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The Empty Beach
The small seaside town of York, Maine is the perfect backdrop for this lighthearted novel. Like most people, music has always been a huge influence on my life, my moods, and on my attempt at finding love. From my close friends - to my summer romances - and all the crazy shenanigans in between, music not only highlights these memories, but provides a nostalgic soundtrack for the highs and lows of growing up and growing apart. It is said, there hasn't been a girl who I've had a crush on that I haven't made a mixtape for - the guarded Elise Carlile in the summer of '95 was no exception.
264 pages, Paperback
Published June 10, 2017
10 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 29, 2019
When I read this book, floods of memories came back of the York I would visit every summer (not so much now, living on the West Coast and all). The descriptions of these locations were spot on so even if you have never visited York, you could still image it!
This story is about Josh and his summer in his beach town. Warning: this book does hold a lot of strong language, however, this book is also absolutely hysterical. Josh ends up managing a local restaurant and falls for one of the wait staff, Elise, but to be fair, he met her BEFORE she started working there.
Josh is a character all in himself. If he likes a girl, he goes on the overkill...flowers, mixtapes, and overly babbles. His friends try to give him guidance, but when one is hooking up with someone new every night and the others in relationships, it leaves little room for trusting romantic advice. The silver lining is that his friends are ridiculously hysterical. It made me wish I grew up in York and spent entire summers here.
We go through this whole book wondering if Josh and Elise will ever be a real thing...the suspense there will kill you. He walks her to her car every night and they even go out on a few wewon'tcallthemdates dates. My heart was pulled out of my chest at the ending and my fist was shaking. Whether it was shaking at Josh or Elise, well, you'll have to pick this book up yourself and read it to find out!
The story doesn't stop here though...The Empty Beach is book one in a trilogy. Don't worry...Jody Clark isn't a jerk and doesn't leave us hanging by a thread for the next installment. In fact, you could essentially read each book as a standalone and be ok, you would just miss some minor back stories, almost like inside jokes, that don't affect the story at all. If you want the ENTIRE story, start here. Is there love for Josh in the cards? We have 3 books to figure it all out!
Solid 4 star read. Yeah, I might be partial because of my connection to York, however, it still could have sucked and it didn't. This is the perfect time of year to read about the mis-adventures of Josh and his friends...it will have you yearning to be on the beach! I don't read much from indie authors, but trust me when I say this is worth the read! I'm practically standing on my room shouting to everyone to read this series!
This story is about Josh and his summer in his beach town. Warning: this book does hold a lot of strong language, however, this book is also absolutely hysterical. Josh ends up managing a local restaurant and falls for one of the wait staff, Elise, but to be fair, he met her BEFORE she started working there.
Josh is a character all in himself. If he likes a girl, he goes on the overkill...flowers, mixtapes, and overly babbles. His friends try to give him guidance, but when one is hooking up with someone new every night and the others in relationships, it leaves little room for trusting romantic advice. The silver lining is that his friends are ridiculously hysterical. It made me wish I grew up in York and spent entire summers here.
We go through this whole book wondering if Josh and Elise will ever be a real thing...the suspense there will kill you. He walks her to her car every night and they even go out on a few wewon'tcallthemdates dates. My heart was pulled out of my chest at the ending and my fist was shaking. Whether it was shaking at Josh or Elise, well, you'll have to pick this book up yourself and read it to find out!
The story doesn't stop here though...The Empty Beach is book one in a trilogy. Don't worry...Jody Clark isn't a jerk and doesn't leave us hanging by a thread for the next installment. In fact, you could essentially read each book as a standalone and be ok, you would just miss some minor back stories, almost like inside jokes, that don't affect the story at all. If you want the ENTIRE story, start here. Is there love for Josh in the cards? We have 3 books to figure it all out!
Solid 4 star read. Yeah, I might be partial because of my connection to York, however, it still could have sucked and it didn't. This is the perfect time of year to read about the mis-adventures of Josh and his friends...it will have you yearning to be on the beach! I don't read much from indie authors, but trust me when I say this is worth the read! I'm practically standing on my room shouting to everyone to read this series!
May 1, 2019
What a fun read! Jody Clark had me laughing out loud throughout the book.
June 2, 2018
Don't waste your time or money !
July 12, 2020
Jody Clark hits it out of the park with book one of this trilogy!! Having vacationed in York Beach Maine for over 25 years it's like visiting home reading this story not to mention the music references which take you back. You are not going to beable to read just one, you'll have to and should read all three!!
September 16, 2018
A definite beach read
I chose to rate this a 5 star because it had all the things I look for in a good read; love, sex and rock and roll. Now I sound like Josh! This was a fun read and yes I will continue with the trilogy.
I chose to rate this a 5 star because it had all the things I look for in a good read; love, sex and rock and roll. Now I sound like Josh! This was a fun read and yes I will continue with the trilogy.
June 2, 2019
Enjoyed getting to know the characters, their summer fun, friendships, and considerable hijinks. Now looking forward to continuing to follow their lives in Book 2 of this Trilogy.
July 7, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Yes it’s set in York ME. Lots of references to places that I’ve been too. Crazy antics and quirky writing! Fun read
August 1, 2020
Cute and sweet. Appealing in its local setting and flashback to the 90s and younger days. Language may be offensive to some readers. With that said, I'll probably read the rest of the trilogy.
September 3, 2019
5 out of 5 stars for every book in this trilogy! If you're looking for a great story that will capture your music loving heart look no further! Jody Clark's Soundtrack to my Life Trilogy is fun and had memories of Maine flooding back to me. It is a rare find as a love story (stories?), of sorts, told from the male perspective.
Josh and his friends will linger in your heart and mind for a long time to come. You'll also find musical references sprinkled throughout in a way that makes the music an additional character who has as much impact as the human characters. I can't recommend this trilogy highly enough!
Josh and his friends will linger in your heart and mind for a long time to come. You'll also find musical references sprinkled throughout in a way that makes the music an additional character who has as much impact as the human characters. I can't recommend this trilogy highly enough!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews