Ideal Beach

by Marjorie Reynolds, Virtual Voice (Narrator)

It’s 1956 in Ideal Beach, Indiana. Emma Cooper has lived all of her life in the small town, with the exception of the few months she spent in Florida with her new husband. He deserted her and she returned home in shame, swearing she would never trust a man again. Her future looks grim. She will always be a caretaker for her disabled father and her teenage sister. But her life changes when a Negro woman and her son come to Ideal Beach. Louisa Rawlings’ car breaks down and they have nowhere to go. Emma takes them in and soon faces the rage of the townspeople. Ideal Beach is no longer ideal. Meanwhile, a high school classmate, Nick Asher, returns from New York City to his home town to renovate the amusement park his father built. Nick loathes the community there, but he slowly, gradually, falls in love with Emma. She can’t respond with the love she feels for him because of the shocking secret she holds.

Audible Audio

Published June 26, 2025

Reviews

[DT · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very poorly written and planned out novel that didn’t have a clear direction or focus.

[Shawna]

A white savior narrative unfortunately, surprised no one pointed that out to the author, but she's probably so unaware of the trope she'd probably have to Google it.