.
The plot moves at a nice easy pace as the story unfolds. The writing is emotional and really connects the reader to the story. I’m fast becoming a fan of this author’s writing. It’s all about life’s journeys and self-discovery.
The characters are written so well, by the end, you won’t want to let go. I connected with Lia instantly, but I really liked all the women of this ensemble. Each woman brings something to the group dynamic and their love for each other is strong. Whether in the past of present, these women deal with life’s issues. I couldn’t stop reading.
If you’re looking for a deeply emotional women’s fiction, pick up this book. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand will love this book.
My Rating: 5+ stars
Reviewed by: Nancy
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
Madeline James writes descriptive narration so immersive, you can smell the sea air and sand on the beach. Such detail is hard to come by these days, but Madeline James stimulates all your senses.
The plot moves at a nice easy pace as the story unfolds. The writing is emotional and really connects the reader to the story. I’m fast becoming a fan of this author’s writing. It’s all about life’s journeys and self-discovery.
The characters are written so well, by the end, you won’t want to let go. I connected with Lia instantly, but I really liked all the women of this ensemble. Each woman brings something to the group dynamic and their love for each other is strong. Whether in the past of present, these women deal with life’s issues. I couldn’t stop reading.
If you’re looking for a deeply emotional women’s fiction, pick up this book. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand will love this book.
My Rating: 5+ stars
Reviewed by: Nancy
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...
October 8, 2024
Beach Therapy is the first book in Madeline Jaimes' new Series Tuckaway Bay. This series follows 6 women that became best friends in college, living together first in the dorms at Eastern Carolina University and then in apartments at the same college. They spent many vacations during school in a quaint oceanside hamlet, Tuckaway Bay, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. One of the girls was from Tuckaway Bay and had a family friend with a beachfront rental called Tequila Sunrise that the women continued to rent for one week every summer in August. This week was spent drinking, relaxing, catching up, having fun and often helping each other with life's problems, thus Beach Therapy.
This first book in the series starts with their first year after graduation, explaining what the week was like and the love story beginning for Lia and Zach, Then, the books jumps ahead 20 years, the same 6 women still spending one week at Tequila Sunrise every August. This year, their was less drinking and carrying on and much more therapy needed. This year was also the chance to renew Lia and Zach's love story, with a great HEA.
I loved the friendships these women had both during college and continued to cultivate for 20 years after. I wish I had such friendships. Ms. Jaimes does an excellent job developing all the main characters and making you care for them and what happens to them, The story is unlike anything I have read before but I look forward to reading future books focusing the other girls lives post college.
This first book in the series starts with their first year after graduation, explaining what the week was like and the love story beginning for Lia and Zach, Then, the books jumps ahead 20 years, the same 6 women still spending one week at Tequila Sunrise every August. This year, their was less drinking and carrying on and much more therapy needed. This year was also the chance to renew Lia and Zach's love story, with a great HEA.
I loved the friendships these women had both during college and continued to cultivate for 20 years after. I wish I had such friendships. Ms. Jaimes does an excellent job developing all the main characters and making you care for them and what happens to them, The story is unlike anything I have read before but I look forward to reading future books focusing the other girls lives post college.
June 21, 2024
The story starts twenty years ago when a group of college friends (Alice, Wren, Willow, Maggie, Julia, and Lia) share a cottage on the beach of Tuckaway Bay. It picks up again in the present, with the same group in the same place. Now, twenty years of baggage invades their peace.
This novel combines the "Women's Friendship Fiction" and "Contemporary Women Fiction" genres exceptionally well. The relatively slow start to the novel allows readers to come up to speed before plunging into the multi-focus setting. The losses they have incurred. The dangers among them. The secrets they hold. Their tragedies. For one, the love that blossoms. The end is satisfying.
Entertaining. Great world building. Happily Ever After. Haunting. Romantic. Scary. Steamy. Tragic. Unpredictable. Whimsical. Wonderful characters.
This novel combines the "Women's Friendship Fiction" and "Contemporary Women Fiction" genres exceptionally well. The relatively slow start to the novel allows readers to come up to speed before plunging into the multi-focus setting. The losses they have incurred. The dangers among them. The secrets they hold. Their tragedies. For one, the love that blossoms. The end is satisfying.
Entertaining. Great world building. Happily Ever After. Haunting. Romantic. Scary. Steamy. Tragic. Unpredictable. Whimsical. Wonderful characters.
October 6, 2025
They call it beach therapy… but let’s be honest, sometimes what happens on the beach stays on the beach (and maybe shouldn’t 😂🍹).
Beach Therapy by Madeleine James was the perfect blend of sunshine, secrets, and sisterhood. I laughed, I teared up, and I may or may not have yelled “girl, no!” out loud a few times. These six women felt real — messy, honest, and impossible not to root for.
This book has heart, humor, and just enough chaos to remind you that friendship really can weather any storm (even the emotional kind). And I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of the Tuckaway Bay series .."where every summer has a story. 🏖️💛"
ahhh thank you so much. truly so excited to read the rest of this series.
Beach Therapy by Madeleine James was the perfect blend of sunshine, secrets, and sisterhood. I laughed, I teared up, and I may or may not have yelled “girl, no!” out loud a few times. These six women felt real — messy, honest, and impossible not to root for.
This book has heart, humor, and just enough chaos to remind you that friendship really can weather any storm (even the emotional kind). And I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of the Tuckaway Bay series .."where every summer has a story. 🏖️💛"
ahhh thank you so much. truly so excited to read the rest of this series.
February 19, 2025
This is the first book in a series, which I didn't know when I started reading it, so now I have a lot of reading to do to continue the story of this six friends who has been meeting one week a year for 20 years at a beach cottage in North Carolina. They have been friends since their college years and will do anything for each other.
The book has a lot of heartache, second chances, friendship, unexpected revelations and secrets.
I loved reading about each and everyone of the friends, even though this books focuses more on Lia and her 20 year old love story who turns into a second chance love story.
I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.
The book has a lot of heartache, second chances, friendship, unexpected revelations and secrets.
I loved reading about each and everyone of the friends, even though this books focuses more on Lia and her 20 year old love story who turns into a second chance love story.
I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.
August 11, 2025
I loved every part of this book—from the deep, messy, beautiful friendships to Lia’s incredible strength. ❤️ The dynamic between these women felt so real, like I was right there on the porch with them, tequila in hand, soaking in the ocean breeze. And the twins?? Oh my gosh… what is going on with them?! I was glued to the pages, desperate for answers.
This story has everything—love, heartbreak, secrets, and the kind of ride-or-die friendships that can survive even the stormiest waves. It’s emotional, gripping, and impossible to put down. By the end, I felt like part of their circle… and now I need my own Tuckaway Bay tradition. 🌊🍹
This story has everything—love, heartbreak, secrets, and the kind of ride-or-die friendships that can survive even the stormiest waves. It’s emotional, gripping, and impossible to put down. By the end, I felt like part of their circle… and now I need my own Tuckaway Bay tradition. 🌊🍹
March 14, 2026
4⭐️
Beach Therapy was exactly the kind of read I needed. Lena’s journey of healing in a quiet coastal town felt like the perfect escape. The beach itself became such a soothing, almost magical backdrop for her transformation. I really connected with Lena’s struggles and growth—it felt real and relatable.
Maggie, the quirky beach shop owner, was a standout for me. Her humor and wisdom added the right touch of lightness to the story. While the plot is a little predictable, I still loved the emotional depth and the way it made me reflect on my own need for moments of peace and self-care.
Thank you to Booksprout and the publisher for the eARC.
Beach Therapy was exactly the kind of read I needed. Lena’s journey of healing in a quiet coastal town felt like the perfect escape. The beach itself became such a soothing, almost magical backdrop for her transformation. I really connected with Lena’s struggles and growth—it felt real and relatable.
Maggie, the quirky beach shop owner, was a standout for me. Her humor and wisdom added the right touch of lightness to the story. While the plot is a little predictable, I still loved the emotional depth and the way it made me reflect on my own need for moments of peace and self-care.
Thank you to Booksprout and the publisher for the eARC.
September 14, 2024
I really enjoyed this first book in the Tuckaway Bay series. A group of six friends from college get together every year for 20 years at the same cabin at the beach and relax and catch up on each other's lives. There is so much going on with each lady, but this book focuses on Lia and Zach and is really a great story! But the little tidbits of everyone else's lives makes you ready for the rest of their stories. I love that it's featured as in the OBX of NC because I visit there often.
I received an ARC for an honest review.
I received an ARC for an honest review.
November 18, 2024
Beach Therapy is the first book in the Tuckaway Bay Series which features six college friends who meet annually at a beachfront cottage to spend time updating and renewing their friendship. During their annual week together, they share their secrets, feelings, abuses, dramas, losses, and loves. This book focuses on Lia whose one time love, Zack, surprisingly comes back into her life. The next book in this emotional and well written book is The Space Between.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 20, 2024
I really enjoyed this book! Six women go to the beach for a week every year and the first book in this series shows the detailed characters and what is transpiring in their lives the rest of the year. I loved the characters and the setting and now have to wait for the author to come out with her second novel! Ahhhh! I want to read more! Definitely worth the read! 5 stars ⭐️
July 25, 2024
This is the first book I've read written by Madeleine Jaimes; I can’t wait to read more of her books.
This is the first book in the Tuckaway Bay Series; it can be read as a stand-alone book but would be better if read in order. The story is about six friends returning to Tuckaway Bay every August for the past twenty years.
This is the first book in the Tuckaway Bay Series; it can be read as a stand-alone book but would be better if read in order. The story is about six friends returning to Tuckaway Bay every August for the past twenty years.
November 2, 2025
Beach Therapy, Tuckaway Bay, adult, best-friend, Chicago, contemporary, contemporary-romance, families, have-tissue-handy, LGBTQ, midlife, romance, second-chance, second-chance-romance, self-medication, small-town, stillbirth.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 26, 2024
This book had me hook, line and margarita. A fantastic women's fiction book that will keep you reading long after you need to get to sleep. This is a series you're not going to want to miss.
July 18, 2025
This was an amazing book. Great twists and turns. Wonderful characters, can relate to them. Definitely a book you dont want to put down
September 17, 2024
Twenty years ago, six young women in their 20s were a group of friends in college. Their friendship has continued for twenty years, during which they would all meet up for a week at a cottage by the sea. Each have their own personality, their strength and weakness, and now in their 40s life has thrown it's fair share of challenges.
As the story unfolds, we discover that they each carry a problem that they are now dealing with...heartache, loss and pain, fear, trouble. Will the friendship provide support and relief from anguish they each face. Well written, interesting storyline.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
As the story unfolds, we discover that they each carry a problem that they are now dealing with...heartache, loss and pain, fear, trouble. Will the friendship provide support and relief from anguish they each face. Well written, interesting storyline.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 8, 2025
This novel was just what the doctor ordered. Next to the sun, sand, and cool Atlantic waters, this was a solid four-star read. The characters were well-developed and human enough to create the conflict needed to carry the plot to its natural conclusion.
I am looking forward to the other novels in this series.
I am looking forward to the other novels in this series.
September 28, 2024
Characters that have quirks and interesting personalities plus being friends but also come with baggage and secrets. Entertaining reading. Interesting location and story. Great start to a new series. Good read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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